NEW LIFE IN CHRIST / TRANSFORMING LIFE

(Job 42: 10 – 17; Eph. 2: 1 – 10; Mark 10: 46 – 52)

Prayer: When you spoke things happened, when people received your wonderful words they got complete recovery, healing and transformation for their temporal and spiritual lives. This wonderful work and power from you is what we also need today, therefore Lord – as we meditate upon you holy words, may the words of this writing and meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy side, o Lord, our rock and redeemer.

@All the three texts mentioned above talk about the contrast between the Old and new life;

The first one (Job 42: 10 – 17) talk about Job’s new life; how the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, and how The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning , etc. As we all know – the previous part of his life was full of misery and distress due to the ruthless trial he had been struggled with.

Second one (Eph. 2: 1 – 10) is, as we see from the heading: “The old life contrasted with the new life.” In which – the Old life is compared with the death body which is fall upon human as a result of the trespasses and sins committed by human. Likewise the new life is also clearly shown as a life which is risen up from the death, which is also made alive together with Christ, etc.

The third one (Mark 10: 46 – 52) is about Healing of the blind man – Bartimaeus; a beggar who was sitting at the roadside. Who was later received direct healing from Jesus to regain his eye sight.
Therefore, basing on these three passages, we are going to meditate on the theme – ‘A New Life in Christ/transforming life’.

When we talk about a new life in Christ/transforming life; one question that may come up to our minds is – what is the prerequisite quality for a human to make him transform or a degree that can qualify a human to get a new life from God.

The answer we give may vary from person to persons;
For example – according to the book of Job; as the text says - the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends. Therefore, obedience to God or a prayer which is offered by Job is something which is likely to open up the doors of heaven.

And in the case of a blind man – who received direct healing from Jesus; the answer is – his faith. The text says – when Jesus asked a question saying "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Then Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Then immediately the blind man regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way.
But when we look from Pauline theology – we have three answers; i) God’s mercy ii) God’s great love iii)  the amazing grace of God.

Eph 2: 4& 5 say :  But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us; even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. So here; i) God, who is rich in mercy; ii) God’s great love; and iii) the grace of God, etc are the foundations and sources through and from which a person can receive a new life.

Therefore by keeping all these three sources in mind; the only two points i want to focus/ emphasize and try to give the answer today are;

1.    When a person experience God’s transformation which result a new life; what is/are the fundamental/underlying factor behind of this transformation/new life?

2.    What result does a new life produced? What are the positive results or the outcomes of this new life?

@ 1.    When a person experience God’s transformation which result a new life; what is/are the fundamental/underlying factor(s) behind of this transformation/new life?

1.    The first answer I want to give is ; if a person has experience God’s transformation which result a new life; there is repentance/renunciation before it:

In order to ascertain our provided /suggested answer; one good illustration can be made from the life of Job. As all know – he was a man of God, who, according to Job 1:1 was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He is also the one who is most well-known for his patience, endurance, persistence and steadfastness, etc

Even when God put everything of Job belonging to setan hands, and when setan take away almost all his belongings – he still can praise the name of God saying – (1:21)"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

But, after when Setan inflicted loathsome sores on Job which he struggle with for a long period of time. Then we began to see another way of new development from his life. Therefore, as he encountered with God with a series of cross-questions and explanations; God has put him to the ground of penitent which he never experience before. Therefore, the man of God, whom we considered as a blameless and upright man, one who also feared God and turned away from evil was surprisingly convinced by something, and simultaneously resulted that he has repented before the holiness of God.

Job 42: 5 says “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
This is really amazing and unbelievable for a good man like him who has experienced a new life through repentance. But for me, this is the starting point for Job that persuaded God in order that Job would experience a new life and would receive God’s abundant blessing.

Therefore, our point here is – one of the essential needs for a person to experiencing a new life and God’s blessing is repentance.

In Job 42:6, Job says, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Here, Job was at a low point in his personal history. The idea associated with repent in dust is that it is “nothing.” Dust is associated with lowliness or humility. When Job repented in dust and ashes, he was repenting in humility. This is also what God expected from his people, from every individual or from the community of his people in order that he may show his goodness and may bless his people.

