It's great to come back home.
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You see, I was born in Orlando
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a long time ago
in the last century.
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Actually the last
millennium, right?
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And anyway, it's
great to come back
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to this coast and be here
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in a place that
I love very much.
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And it's a privilege
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to be able to share
with you this morning
00:00:35.53\00:00:38.57
our Sabbath School lesson.
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And when they sent
me the email and said,
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"Would you teach the lesson?"
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I'm thinking, "Oh, man,
what's it going to be about?"
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They said, it's
going to be about Paul.
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And I think you have
that in your wheelhouse
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a little bit about
Paul, and I thought,
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"Well, but what about Paul?"
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You know, there's a lot of
different aspects about Paul,
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and so I kind of
kept checking the website,
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you know, to see
what was going to be
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the Sabbath School lesson,
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and they just don't give
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a lot of information
out months ahead of time.
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And finally, the church I attend
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in Southern California,
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I saw the
lesson in book of Acts,
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and I looked in,
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and can you believe what it was?
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The Conversion of Paul.
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I said, "Wow, thank you, Lord.
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I know something about that."
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And there we have it,
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that beautiful statue
because, 18 years ago,
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I had the privilege of actually
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filming the life
of Paul on location.
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And I know some
of you have seen that
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around the world,
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and we went to six
different countries
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filming, tracing
the footsteps of Paul,
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and that image you just saw
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actually is from a
church in Damascus,
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and there was
something about that image
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that caught the
ruggedness of Paul, you know?
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I don't know if
they can bring it back up
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on the screen, but it's a...
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You can just see
the ruggedness of Paul,
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and he's not a soft
guy 'cause he's traveling,
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and how far would he travel?
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I want to just
see if some of you
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followed my
Footsteps of Paul series
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on 3ABN or Hope Channel.
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Any idea how far he traveled?
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Over...
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He didn't do the
small group, you see?
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Over 13,000 miles,
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and it wasn't in
United or American, all right?
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Mostly by foot,
sometimes by steamship?
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No. Sometimes by sailing ship.
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And that was even rougher
because multiple shipwrecks.
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But we're getting ahead
of our story, aren't we?
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And so we want to go back
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and look at the
story of Paul's conversion.
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And so we have a memory text,
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let's see if we can
have you memorize it.
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Let's see if we memorized it.
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"Go!
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This man is My chosen instrument
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to proclaim My
name to the Gentiles
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and their kings and
to the people of Israel."
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And so that's the
words you're going to hear
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in a little bit
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as we trace his
story from Ananias,
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a disciple in Damascus.
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"But go!
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And you're going to
proclaim My name to," who?
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It was your memory text.
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"To Gentiles."
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And not only to
Gentiles but to their...
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"Their kings."
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And would that happen?
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Of course, it would.
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He'll even go before
Nero a couple of times,
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and we think about
people in Caesar's own household
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being converted.
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But did you
notice, there's something
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very interesting about the text?
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It didn't end there.
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Did you notice what
the next phrase was?
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"And to My people, Israel."
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We think Paul's just
the apostle to the Gentiles,
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but no, no, no, he had a message
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for God's people Israel as well.
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And he brings and unfolds
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the beautiful
message of justification.
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But we're getting
ahead of ourselves
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because we're
going to talk about that
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in just a moment.
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So the question
is, "Who was this man?"
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God chose him
from all the believers
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to be His chosen instrument.
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Who was he?
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What prepared
him for this position
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that he would have?
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What prepared him to evangelize
both Gentiles and Jews?
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And so let's
explore that this morning.
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As we were filming
the Footsteps of Paul,
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I had the privilege of
going to all these places.
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I'd been to most of them before,
00:04:08.61\00:04:09.94
but the year before
I had pastors on tour,
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and we were filming in
Tarsus, and we have this...
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When I get to Tarsus,
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there's first
century AD main street.
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We'll pull that
up on the screen.
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1st century AD main
street, can you imagine?
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Saul walked on that
street as a little boy.
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Did he go to
picnics with his mom and dad
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down by the river?
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I don't know, but he
walked on that street.
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And the text is so interesting.
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I love the way
that King James puts it,
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"I am a man which am a
Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia,
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a citizen of no mean city."
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I was smiling, you know what?
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They had a sign
at the edge of town,
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"Mean people,
stop, you can't come in."
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You got to check your meanness.
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That'd be a nice
city to live in, right?
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No mean city.
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But the other translations
captured a little bit better.
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No ordinary city.
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"A Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia,
a citizen of no ordinary city."
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What was so
unusual about this city?
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"No ordinary city," Saul
would say maybe on trial.
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What was so special?
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Well, it's on the map
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because of its unique geography.
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Here we can see a
map of the ancient world.
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You see Tarsus, you
see the little green area,
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that's the low place.
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And it's there because it's...
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What was the province?
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He said, "I'm a Jew
of Tarsus in Cilicia."
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And so there's upper Cilicia,
and there's lower Cilicia.
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The green area where Tarsus
is is lower or smooth Cilicia,
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and then there's upper
Cilicia up in the mountains
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and beyond the mountains
and to the Anatolian plateau.
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And here it was very special
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because of its unique geography,
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its unique geography.
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The mountains are snow-capped
most of the year there.
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There's only one
pass for 200 miles,
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and it's carved by this
river that we see on the screen,
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the Cydnus or the cold river.
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It was so cold that
when Alexander the Great
00:06:06.39\00:06:08.23
marched through,
he went swimming,
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and caught
pneumonia and nearly died.
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And so I've been
swimming in the river,
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and it was pretty
cold, I have to say.
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But here we can
see a Roman bridge
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because this was the
only pass for 200 miles.
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So Alexander the Great
marches through that pass,
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Mark Antony
marches through that pass,
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everybody who was anybody
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with an army had
to march through there
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because it's the
only way for 200 miles.
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Cilia...
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Those of you in
the medical field,
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cilia, does that ring a bell?
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I remember doing the
five day plans years ago,
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and we had super cilia
in our throat and so on
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that would catch
the tars and so on.
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And we'd tell people that's why
you don't want to smoke, right?
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It's not very good.
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So it means hair.
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It's the Roman province of hair.
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How'd you like to be
from that place, huh?
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The Roman province of hair.
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In the Anatolian
plateau in Cilicia,
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they developed a
special breed of goat
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grown nowhere else in the world.
00:07:04.02\00:07:06.62
And when you use that
cilia or that goat hair
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for making your tent,
00:07:09.12\00:07:10.63
it allowed smoke
from your camp fire
00:07:10.66\00:07:12.23
to pass through,
00:07:12.26\00:07:13.60
sunshine to string
through, and it repelled rain.
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It was the
Gore-Tex fabric of the day.
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And there's one
outlet for 200 miles,
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and it's at Tarsus.
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So I've often wondered,
was Paul actually sewing tents
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or was he a purveyor of Gore-Tex
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because he'd have
the best connection
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in the world for
the finest material
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in the world for
making goat hair tents.
00:07:35.88\00:07:39.42
And so Saul positioned
from a cosmopolitan city,
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a city that was a
center of stoic philosophy,
00:07:46.29\00:07:49.86
and now he's
positioned with an income
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wherever he would travel,
00:07:53.67\00:07:55.04
a purveyor of
cilia or goat hair.
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And here we bring
up one more slide.
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You can see what
I was talking about.
00:08:00.41\00:08:02.54
You see Tarsus,
and you see Antalya.
00:08:02.58\00:08:04.71
You might remember
Antalya is where Perga is?
00:08:04.75\00:08:07.62
You remember what
happened in Perga?
00:08:07.65\00:08:09.88
Something very significant.
00:08:09.92\00:08:11.82
John Mark got nervous
00:08:11.85\00:08:13.59
about what Paul and
Barnabas were preaching,
00:08:13.62\00:08:16.52
and he went back to Jerusalem
to Peter and to the others.
00:08:16.56\00:08:20.66
You know what they were doing?
00:08:20.70\00:08:22.80
They were baptizing Gentiles
00:08:22.83\00:08:25.23
without making them become Jews.
00:08:25.27\00:08:29.00
And it created
a huge controversy
00:08:29.04\00:08:30.81
in the church
00:08:30.84\00:08:32.17
because some said
you have to be a Jew
00:08:32.21\00:08:34.24
to accept the Jewish Messiah.
00:08:34.28\00:08:36.44
Paul and Barnabas
said, "No, no, no!
00:08:36.48\00:08:38.51
This is bigger than Judaism."
00:08:38.55\00:08:40.52
And so John Mark
forsook them there at Antalya.
00:08:40.55\00:08:43.15
But it's over 200 miles
from Tarsus back to Antalya.
00:08:43.18\00:08:47.56
And there's only one
outlet for that goat hair,
00:08:47.59\00:08:50.23
and Paul had that connection.
00:08:50.26\00:08:51.63
And so as I said,
00:08:51.66\00:08:52.99
Alexander the
Great marched through,
00:08:53.03\00:08:56.16
Mark Antony marches through,
00:08:56.20\00:08:58.20
Mark Antony actually
makes it the headquarters
00:08:58.23\00:09:00.97
of the Eastern Roman Empire.
00:09:01.00\00:09:03.74
And it's here, you
can see the mountains off
00:09:03.77\00:09:05.44
in the distance still
with some snow in June.
00:09:05.47\00:09:08.88
And it's here that Mark Antony
00:09:08.91\00:09:10.65
first meets
Cleopatra in that dramatic time
00:09:10.68\00:09:14.62
when she comes up sailing
on her barge dressed as Venus.
00:09:14.65\00:09:18.05
So who was this man?
00:09:18.09\00:09:19.45
Well, we see he's a
Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia,
00:09:19.49\00:09:22.96
this cosmopolitan city.
00:09:22.99\00:09:25.03
He's familiar
with stoic philosophy,
00:09:25.06\00:09:26.80
it's the center
of stoic philosophy
00:09:26.83\00:09:28.30
at that time in the whole world.
00:09:28.33\00:09:30.97
He's trained as a businessman.
00:09:31.00\00:09:33.74
But if you're Jewish,
00:09:33.77\00:09:35.10
why would you name
your kid Saul, right?
