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 22 verses 1 through 11.

Tony Clark: Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 22 as we continue our verse-by-verse study through the book of Acts. We are going to keep it moving. We are going to keep going verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book as we go through the word of God. We find ourselves here in chapter 22, and we are going to be looking at verses 1 through 11.

Father, we do thank You that You have brought us to this day to sit at the table of Your word to learn from You. So God, we pray that You will give us Your Holy Spirit to give us the understanding, the sense, and the application of Your word today for our lives. We need You. So Lord, speak to us we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts 22, looking at verses 1 through 11. The title of this message is "Tell Your Story." Tell your story—not someone else's, yours. It is your story, part one. Everyone has a story. All of us have a history of how we got to where we are today. In Christianity, it is called a testimony.

God uses the things we have experienced in life to bring us to Him, and then He will turn it around and use it to bring glory to Him. He uses our hurts, our education or lack thereof, our environment, and a host of other things to make up our testimonies. He brings people into our lives that need to hear what God has done for us.

We will see this in the life of the great Apostle Paul. The last time we were together, we saw how Paul was rescued by the Roman commander Claudius Lysias because the Jews were trying to beat him to death over some rumors that they heard about him which were not true.

As they were trying to bring Paul into the Antonia Fortress, which was next to the temple on the northwest side, they wanted to know why the crowd was so angry with him. As they reached the top of the stairs, Paul asked the commander if he could speak to the crowd.

After finding out that Paul was not this Egyptian assassin that they thought he was, but that he was a Jew from Cilicia, he gave Paul a chance to address the crowd. That brings us to chapter 22. We are going to start in verses 1 and 2. Look what it says there.

It says, "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now." And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said—let us stop right there.

In these verses, Paul is giving his defense before the people. The Greek word for defense is apologia, from which we get our English word apologetics, referring to giving a defense of the Christian faith or giving reasons and rationale for the things we believe. I loved how Paul graciously addressed them. Notice he addressed them as brethren and fathers.

He did not address them as murderers and killers, which they were. When they saw that he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, which was actually Aramaic, verse 2 says they kept all the more silent. I believe that we need to study to show ourselves approved unto God like 2nd Timothy 2:15 says.

We have a lot of time to do that now. We have no excuses. "Well, I have to work, I have to do this, I have to do that." We have a lot of time now that we can study to show ourselves approved unto God. 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 15 says be ready always to give a defense. The word defense, the Greek word is apologia. It is the same Greek word used here for the things we believe.

Why do we need to do this? Because we live in a time when what we believe and why we believe it is being challenged and attacked like never before. The question is, are you ready to give a defense of the things of God like Paul was? I pray that we get ready because there are many people in our lives that have lots of questions about spiritual things and the things in the Bible.

We need to be ready like Paul was. If you do not provide an apologia, if you do not provide a defense, there are plenty of websites that will tell them how Christianity is not correct, how the Bible is not right, and how Christianity and the Bible is the white man's religion. There are plenty of sites, so we need to study to show ourselves approved unto God.

Be ready to give an apologia, a defense of the Christian faith and what we believe and why we believe it. Look at what it says in verse 3. He says, "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our father's law, and zealous towards God as you all are today."

Notice how Paul's message was not some deep theological explanation of scripture. Paul's defense was his own testimony. This blesses me because every Christian has a testimony. No one can take away what God has done for you. Revelation 12:11 says they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

Do you remember the blind man in John chapter 9 and verse 25? He said all I know is I was blind, but now I see. That was his testimony. The most powerful defense, the most powerful apologia you have, is your own testimony. People can debate and argue all day over theological terms and issues and words, but they cannot argue over what the Lord has done for you personally and intimately.

Paul gives his Jewish pedigree in this particular verse because he was addressing a Jewish crowd. Notice how he said, "I am indeed a Jew." He was not just a Jew in words, but indeed as well, showing his brotherhood with them. I just wonder because I believe that there are a lot of people who are Christians in word only but not a Christian indeed.

That means that their lives do not reflect what their words are saying. Paul said, "I am not one of those kind of dudes." He was not just a Jew in words, he was a Jew indeed as well, and he is going to give us the deeds that he did under Judaism that he thought were right at this particular time.

