Sermon Summary
Big Idea: If Paul can be saved by God’s grace, then so can you.
As we continue our series through the book of Acts, this week's section covers Paul's arrest in Jerusalem and the first of several speeches he makes defending his innocence. The key takeaway: even though we're not like Paul, the most important things about him are true of us. Similarly, even though we weren't saved the exact same way he was, the most important parts of his salvation are true of anyone who encounters the risen Jesus and the glory of God in the face of Christ. Therefore, if Paul can be saved by God's grace, then so can you!
Sermon Outline
You need to be saved just like Paul. (Acts 21:27-22:11)
You can be saved just like Paul. (Acts 22:12-21)
Sermon Text: Acts 21:27-22:21
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out,
“Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Applications Questions
What do we learn by comparing the mob riot in Acts 19 (Ephesus) with the mob riot in Acts 21 (Jerusalem)? What do the similarities between a pagan mob and a Jewish mob tell us about the human heart, regardless of one’s religion or upbringing?
God uses a Roman military commander to rescue Paul and stop the riot. How have you seen in God’s Word and in your life God using whatever means to bring about His sovereign work and save people?
Paul went from persecuting the church “to the death” to becoming one of its greatest defenders. How has the Lord transformed your heart? How has He changed you?
How would those around you describe your zeal for the Lord? Paul says his zeal for God once drove him to imprison and kill the followers of Jesus. What might misdirected zeal look like today, and how do you know if your own passion for God is producing love or producing hostility?
How has God’s grace impacted and changed your life? If God saved Paul by grace, then how much more can God’s grace save you? Where in your own life have you needed that reminder — that no sin or past is too great for God’s grace to reach?
Jesus asks Paul, “why are you persecuting ME?” How does God’s grace to love and care for His body impact you?
Paul doesn’t just tell his story, he deliberately identifies himself with the very mob trying to kill him, saying in effect “I was you.” In what ways should you connect with Paul’s conversion story?
Paul was struck blind by a great light on the Damascus road, then given true sight through Ananias. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4–6 and think about how this passage might help us understand Paul’s conversion to Christ?
How does this passage encourage you to share the gospel? With whom can you share your testimony?
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