00:09:35.14\00:09:38.57
That guy...
00:09:38.61\00:09:40.38
Man!
00:09:40.41\00:09:42.28
Because he was from what tribe?
00:09:42.31\00:09:44.75
And who was from Benjamin?
00:09:44.78\00:09:46.95
Saul, the first king.
00:09:46.98\00:09:48.65
So it's the most
illustrious person
00:09:48.68\00:09:51.15
to come out of Benjamin,
00:09:51.19\00:09:52.62
and so they
named their son Saul.
00:09:52.65\00:09:56.86
However,
00:09:56.89\00:09:58.83
Saul was also a Roman citizen.
00:09:58.86\00:10:03.73
And later on in the story,
00:10:03.77\00:10:05.10
we'll find that he was
not just a Roman citizen,
00:10:05.13\00:10:07.67
he was what?
00:10:07.70\00:10:09.30
He was born a citizen, remember?
00:10:09.34\00:10:14.28
The centurion says, "I
paid a lot for my citizenship."
00:10:14.31\00:10:17.88
I was born a citizen.
00:10:17.91\00:10:20.02
How would a Jewish family
00:10:20.05\00:10:21.38
living so far
away from Jerusalem
00:10:21.42\00:10:23.45
become Roman citizens
00:10:23.49\00:10:24.82
that their son
would be born a citizen?
00:10:24.85\00:10:28.09
The local idea is that probably
his family provided tents
00:10:28.12\00:10:32.66
for the Roman
army of Mark Antony,
00:10:32.69\00:10:35.46
and they
bequeathed on him citizenship.
00:10:35.50\00:10:37.17
All we know is...
00:10:37.20\00:10:38.53
We don't know
for sure, but we know
00:10:38.57\00:10:39.90
he's born a citizen,
00:10:39.93\00:10:41.27
and he has special
rights because, as a citizen,
00:10:41.30\00:10:42.64
he had a US passport, right?
00:10:42.67\00:10:44.01
He could go anywhere.
00:10:44.04\00:10:45.37
He could do anything.
00:10:45.41\00:10:48.31
And then, as a citizen,
00:10:48.34\00:10:49.78
you couldn't be
beaten without a trial.
00:10:49.81\00:10:52.81
As a citizen, you
couldn't be crucified.
00:10:52.85\00:10:56.75
Quicker form of death
would be decapitation.
00:10:56.79\00:11:01.52
And so he had
special privileges.
00:11:01.56\00:11:06.06
And so Acts 22:3 says,
00:11:06.09\00:11:08.23
"I am a Jew, born
in Tarsus of Cilicia,
00:11:08.26\00:11:12.17
but brought up in this city."
00:11:12.20\00:11:13.74
This city of Jerusalem.
00:11:13.77\00:11:15.10
"I studied under Gamaliel
00:11:15.14\00:11:16.77
and was thoroughly trained
in the law of our ancestors.
00:11:16.81\00:11:19.97
I was just as zealous for God
00:11:20.01\00:11:23.01
as many of you are today."
00:11:23.04\00:11:25.11
And so now he's on trial,
00:11:25.15\00:11:27.22
and he says, "I
was born in Cilicia,
00:11:27.25\00:11:29.98
but my father sent me here."
00:11:30.02\00:11:33.25
I have to be careful.
00:11:33.29\00:11:35.12
He was sent to a
special college, right?
00:11:35.16\00:11:37.66
Where the top
scholar of the day,
00:11:37.69\00:11:39.09
the top Pharisee,
00:11:39.13\00:11:40.46
his name is
Gamaliel, where he taught,
00:11:40.50\00:11:42.96
and he was
educated under his tutelage
00:11:43.00\00:11:46.74
there in Jerusalem.
00:11:46.77\00:11:49.84
And he says, "I was trained
in the law of our ancestors."
00:11:49.87\00:11:53.51
Gamaliel, you might recall,
00:11:53.54\00:11:55.64
was very hesitant
about passing judgment
00:11:55.68\00:11:59.01
on the Jesus movement.
00:11:59.05\00:12:00.78
But his pupil was not.
00:12:00.82\00:12:03.45
He didn't hesitate.
00:12:03.49\00:12:04.99
He saw the threat,
00:12:05.02\00:12:06.59
the heresy the Nazarene
sect brought to Judaism,
00:12:06.62\00:12:10.26
and he was
determined to root it out.
00:12:10.29\00:12:13.90
And so
00:12:13.93\00:12:15.70
he says that he was
very zealous for God.
00:12:15.73\00:12:20.54
He was active in identifying
00:12:20.57\00:12:23.07
and ferreting out
the Nazarene believers
00:12:23.10\00:12:26.24
and purifying Judaism.
00:12:26.27\00:12:27.74
What was his problem?
00:12:27.78\00:12:29.71
What was his problem
with the Nazarene sect?
00:12:29.74\00:12:33.85
Well, it's very interesting.
00:12:33.88\00:12:35.65
Later when Paul will
write to the church of Corinth,
00:12:35.68\00:12:38.52
he will explain
what the problem is,
00:12:38.55\00:12:40.06
he says, "We
preach Christ crucified,
00:12:40.09\00:12:44.23
a stumbling block to Jews
00:12:44.26\00:12:49.13
and foolishness to Greeks."
00:12:49.16\00:12:52.17
Why foolishness to Greeks?
00:12:52.20\00:12:53.57
Well, you see,
the Greeks believed
00:12:53.60\00:12:55.00
that if God could
be moved with empathy
00:12:55.04\00:12:56.97
because of the human condition,
00:12:57.01\00:12:59.11
then humans would
have power over God.
00:12:59.14\00:13:01.41
Therefore they
would be greater than God.
00:13:01.44\00:13:02.91
So God can't have any
feelings towards humans.
00:13:02.94\00:13:05.61
So it's foolishness in
philosophy to believe that.
00:13:05.65\00:13:08.62
But it's not
foolishness for Jews,
00:13:08.65\00:13:10.82
it's a what?
00:13:10.85\00:13:12.52
What is it? Right.
00:13:12.55\00:13:14.66
What? It's a...
00:13:14.69\00:13:16.79
Why is it a stumbling block?
00:13:16.83\00:13:19.79
And so the cross is a
stumbling block for Jews.
00:13:19.83\00:13:23.97
And so
00:13:24.00\00:13:25.97
we go back to Deuteronomy,
00:13:26.00\00:13:28.10
and we see that
Deuteronomy has a precept.
00:13:28.14\00:13:33.17
Deuteronomy 21:23,
"Anyone who is hung on a tree
00:13:33.21\00:13:38.55
is under a curse."
00:13:38.58\00:13:41.25
That's what the law says.
00:13:41.28\00:13:43.35
Now let's go back
to the story of Jesus
00:13:43.39\00:13:46.89
and the authorities
00:13:46.92\00:13:48.26
that brought
Jesus before Pilate.
00:13:48.29\00:13:49.62
And what does Pilate say?
00:13:49.66\00:13:52.66
Well, before that, he says,
"You take Him and judge Him."
00:13:52.69\00:13:55.66
And what did they say?
00:13:55.70\00:13:58.40
"We have no right
to execute a man."
00:13:58.43\00:14:00.57
Is that right?
00:14:00.60\00:14:02.30
The Jewish people have
no right to execute a man.
00:14:02.34\00:14:04.47
What happened three
and a half years later?
00:14:04.51\00:14:07.18
What happened with Stephen?
00:14:07.21\00:14:09.21
It took...
00:14:09.24\00:14:10.58
Saul engineers the
deal, take him out,
00:14:10.61\00:14:14.22
they stone him and kill him.
00:14:14.25\00:14:16.58
But the authorities
didn't want Jesus to be stoned,
00:14:16.62\00:14:19.89
the Jewish method?
of capital punishment.
00:14:19.92\00:14:21.49
They wanted him
to be hung on a tree
00:14:21.52\00:14:24.89
because the law
said you will be cursed
00:14:24.93\00:14:27.63
if you're hung on a tree.
00:14:27.66\00:14:30.47
And so they went
to the authorities
00:14:30.50\00:14:31.83
to have them pass it
00:14:31.87\00:14:33.20
because that's the Roman
method of capital punishment.
00:14:33.23\00:14:36.04
And even to this day,
00:14:36.07\00:14:38.31
the cross is a
stumbling block to Jewish people
00:14:38.34\00:14:41.41
because the law
says you're cursed
00:14:41.44\00:14:44.15
if you're hung on a tree.
00:14:44.18\00:14:46.15
And so Saul is
zealous for the teachings,
00:14:46.18\00:14:48.85
he's zealous for the scriptures.
00:14:48.88\00:14:51.45
And so he doesn't believe that.
00:14:51.49\00:14:53.66
As a matter of fact,
he gives us his testimony
00:14:53.69\00:14:55.79
in Acts 26.
00:14:55.82\00:14:57.69
All of this, by the way,
00:14:57.73\00:14:59.06
was in your
Sabbath School lesson.
00:14:59.09\00:15:00.43
So I hope that
you've enjoyed the lesson.
00:15:00.46\00:15:02.36
And here we have it.
00:15:02.40\00:15:04.27
Acts 26:9,
00:15:04.30\00:15:05.83
"I too was convinced
00:15:05.87\00:15:07.57
that I ought to do
all that was possible
00:15:07.60\00:15:09.80
to oppose the name
of Jesus of Nazareth.
00:15:09.84\00:15:12.71
On the authority
of the chief priests
00:15:12.74\00:15:14.61
I put many of the
Lord's people in prison,
00:15:14.64\00:15:17.11
and when they were put to death,
00:15:17.15\00:15:18.48
I cast my vote against them."
00:15:18.51\00:15:24.12
Saul's personal testimony.
00:15:24.15\00:15:26.76
He was all-in for
uprooting the Nazarene sect.
00:15:26.79\00:15:32.09
He recognized the threat
it would bring to Judaism,
00:15:32.13\00:15:36.03
and he was all-in
for purifying the sect
00:15:36.06\00:15:38.83
of this misguided
and deluded belief.
