The Apostle Paul refused to brag about his salvation. Paul the Apostle experienced a dramatic conversion. A one-time Christian hater, Paul's newfound faith in Jesus Christ shocked his friends and family.
How could this staunch adversary of the faith suddenly embrace it? Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll teaches from Philippians chapter 1, where Paul describes his determination to forget his sordid past and move forward with Christ. It's a lesson of humility and conviction for us all.
Ever feel haunted by the mistakes of your past? Chuck titled today's message, The Integrity of Pressing On, and he begins with prayer. On this day, our Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks. We thank you for the one who bore us and the Father who stood alongside and those parents who were there for us in our infant days, for those who fed us and bathed us and clothed us and cared for us, when we could do none of that for ourselves. We thank you for them.
Not perfect people, but faithful mothers and dads. Thank you for both. Thank you for our siblings who came along, perhaps before us, some after us, and for the friendship we have built with them over the years as we have grown up together, learned together, and loved together. Some have passed, some are still with us. We thank you for each one. We thank you, our Father, for those who taught us in school. They were there for us day in and day out. Thank you for their patience as it took time for us to learn, for their careful teaching of the truths that were such a part of the building blocks of our lives, and for those special ones along the way as we grew up, who became our mentors, how we looked up to them and how they built into our lives.
We found shelter under their wings, and now they have become the wind beneath our wings. Thank you for each one from whom we learned much, much beyond the textbook, much about life. Thank you for those who hired us early in our lives as we were learning our way in business, in ministry, in the arts, in the realm of work to which you called us. Thank you for their confidence in us and their faith believing in us, for understanding us in difficult times, for being there for us.
Thank you, dear Father, for the mates you have given to us, we who were married, how grateful we are for them, for the role they play in our lives, for the way they enrich us and enhance our world. Thank you for our teaching us about your love through your word, for faithful pastors through our lives who have given themselves to the study of your truth and the communication of it, for the things we've learned from them. We thank you for each one who poured his life into ours. We thank you, Father, for those who make beautiful music with their voices and with their instruments, for those who taught them, for composers who wrote their works that linger in our day, to this day thrilling us with those lyrics and melodies, how much they mean to us, Lord, in this black and white world that would lack so much without a song. Thank you for this marvelous holiday for our nation, for those who fought to keep us free, for those who served faithfully in difficult places, in difficult times, for those who died in battle. Finally, Father, we thank you for those we have loved and lost. As they rest in peace, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the memories we have of their lives. We bless the Lord, our souls do, and all that is within us, we bless your holy name, who forgives us all our sins, heals our diseases, and promises our eternity. Thank you. In the name of Jesus, our Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us, we pray these things. Everyone said, Amen.
You're listening to Insight for Living. To search the scriptures with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. Chuck titled his message, The Integrity of Pressing On. God had plans for Saul of Tarsus, and we now know with the scriptures completed, just how much he had planned, especially in his writings, for no one has contributed more to our theology in writing than the Apostle Paul. How many sufferings he must endure. Paul was to communicate great beliefs, great truths, as a result of his multiple sufferings, they would come through the convictions of his heart.
And surely they did. What's interesting is how quickly Saul of Tarsus becomes the evangelist, rather than the persecutor of people in Damascus. But notice, true to his word, when the Lord said, he must suffer, look at this, after a while, some of the Jews plotted together to kill him.
The roles are now reversed. The man who had been killing is now being stalked. In fact, we read, they plotted together to kill him.
They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him. Here was a man who finally is believing right, beginning to be treated in such wrong ways. Those who are not converted resent the fact that he's a turncoat. How dare he tell people that Jesus is Messiah. We thought he was coming here to arrest these Christians who were telling us the same message as he's now preaching.
We need to put him out of his misery. He debated with some and he, according to this 29th verse, the Greek-speaking Jews, look at this, and they tried to murder him. This happened on in the city of Jerusalem. So he was let down in a big basket off a wall at Damascus and he made his way to Jerusalem. When he got there, the Hellenists heard him speak and they're ready to kill him. So the suffering begins. The suffering begins. And what had been beliefs on the part of the apostle now that he presses on through these hard times turn into convictions.
