gb I want to speak this morning, I've titled the message, The Sin of Paul, the Apostle Paul. And I just bring up, if possible, a title that might pique your interest. Not that I judge the Apostle Paul or anything like that. I want to look at the Apostle Paul and how the Lord saved him, how the Lord worked in him, how the Lord works in every sinner in bringing him to salvation. And I want to start with these two scriptures. Romans 7 verse 18, and this is the Apostle Paul speaking. He says, I know that in me that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And then 1 Timothy 1:15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And here's the point I want to look at, Of whom I am chief. The Apostle Paul, and that's why I've titled it the sin of Paul; Paul said, I know that in me dwells no good thing, nothing good. Nothing but sin and wickedness. And he says, there in Timothy, he says, I am chief of sinners. Chief. The most sinful. I believe there was no other way that the Apostle Paul could label himself as being more sinful. That's what he has done here. He has labeled himself as the most sinful of all. And that's why I've called this the sin of Paul, the Apostle Paul. And I want to consider the Apostle Paul. I want to look at who he is, who he was, and why he considered himself to be so sinful. Now, may the Lord give me grace to bring this out. It is, and let me start by saying that old Paul or Saul, as he was called before the Lord saved him, he was no different from any of the rest of us. He was just a sinner, just a blind, deceived sinner. But let's look at old Saul there before he was saved. He was a very religious man, very religious. He said later, he said, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. There in Acts 23, he says his whole life was in and around and by the Pharisees. Not only was he taught the ways and the things, the life of a Pharisee, but he was raised in the home of a father who was a Pharisee. So all he knew was the life of a Pharisee. It was his whole life, everything about him pertained to being a Pharisee. And I heard Brother Shelton this morning at that early morning message, he said that the Pharisees would spend up to seven hours a day in prayer. So when we look at old Saul there, let's consider his life, his religious life. When he was, when Paul was giving testimony before King Agrippa, he said there, and this is in that 26th chapter of Acts, he says, after the most straightest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. He said the straightest sect, the straightest, the most strict. You might say the strictest of all. The Apostle Paul could have been what we might think of as the Pope of the Pharisees. He was at the top of the line. And now the next question you're probably going to say, well, what is a Pharisee anyway? What is a Pharisee? Well, we look up that word in a dictionary, and I use that, I think it's 1913 or something, Webster's Dictionary, because that's closer to the time when the words were used, the words that were in the English language. That's closer to the time the Bible was written in English, and so the words more accurately relate. So when he says a Pharisee, Webster says, one of a sect or party among the Jews noted for strict and formal observance of rites, ceremonies, and traditions of the elders whose pretensions to superior sanctity led them to separate themselves from the other Jews. These Pharisees, they followed and observed the rites and the ceremonies and all the traditions and those things to such extent that they had to separate themselves, because the other people wouldn't follow them. They had to separate themselves, much like we have to separate ourselves from the world, because the world won't follow us. They won't come with us. They won't join with us. We have to leave them. So the Pharisees, they had the rites, the ceremonies, And the traditions, and in that time, the traditions of the Jewish life, the traditions of the elders, were considered by most of the Jewish people, they were considered to be like the law of God. You didn't cross the traditions. So Paul said, that he lived the life of a Pharisee. Now he says he lived the life of a Pharisee. That means he didn't just claim to be a Pharisee, but he was a Pharisee. He didn't put up a front or put on a show or act out like he was a Pharisee when he was around certain people. But he lived continuously the life of a Pharisee. Now, as we saw, the Pharisees with their rites and ceremonies and traditions, their whole life was wrapped up in the worship of God, so to speak. But that's the deception of Satan. The darkened understanding, the blinded mind, all those things lead us astray, and that was the problem. Saul lived the life of a Pharisee, a very religious person. He didn't put on heirs or those things, but he spent his life in prayer, observing the rites and the ceremonies, doing the traditions, that he was supposed to do to make himself righteous before God. Now, when we look at these definitions, we have to say that Paul, with his righteousness and Keeping the law and the ceremonies and the traditions and all these things, he had to be right up there with, next to God and his righteousness and the things he did. He was a, you might say, worldly speaking, he was a good boy, a good person. You could expect, if you met up with old Paul, you could expect to be treated right. He went to work regular, faithful. His family was provided for. He wasn't a drunkard. He wasn't a dopehead. He wasn't out at night carousing around. He kept the moral law as well as he could, well as could be done. And I believe that if we spend great effort, we can make