Telling the Story of God’s Amazing Grace

Telling the Story of God’s Amazing Grace

Acts 22  

Intro: A story to tell…

This morning, we are going to read the story of the moment when the apostle Paul was met by Jesus Christ and his life was transformed by God’s amazing grace. Grace is a word that is used frequently throughout Scripture. In the New Testament, it is written 155 times. The Greek word for grace is “charis,” and is translated most frequently as “grace, favor, blessing, or kindness.” Not only is grace a frequently used word, but it is also a constant theme throughout the Bible, and it culminates with the coming of Jesus Christ.

While grace, favor, blessing, and kindness are amazing words, and something that we can extend to one another, it becomes amazing when it is understood and connect to our God. Grace, is God’s choosing to bless us, rather than give us what our sin deserves.

 

John 1:17, For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

 

Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

In Romans, Paul talks about the wages of a life of sin, in other words, what is paid to those who live in sin, that is, death. But he contrasts that with a gift that God wants to give, one that you don’t deserve, by Grace, the gift is eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Grace then, is God’s favor to the unworthy. His undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor and blessing.

 

Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

In Acts 22, Paul powerfully tells the story of God’s amazing grace in his life. It is a story that is recorded and then re-told or re-written a few times in Scripture. It is a story that we first read about in Acts 9, it is a story that he will tell in Acts 26 to persuade gentiles to Christ, and here in Acts 22 to persuade and proclaim to Jews his purpose in Christ.

 

Illus. Backstory from Acts 21:27-40.

 

In Acts 22, Paul stands before a crowd intent on having him killed and shares his testimony. He shares the story of God’s amazing grace in his life. And as Paul tells the important story of God’s amazing grace in his life, I want to compare and contrast it with two things. First, will be some verses from the famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” and secondly, the power of God’s amazing grace in our own lives, and the importance of telling the story.  

 

1. Tell of Who You Once Were

 

Acts 22:3-5, I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

 

• As Paul begins telling the people his story and testimony of conversion to Christ, he starts by establishing common ground, telling them who he once was.

 

Amazing Grace – Verse 1

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Was blind but now I see

 

• Regarding who he “was,” Paul tells them a few things.

 

• First he said, “I am a Jew.” The accusation against him was that he was anti-Jewish, but he was born Jewish.

 

• He continued. “born in Tarsus, but raised in Jerusalem, educated under Gamaliel…”

 

• Paul makes sure the people knew where he grew up, right here in this city!

 

• Then his training, from Gamaliel. Gamaliel was a Pharisee and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (supreme court).

 

• Gamaliel was also notable and widely respected Jewish scholar and rabbi. Noted as the most revered rabbi of that time and one of the greatest in history.

 

• Paul was educated by Gamaliel, other translations say his education was at the feet of Gamaliel, in other words, he was a disciple of his.

 

• Paul knew Gamaliel, and Gamaliel knew Paul. That Paul was personally trained by Gamaliel would have intrigued the group before him.

 

Illus. Helping Paul.

 

• Paul continued in verse 3 to tell them that he was carefully and thoroughly trained in the Old Testament law, and he was zealous for God, just as those before him that day.

 

Romans 10:1-4, Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

 

• Last week we looked at Paul’s zeal prior to coming to Christ. The word zeal refers to an eager desire, it speaks to one’s fervor for a person cause, or object.

 

• Prior to coming to Christ, Paul had zeal, but it was a misdirected zeal. The people before Paul had zeal, but it was incomplete and misdirected.

 

• Next Paul will share with them where exactly his misdirected zeal had led him.

 

Acts 22:4-5, I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

 

• Here Paul paints a picture of the direction and disposition who Paul once was, prior to being found. He was consumed by the persecution of Christians; it had become his life.

 

• Prior to his conversion to Christ in Acts 9:1 we understand that Paul was “ breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.”

 

• The picture portrayed is that the very air he was breathing in was that of threats and murder against the followers of Jesus.

 

• Paul is telling the people of his zeal. The people he is standing before were trying to kill him just a few minutes prior.

 

• Paul is saying, “I persecuted Christians to death…You all in front of me are persecuting and trying to put me to death, I actually succeeded at persecuting people to their death.”

 

• Prior to his conversion, Paul was the most feared persecutor of the church. As he will noted in verse 20, when Stephen was martyred in Acts 7, Paul was the one who gave approval.

 

• Those he didn’t put to death, he would up and put in prison.

 

Acts 8:3, Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.

 

• Interestingly, it was his intense persecution in Jerusalem that had pushed the church out of Jerusalem, and it began to spread to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Earlier this month we saw Philip preach to an Ethiopian eunuch who received Jesus and was baptized.

 

• Christianity was beginning to spread rapidly and was moving northward. It seems that Saul had heard that there were Christians in Damascus, about 140 miles north of Jerusalem.

 

• Hearing of this, Paul had gone to the high priest and asked for letters from the high priest to the synagogues in Damascus so that he could go there and arrest any who were belonging to “the way.”

 

• “The way” was what the early Christians were called, we believe this was due to their association with Jesus as “The way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

 

• Letters from the high priest would give him the full authority to stop all witnessing going on for Jesus in that city.

 

• His desire was to stop the movement of Christ, so, he headed in the direction of Damascus to arrest any Christians who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem in shackles and chains.

 

• Paul tells the people here in Acts 22, the high priest and the Jewish leaders can testify of just how he used to persecute Christians.