00:15:38.87\00:15:41.47
He was zealous,
he was a good man,
00:15:41.50\00:15:44.94
but he was misguided.
00:15:44.97\00:15:47.94
And so I want to
pause and ask this question.
00:15:47.98\00:15:51.28
What are you
zealous for this morning?
00:15:51.31\00:15:55.25
What are you zealous for?
00:16:01.69\00:16:04.73
He was zealous for
purifying the church,
00:16:04.76\00:16:09.00
keeping the church pure
00:16:09.03\00:16:11.70
and had led him
to eat up believers,
00:16:11.73\00:16:15.77
put some in prison, kill others.
00:16:15.80\00:16:19.27
Oh, but you would never do that,
00:16:19.31\00:16:20.64
would you?
00:16:20.68\00:16:23.04
Well, we may not
do it physically,
00:16:23.08\00:16:24.41
but we can certainly do it
with our words, our actions.
00:16:24.45\00:16:31.05
Be careful what
you're zealous for.
00:16:31.09\00:16:35.96
When I was at
Wildwood in the last century,
00:16:35.99\00:16:39.19
back in the early '70s,
00:16:39.23\00:16:40.56
Alderfer Z had a
wonderful little saying
00:16:40.60\00:16:42.40
that I loved,
00:16:42.43\00:16:43.93
"Don't major in
minors." Don't major.
00:16:43.97\00:16:49.37
You know,
there's a lot of things
00:16:49.40\00:16:50.74
that we can be diverted into.
00:16:50.77\00:16:53.14
In little controversies,
we can be diverted into.
00:16:53.17\00:16:56.21
Yesterday, in our
class, yesterday afternoon,
00:16:56.24\00:16:58.05
we talked about
witnessing in your neighborhood,
00:16:58.08\00:17:00.08
and we shared the verse that
whatever the heart is full of,
00:17:00.12\00:17:05.45
the mouth speaketh.
00:17:05.49\00:17:07.46
Fill your heart
with Jesus, right?
00:17:07.49\00:17:10.33
And then your heart's
going to speak about that.
00:17:10.36\00:17:11.69
A lot of interesting
diversions to get into.
00:17:11.73\00:17:16.63
Don't major in minors,
major in sharing Jesus.
00:17:16.67\00:17:21.17
And so Saul says,
00:17:21.20\00:17:24.31
"I cast my vote against
them." What does that mean?
00:17:24.34\00:17:29.18
Cast my vote.
00:17:29.21\00:17:30.65
At least some
of us still believe
00:17:30.68\00:17:32.01
that Saul was actually
a member of the Sanhedrin,
00:17:32.05\00:17:33.75
and he had a vote in
what the outcome would be,
00:17:33.78\00:17:36.65
and he voted to
have them executed.
00:17:36.69\00:17:40.96
Scripture doesn't say,
00:17:40.99\00:17:42.32
but it seems reasonable
00:17:42.36\00:17:43.69
that perhaps he was a
member of the Sanhedrin.
00:17:43.73\00:17:45.36
And so he engineers
this experience with Stephen,
00:17:45.39\00:17:47.96
that beautiful
testimony of Stephen, Chapter 7.
00:17:48.00\00:17:50.80
And remember what
happens when he comes down?
00:17:50.83\00:17:52.90
Stephen,
00:17:52.93\00:17:54.80
after they respond
negatively to what he's sharing,
00:17:54.84\00:18:00.41
Stephen says something
powerful in Acts 7:56, he says,
00:18:00.44\00:18:06.25
"Look, I see heaven open
00:18:06.28\00:18:10.39
and the Son of Man..."
00:18:10.42\00:18:14.69
Help me.
00:18:14.72\00:18:16.06
"Standing at the right hand."
00:18:16.09\00:18:17.43
Now what does scriptures say
00:18:17.46\00:18:18.79
when Jesus ascended into heaven?
00:18:18.83\00:18:20.16
What did He do?
00:18:20.20\00:18:21.53
He sat down at the right hand
of the Father, is that right?
00:18:21.56\00:18:26.00
And so when He
ascends into heaven,
00:18:26.03\00:18:27.37
He sits down at the
right hand of the Father.
00:18:27.40\00:18:28.74
What's He doing now?
00:18:28.77\00:18:30.74
He's standing.
00:18:30.77\00:18:32.44
What's happening?
00:18:32.47\00:18:34.18
First believer in My name
is about to give up His life.
00:18:34.21\00:18:38.78
Can you imagine?
00:18:38.81\00:18:40.15
And Stephen looks up.
00:18:40.18\00:18:41.52
But it's not just that,
what is Stephen quoting?
00:18:41.55\00:18:45.35
Daniel 7:13,
00:18:45.39\00:18:49.39
"I see the Son of Man
in the clouds of heaven."
00:18:49.42\00:18:54.13
And they flip out,
they say, blasphemy,
00:18:54.16\00:18:56.20
they tear their robes
because he's blaspheming.
00:18:56.23\00:19:01.90
We think about
Stephen being stoned.
00:19:01.94\00:19:04.54
Can you imagine the
magnitude of that moment?
00:19:04.57\00:19:06.88
First believer.
00:19:06.91\00:19:08.31
Later on, people are
going to be martyred,
00:19:08.34\00:19:10.88
they look back at that
00:19:10.91\00:19:12.25
and they have courage from that.
00:19:12.28\00:19:14.32
But let me ask you a question.
00:19:14.35\00:19:16.18
You think there
were any trumpets
00:19:16.22\00:19:17.55
blowing in Jerusalem
when Stephen got stoned?
00:19:17.59\00:19:20.96
You think Stephen's family...
00:19:20.99\00:19:22.32
Let's just suppose
he has a wife and kids.
00:19:22.36\00:19:23.76
Do you think that they
thought it was a great thing
00:19:23.79\00:19:26.03
when he got stoned?
00:19:26.06\00:19:29.10
But we can see the other
side of the story, can't we?
00:19:29.13\00:19:32.07
Do you know what our job is?
00:19:32.10\00:19:34.17
To trust
whatever happens, right?
00:19:34.20\00:19:37.14
We're on a journey,
00:19:37.17\00:19:38.91
good things will
happen, bad things will happen,
00:19:38.94\00:19:40.74
but we need to learn
to trust whatever happens.
00:19:40.78\00:19:43.28
And Stephen did learn to trust.
00:19:43.31\00:19:46.38
His family might
not have understood,
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.92
but he's standing.
00:19:48.95\00:19:50.29
How incredible!
00:19:50.32\00:19:51.85
And then
Stephen prays, verse 59,
00:19:51.89\00:19:55.99
"While they were
stoning him, Stephen prayed,
00:19:56.02\00:19:59.36
'Lord, do not hold
this sin against them.'"
00:19:59.39\00:20:04.10
Can you imagine
resurrection morning?
00:20:07.17\00:20:12.84
Stephen comes up out
of the grave, he says,
00:20:12.87\00:20:16.41
"What are you
doing here, right?"
00:20:16.44\00:20:19.11
And Saul says,
00:20:19.15\00:20:20.48
"Hey, Steve, you'll
never guess what happened.
00:20:20.52\00:20:22.38
After you died,
you won't believe it."
00:20:22.42\00:20:24.72
While he died, Saul
was holding the garments,
00:20:24.75\00:20:27.32
he's casting his
vote, he's being executed.
00:20:27.36\00:20:29.79
You'll never believe.
00:20:29.82\00:20:31.69
That's when I say, grandmas,
00:20:31.73\00:20:33.70
you may never know
00:20:33.73\00:20:35.06
the influence on
your grandchildren.
00:20:35.10\00:20:37.97
And, guys, you may
never know the influence
00:20:38.00\00:20:40.37
on the people you work with.
00:20:40.40\00:20:42.74
You know what?
00:20:42.77\00:20:44.11
Our call is to
be faithful, right?
00:20:44.14\00:20:46.74
Our call is to
walk along the way.
00:20:46.78\00:20:48.84
Our call is to walk
with joy with Jesus.
00:20:48.88\00:20:51.58
Our call is to be
faithful and leave it to God.
00:20:51.61\00:20:56.15
Stephen will be shocked
on resurrection morning.
00:20:56.18\00:20:58.65
What are you doing?
00:20:58.69\00:21:00.02
Can you imagine
that conversation?
00:21:00.06\00:21:02.29
Because it was
something about his face
00:21:02.32\00:21:04.13
lit up like an angel
that he could never shake.
00:21:04.16\00:21:08.40
He could never shake.
00:21:08.43\00:21:10.10
I have to say, you know,
00:21:10.13\00:21:11.47
I had a lovely
spiritual grandmother.
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.80
I was born here in Orlando,
00:21:14.84\00:21:16.17
but grew up in my
teenage years in North Carolina,
00:21:16.20\00:21:17.97
and she was a Bible
worker in a little tiny church
00:21:18.01\00:21:19.91
in Salisbury, North Carolina.
00:21:19.94\00:21:21.78
And if you've read
that book of John Earnhardt,
00:21:21.81\00:21:25.41
she's the grace
that gave Bible studies
00:21:25.45\00:21:27.22
to the young John
Earnhardt, who was about 16,
00:21:27.25\00:21:30.25
and Chris' wife
was much younger,
00:21:30.29\00:21:32.09
and they were
about to have a baby.
00:21:32.12\00:21:33.46
And the Adventist doctor said,
"You should take Bible studies
00:21:33.49\00:21:35.06
and have your
life turned around."
00:21:35.09\00:21:37.26
So she was just
this glowing witness
00:21:37.29\00:21:38.93
all the time.
00:21:38.96\00:21:40.30
And what an
influence you can have,
00:21:40.33\00:21:42.06
grandmas and grandpas,
00:21:42.10\00:21:44.10
aunts and uncles, moms and dads,
00:21:44.13\00:21:46.20
you know, don't
give up, don't give up.
00:21:46.23\00:21:49.70
I tell you,
00:21:49.74\00:21:51.07
if time lasts in our program,
00:21:51.11\00:21:52.57
I'll tell you my story
00:21:52.61\00:21:54.44
about what happened as
a result of their prayers.
