Saul's Transformation: Embracing Humility and Community
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
"And last week, we saw how he went to Damascus from Jerusalem with authority from the high priest to drag any suspected Christians back to Jerusalem in chains. But Jesus intervened. Jesus stepped in, and he intervened in Saul's life. And he appeared in power and in glory. And Saul, it says, falling to the ground, heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" [00:17:33] (29 seconds)
"And Saul came out of that encounter blind. He spent three days in darkness, fasting and praying. He had been humbled by the Lord, and he was leaning into that humility rather than fighting against it and trying to get through it as quick as he could. So Jesus sent Ananias, another disciple, to pray over him, and his eyes were opened." [00:18:41] (21 seconds)
"And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is this not the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon his name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?" [00:19:23] (21 seconds)
"But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. So immediately, immediately after this experience that Saul had, he goes to the synagogue and he begins proclaiming Jesus, telling his fellow Jews that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Messiah that we have been waiting for." [00:20:34] (29 seconds)
"He's not concerned about promoting himself. He's not concerned about anything other than preaching Christ. And having done so, it says in verse 23, that when many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him." [00:21:40] (27 seconds)
"And most likely this was, this was a common practice for them to be able to get laundry down out of the city over the wall without having to go through the gate. You just lower it down in a basket. And so Paul, this man who was commissioned directly by the high priest over all Israel who went with letters of introduction and power and authority to Damascus has now been stripped of his power, of his position, of his influence, even of his dignity, lowered down the wall like a bunch of dirty laundry." [00:23:22] (38 seconds)
"Saul's ministry all along the course of his life was perhaps spectacular, yes, but there's no way that Saul would have done what Saul did very everyday people being faithful in their everyday lives and doing the things that needed to be done. While Saul might have been specifically called and gifted by God to do something, his ministry was only possible because of the ministry of other believers to him and alongside of him." [00:31:37] (37 seconds)
"So God is using this confusing, lonely, turned upside down repeatedly life that Saul is leading, and the ordinary ministry of the believers, to build His kingdom, to multiply His kingdom through their years and years of faithful service in the face of confusion, in the face of disappointment, in the face of people seeking their lives." [00:34:57] (32 seconds)
"Saul didn't start out on a difficult missionary journey. He didn't start out going before the emperor in Rome. God said that that's where he's going to go, but that's not where he began. He began by going to the people that he knew best, that he was closest to, who would listen to him, and he told them about Jesus." [00:37:38] (28 seconds)
"And having been entrusted with that little thing and demonstrated faithful in that little thing, the Lord entrusted him with more, and with more, and with more, and with each step, Saul demonstrated his faithfulness. And in response to that faithfulness, God gave him more opportunity. And he grows, it said." [00:39:02] (25 seconds)
"This process goes on in every single one of our lives. We call it sanctification. It's the process of being conformed to Jesus, being conformed to the image of God. And so later on in his life, Saul would write that we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of God, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another." [00:42:37] (27 seconds)
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"And Saul came out of that encounter blind. He spent three days in darkness, fasting and praying. He had been humbled by the Lord, and he was leaning into that humility rather than fighting against it and trying to get through it as quick as he could. So Jesus sent Ananias, another disciple, to pray over him, and his eyes were opened." [00:18:41] (21 seconds)
"And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is this not the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon his name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?" [00:19:23] (21 seconds)
"But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. So immediately, immediately after this experience that Saul had, he goes to the synagogue and he begins proclaiming Jesus, telling his fellow Jews that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Messiah that we have been waiting for." [00:20:34] (29 seconds)
"He's not concerned about promoting himself. He's not concerned about anything other than preaching Christ. And having done so, it says in verse 23, that when many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him." [00:21:40] (27 seconds)
"And most likely this was, this was a common practice for them to be able to get laundry down out of the city over the wall without having to go through the gate. You just lower it down in a basket. And so Paul, this man who was commissioned directly by the high priest over all Israel who went with letters of introduction and power and authority to Damascus has now been stripped of his power, of his position, of his influence, even of his dignity, lowered down the wall like a bunch of dirty laundry." [00:23:22] (38 seconds)
"Saul's ministry all along the course of his life was perhaps spectacular, yes, but there's no way that Saul would have done what Saul did very everyday people being faithful in their everyday lives and doing the things that needed to be done. While Saul might have been specifically called and gifted by God to do something, his ministry was only possible because of the ministry of other believers to him and alongside of him." [00:31:37] (37 seconds)
"So God is using this confusing, lonely, turned upside down repeatedly life that Saul is leading, and the ordinary ministry of the believers, to build His kingdom, to multiply His kingdom through their years and years of faithful service in the face of confusion, in the face of disappointment, in the face of people seeking their lives." [00:34:57] (32 seconds)
"Saul didn't start out on a difficult missionary journey. He didn't start out going before the emperor in Rome. God said that that's where he's going to go, but that's not where he began. He began by going to the people that he knew best, that he was closest to, who would listen to him, and he told them about Jesus." [00:37:38] (28 seconds)
"And having been entrusted with that little thing and demonstrated faithful in that little thing, the Lord entrusted him with more, and with more, and with more, and with each step, Saul demonstrated his faithfulness. And in response to that faithfulness, God gave him more opportunity. And he grows, it said." [00:39:02] (25 seconds)
"This process goes on in every single one of our lives. We call it sanctification. It's the process of being conformed to Jesus, being conformed to the image of God. And so later on in his life, Saul would write that we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of God, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another." [00:42:37] (27 seconds)
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