Psalm 130:3 “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”
Surely none of us would stand.
Psalm 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.”
But we deal with a God of Purpose. We have talked about this many times. But God is not just Eternal….but Purposeful. He intends….but He carries out His intentions.
He wills….and it is done.
His Purpose is sure….and He will see His Purpose accomplished.
The many things we go through is determined from His Word, and Will…
Let us consider reaping and sowing.
Proverbs 11:18, 22:8 “The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.”
Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Let us speak of Saul, the mighty persecutor….
….who became Paul the mightily persecuted.
Saul, the Pharisee knew the scriptures….was taught in them, and in the expectation of the Christ, the Messiah to come.
He saw the fulfillment of the scriptures in John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ….
…and of the blessed ministry of Jesus of Nazareth….and the amazing ministry of the disciples of Jesus….who were filled with the Holy Ghost.
He heard the courageous and pointed preaching of Stephen…
Acts 7:51,53,55, 59-60 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
And they stoned Stephen,…And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Saul saw how he died….forgiving those that stoned him….forgiving him…
And what was his reaction? Did he fall down and acknowledge the Truth?
No, he became exceeding mad against “them” of this Way! Against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Acts 26:9,11 “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.”
Every time Saul heard more of this Jesus….he became madder and madder. He wanted to destroy all of this Way.
(If we would have known this Saul of Tarsus…we certainly would have thought him unsaveable….maybe not worth saving,….after the terrible things he had done.
But God sees things so differently from us…praise God that He does….for I too, was certainly not worth saving….but He pulled me from my circumstances…and saved me.)
But on the road to more “threatenings and slaughter” (Acts 9:1)….on the road to Damascus, Saul the persecutor came to an end….for there he met Christ Jesus the Lord….personally.
“Saul, Saul, why persecutest Me?” Jesus asks him from the Light (Acts 9:4)
“Who art Thou, Lord?” Saul not only was struck down to the ground bodily….but in spirit and soul…Saul was knocked for a loop. Who had he been persecuting? Jesus! And in that moment….Saul made Him Lord!
“I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (Acts 9:5)
Saul I have been “pricking” you with the knowledge of Whom I am, pushing you to the surrender of your life…
….and you have been as a wilful calf, kicking back at Me.”
“Lord, what will you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6)
Here is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Repentance is an important part of salvation….Not that we can see anything of our rebellion, or sin until the Lord shows us…with His light.
But Saul bowed and surrendered to Jesus on the road to Damascus….and for three days…in fasting and prayer…Saul reviewed his way, repenting of it….and became completely devoted to the Lord’s Way….and to HIs people, now Saul’s brethren.
Acts 9:19-20 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples…
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”)
The Lord made it clear to Saul/Paul “For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:16)
Paul suffered…was persecuted for Jesus sake….as he had persecuted others for Jesus sake.
Not suffering for his sin….but reaping what he had sowed…to a degree….altho upheld and sustained, now, by grace. (2 Cor. 4:8-11)
But Paul also sowed mercy and grace….and reaped abundantly in those he led to the Lord….and discipled in the ways of the Lord: by their growing in grace, and in their love and devotion to him.
Ephesians 3:7-8 “Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:”
1 Timothy 1:12-13, 16 “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry:
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.”
Paul believed that he was saved….he who had blasphemed Christ, persecuted His people, and injured many….yet he had been saved:
…to show God’s longsuffering to sinners.
After all, Paul, himself, had been saved…who could not be saved?
And in this line of preaching….Paul led many to the Lord….combating the moral laxity and violence of the Roman times….he went where the Lord sent him….
…..among rich and poor….among the worst (Corinthians was a city so debase…that it was a common name people called others who were wicked…”he must be a Corinthian”.)….
…..and in jail….and in death.
Paul reaped what he had sowed….both in persecutions,….and in joys and salvation.
It is God’s Word and Way….but always, with His mercy and grace. Abundant grace, to yield, and bring forth fruit through every situation.
And so can we….no matter what we were saved from….we can go on and sow the seeds of mercy and truth….and reap abundant life in us and through us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 