Saul, Why Are You Persecuting Me?

In one paragraph

Pastor Nick walked through Acts 9, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, tracing how God stopped a violent persecutor in his tracks and immediately put him to work. The sermon drew on Philippians 3, Galatians, and Romans 7 to fill out who Saul was before the Damascus road, and it closed by connecting Saul's humbling to what God is doing among people in Jackson today. Before getting to Acts 9, Pastor...

Read together

1. Acts 9:1 starting point for the sermon, where the preacher left off last week
2. Acts 8 recap of Philip's ministry in Samaria and with the Ethiopian eunuch
3. Acts 1:8 Jesus's prophetic statement about witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts
4. Philippians 3 Saul's self-description of his religious credentials and zeal before conversion
5. Galatians 1 Paul describing himself as advancing in Judaism beyond his contemporaries, extremely zealous for ancestral traditions
6. Romans 7 Paul's exposition on coveting and the law producing sin in him, the things I want to do I don't do
7. Matthew 24 Jesus warning disciples that those who kill them will think they are doing God a favor
8. Matthew 25 whatsoever you have done to the least of these my brothers, you have done to me
9. Acts 16 Paul identified as a Roman citizen by birth
10. Acts 22 Paul clarifying he has been a citizen since birth
11. Acts 25 Paul before Festus requesting a Roman trial
12. Acts 26 Paul appealing to Caesar
13. Acts 17 Mars Hill sermon referenced as example of Paul's understanding of Gentile culture
14. 2 Corinthians 11 list of sufferings Paul endured, including being lowered over a wall
15. Isaiah 55:8 His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts, referenced when God chooses Saul as His instrument
16. Psalm 31 benediction about God's abundant goodness stored up for those who fear Him

Talk about it

1. The pastor described Saul as someone who was 'advancing in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries' and who believed he was doing God a favor by persecuting Christians. Can you think of a time when your own zeal or confidence in being right led you somewhere you later recognized was wrong?
2. The pastor suggested that Saul's covetousness, which he confesses in Romans 7, may have been stirred up when he watched Stephen speak boldly before the entire Sanhedrin. How have you seen ambition or envy fuel destructive behavior in your own life or in others around you?
3. When Jesus confronts Saul on the road to Damascus, He says 'why are you persecuting me?' rather than 'why are you persecuting my people.' The pastor connected this to Jesus saying in Matthew 25 that what we do to the least of His brothers we do to Him. How does thinking of the church as the body of Christ change the way you treat other believers?
4. Ananias pushed back when God told him to go to Saul, laying out all the reasons it seemed like a terrible idea. God simply said 'go, he is my chosen instrument.' When has God called you to do something that did not make sense to you, and what did obedience look like in that moment?
5. The pastor noted that after Saul's sight was restored, one of the first things that happened was that he ate and regained his strength, and that being in community with other believers in Damascus was part of his restoration. Steve Gilmore also spoke about the importance of doing recovery and healing together rather than alone. What does it look like practically for this congregation to be that kind of community for people who are in a broken or humbled place?