great gains at keeping the law. Not to say that we can keep it, but we can do much better than what we do. But he took great pains to do all these things. Great effort. And he was considered by all to be a good person. Religious, godly, holy. And so we have to say, well, considering all that Paul was, or Saul, as he was known then, what sin did the Lord hold against him? And then later in the life of the Apostle Paul, we find where he's saying these things, he says, He says, in me dwelleth no good thing. And then he says, I am chief of sinners. What is the Lord holding against Saul or Paul? Why is he such a bad guy? Why? Why? Such a holy and righteous person. He lived the most perfect life possible. What about you? How are you living your life? We would think about Paul before he was saved, or Saul. If he were to die, surely, surely he would go straight to heaven, wouldn't he? Because of his holiness, his righteousness, his keeping the law, all these things, wouldn't he go straight to heaven? Why is he calling himself so sinful? Why is he saying I'm chief of sinners? Why is he saying there's nothing good in me? I want to tell you, every lost sinner lives the same life. You say, oh no, Paul, he did this and he did that and he kept the traditions and the ceremonies and the rites and he kept the law and did all that. I don't do all that stuff and I can't do all that. And that's what I'm trying to bring out. You're no different. You're no different. No different. You live just like old Saul. You live a life of self-righteousness, sinfulness, wickedness, and no matter what you do or what you don't do, it doesn't matter how sinful you are or how righteous you are. You're sinful in the sight of God. You're wicked in the sight of God. Don't say, well, I'm not like that. I don't do those kind of things. I live a good life. Old Saul lived a good life. And if Saul had died before the Lord found him on the road to Damascus, he'd be in hell today. What kind of life are you living? Is your way of life, is it going to save you? Is it? Every lost sinner is no better off than Saul. You think, well, I wish I was half as good as Saul. You're no different. You live your life in self-righteousness just like he lived his life in self-righteousness. He lived in sin, you're living in sin. He was blind and deceived by Satan, his mind was darkened and he couldn't know, and you're the same way. You don't know, you don't realize how ignorant you are, how unable you are to see and to know the things of God, you can't tell. You're just as blind and deceived as Saul was when he headed out on the Damascus Road. No different. Saul believed in his heart that he was good, and he believed if he died, he'd go to heaven. And most people today think the same thing. I think I'll get by. I'm okay. I'm not that bad a person. I think I'll make it to heaven. But you won't. You won't. You don't see yourself as a wicked sinner. You don't see yourself as a sinner at all, do you? And that's the same problem Saul had. He didn't see himself as a sinner. He was going down that road to Damascus in his self-righteousness, thinking everything was good, thinking he was in the will of God, thinking he was holy and righteous. And all the time he was blind, he was deceived, he didn't know. He couldn't see that he was a wicked sinner. He thought he was righteous in the sight of God. He thought his works meant something to God, but he was blind, deceived. He was a typical lost sinner. Just another lost sinner, nothing special about him. That's what you are, typical lost sinner, just like Saul. You think you're okay before God, just like Saul. You think I'll get by some way, just like Saul. You know you're not perfect, but you think, well, God will accept me. Jesus died for me. He came to save sinners. I think I'll make it to heaven when I die, just like Saul. Saul was on that broad road to hell and didn't know it, just like you, on the broad road to hell and don't realize it, you'll tell about how good a life you've lived. You want to tell about how you gave your heart to Jesus, or how you trusted Jesus, or how you said the sinner's prayer and you was earnest, how you joined the church, whatever it may be. but now you expect to go to heaven when you die. But you're deceived. You're no different than Saul of Tarsus, there before the Lord found him. You're looking to your works to get you into heaven. Your works. What you did. You said the sinner's prayer, that's your works. You gave your heart to Jesus, your works. You've joined the church, your works. You're holding to your works in some manner, whatever it be, and you're looking to your works to get you into heaven. And the Bible tells us plainly that your works will never get you into heaven. You are just like all those people that the Lord spoke of There in Matthew 7:22, he said, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? Lord, haven't we? But the Lord will say to them, he says, then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Now that's those looking to their works. And look at these people, they boasted of their works. They did, they said, haven't we done many wonderful works? And I would say that these people were more like Saul than you are because they did "many wonderful works". What they did was far more than what most of us have ever done. We talk about saying a sinner's prayer or giving your heart to Jesus or joining a church, helping out, dipping soup on Thanksgiving or whenever. I give to the poor. We do works. These things won't save you. These people said, we've done many wonderful works, wonderful works. And we find they were rejected. They were denied entry into