Saul Was Here
to Destroy the Gospel
A man
named Saul had made it his life’s goal to destroy the gospel. In the years immediately following Jesus’
death and resurrection, this Jewish man honestly thought that God wanted him to
hunt down Christians and crush the spread of Christianity throughout the
world. And so that is what Saul attempted
to do. He supervised the murders of
prominent Christians; he threatened many believers with death if they would not
give up their faith; he traveled to different cities with official orders to
round up those who held to the name of Jesus and throw them in jail. The persecution of Christians was the entire
reason Saul got up in the morning.
That’s what he did. That’s who he
was. And he carried out this life’s
ambition with a drive and a passion and a single-mindedness that made him very
good at what he did.
But then
one day as he was traveling down the road in search for more Christians to
capture, Christ himself physically appeared to him and stopped him dead in his
tracks. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus asked him. Saul, of course, didn’t have a good answer to
that question. But from that day on
everything changed. Because that man
named Saul became the apostle Paul. And
instead of hunting down Christians he was commissioned to make Christians. Instead of gathering them up to throw them in
jail he began gathering them up for worship.
Instead of threatening them with death he began to offer them life. Which means that his life’s goal changed as
well. He was no longer here on this
earth to destroy the gospel; he was here to preach it.
Paul Was Here
to Preach the Gospel
And
preach it he did. Arguably the greatest
missionary that this world has ever seen or ever will see. A tireless champion for the Lord. A determined and relentless advocate of the
gospel that he had once tried to silence.
But Paul had to go through a lot of trouble because of it. “I
have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more
severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty
lashes minus one. Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a
night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been
in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own
countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone
without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;
I have been cold and naked” (2 Cor. 11:23-27). Paul probably suffered more for the sake of
God’s Word than all of the suffering he had caused before he was brought to
faith. But it did not deter him. All of those difficulties did nothing to slow
him down or prevent him from preaching the Good News about Jesus. Because that’s why Paul was here. He was here to preach. And so no matter the situation he was in, he
was going to find a way to do exactly that.
Of course,
over time, the situation that Paul found himself in was prison. He had been placed under house arrest for two
years in the city of Rome and that’s where he had to stay. He could no longer travel to different
countries and preach the Word. He could
no longer start congregations from city to city. He could no longer do something as simple as
find a group of people standing around and share with them the promise of their
Savior. The great missionary of the
Christian religion was confined to house a long way from home. But his goal did not change. And so what do you think Paul found to do
there? Paul did exactly the same thing
there in prison that he had done outside of prison: he preached the gospel! Because that’s why Paul was here; he was here
to preach the gospel.
This is
part of one of the letters he wrote while he was there in Rome locked down for
the sake of the gospel: “Now I want you
to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance
the gospel. As a result, it has become
clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in
chains for Christ. Because of my chains,
most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God
more courageously and fearlessly.”
The
apostle Paul’s resiliency amazes me!
There is no complaining from this man of God; there is no talk of how
terrible it was being confined to a house in the middle of Rome; there is no
hint of regret or despair or even restlessness.
Instead there is only optimism and opportunity and a genuine joy. Because what Paul was here to do, he was
doing! He was spreading the gospel! And because he was able to do that. the
entire palace guard knew that he was there for the sake of Jesus. And not only the palace guard of the Roman
Emperor had come into contact with the gospel through Paul’s efforts, but Paul himself
says that “everyone else” around him had heard it too! And on top of that, many of the believers who
knew of his situation were encouraged to speak the Word “more courageously and
fearlessly” than ever before. Whether in
prison or free to walk the streets; whether getting together with locals down
by a river or getting together with fellow inmates; whether conversing with those
who were the poorest of the poor or conversing with those closest to the rule
of the Roman Empire, Paul was here for only one thing: to preach the gospel.
What Are You Here for?
What are
you here for? And I don’t mean: what are
you here in this church building on a Sunday morning for… What are you here on this earth for? What do you live for? Are you here to make yourself happy? Is that your goal and your aim each day? Are you here for your children? Your grandchildren? Maybe for your parents? Are you here to enjoy life to the
fullest? Are you here to have fun? Are you here to work as much as possible? And you here just to survive? Are you here for really no reason at
all? Are you here in this world for
yourself or for something that’s a little more important?
