The True Transformer--Jesus Christ

The True Transformer

2 Chronicles 33:1-11

August 1, 2021 2Chronicles 33:1-11 Luke 22:31-33 Mark 14:66-72

One of my favorite super heroes was Optimus Prime in the Transformer series. The transformers were these giant robots who could transform themselves to having the shape of truck, cars, jets and tanks in order to engage in battle.

But I come to tell you today, there is super hero by the name of Jesus, who transformed himself from A God to take on the form of a human being.

And what’s really great is that not only is he the True Transfomer, Jesus transforms others from the inside out. Jesus is the transformer that keeps on transforming.

Everybody who comes to Jesus Christ, comes expecting to be faithful to God no matter what. Yet the reality is, we are all going to fail at some point in our relationship with the Lord. We will say or do something that we regret, or will we fail to follow through on a promise we made with the Lord.

I do not fully understand where we got the image of God being an old angry man with a long beard ready to zap us from out of space for each error we make, but it did not come from the Bible.

For the bible informs me that our God is a Transformer who delights in transforming people. He took a murderer by the name of Moses, and transformed him into a great national and spiritual leader. He took a liar and deceiver by the name of Jacob, and transformed him the cornerstone of a nation.

He took an adulterer and murderer like David, and transformed him to write many of the Psalms to strengthen and encourage the people of God. He took a woman who had been married and divorced five times and was now living with a sixth man and transformed her into the first evangelist to go into Samaria. He took some of us, who knows what we were, and transformed us into to what we are becoming today.

In our Old Testament reading, we met King Manassah. Manassah had the opportunity to have the greatest impact on the nation of Judah because he was the longest reigning king.

He ruled for 55 years. His father had been a king who loved the Lord and did a lot in leading the nation back to serving God.

As soon as Manassah got the opportunity after the death of his father, he undid everything his father had spiritually tried to do for the nation. Manassah spent most of his 55 years doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.

He worshiped idols, tried talking to dead people through witches and sorcerers, he sacrificed his sons as human offerings to idols, he put to death innocent people who challenged what he was doing. The account of Manassah in 2 Kings tells us he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Tradition tells us he had the prophet Isaiah sawn in half.

Manassah was full of pride. He did not have to answer to anyone. He did not apologize to anyone for anything he did. He could care less about God. Manassah had transformed himself into a diabolical tyrant that answered to no one.

But one day, God decided enough was enough. God sent the King of Assyria to invade Jerusalem. Manassah was captured, and they put a hook in his nose and chains on his hands and feet and led him away as though he was some wild animal. His self transformation ended far worse than he could have imagined.

This former king was thrown into some Assyrian prison. All the riches and power of which he had boasted now meant absolutely nothing. None of the many idols he had made and created could do much to help him. His situation was hopeless, and he was helpless.

How many Manassah’s are with us today, who are just waiting for some circumstance in life to come and humble them. Oh you may be on top now, and the future may look bright, and you see no need of God in your life.

But God is going to send an Assyrian king into your life, because God hates pride and he will bring down all those who are proud of heart.

But God’s purpose in humbling us, is to bring us to our senses that we might make a change. God is actually more interested in our transformation than he is our punishment.

It was in the dark of the prison, that Manassah remembered, that the God of Israel, was a transforming God. This murderous, lying, abuser of people, had the audacity to think that if he humbled himself before God, God just might hear his prayer.

I’m amazed at the people who do not understand how big the heart of God is. They actually believe they have done something so bad, that God could not possibly love or forgive them. My friend when this evil man humbled himself before God, God had a transformation plan for his Life.