The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 26, verses 12 through 18.

Tony Clark: Good morning, welcome to Calvary Chapel. We’re thrilled to have you here to worship with us. All right, let’s dive into the word of God together. I believe God has a word for us this morning. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 26. We’re going to be looking at verses 12 through 18 as we continue our verse-by-verse study through the New Testament through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings and the Old Testament on Wednesdays.

If there’s ever a time that we need God’s word, we need it today. We need it this year. We need it during this time. One of the things that stood out to me, something that Mike Banks said. He said that talking about the breakthrough, there’s still time for a breakthrough. That really hit me because God challenged my heart at that moment and said, "Do you believe this?"

It hit me because I've lost heart. I just said, "Chalk it up, fast forward, hit the button, and let’s move on." Then when he said that, it just reminded me of how God can do in a millisecond what it would take us a million years to do in our own strength. Even though it was funny, right after God spoke that to my heart, I said, "Well, God, you got a month."

What God can do in a month, we couldn’t do in a million years. So that just stuck with me. Do I still believe that God can bring a breakthrough in 2020 in a year that I gave up on, in a year that I kicked to the curb, I chalked up, to a year that I just filed 13 and put in the trash? God had to challenge me with that because the Bible says take no thought for tomorrow, for the day will take care of its own self. Evil is the day thereof. God said, "You’re still in 2020, and do you believe I can still do a breakthrough this year?" It was very challenging to me, very challenging to my heart.

So let’s pray. Father, we do thank you that you love us to still challenge our hearts, challenge our ideas and ideals. God, we just pray that your spirit will minister to us this morning, that you would minister the word of God to us, Lord. We need your word more than ever. We need your spirit to illuminate it, Lord. We need your spirit to soften hearts, and we need your word to be the seed implanted upon our hearts that’s able to save our souls. So, God, minister this word to us in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts 26, looking at verses 12 through 18. The title of this message is "Tell Your Story Again, Part Two." In part one of this message, we saw how Paul told his story or testimony to King Agrippa. He told him in verse four his life before Christ came into it. He also told King Agrippa in verse 10 how he used to put Christians in prison and how he put some of them to death. Finally, we saw in verse 11 how he compelled some of them to blaspheme or speak against Jesus Christ if he couldn’t put them in prison or put them to death.

Now he’s about to go into great details on the circumstance surrounding his conversion. I bring this up because it had been 20-plus years since Paul’s conversion experience, and he will tell it like it had just happened the other day. When you have had an encounter with Jesus Christ, you will never forget it. Everyone who is born again has had their Damascus Road experience like Paul. You will never forget it. It will be fresh in your mind and heart for the rest of your life.

You’ve heard me say many times because I’m in the position I am, I get to tell my story again and again. For me, it was August 26, 1985, in Okinawa, Japan. I can still see myself getting on my knees on that cement floor, the floor of my barracks. We didn’t have nice rooms like some of you Air Force do, but that’s another story. I was on my knees on my cement floor of my barracks on Camp Courtney, repenting of my sins, asking Jesus to forgive me and come into my heart. He did, and my life has never been the same since.

That was over 35 years ago, and I can still see it like it was yesterday. In my humble opinion, everyone who is truly born again has had a similar experience. There are always exceptions to the rules, but generally speaking, everyone who is born again can tell their story in great details like Paul is about to do in these verses.

Look at what he says there in verse 12. "While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests." Now I want to draw your attention to the phrase "while thus occupied." It refers to having authorization from the chief priest in verse 10 to travel to the city of Damascus to arrest, put to death, or get to blaspheme Christians who escaped Jerusalem.

What’s so ironic is the very chief priests who were present at this trial were the ones who gave Paul authorization to do this. They were once Paul’s employers, and now they are attacking him. They sent Paul out to hunt for Christians, and now they are hunting him. It is very well possible that he addressed them by name as they were once his bosses. The irony is incredible. They actually paid him to hunt for Christians. This is what is referred to by the phrase "with authority and commission from the chief priests."

Notice the details that Paul goes into to describe his encounter with Jesus. Look at verses 13 and 14. He says, "At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'"

So while on his way to the city of Damascus, Paul gives the time of day that this took place in verse 13 and said it was at midday, or it was around noon. While on the road, a light from heaven—how bright was it, Paul?—he said it was brighter than the sun, shining around him and those with him. This story is recorded in Acts 9 and Acts chapter 22. This part of Paul’s story of the time period is recorded in all three accounts that Paul gave his testimony to different people.