I wish
it weren’t true, but a lot of times I find that I’m mainly here for myself and
nothing more. Because there are plenty
of things that I want to do, that I want to have, that I want to get, that I
want to enjoy. And if something comes up
that prevents me from doing what I want to do or having what I want to have or
getting what I want to get or enjoying what I want to enjoy, I get a little
frustrated and probably a little unpleasant because I start to feel sorry for
myself. And so I can’t imagine what I’d
do if I were in the situation that Paul was in!
I’m sure I wouldn’t be that enthusiastic! I’d probably be sulking and sour and sitting
around in self-pity. Because I’m that
selfish. I really am that
self-centered. And if I found myself
under house arrest for two years without being able to do anything I wanted to
do or going anywhere I wanted to go, I don’t think that I would be nearly as
optimistic and happy as Paul was.
We’re
all a little bit selfish like that, aren’t we?
We might be kind and caring and thoughtful at times, but when it comes
right down to it, it is fairly obvious in many situations that we are here only
for ourselves. And the way we spend our
money and the way we use our time and the way we plan our schedules oftentimes
is a good indication that this is true.
Which shouldn’t surprise us. We
were born that way, after all. We were
brought into this world as selfish little human beings who only cared about one
thing: Me. And it isn’t much different
today, is it? We might be a little more
mature than we were back then, but still to this day if anything gets in the
way of “Me” it is going to get shoved
out of the way pretty quickly.
Jesus Was Here
to Be the Gospel
And so
how could someone like the apostle Paul overcome that natural sinful inclination
and care only about the gospel? How
could he focus so intently on something else other than himself? Paul was here to preach the gospel because he
fully understood that Jesus had been here to be the gospel. Jesus
demonstrated that same drive and passion and single-mindedness that Paul did,
didn’t he? And to an even greater
degree! Remember when Jesus was in the
desert for 40 days without food or water and the devil came to tempt him? “If you’re hungry turn these stones into
bread and eat!” the devil said. But
Jesus wasn’t here for himself; he was here for you. Or think of how Jesus was so tired and
exhausted one day that he had to go off with his disciples by themselves so
that he could get a little rest. But the
crowds found out where he was. And
instead of sending them away he had compassion on them and began to teach them
once again. Jesus wasn’t here for
himself; he was here for you. Or picture
Jesus down on his knees strenuously praying to his Father in the Garden the
night before he would die. He knew what
was coming. He knew what pain awaited
him. He knew what it was going to
take. “But not my will be done,” Jesus
said to his Father, “your will be done.”
Of course, his Father’s will was that Jesus would die. And so that’s what Jesus did. Jesus allowed himself to be murdered. Because he wasn’t here for himself; he was
here for you.
Jesus
ended up bleeding to death on the cross - not because it was fun for him but
because he was hanging there for you.
Jesus ended up suffering the real and eternal tortures of hell for the
sins of all people while he hung up there - not because it was pleasant for him
but because he went down there for you.
Jesus ended up lying as a corpse in a tomb - not because he had always
hoped to experience that one day but because he was lying there for you. And the same holds true today: now that Jesus
has risen from the dead, he sits on his throne ruling over all things - not
because he’s on a power trip but because he sits there for you. Jesus is in control of all things at all
times - not because he gets excited about playing with the toys he has created
but because he’s there for you. Jesus
stands by your side holding your hand, deflecting attacks that might harm you,
guiding you to safer places - not because he gets anything out of it but
because he is right here for you. Jesus
will always be here for you. Because
that’s who he is. That’s what he
does. And that’s how dedicated to you he
will always be.
You Are Still
Here for a Reason
The
apostle Paul cherished this sacrifice and commitment from his Lord probably
more than most because he knew what kind of person he used to be. And so Paul made sure that for the rest of
his life he was only here for one thing: to preach that gospel about Jesus that
had saved him. And that meant if he was
going to have to stay under house arrest, he was going to preach that
gospel. And if that meant he would ever
be freed, he was going to preach that gospel.
And if that meant he would have to die for what he believed, he was
going to preach that gospel. Because there
was nothing more important that he could do while he was still here in this
life. There was nothing more important
he could do for the lives of others.
What are
you going to do while you are still here?
Live for yourself? Find the
things that make you feel good? Do the
things and get the things and keep the things that provide you with a fleeting
moment of happiness? Or are you here for
a different reason? Are you here for the
same reason Paul was here: to preach the gospel? To spread the gospel? To share and offer and give the gospel? There is really nothing more important that
you could do while you are still here in this life. There is nothing more important that you
could do for the lives of others.
Amen.
“May the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ be gloried in you, and you in him, according to the grace
of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” -
2 Thess. 1:12
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