So what does he do? I want to suggest that about this time, something took place that we often find hard to locate when it happened. And I want you to go from Acts 9 over to Galatians chapter 1. Look at verse 15. But even before I was born, this is Paul writing, before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.
So his theology is already beginning to be perfected. Another belief, as he understands God's sovereign hand in his life, he says then it placed, then it pleased him to reveal his son to me that would happen on the road to Damascus, that would be his conversion, so that I would proclaim the good news about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, he says, I didn't rush out to consult with any human being. I didn't look to be ordained or to be justified in my conversion.
I didn't look for that. When I went up to Jerusalem, he said, I didn't go to be consulted to consult with those who were apostles before. Instead, now look closely, instead I went away to Arabia and later returned to the city of Damascus. Now, Paul's right here.
Paul has converted about 33, 80-33. We're not sure exactly when he went to Arabia or what part of Arabia he was in. Some of it boarded awfully close to Damascus, could have gone to the edge, could have gone more into the interior. We're not even told what he did when he was in Arabia.
No one went with him. But while there, he met with the Lord intimately and some phenomenal things occurred. They are not linked directly with his time in Arabia, but quite likely they occurred during that time, around that time. So you're in Galatians 1. Go back to the previous book.
I'm not going to keep doing this to you, but I've got to go back and forth to tie this story together. Go to 2 Corinthians 12. We're going to read of something rather remarkable that occurred that ties into the sufferings of Paul. He's in Arabia. He's isolated.
He learned something of that. His life has been anything but isolated all through his years as he studies under Gamaliel, as he becomes known as a Pharisee, as he's involved as a terrorist, as he's making sure Christians are arrested, as he's converted, as he's witnessing in Damascus, as he then goes to Jerusalem, and all of a sudden things stop. He's in Arabia. We wish we had details. Not only do scholars not know exactly when that occurred, we don't know exactly what he did while he was there. I'm suggesting that what we're going to read in chapter 12 happened around that time, maybe while in the country of Arabia. Look at what we're going to read here. This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord.
Now, I'm going to interrupt again and say this. Saul is converted, A.D. 33. He writes the letter of 2 Corinthians, A.D. 56. He wrote 1 Corinthians at 55. Now it's 56. I'm telling you that for a reason because of what we're going to read in a moment. It's in 56 that he's writing this letter to the Corinthians, and for the first time he's telling of this event. Look, I was caught up in the third heaven 14 years ago.
Do the math. He wrote this in 56. So this would be in 42, A.D. 42. He's been a believer 9 years. Could have been in Arabia several years. Some say 3 years because of what follows that passage on Arabia.
It could have been more. But he waits 14 years before he tells about this being caught up into the third heaven. Whether he's in the body or out of the body, he doesn't know. Only God knows. But while caught up into paradise, verse 4, I heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
You know, I've taught on this before, and after the class is over, I've had people say, what exactly did he learn? I go, didn't you hear what it says? It says no one can know. Not even Paul tells it. But what is significant is that he hasn't said a word about it for 14 years. Will that ever happen today?
Are you kidding me? How many books are written on I was in heaven and I want to tell you about the event while I was in heaven now that I've come back to earth to tell you about it? Paul never says this. Fourteen years of silence about it, and finally, because it's on the subject, he says, I was caught up in the third heaven, and while I was there I received revelation and visions that are inexpressible. In fact, they are so amazing, the experience was worth boasting about.
No one else had had such experiences. He says in verse 5, that experience is worth boasting about, but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses.
What an interesting statement. You say that after you've suffered. You say that after years of suffering. I'm going to boast only about my weaknesses. You see, if I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so because I'd be telling the truth, but I won't do it. Because I don't want anyone to give me the credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message.
Is that a great statement or what? I want no credit. I just want to live my life.
I want to live it in such a way that it is irrefutable, that it is honest, that it has integrity. And I also want to add, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God, so as to keep me from becoming proud, look at this, I was given a thorn in the flesh. You may have heard of that, but not known where it was located in the Scriptures.
There you have it. Second Corinthians 12 verse 7. The Greek word for thorn is stake, S-T-A-K-E.
