A New Creation

[0:00] Let us turn in our Bibles to the chapter of God's Word which we read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and as God would help me I would like to concentrate on verse 17.

[0:14] 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.

[0:32] The old has passed away behold the new has come. Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.

[0:46] The old has passed away behold the new has come. Surely this is one of these verses that can stand alone more than most other texts in scripture.

[1:05] For this verse applies to all people in all places at all times in all circumstances.

[1:21] Surely this is one of the Bible's most concise definitions of what a Christian is.

[1:32] If we look at the context it's saying we used to think of Christ from a human perspective only.

[1:52] But now, now because we're a new creation, now we see Jesus as he really is.

[2:06] So you see the question that we have to ask here is what here is the Bible telling us what a Christian is. The term the Bible uses most to describe a Christian is in Christ.

[2:27] So we're going to ask the question, what does it mean to be in Christ? You see a Christian is far more than simply someone who's not a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Muslim or a Sikh.

[2:41] What is the Bible's, what is God's definition of a Christian? He says it's to be in Christ. But what exactly does that involve?

[2:56] Obviously it means a very close, strong relationship with Jesus. Christianity is not the acceptance of a certain code of practice.

[3:09] Obviously that is involved. Obviously that's included. But that's not what a Christian is. It's a relationship with Jesus.

[3:23] First, being in Christ means we receive Christ into our hearts and lives.

[3:33] You remember John's Gospel, chapter 1, how it says it so well there in chapter 1.

[3:45] Though he came to his own, how does it put it? But he came to his own and his own people did not receive him.

[4:00] But, but, but, to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God.

[4:16] It's not knowing all about Jesus. It's receiving Christ Jesus into your heart and into your mind, into your life.

[4:33] And that, that means receiving everything he claims, everything he says. You see, people, during the time when Christ lived, they accepted him as a great prophet.

[4:47] But whenever he insisted he was God, the second person of the Godhead, that's when the trouble began.

[4:59] His insistence that he was God. To receive Christ, to receive Christ, means you receive everything he says about himself.

[5:13] Everything he says, you accept. He said, the scriptures cannot be broken. How sad to hear anyone say, I wonder is this book reliable?

[5:30] How? You cannot receive Christ without receiving what? Him. When you receive Christ, you receive him whom the Bible says is the word made flesh.

[5:49] I met some people who say, oh, I'm all for Jesus. I'm all for Jesus. But I'm not into this. I'm not into books.

[6:00] I'm not into reading. Jesus said, whoever will be ashamed of me or my word of him, will I be ashamed in the great day.

[6:18] So that's the first thing we try to define as being in Christ. But there's a second way we want to note. To be in Christ means you have personally committed your soul to him.

[6:33] Jesus said, unless you repent, you will all perish.

[6:45] Jesus said, if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.

[6:57] We're all going to die. But whatever you do, do not die in your sins. Jesus said, we need to commit the keeping of our souls to Christ.

[7:16] We need to be able to say something like, I am nothing. I have nothing.

[7:29] I can do nothing spiritually to please God. Take me over Christ. Take me over. Personally, make Christ responsible for your soul in the great day of judgment.

[7:50] That's involved in being in Christ. It thirdly means that you love Christ as your saviour, as your redeemer.

[8:10] Verse 14. The love of Christ constrains us, he says. How can Christ forgive you your sin? How can Christ be responsible for you on the great day of judgment and you not love him?

[8:32] Our Bible tells us faith works by love. It's the two sides of a coin.

[8:44] One side the upper faith and the other side love. If you say, how do I know my faith in Christ? Answer the question, do you love Christ?

[8:57] If you love Christ, your faith's in Christ. If your faith's in Christ, you love Christ. We love him because he first loved us.

[9:15] God does not love us because we decided to follow him. We follow him. We love him because he first worked in us, changed us, opened our eyes.

[9:31] So if we saw Christ as he really is, not who we thought he was. Surely we love the person who died for us.

[9:49] Being in Christ means receiving Christ, committing our souls to Christ, loving Christ. But fourthly, it means serving him as Lord and Master.

[10:07] You cannot have Christ as your Saviour and not as your Lord. Isn't it interesting?

[10:20] Paul, the great apostle, he calls Christ Lord before he calls him Saviour. In fact, what was the first word he said when he met Christ?

[10:33] On that Damascus road. Lord, what will you have me to do? I'm your servant. You're my master.

