In The Footsteps of Paul

A Rabbi Discovers The Gospel

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Tony Moore

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Series Code: IFP

Program Code: IFP000003


01:36 In our previous video we encountered Saul trying
01:40 to grew out the Galilean heresy.
01:43 After the stoning of Stephen he left the city
01:46 of Jerusalem with letters bound for Damascus,
01:50 to arrest the believers here in this city,
01:54 drag them in chains back to Jerusalem.
01:57 We traced his footsteps from Jerusalem
01:59 down to Jericho, then up the Jordan valley
02:03 to the Sea of Galilee, here well in the western
02:06 edge of the Sea of the Galilee where it met
02:08 the great trunk road, the International
02:10 Highway of the day. That road would pass
02:13 through Capernaum where Saul would have probably
02:16 stopped and celebrated the Sabbath.
02:18 From there he made the journey on up into
02:21 the foothills of the Golan Heights.
02:24 Finally, he would come to the crust of the ridge
02:27 overlooking the city of the Damascus.
02:30 It will be a beautiful sight,
02:31 a spectacular sight. The Emerald Green City,
02:35 an oasis floating in the midst
02:37 of the Syria Desert. When they reached this sight
02:41 he was thrilled, he was here,
02:43 he was on a mission for God,
02:46 he paused on the ridge overlooking the city,
02:48 contemplating the work that was before him,
02:50 and while he was there all of a sudden
02:54 a light brighter than a noon day sun began
02:57 to shine up on him in all of its brilliance,
02:59 it stunned him, he fell down to the ground
03:02 as though he were a died man.
03:04 He was overwhelmed, Saul laying on the ground
03:08 heard a voice saying.
03:09 "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
03:13 It's hard for you to kick against the goads."
03:17 Saul was totally overwhelmed
03:19 by this theophany. He didn't understand
03:23 what it meant? He heard a voice but didn't
03:26 see anyone and then he asked the voice
03:29 to identify itself. Lord, who are you?
03:35 I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
03:39 Jesus? Impossible! Jesus! Could it be that
03:44 he had been wrong all along.
03:47 Saul had been completely overwhelmed
03:50 by this vision that took place and the voice
03:53 that he heard, he fell on the ground as though
03:56 he were a dead man, the men traveling
03:59 with him also heard the voice but
04:01 they didn't see anything. Saul was overwhelmed
04:05 but he must have been relieved from the
04:08 tremendous spiritual struggle he had been
04:11 going through, he had been fighting
04:13 and resisting the Holy Spirit each step
04:15 of the way and now he surrounded to the
04:18 Lordship of Jesus. Act chapter 9, verses 8 and 9
04:23 says "But when Saul opened his eyes,
04:26 he could see nothing. So they led him by
04:29 the hand into Damascus.
04:30 For three days he was blind,
04:33 and could not eat or drink anything."
04:37 Isn't it amazing that the men who left Jerusalem,
04:40 filled with anger and venom and authority
04:43 to I destroy the church of Jesus Christ
04:46 in Damascus enters the city groping
04:49 in the dark. How different was his entry into
04:52 this city then what he had anticipated
04:55 blind and submissive he's led by the hand
04:58 to the Inn of Judas on Straight Street.
05:02 Today this street millenniums old connects
05:05 the eastern and the western gates of the
05:07 old city of the Damascus.
05:09 This is the oldest continually inhabited
05:12 city in the world. This is a city to which Abraham
05:17 and Sarah stopped on their way
05:19 to the promised land. Sarah shopped in the
05:22 markets here in this city and Abraham would
05:26 have bought his servant Eliezer here in Damascus.
05:32 Many people wonder if this is the same
05:34 Straight Street that was here in Saul's day,
05:37 indeed it is. Every Roman city had a street
05:40 running from east to west with gates
05:43 on each end. This street still has wonderful
05:47 shops offering goods along the Straight Street
05:50 running through the city. As a matter of fact
05:52 it is still called Straight Street even
05:55 by its Arabic name.
