Transformation
Transformation: More Than a Moment
Saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression!
Visitors - one of those first imprn moments - get to make first impress.
Bible College days. One year at HTO church in Melbourne. One of first Sundays & little late arriving, so decided to cut across front lawn instead of walking around. Knew it to be kind of lawn - Princess H’way that is so attractive to all kinds of domestic animals that are taken for walks – talking late 70’s. But I’m in a hurry, so cut across grass, get inside & make way up to 2nd row & sit down right when service begins. Did I mention that I walked through the grass?
As we stand up for hymn - begin to detect rather unpleasant smell. I lean to my left & right, but it’s really concentrated in my general area. Now I did mention that I walked through the grass didn’t I?
So slowly look down at bottom of my shoe & you know what I had stepped in? … That’s right it’s a word I wouldn’t say in church either. More embarrassing than Mr Bean falling asleep in front row!!!
So I head for side door & desperately try to scrape the “you-know-what” off shoe. All the while I’m trying to calm myself down, take a few deep breaths (not helpful in circum), thinking, maybe no one even noticed. So I walk back inside & as I’m going back to my seat, I notice this light trail of footprints where I had been walking. So I walk diff way to seat - avoiding any connection to me. Of course, when I get there I notice a soiled spot right where I had been standing & then I notice that gent on my right is staring at stain on carpet. Must have been fabric elder!
Then he slowly looks up back up at me which is when pastor said:”Please take a moment to greet the people around you.” And all I can do was say: Hi, name is Rich, I’m new lay reader & I’ve tracked animal faeces all over your church.
They say, you never get second chance to make a first impression & by sharing that story, I may have just ruined this one as well. Had great exp in that church including finding $500 walking on street.
Don’t know about you, but my exp of Christian life often feels like a version of this story. I try to dress myself up with what looks like faithfulness & godly / holy character, I want to seem my best & make good impression on others, (even comb hair to bed) but in spite of best efforts, I keep tracking my “stuff” in the room - my anger, my selfishness, indifference, greed & self centredness.
And each Sunday part of me thinks: “Today, these things will be part of the past - I’m moving on.“ Yet they follow me still. And many Christians live with this disparity betw. impression we want to make & footprints we leave behind.
Paul did when he said “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Rom 7
It’s a place of discouragement. Why can’t I get better at this? Why do I keep struggling with depressn, alcohol & body image, lying, etc. etc.? It’s a place of resentment. God, where are you in this? How do I hold my end of bargain, if you’re not doing yours? And this is a lonely place to live. This seems so much easier for everyone else. What’s wrong with me? Have you ever asked one of these questions? Or had one of these feelings? I am so glad you said “yes” & that you are here today!
‘cos want to explore process of transformation - that is, how God works to change us, to refine us, to restore us, to remake us. How God is going to slowly but surely do away with that frustrating disparity between our first impressions & our footprints. Is that okay?
So want to look in Acts at story from life of Paul. As you know, Paul’s given name - actually Saul. Raised as elite Jew, trained as Pharisee - so zealous to faith - sought to wipe out early ch.. Then one day as he travelled to city - Damascus, Jesus appeared to him in blinding light & said something like: “Saul, what in God’s name are you doing? Stop & serve me.”
Then, just like that Saul becomes Paul, he plants first Cn churches, writes much of NT & forever changes history of Western civilisation. Or at least that’s what we may think happened.
So look at what actually happened after Paul’s defining moment. Acts 9:19b-31 Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked: Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests? Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. 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. 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. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
Now don’t know about you, but this is slightly diff picture of man who I think of as the most influential Christian who’s ever lived. My running assumption is that Paul had this dramatic conversion exp & then arrives in Damascus as this ingenious Christian leader, carrying copies of new book 1 Thess—you may have heard of it—thinking to himself: “Hey, if this sells, maybe I’ll write a sequel.”
But truth is Paul arrives in Dam & makes less than perfect first impresn There’s chaos - there’s controversy - there’s people feeling confused & afraid - there’s Paul in a basket (basket case) And things don’t improve much in J’lem. He is able to make peace with other disciples just in time for them to ship him home to Tarsuss - not just to Melb but 100’s of miles away.
This not like being put on bench or carry drinks. More like being kicked out of the sport And for years, while Paul is nowhere to be found, what happens? Church grows like never before in places never been before & exp. peace.
Those who’ve been around church for a few weeks know how rare this is. All this without Paul. As someone in ministry – been trying to imagine humiliation factor in this. It’s like if, in middle of msg, everyone stands up & violent assault on pulpit & pastors & elders grab staff & take us upstairs & put us in drums (don’t know why) - then lower us thro’ office windows & rush us past angry mob flooding out of church & put us on Jetstar flight bound for Brisbane..
Then, by next week church flourishes like never before, reaching 1000’s of new people. And everyone’s thinking: Does something feel different? Is someone missing? I don’t care, this is great! I have to be honest with you, We’d all probably start rethinking our lives.
And that’s what this is about for Paul. He has to start rethinking his life: God, what You are doing with me? Who am I now that I know You?
See, Paul needs more than a religious face-lift; he needs real transformation, he needs God to do away with that frustrating disparity betw. impression he wants to make & the footprints he leaves behind.
So for remainder of time consider three aspects of Paul’s transforman. 3 points – help understand how God is working in our lives.
1. First, Paul’s transformation involves a change of heart.
Paul appears in Damascus with new message, but as same man. Text says: “At once, Paul began to preach.” At once. Immediately. Without hesitation. Without change.
Not that Paul saying wrong things. Has all right words: Jesus is SOG. But he has overlooked one thing: condition of his heart. He is so focused on impact he longs to make that he can’t see his heart is still filled with all the same stuff, same pride, same ambition, gaining power by trying to “prove” Jesus to people.
And Paul maybe “proving” Jesus, but he doesn’t act like he knows Him very well yet. Thus far in Paul’s life, the changes are all external.
His ambitions have been redirected but not redeemed. Which is how many of us try to follow Jesus, redirecting our time & energy for Cn tasks, but never allowing God to change us on the inside. And what happens? Eventually energy for “good cause” dissipates & we slide into same old patterns of frustration & failure. But God doesn’t want to redirect our efforts, He wants to change hearts. And way God changes hearts is through the humbling power of grace.
Paul’s life until this point - been about proving himself worthy of God. Now he gets shipped out of town & God allows him to exp this time of frustration & failure. Why? To humiliate him? To rub his face in it? No. In fact exact opposite is true. God wants to soften Paul’s heart with grace, with tenderness, with love that’s without condtions.
• God, you mean it’s not all up to me … That’s right. • God, you mean church is yours & can grow even when I fail? That’s rt • God, you mean my main duty is to come & learn from you … That’s rt
And this is good news ‘cos too many of us go thro’ life feeling stuck with our failures, feeling at best like Christianized versions of our old selves - looking polished on Sundays, but struggling with same stuff during wk. And while God does not cause us to exp failure or frustration, He uses those moments to soften our hearts with grace - even if it is as humiliating as being shipped out of town.
And you are in a moment in your life that feels just like that. And while I wouldn’t say God put you there, I will say that His grace can meet you there - if you can let down your guard & perfectionism, & your defence mechanisms & receive the good news that it’s not all up to you, that God can work in your life even when you fail & that your primary responsibility is to come to Jesus every day & say: I don’t know why I’m here, but I’m ready to learn from you. Don’t just redirect my energy but change my heart & make it yours. Transformation involves change of heart thro’ humbling power of grace
2. Transformation also involves a change of plans.
Look at how Paul begins his ministry. At once, Paul began to preach in synagogues. In synagogues. Paul has plan for his life. He wants to reach his fellow Jews. And on paper, he’s the perfect man for the job. Paul is elite Jew by birth, educated Pharisee - lived blameless according to Jewish law.
