"LIFE’S GREATEST DISCOVERY"
ACTS 9:1-16

INTRO: On October 12, 1492 Columbus landed in the Bahamas. What a
great discovery it was and I don’t want to take away any of the honor
due this great man for his discovery. If it were not for him we might
not have had this wonderful country we have today. But, as great as
his discovery was, there is one that is far greater. I am referring to
the salvation of one’s soul.

When Columbus discovered this new land it opened up a whole new
way of life for the world. When a person is saved it opens up a whole
new way of life for that individual. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us—
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I want to talk to
you this morning about a man who discovered a new way of life. Once
he made this discovery his life was never the same again. He had a
new perspective, passion, purpose, and prospect. He saw things very
differently than he did before this discovery. Friends, that is what
happens when a person truly repents and receives Christ Jesus as
their personal Saviour. This man made a fivefold discovery. He
discovered first of all that he was…

(1) A GREAT SINNER
ACTS 9:1-2—"And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And
desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if
he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he
might bring them bound unto Jerusalem."

A. HIS DEDICATION. Saul was dedicated to the Jewish faith. He was a man
of strong conviction. He was:

A RELIGIOUS MAN (PHILIPPIANS 3:5, 6b). Saul was very zealous in his "faith". He believed he was serving God’s acceptably by persecuting those of THE WAY.
A WELL EDUCATED MAN. Paul said in Acts 22:3—"I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day."
A POWERFUL MAN (vv. 1-2; PHILIPPIANS 3:6a).
A PRIDEFUL MAN (PHILIPPIANS 3:4).

B. HIS DISCOVERY. All those good and wonderful traits faded from Saul’s
life when he fell before the face of Jesus. He saw himself a sinner. Before
that glorious day on the Damascus Road if someone had so much as
insinuated that he was a sinner he would have found that repulsive and he
might have even had that person put to death. How did he discover that he
was a great sinner? :

HE HEARD THE GOSPEL. There is no doubt in my mind that hundreds of Christians had witnessed to him in their dying hour. He had seen them die at his hands, and he knew they had something that he didn’t have. The gospel seed was planted and through the power of the Holy Spirit that day on the Damascus Road he placed his trust in Jesus Christ. Later Saul, who became the great apostle Paul, wrote—"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," and "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 1:16; 10:17).
HE HEEDED GOD’S SPIRIT. Through what Saul witnessed as Christians were put to death and through what he heard them testify the Holy Spirit began to work on Saul’s heart. And on the Damascus Road that day he heeded God’s Spirit and made THE GREATEST DISCOVERY of his life! ACTS 9:3 tells us—"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven." Praise God for the glorious day when the sinner sees the light! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4—"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Paul when he penned these words he could speak from experience because he had been there. But praise the Lord that day on the Damascus Road Saul saw the light and his life was forever changed!

He discovered that he was A GREAT SINNER but also he discovered…

(2) THE GREAT SAVIOUR
ACTS 9:4-5—"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou,
Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks."

A. HIS FALLING. There are some interesting words in v4 I want you to
notice—"And he fell to the earth…". The Lord had to knock Saul down so
He could lift up him again. Saul’s pride kept him from seeing Christ Jesus
as the Lord. Up to this time he did not believe in Jesus. Matthew Henry
said, "So ill informed was Saul, that he thought he ought to do all he could
against the name of Christ, and that he did God service thereby…".
(MATTHEW HENRY’S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE CONDENSED VERSION by Matthew
Henry. The Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).
Many times it is pride that keeps people from coming to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Many today are too proud to admit they are a sinner. Many are too
proud to admit they need a Saviour.

B. HIS FINDING. On the Damascus Road that day the Lord arrested Saul’s
purpose and altered his perception. Up to the point Saul could find nothing
special about the life and ministry of Jesus but now all that changed. What
did he discover about Jesus?:

HE DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS REAL. Before this he thought that Christ was just a mere man and He was not the Christ. He considered him a good but misguided man. But he found out that He is the Lord!
HE DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS RESURRECTED. He found out that Jesus was alive. His reasoning was that this man Jesus was killed and buried, never to rise again. But now he believed wholeheartedly that He was alive. He knew because he met him head-on.
HE DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS THE REDEEMER. He found out what a powerful Saviour He is. Paul later wrote—"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree…But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 3:13; 4:4-5).

