Transformation

Transformation, You can’t earn Gods Love but you can be perfected by it!

Context # 1

Paul was speaking to the Christians at the church in Corinth

There was descent in the ranks, he was facing a “Back to Moses” movement

As he faced his opponents he brings in wide ranging arguments comparing the old and new covenants and Paul now divides covenanted history the old and the new

Consider how history itself is divided, not by a war, not by the discovery of a continent or a great invention, no it is by a person in Jesus Christ, before and after his first coming

The some of the Jews are teaching that the old still is above the new, that Moses is equal or even greater than Jesus

They claim that Jesus was just but a part of the covenant of Moses like blind guides not seeing the glorious truth before them, clinging to their comfort zone and prepared to take others with them for the sake of their way

“To this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear” (Deuteronomy), the veil had descended

Context # 2

The former ministry was Moses, the later was Christ’s. The former is marked by death and condemnation, the later by the Spirit and righteousness, love and life

The new covenant deals with the twin blessings righteousness (acquittal / forgiveness of sins) and the Spirit

Both righteousness and the Spirit are received when we believe in Christ, by faith in him do we receive, there is no other way, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

Paul, goes out on the edge, to the heart of the matter and compares the truth of the old and the new glory, one that fades, is temporary and leads to death and one that shines bright, is permanent never to be extinguished and leads to life

Going out on the edge beyond the comfort zone is were the process of refinement and transformation accelerate

Unveiled life in Christ # 1

We who are unveiled can see the glory of the Lord and be transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory

That is just amazing, we can be made to be like Jesus!

This is not a physical transformation we will not look like the Lord. This is Spiritual, character forming you should say

This produces in believers the “fruit” of relationship with Jesus, the fruit of the inward workings of the Holy Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

How does this profound character transformation take place?

Unveiled life in Christ # 2

When anyone turns to the Lord, confesses a belief in Jesus the veil is taken away

We then have the right and the right to a relationship with God, relationship is the heart of the transformation process, the engine if you like, the depth and sincerity of our surrender is the fuel that defines how fast or slow this process goes

If we do not surrender our all, if we do not have a passion to seek God, the wholeness of Christ in our lives could be missed, the offer of a relationship with God could be lost

Are you worried that you might lose all that you have and hold dear, does the centre of your self scream NO NEVER, mine did before I came to Christ, all I once held dear I do now count but loss, loss of time with my saviour the lover of my soul from whom all good and perfect things flow

Process, Process, Process

I’m a scientist of sorts and I design and develop “Purification Processes” for drugs that save lives and fight cancer and poisons like snake bites

The drugs are antibodies, special unique proteins that target like a magic bullet on disease and poison taken them out, making them safe

These drugs have to be totally pure, any impurity in them and the patient would be at risk from serious perhaps life threatening reactions

These proteins I am working with at the moment are taken from sheep’s blood, sounds awful but they are made safe by a long and complicated process

This separates all of the dangerous proteins from the good and makes sure the medicine remains sterile and safe

To give you an idea what this is like its like having a glass of fresh water turned upside down pushed into the silt, in the deepest part of a average size sea, say the Mediterranean and then trying to recover the fresh water without losing a drop and without letting in any sea water or silt in – Easy eh!

God wants to do this with us

He wants to purify all of our good from all that is not