00:21:54.48\00:21:57.51
But we will now look at Acts 26
00:21:57.55\00:22:00.18
because he's so...
00:22:00.22\00:22:02.78
He's trying to
stab his conscience
00:22:02.82\00:22:04.55
about what happened with Stephen
00:22:04.59\00:22:05.92
and so he says in Acts 26:11,
00:22:05.95\00:22:07.86
"I was so obsessed
with persecuting them
00:22:07.89\00:22:10.06
that I even hunted
them down in foreign cities.
00:22:10.09\00:22:12.89
On one of these journeys,
I was going to Damascus
00:22:12.93\00:22:15.43
with the
authority and commission
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.07
of the chief priests."
00:22:17.10\00:22:18.43
And so Damascus
is 150 miles away.
00:22:18.47\00:22:20.64
We can see the
road that he would go,
00:22:20.67\00:22:22.00
we're going to trace that
road because he's obsessed,
00:22:22.04\00:22:24.47
he's trying to
get out of his mind
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.84
what happened with
Stephen, and now he's walking,
00:22:25.87\00:22:28.01
he's a Pharisee,
00:22:28.04\00:22:29.38
probably walking by
himself from the guards
00:22:29.41\00:22:32.51
and not riding a
horse by the way.
00:22:32.55\00:22:34.88
If he's riding a horse,
00:22:34.92\00:22:36.25
he's going to be unclean, right?
00:22:36.28\00:22:37.62
A horse is unclean.
00:22:37.65\00:22:38.99
Sorry, I know a
lot of you have horses.
00:22:39.02\00:22:40.36
But if you're a Pharisee,
00:22:40.39\00:22:41.72
you don't want to be
riding an unclean horse.
00:22:41.76\00:22:43.89
And so he's walking.
00:22:43.93\00:22:46.03
Now the direct route go
right up through the mountains,
00:22:46.06\00:22:47.93
right up through
Shechem and Samaria.
00:22:47.96\00:22:49.80
You can kind of
see the mountains
00:22:49.83\00:22:51.17
there on the map,
00:22:51.20\00:22:52.53
Samaria, and then
you kind of cut down,
00:22:52.57\00:22:54.40
but you got to go
through the Samaritan area.
00:22:54.44\00:22:57.81
A Pharisee would not want
to eat the food of Samaritans,
00:22:57.84\00:23:00.34
those despised people,
00:23:00.38\00:23:01.88
and so they would
walk down to Jericho.
00:23:01.91\00:23:04.41
They'd go two to three days
out of their way to go north
00:23:04.45\00:23:07.68
to avoid Samaria.
00:23:07.72\00:23:09.85
And so as he walks down
to Jericho, he's obsessed,
00:23:09.88\00:23:12.05
but Holy
Spirit's convicting him.
00:23:12.09\00:23:15.39
I wonder, do you
think he had interrogated
00:23:15.42\00:23:17.83
that short guy down in Jericho?
00:23:17.86\00:23:19.19
What was the
guy's name? Zacchaeus.
00:23:19.23\00:23:22.30
You think he didn't
interrogate Zacchaeus?
00:23:22.33\00:23:25.70
And he's got to cross the river,
00:23:25.73\00:23:27.74
and he crosses the river there,
00:23:27.77\00:23:29.14
and that's
where John the Baptist
00:23:29.17\00:23:30.51
was baptizing
Bethany beyond the Jordan.
00:23:30.54\00:23:33.68
I'm seriously
saying, how in the world
00:23:33.71\00:23:35.44
could this son of a priest
00:23:35.48\00:23:37.51
be taken in by this base heresy?
00:23:37.55\00:23:40.68
Can you see?
00:23:40.72\00:23:42.05
And what's the
Holy Spirit doing?
00:23:42.08\00:23:44.42
Convicting, convicting,
He's trying to shake it.
00:23:44.45\00:23:47.29
And he's got to
walk up the Jordan River
00:23:47.32\00:23:48.86
and he comes to
the Sea of Galilee.
00:23:48.89\00:23:50.43
And as he goes
around the Sea of Galilee,
00:23:50.46\00:23:51.79
he's got to go right
through the town of Magdala.
00:23:51.83\00:23:53.70
That's where Interstate 95 goes,
00:23:53.73\00:23:55.13
right through it,
called the Great Trunk Road
00:23:55.16\00:23:56.73
of Via Maris.
00:23:56.77\00:23:58.10
He goes right through Magdala.
00:23:58.13\00:23:59.47
Had he interviewed her?
00:23:59.50\00:24:01.50
Does she still hold
onto her crazy belief
00:24:01.54\00:24:03.47
that some guy named
Jesus could be killed
00:24:03.51\00:24:05.74
and come back to life?
00:24:05.77\00:24:08.11
He's just shaking his head.
00:24:08.14\00:24:10.38
In my mind, I like to imagine
00:24:10.41\00:24:11.75
that he then comes
around to Capernaum.
00:24:11.78\00:24:17.22
And there in Capernaum,
00:24:17.25\00:24:18.59
he made pause for the Sabbath.
00:24:18.62\00:24:21.02
And if he did, he'd
teach in the synagogue.
00:24:21.06\00:24:24.79
Does he think
about all those stories
00:24:24.83\00:24:26.16
that happened there?
00:24:26.19\00:24:27.93
Can you imagine
the incredible stories?
00:24:27.96\00:24:30.07
Who was the
pastor of this place?
00:24:30.10\00:24:34.24
Jairus.
00:24:34.27\00:24:35.60
What's happened to him?
What's the story of Jairus?
00:24:35.64\00:24:37.51
His daughter died
00:24:37.54\00:24:40.58
and Jesus
brought her back to life.
00:24:40.61\00:24:42.01
And by the way,
who built the place?
00:24:42.04\00:24:46.28
A Roman centurion who said,
00:24:46.31\00:24:47.88
"Don't bother
coming, Lord, just..."
00:24:47.92\00:24:49.25
What?
00:24:49.28\00:24:50.62
"Speak the word.
00:24:50.65\00:24:52.09
I'm a man of authority."
00:24:52.12\00:24:54.12
And can you
imagine the first Sabbath
00:24:54.16\00:24:56.62
in the gospel story
00:24:56.66\00:24:58.13
that Jesus is
presenting in the synagogue.
00:24:58.16\00:25:01.16
You know what
happened? It was right there.
00:25:01.20\00:25:03.43
Remember what happened?
00:25:03.47\00:25:04.87
Something that I hope
doesn't happen this morning.
00:25:04.90\00:25:07.40
A guy came running
down the middle aisle,
00:25:07.44\00:25:09.54
Jesus Nazarene!
00:25:09.57\00:25:11.81
Satan throws a demon
possessed man at Him.
00:25:11.84\00:25:14.68
He just speaks the word.
00:25:14.71\00:25:16.21
Is Saul familiar
with the stories?
00:25:16.24\00:25:18.01
I just imagine as
he shirks it all off,
00:25:18.05\00:25:20.02
and he's...
00:25:20.05\00:25:21.38
He leaves the Sea
of Galilee 700 feet
00:25:21.42\00:25:22.75
feet below sea level, he
starts going up the hills,
00:25:22.78\00:25:27.89
because he's on a
mission to go to Damascus.
00:25:27.92\00:25:30.66
But as he walks,
he ponders, he thinks,
00:25:30.69\00:25:34.66
"How could Stephen pray,
00:25:34.70\00:25:38.23
'Lord, forgive them
for what they're doing.'
00:25:38.27\00:25:41.34
Wow.
00:25:44.44\00:25:46.21
What was it about Jesus
that so transformed Stephen?
00:25:46.24\00:25:51.91
Was he aware that
Jesus said the same thing
00:25:51.95\00:25:54.62
about His executioners?
00:25:54.65\00:25:59.32
He approaches the city.
00:25:59.35\00:26:01.36
Can you imagine his
heart rate increasing?
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.73
A hundred and fifty mile walk.
00:26:03.76\00:26:05.09
Any one of you been on
a 150-mile walk lately?
00:26:05.13\00:26:08.03
A hundred and fifty mile walk.
00:26:08.06\00:26:09.43
He gets there, he's on the hills
00:26:09.46\00:26:10.80
overlooking Damascus.
00:26:10.83\00:26:12.17
Now Damascus is
the largest oasis
00:26:12.20\00:26:14.10
in the world.
00:26:14.14\00:26:15.80
It doesn't really rain there.
00:26:15.84\00:26:17.54
They have the water
that comes from the snows
00:26:17.57\00:26:19.07
and from the mountains and so on
00:26:19.11\00:26:21.18
but doesn't
rain very much there,
00:26:21.21\00:26:22.54
the largest oasis in the world.
00:26:22.58\00:26:23.91
He gets there, and he's excited
00:26:23.95\00:26:25.78
because he's zealous to
root out the Nazarene sect
00:26:25.81\00:26:29.35
from the Jews
00:26:29.38\00:26:32.49
and get rid of this
cancer that's spreading.
00:26:32.52\00:26:35.56
And as he gets there,
he's overlooking the city,
00:26:35.59\00:26:37.39
what happens,
remember what happens?
00:26:37.43\00:26:39.69
A light brighter
00:26:39.73\00:26:41.96
than the noonday sun flashes.
00:26:42.00\00:26:46.67
He says, "Oh,
that was interesting,"
00:26:46.70\00:26:48.04
right?
00:26:48.07\00:26:49.64
Now what does he do?
00:26:49.67\00:26:52.27
Falls to the ground.
00:26:52.31\00:26:54.68
He falls to the ground.
00:26:54.71\00:26:57.95
Holy Spirit has been
pricking his conscience
00:26:57.98\00:27:01.28
for a 150-mile walk.
00:27:01.32\00:27:03.62
And now the Holy
Spirit powerfully hits him.
00:27:03.65\00:27:06.89
It all comes
together and he falls down.
00:27:06.92\00:27:10.23
And so we read the
words there in Acts 26:12,,
00:27:10.26\00:27:13.33
"Saul, Saul why
do you persecute Me?