[10:45] What do you want me to do? In the middle of the Damascus road. That's the first thing he said. It is essential. It is vital.

[10:55] It is important. We are to serve Christ. We're saved to serve.

[11:08] Romans chapter 7 verse 6 puts it succinctly. Now we are released from the law.

[11:20] Having died to that which held us captive. So that. So that. We've been delivered. We've been saved. We've been forgiven.

[11:32] So that. We serve. In the new way. Of the spirit. Thessalonians 1 verse 9.

[11:43] Thessalonians 1 verse 9. Thessalonians 1 verse 9. Thessalonians 1 verse 9. Puts it like this. How you turned to God from idols to serve.

[11:55] To serve. To serve the living and true God. Hebrews 9 verse 9. Hebrews 9 verse 14. Puts it. How much more.

[12:07] Will the blood of Christ. Who through the eternal spirit. Offered himself without blemish to God. Purify our conscience. From dead works.

[12:20] To serve. So that we serve. The living God. Now receiving Christ. Personally committing our souls to Christ.

[12:33] A loving Christ. Serving him. A Lord and Master. This is all done. By faith. By faith. Christ.

[12:45] Is seen. As the one solution. To all our ailments. And the one person. To trust. For time.

[12:55] And for eternity. If anyone. Be in Christ. He is a new. Creation. A new creation.

[13:10] But not another person. You are the same person. But you are a new creation. We do not actually get any new faculties.

[13:24] At our new birth. But we get new facilities. To our existing faculties. We still have a mind.

[13:37] We had a mind before we were converted. But our mind is renewed. We think differently of things. As we said already.

[13:47] That is exactly the context of this verse. Before we regarded Christ according to the flesh. We thought of Christ from a human perspective only.

[13:59] But now that our eyes have been opened. Now that we are a new creation. We see him in a new light. Our understanding.

[14:10] Is enlightened. We had an understanding before our conversion. But now our understanding. Is enlightened. Our affections. We had affections before.

[14:21] But we were loving the wrong things. We were hating the wrong things. Now they have been reversed. Our will. We had a will before. Hadn't we? Oh. Hadn't some of us.

[14:32] Strong wills. But now they have been restored. And now as we have been redeemed here. We want to follow Christ.

[14:42] Christ. At creation you see. When God made Adam. All the faculties of his soul. Were pointing Godwards.

[14:55] But when he listened. To the third party that came in. When he listened to Satan. The devil. When he fell. For his temptation. His faculties then.

[15:07] Began to point downward. Godward. But at our new birth. At our regeneration. They are pointing upward again. But of course this time.

[15:19] As we all know. Imperfectly. But that is the direction. To which the faculties of our soul. Are pointing. Godward.

[15:32] If we are risen with Christ. Let us seek the things. That are Christ. So that being a new creation. We have new perceptions. We see Christ in a new light.

[15:45] We see sin in a new light. A new perspective of sin. Sin is now that abominable thing. Which God hates.

[15:58] Before. We sinned. When we sinned. We said. Well. We are only human. We all do it. We are not perfect.

[16:08] But now. It is something obnoxious. Something that God hates. Something we must do something about.

[16:20] We see Christ in a new light. We see sin in a new light. We see Jesus. We see salvation in a new light. It is possible to be renewed.

[16:30] It is possible to be delivered. We see the Bible. We see the Bible. In a new light. Don't we see the Bible in a new light.

[16:42] Isn't heaven now not pie in the sky. But reality. Where we are going. If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[16:57] Hell. Is a reality. To be feared. And avoided. At all costs. A new creation. We've got new perceptions.

[17:09] A new creation. We have new principles. New standards. New values. New objectives in life.

[17:20] New goals. Now. As verse 15 says. We live for Christ. Verse 15. And.

[17:31] He died for all that. In order that. Could be translated. Those who live. Might no longer live. For themselves. But for him.

[17:43] Who for their sake died. And was raised. We used to live for ourselves. But now. New principles.

[17:53] And we're living for Christ. Living for God. We're new creations. New perceptions. New principles. New principles. New pleasures.

[18:07] New pleasures. We go back to our. Children's story. Do we come to church. Because we know we ought to. Or do we.

[18:19] Do we love God. Do we love the things of God. Do we get pleasure from them. I tell you. If you do. It's not natural.

[18:31] It's grace. God's given it to you. The Holy Spirit. Has given you. Grace. To enjoy. Christ. To enjoy.