This principle, which is always operative in the life of the church, was revealed by God himself to Solomon when he prayed for God’s blessing on the temple. The Lord told him, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Isaiah also speaks of this promise, saying, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
Therefore, basing on theses biblical principles what we can rightly say now is - Repentance is always the basis for individual transforming life and divine blessings.

2.    Faith and Perseverance
As previously mentioned, the blind man who experience direct healing from Jesus will be our basis to focus this particular area. As already pointed out – when Jesus asked a question in Mk 10: 51-52, it says, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Then Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Then immediately the blind man regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way. Here, in this story ‘Faith’ is the starting point to experience a new life. But here another interesting area we still have is – the way how a blind man expressed his faith through his eagerness in the form of perseverance. This is what i want to take as considerable point that we need to keep in mind.

Faith is the most important thing that a person need in order to experience transforming life /God blessing – we all can agree, and there will be no objection. But faith which is publicly exhibited through perseverance is something what we (the churches) are lacking in today’s world. And to some extent – because of this reason, the present churches also hardly produce individual members who would experience ‘what we call it as transforming life’ for the same reason.

Therefore faith is to be expressed and publicly demonstrated by someone (us, individual members of the church) in the form of perseverance. In another words, if we expect God’s/divine power, divine intervention in our life through faith; one must have strong persistence or determination which is also known as perseverance; so that we can experience heavenly blessing more and more in our life.

3.    The grace of God.
In Eph 2: 4& 5 :  We have seen (as previously mentioned) three important fundamental factors through which a person received God giving life; i) God’s mercy; ii) God’s great love; and iii) the grace of God, etc.

However, we will focus only the last one –‘the grace of God’ today.
If we go through the scripture; we know that Grace is a constant theme which culminates in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus (John 1:17). As the term implies - “favor, blessing, or kindness” of course, we all can extend grace to others; but when the word grace is used in connection with God, it takes on a more powerful meaning.  I.e. - It is God’s benevolence to the undeserving. It is also God's unmerited favor, or unmerited help given to people; His goodness toward those who have no claim on, nor reason to expect, divine favor.

God’s grace/the grace of God is also attributed as undeserved free gift, undeserved favor, and undeserved love which is also known as God’s given greatest treasure to the least deserving—which is every one of us.

Though it is very difficult to explain the true meaning of grace for a person like me who has limited knowledge, we will try to explain by using some well-known illustration.
@ It has been said that, once Abraham Lincoln went to a slave auction one day and was appalled at what he saw. So, he was drawn to a young woman on the auction block.
So, when the bidding began; Lincoln bid until he purchased the woman—no matter the cost. Then, at last, Lincoln won. Then after he paid the auctioneer, he walked over to the woman and said “You’re free.”
So, when the woman came to know what Lincoln said “You’re Free”. She said, “Sir, What is that supposed to mean?” Then, Lincoln said - “It means you are free, completely free!” Then the woman looked and said again - “Does it mean I can do whatever I want to do?” He said, “Yes, free to do whatever you want to do, free to say whatever I want to say?” Then the woman asked again with hope and hesitation saying “Does this freedom mean that I can go wherever I want to go?”
Lincoln replied, “Yes, it means exactly that you can go wherever you want to go.” Then, with full of tears of joy and gratitude welling up in her eyes, she said, “Then, I think I’ll go with you.”

The reason why i chose this story is – I think, this story illustrates enough what God did for us. As Paul tells us – God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us; even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. That means - we are bought with a price which was costly; i.e. the life of Jesus, God’s own Son. By God grace - Jesus paid the price for us, and he set us free. This is the beginning of a new life in Christ.

In order to make it more interesting, I want to conclude my message with this short saying of God’s grace – It is said that - When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day's pay for his time; that is known as ‘a wage’. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his/her performance; that is known as ‘a prize’. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his/her long service or high achievements; that is known as ‘an award’; but, when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award - yet receives such a gift anyway - that is a good picture of God's unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God; the grace of God through which a person/ we receive a new life in Christ.

@ 2.    What result does a new life produced? What are the positive results or the outcome of this new life?
I have 3 points here, but in order to save time let me tell you the only 3 answers without any further elaboration;
1.    The assurance of God’s forgiveness and acceptance.
2.    Inexplicable life experience as a sign of God favor.
3.    A new fellowship with God/Christ.