00:27:13.36\00:27:18.03
It is hard for you to
kick against the goads."
00:27:18.07\00:27:21.37
And so all religious
art has him on a horse,
00:27:21.40\00:27:23.34
but I doubt he's on a horse.
00:27:23.37\00:27:25.67
Doesn't say he's on a
horse, but he falls down,
00:27:25.71\00:27:27.61
and the other
men, they see the light
00:27:27.64\00:27:30.21
or they hear the voice,
00:27:30.25\00:27:31.58
but they don't
know what it says.
00:27:31.61\00:27:35.28
"Why do you persecute Me?
00:27:35.32\00:27:37.52
It's hard for you to
kick against the goads."
00:27:37.55\00:27:39.02
Now as we were
filming this series on Paul,
00:27:39.05\00:27:41.06
I'm thinking,
00:27:41.09\00:27:42.42
"Lord, this is a
hard text to understand
00:27:42.46\00:27:44.83
because the King James
is even a bit stranger.
00:27:44.86\00:27:50.07
Lord, we need to
have an ox herder."
00:27:50.10\00:27:53.17
And so there's a little clip
00:27:53.20\00:27:54.54
I'm going to ask
them to play right now.
00:27:54.57\00:27:56.00
There's a little bit
of audio with this clip,
00:27:56.04\00:27:57.57
if we can pick up that
audio, and it's about a road,
00:27:57.61\00:28:03.95
actually a Roman
road that Paul walked on
00:28:03.98\00:28:07.45
in the second
missionary journey.
00:28:07.48\00:28:08.82
Maybe it won't
play, but there's a road.
00:28:08.85\00:28:12.25
And this road was very special.
00:28:12.29\00:28:14.42
And...
00:28:14.46\00:28:15.79
There we go.
00:28:15.82\00:28:17.56
This road is very, very special.
00:28:17.59\00:28:18.93
It's actually a Roman road
00:28:18.96\00:28:20.36
that Paul and
Barnabas walked on.
00:28:20.40\00:28:22.66
Where we had seen this in a book
00:28:22.70\00:28:24.03
called Biblical Anatolia.
00:28:24.07\00:28:26.07
I went up and looked for
it 25 miles north of Tarsus,
00:28:26.10\00:28:28.84
I found it in the foothills
below this Cilician gates.
00:28:28.87\00:28:32.24
And we were filming,
and then this guy came by,
00:28:32.27\00:28:34.41
and he walked
off into the sunset.
00:28:34.44\00:28:35.78
I got back and said,
00:28:35.81\00:28:37.15
"Was that an
actor that you had?"
00:28:37.18\00:28:38.51
No, I said, that's the
guy who lives out there.
00:28:38.55\00:28:40.25
That became the signature shot
00:28:40.28\00:28:41.68
of our series in
the Footsteps of Paul,
00:28:41.72\00:28:43.28
and he doesn't
know how famous he is
00:28:43.32\00:28:44.65
because people see
him around the world.
00:28:44.69\00:28:46.05
I've been praying, "Lord,
00:28:50.16\00:28:52.66
we need somebody to illustrate
an ox herder for the series."
00:28:52.69\00:28:56.70
Would you believe after
the guy walks that way...
00:28:56.73\00:28:58.93
And here he goes on
the screen talking to me.
00:28:58.97\00:29:02.40
Nice guy, I tried to explain
00:29:02.44\00:29:03.77
where I was from
and what I was doing
00:29:03.81\00:29:05.17
and he didn't speak any English.
00:29:05.21\00:29:07.24
And in Tarsus, can you
see they wear their pants,
00:29:07.28\00:29:10.18
you know, it's
kind of pre hip-hop,
00:29:10.21\00:29:13.01
you know, the crotch
comes down to the knees.
00:29:13.05\00:29:16.15
Interesting stories about that.
00:29:16.18\00:29:17.52
But anyway, a very nice guy.
00:29:17.55\00:29:19.35
Didn't speak any
English, and he walked off.
00:29:19.39\00:29:23.19
I was praying for an ox herder,
00:29:23.22\00:29:24.73
and you believe after
he walked into the sunset,
00:29:24.76\00:29:26.56
look what came down the
road the other direction.
00:29:26.59\00:29:30.17
Hadn't even told the
camera crew about it,
00:29:30.20\00:29:31.73
but fortunately, the oxen came,
00:29:31.77\00:29:33.84
and, you know, they
kind of made fun of me
00:29:33.87\00:29:35.34
getting surrounded by
oxen in some of the outtakes.
00:29:35.37\00:29:38.04
But after they passed
by, look what happened?
00:29:38.07\00:29:41.21
You see our guy?
00:29:41.24\00:29:42.58
What's he got in his hand?
00:29:42.61\00:29:45.15
He's got a goad,
00:29:45.18\00:29:47.12
and he's got a sharp point on it
00:29:47.15\00:29:48.48
called a prick,
00:29:48.52\00:29:49.85
and he's picking them, right?
00:29:49.88\00:29:51.42
He's guiding them,
and so the Holy Spirit,
00:29:51.45\00:29:56.32
"Saul, Saul,
00:29:56.36\00:29:57.99
it's hard to kick
against the pricks
00:29:58.03\00:30:00.56
or hard to kick
against the goads."
00:30:00.60\00:30:03.37
Moms, hard for our children
00:30:03.40\00:30:08.07
to kick against the Holy Spirit.
00:30:08.10\00:30:09.44
You know, to be lost,
00:30:09.47\00:30:10.81
you got to fight
the strongest power
00:30:10.84\00:30:12.17
in the universe, the Holy Spirit
00:30:12.21\00:30:14.44
'cause the Holy
Spirit is trying to do, what?
00:30:14.48\00:30:17.35
To lead you to repentance.
00:30:17.38\00:30:20.92
But, you know, when
we're praying for people,
00:30:20.95\00:30:22.42
just like Saul,
they resist, right?
00:30:22.45\00:30:24.85
He's resisting,
he's fighting it.
00:30:24.89\00:30:26.52
Don't give up,
keep praying, all right?
00:30:26.55\00:30:29.89
Keep on praying.
00:30:29.92\00:30:31.89
And so our guy comes
behind with the goads.
00:30:31.93\00:30:34.23
They had also put
these little sharp points
00:30:34.26\00:30:35.83
on oxen carts,
00:30:35.86\00:30:37.20
and they put a
young oxen in there,
00:30:37.23\00:30:38.57
and they'd put
them into the harness.
00:30:38.60\00:30:39.93
And maybe he kicked
that cart, and guess what.
00:30:39.97\00:30:43.20
He wouldn't kick
it he second time
00:30:43.24\00:30:44.57
because he kicked
that little sharp stick
00:30:44.61\00:30:45.94
with the point on it, right?
00:30:45.97\00:30:48.24
And so the Lord said,
00:30:48.28\00:30:52.38
"Saul, Saul, why
do you persecute Me?
00:30:52.41\00:30:53.85
It's hard for you to
kick against the goads."
00:30:53.88\00:30:57.22
Holy Spirit's trying
to lead him to repentance,
00:30:57.25\00:30:58.82
and he's struggling with that.
00:30:58.85\00:31:00.19
And so Saul cries out and
says, "Who are You, Lord?"
00:31:00.22\00:31:05.89
He says, "I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting."
00:31:05.93\00:31:10.10
The Holy Spirit is
leading into repentance.
00:31:10.13\00:31:12.87
Well, let's read the next verse.
00:31:12.90\00:31:14.24
"The men traveling with
Saul stood there speechless.
00:31:14.27\00:31:16.67
They heard the sound
but did not see anyone.
00:31:16.71\00:31:19.34
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes,
00:31:19.37\00:31:21.48
he was blind."
00:31:21.51\00:31:23.68
Can you imagine?
00:31:23.71\00:31:25.78
He gets up,
00:31:25.81\00:31:27.82
he's overwhelmed
by the theophany,
00:31:27.85\00:31:29.68
and now he gets
up and cannot see.
00:31:29.72\00:31:32.52
Can you imagine the fanfare
00:31:32.55\00:31:33.89
he must have
left from Jerusalem?
00:31:33.92\00:31:35.56
He's on a mission
from the chief priest,
00:31:35.59\00:31:37.86
going to Damascus,
a prestigious city.
00:31:37.89\00:31:40.83
And now can you
imagine, the next verse,
00:31:40.86\00:31:43.67
"As they led him by the
hand, blind, into Damascus.
00:31:43.70\00:31:49.54
And for three days,
00:31:49.57\00:31:50.91
he did not eat
or drink anything."
00:31:50.94\00:31:52.27
That's actually a Roman gate.
00:31:52.31\00:31:54.11
And that Roman gate
opens on to the Via Recta,
00:31:54.14\00:31:56.14
the Straight Street.
00:31:56.18\00:31:57.51
He's led down there,
00:31:57.55\00:31:58.88
and he's put into an
end on Straight Street
00:31:58.91\00:32:01.58
in the house of Judas, remember?
00:32:01.62\00:32:06.29
And there he sits
in the darkness, blind.
00:32:06.32\00:32:10.13
Well, I was going
to tell you a story
00:32:10.16\00:32:12.56
about my first
time on that street.
00:32:12.59\00:32:14.23
Maybe I have a moment,
I'll tell you that story.
00:32:14.26\00:32:15.86
It's an interesting story.
00:32:15.90\00:32:18.57
I was on a solo journey
00:32:18.60\00:32:19.93
from Athens to Damascus in 1988.
00:32:19.97\00:32:22.87
And I got to Damascus,
00:32:22.90\00:32:25.11
and I went to
the Umayyad Mosque.
00:32:25.14\00:32:26.74
The Umayyad Mosque at one time
00:32:26.78\00:32:28.11
was the largest
mosque in the world.
00:32:28.14\00:32:29.48
It was a church of Justinian,
00:32:29.51\00:32:30.95
and it was
converted into a mosque
00:32:30.98\00:32:32.61
after the Muslims
conquered Damascus,
00:32:32.65\00:32:34.75
and they had a very
interesting minaret out there,
00:32:34.78\00:32:36.79
and I'll tell you
about that in just a moment.
