Recently, while doing my daily treadmill running, I have been reading a non-religious biography that Sister Kathy recommended to me. It is called “The Woman Who Smashed Codes,” by Jason Fagone. The description on the cover says, “A true story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies.” Elizabeth Friedman, along with her husband William, was a code-breaking genius who did as much in this country as the team at Bletchley Park did in England, breaking German and Japanese military codes. With pen an paper she broke the Enigma Code at about the same time as Alan Turing did it in England. Her biographer says, “During the Second World War, an American woman figured out how to sweep the globe of undercover Nazis. The poof was on paper; four thousand typed decryptions of clandestine Nazi messages that her team shared with the global intelligence community. She had conquered at least 48 different clandestine radio circuits and three Engima machines to get these plain texts. These pieces of paper saved lives. They almost certainly stopped coups (throughout South America). They put fascist spies in prison. By any measure, Elizebeth was a great heroin of the Second World War.” Sadly, the ego-maniac J. Edgar Hoover, gave this woman no credit whatsoever. And her history lay buried under government restrictions for decades.
A case in point, before we return to the scripture, was the Duquesne case. Frederick (Fritz) Duquesne, was a South African, who had become an naturalized American citizen. Several times a week in 1941, Duquesne met with William Sebold, exchanging sensitive information which Sebold sent to Germany in code from a secret Long Island radio. Together they enlisted thirty-three spies in this country to gather American secrets to pass on to Germany. The transmitted messages were coded with a book cipher that Elizebeth had already come to understand. She read everything that was sent back and forth from Germany, passing on what she learned to the FBI. A twist in the story is that William Sebold was a double agent; working for the Americans. To make a great story simple, the FBI used Elizebeth’s code-breaking and Sebold’s double-agenting to bring to an end the last major German spy ring in this country.
For the sake of this illustration, I wish I could say that William Sebold was a Nazi who was “turned” by American agents to serve this country. He wasn’t. He was one of the “good guys” from the very beginning. He had been born in Germany, and while visiting his family in 1939, he was approached by the Nazis. He immediately reported it to the American government. When Nazis contacted him again after he returned home, he agreed to become a double agent for the United States As I say, this story would be better if I could say that Sebold was a German spy who switched sides. While he didn’t, there were many, many others around the world who were turned into double agents.
And with this I return to our lesson from God’s Word. Paul the Apostle, was formerly a servant of the other side; at the time he was known as Saul of Tarsus. But with the war waging between Satan and Christ, Saul was “turned,” becoming an agent for the Lord.
There are a couple of interesting plays on words in these verses. There is “follow after” and “I press toward the mark,” which we’ll consider in a different message. This morning, I am interested in the word “apprehended” which Paul uses three times. “I follow after, if that I may APPREHEND that for which I am APPREHENDED of Christ Jesus. “Brethren, I count not myself to have APPREHENDED…”
There are two Greek words sometimes translated “apprehend” – but only one of them is used here – three times. And just as you’ll find in Webster’s Dictionary, the Greek can mean either “to take” or “to understand.” I think that both ideas are employed here by Paul. 33% of the time this Greek word is translated “to comprehend” or “to perceive.” But far more often it is rendered “to take” or “to apprehend.” The last clause of verse 12 could read, “I am TAKEN… I have been TAKEN by Christ Jesus.” And the meaning is “I was ARRESTED by Christ.” After this arrest, Saul became a servant of the one who arrested him.
This short message has 3 simple points: the CRIMINAL, the OFFICER who arrested him and his SENTENCE.
Consider once again, the CRIMINAL in this case – Saul, the persecutor.
Please turn to Acts 26 where Paul gives his testimony to King Agrippa. Verse 2 – “I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews.” Skip down to verse 9 – “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests…”
Here we see the criminality of Saul. He confesses to purposefully and deliberately doing many things contrary to will of Jesus, the Son of God. He went into private homes and even into places of worship to arrest people. He imprisoned innocent believers illegally – without due cause. He testified against Christians with the purpose having them condemned to death. He compelled, and I’ll assume tortured, people into blasphemy against God so he could kill them. And when he had solidified that persecution in Jerusalem, he began going elsewhere to do the same.
Verse 13 – But then, “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.”
Like French men and women who had supported the Nazis, when the war ended many of them were hunted down and murdered. When Saul became an apostle of Christ, his former associates tried their best to silence him. But Paul was protected by His new King.
