I have a question for you.
Has anyone here ever had something go wrong but that going wrong was the very thing that made things work out in the end?
What do I mean?
Have you ever missed the bus and you go back home to find that you’d forgotten to lock the house or something? If you hadn’t missed the bus you’d possibly have arrived back home later in the day to find all your finest jewels gone. The tragedy saved the day – so to say.
It could even be something big.
I once met a highly decorated old military sea captain – he was a most extraordinary man. He was an expert of strategy and I knew that in the second world war he had been highly decorated as a captain of a warship. On one convoy from America his ship was the only one to make it across and he for this he received a medal. I asked his strategy for this and he laughed.
The navigator was injured and he, the Captain was the only other officer on board who could navigate. There was total radio silence and the fog descended. They sailed for several days in total silence and in this thick fog. As it cleared they could see no other ships in the convoy. So they continued sailing towards England. Suddenly they saw land, which turned out to be the coast of Spain. They were hundreds of miles off course. They eventually arrived in Plymouth to a glorious welcome. All the other ships had been sunk by U-boats but because they had got lost, THEY made it safely home.
Before they could confess to the blunder they heard that they were up for medals and so decided to keep it quiet and accept them.
It’s strange how blunders and mishaps can become the very thing that brings the glory.
And I wonder if Jesus saw a similar thing when he looked at this mishap of a citizen called Saul.
In Christian terms Saul was about as horrible as you could get. He was a Pharisee, very religious too. He knew his bible and was very sincere. He believed that these Christians were a big threat to the Jewish faith and beliefs that he held so devoutly. And he was a man of action.
He didn’t just ignore Christians and dismiss their following of Christ. He hated Christians, he actively persecuted them, he went out of his way to kill them with vengeance. AND he didn’t just get Christians who happened to come his way; he went out of his way to go and get them.
And we see in the reading from Acts 9 he gets permission from the High Priest to go to Damascus, to seek out these Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners. A 300 mile round trip (In those days) – It must be like going to Australia or China in modern travel terms – Just to get the Christians.
BUT God calls Saul, in a flash of light, to be one of his greatest Preachers, Evangelists and Missionaries. Of course he changes his name to Paul and even ends up writing much of the New Testament in our bible.
And I’d like to focus on three aspects of Paul’s conversion today.
The first point is the Flash of Light, which made Saul fall to the Ground.
God sure knows how to get your attention!
With Saul, he sent this light from heaven that made him fall to the ground. Jesus then speaks to him directly
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” it says in verse 4
And Saul knows that it is the Lord. He doesn’t know the Lord personally yet but he knows that this voice is the Lord speaking.
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.
And when Saul gets up from the ground he opens his eyes and he can see nothing, he is blind.
A few days later, of course a disciple called Annanias is told by Jesus to find a man called Saul who is praying and to place hands on him to restore his sight.
And Acts 9 tells this is an incredible and exciting account, which I urge you to look at in your own time at home.
But what about you.
How has God called you in the past and how is he calling you today?
Has anyone ever had a blinding flash of light from God which has thrown them down to the floor and blinded them for days?
No? Well you’re probably more receptive than Saul. Since you haven’t gone around persecuting Christians all over the place Jesus probably feels he can be rather gentler with you. Sometimes you have to shout to be heard and sometimes you don’t.
But have you ever been blinded. Have you ever heard the gentle call of Jesus. You hear what you have to do but somehow you are blind as to what to do. Perhaps, like Saul in Acts 9 verse 11 you should pray about it.
God knows how to get your attention – you will hear your instructions. As to whether you are obedient to the call or not, well that’s up to you.
This reminds me of the pastor that falls into the Sea. This pastor is a faithful man of God like us here today. A true believer.
As he’s bobbing about in the water the inshore lifeboat speeds up to him and the crew try to haul him out of the water. But he shuns them off and refuses to get on board saying “ I am a Christian, The LORD will save me, Go away”
An hour or so goes by and he then starts to tyre and sink. The offshore lifeboat comes along side him and the crew try to haul him out of the water. But he shuns them off and refuses to get on board saying “ I am a Christian, The LORD will save me, Go away”
An hour later he’s in real trouble. He can hardly hold his head out of the water. And the rescue helicopter comes to his rescue. As the winch man lowers down, the Pastor shuns him away saying “ I am a Christian, The LORD will save me, Go away”
And with that the Pastor sinks under the water and drowns.