06:00 Saul was brought into this city to the house
06:03 of Judas on Straight Street
06:04 and there he settled on the darkness
06:06 wondering what would happen next.
06:09 He was there praying, asking God's forgiveness
06:12 for his hardheartedness, seeking God in repentance
06:16 and in faith. Isn't it amazing that Saul
06:19 lost his sight and yet now for the very first
06:22 time he could truly see. He could see
06:25 in the eye of his mind, Stephen his face lit up
06:29 like an angel, he could hear
06:31 Stephen saying Father, forgive them for what
06:34 they're doing. He heard Stephen say,
06:36 I see the son of man standing at the right hand
06:39 of the Father's throne, as Saul sat alone
06:43 in the darkness, fasting and praying,
06:45 he saw Jesus and was encouraged.
06:49 But the darkness of his sins were constantly
06:51 before him. Being a good Pharisee he probably
06:54 sort an answer to his dilemma but
06:55 how could he make this right?
06:57 How he could give life back to Stephen?
06:59 How could he undo the damage he had done
07:02 to countless believers in Jerusalem,
07:05 as he sat in the darkness depression began
07:07 to settle upon his mind, but what could he do.
07:13 The believers in Damascus heard that
07:15 Saul was coming and embraced for the storm.
07:19 When whispering of his Mountain-top experience
07:22 began to filter through the community
07:23 they didn't believe it. They were afraid,
07:26 that it was a shrewd ploy to get them to identify
07:29 themselves and then he would take off his mask,
07:32 arrest them and haul them off to
07:34 Jerusalem in chains. And so no one would go
07:38 and talk with Saul, who was there in the
07:41 Inn on Straight Street. There were afraid that,
07:45 they would be arrested and hauled
07:47 off to Jerusalem, everyone stayed back
07:50 including the leader of the Christian
07:51 community here in Damascus.
07:54 The Lord revealed to the man,
07:57 Ananias, this is my servant Saul,
08:01 go to him and pray for him that his
08:04 eyes maybe opened. "Then Ananias went to
08:08 the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul,
08:12 he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,
08:14 who appeared to you on the road as
08:16 you were coming here has sent me so that
08:18 you may see again and be filled the Holy Spirit.
08:22 Immediately, something like scales fell from
08:25 Saul's eyes, and he could see again.
08:28 "He got up there and was baptized.
08:30 And after taking some food,
08:32 he regained his strength."
08:34 And in response to the vision Ananias went
08:37 to the Inn on Straight Street.
08:39 The Inn of Judas where he found Saul's
08:41 sitting lone in the darkness.
08:43 He went over and conformed yes Saul,
08:47 Jesus has called you and He has now ask me
08:49 to come and pray with you that your sins
08:51 maybe forgiven and you can be filled
08:53 with the Holy Spirit. He prayed over Saul
08:56 and scripture says immediately something
08:59 like scales fell from Saul's eyes
09:02 and he could see. Saul had sight all of his life
09:07 but he had not been able to really see,
09:09 but now he had been touched spiritually
09:11 by Jesus and he had both physical
09:14 as well as spiritual sight. Now that he had
09:18 received a sight, he could take
09:21 physical nourishment, he ate some food
09:23 and was strengthened by it.
09:26 Later in Acts chapter 22,
09:29 Saul will recount additional details
09:32 of what Ananias told him,
09:34 "The God of our Fathers has chosen you to know
09:38 his will and to see the Righteous One
09:40 and to hear words from his mouth.
09:43 "You will be his witness to all men of what
09:45 you have seen and heard.
09:47 And now what are you waiting for?
09:50 Get up and be baptized and wash away your sins
09:53 calling on his name." what a relief these words
09:59 were to Saul? Even though he had given
10:02 witness to Stephen's martyrdom,
10:05 Jesus was accepting him. He could be forgiven
10:10 through the very name that he had come
10:12 to Damascus to destroy.
