God’s saving grace can rescue and redeem anyone.

Paul’s radical conversion is recorded in Acts 9. He was completely transformed by the blinding light of God’s rescuing grace. Blinded to all that he had known, this self-salvation project that had been his life, his pursuit, his hope, his obsession. And it was completely dismantled by his encounter with Jesus. FOUR truths we learn from Paul and now seek to apply to our lives:

1. Just because you’re running doesn’t mean God can’t catch you. (vv. 1-9) Someone once said, “Just because you’re NOT paranoid doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out to get you!” Someone is out to get you. God is pursuing you. Your running doesn’t preclude God’s pursuing grace. Later in Acts 26:14 Paul recounts his conversion again- and adds that the Jesus said to him, “It is hard to kick against the goads” What goads are you kicking against? God is trying to get your attention-, often through painful, difficult seasons of life. God is not trying to pay you back He’s trying bring you back! He loves you. He is, as English poet Francis Thompson called him, the “Hound of Heaven”. In a haunting, powerful 182-verse poem, Thompson describes God as a hound following the hare, never ceasing in its running, “ever drawing nearer in the chase, with an unrelenting pace, so God follows the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit.” He is the Hound of Heaven.

2. Just because you’re blind doesn’t mean God can’t see you. (vv. 10-17) Some of us are like little toddlers who hide their faces, believing they are hiding from us. Some of us see our relationship with God like the proverbial blind men encountering an elephant. Each one, touching a different part of the elephant, has a different take on what he’s really like. One man grabs his leg (it’s like tree), another the tusk (it’s long and smooth), another his trunk (it’s like a snake). This story is often told to explain the relative nature of truth; it’s all subjective and up for grabs. As if we each have our own take on reality. The idea is that no one can confidently say they have a grasp on truth, or God, who He is and what He’s like. The problem is someone does know what the elephant looks like. The one telling the story knows exactly what the elephant looks like which is why the Storyteller is explaining that none of them have it right completely. The Bible tells us that the Storyteller has actually stepped into our story and He has shown us exactly who God is- His nature, His character, all of His parts in One Person- revealed in Christ who was “full of grace and full of truth” (John 1:14). If we have seen Him, we have seen God. You may be blind, but God sees you. He knows you. You cannot hide from God. But here’s the beauty of His grace: He sees and knows everything about you- everything– imagine that, every thought, every hidden sin, your darkest, deepest, most shameful secrets. And it does not matter. But you must recognize and admit that you are BLIND. Consider with me:

Different kinds of spiritual blindness Sin is not as much something that we do as it is something we are. Sin, at its core is not simply “good” or “bad” behavior- it is a condition of the heart.

• Blinded by the world
• Blinded by pleasure
• Blinded by success
• Blinded by materialism  
• Blinded by religion

Only the Superior Light of God’s grace in Christ can rescue us from our blindness.

3. Just because you’re sinful doesn’t mean God can’t rescue you. (vv. 15-19)

Ananias is told to go to Saul because God has chosen him. Ananias begins debating with the Lord, “you’ve got the wrong guy!” This Saul is a tyrant. He’s terrorist. Our past does not disqualify us from God’s grace. Broken, sinful, and wrecked, God can redeem.

4. Just because you’re unable doesn’t mean God can’t use you. (vv. 20-31) Replace the word “unable” with any other word you tend to use as an excuse: powerless, helpless, incompetent, ill-prepared, unqualified, inexperienced.. whatever word you want to throw in there as an excuse, toss it out! Your past does not disqualify you from the future God has in store for you nor does your past disqualify you from God’s service.

How would you know if you’ve been “blinded by the light” of God’s grace? It seems awe and wonder are key signs of an encounter with Jesus. I think humility is as well. Another measure is that you are more and more obsessed with the Gospel and what Christ has done for you and less and less obsessed with what you do for Him. I think honesty and humility is another sign. Later, in 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul would say, “I am the chief of sinners.” And imagine this: this killer, this terrorist, yanking women out of their homes for following Christ, would go on to write 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is patient. Love is kind, it’s arrogant or rude, not self-seeking.. it does not demand it’s own way, it rejoices in the truth.. it’s enemy love…” Saul, now Paul, this painter of words gives to us this portrait of Jesus. And now Paul is starting to look a lot like Him.

God’s saving grace can rescue and redeem anyone. Even you. Have you lost the wonder of salvation? Begin again. When Paul opened his eyes everything looked different. So, Saul the persecutor, blinded by his sin, becomes an apostle “apprehended by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12) Now blinded by the Light of the World he would go on to devote his life to being a light to the world, pointing others to His Savior.