As he arrives in heaven he’s met at the gates by St. Peter. (OK so this bit is not exactly accurate scripture – but you’ll have to use your imagination – it’s a joke)
So he arrives in heaven he’s met at the gates by St. Peter who says. That there’s a problem. Although there’s a place in heaven for the Pastor he’s not due there for several years yet. “It’s NOT your time yet”, says St. Peter
The pastor says “well it must be my time – I was in the sea and I drown”
St. Peter says, “I just can’t understand what’s gone wrong – I’m sure God sent two lifeboats and a helicopter”
Sometimes we hear the call so blatantly and obvious; we hear the instructions but we ignore them. Because God wouldn’t chose you would he?
And this brings me to the second point.
I reckon that for many people Saul is the SECOND least likely person to be called by the Lord to do his evangelism. I say the second least because I guess that some people here today, whilst they can accept that God would call a louse like Saul, he would never call them. YOU, ME.
God calls Saul, but he doesn’t call ME, syndrome. Spectator Christians – watching from the sidelines but never fully participating.
Saul undoubtedly had many skills and talents. Even before his conversion he was a man on a mission – the wrong mission for sure, but a mission.
He had tenacity. He dealt with issues head on. HE was so loyal to his beliefs there wasn’t anything, it seemed that he wouldn’t do to protect those beliefs. Who better to head out these missionary journeys to Rome and throughout the Roman Empire. The Lord just had to get him on the right agenda – The Lord’s agenda.
And you have many skills and talents dear friends. Who better than you to deal with today’s mission in life?. You just have to get on the right agenda – the Lord’s agenda – maybe right here in this Church.
So the Lord calls the most unlikely person to spread his word. The most unlikely person I know is ME. Is your most unlikely person YOU?
And the third aspect from Saul’s conversion is how with the Lord so often is adversity turned into opportunity and even victory.
5000 hungry families on a hillside, VIRTUALLY NO FOOD. The Lord turns this into a banquet where everyone has his or her fill and there is still food left over.
In this account the Lord takes the biggest problem to Christianity of that day (SAUL) and turns it into his greatest asset on the ground of that day (PAUL)
In a remote way it’s like missing the bus and then finding you’d forgotten to lock the house. Or like the old Captain with his Navy ship in the second world war getting lost at sea. – the very adversity turns to victory.
But what about us here today in this neighbourhood.
What is the adversity facing us today, in this Church? What is the problem that looks most unsolveable.
I don’t know, but one big one, which worries us all, is falling membership of churches. Yes there are others but I’d like focus on this one by way of example and to sum up my Sermon.
Firstly:-
God knows how to get our attention. Is anyone not aware of the need to take his word out to the people of this community and to invite them into this Church. The decline in numbers has finally got out attention.
Secondly:-
God chooses the most unlikely people to do his evangelism and missionary work and the most unlikely person is YOU. Yes the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chairman of Methodist conference and the Pastor have a part to play; But each one of us believes that we are less likely to be called than they are. God chooses the most unlikely people. God chooses you.
And finally
Whatever mistakes we have made in the past, by God’s grace and forgiveness these mistakes will be repaired. And our blindness to this problem will be enlightened by God’s grace. In the meanwhile we should follow the example of Saul in Acts chapter 9 verse 11.
“Go . . . and ask for a man . . named Saul, FOR HE IS PRAYING [that his sight will be restored]”
Like Saul, we should pray and keep on praying until the moment comes for us to see the way forward.
And at the end of the day out of what seems the biggest problem and challenge to Christianity in THIS TOWN will come the greater Victory.
ALL summed up by Jesus Christ on the Cross. Where the adversity of the crucifixion and what can only appear to be the grizzly end . . . .
BY GOD is turned into the wondrous Victory of resurrection and is only the beginning.
AMEN
