Overview:
Acts 9:1-16
A. W. Tozer once wrote: “It’s doubtful that God can use anyone greatly until he has hurt him deeply.” Thinking of our Heavenly Father as one who “crushes” or “hurts” us makes most of us uneasy.
The truth is, some people are more challenging than others—especially when they are proud or arrogant. The Bible reserves some of its harshest words for those who are proud.
The apostle Paul was one of those challenging, arrogant people—“the chief of sinners,” in fact—until God arrested his attention on a Damascus road and transformed him.
God also bends, softens, molds, reshapes, and humbles us as He begins the process of a complete, divine makeover.
Message Summary:
In “God Humbles a Proud Heart,” Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus—the man who would become the Apostle Paul. Drawing on A.W. Tozer’s observation that God rarely uses a person greatly until He has “hurt them deeply,” Swindoll details the process of a “divine makeover.” This message examines how God arrested the attention of the church’s most arrogant persecutor on the Damascus road, proving that no heart is too hard for God to break and no past is too dark for God to redeem.
Message Key Facts:
- The Character of Saul: Before his conversion, Saul was characterized by religious arrogance, “breathing threats and murder” against the followers of Jesus.
- The Necessity of Humbling: Scripture reserves its harshest words for the proud; God must often “crush” or soften a person’s pride before they can become a useful instrument in His hands.
- Sovereign Interruption: Saul’s conversion was not the result of human reasoning but a sudden, divine intervention that left him physically blind but spiritually awakened.
- The “Chief of Sinners”: Paul’s own description of himself serves as the ultimate proof that God’s grace is sufficient to transform even the most challenging and antagonistic people.
- The Divine Makeover: The process involves more than just a change of mind; it is a total reshaping of the will, character, and mission.
Message References:
1. The Arrogance of the Adversary (Acts 9:1–2)
Swindoll sets the scene by describing Saul’s intense hostility toward the early church.
- A Mission of Persecution: Saul sought official authority to hunt down Christians, driven by a self-righteous zeal that blinded him to the truth.
- The Blindness of Pride: His intellectual and religious pride made him an “impossible” candidate for grace in the eyes of men.
2. The Arrest on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3–9)
God chose a specific moment to confront Saul’s pride with His glory.
- The Blinding Light: The light from heaven was so brilliant it knocked Saul to the ground, stripping him of his physical sight and his perceived power.
- The Personal Confrontation: Jesus’ question—”Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”—revealed that to touch the church is to touch the Lord Himself.
- Three Days of Darkness: This season of blindness and fasting was the “crushing” period where Saul’s old identity died to make room for the new.
3. The Instrument of Grace (Acts 9:10–16)
God used an ordinary disciple, Ananias, to facilitate the final steps of Saul’s humbling.
- The Reluctant Servant: Ananias’ hesitation reminds us that even believers struggle to believe that God can change “impossible” people.
- A Chosen Instrument: God revealed Saul’s new purpose: to carry His name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel.
4. The Transformation Completed (Acts 9:17–19)
The proud Pharisee was transformed into a humble brother in Christ.
- The Brotherly Welcome: Ananias’ greeting of “Brother Saul” marked his official entrance into the family he once tried to destroy.
- The Scales Fall: Saul regained his sight and was immediately baptized, symbolizing a total break from his past and a full surrender to his new Master.
