Speak to the Heart
Acts 9 - #11
Pastor Gary Tolbert

Intro: Ill. Soul prints, Terry Harrington, freed from prison after 22 years because of the truth-telling technology called brain fingerprinting. That is the brain. It remembers everything.

But what about the heart? It pumps blood. Yet, God speaks first to our heart. The word heart appears over 225 times in the NT and there were no heart surgeons back then. Maybe the heart does more than just pump blood. Ill. Marc Barasch in his book, Field Notes on the Compassionate lifeshares scientific evidence that the heart muscle does affect our moods, if even in very small ways.

I. Environment of prosperity

A very determined man of about 30 years of age was traveling down a dusty road on a mission. To him the most important mission in the world. You would not call him handsome. He was going prematurely bald; he had a very prominent nose, and very heavy eyebrows that met in the middle. As he walked you could see that his legs were bowed which helped to reduce his height to just around 5 feet. His name was Saul of Tarsus, better known as Paul. He is going to Damascus to seek out Christians and drag them off to prison. His mission? Stamp out the hated sect called The Way. Paul may not have been the most handsome fella but he had a lot going for him. He was smart; perhaps a genius and he spoke several languages. He also had several degrees from the chief school of his day. He had talent and his zeal was unmatched by anyone. He had religious zeal which is sometimes the most powerful and most dangerous zeal there is when it is misdirected. He was trained by the greatest Jewish scholars of his day in the law and traditions of Moses; a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin which earned him the title, Rabbi or Master Teacher. Not only that but he was also a Roman citizen.

Then one day Saul met Jesus and Jesus performed the greatest miracle that can ever be performed in a person. It was the miracle of the converted life. Saul changed.

Acts 9:1, 2, Saul threatened and murdered some in the church. Saul is the Hebrew name, Paul is the Roman pronunciation. He was known as Paul after he was converted to Christianity. Saul thought that persecution was the answer to the religious problem the Jews had. And of course this persecution was done in the name of God. Today the Religious Right seeks to control society so that no one sins after their definition. But persecution has never destroyed God's church and never will. The seed of truth, crushed into the ground, grows and blossoms and spreads and prospers. History proves that in times of persecution church growth was greatest. Times of prosperity and no persecution were the times of apathy, worldliness, low commitment and little Christian growth. Guess what? We are not in a time of persecution in this country. It is a time of prosperity. An article in the Times-news talked about

Ill. Consumption overload. Keeping things around from the past is a way to avoid the present. Some find security in the past and in things. Have you noticed how many storage rental facilities have sprung up all around? There's one at Naples Road, Howard gap and US 25 going into Hendersonville. We all have too much stuff.

II. Saul conversion

As a persecutor of the church, Saul made his journey to Damascus. Acts 9:3-6, Struck down on the road to Damascus. Saul calls Jesus, Lord (v. 5). Another way to translate the word would be master. This Greek word most often refers to Jesus. This is a strange response from Saul because he has not had a relationship with Jesus. How does he know this is the Lord?

God speaks to the heart first: God first speaks to the subconscious, inner man which we call the heart. God had been speaking to Saul's subconscious mind. When he was struck down he recognizes what had been going on in his heart and that this is none other than Jesus. Here is an example of the wondrous ways that God works in our lives.

God speaks to the heart first, the Holy Spirit convicts the mind and we begin to realize that what we have been doing is wrong; smoking, drinking, immorality and what ever. The convicting work of the Spirit transforms us from the inside out, as only God can. Ill. Inside work, Marjorie Camper, 6year-old son. When this begins to happen in your life it is evidence that God has accepted you and wants to take your life and make it better. Count it all joy. Conviction means God is working in your life.

God got his attention: This blinding light struck him down in his tracks. He met Jesus. In other words God got his attention. When you think about it we all must have an experience like this. We may not be knocked down in the road and blinded but we must come face to face with Jesus. We must recognize God is getting our attention. Just being religious is no substitute for that.

