The Lost Ones - Part 3: You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
A poem to open our hearts:
I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered heaven's door, not by the beauty of it all, nor the lights or its decor. But it was the folks in heaven who made me sputter and gasp - the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice. Uncle Bill, who I always thought was rotting away in hell, was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal? I would love to hear your take. How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake. And why's everyone so quiet, so somber - give me a clue." "Hush, child," said he, "they're all in shock. No one thought they would see you."
- "Folks in Heaven" by J. Taylor Ludwig
If the early church had a most wanted list, Saul would have been at the top. Yet the man who once put Christians in chains would later write nearly half of the New Testament. Today we learn something powerful: God is not just the God of second chances. He's the God who can turn enemies into ambassadors.
Over the past few weeks we've seen how God uses the overlooked - like David - and how He restores the ashamed - like the Samaritan Woman. But today's story is even more shocking. Today we meet a man who wasn't just broken. He was dangerous.
The Text: Acts 9:1-18
Saul: The Church's Greatest Enemy
"Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord [and relentless in his search for believers], went to the high priest."
- Acts 9:1 (AMP)
That phrase "breathing threats" is powerful. Hatred had become his oxygen. Destroying Christians had become his mission.
"...and he asked for letters [of authority] from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any men or women there belonging to the Way [believers, followers of Jesus the Messiah], men and women alike, he could arrest them and bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem."
- Acts 9:2 (AMP)
Note what Jesus calls his followers here - "the Way." That connects directly to what He declared about Himself:
"I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
- John 14:6 (AMP)
The Damascus Road
"As he traveled he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him [displaying the glory and majesty of Christ]."
- Acts 9:3 (AMP)
God stepped right onto Saul's self-directed road with overwhelming glory. Each detail matters here - interrupting sin, revealing heavenly light, surrounding Saul so completely that resistance was impossible. Salvation is God's work from start to finish, turning persecutors into apostles and darkness into radiant day.
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]."
- 1 John 1:5 (AMP)
"...and he fell to the ground and heard a voice [from heaven] saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting and oppressing Me?'"
- Acts 9:4 (AMP)
At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow - even the knees of those who think they're the ones doing the hunting. Christ's glory overwhelms human strength. His voice cuts through every wall of resistance.
And notice - He says Saul's name twice. Saul, Saul. God knows your name. And God knows your purpose.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:5 (AMP)
You can run, but you can't hide.
Face to Face with Jesus
"And Saul said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He answered, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.'"
- Acts 9:5 (AMP)
When Saul says "Lord," he is already recognizing there is a higher power. And Jesus makes something crystal clear: when His people suffer, He shares in that suffering. This is not a dead religion. Jesus has risen and He is alive.
"...now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
- Acts 9:6 (AMP)
"Now" demands immediate attention. "Get up" calls for obedience. "Go into the city" roots the mission in a real place. "You will be told" models daily dependence on God. Conversion and calling are inseparable - the Savior who saves also directs, step by step, into the works He has prepared.
"The men who were traveling with him [were terrified and] stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one."
- Acts 9:7 (AMP)
Real eyewitnesses. They heard a voice from heaven but saw no one. Their shared but limited experience authenticates what happened while reminding us that God alone grants understanding and vision.
"Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so, they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus."
- Acts 9:8 (AMP)
The risen Jesus stops Saul, raises him as a new man, blinds him to expose his inner darkness, and leads him in humbled dependence. True sight begins when human self-reliance is surrendered to Christ.
"And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank."
- Acts 9:9 (AMP)
Three days of blindness, fasting, and prayer stripped Saul of everything he had relied on. The verse captures the space between old life and new creation. When Christ confronts a sinner, He also provides the grace-filled space for repentance and transformation.
God Calls an Unlikely Messenger
"Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he answered, 'Here I am, Lord.'"
- Acts 9:10 (AMP)
An ordinary believer in a tense city hears his name and immediately yields. The verse teaches us that God knows where we are, calls us personally, and values a heart that answers "Here I am, Lord" - even before the details unfold.
"And the Lord said to him, 'Get up and go to the street called Straight, and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul; for he is praying [there]...'"
- Acts 9:11 (AMP)
Look at the meticulous detail. God knows the street. God knows the house. God knows the name. And He recognizes Saul's sincere prayer as evidence of a transformed heart. God bridges enemies and friends, fear and faith, through precise, sovereign intervention.
"But Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, especially how much suffering and evil he has brought on Your saints at Jerusalem; and here [in Damascus] he has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on Your name.'"
