58 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 3 - Part 2 - Book 5 - Introducing Paul

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 5 Old Testament Progress: Introducing Paul Turn to Acts Chapter 7. After the Holy Spirit came down, the Old Testament program just came to a halt. God’s Time Clock stopped. It is still future, and in that interim, God has, by way of the working of the Holy Spirit, been calling out a people for His Name. Over and over it tells us he’s a man full of the Holy Spirit. We always think of Him as seated at the right hand of God. It was a terrible persecution and so vicious that when you come down to Acts Chapter 8, verse 1, it says "...Saul was consenting unto his death. The Greek word is ecclesia. Stephen, in Chapter 7, speaks of Israel as being the church in the wilderness. A called out assembly. Paul almost always identifies it as the Body of Christ, which is the Church. This assembly of course, is Jewish believers at Jerusalem. "As for Saul, he made havock of the church,(or these called-out Jewish believers) entering into every house, and haling men and women (and) committed them to prison." In other words, Saul was just so intent on stamping out anyone who was following this Jesus of Nazareth. Why? Saul was a tremendously religious man. Saul of Tarsus honestly thought that Jesus was an imposter, a blasphemer. Jesus is the foundation of it, no doubt! The Apostle Paul! Gentiles didn’t worship in the synagogues. God is sovereignly working to interrupt His Old Testament program in order to make room, to call out a Bride, a Gentile Bride, for the Son. It was Saul who said, "...Who art thou, Lord...?" Well, Jehovah. That’s the God that he knew intricately, he thought. That was the God he thought he was serving – the God of Abraham – Jehovah. So, I like to think that when Saul saw all of this happening, he just cried out,"Who art thou Jehovah?" And now, look what Jesus (or Jehovah, if you please) answers: "And Jehovah said, I am Jesus." I think Saul, as we know he did, just melted. "...Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?..." Never lose sight of the fact that Jehovah, God the Son in the Old Testament, is Christ in the New Testament.There is no difference in their personality. Let's go to verse 10: Then Ananias answered, 'Lord I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.' If you have any idea of how the Jew felt about Gentiles, turn with me, if you will, to Chapter 22, just to get an idea of how the average Jew, at that time, felt about Gentiles. Now, let’s look at verse 17 of Chapter 22, where Paul, as we now call him, is addressing again, a tremendous Jewish crowd there in Jerusalem. – Gentile! Then Paul received food. Acts 9:20 "And straightway, he preached Christ (where?) in the synagogue..." Matthew 16:13-16 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? That Jesus is The Christ, The Messiah, The Son of God. Now, was Jesus satisfied with that answer? Matthew 16:17 "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed are thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Now, turn to Acts Chapter 8. This, of course, is taking place before Saul’s conversion in Chapter 9. In Acts Chapter 8, Philip has been up to Samaria. He’s been preaching there that Christ is The Messiah. "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, 'Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.' "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him" Christ crucified? No! He preached unto him 'Jesus.' He doesn’t preach Christ crucified. ...And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'" Now, come across to Chapter 9, Here we find Saul has received his sight. Could God let Saul, later known as Paul, go and preach that message? the) Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is (the) very Christ." What is Saul leaving out? Now, look how God sovereignly enters in. He can’t leave Saul there under those circumstances: Where does Saul go? It would have be logical for Saul to have gone back to Jerusalem, and said, "Hey fellows, fill me in. We are going to see that Saul is providentially moved from Damascus. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible