Changing Lives Is Jesus' Business, Part 2

In the process of coming to know Messiah, it is remarkable how Messiah is able to clean up life. Don't read people rules of spirituality en route to salvation. Let the Lord do it. You present to them the Savior.

As I've heard old Vernon McGee say so many times, our job isn't to clean up the fish bowl, it's to fish. When you get up in the morning and study your face in the mirror, do you see some flaws in your character, perhaps your behavior that you'd really like to change? Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll reminds us that genuine change, that is dramatic transformational life change, is not something we can manufacture, manipulate, or control. There's a spiritual force that does all the work when we release the control to Him. From the series Growing Deep in the Christian Life, Chuck presents message number nine. It's titled Changing Lives is Jesus Business. When I think about that which keeps me going with Christ, it is the hope of change. When I meet with people who have struggled through the battles and the valleys and the swamps of their experiences, and I search for reasons they hang on and keep growing, it is the hope of change. It is the inner conviction that God is at work changing them. I want to think to begin with, before we look at three lives our Lord Jesus changed, I want to think about some statements from both Old Testament and New Testament that affirm this idea. Turn back into the Old Testament to the book of Jeremiah chapter 18. I want to read the first six verses of Jeremiah 18. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying arise and go down to the potter's house and there I shall announce my words to you then I went down to the potter's house and there he was making something on the wheel but the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter so he remade it into another vessel as it pleased the potter to make and then he draws an analogy then the word of the Lord came to me saying can I not O house of Israel deal with you as this potter does declares the Lord behold like the clay in the potter's hand so are you in my hand O house of Israel you see change written there without even finding the word you're like a lump of clay to me and I can shape you and hollow you out and thin your walls and flare the top and and make you decorative or I can push you back and start all over again because change is my occupation it is my specialty and God in the process of shaping us and remaking us and molding us like a potter with clay brings about those things that need attention in our lives some of you are on the wheel and it's painful you've been placed as it were in a blast furnace and it seems as though the fire will never never cease and you feel like a shapeless mass you can't understand the direction trust the father he's changing you he knows what he's doing he knows what he's about years ago when I worked in a machine shop one of the lathes I had to learn how to how to operate was a tracer lathe and it followed what was called a template the template was was an exact pattern of what was to be turned out on the lathe and this very sensitive little little finger little air driven finger followed along the template and it shaped exactly what the lathe was to turn and you set that template you set that little finger against the template and you threw the right switch and as that template as that finger followed the template so the tool followed on this piece of metal and when you finished you had an exact replica of the template that's the father's job he places his finger on the template his son and he throws the switch called life and he watches over his workmanship and at times the tool bites in and screams and and even turns the metal a color and then it backs off and it smooths it out and then it goes back in again shaping it to to bear the image of his son that's the father's task he's committed to it he's changing us be encouraged now I find in the book of John three wonderful illustrations of people who were changed the first is a woman the scene takes place by a well in samaria between two people who have never met before one is a woman and one is a man the woman is never named here or elsewhere in Scripture it happens at noon it's hot the Samaritan son is burning down and Jesus hot from the journey sits down alone by a well his disciples have gone for food he sits down alone and a woman walks up to draw water here's a woman who has no idea what's in front of her and she walks up to the well in verse 7 and she hears a Jew a Jew say to her give me a drink now you can't appreciate that not being Jewish and certainly not being Samaritan but you haven't seen prejudice like they knew it then I mean if a Jew was going to go from his homeland in Judea up north instead of going through samaria he went all the way around samaria and then went further in his journey his disciples had gone away to the city to buy food and the Samaritan woman not knowing anything about it knowing nothing of the man said to him how is it that you being a Jew asked me for a drink since I'm a Samaritan woman not only are you speaking to a woman on the street you're speaking to a Samaritan woman and not only that you're a Jew what are you a Jew doing in my territory and of all things you're asking me for a drink what's with you Jews have no dealings with Samaritans adds John Jesus answered and said if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you give me a drink you would have asked me and he would have given you living water now she misses it completely she says sir you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep where do you get where do you get that living water you're not greater than our father Jacob are you who gave us the well and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle Jesus said to her everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again speaking of the well of course but whoever drinks of the water that I give him she'll never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life and the woman said to him sir give me this water so I will not be thirsty and I won't have to come all the way to draw she misses it completely he says to her go and call your husband she says to him I I have no husband Jesus said to her you have well said I have no husband for you have had five husbands and the one whom you now have is not your husband now that was in a day when having five husbands wasn't popular that was in a day when living with a man outside a wedlock was a scandal that was in a day when even the public had a purity code and he exposes her he he unveils her life in one sentence not only do you have five husbands in your background you're living with a man who's not your husband I have discovered as a minister of the gospel that there are many many people who have secrets they don't want anybody to know many even some who look heroic have you found that out yet all of us have feet of feet of clay I read some time ago about a fellow who went into a chicken place in Long Beach and fried chicken place and bought two chicken dinners for him and his date and he he left and inadvertently the gal who gave him what would have been the chicken she gave him the proceeds from the day a whole bag of money much of it cash and he walks out in the car and puts it down drives this picnic site and he and his lady sit down to open the the meal to enjoy chicken and they discover a whole lot more than chicken there's a lot of money here over $800 mostly in cash and he's unusual he wraps it up they get back in the car they drive back you've got to really want chicken to do this don't you he drives all the way back and he guts out walks in and manager is frantic and he looks a fellow in the eye and and he says to the manager I want you to know I came by to get a couple of chicken dinners and I wound up with all this money here oh the manager was thrilled at death and he said oh great let me call the newspaper I'm gonna have your picture put in the paper you're one of the most honest men I've ever heard of he said no no no no don't do that you see the woman I'm with is not my wife she's somebody else's wife it's interesting isn't it that even on the surface what may appear to be a heroic person of integrity often has a secret Jesus has a way of cutting right through the veneer and he does that with her oh she says I perceive that you're a prophet verse 19 I perceive you're a prophet now she doesn't want to talk about husbands she wants to talk about religious issues see that mountain over there now our people say that's where we're to worship your people say you're to worship in Jerusalem now let's talk about the mountain in Samaria or the mountain in Jerusalem isn't that just like us let's don't talk about husband-wife thing let's talk about mountains what do you think what do you think verse 21 Jesus said to her woman believe me he doesn't get sidetracked on mountain talk believe me an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you worship the Father and he goes on to say worship him in spirit and in truth verse 24 God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth the woman said to him I know that Messiah is coming he is also called Christ when that one comes he will declare all these things to us Jesus said I who speak to you am he and at this point the disciples come back this is the great moment here the disciples they're coming back they are starving to death and they walk up on the scene and Jesus is right here nose to nose Jewish knows Samaritan knows looking at one another coming to terms with the issue of salvation and the disciples are you ready for this this is a great moment at this point his disciples came and they marveled that he had been speaking with a woman yet no one said what do you seek or why do you speak with her so the woman left her water pot and went into the city and and said to the men come see a man who told me all the things that I've done this is not the Messiah is it now the disciples are blown away they're still staring how could he be talking to a woman and of all things a Samaritan woman they went out of the city and were coming to him and in the meantime the disciples were requesting him eat come on teacher eat we got cheeseburgers hamburgers fries what do you what do you want eat he said to them I have food to eat that you do not know about this is one of the disciples greatest moments disciples therefore were saying to one another no one gave me anything to eat did he airhead city boy I'll tell you these these guys are thick man you didn't get my hamburger did you who gave him the cheeseburger what is this Jesus said my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work you guys we're not talking about mums we're not talking about cheeseburgers we're talking about eternal things get your head together rather just a few months and a harvest I'll tell you it's getting short verse 39 you think she wasn't changed and from that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified he told me all the things that I have done by the way that's one of the things one of the ways Jesus changes us he shows us all the things that we have done isn't it scary isn't it vulnerable in his presence but isn't it wonderful to be honest with that friend isn't it marvelous to have someone with whom you can trust your secrets and unveil your life so when the Samaritans came to him they were asking him to stay with them and he stayed two days why that was scandalous in the Jewish home but Jesus had on his heart the eternal soul of the Samaritan many believed because of his word verse 41 and they were saying to the woman it's no longer because of what you said that we believe for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is indeed the Savior of the world she was C H A N G E D a different woman now I'm gonna say something you may not understand on the surface but before you throw rocks at me just think about it Jesus never once told her to leave that man now wait a minute that wasn't the issue he didn't rebuke her because of her immoral life she was an unsaved Samaritan unsaved people live like that he didn't say to her clean up your act and then you're qualified to believe he said I'm Messiah and I'll tell you all the things that you've done in the process of coming to know Messiah it is remarkable how Messiah is able to clean up a life don't read people rules of spirituality on route to salvation let the Lord do it you present to them the Savior as I've heard old Vernon McGee say so many times our job isn't to clean up the fishbowl it's to fish just fish God will help clean up their life I think as time passed she became intensely uncomfortable with her lifestyle you can't walk with a holy God and live with a man out of wedlock John chapter 9 is another case completely different not a woman but a man not a healthy man but a blind man blind from birth but another man who has changed as Jesus passed by John 9 he saw a man blind from birth another lump of clay on the wheel his disciples saw this beggar and they saw him as case number 326 Lord who sinned him or his parents isn't it easy to become calloused when dealing with people in need and if you see them a lot then you certainly become calloused as time passes if your heart's cold and by and by you begin to see all beggars alike you begin to see all prisoners alike you begin to see all harlots alike begin to