Paul is thinking: Clearly, this is where I am supposed to be. Preaching in synagogues. If anyone can do this, I can. But it didn’t work that way. In fact, Paul kind of crashed and burned.
Ever come up with perfect plan for your life? Ever had your perfect plans not work out? Ever feel frustrated or confused about that? Ever feel in those moments God is absent? Paul certainly would have. I’m sure he didn’t plan to go back to Tarsus or spend all those years there. This was a huge detour in his life.
In midst of a career in accounting had a clear call of God for full time ministry with YFC. Then came detour, with company going broke, & then a job as an internal auditor for 2 years – then an opportunity to do medicine - before finally opp broke tho’. They were times of confusion & changes in plans but also times of clarifying vision I had.
Ever felt like your life is on massive detour? Ever wonder what God was up to during those seasons of life?
Movie that may help us think about this qn. It’s an epic story that reflects how we actually live that dream in real life. It is called The Karate Kid.
In this film, Daniel Laruso, meets Mr. Miyagi, the stocky karate master. Dan agrees to be his student. But Mr. Miyagi doesn’t seem to be teaching him any karate. Instead he employs him in a variety of chores: wax the car, paint the fence, paint the house, sand the deck. Remember the famous line: Wax on, wax off … breathe in, breathe out. It’s closest I got to Shakespeare!. And each day, Daniel feels more confused & frustrated, thinking: This is not what I signed up for, this is not what I planned, this has nothing to do with my goal of learning karate.
One night, in fit of rage, Daniel explodes: We made a deal here! You’re supposed to teach and I’m supposed to learn. And Mr. Miyagi responds: You’ve learned plenty. Dan replies, Yeah, I’ve learned to wax your car & paint your fence, I’ve learned to be your slave. And Mr. Miyagi says: Not everything is as it seems. And Daniel says: I’m going home. I’m done.
Ever want to say that to God? But before he goes home, Mr. Miyagi, says: Daniel-san, Show me - sand the floor, show me, wax on, wax off. Show me, show me, show me … and he can. He can. Suddenly all the waiting, the detours, the strange disciplines make sense. Daniel has been transformed.
Now I apologise that I am about to compare work of God to Mr. Miyagi. But when we come to Jesus & say, I want meaningful life, teach me how.
What we often find are detours. (Can I get an “Amen” for that?) And in that in betw time, He asks us to do strange disciplines. He says things like: Wait. Pray. Serve. Give. Leave behind. Take only this. Make peace. Love another. Forgive.
And like sanding or painting, these things will often feel strange & uncomfortable & over time, we will get tired, we will feel confused & frustrated, thinking: this is not what I signed up for, this is not what I planned, this has nothing to do with my goal of having a meaningful life.
But for those who remain patient & who persevere, there will be a day & many of you have had these moments …
• Day at work when God says: “Show me grace instead of ambition.” • Day in marriage when God says: Show me gentleness instead of anger • Day when you don’t get what you think you deserve when God says: “Show me contentment instead of greed.” • Day when someone hurts you & God says: “Show me mercy instead of vengeance.”
And you will know how. You will know how. By persisting thro’ the detours & waiting. By persevering thro’ all the in between time, by incorporating all these strange disciplines of faith, you will discover that you have been transformed & it has happened from one degree of glory to another! Cos you see, it is in the detours that God is most involved in our lives.
God has much bigger plans for Paul than just preaching in synagogues of Dam & J’lem. God is thinking of Thess, Phil, Eph, Coloss, Corinth, Athens &Rome.
God is thinking of a plan that Paul couldn’t even imagine yet …& wouldn’t believe if told. And God wants Paul to be ready. And God has better plans for us as well, plans that we wouldn’t believe even if we were told & He wants us to be ready.
So transformation involves change of heart, a change of plans & finally..