It's a sharp object that penetrates and brings pain. Whatever it was, and no one knows for sure, all sorts of speculations had been made about the thorn in the flesh, but it was a painful experience, so painful that the Lord gave it to him to keep him from being proud. And so he prays, look at this next verse, three different times I begged the Lord to take it from me, and each time he said, my grace is all you need. So three times I asked to be relieved, three times I heard no, no, no.
And you know what else? I'll never find a place later in any of Paul's writings or others about Paul where the thorn left him. He lived in pain, easy to forget that. He never whines, he never complains. He presses on. He doesn't quit.
He goes right on. In fact, he tells us the lesson learned from it. Look for yourself. The Lord said to me, my grace is all you need, for my power works best in weakness. That's why he said if I boast in anything, it'll be in my weakness because that's where I can tell you about the grace of God. So now I'm glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure, look at this verse, verse 10, take pleasure in weaknesses and insults and hardships and persecutions and trouble, troubles that I suffer for Christ, for when I'm weak that I'm strong.
When he's weak, he also grows deeper. His beliefs become his convictions as he presses on. It's an amazing story when you study the life of Paul. In fact, I've heard it said that if you wish to track Paul's painful journey through life, it would be like going on a search for a wounded deer in the snow.
You simply follow the trail of blood and if you stay at it long enough, you will come to the animal dead in a pool of blood. That's the apostle Paul. He pressed on through it. He never let up. In fact, he wrote of that to the Galatians. Do not grow weary in well-doing for we shall reap if we do not faint.
Don't quit. He wrote to the Corinthians, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Hear the words, press on knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
First Corinthians 15, 58. He pressed on. He went right on. He stayed at it. He didn't quit. He didn't hold back.
He didn't complain. There's integrity in living a life like that. Did you know that in the Philippians account, which I read to you earlier, do you know when he wrote that along with three other letters, Ephesians and Colossians and Philemon? There's a reason scholars call those the prison epistles. He wrote them while in chains, in chains. During a two-year house arrest, he's manacled to a Roman soldier. Day after day, week after week, he doesn't take walks outside. If you came to see Paul, you came to him at the house.
He didn't come to see you. Two years awaiting an audience with Nero. And during that time, it came to Paul's mind, I've got a captive audience here.
Emphasis on captive. He chained himself to me. So I'm going to talk to him about Jesus and it can't get away.
I love the thought. While you're sitting here, Stephanos, I want to tell you about Jesus. I don't want to hear, well, you're chained to me. So listen, I want to tell you about the savior. He changed my life.
He can change yours. And did you know that the whole Praetorian Guard, the palace guard, those closest to the emperor, his SS troops, if you will, came to Christ. The imagery is striking, isn't it? Here's Paul chained to a prison guard, speaking to his captive audience about the love of Jesus. You're listening to Insight for Living. Chuck Swindoll is midway through a message he titled, The Integrity of Pressing On. And if you'd like to learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org. And then in these closing moments of the program, as we reflect on the need for boldness and courage to face our times, I'm pleased to inform you that we're offering a newly updated daily devotional prepared with these issues in mind.
It's called Wisdom for the Way. It's a natural complement to our current series because Chuck provides 365 daily reflections on how to navigate the uncertainty of our times. As you walk with Jesus this year, we believe Chuck's daily writings will help you discover balance, even when you're feeling anxious or when you're growing tired of the cultural chaos. Ask for a copy of Wisdom for the Way, the deluxe leather soft edition is available for purchase when you call us.
If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Or it might be quickest to go directly to insight.org slash offer. Chuck's personal mission is to help you learn more about the Bible and its relevance to your life. It's all made possible, of course, because people just like you give voluntary donations. Through your gift, you're receiving a constant source of Bible teaching for yourself and for countless others who've come to rely on Chuck as well. And so as God leads you, please remember the influence of your donation to Insight for Living. Our website and our email inbox are filled with affirming notes.
Each one tells the story of God's faithfulness as men and women learn to apply the truth to their lives. To give a donation right now, call us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Or you can also give online at insight.org slash donate. Join us when Chuck Swindoll continues to describe the integrity of pressing on, Friday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, The Integrity of Pressing On, was copyrighted in 2021 and 2022, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
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