SAUL OF TARSUS & CORNELIUS OF ITALY:
LESSONS OF HINDERING TRADITIONS

Mike Blume
May 15, 2005 pm

  Scripture Text:

 
Acts 9:1-6 KJV  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,  (2)  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.  (3)  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  (4)  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  (5)  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.  (6)  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Acts 22:10 KJV  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

Acts 10:1-6 KJV  There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,  (2)  A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.  (3)  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.  (4)  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.  (5)  And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:  (6)  He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

  Message:


DISCLAIMER:

LET ME SAY THAT TRADITIONS THAT HINDER ARE TRADITIONS NOT FOUND IN THE NEW TESTAMENT MINISTRY THAT ACTUALLY CONTRADICT THE NEW TESTAMENT.
  •   We cannot take a truth in the New Testament and categorize it as a tradition we need to get rid of.


Bro Simmons mentioned some things at the end of his sermon this morning that greatly excited me because the Lord already gave me thoughts about the very same scriptures, which I am going to share with you tonight.
  • He noted how Saul of Tarsus was called of God to be the apostle of the gentiles just one chapter before Peter came to the first gentile who was saved, Cornelius, and opened the door of salvation to the gentiles.
  • Paul later walked through an open door to minister to these gentiles, which door Peter had opened with his keys to the kingdom.

The Lord showed me an unbelievable amount of similarities between Saul's conversion and Cornelius' conversion in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of Acts.

As we have read in our texts, both men's experiences were quite supernatural, although their lifestyles were completely different -- Saul being a Pharisee and Cornelius being a Roman soldier.
  • Yet both sought God and were caught by God's eyes, most likely due to their sincerity of heart, though they simply were far from the truth.
  • Saul might have been seeking to persecute the church, but he was wholeheartedly doing it as unto the Lord, dedicating much time and effort to do what he honestly thought was God's will.
  • Cornelius feared God with all his house, and was praying always, as well as doing good in the best means he knew how to do it.
  • And BOTH MEN EXPERIENCED A SUPERNATURAL VISION FROM GOD.


A light shone round Saul, and it slammed him to the ground and actually blinded him.

Acts 9:8 KJV  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

Both men never had such a supernatural experience like this before.
  • Very religious, but no supernatural experiences.
  • Like so many today.
  • And both men were told that SOMEONE would come to them and TELL THEM WHAT THEY MUST DO.
  • Saul would go to Damascus and there be told what to do.
  • Cornelius must send for a man named SIMON PETER, who would tell him what to do.

In both cases, neither God nor the angel told these men what to do, themselves.
  • So we see they were left in wonderment.
  • And it turned out that both men were told what to do by MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.

Not only were these men supernaturally instructed about something they would soon learn as to "what to do", but the men chosen by God to inform them as to what to do were ALSO GIVEN SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCES AND VISIONS ABOUT SAUL AND CORNELIUS, to whom they would minister.
  • There was mutual preparation for the minister and the one being ministered to, in both Saul's and Cornelius' cases.
  • After Saul was given this vision of Jesus, a man in Damascus named Ananias saw a vision.

Acts 9:10-12 KJV  And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.  (11)  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,  (12)  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

Here is Peter's vision.

Acts 10:9-13 KJV  On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:  (10)  And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,  (11)  And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:  (12)  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  (13)  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 

What is extremely interesting about these men's visions, is that IN BOTH CASES THE ONE TO MINISTER COULD NOT ACCEPT WHAT THEY WERE SEEING.
  • They doubted what God was trying to tell them.

Acts 9:13-16 KJV  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:  (14)  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.  (15)  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:  (16)  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Acts 10:12-16 KJV  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  (13)  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.  (14)  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.  (15)  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.  (16)  This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Notice the very VERSE NUMBERS of each chapter almost perfectly coincide!

The note Ananias had a hard time swallowing, EVEN WHEN GOD WAS SPEAKING ABOUT IT, was how Saul of Tarsus was being chosen by God after Saul had been the world's worst persecutor of the church, actually beating Christians in every synagogue, and given authority to bind them, men and women included..