[18:42] The gospel. To enjoy. Worship. I tell you. That world out there. Do not. Enjoy it. They can be made. To go through the motions.

[18:53] Sure. We've all. Gone through the motions. But now. It's meaningful. Now there's something in it. We enjoy.

[19:10] What we used to. Put up with. And endure. And just go through. And we begin to.

[19:21] Lose. A taste. For what we used to. Enjoy. So much. Now. When I speak about that.

[19:33] I'm not talking about. The ultimate. Not talking about. Perfection. Our. The fact. Our soul. Should be pointing.

[19:44] Godward. But as I said. Imperfectly. Until death. Only at death. Are we free. From. Sin. Only at death.

[19:56] Are we made. Perfect. In holiness. But that should be the bent. That should be the. Majority. View. By far. That's what we should.

[20:08] Seek. And aim for. At all times. New creation. New perceptions. New principles. New. Pleasures. New.

[20:21] New. Practices. We now. Do things. We didn't used to do before. Do it with pleasure.

[20:31] Do it with enjoyment. With a new lifestyle. New friends. New habits. New things. Go into your diary. Sobering thought.

[20:42] In three months. We'll have new diaries. If we're spared. What's the first thing. You put in your diary. Barba's communion. Or your holidays.

[20:55] What's the first thing. You put in your diary. These things. Speak volumes. New practices. Your new creation. Living for God.

[21:06] Living for Christ. He's everything. Imperfectly. As we said. Of course. But that's a goal. That's a direction.

[21:19] That's where we aim. Now. The new creation. The new creation. The new creation. The new creation. The new creation. The new creation.

[21:29] Believes. Certain things. With conviction. Christ.

[21:41] Sin. Salvation. Santification. Justification. All these theological terms. They're not now. Merely. Religious concepts.

[21:53] They govern. Our reasoning. They govern. The way we think. Because. We all now.

[22:04] Know. Those who are. Born again. Those who are. In Christ. Jesus. That we are. On a journey. To glory. That.

[22:15] All things. Have passed away. That we're. No longer. Living. Living. For these things. But we have. We believe.

[22:25] With conviction. About Christ. About sin. About salvation. About the gospel. Convictions. About it. We believe.

[22:38] Certain things. A Christian. Does. Certain things. New practices. As we said before. Encyclopedias.

[22:50] Provide. Information. The Bible. Changes. Behavior. Am I right? That's the difference.

[23:03] Between. The book. And books. The Bible. Transforms. Character. Encyclopedias.

[23:15] Very helpful. Very interesting. Very interesting. Give you a lot of helpful information. But the information. In the Bible. For a new creation.

[23:27] Transforms. Our character. New creations. In Christ. Christ. A Christian.

[23:38] A Christian. Believes. Certain things. A Christian. Does. Certain things. A Christian. Feels. Certain things. Feels. Things. He never felt before. Now you've got a burden.

[23:52] That your spouse. Would be converted. That your spouse. Would see the light. That your family. Would be changed.

[24:05] You've got a burden. That you've never had before. The new creation. Feels. Certain things. Sometimes. The new creation. Gets angry. Gets enraged.

[24:16] With people. And things. That defy. Our Lord. And Saviour. You get angry. You get upset.

[24:26] You get disturbed. But conversely. Of course. You get excited. You hear. There's been five new members. Down in. Certain communion. Your heart leaps.

[24:38] Great. Wonderful. Who are they? Bless them. You've got thrills. You never had before. You're excited. About things. You were never. Excited about. Before.

[24:48] Christian. Feels. Certain things. He loves. Certain things. And of course. Therefore.

[24:59] Therefore. How can you love something. And not hate something. You love your wife. She gets cancer. You don't love the cancer.

[25:12] You hate it. It's got to be. It's got to be. Grinnell. Destroyed. By necessity. If you love things. You're to hate things.

[25:24] But now you're guided by the word. What to love. And what to hate. All these are new. New facility. Given to your existing.

[25:35] Faculties of your soul. Doing new things. Thinking new things. Saying new things. Believing new things. Feeling new things.

[25:46] Do you know. A Christian chooses. Certain things. When there's an alternative. When there's a choice. We go to church on Sunday.

[26:00] But there's nothing much else to do. Is there? Do we choose going to church. Midweek. When something else is on telly.

[26:10] That's the test. The Christian chooses.

[26:23] The narrow way. The narrow way. Even when it is costly. But he says. It's well.

