Thank you, Emily. Good morning, Easteridge. My name's Justin. I'm the associate pastor here. And I just want to say that I'm really excited to be here today to give you this message because we are in week four of our the story continues message series, all about the book of Acts. And you know, something else I want I'm excited about is that, you know, like in January, I promised there would be green outside. And look how it only took five months, so now we're here. So it's good. It's good. We are only in the Acts chapter three, though. And so today uh we're we're gonna try and get to Acts 9, which is a long way to go. So we're going to hit the fast forward button a little bit, okay? So and if you're not familiar with what a fast forward button is, then go buy a V H VHS player, uh VCR, if you will, and uh and you can find out what that is. So um, but anyway, when when we go this when we're covering this much scripture, though, I don't want you to hear, don't read it. I don't want you to hear that this is something that we're skipping over because it there's nothing important in it. And in fact, it's the exact opposite. I want you to go home and read the scripture that we are not covering in depth as much today, because there is a lot that is happening in these scriptures. And I want you to follow along with what's going on and learn that this is just building up. All this scripture is is building up and showing what God is doing through the church at that time and how he is working even in us right now. Because it's what we're talking about here is boldness. Boldness. And I think a lot of us admire bold people, you know, people who say exactly what they think. Uh people who walk into rooms with confidence, people who seem completely fearless, and then you know, there's the rest of us, myself included, who need to rehearse when a when you know when I'm at a restaurant about what I'm gonna order. You know, because I I you know, you know what you want, you know what you went to that restaurant specifically specifically for, and you kind of say, okay, this is what I got, this is what I'm doing. You're there for 20 minutes, the waiter shows up, and then you're like, all right, what are we doing? What what are what are we what are we ordering? Because then you you kind of panic. Um, and and that's that's not boldness, that's survival. But you know, some some people are just naturally bold. They're naturally bold people. Some people are naturally confident people. Um some people are uh are are naturally loud in their personality, some but biblical boldness, the boldness that we talk about in scripture, is something much deeper. The boldness that comes in the book of Acts is not just about personality. It's not volume, uh, it's not being rude and calling it courageous, it's not swagger, it is deep spiritual conviction. And that means even fearful people, people who have fear, can also be bold. It means that that even broken people can become bold. Even enemies of God can be bold and have boldness. So, you know, when when we think about it, we we believers, we want boldness. We want to be bold, but we really misunderstand it. We think boldness means never feeling nervous. It means always having the most perfect words to say at the exact right time. We think that uh that it involves um enjoying conflict. Anyone else conflict avoidant? Yeah? That's okay. Uh you know, it means we think that it means having a big personality. And we we think that it's never caring about what other people truly think. That is not biblical boldness. It's not. Sometimes the boldest thing that we can do, if we have that boldness in our hearts that comes from the Bible, is speak gently when it's really easy to be silent. Or it's it's uh telling the truth with love. It is praying publicly when you feel a little bit awkward, standing alone in integrity while the others while others don't. It means following Jesus when those surrounding you are not following him. Some of you want to be bold, but you think it but you think that you're disqualified because of your temperament. Like, oh, you know what, I can't be bold, I'm a little too shy. I I'm I back away from a lot of things. I can't be bold. Or others think that you're disqualified because of your past. Maybe you were maybe you were outrageous and you were rude, and people think that you can't be bold, you can't speak truth into my life because that's not what you did before. Still others think that opposition, if if your your boldness is bringing opposition, that it means you should stop. When in fact it's the exact opposite happens in the book of Acts. Because boldness often grows in opposition, not in the absence of it. So today, before we get to our main character who we're talking about in Acts 9, we need to understand the whole atmosphere of what is going on in the book of Acts in the early church. Because Acts is not, you know, when we get to Acts 9, what happens in there is not a random event. It is not something that we just look at and say, okay, that's cool, let's move on. It is purposeful. It is the build-up of what the church is doing. It is the exponential growth of the Holy Spirit that is happening that allows something that is going on in Acts 9 to actually happen. So let's start back in Acts 3, though. Peter and John, the apostles, Peter and John, John, heal a lame man at the temple gate. They heal him, crowds gather, they're seeing these miracles being performed. Then in Acts 4, Peter and John are arrested. They're arrested, they're put in jail, they are threatened. And they're said, they're being told, do not speak the name of Jesus in public again. They're being told not to do that. And what do they say? They say in Acts 4.20, okay, in Acts 4.20, it says this. For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. That is boldness. Or they're speaking the gospel, they're telling the truth with the threat of what is about to happen to them. That is boldness. And then the church gathers around to pray together. And they don't pray, you know, Lord, remove this difficulty from us. Uh make sure that you take Peter and John and you tame them down a little bit. They don't say things like that. They say something amazing in 429. It says, and now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. That's stunning. You know, they wanted courage, not just comfort. They wanted to keep on preaching. So they go on to Acts 5, where we hear of Ananias and Sapphira, who