Acts 8:3 KJV  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

Acts 22:4-5 KJV  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.  (5)  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

Get the picture:  God is telling Ananias to go and minister to Saul of Tarsus, and Ananias DOUBTS THIS even though he knows GOD IS SPEAKING TO HIM ABOUT IT.
  • And while Ananias mentioned Saul was binding all who call on Jesus' name, Jesus speaks to him and says Saul will BEAR JESUS' NAME before kings and Gentiles and Israelites.
  • And Saul will come to love that name so much that he will suffer great things for Jesus' name.

In Peter's case, Peter questioned God's vision to him which reflected how Peter would react to what God wanted him to do with Cornelius.

Peter was shown unclean animals and told to eat them, when Israelites were commanded by OLD TESTAMENT LAW to not eat such animals.
  • We come to find out that the reason God gave him that sort of vision was because PETER WAS TO ENTER AN UNCLEAN  GENTILE'S HOUSE AND MINISTER to him.
  • Peter never would have allowed such a thing to happen.

In BOTH CASES, Saul and Cornelius were the type of people that MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH STRONGLY HESITATED TO DEAL WITH even when God was telling them to do so.
  • These were human lives they never believed GOD COULD ACTUALLY SAVE.
  • These were tow men whom MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL actually felt would never become part of the church.
  • Saul: He was the church's worst persecutor!
  • Cornelius: He was an uncircumcised gentile.

God wanted to do the work, but the church DID NOT BELIEVE HE COULD!

There was also instances of DARKNESS involved in both cases, in speaking of someone's understanding.
  • Saul of Tarsus was not given the least bit of assurance that he would even be blessed, let alone saved!
  • All the Lord told him was he must go to Damascus and await further instructions.
  • For all he knew, he would be executed or severely rebuked.
  • And to virtually mark this wonderment, SAUL IS BLINDED FOR THREE DAYS before Ananias came to minister to him.

Acts 9:8-9 KJV  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.  (9)  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

During that three day period of blindness he ate and drank nothing.
  • I would say he was so distraught and smitten by God that heavy conviction set into his heart.
  • He simply could not eat anything.
  • Imagine the conviction that set in!
  • Imagine the realization of all his understanding about God and God's laws being incorrect and wrong since the Lord Jesus came and died.
  • All his religious efforts were wasted and completely misdirected to the extent he was actually fighting against JESUS, HIMSELF.
  • He did not even know Who His LORD really was all that time, let alone thinking he was serving Him, for when Jesus appeared and asked why Saul persecuted Him, Saul replied asking, "Who art thou, Lord?"
  • Saul obviously did not even know Whom the Lord was if he thought he worked for Him and was actually fighting against Him!

WHAT A WONDROUS THREE DAYS SAUL MUST HAVE EXPERIENCED!

Saul was praying!!!!

Acts 9:11 KJV  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

Galatians 1:15-16 KJV  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,  (16)  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

The beginnings of a man who would turn the world upsidedown!
  • He'd preach from Jerusalem to the north of Italy aside Germany!

Romans 15:19 KJV  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Saul's whole world of traditions was thrown upsidedown and revealed to actually have been WORKING AGAINST GOD'S WILL..

And ANANIAS' entire CHRISTIAN traditions were thrown upsidedown as well!
  • He never thought such a man could be saved!

In Cornelius' case, this gentile man had hi s traditions totally turned around as well, since all his prayers and alms giving and fear of God were yet NOT ENOUGH to make him right in the eyes of God.
  • But his sincerity caught God's eye to bring him to what WOULD save him!

And all Peter's traditions that crept into His Christianity would be thrown around as well.
  • He still felt gentiles could not be saved.
  • They had to be circumcised!

Peter is left wondering what the vision meant, and Saul is left blind for three days!

Then Saul is healed, receives the Holy Ghost and can see again, and is baptized in Jesus name, as with Cornelius!

SAUL:  Acts 9:17-18 KJV  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  (18)  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Acts 22:16 KJV  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

CORNELIUS:  Acts 10:47-48 KJV  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?  (48)  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.


Not only that, but BOTH SAUL AND PETER are put in this physical blindness and spiritual blindness, respectively, occurred AT THE SAME HOUR OF THE DAY!

