Sermon Tone Analysis

! Close Encounters Of The God Kind

!

A Close Encounter Through Confrontation

Acts 9:1-22

 

 

Faith in UFO’s is often based upon highly debatable evidence, while faith in Jesus Christ is based upon the evidence and facts of the Word of God.

Nevertheless, no matter how much evidence and how many facts we have in the Word of God, faith in Jesus Christ still requires one to place his~/her trust in the Person of Jesus Christ for salvation.

These and other similarities impressed me to use the subject of UFOs as a launching pad for our biblical discussion of “Close Encounters Of The God Kind.”

In the first three sermons in this series, we worked hard to develop a technical biblical definition for a “Close Encounter Of The God Kind.”

That definition is

 

A “Close Encounter Of The God Kind” is a face-to-face meeting with God that cannot be totally explained, but which—when fully experienced—will bring about a response of genuine worship or celebration, which includes the remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or the conviction of a liberated future that changes people forever; causing them to move and grow by over-recording the intuitive tapes of their core belief.

In the fourth message in this series, we explored how intellect can keep us from wholeheartedly worshipping God.

We then began to explore twelve “Close Encounters Of The God Kind.”

We have explored God encountering Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the woman at the well, Peter, James, and John, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the two Mary’s on resurrection morning, the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan River, and the church on The Great Day of Pentecost.

/(Today we move on to our next to the last encounter in this series.

Notice with me please Acts 9:1-22.)/

In the passage of Scripture before us, we see God encountering Saul through a miraculous confrontation.

Saul, of course, is also known as Paul.

Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul was his Gentile name.

Since Paul was a Jew, who was also a Greek citizen, perhaps his parents gave him two different names to help him fit into the Hebrew-Greek society of his time.

We shall call him Paul, because that is the name by which he is generally known.

God met Paul literally, face-to-face, on the Damascus road.

Paul was doing his thing, so God did His thing!  Paul was wreaking great havoc, destruction, and terror upon the church of Jesus Christ.

\\ /(But who was this Paul, who was such a bad man?)/

Well, Paul was a brilliant Pharisee, who had studied the Law in the best seminaries and under the best professors in the land—but he missed the person of Jesus.

Paul gives his own educational credentials in

 

Acts 22:3, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, just as you all are today.”

His education is referred to by Festus, the procurator of Judea, when Paul made his defense before him.

The Bible says in

 

Acts 26:24, “And while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are out of your mind!  *Your great learning* is driving you mad.’”

 

*If there was ever a person who epitomizes the futility of study and religious education without the illumination and revelation of the Holy Spirit, it was Paul.*

Whenever I get to a series of sermons that I am contemplating and praying over entitled “The Pharisee Within” or “Jack-In-The-Box Religion,” I want to study this aspect of Paul’s life a little more.

For now, let it suffice to say that Paul would have never found Jesus Christ had Jesus Christ not found him through this miraculous encounter.

*This was an encounter of confrontation!*

The word “confrontation” means to bring face-to-face or encounter.

*Jesus Christ came face-to-face, encountered, or confronted Paul concerning the direction and activity of his life.*

*This face-to-face encounter was miraculous and could not be totally explained.*

The miraculous nature of this encounter is seen in a number of details:

 

·        Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Paul later describes this light as brighter than the Sun.

This is the Shekinah glory of the Son of God.

·        He heard the voice of Jesus questioning him.

·        He received instructions concerning his mission and ministry.

·        Those with him heard the voice and saw the light, but they did *not* understand the voice or see anyone.

·        He was blinded by the Shekinah glory of Jesus Christ.

·        God sent Ananias to him, having prepared each of them through a vision.

·        Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit.

And

·        Paul’s sight was miraculously restored.

These things certainly could *not* be totally or satisfactorily explained.

Remember that when Paul shared this experience and began to share about Jesus Christ, Festus interrupted him and accused him of being crazy.

\\ /(Let’s continue to apply our definition.)/

The fact that Paul could *not* totally or satisfactorily explain this encounter to others is *not* important, because Jesus did *not* encounter him to add to his Pharisaic intellect or credentials, but to give Him a genuine experience with Himself and a God-sized assignment!

 

·        This was *not* something that Paul could explain away with his brilliant intellect and knowledge of sacred literature.

·        This was *not* something that was subject to the “paralysis of analysis.”

·        This was *not* something that Paul could neatly and nicely fit within his religious box.

This was an experiential encounter with the radiant, living Lord!

 

·        He saw the light;

·        He fell to the ground;

·        He heard the voice;

·        He experienced the blindness;

·        He had experienced a vision that had prophesied of this event;

·        He experienced the fulfillment of the prophecy in that vision;

·        It is assumed from the text that he experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit.

By the way, we see here a pattern of preparation for ministry.

The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, in the form of a dove, before He began His public ministry.

Jesus told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, before they should enter into ministry.

And Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, before he began his ministry.

And, finally

 

·        Paul experienced the regaining of his sight.

*This was not an intellectual, positional, religious event, this was a total, experiential encounter with the resurrected Lord!*

This was an experience that would put flesh on the bones of his great learning.

“Lord please bring clarity to the minds of people who hear this teaching.

Let them understand that I am *not* purposing that people run wild with experience.

Help them understand, through the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, that I am pointing out that a legitimate experiential encounter with Jesus Christ is clearly part and parcel of biblical Christianity and proper study of the Word of God!”

 

\\ /(Now what are Paul’s genuine responses of worship to this encounter?)/

·        Obedience.

He gets up and goes into the city as he is commanded.

·        Consecration.

He doesn’t eat or drink for three days.

This seems to be some kind of consecration, perhaps for the purpose of understanding or getting more in touch with Jesus Christ.

·        Yielding.

He yielded to the vision and to the laying on of hands of Ananias.

Paul was the one who used to lay hands on men like Ananias, for the purpose of jailing them and even killing them.

Now he must submit himself to the ministry of Ananias.

·        Baptism.

Paul followed the Christian rite of initiation and discipleship.

This is also an act of obedience.

·        Preaching and teaching.

Paul immediately entered into his ministry; energized by the power of the Holy Spirit.

/(But that’s not all!)/

Paul’s worship responses brought about a conviction of a liberated future.

He was supernaturally convinced and spiritually prepared to preach and teach that Jesus, whom He previously hated, was the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the divine Author of eternal Salvation, the Son of God, and God the Son.

This changed Paul forever!

Not only did he go on great missionary journeys spreading the Gospel, but also history tells us that he suffered greatly and was beheaded for the Gospel’s sake.

Paul’s worship responses *not* only brought about a conviction of a liberated future, but also the remembrance of a redemptive past.

Each time that Paul gave his testimony, he told the story of this encounter as the centerpiece of his salvation, calling, ministry, and purpose.

/(And why did God encounter Paul in this miraculous confrontation?)/

 

        *To give him a God-sized assignment.*

Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.

The words of Jesus Christ are divinely instructive.

The Bible records Jesus’ words to Ananias in