00:32:36.82\00:32:38.19
But inside of this church
00:32:38.22\00:32:39.85
was the head of
John the Baptist.
00:32:39.89\00:32:41.52
And so when you go
there today, guess what,
00:32:41.56\00:32:44.09
there's a shrine for
John the Baptist's head.
00:32:44.13\00:32:46.83
And Muslims come
from around the world.
00:32:46.86\00:32:48.20
We can see it on the screen.
00:32:48.23\00:32:49.56
They come from around the world
00:32:49.60\00:32:50.93
and they pray
there at the shrine
00:32:50.97\00:32:52.97
that has the head of
John the Baptist in it.
00:32:53.00\00:32:55.07
Very interesting.
00:32:55.10\00:32:56.44
Well, I'd hurry
about the minaret
00:32:56.47\00:32:58.11
and we'll go to the next slide.
00:32:58.14\00:32:59.47
The minaret actually
is the Southwest minaret.
00:32:59.51\00:33:02.31
And what's
interesting is Muslims believe
00:33:02.34\00:33:04.51
that Jesus will
return in the sky
00:33:04.55\00:33:07.22
and land on that
minaret in Damascus
00:33:07.25\00:33:10.95
when He comes the second time.
00:33:10.99\00:33:12.32
Yeah, interesting,
150 miles from Jerusalem.
00:33:12.35\00:33:15.76
And so they
believe He'll come there
00:33:15.79\00:33:17.13
and land on that minaret.
00:33:17.16\00:33:18.49
And so I was trying
to get pictures of that.
00:33:18.53\00:33:19.86
When you go into a mosque,
00:33:19.89\00:33:21.23
you ought to take
your shoes off now.
00:33:21.26\00:33:22.60
I had some
Saucony running shoes,
00:33:22.63\00:33:23.97
and they'd been
up Mount Olympus,
00:33:24.00\00:33:25.33
they'd been up Mount Sinai,
00:33:25.37\00:33:26.70
and they'd been then
up the Mount of Olives,
00:33:26.74\00:33:28.07
and they'd been up the
mountain over Damascus,
00:33:28.10\00:33:29.44
and I thought I'm
going to bronze these shoes.
00:33:29.47\00:33:30.81
You know, These
shoes have been everywhere.
00:33:30.84\00:33:32.17
I came back and
guess what happened?
00:33:32.21\00:33:34.71
Shoes had been stolen.
00:33:34.74\00:33:38.01
So I said, "At least I
have the memories, Lord."
00:33:38.05\00:33:39.41
Well, now I'm shoeless.
00:33:39.45\00:33:41.82
So the guy is giving...
00:33:41.85\00:33:43.18
He's speaking in English.
00:33:43.22\00:33:44.55
It's being translated
into Russian to a tour group.
00:33:44.59\00:33:46.15
When he was done with this tour,
00:33:46.19\00:33:47.52
I went over and said,
"I just want to make sure
00:33:47.56\00:33:48.89
I've got the
right minaret out here,
00:33:48.92\00:33:50.26
the southwest minaret."
00:33:50.29\00:33:51.63
And so we became friends,
00:33:51.66\00:33:53.29
and he found out that
my shoes had been stolen.
00:33:53.33\00:33:56.90
He said, "You
must come to my house,
00:33:56.93\00:33:59.53
and I'll give
you a pair of sandals
00:33:59.57\00:34:00.90
to fly back to New York in.
00:34:00.94\00:34:02.90
And guess what
street he lived on?
00:34:02.94\00:34:05.14
Straight Street.
00:34:05.17\00:34:06.51
That's right,
and so Saul is there
00:34:06.54\00:34:08.08
in the Straight Street,
00:34:08.11\00:34:09.44
and he is there,
00:34:09.48\00:34:12.15
and he's sitting
inside in the darkness.
00:34:12.18\00:34:14.32
And so we look at
our text here in Acts.
00:34:14.35\00:34:18.49
"In Damascus, there was
a disciple named Ananias.
00:34:18.52\00:34:22.16
And the Lord called to
him in a vision, 'Ananias!'
00:34:22.19\00:34:25.39
'Yes, Lord,' he answered.
00:34:25.43\00:34:28.16
"The Lord told him,
'Go to the house of Judas
00:34:28.20\00:34:30.60
on Straight
Street and ask for a man
00:34:30.63\00:34:32.33
from Tarsus named
Saul, for he is praying...'"
00:34:32.37\00:34:34.44
What?
00:34:34.47\00:34:36.71
I know who that guy is.
00:34:36.74\00:34:38.74
He's come here to
ferret out the believers,
00:34:38.77\00:34:40.88
he's coming, you know, right?
00:34:40.91\00:34:42.64
I can't go and do that.
00:34:42.68\00:34:44.18
He'll kill me, he'll harass
me, take me back to Jerusalem.
00:34:44.21\00:34:47.12
What?
00:34:47.15\00:34:50.09
And so it goes on and
says, "'Lord,' Ananias answered,
00:34:50.12\00:34:52.15
'I've heard many
reports about this man
00:34:52.19\00:34:53.72
and all the harm he has done
to Your people in Jerusalem.
00:34:53.76\00:34:56.52
And he has come
here with authority
00:34:56.56\00:34:57.89
from the chief
priests to arrest all
00:34:57.93\00:34:59.36
who call on Your name.'
00:34:59.39\00:35:00.76
But the Lord said to Ananias,
00:35:00.80\00:35:02.13
'Go! This man is My
chosen instrument.'"
00:35:02.16\00:35:03.90
Here's our memory text.
00:35:03.93\00:35:05.27
"'My chosen instrument
00:35:05.30\00:35:06.63
to proclaim My
name to the Gentiles
00:35:06.67\00:35:08.24
and their kings and to
the people of Israel.'"
00:35:08.27\00:35:11.97
Ananias, what was Ananias...
00:35:12.01\00:35:13.34
What did it say in the
very first part of the text?
00:35:13.38\00:35:15.18
He's a what? A disciple.
00:35:15.21\00:35:17.48
And what do disciples do?
00:35:17.51\00:35:19.25
They do what
their Lord asks, right?
00:35:19.28\00:35:21.05
And so he goes.
00:35:21.08\00:35:22.92
And can you imagine?
00:35:22.95\00:35:26.19
We have the next verse,
00:35:26.22\00:35:28.12
"Then Ananias went to
the house and entered it.
00:35:28.16\00:35:30.79
Placing his
hands on Saul he said,
00:35:30.83\00:35:32.99
'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road
00:35:33.03\00:35:36.40
as you were
coming here has sent me
00:35:36.43\00:35:39.30
so that you may see again
00:35:39.33\00:35:41.04
and be filled
with the Holy Spirit.'"
00:35:41.07\00:35:42.80
Can you imagine?
00:35:42.84\00:35:44.17
What do you think
Ananias and the believers
00:35:44.21\00:35:45.64
had been praying in Damascus?
00:35:45.67\00:35:49.24
May his bus run
off the road, right?
00:35:49.28\00:35:53.48
May pirates
attack him and kill him?
00:35:53.52\00:35:57.09
Do you think
they had the courage
00:35:57.12\00:35:58.45
to actually pray for
what God had in mind?
00:35:58.49\00:36:01.72
I doubt it.
00:36:01.76\00:36:03.73
And when he comes in,
they don't believe it.
00:36:03.76\00:36:08.46
They were
bracing for the enforcer.
00:36:08.50\00:36:10.83
And so he goes and he prays.
00:36:10.87\00:36:12.20
And the next verse says,
00:36:12.23\00:36:13.57
"Immediately,
00:36:13.60\00:36:14.94
something like
scales fell from Saul's eyes
00:36:14.97\00:36:18.37
and he could see again.
00:36:18.41\00:36:21.04
He got up and was baptized,
and after taking some food,
00:36:21.08\00:36:24.41
he regained his strength."
00:36:24.45\00:36:27.15
And by the way, it
wasn't just physical scales,
00:36:27.18\00:36:29.15
they were spiritual
scales, spiritual scales
00:36:29.18\00:36:32.95
of misunderstanding
Bible verses, right?
00:36:32.99\00:36:38.23
He was misguided.
00:36:38.26\00:36:39.83
There was a zeal
that had to fall away
00:36:39.86\00:36:41.76
because he was very zealous,
00:36:41.80\00:36:43.13
he was just
misguided and misdirected.
00:36:43.16\00:36:47.20
Now he can see physically
and spiritually, and he says,
00:36:47.24\00:36:51.27
"Now what are you waiting
for? Get up and be baptized."
00:36:51.31\00:36:53.21
My first time in Damascus,
I took that picture in 1988.
00:36:53.24\00:36:56.64
I had pastors there around 1999,
00:36:56.68\00:36:59.25
and I told our young
tour guide that I wanted to go
00:36:59.28\00:37:02.88
on Sabbath
afternoon by the river
00:37:02.92\00:37:04.92
and do teaching for my pastors,
00:37:04.95\00:37:06.92
you know, to get them reoriented
00:37:06.96\00:37:08.29
on what we've
been seeing in Syria.
00:37:08.32\00:37:10.13
And the young guy
said, "What river?"
00:37:10.16\00:37:12.39
I said, "You know,
the river that flows down
00:37:12.43\00:37:13.76
to the middle of town, you know,
00:37:13.80\00:37:15.13
it goes right down."
00:37:15.16\00:37:16.50
He had never seen that river
00:37:16.53\00:37:17.87
because they now use
all the water for drinking.
00:37:17.90\00:37:21.34
The city is so big.
00:37:21.37\00:37:23.87
But the next
verse is so incredible.
00:37:23.91\00:37:25.24
Acts 9:20, "At
once, he began to preach
00:37:25.27\00:37:28.51
in the synagogues that
Jesus is the Son of God."
00:37:28.54\00:37:33.98
He is preaching.
00:37:34.02\00:37:35.35
Can you imagine, this is a guy
00:37:35.38\00:37:36.72
who was to root
out the Nazarene,
00:37:36.75\00:37:38.22
and now he's preaching
that Jesus is the Son of God!