10:16 "Saul, arise and be baptized, washing away
10:22 your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
10:26 Yes he was a good Pharisee and as a good
10:29 Pharisee he knew that Gentiles were to be
10:32 baptized to be immersed, to be born again
10:35 but now he's to be born again.
10:37 And he's to testify of it by being baptized.
10:41 Yes, Ananias took him just a few meters from
10:44 here out to be a Abana River that used to
10:47 run in full stream pass this house.
10:51 And he baptized him in the most sparkling
10:54 waters of the Abana River.
10:57 Isn't that amazing that a Jewish rabbi
11:00 leaves Jerusalem, crosses the Jordan River
11:03 and comes into Syria where he has told
11:06 to be baptized in the Abana River to wash
11:09 away his sins. I think of Captain Naaman
11:14 who lived in the city. The Syrian General
11:18 who was impressed by the words of the little maid,
11:22 he had leprosy and she encouraged him to go
11:24 and see Prophet Elisha over in Israel
11:28 and so he went. And there the Prophet told him
11:31 to go and wash in the Jordan River
11:34 and he would be healed, cleansed of his leprosy.
11:38 Captain Naaman refused, he was insulted,
11:40 we have a much cleaner river in Damascus
11:43 the Abana River, but finally his colleague said,
11:49 if he told you to do something hard,
11:50 to pay a lot of money you would do it.
11:53 And so, Captain Naaman went and dipped
11:57 into the dirty Jordan River.
12:00 And the spots of his leprosy were washed
12:03 away from his skin. Saul, the Jewish rabbi
12:09 filled with hatred and venom towards the sect
12:13 called the way, left Jerusalem,
12:16 crossed the Jordan, came here to Damascus.
12:20 And washed in the Abana River
12:23 and the spots of his sins were washed away
12:27 from his soul. He went to the Synagogues
12:31 and immediately began preaching about Jesus,
12:35 being the Christ, the Messiah let me read
12:38 to you from the Bibles it's a thrilling story.
12:41 "At once he began to preach in the synagogues
12:44 that Jesus is the Son of God."
12:46 All those who heard him were astonished
12:48 and asked, Isn't he the man who raised
12:51 havoc in Jerusalem among those who call
12:54 on his name?" And hasn't he come here to take
12:57 them as prisoners to the chief priests?"
13:00 what an incredible story, the very man sent
13:03 from Jerusalem to destroy the name of Jesus
13:06 in this city now is proclaiming that name.
13:10 The people of Damascus must have been baffled,
13:13 the Jews had send a request from this city,
13:16 send us help, send the exterminator to come
13:19 and take care of this dreaded sect away.
13:22 And so Jerusalem sends it's brightest mind,
13:26 it sends it's finest mind, Saul is dispatched
13:30 from Jerusalem to come to Damascus,
13:32 but when he arrives in the city,
13:34 he goes into the Synagogue and instead of
13:36 condemning the name of Jesus,
13:38 he uplifts it, he tells how Jesus had touched
13:42 his eyes, how Jesus had forgiven his sins.
13:46 Jews in Damascus are totally baffled,
13:49 they cannot believe what has happened
13:51 their champion has become their foe.
13:55 Now Saul uses all the rabbinical training
13:58 that he received under Gamelio.
14:01 To focus on his arguments in support
14:05 of Jesus being the Messiah,
14:08 no one in Damascus can refute his arguments;
14:11 no one can stand against what he is saying.
14:14 Yes, he was a Pharisee. All of his life he had
14:18 placed his hope in the resurrection of the dead.
14:21 Now he understood how that resurrection
14:25 would take place. For Jesus, the one who
14:29 appeared to him out there on the ridge
14:31 overlooking the city of Damascus,
14:33 Jesus had died, submitted to the grave,
14:36 gone down into Hades, and yet He had come
14:39 back to life, He had destroyed the very
14:42 bands of death, he had destroyed
14:44 that very power of death.
14:45 He had defeated that ultimate in any death.
14:48 And He come back to life, and now he offered
14:53 that new life to Saul.