He discovered that he was A GREAT SINNER, he discovered THE GREAT SAVIOUR, and he discovered…

(3) A GREAT SUBMISSION
ACTS 9:6—"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the
city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."

A. HIS REALIZATION. When Saul realized he was talking with the risen Lord
look at what happened—"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the
city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." The pride of the Pharisee
is now brought down to the dust; and the fury of the persecutor is not only
restrained, but the lion becomes a lamb. What wilt thou have me to do?
Wilt thou condescend to employ me among thy meanest servants? (MATTHEW
HENRY’S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE CONDENSED VERSION by Matthew Henry. The
Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).

B. HIS RESPONSE. Saul is brought low so God can use him in a great way.
He submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christ was not only his
Saviour but also his Lord! Sadly many never do that. They want to be
saved but don’t want the Lord to be the Lord of their lives. Look at Saul’s
GREAT SUBMISSION:

HE WAS READY TO BE LED (v8).
HE WAS RESPONSIVE TO LORD’S COMMAND (v18). Baptism is a public profession of faith. Saul’s baptism proved his sincerity and the deep thorough conviction of the truth of Christianity.
HE WAS RECEIVED INTO THE LORD’S CHURCH (v19). The very ones who he had been persecuting now receiving him with open arms.

Saul discovered that he was A GREAT SINNER, he discovered THE GREAT SAVIOUR, and found A GREAT SUBMISSION, and he discovered…

(4) A GREAT SERVICE
ACTS 9:20—"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that
he is the Son of God."

A. HE WAS COMISSIONED. It tells us here—"And straightway he preached
Christ in the synagogues…". The Lord told Ananias in v15—"But the Lord
said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." The Lord
earlier had told Saul—"Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee
what thou must do." Saul was commissioned by the Lord to preach the
Gospel and carry the banner of the Cross to the Greeks and the Romans by
the aid of the Holy Spirit to prove that salvation and happiness can only be
found in Christ Jesus the Lord!

B. HE WAS CONVINCED. Saul made a complete turn-around. He was truly a
new person. It says here—"…he preached Christ…that he is the Son of
God." Here was a man before that was persecuting and putting God’s
people to death because he believed Christ and Christianity was a fraud.
Now he is preaching Christ because he is convinced He is the Son of God!
Saul was now convinced that Jesus, whom they had crucified, and who had
appeared to him on the way, was the Son of God, or Messiah; and therefore
as such he proclaimed him. (CLARKE’S COMMENTARY NT, VOLUME 5B: JOHN – ACTS by
Adam Clarke. The Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).

Saul discovered that he was A GREAT SINNER, he discovered THE GREAT SAVIOUR, and found A GREAT SUBMISSION, discovered A GREAT SERVICE and lastly he discovered…

(5) A GREAT SUFFERING
ACTS 9:16—"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my
name’s sake."

A. THE CONTINUANCE OF HIS SUFFERINGS. From the time of his
conversion till his dying day Saul was persecuted. The Lord was going to
allow Saul to suffer greatly preaching the very gospel which he formerly
persecuted.

ILLUS: In our day many times a visiting preacher goes into town to preach
and asks somebody where the nicest motel is. When Paul went into a
town he asked, "Where is your nicest jail?"

B. THE CHARACTER OF HIS SUFFERINGS. If you want to know how much
he suffered just listen to 2 Corinthians 6:4-5—"But in all things approving
ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in
necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors,
in watchings, in fastings" and 2 Corinthians 11:24-28—"Of the Jews five
times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once
was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in
perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city,
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without,
that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

CLOSING: It is true that Columbus made a great discovery but those things
which Paul discovered, and what others like him discover, are far
greater because they are of eternal value. Jesus said in Matthew
6:19-20—"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Friend, let me ask you today, "Have you made LIFE’S GREATEST
DISCOVERY?" Where is your heart today? Where is your
treasure?

PREPARED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR