Series: The Justified
Message: One Man
Preacher: Tom Eickmann
Reflection: Mark Witas
Live Wonder: Jessyka Albert
Live Adventure: Jessyka Albert
Live Purpose: Kyle Smith
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Romans 5:12-21 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: I was sitting in vespers at Pacific Union College waiting for the program to start when the school chaplain and his 4-year-old son showed up and sat behind me. The little boy, Nathan, had a little toy in his hand that he was fiddling with. I greeting them and asked, “Hey Nathan, what do you have there?”
“A transformer," he said.
Then he showed me. The toy was a regular looking car of some kind, but with some twists and pulls and turns it transformed from a regular looking vehicle to a fighting robot. It was a pretty cool little toy.
We are transformers. At first glance it may appear that we are just regular human beings. We inherited all kinds of things from the first Adam. And sin has taken its toll. I’ve been told that Adam and Eve were really tall and lived until almost a thousand years old. My wife is only 5’2” and I’m hoping we don’t live much past 90. Sin has introduced all kinds of physical ailments, but worse than that, it has created in us a tendency to contribute to the sin problem. We are all born with a tendency to go our own way instead of in the way of Christ.
Like I said, on the surface it may look like we are just mere human beings, but some of us, maybe a lot of us, are transformers. Romans 12 calls us a new creation. When we give our lives over to Christ and His lead, when we give Him permission to transform us, with some twists and turns, and pulls and adjustments, we are transformed more and more into His likeness, and less and less the into likeness we inherited from Adam. Our transformation takes us from the negative effects of Adam’s rebellion and changes us into sons and daughters of the Most High God.
I’ve seen some miraculous human transformations in my life. I’ve had a church member who lost 170 pounds. He looked like a different person. I’ve had friends who have had plastic surgeries to add or subtract from their bodies in different ways. I’ve seen balding people receive full heads of hair. But nothing has struck me as more transformative than a person who has had their heart changed by the power of the indwelling Christ. That is the most transformative power in the world.
We are not doomed to reap the consequences of the first Adam’s choices. The last Adam has done all that He can to transform us into something beautiful.
Recalibrate: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Respond: Take a walk in nature today and notice what kinds of things are transforming around you in God’s creation. Pray that God’s transforming power will do its work on your heart.
Research: Watch and listen to this song on YouTube about transformation.
Remember: “As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18, ESV).
Mark Witas is the lead pastor at Pacific Union College Church in Angwin, CA. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Mark has served as a youth pastor, Bible teacher, college and academy chaplain, and lead pastor in the United States and Canada for the last 33 years. He has also authored four books: Born Chosen, Live Out Loud, Portals, and Just Jesus.
The way we live our everyday lives shows what we believe to be true. Do we believe that sin still holds us down? The Bible says sin used death to rule us, but Jesus overcame death. Do we act like sin and death still have a hold over our lives? Or do we act like Jesus has conquered all the sin there is to be conquered. How do you model a life lived full of joy, grace, and peace in Jesus to your child?
We talked a lot about how Adam’s sin hurts us and the world around us, but we also talked about how Jesus came to set things right again! Today we know we don’t have to live like we are hurt by sin. We can live with lots of joy because Jesus has made things right between us and God. Sin got the world in trouble, almost like a really big timeout, but Jesus came and fixed things and told us to come out of time out! What are some of the things you are happy to know Jesus has fixed, is fixing, or will fix in our world and in your life?
We have looked a lot at some of the bad things we have inherited: sin, sadness, worry, anxiety—and the list goes on. What are some good things that you have received from your parents? There is a lot I am thankful for. I’m half Italian, so I know how to cook! My parents are honest and hardworking; this is something they passed on to me. My grandparents are generous! In fact, one day I saw my grandfather literally remove his coat from his back and give it to a homeless man. This instilled a spirit of generosity in my bones. Satan wants us to dwell on hardships and pain. Don’t give him the pleasure of watching you fret! When you are tempted to think on the negative, remember all of the great things Jesus has done for you. And, most important, remember this: He is not finished with you yet!