Paul then gives them his educational background. He says, "I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia," where the Hellenistic or the Greek-speaking Jews were from. They were the intellectual ones; they were the educated ones. But he tells them that he was brought up in this city, referring to Jerusalem, where the strict Hebrew Jews lived.

In other words, he could relate to both the Jews, those who spoke Greek, the intellectual ones, and those who spoke Hebrew, the very religious ones. He continues to give his pedigree by saying that he was taught by Gamaliel, who was considered the greatest and well-respected rabbi in Jewish history.

Who can say anything bad about a student of Israel's greatest scholar? Here is another great truth: oftentimes the Lord will use whatever background you came from and use it to minister to the people He brings your way. So be ready. Remember 1st Peter 3:15 says always be ready to give every man a defense.

Be ready so that when these things begin to happen, God will use your background. Whether the good or bad, He will use it to draw people to Him. For me, I look at my racial, my military, and my educational background and how it made me a perfect fit to come to this particular area to start a church.

Paul was perfect to speak to these Jews at this particular time with his own background. Then he tells them that he was taught according to the strictness of our father's law, which is a reference to the conservative religious leaders called the Pharisees. He said this to lay to rest the rumor that Paul was telling Jews everywhere not to keep the law nor circumcise their children according to chapter 21 and verse 28.

He also was relatable to them by telling them that he was just like them, being zealous towards God as you all are today, as the end of verse 3 tells us. I believe that Paul teaches us how to handle unbelievers in our day as he did in his day. Notice that he did not attack them and call them names.

He sought to affirm them in their zeal. This is not using flattery nor insincerity. This is seeking to speak the truth in love like Ephesians 4:15 teaches us to do. Paul truly understood their zeal to try to kill him because he had the same zeal against Christians before he came to Christ.

Now he is about to tell them how Jesus changed him. Jesus truly changed him. I just have to ask the question: has Jesus truly changed you? This is something you have to search your own heart about. Like we see in Paul's life, God radically changed his life.

Are you the same old person you have been, and you are just doing what the song says—you added a little Jesus in your life? When you have an encounter with Jesus Christ, He radically changes your life. I have said it many times. I have said it around the country where I have gone to speak. You cannot have an encounter with the Creator of the universe and remain the same.

Here is this man. God radically changed him, and he is about to tell them how this took place. You have to look at your own life. Has God radically changed you? This is part of your testimony that we are going to get to in a minute—your own personal testimony of how God radically changed your life. Look what he says there in verses 4 and 5 as Paul lets them know how the Lord changed him.

He says, "I persecuted this way to death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness and all the council of the elders from whom I also received letters to the brethren and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished."

In these verses, Paul describes to this Jewish audience that his zeal against "The Way," which was an early name for Christianity, was even more intense than theirs. He actually carried out his zeal all the way to death, where he used to kill Christians. This is a reference to how he had Stephen stoned to death in Acts 7 verses 54 to 60.

He also was binding and delivering Christian men and women to prison, dragging them off in chains to bring them back to Jerusalem to punish them. Then he tells them in verse 5 that even the high priest would testify what he was saying. Then he said all the council of the elders, which is a reference to the Sanhedrin, the 71-member Jewish Supreme Court.

What a testimony by Paul. Then he tells them how he had official letters to go to the city of Damascus to hunt for followers of Jesus. This was widely known, and these are some indisputable facts, making Paul's testimony very believable and powerful.

In essence, Paul was saying that he was so zealous for the law of Moses that he was chosen by the Jewish officials to be the one to eradicate Christianity from the earth. What a powerful and compelling testimony that could not be refuted. Look at what it says in verses 6 through 9.

"And now it happened as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' So I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.' And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me."

In these verses, Paul goes into the heart of his testimony. Notice how he tells them as he was on his way to Damascus, which was a 150-mile trip from Jerusalem to arrest Christians as he had those official letters to do. Paul tells them the timeframe that his encounter with Jesus took place, which was at noon.

A great light from heaven shone around him, as the end of verse 6 says. As this light from heaven knocked him to the ground, he heard a voice in verse 7 call him by his Hebrew name, Saul. Paul was his Roman name and Saul was his Hebrew name. Many of the Jews at this particular time had both a Hebrew name and a Roman name.

