Acts 09_19-25 Transformed

Read Acts 9:19-25 – Two messengers were sent to alert a captured princess to be ready for rescue. Claude Caterpillar was sour after climbing the tower wall in blazing sun: “You’re the damsel in distress? What a waste, but your knight’s coming at 5:00. Be ready!” Shortly, Barney Butterfly fluttered in. He said, “Fair maiden. Good news. The white knight is on his way. He asks only that you be ready by 5:00.” The princess said, “Mr. Caterpillar already told me, but he was quite disagreeable.” The butterfly replied, “Oh, Claude? That’s just the way he is. I used to be that way too until I was transformed.”

So, have you been transformed? Genuine believers are! II Cor 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Christ makes us new. But the old flesh hates the new us. So from the moment we receive Christ, the battle rages. Paul says in Rom 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be [continually] transformed [μεταμορφοω] by the renewal of your mind.” So, 2 questions today. First, have I been transformed, and second am I living like it? Paul’s experience can help us evaluate if we’re really new or not!

I. New Life Means New Conduct

God turned Saul’s life upside down. Before he knew it, he was in the synagogue -- as preacher, not persecutor. 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’” Talk about a turnaround! But that’s just what genuine repentance produces. CHANGE!

For Saul that meant going from murderer to messenger, from making “havoc” to bringing peace, from inflicting persecution to bearing persecution, from desire for kill to desire to save. What a change! He arrives at the synagogue in Damascus not to clear it of Xns, but to win others. He is a changed man.

Genuine believers have a new outlook, new purpose, new interests, new speech patterns and new pursuits. Zacchaeus was a money-grubbing tax collector whose life was about getting more. But when he met Jesus, Lu 19: 8 Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” That penny-pinching shyster was ready to give away half his fortune! He was a changed man. That’s what happens when people really meet Christ. Have you met Christ? What does your conduct say? Has there been a change? Christ can’t be in your life and there not be a change.

That doesn’t mean it’s all rosy. The flesh battles lifelong to regain lost ground. So, Paul urges in Eph 4:22: “put off your old self . . . 24 and to put on the new self.” We decide each moment to give control to Spirit or flesh. But the new self wants what the Spirit offers. Paul defines the revised conduct that will characterize a true believer – putting off lies in favor of truth (25), putting away anger in favor of peace (26), putting off stealing and cheating in favor of honest work (28), putting off profanity and corrupt speech in favor of edifying speech (29), putting away bitterness in favor of forgiveness (31-32). So how are you doing? Genuine faith results in the desire for new conduct.

British evangelist, Bryan Green, was in America during the 1960’s. One night, he asked for testimonies. One girl stood up, hardly able to speak, but she blurted out: “Thru this campaign I have found Christ – and He has made me able to forgive the man who murdered my father.” That’s the grace of God and the power of the HS in a life. So, who are you holding a grudge against this morning? I’m guessing they didn’t kill your father. Can you give it up? That’s what Christ in you would do, Beloved. New life means new conduct.

II. New Life Means New Communication

Every life communicates something to the rest of the world. It may be a work ethic, laziness, ease, education, sports, family, religion, poverty, good works, integrity – something. Everyone has an ultimate message. For Paul, it was religion – good works. He was zealous -- willing to kill for his code. He was self-deceived but infinitely serious about what he stood for.

But now look. After meeting Jesus: 20 “immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” Instead of anti-Jesus, he’s got a new message. His new message is, “Jesus is the Son of God. You must call on His name to be saved from your sin.” He’s got a new message. His new message is, “This Jesus, this itinerant, miracle-working preacher – “that Jesus was the Christ [the Messiah]” (22d). Paul’s got a new message.

He summarizes it further in Phil 3 where he says, “All the things I used to take pride in – circumcised the 8th day, of the chosen people, tribe of Benjamin, highly educated Pharisee, zealous to the point of murder, as to the law, blameless – all of that – my pedigree – my ticket to heaven – the communication of my life? You’ll never believe it; I trashed it all the moment I met Christ. Discarded it as useless – worse than useless – it had kept me from Christ.” Phil 3:7-8: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Paul’s got a new message, summarized in one word – Christ. His message used to be Paul – now it’s Christ. I Cor 9:16b: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” I Cor 2:2: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” New life brings a new message.

So, what is your life message? If we asked your friends and neighbors and family members, what is this person’s life about, what would they say? What do they think rules your life? Education? Broncos? Family? A club or recreation? If it’s not Christ, there may be a priority problem.

You’re not a preacher, but does Jesus rule? All other good things are good only if subordinate to Him! If He’s really Lord, it will be clear to all. Our life communicates a new message. When Jesus healed Legion, the demon-possessed man in Lu 8:39b: “And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” He had a new message.

For believers, Jesus is at center of everything. How can I coach or teach in a way that glorifies Him? How does this movie reflect or deny the truths of the gospel? Do our vacation plans include Jesus? He’s in the middle of it all!