00:37:38.25\00:37:41.66
The enforcer is
now teaching this,
00:37:41.69\00:37:43.02
the people are perplexed.
00:37:43.06\00:37:44.39
Is that a trick? Is it a ruse?
00:37:44.43\00:37:45.76
Are they just
trying to get our names
00:37:45.79\00:37:47.23
so he can arrest us later on?
00:37:47.26\00:37:48.60
what's going on?
00:37:48.63\00:37:50.77
And I love the next verse.
00:37:50.80\00:37:52.13
Verse 22, "Yet Saul
grew more and more powerful
00:37:52.17\00:37:56.04
and baffled the
Jews living in Damascus
00:37:56.07\00:37:58.87
by proving that Jesus is the..."
00:37:58.91\00:38:03.18
Now sometimes we say Christ
like it's Jesus' last name.
00:38:03.21\00:38:06.51
Forgive me for saying this.
00:38:06.55\00:38:08.08
We say Jesus Christ like it's,
00:38:08.12\00:38:09.72
you know, first name, last name.
00:38:09.75\00:38:11.69
What does Christ mean?
00:38:11.72\00:38:13.52
Messiah. Messiah.
00:38:13.56\00:38:14.89
Jesus, He's proving
that Jesus is a Messiah, how?
00:38:14.92\00:38:18.96
The scriptures.
00:38:18.99\00:38:20.33
What was He using?
00:38:20.36\00:38:21.96
Romans?
00:38:22.00\00:38:23.47
Matthew?
00:38:23.50\00:38:26.03
He was using the
Hebrew scriptures
00:38:26.07\00:38:27.40
because there
was no New Testament.
00:38:27.44\00:38:29.60
Let's fill our minds
with the Hebrew scriptures
00:38:29.64\00:38:32.94
so that we too can
share with Jewish people
00:38:32.97\00:38:37.15
that Jesus is a Messiah.
00:38:37.18\00:38:38.51
Well, it gets hot in Damascus.
00:38:38.55\00:38:40.52
He slips away, he
goes down into Arabia.
00:38:40.55\00:38:42.65
He spends three years
there pondering, pondering.
00:38:42.68\00:38:46.05
And now all the
rabbinical training
00:38:46.09\00:38:47.46
that he has comes into focus
00:38:47.49\00:38:48.82
as he sees Jesus as the Messiah.
00:38:48.86\00:38:50.99
And so we'll
skip over that verse.
00:38:51.03\00:38:52.49
Maybe he went to
Petra, maybe went to Palmyra,
00:38:52.53\00:38:55.00
we don't know where he went,
00:38:55.03\00:38:56.36
but now all the
rabbinical training
00:38:56.40\00:38:57.77
from Gamaliel focuses in
on Jesus being the Messiah.
00:38:57.80\00:39:02.07
And then we're
going to skip down,
00:39:02.10\00:39:03.44
Debbie, to, "After
many days had gone by,
00:39:03.47\00:39:05.97
the Jews conspired to kill him,
but Saul learned of their plan.
00:39:06.01\00:39:09.38
Day and night
00:39:09.41\00:39:10.75
they kept close
watch on the city gates
00:39:10.78\00:39:12.81
in order to kill him.
00:39:12.85\00:39:14.18
But his
followers took him by night
00:39:14.22\00:39:15.55
and lowered him in a basket
00:39:15.58\00:39:16.92
through an opening in the wall."
00:39:16.95\00:39:18.42
It gets so hot
when he comes back.
00:39:18.45\00:39:19.95
He's preaching that
Jesus is the Messiah.
00:39:19.99\00:39:21.72
The Jewish people are so baffled
00:39:21.76\00:39:23.09
that they go to
King Herod and they say,
00:39:23.12\00:39:24.59
"Do away with this guy."
00:39:24.63\00:39:25.96
And they locked the city gates.
00:39:25.99\00:39:27.36
And can you
believe the very people
00:39:27.40\00:39:28.73
he came to destroy,
00:39:28.76\00:39:31.20
their hands are now
used to deliver Saul?
00:39:31.23\00:39:35.34
And he escapes and
he goes to Jerusalem.
00:39:35.37\00:39:37.41
Can you imagine
the Hallelujah moment
00:39:37.44\00:39:39.84
when it gets to
the General Conference
00:39:39.87\00:39:41.21
in Jerusalem, right?
00:39:41.24\00:39:42.98
"You know, they
sent me out to do this
00:39:43.01\00:39:44.48
and now I'm coming back..."
00:39:44.51\00:39:45.85
Can you imagine what
he's expecting the welcome?
00:39:45.88\00:39:49.08
Is it the most significant
event that's happened
00:39:49.12\00:39:51.49
since the resurrection
of Jesus in the church?
00:39:51.52\00:39:53.22
You bet.
00:39:53.25\00:39:55.29
This rabbi trained by Gamaliel.
00:39:55.32\00:39:58.19
But notice what
it says in the Bible,
00:39:58.23\00:39:59.56
"When he came to Jerusalem,
he tried to join the disciples,
00:39:59.59\00:40:03.10
but they were all afraid of him,
00:40:03.13\00:40:07.14
not believing that he
really was a disciple."
00:40:07.17\00:40:10.97
Imagine the shock.
00:40:11.01\00:40:13.07
Hadn't they heard the good news?
00:40:13.11\00:40:14.94
Wasn't the internet up?
00:40:14.98\00:40:18.18
Weren't there any phone calls?
00:40:18.21\00:40:19.88
But they shun him.
00:40:19.91\00:40:22.12
They don't believe
his conversion is real.
00:40:22.15\00:40:24.02
Has that ever happened to you?
00:40:24.05\00:40:25.39
You know, folks,
let's have our eyes open
00:40:28.66\00:40:31.29
to who is God bringing
into our communities, right?
00:40:31.33\00:40:34.86
Don't shun them,
reach out and love them.
00:40:34.90\00:40:38.07
Reach out and love them.
00:40:38.10\00:40:39.43
And so the next verse says,
00:40:39.47\00:40:42.30
"But Barnabas took him
00:40:42.34\00:40:44.64
and brought him to the apostles.
00:40:44.67\00:40:46.01
He told them how Saul
00:40:46.04\00:40:47.38
on his journey had seen the Lord
00:40:47.41\00:40:49.18
and that the Lord
had spoken to him,
00:40:49.21\00:40:50.55
and how in Damascus he
had preached fearlessly
00:40:50.58\00:40:52.35
in the name of Jesus."
00:40:52.38\00:40:54.35
It must have hurt to be rejected
00:40:54.38\00:40:55.72
and shunned like that.
00:40:55.75\00:40:58.75
Who comes up?
What's the guy's name?
00:40:58.79\00:41:01.56
Barnabas. What
does Barnabas mean?
00:41:01.59\00:41:05.53
Son of encouragement
because he was an ASI member.
00:41:05.56\00:41:09.90
He sold his property
00:41:09.93\00:41:11.27
and he gave everything
to the believers, right?
00:41:11.30\00:41:13.30
And they divided, and
there was there was stuff
00:41:13.34\00:41:14.84
to go around, and so...
00:41:14.87\00:41:16.60
And they nicknamed him.
00:41:16.64\00:41:18.07
No longer
you're called Barnabas,
00:41:18.11\00:41:19.44
you're gonna be the son of...
00:41:19.47\00:41:21.51
His real name is Joseph, right?
00:41:21.54\00:41:23.31
He was from Levi
family in Cyprus.
00:41:23.35\00:41:26.61
But no longer will
you be called Joseph,
00:41:26.65\00:41:28.35
you'll be called
son of encouragement.
00:41:28.38\00:41:31.52
Are you a son of encouragement?
00:41:31.55\00:41:34.36
Are you a
daughter of encouragement?
00:41:34.39\00:41:36.79
So many discouraging
words are spoken among us.
00:41:36.83\00:41:39.96
In our churches,
00:41:40.00\00:41:41.33
there's all little so
many discouraging words.
00:41:41.36\00:41:43.83
I want to be a
son of encouragement,
00:41:43.87\00:41:45.20
don't you?
00:41:45.23\00:41:46.77
You think back to people
who encourages in your life.
00:41:46.80\00:41:51.47
You know, I had a grandma,
00:41:51.51\00:41:52.84
if I want to eat
chocolate for breakfast,
00:41:52.87\00:41:54.21
she said, "That's great."
00:41:54.24\00:41:55.91
She had encouraged me,
encouraged me, prayed for me,
00:41:55.94\00:41:59.48
try to tell me a better
way, and it made a difference.
00:41:59.51\00:42:02.72
But our next verse says,
"So Saul stayed with them
00:42:02.75\00:42:06.09
and moved about
freely in Jerusalem,
00:42:06.12\00:42:07.72
speaking boldly in
the name of the Lord."
00:42:07.76\00:42:10.83
And after
Barnabas vouches for Saul,
00:42:10.86\00:42:15.40
Saul's brought
into the community,
00:42:15.43\00:42:16.87
he's preaching there,
and it's been 15 days,
00:42:16.90\00:42:19.40
and it's exciting,
00:42:19.43\00:42:20.77
and then he goes
back up to Tarsus
00:42:20.80\00:42:22.14
where he stays
00:42:22.17\00:42:23.51
until his old friend Barnabas
00:42:23.54\00:42:26.88
comes up and gets them,
00:42:26.91\00:42:28.24
and then they go off on
their first missionary journey.
00:42:28.28\00:42:30.71
Oh, they go down to
Antioch, and then they all
00:42:30.75\00:42:32.31
might go on their
first missionary journey.
00:42:32.35\00:42:34.25
And the church
has revolutionized
00:42:34.28\00:42:36.12
by what they're doing.
00:42:36.15\00:42:37.59
And so he speaks boldly
in the name of the Lord.
00:42:37.62\00:42:39.99
And so Saul would later write
00:42:40.02\00:42:41.42
to his son in
the Gospel, Timothy,
00:42:41.46\00:42:43.59
he would write and say,
00:42:43.63\00:42:44.96
"Here is a trustworthy saying
that deserves all acceptance.