3. Transformation involves a change of master.
To be mastered by something is simply to be totally defined by it, to live in full dependence on it. It is a person or thing that shapes all of who you are & who you will become. And we are all mastered by something.
As an elite Jew & Pharisee, Paul been mastered by his cultural & ethnic background, by his political & social class, by his piety & religious zeal.
These are the things which gave him his identity, things which provided shape & structure for his life, things he relied on for comfort, security & direction.
Just like how we rely on our résumés, our income, our job titles, our political affilns, our talents, sometimes even our religious commitments to tell us who we really are, to provide comfort, security & direction.
Writing to Phil, Paul describes how he was mastered by these things. He put it this way: if others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcision on the 8th day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. (Paul is saying I’ve had all the right masters, all the right knowledge, all the right background, all the right qualifications.) But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him. Philippians 3:4-8
Word trans rubbish is Gk ‘skubalon’ You know what it really means? … That’s right it’s word wouldn’t say in church either. What stuck to shoe
Paul saying: Without Jesus, my background, my ambition, my piety is no better than stuff I tracked into that church in Oakleigh, not cos they are bad things, but cos they are bad masters.
They can’t provide the grace to live well, the faith to persevere, wisdom to choose well. They can’t provide comfort in times of pain or hope in times of loss. They are just bad masters. And I don’t know about you, but I tend to serve pretty rotten masters, whether they take form of my ambition or accomplishments or plans.
And this is why all too often my exp of life is more like the stuff I tracked into church than the stuff that Jesus promised to those who follow Him.
But Paul, a man who had everything, says: I am now yoked to a better master, one who has taught me a new way to live. One who has softened my heart with humility of grace. One who led me thro’ detours only to prep me for life beyond wildest .. One who has proved Himself time & again to be good, to be Lord, to be savior of my life. And it’s not my b’ground, my qualificns, my religion. It’s Jesus. Only J can do this.
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Which leaves me wondering: What if Paul had actually believed that?
What if Paul had been too proud for God’s grace? What if he had been too impatient to trust Jesus through all the detours? What if had continued to rely on unreliable masters? Would the church have failed? No. God would have provided another way—as He always does.
The tragedy would have been that Paul would have remained like Saul, tracking that same old stuff from one place to the next. He would have missed out on surpassing greatness of r’ship with Jesus. He would have held onto all his qualifications yet let go of a life of true significance.
See Paul didn’t change world cos he was talented or qualified; he changed it cos it the midst of failure & frustration – when he had nothing left to lose - he let God change him.
He said: I don’t care what it takes or where it leads me, I just don’t want to miss out on knowing you. It makes me want to say, God, I don’t want to miss out either - I just don’t want to miss out knowing you.
So what about you? Where do you need the power of Grace in your life? The humbling hand of God to reach us in that lowest moment & remind that it’s not about you, it’s about Him? Where do you need to continue to trust God thro’ what feels like a massive detour, persisting in a lifestyle that may feel like a series of spiritual chores, but is actually preparing you for something much better than you could know?
Where do you need a new master, a good master, someone who can hold you up, lead you forward, who will be with you no matter what? cos that’s what a r’ship with Jesus is about - not just one time sp. epiphany or flash of light - but a life of real change & true significance - one small step at a time.
In that letter to Philippians, Paul wrote that he was confident in one thing - with this I’ll close - that the God who began this good work in you will carry it on to completion (what an incredible image of who actually shoulders burden) until the day Jesus comes again.
See, when we let Jesus change our hearts & renew our plans, that’s when we make Jesus our master & transformation is no longer an expectation, it’s a promise. It’s a promise. And in this year we live with that promise of change.
And that means yes, we are all far from being finished; but no, we will never have to fear that we will be stuck where we sit today, that we will never get another chance, that we will keep tracking the same old stuff into church every Sunday. Because Jesus will finish what He started. He will finish what He started - just as He did in Paul - He will do with you & with me cos he is the author & finisher of our faith.