[26:34] Well. Worth it. I love my savior. I love Christ. He is worthy. He deserves all this.

[26:47] It's not a drudgery. It's not a burden. It's not a burden. If any man be in Christ. He's a new creation.

[27:01] Well. In conclusion. Just three. I suppose. Lessons. I suppose. I don't know. One. Therefore.

[27:12] There really is. No such thing. As a private Christian. A secret Christian. There is such a thing.

[27:26] As a silent. Christian. But not really a secret. It comes out. Doesn't it? Isn't it David who says.

[27:37] I believed. Therefore. Have I spoken. It comes out. It either comes out. In your. Language. Or it comes out.

[27:48] In your. Lifestyle. Some way. People say. Oh. My religion. Is a private thing. My religion.

[27:58] Is between me. And God. That has. Has an element. Of truth. But only. An element. Our private lives.

[28:09] Should affect. Our public lives. At some stage. In some way. Sadly. We are silent. We are silent. We are silent. We are silent. Far too often.

[28:20] We are quiet. Far too often. The root of the matter. Will come out. I believed. I believed.

[28:34] David said. Therefore. I am speaking. Second thing. Christianity. Is not all. Doctrine.

[28:46] It has to begin with it. But the doctrine. Must. Affect. The life. A new creation. Lives. Differently. Christianity.

[28:56] It. Christianity. Christianity. Is not. All. In the mind. But it does. Begin. In the mind. But it has to. Reach the heart. And it has to reach.

[29:06] The hands. And the feet. Now. Just. In conclusion. Finally. Really finally. Maybe you say.

[29:17] Wait a minute. You spoke about. Paul there. You spoke about. Saul of Tarsus. His. Great. Conversion. On the Damascus. Road. I haven't got that.

[29:28] Experience. Maybe you're saying. I can't identify. With that. That. Didn't. Happen. To me. Can I be a. Christian. Well.

[29:41] Personally. I believe. It's recorded. Of Saul of Tarsus. In detail. His. Conversion. Is detailed. Because it's so. Unusual.

[29:52] It's not. The norm. That we see. Lights. Flashing. And hear voices. Speaking. It's not. The norm. That Christ. Comes. Physically. Down. And confronts us.

[30:02] That's not. Normal. So. It. So. It. So. What. Is vital. This is. What's. Indispensable. There's no need. For a Damascus.

[30:14] Road. Experience. Forex. But it is. Absolutely. In the world. Essentially. To have convictions. Regarding. The truth. Convictions.

[30:25] Regarding Christ. It's absolutely. Essential. That we have. A relationship. A good. Relationship. With Christ. I suppose. In one way. We all have a relationship.

[30:35] With Christ. Some are good. And some are bad. But we need. A relationship. Of love. With Christ. we need a lifestyle that honors God that's what's vital that's what's important not the experience but does such and such an experience lead you to have convictions about Christ about the gospel about salvation, about sin does it make you love him does it make you want more of him and follow him if any man if any person, if anyone any people, any person is in Christ he is a new creation the old has passed away behold the new has come may God bless to us his own word his own truth let's bow our heads in prayer our father in heaven we ask that you would take the things of Christ and make them ours unite us to Christ in a living saving faith keep us in your love keep us in your fear wash all our sins away for all we pray we pray for in the name and for the sake of your son the Lord

[32:06] Jesus Christ Amen we'll conclude our service of worship by singing from Psalm 73 in the Scottish Psalter Psalm 73 page 316 page 316 Psalm 73 at verse 25 to the end whom have I in the heavens high but thee O Lord alone and in the earth whom I desire besides thee there is none and the last verse but surely it is good for me that I draw near to God in God I trust that all thy works I may declare abroad Psalm 73 verse 25 to the end is too , SISTING on of the God have I heard

[33:08] I if I should have I give them give them give them warm up yourself and hand in the earth and why are they when I experience telecast I delight, I delight, we perish now.

[33:38] My pleasure, heart of faith and faith, Born for thy will, me ever, Lord of thy heart, God is lost, rest, and portion forever.

[34:13] For those who may lie apart from thee forever, I delight, we perish now.

[34:33] When the Lord bring from me good, Thalbati, royal home, But surely it is good for me, That I from here to go, In God I trust, And all thy works I may be there abroad.

[35:29] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, And the love of God, And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be with us all, Now and forevermore.

[35:48] Amen.