 

• Paul would later come to deeply regret his persecution of the church:

 

1 Corinthians 15:9-10, I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.

 

Amazing Grace – Verse 1

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Was blind but now I see

 

Amazing Grace – Verse 2

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

 

1. Tell of When His Grace Appeared

 

Acts 22:6-11

 

• Paul looks back on his story, telling the people that he was headed for Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished, but he was stopped suddenly.

 

• Jesus gives a question associated with his direction, “why are you persecuting me?’

 

• Paul asked a question in return, “who are you, Lord?” and he receives a response, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

 

• As he heard the words, there was something he immediately understood, and something he also experienced.
• There is an audible voice speaking to him who knows his name– the double intonation– Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me. And Paul was told who was speaking, “I am Jesus.” 

• Paul’s life had been centered and focused on the persecution of those in Christ, and Jesus reveals here that in his persecution of Christians, he was persecuting Jesus himself. When He appears to Paul…He asks the question, why?

 

• The story Paul is recounting here in Acts 22, is also recounted in Acts 26 as well.

 

Acts 26:13-14, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

 

• The light that was seen was brighter than the sun, and Saul heard a voice speak to him personally… “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It’s hard for you to kick against the goads.”

 

Illus. The goads.

 

• Jesus asks Paul why? Why is persecuting Christians the disposition of your life? Why is the direction? Your kicking against me, why?

 

• And this is an important question for you and I, “why?” “Why is the disposition of your life to persecute Me?”

 

• Jesus is then going to give Paul his next directions, but prior to Jesus giving this direction to get up and go to Damascus, Paul had asked Jesus a question that is important in our lives when God’s grace appears to us.

 

Acts 22:10-13

 

• Paul’s first question after hearing the voice and seeing the light was, “who are you?” and after learning it was Jesus, that it was the Lord, he then asks “what do you want me to do?”

 

• Let us be a people continually reminded of who Jesus is, and what He desires for us to do.

 

• “I know who you are Jesus, you are Lord…What do you desire for me to do?”

 

• How precious did, that grace appear, the hour I first believed.

 

• The word “precious” is defined as something of high price, great value, or costly.

 

• The Bible refers to grace as a free gift.

 

Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

Ephesians 4:7, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

 

Romans 3:23-26 (NLT)

 

• Grace is free to you and me, but it is not free to the giver who bore the expense. The price of amazing grace is free to you and me but came at a great cost to Jesus Christ who laid down His life.

 

• As the song goes, how precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.

 

• What did Paul say in recognition of who Jesus is? “What do you want me to do?”

 

Illus. Uncovered Boss.

 

• Jesus told Paul to go to Damascus and then he would be told what had been appointed for him to do.

 

• Upon his arrival, a devout man named Ananias who was well spoken of, came to Paul.

 

• We know from Acts 9 that Ananias was reluctant, he had heard about Paul back then, but the Lord told Ananias to go, and part of God’s grace appearing to Paul, was the arrival of Christian fellowship.

 

• He had his doubts, but he was willing to go and reach out to Paul. Surely it is a grace that the Lord would compel someone to befriend the very one who was out killing Christians at the hour Paul first believed.

 

• After telling Paul to receive his sight, Paul looked up at him and Ananias brought a message to him.

 

Acts 22:14-16, And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’

 

• Paul was told that he would be a witness for Christ to all people. That he would share what he had seen and heard.

 

• And here he is, sharing the story of God’s amazing grace in his life.

 

Amazing Grace – Verse 3

Through many dangers, toils, and snares

I have already come

This grace that brought me safe thus far

And grace will lead me home

 

III.   Tell of How Far His Grace Has Brought You

 

Acts 22:17-20

 

• As Paul wraps up his testimony, he tells of a time which would have been about 3 years after his conversion (Gal. 1:17-18) when he was at the temple in Jerusalem.

 

• We know from Acts 9 that Paul had gone back to Jerusalem, at first the disciples were afraid of him, but Barnabas welcomed him in. He went about preaching in Jerusalem, witnessing for Christ…But it was not being well received as the Hellenistic Jews were trying to put him to death.

 

• In a time of prayer at the temple in Jerusalem, the Lord told him to leave Jerusalem because the people there would not accept His testimony.

 

• At first, Paul seems to have disagreed. He thought that they would recognize who he was, understand his transformation, receive his testimony as true, and they like him, would pursue Christ.

 

• But the Lord knew the truth, they wouldn’t. So the Lord sent him far away to the Gentiles.

 

• He would plant many churches, raise up many ministers, see many gives their lives to Christ. He would also endure dangers, toils, and snares.

 

Illus. Dangers, toils, and snares examples (Acts 14; 16; 21).

 

• Here in Acts 21, after many dangers, toils, and snares, Paul gets arrested in Jerusalem after the crowds beat him and attempt to kill him. He gets arrested, the soldiers carry him because the crowd was so violent, there is a mob of people attacking him following and saying, “kill him, kill him!”

 

• Here Paul is taken into custody, he asked the commander “can I speak with them?”

 

• And as we see, he tells them the story of God’s amazing grace. But his grace, they refused to believe.

 

• The people became outraged when Paul mentioned that Lord had sent them to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.

 

• So outraged were they, that they said, “a man like him should not even be allowed to live.”

 

• But in that statement, it seems they were missing two important keys.

 

• Number one, in terms of deserving life, Paul might on some level agree.

 

Romans 6:23(a), For the wages of sin is death…

 

1 Timothy 1:15, It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.

 

• Paul knew he was a sinner, deserving of death. But secondly, he knew the only way to have victory over death.

 

Romans 6:23(b), …but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

1 Timothy 1:16, Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

 

Amazing Grace – Verse 4

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

 

Romans 10:11-16

 

Illus. Amazing Grace

Acts 22