The attendant at MacDonald’s had an attractive, hand-carved cross hanging around her neck. The customer said, “I like your cross.” Now that girl could have just said, “Thank you.” But listen what she said: “Thank you. I like the person who died on the cross for my sins. And I love the person who rose from the grace after dying on that cross.” Simple, direct, unmistakable. We share our message in thousands of ways – by our church attendance, Bible study group, sharing a book or tract, inviting someone to a Xn concert or event. But those who have new life in Christ, like Saul, have a new message.

III. New Life Means New Commission

So Saul meets Christ and starts preaching. We’d probably have been right there egging him on: “Saul, this is great. You are the hottest thing to hit Damascus since Alex the Great. Your testimony is worth its weight in gold. Go get them.” Isn’t that what we’d do today? A famous athlete or rock star gets saved. We’d push them out there before they know what hit them.

But God says this concerning church leadership: I Tim 3:6: “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” “Don’t put a novice front and center.” Too much danger of pride. But isn’t that what’s happening with Saul? It looks like he met Christ, did some preaching in Damascus and then had to get out of town (v. 26). BUT before he ever got to Jerusalem, the rest of the story is in Gal 1: 17 “nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.” There’s a 3-year gap in Luke’s chronology which may have been like this. Saul did “immediately” go to the synagogue to preach. But either before v. 22 or v. 23, he went away to Arabia probably for most of that 3 years.

And what was he doing there? Gal 1:11 “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” What was Saul doing? It seems Saul was in the desert being taught by Christ. New life, new commission. I think it was prior to v. 22 and when he returned to Damascus, he was irrefutable in showing from the OT that Jesus was indeed the Christ. Saul already was well-versed in Scripture, and he’d heard Stephen, but in his time with Christ, he put it all together so that he “confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” – a fact that they did not appreciate and so decided to kill him. The hunter had certainly become the hunted now.

If Saul needed prep, so do we, right? To understand our mission, to be versed in Scripture, to learn to know Christ well. Moses was 80 years in preparation for 40 years of service. The disciples were 3 years with Jesus preparing for their mission. Jesus Himself was 18 years preparing for 3 years of ministry. All ministered even during preparation, but not in leadership roles.

Our commission to ministry requires continuous preparation. Billy Graham attended the 1988 Rep Convention in NO with a 20-year-old grandson. One night the boy wanted to go out. Knowing Billy’s assistant had rented a car he went to Daddy Bill’s hotel room to borrow it. He arrived at his room at 9:00 – a time when Billy could have been at any number of political social gatherings. So he were surprised when Billy answered the door. Even more surprised to see that he was already in his pajamas, and with an open Bible on his bed. To see that “America’s preacher” surrounded by such opportunity, was spending time with his heavenly Father made an indelible impression.

I hope it does on us as well. If Moses and the apostles and even Jesus needed to be with the Father, how much more we if we are to complete our life’s mission. New life, new commission.

IV. New Life Means New Companions

Saul’s running with a whole new crowd. He had Ananias. Then 19b) “For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.” The very ones he hoped to imprison are now his support group. Then 23) “When many days had passed (3 years per from Gal 1:18), the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.” So, Saul is converted, begins to preach in Damascus synagogues, goes to the Arabian desert for probably most of the 3 years (time to learn, and time for fear of his reputation to cool a bit), returns to Damascus to preach again, becomes the object of a plot which is foiled when “his disciples” let him down in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape to Jerusalem. What an adventure he is now on.

But all enabled by a new crowd of friends. It’s not that he purposely jettisoned the old friends. He didn’t. He shared Christ with them. But that led to the same kind of antagonism he had previously had. It often does. Meantime, new companions who share faith in Christ become the focus of his social and ministry circle.

So shouldn’t we have non-believing friends? Yes. Of course. But the issue is, are they influencing us away from Christ, or are we influencing them toward Christ. If we are, some will drop away. Meantime, we need needed support among fellow-believers. They’re not as cool, perhaps, or with it, but they will be the edifying force that we all need to stay the course. Heb 10:24-25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” New life means new companions, and without them, our Xn life is very likely to flag.

Conc – When Christ is Lord, life can never be the same. Jesus doesn’t just stop in for a short visit; He comes to transform. If it’s real, that is the sure result. There will be new conduct, a new communication, new commission and new companions. Jesus doesn’t just comfort; He transforms.

One example. One afternoon in the mid-1880’s a group of Chicago baseball players emerged from a saloon. Nearby they heard the strains of hymns from the Pacific Garden Mission that brought back memories of a mother’s singing to one of the men. Some scoffed, but he got teary-eyed, He said, “Boys, I through! I’m going to turn to Jesus Christ. We’ve come to a parting of the ways.” Some mocked; others watched silently as he made his way to the mission where he gave his life to Christ. Later he described what happened. “I called upon God’s mercy. I staggered out of my sins into the outstretched arms of the Savior. I became instantly a new creature in Him!” New, indeed. He continued to play ball for another 3-4 years, but after his own time of preparation, Billy Sunday became the greatest evangelist of the early 20th century. That’s the way it is when you come to faith in Him. Not everyone becomes a missionary, like Paul, or a preacher like Sunday. But all are changed. New life in Christ leads to a transformed existence. Let’s pray.

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