14:56 "Yet Saul grew more and more powerful
14:59 and baffled the Jews in Damascus by proving
15:01 that Jesus was the Christ."
15:04 Yes, the exterminator turn preached focus
15:07 his teaching and his arguments about Jesus
15:09 being the Christ. The word Christ is the Greek
15:12 word anointed one, which means Messiah
15:16 in the Hebrew. He came proving to the Jews
15:19 that Jesus was the Messiah.
15:21 This is the long awaited one, this is the one that
15:24 we have long looked forward to,
15:26 and this is the one that our scriptures
15:28 have portrayed and prophesied about.
15:31 This Jesus has now come, he is the messiah,
15:35 he is the anointed one, and he is the Christ.
15:40 Yes, Damascus was ablazed with what had happened,
15:44 the Jews were baffled, they were angry,
15:47 the Devil was angry. Let's notice what happens next.
15:51 "After many days had gone by,
15:54 the Jews conspired to kill him,
15:56 but Saul learned of their plan.
15:58 Day and night they kept close watch on the city
16:01 gates in order to kill him.
16:03 But his followers took him by night
16:05 and lowered him in a basket through an opening
16:07 in the wall." The Jews could not refute
16:11 his arguments, so they attempted to silence him.
16:15 They attempted to take his life.
16:20 This would be the first of many attempts
16:22 upon his life. But there is a period of time,
16:26 it doesn't happen immediately,
16:29 if we read carefully in verse 19 and in verse 23
16:32 we've see that there are two separate periods.
16:36 Acts chapter 9, verse 19 it says,
16:41 "Saul spent several days with the
16:43 disciples in Damascus." Verse 23 says,
16:48 "After many days had gone by,
16:50 the Jews conspired to kill him."
16:53 There's actually two different periods here
16:55 and they're separated by a longer period time.
17:00 How do I know that? Well, I know that
17:02 because he tells us in Galatians chapter 1,
17:06 "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many
17:08 Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous
17:12 for the traditions of my fathers.
17:14 But when God, who set me apart from birth
17:18 and called me by his grace, was pleased
17:20 to reveal his Son to me so that I might preach
17:22 him among the Gentiles, I did not consult
17:25 any man, nor did I go to Jerusalem to see
17:29 those who were apostles before me,
17:32 but I went immediately into Arabia and later
17:36 returned to Damascus. Then after three years,
17:39 I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted
17:41 with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days."
17:44 But we might wonder why did Saul go out into
17:48 the desert of Arabia. Well he left Damascus
17:51 for two reasons at least,
17:53 one was it was hot here, not the mercury
17:56 in the thermometer but the anger of the Jews,
17:59 the one that they had brought to wipe out the
18:02 sect called away is now it's strongest
18:05 proponent in the city. They were angry
18:08 and so he left to let things cool down.
18:12 The second and perhaps even more important
18:15 reason was that he needed time,
18:18 time away from the hustle and bustle
18:21 of Damascus or any city to be able to meditate
18:26 and contemplate and study the scriptures.
18:29 Yes, he didn't trained by the great Rabbi Gamelio,
18:33 he had a sharp rabbinical mind,
18:35 he needed time to focus upon the scriptures
18:38 and the new light of Jesus being the Messiah,
18:41 the long awaited one that had been prophesied
18:44 in Hebrews scripture and so he went out into
18:46 the desert of Arabia to spend time in meditation
18:50 and prayer and in study, where he did go?
18:54 Well there are two logical places that he might
18:59 have gone. One was down to the Petra,
19:01 that rose red city half as oldest time.
19:05 It was along the Kings' high way
19:07 and the Southern Part of Jordan.
19:10 The beautiful cliffs of Petra would have
19:13 provided a wonderful sanctuary for Saul
19:16 to go and spend time in contemplation
19:19 and in study of scripture or perhaps he went out
19:22 to Palmyra. About hundred and fifty miles
19:26 east of Damascus. This fabulous oasis out in the
19:30 desert was a major caravan stop on the road
19:34 going on from Damascus to Persia
19:36 and on into the orient. This time it was the
19:40 second richest city in the Roman world.