promised to sell their goods and bring them to God. And they lied about it. They withheld the funds that they promised to God to help grow the church. And so the church learns that public power without private integrity is dangerous. Integrity matters to God. Integrity matters to the church because boldness is not just loud witness. It's not just being loud and saying, look what we can do. It is holy witness. It is sacred. And so we learn about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and then we go to Acts 6, where we learn about how the widows, the lowly people in the world, the widows and orphans, are being overlooked. They're not being served as Jesus commanded us to do, us to serve them. They're being overlooked. And the apostles, the ones who were commanded to preach the gospel, to go out and serve and baptize and spread the gospel the way that they could, they're the ones who are serving. Which there's nothing wrong with that. But there needs to be more. There needs to be more called people who can do the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the gospel. And so they create deacons. This is the idea of the deaconite. So there's deacons that are that are appointed. There's leaders are appointed to serve. And so the church learns that bold faith serves the lowly. Then we get to see Acts 7. Stephen is one of these deacons, and he preaches the gospel, and he's eventually killed for it. Murdered for it. And he, while he is dying, he is praying forgiveness over those who are murdering him. Persecution of the church breaks out. And the gospel continues to spread in the region. The believers scatter. And then in Acts 8, it says that they preached wherever they went. Wherever they went. Not just their homes, not just the synagogues, not just their places of work. But think about where you went this last week. Where did you travel to? Where did you go? Where did you meet a friend for coffee? Where did you where did you shop? Where did you go for fun? The people in the book of Acts, they preached there. They brought the gospel to those places and said, This is who Jesus is. Let me tell you about him. So they brought Jesus there. The enemy tried to silence these believers. But instead the gospel spread. Opposition did not weaken the church, it revealed the church. And now we arrive at our our main character for this story, and it's it's Saul. And Saul was a great persecutor of the church. And so we read in Acts 8, verse 1, and Saul approved of his execution. Saul, this man, approved of Stephen's execution. He stood there. And then we read it in Acts 9, starting in verse 1. But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found anyone belonging to the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. This is a big deal. Let's go back to verse 1. It says, Meanwhile, but Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples. He is breathing this out. This is his obsession, is murdering Christians, going against Christians. This is what he is wants to do. Other translations call murderous threats. He is breathing murderous threats. It's not a casual dislike. No, this is his goal, this is his obsession, this is his identity. Saul hates the church. He believes he is serving God by destroying Christians. He gets the authorization to arrest believers, and he is trying to stop the people of Jesus. And then Jesus stops him. Now, as he went on his way, he approached Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul falls to the ground and hears this. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? No, first of all, if you know scripture, you know that if God is calling out your name twice, you better listen up. He's going to move in you and he's going to create some discomfort in you because he's going to do something great through you. Moses, Moses, David, David, Saul, Saul, listen, I'm going to do something. This is a big deal. Listen to me. But what he says is, why are you persecuting me? He doesn't say, why are you persecuting those people? He doesn't say, why are you persecuting the church? He says, Why are you persecuting me? Because when you hurt and you mess with and you persecute the church of Jesus Christ, you are hurting Jesus Christ himself. When people are against you for your faith, they are against Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus is saying this. He's confronting him. And instead of completely crushing Saul with what is happening, with the weight of what this approach is happening, and how he is making him blind with this flash of light and everything, he gives grace instead. He gives grace. Jesus could have crushed it. Instead, Jesus confronts him. He doesn't destroy Saul, he redirects him. When Saul asks, Lord, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. Jesus says, I am Jesus. The one you thought was dead is alive. The one Saul opposed is speaking, saying these words. The resurrection now becomes very personal to Saul. And this is this is the this is the gospel moment for Saul right now, is where he meets Jesus. Because Jesus meets sinners like Saul, like you and me, right where we are. He confronts rebels like Saul, like you, like me, right where we are. Jesus gives mercy to his enemies. Saul was not seeking Jesus. Jesus was seeking Saul. And maybe that's your story too. I think that's a little bit of all of our stories because we were all sinners and yet Christ still died for us. Grace is not God rewarding seekers. Grace is God rescuing rebels. So now we we hear what happens next. The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were open, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. This is a really cool part, okay? I I love that Jesus is in the business of restoring names. Okay, this is not the same Ananias that we read about who was withholding funds for the church back in the back in the earlier in Acts. This is not the same. He's taking this name and redeeming it, making it new, saying, okay, there's another disciple named Ananias who is who I'm going to work through. I'm going to redeem that person. So he's taking this man named Ananias, and he says, Ananias, and he said, Here I am, Lord. Now, again, that's not what I would do. Okay? I wouldn't get a vision from God and immediately say, Here I am, Lord. I'm here. I'm yours. What do you want to do with me? I'd be a little bit afraid. I'd be like, Am I hearing correctly? You're calling me by name, and what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to