‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
3 sermons cite this verse
… So one day I'm on such a mission to Damascus armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. About noon, your majesty, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to fight against my will. I said, who are you, sir? And the Lord replied, I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. He loved to tell this story because it built a bridge and that brings me to my first point. when you want to share your faith with someone, find common ground and build a bridge to your listener. Notice what he says in verse two. I'm fortunate King Agrippa, you are the one hearing my defense. Now that can sound like flattery. He also says, your majesty. Hey, he's just having respect for the guy. I know you're a king. I know you're a ruler. …
… and that started eating away and eating away at Saul of Tarsus that's why on the Damascus road when the Lord said I am Jesus whom you are persecuting the very next thing he says it's hard for you to kick against the goads hard for you to fight the conviction that you're experiencing in your heart right now those goads that are pricking at your heart the conviction that you feel. You watch this man die for Jesus. You're out trying to find and gather and kill others like him. He was fighting conviction. And I've discovered when a person is fighting conviction, they're miserable to be around. Look out. If you live with an unbeliever who's fighting the conviction of the Holy Spirit, let me know so I can pray for you. It's the only way you'll make it through. Verse 16, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles. I'll jog your memory again. Later on when Saul goes to Jerusalem, he's in the temple. He gets arrested. …
… It is hard for you to kick against the goyd. So I said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I feel a shout coming on me right there. Somebody say amen. In other words, Paul is saying, I had an encounter with God. God met me where I was. He met me in my situation. He met me in my circumstance. And some of y'all got that same testimony. God spoke to you while you were in the club. God spoke to you while you were as high as a kite. God spoke to you while you were drunken and drunk. Let me go back here. I just, I just... They ain't saying nothing to me. Let me come back to the crowd who've been at the club. …