19:45 We don't know where Saul went in Arabia,
19:47 it could have been to Palmyra,
19:49 it could have been to Petra.
19:50 But we do know that he return
19:52 to the city of Damascus. And here he began
19:55 to preach Jesus as the Christ or as the Messiah.
19:58 The Synagogue was going crazy they didn't know
20:01 how to silence this preacher.
20:04 Acts chapter 9 verses 23.
20:07 "After many days had gone by,
20:09 the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned
20:12 of their plan. Day and night they kept close
20:15 watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
20:18 But his followers took him by night and lowered
20:20 him in a basket through an opening in the wall."
20:24 Yes, they want to try and take his life,
20:27 they've put on all points bulletin to close
20:29 all the gates, to watch carefully as he would
20:32 go through one of the seven gates around
20:34 the city of Damascus.
20:37 The guards stationed at the gates
20:39 were on the lookout, but inspite of this
20:43 God provided for the emergency.
20:45 The Bible says that Saul was lowered in a basket
20:50 through a window that was in the city wall.
20:53 This seems strange to our modern ears
20:55 but if you're familiar with the masonry practices
20:58 of the ancient world, it makes perfect sense.
21:02 You see walls were a maybe defensive
21:04 protection major. People tended to live outside
21:07 the walls during times of peace,
21:09 but they would come inside the city
21:11 during times of war or during times of conflict.
21:16 Walls had to be very thick to prevent
21:18 battering rams from knocking them down
21:21 and piercing through, however this was a great
21:23 waste of space, so walls tended to be left
21:27 hollow in the middle, rooms could be
21:29 build in them. And this would provide living
21:32 space during the time of crisis rubble would be
21:36 filled in the rooms and the wall would become
21:39 solid but during times of peace and security
21:43 people could actually live inside of them.
21:46 Do you call the story of Rehab the harlot?
21:49 Yes, Rehab there in Jericho, she lived inside
21:52 the walls of the city and she let two spies
21:56 that Joshua had sent in to spy out the land
21:59 of Jericho out through a window in the wall
22:02 of the city. David also escaped from the city
22:07 through the window of his wife's house that
22:10 was built in the wall of the city.
22:13 I'm standing here beside the old
22:17 walls of Damascus, behind me is the traditional spot
22:22 that is pointed to as the wall from which Paul
22:25 was lowered. It's about forty meters down from
22:29 the gate of the city and here Paul was led down
22:34 in a basket to the ground escaped the notice
22:38 of the guards and left the city.
22:40 Now you might wonder Tony, is this real window,
22:44 it's look like an aluminum frame window to me.
22:47 Well indeed it is, it's recently been replaced,
22:50 the masonry here is actually,
22:52 Ottoman masonry, we can see the small stones
22:56 it's very different then these large stones.
22:59 The large stones are from the Roman period.
23:02 This would have been the city wall in Paul's day.
23:05 The Ottoman's came along in the sixteen century
23:08 and built the modern wall around the city
23:11 on the foundation of the old walls.
23:14 So of course this would not be the original window
23:18 that Paul came down from,
23:20 but it would be in this, this vicinity.
23:24 It's amazing that Saul is delivered by the very
23:28 people he came to Damascus to destroy.
23:31 Yes, they delivered him by lowering him from
23:34 a window in this wall in a leather basket.
23:38 Once outside the walls of the city,
23:41 Saul made his way for Jerusalem but he was not
23:44 prepared for the reception, he would
23:46 receive in the Holy City.
23:49 "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join
23:52 the disciples, but they were all afraid of him,
23:55 not believing that he really was a disciple.
23:58 But Barnabas took him and brought him
24:00 to the apostles. He told them how Saul
24:03 on his journey had seen the Lord
24:05 and that the Lord had spoken to him,
24:07 and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly
24:10 in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them
24:13 and moved about freely in Jerusalem speaking
24:16 boldly in the name of the Lord."