Acts 10:9-10 KJV  On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:  (10)  And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

THE SIXTH HOUR IS NOONTIME, counting from 6am in the morning.

Peter experiences a darkness in not knowing what the vision meant at NOON!

Although we do not read of what TIME Saul saw the light and was blinded in Acts 9, Acts 22 has him recounting this experience in which he DOES give the time.

Acts 22:6 KJV  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Acts 22:11 KJV  And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

BOTH EXPERIENCED SIMILAR THINGS AT NOON!

Noon time is no only supposed to be the brightest time of the day, when the sun is shining at it's apex, BUT SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED AT NOON, very similarly.

Matthew 27:44-45 KJV  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.  (45)  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

While Jesus was on the cross, IT BECAME DARK AT NOON!
  • The same time much later when Saul of Tarsus saw the light of Christ and was blinded, and the same time Peter saw a vision was was totally lost as to it's meaning.

But while Peter thought about it, he doubted!

Acts 10:17 KJV  Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,

Acts 10:19-20 KJV  While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.  (20)  Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

DOUBT NOTHING, PETER!
  • Stop worrying!
  • You do not know what God is doing right now, and God has not chosen to inform you.
  • BUT GOD IS WORKING AND YOU MUST TRUST HIM.
  • Folks, we must learn to TRUST GOD when we do not understand, and when things go the way WE DID NOT EXPECT THEM TO GO.
  • TRUST GOD ANYWAY!

And when Peter comes to Cornelius' house, he realizes what the vision meant.
  • HE SAW GENTILES!!!

Acts 10:28 KJV  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

He hears Cornelius tell of his experience, and then says:

Acts 10:34 KJV  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:



JERUSALEM DOUBTS THE SAME THINGS.

After each man is ministered to by these men of God, Ananias and Peter, THE VERY THING ANANIAS AND PETER DOUBTED ARE RAISED ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN NEWS OF CORNELIUS AND SAUL REACHES THE Jerusalem CHURCH.

Acts 9:26-27 KJV  And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.  (27)  But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Acts 11:1-3 KJV  And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.  (2)  And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,  (3)  Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.

Saul was doubted by JERUSALEM due to his past reputation of fighting Christians.

Cornelius is doubted by JERUSALEM because he was an uncircumcised Gentile.

...AFTER THESE MEN WERE SAVED!

The same thing that hindered their salvation even before they were saved in the minds of the very ministers who would minister to them!

CHURCH, THE CROSS CAN DO FAR MORE THAN WHAT YOUR TRADITIONS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACCEPT.
  • When it comes to LIVES BEING CHANGED, everyone of us have doubts about SOME PEOPLE.
But we need to take these lessons and realize that GOD CAN SAVE ANYONE BY THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST.

There is more the cross can do THAN YOUR TRADITIONS ALLOW YOU TO ACCEPT!

God needs to SAVE US OUT OF OUR traditions, so others can be saved!!

There are TIMES MENTIONED in both these men's cases that are significant time elements of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
  • This connects us in a spiritual manner showing to the cross of Jesus, using a spiritual message when you consider the times of things occurring and the same times that occurred with Christ's crucifixion.

PETER AND SAUL See a vision and are left not fully understanding something at the same time -- NOON -- the sixth hour -- when the sky grew dark while Jesus was crucified.
  • Saul's blindness lasts THREE DAYS.
  • THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME JESUS WAS IN THE GRAVE BEFORE HE RESURRECTED.

Peter's Vision left him in wonderment beginning at a SIXTH HOUR until he arrived four days later at Cornelius' house, AT THE NINTH HOUR.
  • Though they were not the same day, the sixth hour and the ninth hour of Christ's crucifixion was the precise time the sun turned dark.

Acts 10:3 KJV  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

Acts 10:30 KJV  And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

THE NINTH HOUR was when Peter realized what his vision meant, and the LIGHTS WENT ON, and gave Cornelius the instructions about Jesus' name baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, and he received the Holy Ghost and was baptized.

Matthew 27:45 KJV  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Not only  that, but Jesus died at the ninth hour.

Matthew 27:46 KJV  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 27:50-51 KJV  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  (51)  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

THE VEIL RENT!
  • REVELATION IS UNVEILING.
  • Peter received revelation about the vision.