see all humanity alike just a case number and so he became a topic of theological discussion Jesus answer is profound it was neither this man who sinned nor his parents but it was an order that the works of God might be displayed in him we must work the works of him who sent me as long as it is day night is coming when no man can work while I'm in the world I'm the light of the world when he had said this watch closely he spat on the ground made clay of the spittle and applied the clay to his eyes and he said to him go wash in the pool of Siloam and so he went away and washed and came back seeing now wait you've read this story too many times so that your excitement is pretty dull it's just another story just another miracle I want you to put yourself in the sandals of first century people who have seen nothing but a blind beggar most of the days of their lives the community knows him the people who pass by he's as familiar as he can be and he comes back from the pool having washed the clay from his eyes and he can see for the first time ever he can see okay in verses 8 through 12 we have the neighbor's reaction and it's astounding in verses 13 to 34 we have the Pharisees in a reaction and it's unbelievable and then 35 to the end we have Jesus response right quick now remember he's been blind all their lives as long as they've known him now he can see the neighbors therefore and those who previously saw him as a beggar were saying isn't this the one who used to sit and beg and others were saying this is he others were saying no no he he looks like him he's not the same one he kept saying I'm the one I'm the one I'm the one I'm the one I'm the one I am the one I'm the one I'm I'm the one I can see look I can see I can see you're tall you're short you're ugly you're cute I can see I can see it's me it's me now that's the idea he can't believe that they're arguing over his identity what happened what happened now watch therefore they were saying to him how then were your eyes open does that seem amazing to anybody else no one is saying bring the confetti you bring the hot dogs let's celebrate this guy can see they're saying tell us what happened how did this occur just exactly what were the steps that you went through when you get in a situation like this in their sandals then you take the guy to the Pharisees in fact the man responds the one who is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and and he said go to Siloam and wash and I went and washed it and look I could I received my sight and they said where is he he said I don't know as if to say does that seem important I can see well we better go talk to the officials about this so they brought him to the Pharisees they brought him who was formerly blind now this is where it gets unbelievable now it was on the Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes uh oh we're talking scandal this is Sabbath healing again the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight he said to them he applied clay to my eyes and I washed and I see some of the Pharisees were saying this man is not from God because he doesn't keep the Sabbath and others were saying how could a man who was a sinner perform such signs there was division among them remember our previous talk they didn't know who he was some said he was a sinner some said he was a saint some said he was from the devil others said he was John the baptizer all kinds of things were out about him he was one of the prophets therefore they said to the blind man again what do you say about him since he opened your eyes let's talk about this person and he said he is a prophet the Jews therefore did not believe it of him that he had been blind you obviously have been able to see all your life it's a it's a it's a false uh healing then they call the parents of the one who had received his sight this is uh this is incredible here now watch what happens talk about intimidated they are scared to death of the Pharisees and they've got their son standing here who's able to see and the Pharisees who are threatening them with you better tell us the truth watch it happen they questioned him saying is this your son who you say was born blind then how does he now see parents answered and said we know that this is our son and that he was born blind but how he now sees we we do not know or who opened his eyes we do not know ask him he's of age he shall speak for himself go ahead why did they do that why did they say it that way he shall speak for himself speak for himself verse 22 because they were afraid of the Jews you know it's really remarkable to witness the level of fear the Pharisees leveled on others such a tragedy well chuck swindoll will show us how this story takes a dramatic turn so please keep listening to insight for living and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry visit us online at insightworld.org a long time ago chuck made a statement in a message that's been quoted over and over again in fact it's possible you've seen these words hanging in a frame he said i am convinced that life is 10 what happens to you and 90 how you react well the preamble of chuck's highly quoted statement and the wisdom that followed is sometimes overlooked but we're pleased to say the full teaching has become the centerpiece of a brand new book and it's available today the book has a great title life is 10 what happens to you and 90 how you react chuck's wisdom of course isn't original with him this inspirational book is based on the timeless wisdom of the bible to purchase a copy right now call us if you're listening in the united states call 800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org store chuck's personal mission on these programs is to help you align your attitude with the truth of scripture and these daily visits are made possible because people like you give voluntary 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like i'm in an amazing painting created by god let yourself get lost in the majestic beauty spend quality time with those you love allow god to refresh your soul as you reflect on his word and his goodness in your life to learn more go to insight.org slash events or call this number 1-888-447-0444 the tour to alaska is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend according to the bible changing lives is jesus business i'm bill meyer join us again next time when chuck swindoll addresses this topic one more time right here on insight for living the preceding message changing lives is jesus business was copyrighted in 1985 1987 2005 2011 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by charles r swindoll ink all rights are reserved worldwide duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited