Saul of Tarsus; Christian
A Sermon on Acts 9:1–5
Scripture
6And 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.
Sermon Description
The world today is filled with false conversion: people who know about Jesus, but do not actually know Jesus. In this sermon on Acts 9:6 titled “Saul of Tarsus, Christian,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings the listener face to face with the saving power of the gospel. It is the gospel that produces contrition, the sense of fear and trembling that comes when sin is exposed, and the need for forgiveness is made clear. More than a temporary emotional experience, true conversion involves the will, heart, and the mind. True repentance abandons the former life and looks back with gratitude and thankfulness for the patience of Christ in saving sinners. The love of Jesus surrounds His child and brings a peace that surpasses all human understanding. The saved child of God now looks at hell and realizes they have been saved from it, by their gracious and loving Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- Saul was astonished at the unexpectedness and surprise of his encounter with Jesus.
- Saul was astonished at finding himself as he now was - a new creature in Christ. He was amazed at the profound change in himself.
- Saul was astonished at his own past ignorance, arrogance, folly, and blindness. He could not believe how he had missed the truth for so long.
- Saul was astonished at Jesus' glorious character, holiness, and brightness. He had never imagined such glory and wonder.
- Saul was astonished at Jesus' grace, mercy, love, and patience towards him despite Saul's sin and persecution of Jesus' followers.
- Saul was astonished that Jesus had loved him and given himself up to die for Saul even while Saul was His enemy.
- Saul was astonished at the way of salvation - that it was a free gift given by grace through faith, not of works. He had thought salvation was earned, but now saw it was all of Christ.
Face to Face with Christ
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.