Some folks try to find contradiction: "Well, this verse says this person did this, then this verse over here says that person; it is a different person." So many times, one was using a Roman name and one was using a Hebrew name. Here is the Lord using and calling Paul by his Hebrew name, saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

I find that just fascinating to me that whenever anyone persecutes us as Christians, they are actually persecuting Jesus Himself. He takes it personally. There is a verse in the New Testament that used to puzzle me years ago, but now I understand it in light of what we are talking about here.

For you note-takers—that means your Jamies and your Myras and the great note-takers out there—Colossians 1:24. Notice what it says. It says, "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the church." That verse baffled me so long.

How in the world can we fill up what is lacking in the affliction of Christ? Easy, because we are now here on this earth as His church. We are the body of Christ, and whenever we are persecuted or being persecuted, the Lord Jesus Christ is being persecuted as well.

This is how we are filling up the afflictions of Christ. This is how Christ is still being afflicted—through us, the church. So whenever someone is persecuting us, they are persecuting Jesus Christ, and He takes it personally. We may never have seen it this way, but it is true.

This is why Romans 12 verse 19 says vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. God knows how to stop the Sauls persecuting us in their tracks and knock them off their high horse to get their attention. God knows perfectly how to do that. Paul tells them in verse 8 how he responded to the voice that spoke to him.

He said, "Who are You, Lord?" And the Lord responded and identified Himself. Notice He just did not say, "I am Jesus" or "I am Jesus Christ." Notice He says, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." Now here is Paul—you have to see the picture.

Here is Paul on his face on the ground, hearing, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." This had to be a total shock and mind-blowing experience for Paul because he felt that Jesus of Nazareth was a false messiah, a charlatan, and a blasphemer. Now he sees how wrong he was and how Jesus is the Lord of glory.

This had to be shocking to the Jewish crowd listening to Paul because many of them had despised and rejected Jesus. They felt the same way that Paul did—that Jesus of Nazareth was a false messiah, a charlatan, and a blasphemer. Remember what they said in Luke 23:18 as well as John 19:15.

Remember when Jesus was presented before them with Pilate? They said, "Away with him, away with this man, crucify him." He said, "You want me to crucify your king?" "Crucify him!" Here is Paul telling them that it was this Jesus of Nazareth that appeared to him at noon as he was on his way to Damascus.

That crowd felt the same way, and I know they were shocked when they heard Paul say these things. Let me bring something else to your attention. There are critics who try to say that there is a contradiction in Paul's testimony in Acts 9 and verse 7 when this event took place.

It says that the men with him heard a voice but saw no one. But here Paul says in verse 9 that they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to him. Is there a contradiction? Of course not. In Acts 9 and verse 7, the men with Paul heard a noise, a sound, but Paul explains here that they did not understand the voice.

The Greek word for voice is phōnē. They did not understand the phonics, the words spoken by Paul. This gives us a powerful lesson here that we all need to be mindful of. This shows us that everything is not for everybody. There are things that God speaks to us that are just for us.

It is just for us to hear and not for everyone around us. In other words, all because God spoke to you to stop doing a certain thing or to start doing a certain thing does not necessarily mean that everyone around you must stop doing it as well. God has not told them to stop.

Let God speak to them the phonics, the phōnē, the words He told you in time, in a way that only that person can receive it. This is a powerful lesson many people need to hear out there. Somebody needs to hear that. You can put that in the comments that it was for me. You can put that down there if it was for you.

It is so easy for us to fall into that particular trap. Look what it says in verses 10 and 11. "And so I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.' And since I could not see for the glory of the light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus."

At this point, all that Paul could do was to humbly ask in verse 10, "What shall I do, Lord?" This is always a true sign of a person's salvation when God saves them. They want to know, "What shall I do, Lord?" Zacchaeus in Luke chapter 19 verses 8 and 9 had the same reaction when he had his encounter with Jesus.

He says, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." Jesus said in verse 9, "Today salvation has come to this house." When salvation has come to our house, you feel compelled to do something for the Lord who saved and rescued you from your previous life.

All of the people in John the Baptist's life—you know in John 3 and verses 10 through 14 when John preached a message of repentance—all of them were there. Each one of them, about three or four different people, spoke up. When they heard that message, they said, "What shall we do?"

The next ones said, "What shall we do, tax collectors?" "What shall we do, soldiers? What shall we do?" When you have had an encounter with God and you see what He has done for you—how He has rescued you from sin and how He took your place on Calvary's cross—that is the first thing out of your mouth: "What shall I do?"

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