Last weekend Drew Barrymore's movie "Riding in Cars with Boys" was released. One of the premises of the movie is that there are four or five major events that basically change the course of yourlife for good or for ill. As you reflect back on your life those events ring out with unmistakable clarity. For me, some of those eventsinclude being attacked by a gang in Kankakee, attending a week of church camp my senior year of high school, and playing on an intramural basketball team in college.
The attack took place in a place in a part of town where I had no business going. It taught me a valuable lesson about choosing the right kind of friends and about not going places where nothing good could possibly result. It was during a week of church camp that I decided to go to Bible college to see if this Christianity and Jesus Christ talk was for real. It was while I was onthe way to play in an intramural basketball game that I bumped into my wife Lara, struck up a friendship, and found someone to encourage me in my faith. Ultimately, she and her parents encouraged me toenter the ministry and serve God as I am doing now.
In the coming weeks we are going to study the New Testament book of Philippians. Philippians was written during tumultuous times when people were searching for peace and trying to discern God's work in theirlives. There will be plenty of time for us to dig into the book's content later, but this morning I want to talk about the man who penned the book of Philippians and about the events that shaped his life.
His name was Paul.
Saul, the zealous murderer.
Most people do not realize how controversial Paul's life really was. As a young man he was known as Saul of Tarsus. Even though he was born in a Gentile city, his family saw to it that he received one of the finest and most intensive Jewish educations available. Paul was one of the fortunate and privileged few who was allowed to study at the feet of Gamaliel, a man reputed to have been one of the finest Jewish scholars and teachers to have ever lived. At the feet of Gamaliel, Paul was subjected to a rigorous training program that involved memorizing vast portions of the Mosaic law and prophetic writings.
From the very beginning Paul showed a special flair for interpreting the law and for strictly obeying even the finest nuances of the law. Because of this Paul was quickly acknowledged as an up and coming leader in Jewish circles. He had all the marks of a devout Pharisee, a teacher of the law. With his reputation firmly established as a tough-minded, unambiguous, no-nonsense promoter of the Jewish faith, Paul set his aspirations on greatness. Though it sounds a bit inflammatory to say, Paul became an activist. He became a zealot. He became an intolerant fanatic and an uncompromising intellectual extremist. He increasingly saw himself as the defender and guardian of the one true Jewish faith. He adopted a "take no prisoners" approach when it came to preserving the law and the traditions of his Jewish forefathers. And this is exactly what he did. With great intensity and devotion he pursued the enemies of his Jewish faith with a vengeance.
In fact, the first time we read about Paul, formerly known as Saulin the New Testament, we find him presiding over the execution of the very first Christian martyr, Stephen. Stephen had been boldly preaching that Jesus was the Christ, the Jewish messiah.Stephen had been preaching that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. He openly accused the Jewish leaders of rejecting God's only Son who was sent to pay the penalty for sin and establish peace between God and man.
Stephen's message was so alarming to the Jewish community and especially to Paul, that Paul joined with his Jewish brethren in falsely accusing Stephen.Then Paul allowed Stephento be dragged out of the city to stone him to death in cold blood. As we read about Stephen's execution, we discover a rather chilling detail about Paul in Acts 8:1 (NIV). It reads, "And Saul (Paul) was there, giving approval to his death." And if that weren't enough, we read in Acts 8:3 (NIV) that Paul, "...began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." Paul wasn't content with one death. He wanted a massacre.
Therefore, he relentlessly pursued and orchestrated violence against Christians. His motto and life mission was, "If you can't beat them,murder them." Acts 9:1-2 (NIV) tells us that Paul "... was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."
Paul was not a very good man! In so many ways he was the very embodiment, the personification of evil. He was a cold-blooded murderer and a persecutor. He is not unlike those who unjustly shed blood in the name of religion in our day.
Saul's remarkable conversion.
Now just let those unpleasant words soak in for a moment. Paulwas a murderer. These words seem so foreign to say about the man who penned most of the New Testament! But it is like I said earlier, there are four or five events that basically change the course of our lives forgood or for ill.
Paul the murderer was on his way to Damascus to continue the slaughter. As he rallied together his like-minded band of zealots and set off for Damascus, little did he know that the entire course of his life would be altered that day.
