Tom – Your tea is on the table!!!!!
Yes, yes!!! I’m coming – be there in a minute.
Tom , I’ve been slaving over a hot stove you get here this minute young man!!!!
Yes – I have only one more nut to put on Mum then I’ll be there!!!
Tom – What are you doing?
Well I lost the nut – it must be here somewhere.
Tom – come and get your dinner.
Well – that nut must be somewhere!!!
Tom – you obviously aren’t coming!!!
yes in a minute. I’ve lost the nut. Oh – now I dropped the bolt.
Tom!!
Coming Mum – where’s my tea.?
Down there on the floor.
But the cats eating it – It’s omlet my favourite!!! You gave my omlet to the Cat!!!
Well you didn’t want it and it was cold.
Tom thought he was doing the right thing working on his bike – but the truth is he ignored his Mother and she got cross with him after calling him many times and in the end she feeds his meal to the cat!!!!
Many of us today believe we are doing the right thing doing this thing or that – but it could be that God is calling us and wants us to hear his voice.
MT 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
MT 15:23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
MT 15:24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
MT 15:25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
MT 15:26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs."
MT 15:27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table."
You know God wants for us to avail ourselves of everything that he has to offer.
In the end, you would have to say that Israel refused the food that Jesus bought it and we are privledged to receive it.
But you know God looks for transformation in his people.
Without that transformation then we can find ourselves missing out on the food tht God has given us???
This morning I want to look at the complete transformation that we find in the life of Paul and discover together swome of the key things that bring about such a dramatic transformation in the life of Paul.
What Paul was. PAUL [G4263] (little).
Background and conversion: Also called Saul (Ac 8:1; 9:1; 13:9). Of the tribe of Benjamin (Ro 11:1; Php 3:5). Personal appearance of (2Co 10:1, 10; 11:6). Born in Tarsus (Ac 9:11; 21:39; 22:3). Educated at Jerusalem in the school of Gamaliel (Ac 22:3; 26:4). A zealous Pharisee (Ac 22:3; 23:6; 26:5; 2Co 11:22; Gal 1:14; Php 3:5). A Roman (Ac 16:37; 22:25-28). Persecutes the Christians; present at and gives consent to the stoning of Stephen (Ac 7:58; 8:1, 3; 9:1; 22:4). Sent to Damascus with letters for the arrest and return to Jerusalem of Christians (Ac 9:1-2). His vision and conversion (Ac 9:3-22; 22:4-19; 26:9-15; 1Co 9:11; 15:8; Gal 1:13; 1Ti 1:12-13). Is baptized (Ac 9:18; 22:16). Called to be an apostle (Ac 22:14-21; 26:14-21; 26:16-18; Ro 1:1; 1Co 1:1; 9:1-2; 15:9; Gal 1:1, 15-16; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 1Ti 1:1; 2:7; 2Ti 1:1, 11; Tit 1:1, 3). Preaches in Damascus (Ac 9:20, 22). Is persecuted by the Jews (Ac 9:23-24). Escapes by being let down from the wall in a basket; goes to Arabia (Gal 1:17), Jerusalem (Ac 9:25-26; Gal 1:18-19). Received by the disciples in Jerusalem (Ac 9:26-29). Goes to Caesarea and returns to Tarsus (Ac 9:30; 18:22). Brought to Antioch by Barnabas (Ac 11:25-26). Teaches at Antioch one year (Ac 11:26). Brings the contributions of the Christians in Antioch to the Christians in Jerusalem (Ac 11:27-30). Returns with John to Antioch (Ac 12:25).
What Paul becomes.
