Found, Restored, and Given New Purpose by Jesus

Christ finds people who feel like they have been left in a closet, stored away in a box, or put out on a table as something nobody wants anymore. Christ takes what looks broken, forgotten, corrupted, or useless and gives it new life, new purpose, and a new home. Second Corinthians 5:17 celebrates that reality: “The old has gone. The new is here.” God’s grace makes that BC to AD moment possible, when a life that was headed one direction is found and set on a new path.

Acts 9 shows that kind of interruption in Saul’s life. Saul thought he knew what his purpose was, but Saul was breathing out murderous threats and trying to stomp out the Way. Jesus steps into Saul’s path, stops him in his tracks, blinds him with light, and asks, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Christ does not merely correct Saul’s behavior. Christ redirects Saul’s whole life because God made Saul on purpose and for a purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 declares that God’s handiwork has been created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared in advance. God knows the intent of a life because God is the One who made it. Saul’s problem was not that he lacked religious activity. Saul’s worldview was skewed, corrupted, and off kilter. Christ brings Saul to the place where yielding is the only real choice.

Ananias reveals how hard forgiveness can be when a person’s past is known. Ananias knows Saul’s record, knows the harm Saul has done, and knows that Saul has come with authority to arrest believers. Yet God says, “Go.” God calls Saul His chosen instrument, and God sends Ananias to call the persecutor “Brother Saul.” The scales falling from Saul’s eyes picture more than restored sight. Christ removes the blindness that kept Saul from seeing his sin, his Savior, and his true purpose.

Barnabas continues what Ananias begins by standing beside Saul when the disciples are afraid to receive him. Ananias and Barnabas show what the church is meant to be: a place where past wrongdoing is not denied, but forgiveness and restoration are real. God raises up people who speak godly words into lives marked by failure, shame, and discouragement.

Paul’s testimony in 1 Timothy 1 makes clear that grace was not deserved. Paul calls himself a blasphemer, persecutor, violent man, and the worst of sinners, yet Christ pours out grace abundantly. Christ still finds the broken, the ruined, and the forgotten. God still gives an Ananias, a Barnabas, and a new purpose to those who yield their lives to Him.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God made each life with purpose. God does not discover a person’s value after that person becomes useful. God knows the intent of every life because He is the One who made it. A confused career path, a damaged past, or a season of wandering does not cancel God’s purpose. Christ can interrupt a life that is off base and redirect it toward what God prepared long ago. [10:33]
• 2. Christ interrupts misguided lives with mercy. Saul was not looking for Jesus when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Christ stopped Saul while Saul was actively working against Him, exposing both Saul’s sin and Saul’s blindness. Divine interruption can feel like everything has been brought to a halt, but Christ sometimes stops a person because He intends to give that person real sight. [07:10]
• 3. Forgiveness can outlive a dark record. Saul’s past was not imaginary, minor, or excusable. Christ called Saul out for persecuting Him, yet Christ also extended mercy and sent Ananias to receive Saul as a brother. Grace does not pretend that evil did not happen, but grace refuses to say that evil has the final word over a repentant life. [14:31]
• 4. The church needs Ananiases and Barnabases. Ananias went to the man he feared, and Barnabas stood beside the man others still distrusted. God often restores people through believers willing to speak encouragement, offer fellowship, and recognize genuine change. A church that cannot receive the forgiven will struggle to reflect the mercy it claims to have received. [19:54]
• 5. Grace gives broken people new purpose. Paul never claimed to deserve his calling, because Paul knew how corrupted his life had become. Christ poured out grace abundantly and turned a persecutor into an example of unlimited patience. God still takes what others have dismissed and places it in the hands of love, care, and purpose.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:38] - One Man’s Trash, Another Man’s Treasure
• [01:36] - Feeling Forgotten and Cast Aside
• [02:33] - Christ Makes All Things New
• [04:20] - Saul’s Life Interrupted on the Road
• [06:44] - God Redirects a Misguided Purpose
• [08:20] - Made on Purpose and for a Purpose
• [11:32] - Ananias Wrestles with Saul’s Past
• [13:33] - Forgiveness Is Always There
• [15:39] - Barnabas Brings Saul to the Apostles
• [19:15] - Brother Saul and the Falling Scales
• [21:43] - Yielding Life to God
• [23:32] - Paul’s Testimony of Abundant Grace
• [27:41] - The Church Restores the Broken
• [31:01] - Invitation to Faith and Restoration

Bible Reading

Acts 9:1-19
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 'Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.' The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, 'Ananias!' 'Yes, Lord,' he answered. The Lord told him, 'Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.' 'Lord,' Ananias answered, 'I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.' But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.' Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” [05:13]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” [03:12]

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” [10:12]

Observation questions

1. What was Saul doing and planning to do when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus? [05:25]
2. What did Jesus ask Saul, and what instructions did He give Saul after revealing Himself? [05:44]
3. What concerns did Ananias raise when God told him to go to Saul, and what did those concerns reveal about Saul’s reputation? [12:10]
4. What happened after Ananias called him “Brother Saul,” and how did Saul respond to the restoration he received? [19:15]

Interpretation questions

1. Saul was deeply religious and very active, yet he was working against Jesus. What does this show about the difference between being religiously busy and truly following God’s purpose? [22:32]
2. Jesus stopped Saul on a path Saul believed was right. Why can God’s interruptions feel difficult or painful at first, yet become an act of mercy? [06:44]
3. God did not deny Saul’s violence or the harm he had done, but He still called Saul His chosen instrument. What does this reveal about forgiveness, repentance, and God’s ability to give a person a new purpose? [19:01]
4. Ananias welcomed Saul and Barnabas later stood beside him when others were afraid. Why might restored people need both forgiveness and patient support from the church? [16:15]

Application questions

1. Is there an area of life where a person may be moving forward with confidence but needs Christ to redirect the path? What might yielding to God look like in that situation? [21:33]
2. When have feelings of failure, shame, or being forgotten made it hard to believe that God still has purpose for a life? How does being God’s handiwork reshape that struggle? [10:12]
3. Is there a past sin, failure, or painful part of a personal story that still feels like it has the final word? What would it look like to receive Christ’s grace as a real new beginning rather than merely trying to hide the past? [26:29]
4. Who is someone that may need an Ananias—a person willing to take a faithful step toward them, speak truth and encouragement, and remind them of God’s mercy? What is one wise and practical way to reach out? [19:54]
5. Is there someone whose past makes it difficult to trust, welcome, or forgive them? How can grace be extended without pretending that their wrongdoing was harmless or ignoring needed wisdom and boundaries? [14:27]
6. Who has been a Barnabas or Ananias in a difficult season—someone who encouraged, welcomed, or helped restore faith? How can gratitude for that person lead to similar encouragement for someone else this week? [27:41]