24:19 After three years the believers in Jerusalem
24:22 were still skeptical of Saul's conversion story
24:26 when he arrived in the city,
24:28 they did not welcome him with open arms,
24:31 instead their expressed doubt and skepticism
24:34 about his story, they shunned him until
24:37 one man named Barnabas stepped forward,
24:40 listened to his story and then went before
24:43 the believers and vouched for Saul.
24:46 Yes, it was a tremendous story the man who had
24:49 left Jerusalem to go to Damascus,
24:51 to stamp out the name of Jesus had been baptized
24:55 in the name of Jesus. And now returns to the city
24:58 of the Jerusalem proclaiming that
25:01 Jesus Christ is Lord, the church is thrilled
25:05 by this tremendous turn of events.
25:08 Saul is sharing that Jesus Christ is Lord
25:11 in the synagogues, but his stay would be
25:13 cut short. According to Galatians chapter 1,
25:16 verses 18 and 19 he stays only fifteen days
25:20 during which time and he meets with James
25:23 and Peter and John. Acts chapter 9, verse 29,
25:27 "He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews,
25:30 but they tried to kill him. When the brothers
25:32 learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea
25:35 and sent him off to Tarsus."
25:38 Paul was misunderstood. When you think of how
25:41 he escaped from Damascus by the skin of
25:44 his teeth they were trying to kill him
25:46 and as he journeyed to Jerusalem he must have
25:48 expected a wonderful celebration that the
25:51 former persecutor is now a believer,
25:54 but he gets there and they don't trust him.
25:57 He arrives in the city and they shun him,
26:00 perhaps that happens to you in life,
26:02 even by believers who should know better.
26:05 It happened to Saul. So we shouldn't be
26:07 discouraged, but I love the fact
26:10 that there is a man named Barnabas who steps
26:13 forward and trusts Saul, who believes in him.
26:17 You know Barnabas was not really his name at all.
26:20 His real name was Joseph.
26:22 Joseph from the island of Cyprus.
26:24 You see according to Acts chapter 4
26:26 he had sold a field and he brought the money
26:29 and laid it at the Apostles feet.
26:31 They were so thrilled by this,
26:33 they were so encouraged that
26:34 they gave him a nickname. No longer he would called
26:36 Joseph now he will be called Barnabas,
26:39 a son of encouragement. Oh my friend,
26:42 I wanna be a son of encouragement,
26:43 don't you? I wanna be a son of encouragement.
26:47 I want to have daughters of encouragement
26:50 around me. I think of the tremendous difference
26:53 that Barnabas made in the life of Saul.
26:56 And I think of the tremendous difference
26:58 that you and I can make in the lives of others.
27:02 When by God's grace our lives are touched
27:05 like Barnabas life was touched and we can
27:08 believe in others and encourage others too.
27:12 Now join me as we pray together. Eternal God,
27:14 I thank you for the tremendous way that
27:16 you worked to touch the life of a
27:19 persecutor like Saul. We thank you for the story
27:22 of how the scales fell away from his eyes
27:25 and he can see Jesus, how a Rabbi indeed
27:27 discovered the gospel in the city of Damascus.
27:30 Lord, I pray that each of us might be able
27:32 to see you and as we see you that we might
27:34 become like Barnabas to be an encourager
27:37 to make a difference in the lives of others.
27:40 Yes, Lord Jesus, this is our prayer
27:42 in your precious name, amen.
27:45 The church of Jerusalem sends Barnabas
27:47 up to Antioch, where the church is exploding
27:50 in that great city. Barnabas asked Saul to
27:54 comedown from Tarsus and to join him
27:57 and to help him teach there.
27:58 They teach for over a year when the Holy Spirit
28:01 comes upon the community and says set these two men
28:05 apart from me and send them out to distant
28:07 lands bringing light to the Gentiles
28:10 and that will be the focus of our next teaching.


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Revised 2014-12-17