Matthew 27:54 KJV  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

AND A CENTURION, LIKE CORNELIUS, SEES JESUS IS SON OF GOD, just as Cornelius saw this at the ninth hour when Peter preached!


THE THIRD DAY WAS WHEN SAUL SAW THE LIGHT AGAIN, as scales fell from his eyes, and was given the instructions from Ananias about Jesus name baptism and he received the Holy Ghost.

So Saul's blindness and Peter's lack of understanding lasted for key time periods significant in Jesus' crucifixion.

THE MESSAGE IS GOD CAN SAVE PEOPLE THROUGH THE WORK OF THE CROSS THAT OUR TRADITIONS DO NOT ALLOW US TO ACCEPT AS BEING ABLE TO BE SAVED.

THE CROSS CAN DO MORE IN A SOUL'S LIFE THAN WHAT OUR TRADITIONS ALLOW US TO BELIEVE.

Both ended in Holy Ghost infilling and Jesus' name Baptism.
  • But WHO God could save was not accepted both BEFORE AND AFTER GOD SAVED THEM!!!


LET ME CHANGE GEARS HERE, AND SAY TO BELIEVERS, YOU NEED TO BELIEVE FOR GOD TO DO MORE THAN WHAT YOU ALREADY ACCEPT HE CAN DO WITH YOURSELF.

Saul did not even believe all God would do with him, himself, after he was saved.

Acts 22:17-21 KJV  And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;  (18)  And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.  (19)  And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:  (20)  And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.  (21)  And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

Not only do WE not expect God to be able to save SOME PEOPLE, but WE OURSELVES DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR US!

AND perhaps it was because Saul saw the CHURCH react this way in their error.
  • In other words, false traditions in the church will also hinder the faith of the new ones who are saved!

Saul doubted God could use him anywhere, to help others come into the church, because he was held up by his past reputation and experiences in having imprisoned believers and endorsing Stephen's death.
  • But God reassured Saul that HE WOULD USE HIM.

YOU MAY NOT THINK GOD CAN DEAL WITH SOMETHING FROM YOUR PAST...
  • YOUR MIND HAS A "TRADITION" OR "RELIGIOUS ERROR" YOU NEED TO RELEASE.
  • God can instantly free drug addicts, and has done so, BUT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO BELIEVE HE CAN DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR PAST FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO DO IT WITH YOU!

God can do so much for the believer, that MINISTERS need to be released from traditions to accept it... and the church needs to be released from traditions to accept it... and the people, themselves, need to be released from doubt over their pasts that God can do it!

THIS IS THE UNCLEAR SIDE OF THE CROSS.
  • THINGS THE CROSS CAN DO THAT WE TEND TO NOT ACCEPT.
  • WE TEND TO NOT HAVE FAITH FOR THEM.

We all need to learn more about the cross.
  • Some people think they know everything about the cross, because all they think there is to know is that Jesus died on it and it was necessary to save us from sin and hell.
  • But THESE ARE THE TYPICAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.
  • THEY WILL INEVITABLY MISS GREAT WORKS THE CROSS CAN DO FOR THEIR LIVES.

Romans 6 is a stickler for so many, but it teaches the work of the cross can cause you to STOP SINNING!
  • It renders you DEAD TO SIN, for he that is dead is freed from sin!
  • But so many cannot believe the cross for that.

THE WORK OF THE CROSS CANNOT DO FOR YOU WHAT IT CAN DO UNTIL YOU ARE DELIVERED FROM TRADITIONS AND DOUBTS ABOUT YOURSELF AND GOD'S ABILITIES TOWARDS YOU.

Ephesians 3:20-21 KJV  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  (21)  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

HE CAN DO BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN ASK OR THINK!
  • That is God's Word about it!
  • Accept it and allow God to break you from your doubts about what God can do FOR YOU!
  • He can do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY beyond what you can imagine.
  • SO YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TRADITIONS AND IDEAS YOU PUT INTO YOUR CHRISTIANITY THAT ARE WRONG AND THAT NEED TO BE EXTRACTED FROM YOU.
  • So God will do ALL He can do!
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