00:42:44.99\00:42:49.43
Christ Jesus
came into this world
00:42:49.46\00:42:51.70
to save sinners
00:42:51.73\00:42:53.84
of whom I am the
worst or the chief."
00:42:53.87\00:42:57.81
No matter how
good Saul was later,
00:42:57.84\00:43:00.14
no matter what he accomplished,
he still remembered one thing,
00:43:00.18\00:43:02.94
his roots.
00:43:02.98\00:43:04.41
I'm the chief of sinners.
00:43:04.45\00:43:07.08
He wasn't
majoring in minors, was he?
00:43:07.12\00:43:09.92
That's the issue.
00:43:09.95\00:43:11.29
We're all from the same cloth.
00:43:11.32\00:43:14.39
Now I love the story of Saul,
00:43:14.42\00:43:19.29
his dramatic conversion.
00:43:19.33\00:43:21.10
Some of you read in the
program about my conversion.
00:43:21.13\00:43:26.27
And as I said earlier,
00:43:26.30\00:43:27.64
I kind of grew
up around Adventism.
00:43:27.67\00:43:29.50
I had a grandmother who said,
00:43:29.54\00:43:30.87
"If you will finish
pisgah' I'll buy you a Harley,"
00:43:30.91\00:43:33.38
pretty good deal, right?
00:43:33.41\00:43:35.68
Unfortunately, I got a
one-way ticket to jail,
00:43:35.71\00:43:38.38
busted for marijuana in 1970,
00:43:38.41\00:43:41.85
and couldn't get back
00:43:41.88\00:43:43.22
into my little
school in North Carolina
00:43:43.25\00:43:44.62
because they didn't want
drug offenders in the school
00:43:44.65\00:43:48.16
even though I was a young adult.
00:43:48.19\00:43:50.36
And so I started a
whole different direction
00:43:50.39\00:43:52.53
down a different road and
became very, very involved
00:43:52.56\00:43:56.00
in the counterculture,
and the flow of drugs
00:43:56.03\00:43:58.73
for our small town in Salisbury,
00:43:58.77\00:44:00.37
which is where there
are more millionaires
00:44:00.40\00:44:02.00
in that county than any
county in North Carolina
00:44:02.04\00:44:03.84
because of Food Lion stock.
00:44:03.87\00:44:06.51
Interesting, there's a
little funny story there.
00:44:06.54\00:44:08.71
And I was going a
whole different direction,
00:44:08.74\00:44:12.01
but I had a grandma who
was praying for me, right?
00:44:12.05\00:44:16.02
My grandma was praying for me.
00:44:16.05\00:44:17.39
And while I could
reject the Christianity
00:44:17.42\00:44:19.42
and most Christians I
knew, and say, us, in that day,
00:44:19.45\00:44:22.29
some of you are old,
like I am, plastic society.
00:44:22.32\00:44:26.33
It's not really genuine,
00:44:26.36\00:44:28.16
not real,
00:44:28.20\00:44:29.66
I could reject that
or I rejected it anyway.
00:44:29.70\00:44:32.37
But I couldn't reject...
00:44:32.40\00:44:33.74
I knew hers was genuine,
and she was praying for me,
00:44:33.77\00:44:35.90
and I'll never forget,
00:44:35.94\00:44:38.17
went to a lot of
rock'n'roll festivals.
00:44:38.21\00:44:39.81
It's amazing, what
doesn't get out of your mind.
00:44:39.84\00:44:42.34
I did all kinds of
things that I'm not proud of,
00:44:42.38\00:44:45.91
but I wouldn't
open my eyes in prayer,
00:44:45.95\00:44:47.42
and I wouldn't eat pork.
00:44:47.45\00:44:49.42
Shoot drugs, but I
wouldn't do that other.
00:44:49.45\00:44:53.82
And so I went to see
00:44:53.86\00:44:55.19
what I thought was a
greatest show on earth,
00:44:55.22\00:44:56.56
The Rolling Stones tour in 1972.
00:44:56.59\00:44:58.26
It was in Charlotte,
North Carolina, July the 6th.
00:44:58.29\00:45:00.70
And I'll never
forget what happened
00:45:00.73\00:45:02.06
because Stevie Wonder played.
00:45:02.10\00:45:03.67
Now he's taking a lot
of hallucinogenic drugs.
00:45:03.70\00:45:06.47
Stevie Wonder played,
00:45:06.50\00:45:07.84
and they moved the
equipment, and I saw...
00:45:07.87\00:45:09.20
I don't know what was
there, but I saw two serpents
00:45:09.24\00:45:10.84
playing on the floor.
00:45:10.87\00:45:12.21
Now, "Oh, no,
00:45:12.24\00:45:14.14
even Mick Jagger
knows there's a devil."
00:45:14.18\00:45:18.01
And then I heard a
voice saying, "Yes, I'm real,
00:45:18.05\00:45:20.32
and you sold your soul to me.
00:45:20.35\00:45:21.68
You've committed the sin
against the Holy Spirit."
00:45:21.72\00:45:24.59
Heavy, well, they
always clap for an encore,
00:45:24.62\00:45:28.06
and the roadie came and said,
"Thank you, we're through."
00:45:28.09\00:45:30.23
And the devil said,
"And you are through,
00:45:30.26\00:45:31.59
you have to die
tonight for your sins."
00:45:31.63\00:45:32.96
I'm a sinner, no doubt about it.
00:45:32.99\00:45:34.63
Well, my whole group
left, and I hate to say it,
00:45:34.66\00:45:36.13
I was driving, and
so I drove our group
00:45:36.16\00:45:37.50
back out to the farm,
00:45:37.53\00:45:38.87
and they
partied, and I pondered,
00:45:38.90\00:45:40.24
and the next day I
went to my grandma's house.
00:45:40.27\00:45:41.60
She had those old
Conflict of Ages series
00:45:41.64\00:45:43.24
with the pictures,
00:45:43.27\00:45:44.61
I was so spaced
out, I couldn't...
00:45:44.64\00:45:45.97
All I could do is kind of
thumb through the pictures.
00:45:46.01\00:45:47.64
And I ran across a picture
00:45:47.68\00:45:49.14
of Jesus speaking
00:45:49.18\00:45:51.51
to Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden.
00:45:51.55\00:45:52.88
Remember what He's doing?
00:45:52.91\00:45:54.62
He's stepping on
the head of the serpent.
00:45:54.65\00:45:56.75
I got a little bit...
00:45:56.79\00:45:58.12
"Maybe He's
stronger than the serpent."
00:45:58.15\00:46:03.29
Well, I kind of
verbalized something
00:46:03.32\00:46:04.66
to grandma about what happened.
00:46:04.69\00:46:06.03
She gave me Desire of Ages.
00:46:06.06\00:46:07.40
I took it down to
Atlanta and took a friend home.
00:46:07.43\00:46:08.76
And while I was
there, I started reading.
00:46:08.80\00:46:10.47
I remember reading
that beautiful quote,
00:46:10.50\00:46:12.47
"Jesus was treated as
we deserved to be treated
00:46:12.50\00:46:15.47
that we might be treated
as He deserved to be treated.
00:46:15.50\00:46:18.01
He was condemned for our
sins which He had no share
00:46:18.04\00:46:19.81
that we might be
justified by His righteousness
00:46:19.84\00:46:22.58
and by His
stripes we are healed."
00:46:22.61\00:46:23.95
I said, "Wow."
00:46:23.98\00:46:25.48
If that's what You're like,
I want to get to know You."
00:46:25.51\00:46:28.52
So I gave my
heart to Jesus there,
00:46:28.55\00:46:30.39
and went back.
00:46:30.42\00:46:31.75
And anyway, went back
and had one last party.
00:46:31.79\00:46:34.92
And my best friend,
who was 40 years old,
00:46:34.96\00:46:36.93
an African American
guy with a nose ring
00:46:36.96\00:46:38.39
in North
Carolina, 1972, and he said,
00:46:38.43\00:46:41.30
"You can't get
away from it, can you?"
00:46:41.33\00:46:42.66
I said, "Oh,
Lord, please help me."
00:46:42.70\00:46:44.33
Last time I did that.
00:46:44.37\00:46:45.70
So I just want to say grandmas,
grandpas, moms, dads, children,
00:46:45.73\00:46:50.87
praying for your parents,
00:46:50.91\00:46:53.24
don't give up, right?
00:46:53.27\00:46:55.91
God did an incredible
thing on the road to Damascus
00:46:55.94\00:46:58.75
in the life of Saul.
00:46:58.78\00:47:00.45
He can do the
same in your family.
00:47:00.48\00:47:01.82
He did in mine.
00:47:01.85\00:47:03.18
He did in my life, I know,
00:47:03.22\00:47:04.55
and He can do it in
your family's life too,
00:47:04.59\00:47:05.92
don't give up.
00:47:05.95\00:47:07.29
Keep praying for
them. Let's pray together.
00:47:07.32\00:47:08.72
Father in heaven,
00:47:08.76\00:47:10.09
thank You so much for
the incredible miracle
00:47:10.13\00:47:12.19
that happened on
the road to Damascus,
00:47:12.23\00:47:13.66
how You spoke to
this Jewish rabbi
00:47:13.70\00:47:16.13
trained by Gamaliel
00:47:16.16\00:47:18.20
and how that his
life was turned around.
00:47:18.23\00:47:19.97
Thank You for
doing that in my life.
00:47:20.00\00:47:21.34
Give these
folks courage, I pray.
00:47:21.37\00:47:23.30
As I pray for their children,
and loved ones, and family
00:47:23.34\00:47:26.84
that they too might find
that joy and peace in Jesus
00:47:26.88\00:47:29.28
that we have is my prayer.
00:47:29.31\00:47:31.58
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:47:31.61\00:47:33.85
So God bless you as you walk in
00:47:33.88\00:47:35.25
not only in the
footsteps of Paul
00:47:35.28\00:47:36.62
but in the footsteps of the one
00:47:36.65\00:47:37.99
that Paul was
following Jesus Himself, right?
00:47:38.02\00:47:40.46
And bless you in your journey.
00:47:40.49\00:47:41.82