heaven. What kind of works have you done? Have you cast out devils? Have you prophesied in the name of the Lord? Have you done those things that you could hold up and say, look what I've done? I don't think any of us can say that, can we? So by that measure, you find that you're not near as good as these that the Lord cast out. And if you're not half as good as they are, what's your hope? They thought they would be gladly ushered into heaven because of their works, the things they did, but they found themselves shut out. They were deceived. They were deceived by Satan. They thought they were saved, but they didn't make their calling and election sure. They didn't do it, and the Bible tells every one of us, make your calling and election sure. We all need to stop at various times and consider, am I saved? Am I? Am I on a religious profession that's not gonna make it into heaven? Am I? You know, in the business world, you find, I know I've been into a lot of stores many times, and they'll say, oh, we're taking inventory, we're taking inventory, or closed for inventory or different things like that. That's where they go back and they add up all their stuff and their expenses and they check their income and they see, oh, I've been profitable. I'm making money. If you don't do that, it's kind of hard to tell. If you don't add up all your expenses and your inventory Income and those things, it's hard to tell if you're making money. Life is complicated, complex. And it's the same way with salvation. You get caught up in the world. You get distracted. You think you're saved, but you find maybe you never got to Christ. Never got to Christ. Are you going to check and make sure? We all need to check and make sure. Someone once said that eternity is too long and hell is too hot to be unsure, to make a mistake, to get it wrong. Eternity is too long and hell is too hot. We need to consider it. You have to have your sins put away. You have to be made clean by the blood of Christ. You have to come to know Jesus Christ as a personal savior to you. Did the Lord save you? Did he save you? Are you aware of what he's done for you? But let's look back at old Paul there. He was no different. He was just like you and me. Or maybe you and I are no different than him. However you want to put it. Paul saw his sinful, wicked heart. He came to see what he is in God's sight. And that's what the Lord will do for you. I stand here, if possible and as such, I stand beside old Paul and I say the same thing. I've seen my wickedness before God, I consider myself just as wicked as Paul, and I say the same things that he said, and I agree with him. In me dwelleth no good thing. In me dwelleth no good thing, and I'm the chief of sinners, and I have come to see that, by the grace of God. And so I say, what about you? How do you see yourself? One of the things that God does and one of the greatest things that God does, by the Holy Spirit, before salvation, is to open the blinded mind. The Lord opens it up, shines a light in, shows us what we are by nature. He shows us and makes us to know that we're nothing but just dupes of Satan. He does with us as he pleases, and we're happy to do what he wants. The Bible tells us that we're wicked from birth, that we have a wicked nature, We will and we do spend our lives doing the bidding of Satan, and we love it. By nature, our natural actions are wicked in God's sight, and our best actions, The actions there of Paul before the Lord saved him, of keeping the law, the rights, the ceremonies, the traditions, all those things, they are wicked and corrupt in the sight of God. They mean nothing. Because we have a darkened understanding and a blinded mind, we cannot please God. We don't know what God wants, we can't understand what God wants, and we are not able to do anything pleasing in the sight of God. We're unable. Did you give your heart to Jesus? Did you? Do you trust him? Did you say the sinner's prayer? These things mean nothing to God. These are your works. He doesn't want your works, and he certainly doesn't want your wicked old heart. Did you say the sinner's prayer? Were you earnest and sincere? God's not impressed with your earnestness and sincerity. Offering up your prayer of works will not get you into heaven. Before you're saved, The Lord will awaken you and he'll show you what you are in God's sight. That's the beginning of repentance. He will show you and he'll give you a short, quick look because you can't endure, you can't bear a good, hard look at yourself. You can't endure it. It'll drive you insane. So God gives you a short, quick look. And when you see that short, quick look, it's enough. It's enough for you to see and earnestly realize what you are before God. It's an awful thing to see. But when you see it, the Lord knows how much to show you, He lets you see what you need to see quickly, and when he does, you'll begin to see a need for salvation. You'll see the awfulness of it. He'll open that blinded mind, you'll understand it, and you'll never get over it; what you are by nature. Whenever that knowledge, that understanding, comes into your mind, that knowledge of what a sinner you are, when it comes into your mind, you'll never get over it, and you'll begin to see that you have a need for salvation, I need Christ. You begin to see what Christ did, what it means to be saved, You see, the Apostle Paul, or Saul, there in his religious life, he was just blind. He didn't know. He lived a good life, righteous life, so to speak. But nothing happened. He never saw himself a sinner. The Lord never awakened him. He went on in his life. And that's every one of us If the Lord never sends