This document discusses how God works to transform people into the image of Christ through a breaking and reforming process. It provides examples from the lives of Jacob, Moses, Peter, and Paul, noting how each went through a crisis that shattered their self-confidence and opened them to God's power. The key points are that God wants to transform every person, it requires having a teachable heart and submitting to God's discipline, and the process is lifelong as God seeks to do a deeper work in believers.

1. The Father’s
Transformation Process
Heb 12: 1-13
by rev dr hwa yung
Servanthood or Leadership (4)

2. 1. Introduction: Our Father’s
Determination to Transform Us
• But because God is our Father, He is
determined to change us!
Our Father’s goal is to transform us
into the image of Christ!
• Cf. Heb 12:1-13; He disciplines
because we are His sons and
daughters. Are we responding?

3. 2. Four lives: The Breaking Process
i. Jacob the Rascal (Snake)
Gen 25:26; Name = ‘Deceiver’ (NIV);
manipulates to get Esau’s birthright
Gen 27; Steals the Father’s blessing
from his brother. But meets his match
in Laban—a bigger ‘snake’.
ii.Moses—The Egyptian Prince
Ex 1 & 2; Privileged background with
wealth, learning, pleasures, class.
Tries to solve the Heb’s problem on his
own; flops badly and runs for his life!

4. 2. Four lives: The Breaking Process
iii. Peter—The Self made Man and
Born leader
A self made man and born leader.
Always first!
But ends up denying the Lord!
iv. Paul—The Righteous Pharisee
Phil 3:4 6; Birth and upbringing,
religious background, learning and
intellect, human achievements, etc.
Crisis of conscience and the
Damascus road!

5. v. Two Things
a. All of us need breaking because of
the abundance of human pride and
arrogance in our lives.
b. Breaking takes time: ‘God took 2
days to get Moses out of Egypt; but
took 40 years to get Egypt out of
Moses!’
Question: Are we open to God’s
breaking process. Do we have a
teachable heart?

6. 3. The Transforming Process
God brings each to a point of personal
crisis to make them open themselves to
his transforming power.
i. Jacob: Brought to the point of
desperation. The truth is that the
snake has nowhere to turn! Then in
32:26b finally recognizes that God
must be the ultimate source of
blessing, and not his own cunning!
ii. Moses: Only after his self-confidence
was totally shattered could God
begin to use him.
Result: A humble and meek man!

7. 3. The Transforming Process
iii. Peter: The story of his restoration is
told in Jn 21. He was still the leader
after Acts 1. But what emerged was
totally different man! He learnt that
he no longer has to be No. 1 in order
to serve God!
iv. Paul: After Damascus Rd, for 2 years
or so he went into retreat (Gal 1:17f);
followed by some 10 years or more of
relative obscurity in Tarsus and
Antioch. Only then he was ready to
be sent out, at about 50! The passion
and zeal were undiminished (cf. Phil
3:7-11) but he was a changed man!

8. 4. Application – Your Choice
i. Your choice
The choice is yours. It is not that
God favors some, therefore breaks
and transforms them; leaving
others to rot. God is our Father. He
wants to do the same in every life;
cf. Heb 12:5 11.
Are we rejecting God’s will or
cooperating with Him?

9. 4. Application – Your Choice
ii. Cooperating with God in His
breaking and transforming
process.
a. Ask God for a teachable heart.
b. Repentance to be a hard word!
But there is no other way round
it.

10. 4. Application – Your Choice
c. Subjecting ourselves to His
discipline: Heb 12:11. This involves:
• Letting Him deal with your
weaknesses and insecurities
• Obey Him in whatever path of
action He calls you to.
• Often God asks us to withdraw
into a position of obscurity: Cf.
Moses and Paul.
d.Give Him time. Why? Because you
have got to give yourself time!

11. 4. Application – Your Choice
iii. The Father’s formation process is
lifelong!
It does not matter what stage
you are at. God is constantly
seeking to do a deeper work in
us!
iv. The world is always looking for
better methods; God is looking
for better men and women