Saul of Tarsus was an enemy of Christ – a rebellious sinner who knowingly shook his fist in Christ’s face. He was a son of his true father, the Devil, and the lusts of his father he carried out. His fuhrer, Satan, was “a liar and a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there was no truth in him.” When it came to the German spies in the Americas, it was sometimes a good idea to let them continue plying their evil trade, while listening to everything they were saying. But then at other times, the Allies had no alternative but to cut them off – too many lives were at stake. And God in His wisdom, said to Saul, “This is enough,” and he was apprehended.
The OFFICER who brought him down was none other than the King whom Saul was trying to dethrone.
Acts 9:3 – “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…”
As Elizebeth Friedman was feeding data to J. Edgar Hoover, he was passing that information onto President Roosevelt, under his own name. At one point in the war Elizebeth learned that an Argentinian diplomat was going to be carrying secret messages to Germany from the Island of Trinidad. Based on that information, FDR ordered that the man be kidnaped – something overtly illegal. It was an especially important arrest, not unlike the apprehension of Saul of Tarsus. You could say that Osmar Hellmuth was arrested directly by Franklin D. Roosevelt. While that might not be exactly true, Saul of Tarsus was arrested, in person, by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And just as Mrs. Friedman had been listening to the messages sent across the Atlantic to Germany, the omniscient Christ heard every word Saul had ever said about Him. God knew every move, every motive, every immoral moment that had crossed the heart and life of Saul. When Hellmuth boarded the ship to sail to Spain, the Allies were waiting for him. And the Lord Jesus was waiting for Saul, just outside the walls of Damascus, Syria.
And with that we come to the SENTENCE this criminal received.
Simply put Christ flipped this criminal, this spy, into a COUNTER-AGENT. Saul was arrested – he was apprehended of Christ Jesus, while on a mission to Damascus. He was intent on bringing down the government of the Lord Jesus. But that omnipotent government came crashing down on his head. “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Instantly Saul changed his spiritual allegiance. “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…” “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
The conversion of Saul of Tarsus has been taught and preached thousands of times and not a few times here. But I’d like you to see and remember Paul’s words in Philippians – “I was apprehended by Christ Jesus.” Saul was not looking for Christ; Christ Jesus was looking for him. Saul was not seeking Christ, and Jesus wasn’t really seeking him in the sense He didn’t know where he was. Saul was on his way to carry out more of his horrendous wickedness and Christ arrested him – stopped him.
This is true of every one whom the Lord saves. Sometimes the Lord plants in hearts a desire to escape their life of sin and crime. But quite often they are simply arrested in the very act of their rebellion. In either case it is the Lord who is on the hunt, and it is He who makes the arrest, not the other way around.
But again, what about the sentence against this wicked sinner? Saul was flipped. The agent for sin, became an agent for Christ. There was no coercion; there was no torture or threats against his family still back in the fatherland. Saul instantly found there was a new heart in that old chest of his. It may have been with trembling and astonishment, but he voluntarily said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And he meant every word. According to Paul’s own testimony, Christ Jesus said to him – “Rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Apprehended in the very act of treachery against Christ, Saul was sentenced to thirty years of hard labor. But it was the laborious work preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Saul, and others, had been tools of Satan in the poisoning and condemning of eternal souls. But now the converted agent was becoming an agent of the glorious Son of God. Did Saul have a choice? In a sense he did. But when he was arrested, his heart was flipped through the work of the God and His grace. Willingly he said, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision; But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.” His old Fuhrer was furious to learn of Saul’s conversion, so he brought his guns to bear on him. But it made no difference, Saul became Paul, the willing servant of the One true and living King.
And what was the message that former criminal and rebel began to preach? “Open your eyes; turn from your darkness to the light of the world – Jesus Christ.” “Turn from the power of Satan unto God; repent before Him.” In order that ye may “receive forgiveness of sin and inheritance among them who are saints by the faith that is in Christ.”
That is still the message of God today. In a world filled with physical and spiritual blood-shed… In a world still at war – openly and covertly – against Jehovah In a world permeated with hatred against the One true and living God… In a world filled with paranoia and panic, stirred by the satanic god of this world… There is a message of peace with the God who will never lose or relinquish His throne. But – the rebel must repent – or be executed. “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.” The unbeliever must humbly put his faith, trust and allegiance in the Prince, the Son of God.
And that means YOU. As the Lord speaks to your heart about your rebellion and sin … And as the Lord changes your heart about your allegiance… Turn from your wicked ways and surrender to His arresting officer. I can tell you that if you “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ… thou shalt be saved” from the eternal execution which we all deserve.