Are you too wicked to be saved?

Act 9:1-2 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Here is two verses we need to keep in mind if we (or someone we know) thinks that they are too wicked to be saved. Many people will throw up there hands and automatically assume God can't save them because of all the bad things they have done in their life. These 2 verses in Acts 9 sum up the wickedness of Saul of Tarsus. He not only hunted Christians down to imprison and kill them, but as we see here he went the extra mile to get permission to “expand his territory”. He was not content to do his thing where he was, he wanted to take his havoc on the road. But God had other plans. God has other plans for all of us if we will repent and surrender our life to Him. The question isn't, “can God save me?”, He can. And the question isn't “can I repent?”, the question is “will you repent?”

Act 9:3-5 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Have you ever thought about Saul's question to Jesus here? He said, “Who are You, Lord?”. At this point Saul is a very religious man, he was very zealous in serving God and thought he was doing what God wanted him to do. Can you imagine how stunned he was when the God He thought he was serving said, “why are you persecuting Me?”

In verse 5 when Jesus says, “It is hard to kick against the goads” I've always been confused by that. But I was listening to a preacher a few weeks ago talk about this and his contention was, Saul felt the conviction of the way Stephen died as Saul stood by watching him get stoned to death. Saul listened to Stephen talk about the Heavens opening up and Jesus standing there, Saul heard Stephen pray that Jesus receive his spirit, and Saul heard Stephen pray that The Lord not hold this sin against them. At that point Saul knew there was something different about Jesus and those that followed Him, yet he was resisting that conviction, thus kicking against the goads.

Look at Saul's response when he finally realizes that Jesus is Lord:

Acts 9:6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

“LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?” Not, “hmmm, let's see how I can work this Christianity thing in to my life without changing too much.” NO, Saul was ready and willing to follow and serve Jesus!

Look at what Saul did after Jesus used Ananias to restore his site:
Acts 9:17b ... "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Acts 9:18b ...and he arose and was baptized.

Acts 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

I love the last part of verse 22. We don't get much detail on how he did this, but it simply says, he “proved” that Jesus is The Christ. Saul, one of the most religious, educated, intelligent men to come out of Jerusalem is now proving to the Jews that Jesus is The Christ!

Acts 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Now the Jewish Leaders that were cheering Saul on as he hunted Christians, the ones that were of the same mind as those giving Saul authority to do so in Damascus, now have a different attitude toward him. Did they get saved? Are they now ready to give their life to Jesus as Saul did?:

Acts 9:23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.