Transformed!

THE NEW MAN:

John 12: 1-12

Have you ever came across a passage that you have read a hundred times before and all of sudden you see something 'new', something you have never seen before? Well, that happened to me just this week as I was reading a passage in the Gospel of John, verses 1-12. Earlier in the week I had my eyes opened by a passage from George Mueller, the prayer warrior, pastor, evangelist, and orphanage establisher of the 1800's. Mueller is known for his acts of faith and trust in God's provision as seen in his auto-biography, "George Mueller". What Mueller spoke of in the passage that I read was how his prayer life changed once he learned to base his prayers on the word of God. He spoke of 'meditating' on the word; rolling and mulling verses of scripture over and over again in your mind until a 'thanksgiving, supplication confession' and all manner of prayers begin to flow from the passage of scripture you are meditating on. This is what happened this week as I read and meditated on John 12: 1-11. In addition to the prayers that this type of 'meditation' brought, it also began to illumine the scripture passage as I had never seen it before:

Jesus had come to Bethany to the house of his friends Martha, Mary and "Lazarus, the man he had raised from death." Well, if you are familiar with the story, Jesus comes to their house and a dinner is prepared. While Jesus is at the dinner, Mary brings out some expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus' feet and begins to 'wash' his feet with her hair. Judas Iscariot, who later betrays Jesus and is a thief, begins to complain about the 'waste' of this expensive perfume that could have been sold for a lot of money- which he could have used to line his own pocket with. Jesus rebukes him and explains that Judas' excuse is lame, and that Mary is doing the right thing. While this is going on it says that a large number of people have gathered, not just to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus who Jesus had raised from the dead just days before. The priests see this happening and decided they need to kill not just Jesus, but Lazarus too, since the people were rejecting the teaching of the Jewish leaders and beginning to follow Jesus. 

Well, while meditating on this, what became clear was the teaching that those of us who are "Lazarus" and have been raised to new life in Jesus are to be so identified with Him that people are drawn to accept him. Our 'new life' that we now live should be so 'transformed' that people will come just to see 'what the Lord has done'. It should be such a transformation that there is no doubt that one who was dead, now lives! This new life that we live will put to death the 'old law' of sin that used to keep us in bondage, and just as we live a new resurrected life, others will be transformed as we 'dine' with them and share with them this new life we have received by believing in Jesus. This new life that we speak of will be for Gods glory, because it is only He who could raise a dead man to life! 

As we speak of these things the sweetness of the gospel message will fill the air with the 'fragrance of Christ', and as it says in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, it will be a 'sweet smelling' fragrance to those who are being saved, but a 'stench of death' to those who are perishing because they have not accepted the gift of eternal life from Jesus. Yet, even though this sweet aroma of the gospel is being spread there will be those who want to 'steal' the joy of salvation from those who are experiencing it. 

Satan has come to 'steal, kill and destroy,' so it is no surprise that we will have Judas' in our midst even as the perfume of the gospel is being spread. But the Lord Jesus has told this betrayer, 'Leave her (or him) alone!', and has given us this word in 1 Pet. 5:9, 'resist the devil, and he will flee from you!' As many begin to come to Jesus, and as the resurrected life that you now share with others begins to point others to Jesus, the old law will rise up and try to 'kill' this transformation. So, we must 'be aware, for our enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour' (1Pet. 5:8); however, 'we have the mind of Christ' (1Cor. 2:16) and 'even though we live in the world, the weapons that we fight with are not fleshly weapons, but are spiritual weapons for the destruction of fortresses. Destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,' (2Cor. 10: 3-5). And we have nothing to fear, for 'true love cast out all fear' (1Jn. 4:18) and we are inhabited by God as His 'temple' (1Cor. 3:17), the God 'who is love' (1Jn.  4:8).  It is because of this that Christ will conquer, that his fragrance will spread, and people who were once dead will be transformed into a new creation because they have believed in the One, Jesus, that is able to raise the dead back to life! Praise our Lord Jesus!

May this be the day that you conquer death by repenting of your sins,

believing in Jesus, and make Him the Lord of your life. If you do, you will be able to say along with all the others who have believed, 

"Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your power to hurt?" Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 

(1Co 15:55-57 GNB)

Blessings,

Randy