Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
When you come into contact with Jesus Christ, expect to change!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
When we discover Jesus’ identity, He will change ours!
Jesus’ encounter with the blind men.
29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34 So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Matthew 20:29-34 (KJV)
Seeing with their heart.
They saw Jesus for who He truly was – Son of David. To call Jesus Lord was expected. This was the usual respectful greeting of someone who was higher than you but to call Jesus “Son of David” as to virtually acknowledge Him to be the Messiah, who as old prophets foretold, was to open the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 29:18).These two blind men were seeing clearly with their hearts.
Our world is so blind. Our world is crying, “heal our bank accounts!” when our cry should be, “heal our heart!”
Jesus offers a changed identity.
So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
No longer were they going to have to beg for money. No longer were they going to be known as “the two blind men.” They saw Jesus as not just another man, or a good teacher, or a moral guide. They saw Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah, and they followed Him!
Matthew 20:34 (KJV)
Hundreds of thousands of people have met Jesus and recognized Him for who He is – savior of the world, the lamb of God, the sacrifice for sins – and have become followers of Him!
Let us look at the story of Saul who became Paul. He saw Jesus for who is really is and Paul’s life was completely transformed. Paul was known as a Christian killer. Now, he is known as a Christian preacher!
When you recognize Jesus for who He is, He will change your identity!
Desperation leads to transformation.
Definition of Desperate
Desperate is defined as reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency. “Desperate” is a strong word. People who are desperate are frantic, rude, reckless. But also, desperate people are explosive, focused, and uncompromising in their desire to get what they want.
New Testament Examples
People who are desperate have tried everything else and nothing has worked. They have nothing else left to lose. They realize that Jesus is the solution and nothing will keep a desperate person from Jesus!
Jesus’ encounter with the lame man.
1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
Mark 2:1-4 (KJV)
He wants to get to Jesus. He needs to get to Jesus! He lets nothing stand in his way. He has recruited four friends to carry him, has destroyed a roof to a home, and has risked his life being lowered through the opening in the roof. All because he was desperate for Jesus!
The transformation
His desperation led to transformation. In verse 12, we can see that this amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, “We never saw it on this fashion.”
- The spiritual transformed
Jesus healed what needed to be healed first and foremost – the eternal, not the temporal. - The physical transformed
We don’t know caused this man’s paralysis, if he was a handicapped person, if he was born with paralysis, or if he sustained some significant injury to cause his paralysis. We don’t even know this man’s name!
What we do know is that he was forever changed after his encounter with Christ! His identity used to be that of a paralyzed man. To them and the other witnesses, the fact that he was paralyzed identified him!
No longer was this man’s identity found in the fact that he could not walk. This man’s identity is found in Christ Jesus. He was desperate to change and his desperation led to transformation!
Transformation leads to thanksgiving!
Jesus’ encounter with the lepers.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:12-19 (KJV)
We were like the lepers.
Just like them, we were outcasts. We could have no contact with God in the condition we were in. Our sin was a disease that threatened our eternal life. But Jesus healed us. He removed our sins from us and cleansed us.
Our response.
What are we doing here? Why are we singing songs? Why are we giving money? All of it, everything we do, is in direct praise and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done. When we gather, it’s time to get focused, excited and worship God with gratitude.
Your identity is found in Christ alone. He changed you when you became a follower of Him.
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:14 (KJV)