Sermons
A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN
Series: The Glory of ChristA LIGHT FROM HEAVEN
Pt.15 - “The Glory Of Christ”
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / May 17, 2015
One of most astonishing aspects of the wisdom of Jehovah God is His PROVIDENCE.
When I speak of “providence” I’m not just referring to God’s daily provisions:
bread to eat, water to drink, clothing on our backs, the sun to warm us, the breezes to cool us, etc.
What I mean by “providence” is the how God weaves together the tapestry of our lives.
Because I believe in man’s freedom of choice, I do not accept the doctrine of predestination.
I do not believe that God’s so orders the events of our lives that we have no choice in the road we travel.
God sees the end of things as clearly as He sees the beginning. He is the Alpha and the Omega.
His foreknowledge allows Him to see the ultimate outcome of our lives from the outset.
Yet - - He does not manipulate us as helpless pawns or puppets.
God even permits us to make choices that sometimes prove to be quite harmful to ourselves and others.
Yet, when we remain open to His Word and His will, God is able to remedy our shortcomings …
to repair our mistakes … to redirect our steps in order for things to work out for the good.
I am persuaded that all of us who are fervent followers of Christ, can scrutinize our lives - -
put our lives under the microscope - - and see evidence of the hand of God.
Have you ever be amazed at how something turns out for good, despite your poor choices.
We can certainly see this in the life of Joseph and His brothers in Old Testament times.
I want us to study his life in detail sometime soon - - that is one of my sermons series plans for the not-too-distant future.
In the New Testament we can see the providence of God so clearly in the life of Saul/Paul.
Open your Bibles to Acts 7-8-9
Our sermon this morning begins with a single verse in Acts 7:58, that is written in the context of Stephen’s death.
When they had driven him out of the city, the began stoning him,
And the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
The story picks up steam in Acts chapters 8 and 9 where we are provide a more detailed portrait of this man Saul.
Acts 8:1-3
Acts 9:1-2
Paralleling these passages are some of Saul’s own autobiographical sketches
Acts 22:1-5 / Paul’s defense before the Jews
Acts 26:4-5 & 9-11 / Paul before King Agrippa
Philp.3:4-6
But then the biography of Saul of Tarsus takes an unexpected twist.
Read from Acts 9:3-19
Here we see Saul coming to see “The Light of The World”.
A light from heaven appeared to Saul
He heard the voice of Jesus questioning him and directing him.
“Why are you persecuting Me?” … “Rise, enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.”
Vs.8 / “though His eyes were open He could see nothing…”
Vs.9 / for three days he fasted (he neither ate nor drank)
Vs.11 / for three days he was praying (intently & fervently we can safely conclude).
Vs.12 / Ananias is sent by God to restore his sight.
Ananias provided Saul with a partial recovery of his sight.
Gal.6:11 / see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand …
~ Gal.4:15 / you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me
But the message Ananias delivered gave Saul a vision that changed his life - - a life-changing mental & spiritual insight.
Vs.17-19 / He arose and was baptized
Acts 22:16 / Why do you delay? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.
God had been working on Saul for some time.
In Acts 26:14 Saul tells Agrippa that the voice said to him, “it is hard for you to kick against the goads”.
God had been prodding Saul for some time.
It is quite possible that Saul had heard Jesus speak and that He may have witnessed some of His miracles.
Maybe Saul even heard about Jesus’ Olivet discourse - - about the fall of Jerusalem.
Even if Saul never met Jesus personally, He no doubt had heard from others about the words His was speaking.
Saul was an Old Testament scholar. Surely all of these “new ideas” were racing through his mind as he analyzed them.
I’ve often wondered if the testimony of Simon of Cyrene (the one who bore His cross) hadn’t been working on Saul.
Simon was the father of Rufus (Mk.15:21). In Rom.16:23, Paul sending him greetings, “and his mother and mine”.
I have often wondered if Stephen’s testimony hadn’t been working on Saul.
Acts 6:14 / we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy
this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us
Acts 7:55-56 / …he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…
‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ …
And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’…and he fell asleep (died).
Have you even considered how Saul’s opposition to Jesus ended up being a positive thing?
Acts 8:4 states that those who had been scattered because of Saul’s persecutions “went about preaching the word”.
1Cor.15:8 / last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to ME also
The transformation of the life of Saul of Tarsus provides a picture of the essence of the gospel of Christ.
1Cor.15:9 / for I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit 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 toward me did not
prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Now, let’s make some practical observations.
Are you listening to the voice of God?
When you read the Scriptures, do you ever see yourself in its pages?
Cannot this story of the conversion of Paul help us all to catch a glimpse of the glory of God, to see the light of heaven.
Whatever we’ve done wrong, the providence of God can make it work out for the good.
All of us have messed up at times. We’re all sinners. None of us are righteous in and of ourselves.
And some of us have really messed up.
Yet, if we remain open to the Word and Will of God all of that can change.
Even our shortcoming - - even our shameful deeds done in ignorance can be made to glorify God Almighty.
Our past - - with all of our hard-heartedness and hard-headedness can work for the good.
But it will take a choice on our part.
When Ananias came to Saul (Acts 22:16), he said to him,
“Why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized and wash away your sins.”
Immediately Saul was baptized (Acts 9:18b).
Later, Paul would summarize this event with these words (Gal.2:20)
I have been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST; And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
And the life which I no live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
