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The Damascus Road
"He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which
he once tried to destroy. And they were glorifying God because of me" –
Paul the Apostle, speaking in Galatians 1:23-24.
- Abraham passed along the Damascus Road, with 318 men, on his way to rescue Lot (Genesis
14:14-15)
- David went this way, when he put a garrison in Damascus (2 Samuel 8:5-6), where he
killed 22,000 Arameans.
- Elisha the Prophet went on the Damascus Road and spoke with Hazael, telling him he would
be king over Syria (2 Kings 8:7-15). Elisha wept that Hazael would kill men, women,
and children of Israel.
- Paul came through here and was converted; perhaps right at the very spot where this talk
will be given (Acts 9:1-22), and he went through here at least once more (Galatians 1:18).
When Paul came along the Damascus Road, he had an Agenda. Saul, as he was
called at that time, wanted to take people like you and me, and put an end to us,
once and for all. He believed in the religion of "his fathers" and was
convinced the "people of the way" (as we were called at that time) were in error
and should be destroyed. He didn’t care what happened to us. Dead, in
prison; it didn’t matter - He just wanted us - gone!
In our society and among Evangelical Christians, we are slow to welcome certain types
of convicted criminals back into our midst. The divorce rate among Christians is
about the same as for everybody else, & that’s not good, except we now accept
divorced people in our Churches. We didn’t, before. Without Paul, we
would understand much less about the grace of God, and yet the established Church was very
slow to receive him. Time-and-time again, he had to authenticate himself to the very
people he had led to Christ. They (and we) should be people that are "glorifying God" for the one who is saved from the wrath that
is to come.
Saul was a murderer, and yet God chose this man over many others. Also, here was
a guy with what we call a "rap sheet." Paul told the younger Timothy,
"Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His
prisoner" (2 Timothy 1:8), suggesting Timothy was experiencing real doubts at
that time. Paul may not have been the man Timothy (or you) would have chosen.
BUT GOD CHANGES PEOPLE. People like Saul a.k.a. Paul. People like you
and me.
Saul had been complacent. He obviously liked the way he was. It made him
feel good to persecute Christians. He may have looked down on his contemporaries,
thinking they did less than he did, to stamp out the People of the Way. But
suddenly, the Lord Jesus appeared and spoke to him. He was blinded and knocked to
the ground. The blind Saul was shocked, for he had met the Lord and was changed - he
would never be the same. Paul had encountered the grace of God.
For years, I wanted to be a Christian, but I also wanted to be a husband, a father, the
best worker possible, and a student. I also liked to read, ride motorcycles, and I
usually had a hobby of some kind. Being a Christian was ONE of the aspects of my
life. In one compartment of my life, I was a Christian, and in other compartments, I
was something else.
Just like Paul, God wants ALL of you and me. I’ve seen the substitutes
(though many of them were good) taken out of my life, one at a time. I’m not
married anymore, my children are adults, with lives of their own, hundreds of miles away.
I’ve had only temporary jobs with no future, for many years. No
motorcycles, and little time for hobbies. I am gradually losing my vision for the
things of this world, and I now have eyes for Him. He has spoken to my heart and He
wants all of me. He let me get very low, that He might lift me up - a new man in
Him; rescued by God’s grace.
He wants all of you and me. The place on the Damascus where this talk will be
given, might be the very spot where Paul fell into the Arms and Love of God. This
might be the very time You will give your whole life anew to the service of our Lord
Jesus. He is calling you, calling His people. Do you hear Him call? Will
you follow Him? Will you give your whole life to our Lord? Just like He did
with Paul, He is calling to you and to me. He who loves you, wants ALL of you,
today, tonight, and forever.
Father, we receive You, in the Name and Person of Jesus Christ. Send us Your Holy
Spirit, Lord, and grant us everlasting PEACE with God. And we pray that people will
be "glorifying God" because of our new love for
You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham
Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
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