the Holy Spirit to awaken you. you'll be just like the old Saul there before the Lord came. You'll go on in your life, you'll think you're okay, you'll do what you think is right, and you'll continue your life until you die and drop into hell. If the Lord doesn't move on you, if he doesn't send the Holy Spirit, you'll remain blind, you'll remain deceived, you'll remain in your sin. If the Lord shows you, you'll know it. You won't be able to get away from it. When the Lord awakened Saul, He'd never seen himself as a sinner before God. And I believe in a very real sense to him, more so than most of us, because we haven't spent our lives trying to be righteous before God. But old Saul, when the Lord awakened him, shined that light on him, not only Did he see his sin, He saw all of the wasted years that he had spent thinking he was doing something. He was looking to all his works and they were nothing. When the Lord appeared to him there on that road to Damascus, he saw himself as God sees him. The Lord awakened him there on that road; stopped him there in the middle of the road, dealt with him personally, made him to know right there that he was opposing God. made him to know what a sinner he is. Before that time, he didn't know. He didn't know. And until the Lord awakens you, you don't know. You say, oh, well, Saul was doing some really bad things. No, he's no different than you. No different. He thought he was a good person, and after the Lord awakened him, opened his blind mind, enlightened him, now he's a different person. He's a different person. Now, instead of, what a good guy I am, now he says, I'm the chief of sinners. Now, he moans the fact that "in me there is no good thing", nothing good in me. I'm just an old sinner. He sees himself apart from all his self-righteous rags. And when you look past your self-righteousness, when you see the natural man as God sees you, you will see no good thing. because there is nothing good there. No good thing. That brings one scripture to mind about, I believe, how it all comes about. Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? We deceive ourselves, Satan deceives us, we're desperately wicked, and we do the bidding of Satan gladly. We're naturally, desperately wicked. And that's part of what the Lord will make you to know when he shines that light. In Genesis it says, the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. All our thoughts are impure before God. Our thoughts, even our thoughts; we begin to have evil thoughts as soon as we're able to form a thought. We are deceived According to Revelation 12:9, we're deceived by Satan. He deceives the whole world. Every unsaved person is deceived by Satan. And one of the things that the Holy Spirit must do in salvation is break Satan's deception so that we can see and understand that wicked heart, those wicked thoughts. And without the work of the Holy Spirit, Every one of us will continue blind, deceived, without help, without hope. We'll go about thinking we're good, thinking I'm okay, unable to see the sin and the wickedness that fills us by nature. Look at the Holy Spirit for just a minute. When we look at salvation, we find that we don't need only a Savior, but we need a Teacher. And the Holy Spirit has come to teach us, just the same as Christ came to save us. Did you realize that? The Holy Spirit must do his work in teaching just the same as Christ must do his work in redemption. And Christ said it is finished. His work is done. But the Holy Spirit's work is yet to be done in the life of a lost sinner. It must be done in preparing the heart to understand what we are by nature and what God is. And without, Listen, without the work of the Holy Spirit, we cannot know the things of God. We can't know. We can't know. In our natural state, we are incapable of knowing the things of God. These things must be taught by the Holy Spirit. They must, and what He teaches, we will never forget. He teaches by enlightening the understanding. He teaches by making us able, giving us power to understand. And apart from His work, we're not able. We can't do it. We can never understand apart from the working of the Holy Spirit. He reveals hidden things to us, hidden things by shining a light on them. Shining the light puts thoughts into the mind, makes us to see and to know what we are by nature, things that have always been there, but we never knew it, never knew it. Has the Holy Spirit ever moved upon your darkened soul and shown you what you are and what Christ is? Has He? If He hasn't, you're not saved. It's this working of the Holy Spirit that touched the heart of the Apostle Paul and made him to know his awful, darkened, sinful state before God. It was the Holy Spirit coming there and working in him. And after a sinner is saved, the Holy Spirit will indwell the believer And the believer will continually be taught of the spirit. He will continually see more and more of his awful state before God. And this will bring about more and more that awful cry, Oh, wretched man that I am, Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The apostle Paul was another sinner, just like any one of us, every one of us. He was a sinner in need of salvation. And the Lord met him there on the road to Damascus, began that work in him that was finished three days later. May the Lord help us. Our time is up. Y'all come back tonight. May the Lord bless you. Our Father, I thank you for this time. Thank you for thy word. Thank you for salvation in Christ. Thank you, Lord, for that blood that washes whiter than snow. Bless us now. Go with us, Lord, through the remainder of the day and I ask it all in Christ's name. Amen.