stop everything I'm doing and keep on going? Am I supposed to be afraid right now? What's going on? I honestly would be a little bit, I would not be like Ananias. I'll just say that. I would not be like him because what he does next is amazing. And he said, Here I am, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Rise and go to the street called Straits, and at the house of Judas, look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias. He has seen in a vision named Ananias, come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. Go pray for Saul. Go pray for him. Go pray with him. Lay your hands on him. And Ananias is understandably hesitant, but he eventually obeys. He goes and does it. It's like it would be the same as saying, okay, let's go encourage the guy who is arresting Christians. Go do that. You don't want to do that right away. You're hesitant on it, but he lays hands on Saul. Saul receives sight, is baptized right away, and receives the Holy Spirit. So Ananias departed and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. And taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit. He is baptized. The persecutor has become part of the family. The enemy becomes a brother. And here's where true boldness happens next. It says, and immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogue saying, He is the Son of God. He is proclaiming this now. He is out there preaching what he was just persecuting. It says it happens at once. Not a tenure, wait it, wait a little while, let's get you trained up. No image rehabilitation, no slow pivot. This is, he's he starts preaching Jesus immediately. And why does he do that? Because when grace hits you that hard, silence gets really difficult. Real encounters with Jesus produce a real witness of him. And immediately people oppose him. The same man once feared by Christians is now hunted by those who agreed with him. They start hunting Saul, looking for him, because he is now preaching. He has to escape Damascus in a basket through a wall. I mean, just think about that. That's amazing that Saul goes from carrying arrest warrants for people who believe in the way, believe in Christianity, who know who Jesus is, to being lowered in a laundry basket. That's how fast grace can rearrange your life. So, what do we do with this boldness? How do we understand this boldness? We have to understand a lot about how boldness works. Boldness begins with surrender. We have to surrender if we're going to be bold. Saul became bold after he was humbled. He fell before he stood up. Some of you want courage without complete surrender. Surrender has to happen first. Boldness is fueled by grace. So that means that the people who Know that they have been forgiven, stop living for applause. Saul knew who he had been, and that made him fearless. So he understands the gospel. He understands what Jesus did for him. He doesn't want to live under any sort of threat that he can't give this information away. So he is fueled by grace. His boldness is made greater by the gospel that he knows what he's saved through. Boldness survives opposition, which means that if you are being opposed, if your faith is being opposed, if your faith is being challenged by what you are doing, you're doing the right thing. Opposition does not mean that you're off track. It confirms that you're on the right track. Some of you assume that resistance to anything that you are dealing with with your faith means to stop. Sometimes resistance means keep going. Then finally, boldness can grow in anyone. If you're an introvert or extrovert, young or old, past, if your past is full of regret, or if you have a personality full of fear, God can make you bold for his gospel. So Saul's story reminds us that Jesus does not merely improve people. Jesus transforms people. He takes the proud and makes them humble. He takes the fearful and makes them bold. He takes the enemies and makes them family. And maybe the deepest change that God wants to bring today is not around you and around your circumstances, but he wants to change who you are inside. He wants to transform you. Because many people live chained to fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of what others think. Fear of the future. Fear that your past still defines you. But the gospel, the gospel announces something stronger than fear. Jesus lived for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus rose for you. And Jesus calls you his own. And when that truth settles deep into your heart, chains begin to fall. Because you are no longer a slave to fear. You are a child of God. That means your past is not your master. Your shame is not your master. Your anxiety is not your identity. Jesus is Lord. And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. So today, don't walk out carrying what Jesus died to break. Surrender it. Don't keep bowing to fears that Jesus has already defeated. Stand in his grace, walk in his freedom. Live in his family. And move forward with boldness. Because children of God do not have to live like slaves anymore. If Jesus can turn a persecutor into a preacher, he can turn your fear into boldness too. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for your mercy and your grace. Thank you that through Jesus, you do not leave us as we are. You rescue, you restore, you renew. Thank you for the story of Saul that no one is too far gone, too broken, too hostile, or too lost for your saving power. And Lord, today we bring you our fears. The fears that we speak out loud and the fears that we hide deep inside. Fear of rejection, fear of the future, fear of lost, fear of failure, fear of what that we are not enough. And we lay them at your feet. Because we believe what your word says, that we are no longer slaves to fear. We are children of God. Teach us to live like sons and daughters. Give us courage where we have shrunk back. Give us peace where we have been anxious. Give us boldness where we have been silent. Give us faith where we have doubted. Holy Spirit, fill this church with confidence in Christ. Let students walk boldly. Let parents lead boldly. Let workers live boldly. Let neighbors love boldly. And let this church stand bold in grace and truth. And if anyone today needs salvation, let them know they can come home to the Father right now through Jesus. We belong to you. We trust you. We worship you. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.