As he neared Damascus, Jesus appeared to him and interrogated him as detailed in Luke 9:4 (NIV). "Saul, Saul , why do you persecute me?" As you can imagine, Paul lost all confidence and fell to the ground trembling.In Luke 9:5 (NIV) Paul says, "Who are you, Lord?" In Luke 9:5-6 (NIV) Jesus replied,"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, ...now get up and go into the city, (Damascus) and you will be told what you must do." In Luke 9:8-9 (NIV) we are told that, "Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything."
It doesn't take too much imagination to realize what was happening here during that three days. Paul was petrified. He was doing some deep soul-searching. He was praying to God and he was pleading for Christ to have mercy on his soul. His fear of God was so intense that it drowned out all thought of food and drink. Never before in all his life and never again would he be so acutely aware of his own depravity, wickedness, and need for God's grace. And God let him sit in that posture for three days.
That day on the road to Damascus proved to be the defining moment of Paul's life. After regaining both his physical and spiritual eyesight, he got up and pledged his lifeand his loyalty to Jesus Christ by being baptized. At once, Paul began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God, the promised messiah. Acts 9:21-22 (NIV) says, "All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?' Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."
The people couldn't understand how Paul could so quickly change from being a murderer one moment to being an outspoken missionary of Christ the next! His old life was filled with such incredible evil and violence that neither the Jews nor the Christians could fathom Paul's life being different in the present. You might say that Paul was between a rock and hard place!
The power of God's grace.
In his book The Apostles Gene Getz draws somewhat of a parallel between the life of the apostle Paul and Chuck Colson. He says, "Chuck Colson, a former assistant to Richard Nixon, quickly became known as a 'hatchet man'- one who did the 'president's dirty work.'' An unnamed author of an article in the Wall Street Journal stated, ''Colson would walk over his own grandmother if he had to.'' Someone else accused him of being, "tough, wily, nasty, and tenaciously loyal to Richard Nixon."
Getz continues, "But then came another headline a couple of years later in the midst of the Watergate scandal: 'Colson makes decision for Christ.' Most everyone in Washington was startled- and suspicious. Could this be? Was it a gimmick, a personal ploy to seek leniency for Colson's involvement in Watergate? Even the Christian community was skeptical! But Charles Colson's conversion was real. He had become a born-again believer, and his life was dramatically changed."
Paul's conversion was so incredible that no one believed it at first. But in the end there was no denying that something utterly profound had happened. For Paul, the experience of God's grace truly changed the course of his life.
In 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NIV) Paul would later reflect on this fact. "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Defining moments equal life change.
I was trying to think back over my life to remember which day seemed to have the greatest impact on who I am today. The one day that stands out most came in the middle of winter. I was in my parents' living room about 1 A.M. in the morning, just days before Christmas. I was at home on break and had just received a copy of C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity from Lara's parents for Christmas as a gift. It wasthe very same book that someone put in the hands of Chuck Colson. This was the bookthat led him to submit his life to Jesus Christ after Watergate while he was in prison.
I started reading that book earlier the evening, but for the whole night I couldn't put the book down. I read that book from cover to cover in one sitting! It was as if the book were written just for me. Early in the morning I remember turning the final few pages. As I finished I turned out the lights, dropped to my knees, and laid flat on the ground with my face on the floor. In the very same moment I was overwhelmed by the sin that had taken root in my life and yet I was also overwhelmed by the unsurpassed grace that God had poured out on my life by sending his Son to die on a cross for my sins. In that moment God's grace seemed irrational to me. I kept asking, "Why, why did you do this? Why did you show mercy on my life? Why would you die for me, a dirty sinner?"
By now, you have no doubt thought of several experiences or events that forever changed the course of your life. That friendship you built in high school. Your first car. The day you got your first credit card or home loan. The courses you took in college. The day you met your spouse. The day you walked down the aisle and exchanged rings. The occupation you chose for yourself. The day your first child was born. The day you became a grandparent. The day you had that accident. The day you made that mistake.
Though most of the items on our lists will be vastly different, there is one item that will inevitably rise to the top of all our lists. It is the day that we first encountered God's grace in all its fullness.
When Paul penned the letter to the Church at Philippi, it is no mystery why he opened his letter with the greeting in Philippians 1:2 (NIV). "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." God's grace is what brings us together with one another and with God. Until we encounter God's grace in its fullness, it is unlikely that we will ever experience dramatic life change. And until we encounter God's grace in its fullness, we will never experience the peace that God has to offer us through faith in Jesus Christ.