The voice that Paul refers to in verse 14 is also recorded in all three accounts. What this voice says to him is the cornerstone of his entire experience. It spoke to him in the Hebrew language; it was really the Aramaic language. Aramaic is a slang language of Hebrew, a language Paul spoke according to Acts 22 and verse 2. This just goes to show us that God knows how to speak to each one of us. It doesn’t matter what language anyone speaks or how people need to hear the gospel message. God knows how to speak to each one of us.

Then the voice called him, notice, by his Hebrew name, not once but twice: "Saul, Saul." Notice what the voice said: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Not persecuting some heretical, insane group that the Jews thought Christians were, but "you are persecuting me." Please keep in mind, you’ve heard me say this many times, whenever anyone is mistreating or persecuting you because you are a Christian and because you belong to Christ, they are not persecuting you per se; they are persecuting Jesus.

This is why 2 Thessalonians 1:6 says it’s a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. Romans 12:19 says, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. In other words, leave people in God’s hands because he knows how to deal with the Sauls in our lives that are persecuting us because we belong to Jesus.

There is something I want to bring to your attention, and that is the phrase "it is hard for you to kick against the goads." That is at the end of verse 14. This statement is omitted from the other two accounts of Paul's testimony. Even though this was a proverbial statement in Greek culture, it was also very familiar in Jewish cultures as well. The goads, referring to the ox goad, was a sharp instrument used to guide cattle, especially oxen. It was on a plow, or it could be separated from it or detached. But most often it was found on the plow itself.

When the owner is trying to plow in a certain direction and the oxen wanted to go in a different direction, the oxen would normally kick back at the owner and injure him. But because they had this goad there, which was a sharp instrument, he would kick back and kick into this sharp instrument called the goad and think twice about kicking back again because of the pain it experienced.

This shows us that God had already been trying to work on Paul previously. This is why he says it’s hard for you to kick against the goad. God had already been working on him previously. I believe that Paul was under great conviction as the stoning of Stephen took place in Acts chapter seven. Especially when he heard Stephen say as they were stoning him, "Father, do not charge them with this sin," in Acts 7 and verse 60.

I just wonder, I hope one day we can get to a place where we can pray the same thing when people are stoning us. A stone is something that’s hard and something that hurts. When people are saying hard and hurtful things to us and about us, I pray that one day we can get to a point where we can pray and say, "Oh, Father, don’t charge them with this sin." I’m not there yet; I’m trying to get there. But I want us to be able to get there.

This is what Stephen said in Acts 7 and verse 60. And I believe that pierced Paul’s heart when he heard that. Here we are stoning this man, and this man, instead of praying, "Lord, get them to stop," or "Lord, stop the rocks and have those rocks come back on them," it was none of those things. It was, "Father, don’t charge them with this sin." So it was a sin that he was getting stoned, and he said, "Don’t charge them with this." That’s amazing to me.

So here it is, God was trying to work on Paul, trying to steer him in the right direction, but he was kicking against it and he disguised the pain by displaying his anger towards Christians. And so Jesus said enough is enough and he stops Paul’s madness on the road to Damascus with a bright light and a voice from heaven and told him that it was hard for him to continue to kick against the sharp object of his conscience. I just wonder, is this happening to you? You know that you need to stop doing something or surrender your life to Jesus Christ, but you’re kicking against your conscience like Paul was doing.

He knew exactly what the voice was talking about. There are loved ones in our lives that we are constantly praying for that are doing the same thing that Paul is doing. They are kicking against their conscience as you share with them, as you live the life of Christianity in front of them. All of a sudden, they are just blown away. Instead of surrendering their life, they’re kicking against the sharp object of their conscience. Here’s the thing: don’t stop praying for them. It’s easy to stop praying for them even if it looks like they’re getting worse. Because that’s during the time we normally say, "They ain’t going to come to Christ." No, they’re kicking against the sharp object of their conscience. They’re kicking against the goads.

Why is it that God has burdened your heart to pray for them? Because God wants to see them saved. That’s why. That’s why they keep being on your heart. God wants to save them. And so don’t stop praying for them even if they’re kicking against it and they’re displaying their pain and their anger on you. Don’t lose heart. Somebody needs to hear that, maybe online. Don’t lose heart. They’re kicking against the goads. That’s what they’re doing. Kicking against the goads.

Now what else did the voice say? Look at verses 15 and 16. "So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he says, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.'"

Paul continues to give the details of his encounter with this voice and asks for him to identify himself by saying, "Who are you, Lord?" in verse 15. The voice identified himself as Jesus, whom you’re persecuting, at the end of verse 15. This must have been a total shock to Paul because he considered Jesus to have been a false teacher and a false Messiah who deserved to be crucified for his blasphemy, just like his followers would soon be dealt with.