Saul persecuted Jesus: Notice what Jesus is saying in verse 5, You are persecuting me. Literally, Saul was persecuting Christians not Jesus but Jesus identifies with Christians so much that to harm his people is to harm him. To help his people is to help him. To work for his people is to work for him. To be joyful with his people it is to be joyful with him. To follow his people is to follow him. To love his people is to love him. And you can't love Jesus and accept Jesus and follow Jesus without loving his people. He unites with his people in every way possible.

Saul listened: Saul was brought to the place where he was ready to listen to Jesus. That is necessary no matter where you are in life. How does God bring us to that place? For each one is different. Sometimes it is only when there is great failure or crisis in your life that this happens. Remember it is sometimes hard in prosperity to grow in Christ since we don't realize our need for him.

Sick relationship? But even as I say that I don’t like it. I don't like that we must have tribulation to grow. I know that is often true that we do grow in times of tribulation but there is something that seems neurotic about it. Why do we need a crisis to be spiritually blessed? Ill. It reminds me of a girl friend I had once. We were only happy together when we were fighting. When I discovered that I realized it was a sick relationship. That translates that our relationship with Christ is pretty sick if we can't grow unless in crisis. Unfortunately sometimes our zeal for God is so strong, we want to see him working in our life we sabotage ourselves and create crisis so we can see him working and be blessed. That also is sick. Of course being a depraved sinner, I guess it fits.

The good times: Why can't God lead us in good times? Why can't we hear him speak to us in a whisper, quietly, without persecution, trauma or tribulation? He wants a healthy relationship with us not a sick one. And he can work with us in prosperity.

Let's be accurate, Paul wasn't experiencing tribulation when he was struck down on the road to Damascus, he was the one causing it in Christian’s lives. God got his attention with blindness so he could see Jesus. After that, God didn't destroy his zeal he simply redirected it.

III. Post conversion

Blind but sees: Acts 9:8, 9, For three days he was blind. But he can see a lot more now than he ever did before. Jesus spoke about those people (Matt 13) who have eyes to see but don't see, ears to hear but don't hear. They see only what they want to see and hear only what they want to hear. But when you open your heart to the Lord and are willing for God to open your eyes and your ears you can finally receive what God wants you to have. Paul is temporarily blind, but he can see; he saw who he really was, a great sinner; he could see the world around him; he could see the true church; he could see Christ and with that Christ's love. He could see more while he was blind them before. Would it we all had eyesight like that.

In the body of Christ: Immediately God sends a vision to a Christian in Damascus named Ananias. Paul also receives a vision about Ananias. Ananias had more trouble with this vision and Paul did. Acts 9:13, 14, This man hates the church. But Ananias’s love for Jesus wins out and he accepts Paul.

God recycles: Acts 9:17-20, He can see. Immediately he begins to testify for Christ. God took the zeal, intelligence, determination of Saul and transformed them into the apostle Paul. Saul's heart was transformed with his mind; that zeal, and drive to serve God was redirected to follow Jesus. Every strength, talent, insight and experience we have -- whether secular or sacred, rough for smooth, bad or good -- can be a building block for the Lord to use. He doesn't destroy the raw materials of the lives we have lived, but instead he recycles them and re-fashions them into something new. We shouldn't hate ourselves for being bad; and shouldn't beat ourselves up over selfish choices and destructive decisions. Jesus doesn't want our regrets. He wants our heart and then he can take our raw materials and make something heavenly. Ill. Wembley Stadium in London,Guns and Roses, Jessye Norman sings a cappella, Amazing Grace, (Philip Yancey's book, What's so amazing about Grace).

Conclude: Whatever world we are in, God is active. Believe it or not he is not more active when we are in times of persecution or adversity. He is just as active in times of prosperity. We must be in tune with him; so we can join with him in whatever he is doing; so he can expand whatever we are doing into new areas, broader areas, more inclusive areas. Jesus is alive and he speaks to the heart.

Speak to the Heart

Acts 9

Possible screen information

Acts 9:1, 2, Saul threatened and murdered Christians

Acts 9:3-6, Struck down on the road to Damascus

Acts 9:8, 9, For three days he was blind

Acts 9:13, 14, This man hates the church

Acts 9:17-20, He can see