- Acts 9:13-14 (AMP)
Ananias is honest. He is afraid. He voices his concern respectfully but directly. And here's the beauty - God invites that honest dialogue. He sees every detail of past harm. And He still calls us to participate in astonishing acts of redemption.
"But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for this man is a [deliberately] chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will make clear to him how much he must suffer and endure for My name's sake.'"
- Acts 9:15-16 (AMP)
Saul's earthly credentials cannot outrank Christ's heavenly commission. The hunter will become the herald. Calling and cost come together - but both are held in the sovereign, loving hands of the One who calls.
The Transformation
"So Ananias left and entered the house, and he laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came [to Damascus], has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'"
- Acts 9:17 (AMP)
Brother Saul. The man who came to arrest the church is now welcomed into it as family. Ananias' courageous obedience became the conduit for Saul's transformation. This is how God works - He employs ordinary believers to extend extraordinary grace.
"Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized."
- Acts 9:18 (AMP)
A literal miracle that also pictures spiritual rebirth. God instantly removes the blindness - physical and spiritual. Salvation is God-initiated, visibly confirmed, and immediately expressed in obedient faith.
"I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 1:6 (AMP)
Point 1 - No One Is Too Far Gone for God
Saul was not casually opposed to Christianity. He was actively attacking it. He arrested believers. He approved of executions. He helped lead the persecution of the early church.
Yet God saw something nobody else saw. God saw a future apostle inside a current enemy.
The truth is this: sometimes the person you think is the furthest from God is the very person God is preparing to reach.
Point 2 - God Knows How to Get Your Attention
Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians. He had a plan, a mission, a destination. But suddenly everything changed.
"A light from heaven flashed around him... and he fell to the ground."
- Acts 9:3-4
Saul thought he was pursuing Christians. But in reality, Jesus was pursuing him.
Some people come to God quietly. Others need a Damascus Road moment. God knows exactly how to reach each person. Sometimes it's through a crisis. Sometimes it's through a loss. Sometimes it's through a wake-up call that shakes everything you thought was certain.
Point 3 - An Encounter with Jesus Changes Everything
Jesus speaks directly to Saul.
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
Saul asks: "Who are you, Lord?" Jesus replies: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
Imagine that moment. Everything Saul believed was suddenly shaken. The Jesus he thought was a fraud was speaking to him from heaven. If God spoke then, it means God can speak now.
One encounter with Jesus can change a mindset. A direction. A destiny.
Saul entered that road as a persecutor. He left that road as a future preacher.
Point 4 - Your Past Does Not Disqualify Your Future
Saul later reflected on his own story and wrote:
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst."
- 1 Timothy 1:15-16
Paul never hid his past. He used it as proof of God's grace.
Your past may explain you - but it does not have to define you. God specializes in using people with messy histories.
- Moses - a former fugitive
- David - a flawed king
- Rahab - a woman with a reputation
- Saul - a former persecutor
God used every single one of them.
Point 5 - God Can Turn Your Greatest Opposition Into Your Greatest Assignment
Saul's transformation was so dramatic that even Christians were afraid to trust him at first. They thought his conversion was a trick. But eventually he became one of the greatest missionaries in history. He planted churches across the Roman world. He wrote letters that still shape Christianity today.
"And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose."
- Romans 8:28 (AMP)
If God can transform a church persecutor into a church builder, He can transform anyone.
Closing
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
You may feel like you've been fighting against God. You may feel like your past disqualifies you. But if God could take His greatest enemy and turn him into His greatest missionary - then hear this today:
God is not through with you yet.
Your Damascus Road might begin today.
Discussion Questions
- Saul believed he was doing the right thing - even while opposing God. Have you ever been confident in a direction only to realize later that God was trying to redirect you? What did that turning point look like in your life?
- God got Saul's attention in a dramatic, unavoidable way. Looking back, how has God gotten your attention in your own life - whether through a crisis, a loss, a quiet moment, or something else? What did you do with that moment?
- Ananias was afraid to go to Saul, but he went anyway. Is there someone in your life - someone you've written off, or who seems too far gone - that God might be asking you to approach with grace? What's holding you back?
- Paul never hid his past; he used it as proof of God's grace. How does your own story - including the parts you're not proud of - become a testimony that could encourage someone else? What would it look like to stop hiding it and start sharing it?
- The sermon ends with a declaration: "God is not through with you yet." What area of your life do you most need to surrender the belief that it's too broken, too far gone, or too late? What would it look like to take one step toward God in that area this week?