Character of: (2Co 10:1, 10; 11:6; Gal 4:13). Cheerful in adversity (Ac 10:25; Ro 8:35-37; 2Co 4:8-10; 12:10; 2Ti 2:10; 3:11-12; 4:16-17). Courageous (Ac 9:29; 20:22-24; 21:13; Eph 6:20; 1Th 2:2). Purposeful, even when the Holy Spirit warns him not to go to Jerusalem (Ac 20:22-23; 21:4, 10-14). Indomitable (Ro 8:35-37; 1Co 4:9-13; 2Co 4:8-12; 6:4-10; 11:23-33; 12:10; 1Th 2:2; 2Ti 1:12; 3:11; 4:17). Joyous in suffering (Ac 16:25; Php 2:17; Col 1:24; 2Ti 2:9). Meek (1Co 4:12-13; 2Ti 4:16). Self-forgetful (1Co 4:9, 11-13). Self-supporting (Ac 18:3; 20:33-35; 2Co 11:7, 9; 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8). Tactful (1Co 9:19-22; 10:33; Phm 8-21). Zealous (Ro 9:3; 2Co 5:11-14; 6:4-10; 11:22-33; 12:10, 14-15; Php 3:6-16; Col 1:29). Ready for death (2Ti 4:6-8).
Transformation – at conversion:-
1. A window of opportunity:-
Paul is given a window of opportunity.
He is not living well but suddenly he finds himself in a window where he can respond to the love and the mercy of God.
We also are given opportunities by God.
Mark ch, 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
It doesn’t seem to depend on our badness:-
1CO 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
2.Paul takes the opportunity. God gives us various opportunities in our lives. There are cross road moments when we can go with God or choose to go the same old way. With Paul God makes it clear to him about his need to be dependent on him. When Paul gets up he is blind. He could have chosen blindness and stubbornly held onto his old ways. Instead Paul submits to what God is doing.
His blindness is, in some ways symbolic of his spiritual blindness up to that point.
If we want transformation in our life we have to take the windows of opportunity that God has given us.
How easy it would have been for paul to have blamed the devil for his blindness and got on with what he was meant to be doing.
We have to be caregful when restrictions come against us that we do not blame the devil or others when the circumstance could well be God bringing us to a crossroad in our Chrisitan journey.
The choice is then transformation or stagnation.
Thirdly – Paul immediately needs help from others and from the Holy Spirit.
We read. (AC 9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.
on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
AC 9:13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
AC 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
AC 9:17 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." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
We too need the help of others – God will use other people to minister to us and to set us free.
Again God uses powerful symbolism in Pauls journey.
When Ananiaa prays for Paul we find something like scales fall from his eyes.
A real event but charged with meaning. When the Holy spi8rit comes we see our lives in a whole new light.
Jesus said . JN 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Then fourthly – This point is a lynch pin to true transformation – Paul changes his life in relation to the revelation he has received:-
AC 9:26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
AC 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.
When you consider it Paul became a totally new person in Christ.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The headstrong – Pharisee. Filled with hatred and anger became a man who was marked by:-
Character of: (2Co 10:1, 10; 11:6; Gal 4:13). Cheerful in adversity (Ac 10:25; Ro 8:35-37; 2Co 4:8-10; 12:10; 2Ti 2:10; 3:11-12; 4:16-17). Courageous (Ac 9:29; 20:22-24; 21:13; Eph 6:20; 1Th 2:2). Purposeful, even when the Holy Spirit warns him not to go to Jerusalem (Ac 20:22-23; 21:4, 10-14). Indomitable (Ro 8:35-37; 1Co 4:9-13; 2Co 4:8-12; 6:4-10; 11:23-33; 12:10; 1Th 2:2; 2Ti 1:12; 3:11; 4:17). Joyous in suffering (Ac 16:25; Php 2:17; Col 1:24; 2Ti 2:9). Meek (1Co 4:12-13; 2Ti 4:16). Self-forgetful (1Co 4:9, 11-13). Self-supporting (Ac 18:3; 20:33-35; 2Co 11:7, 9; 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8). Tactful (1Co 9:19-22; 10:33; Phm 8-21). Zealous (Ro 9:3; 2
Co 5:11-14; 6:4-10; 11:22-33; 12:10, 14-15; Php 3:6-16; Col 1:29). Ready for death (2Ti 4:6-8).
It may be that in your life you also need some area of transformation.
As Christians we can becaome gradually insipid – tepid or blurred in our faith.
The way to avoid that is to constantly allow God to transform us.
The way to do that is to be alert to these four points and to let God transform us.Romans chapter 12 verse 2 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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