I can see King Agrippa and those there in total disbelief in their minds because Jesus was dead and the disciples stole his body away while the soldiers were asleep according to Matthew 28:13. Now that Paul knows that this voice is Jesus, he now instructs him in verse 16 to rise and stand on his feet because they were knocked to the ground by the bright light in verse 14.

The Lord told Paul why he appeared to him: "I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you." Notice the Lord doesn’t give it all to us at one time. He said, "There are some things I will reveal to you as you walk with me."

The Lord told Paul that he appeared to him to make him a minister. Paul confirms this in 1 Timothy 1:12, which says, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, putting me in the ministry." Paul never said, "I put myself in the ministry." No, he said Christ Jesus enabled me. Notice, "enabled me." Endynamoo is the Greek word. It’s an amazing Greek word. It means filled with power, strengthened, to make strong. The root of that word is where we get dynamis from, where we get power and dynamic from. He said Christ Jesus empowered me, enabled me, putting me in the ministry.

Notice the Greek word used for minister is not diakoneo that is normally used. That’s not the word. Hyperetes is the Greek word that’s used, and it means an under-rower. It means an oarsman. It refers to the slaves at the bottom of a ship rowing, like in the movie Ben-Hur. It refers to a subordinate executing official orders, operating under direct specific orders. This is all we are as ministers. We’re under-rowers. That’s all we are. Keeping the ship of God’s church on course. That’s all we are.

We follow the direct and specific orders of the captain, Jesus Christ. The problem comes when we think that we’re more than an under-rower. Major problems occur when we think that we are the captain of the church, or that it is our church or our ship to steer. No, we’re just under-rowers. And this is what Jesus told Paul he was making him. He also said that he was making him a witness. The Greek word for witness is martys, and it means an eye or ear witness, meaning we are only to tell people what we have seen and heard. No more, no less.

When someone is a witness to a crime or an accident, all the police officer wants to know is, "What did you see or hear?" This is all that Jesus wants us to tell people, what we have seen and heard Jesus do in our lives. What I want to show us is that Jesus knows how to get all of our attention, no matter what. He spoke to Paul by knocking him down with a bright light and a voice from heaven. He got Moses's attention and spoke to Moses through a burning bush in Exodus 3 and verse 4. He spoke to Belshazzar by having a man’s hand appear and write on the wall in Daniel 5 and verse 5.

God spoke to Balaam through a donkey in Numbers 22 and verse 28. And Balaam spoke back to the donkey. I would have been like, "Hold it, what are you doing talking? Let’s get that straight first." No, he began to converse with him. He said, "All these years I’ve served you and I’ve never disobeyed you." He said, "I beat you with this stick." He said, "I’ve been a good donkey to you, so why you want to beat me like that?" I would have been like, "Okay, can we stop here? Am I being punked? What is this donkey doing talking?" That would have been me.

God knows how to speak to us. He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice in 1 Kings 19 and verse 12. The writer of Hebrews confirms the different ways God has spoken to people in Hebrews 1:1 and 2. It says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world or the ages."

People ask me all of the time, "Why doesn’t God speak to people anymore like he did in Bible days?" Well, he does speak to us primarily through this word, like he’s doing now. Hebrews 10:7 says, "In the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, O God." So the Bible is all about Jesus. Every type, every symbol, every metaphor, simile, every feast day—everything speaks of Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, the rabbis even got more radical. They say even the space in between the letters has a meaning to it, speaks of the Lord in some kind of way.

So when we read it, study it, and meditate on it, God is speaking to us. It says in John 5:39, "Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; these are they that testify of me." The Greek word used for "search" is a word that was used to describe when a dog is sniffing out the scent of blood. Therefore, we ought to go through the word of God sniffing out for the blood, the blood of Jesus. As we’re reading through the pages of scripture, we’re sniffing like a bloodhound sniffing for the blood.

This is how we should go through the scriptures, and this is why we take you through the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, to show you how Jesus Christ is in every symbol, every metaphor, every feast day, every simile. It doesn’t matter what it is in the Bible; it speaks of Jesus Christ. And this is why we take you through the word so you can see him, so you can fall more and more in love with Jesus Christ, the one who came here to take our place on Calvary’s cross and to give us eternal life when we place our faith and trust in him.

Jesus gives Paul further instructions that he easily recalls in verses 17 and 18. Look at what he says there. It says, "I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Jesus told Paul in verse 17 that he will deliver or rescue him from two groups of people: number one, the Jewish people; and from number two, the Gentiles.

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