2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, {he is} a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come"
VERY BRIEFLY I WANT TO REASON WITH YOU ON THE THOUGHT
A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
THE WHOLE WORLD IS IN A STATE OF CHANGE
THE STARS MOVES IN THERE COURSES
THE PLANETS TODAY ARE NOT WHERE THEY WERE YESTERDAY
THE SUN RISES AND SETS ,THE TIME VARYING FROM THE DAY BEFORE
EACH DAY THE MOON TRAVELS A DIFFERENT PATH AROUND THE WORLD
AND THE WORLD TAKES A DIFFERENT PATH AROUND THE SUN
SPRING GIVES WAY TO SUMMER
SUMMER TO FALL AND FALL TO WINTER
ONLY TO CHANGE BACK INTO SPRING
EVEN IN THE LIFE OF MAN CHANGES TAKE PLACES VERY RAPIDLY
AUTOMOBILES CHANGE IN STYLING EACH YEAR
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CHANGE WITH EACH NEW WAVE OF INTEREST
EVEN IN FASHION YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU BUY IF YOU PLAN TO WEAR IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND BE IN STYLE
MANY OF THE PRODUCTS WE HAVE BEEN USING FOR YEARS
HAVE BEEN REPLACE BY NEW AND IMPROVED MODELS OR FORMULAS
THIS SIN SICK WORLD WE LIVE IN IS GUIDED BY A FALSE UNDERSTANDING
THAT EVERYTHING CHANGES EXCEPT HUMAN NATURE
AH MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
IN ONE ASPECT IT IS TRUE THAT HUMAN NATURE DOES NOT CHANGE
AND THE REASON WHY IS
BECAUSE MAN HAS HAD AN INCLINATION TOWARD DOING EVIL OR COMMITTING WRONG SINCE ADAM
AND IT`S IN THAT SENSE – THAT HUMAN NATURE HAS NOT CHANGED
BUT THE HOLY WRIT DECLARES THAT A CHANGE IN HUMAN NATURE IS POSSIBLE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
PAUL SAYS IT VERY CLEARLY IN THE TEXT BEFORE US
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, {he is} a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
AND THE REASON WHY IS
WHEN JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD
HE DID NOT COME TO PATCH UP AN OLD RELIGION
BUT HE CAME TO MAKE THINGS NEW
THATS WHY WHEN HE SAVES A SINNER
JESUS DOSE`NT JUST PATCH A FEW BAD SPOTS IN A SINNERS LIFE
HE MAKES THAT PERSON A NEW CREATION
THE GOOD NEWS BIBLE SAYS IT LIKE THIS
"When anyone is joined to Christ he is a new being: the old is gone, the new has come."
THE WORD NEW SPEAKS OF THAT WHICH IS NEW IN FORM OR QUALITY
THE WORD CREATURE SPEAKS OF A NEW ORDER ------A NEW INSTITUTION---- A NEW ORDINANCE
IN THE TEXT IT HAS A REFERENCE TO A SPIRITUAL CREATION
IN OTHER WORDS
JUST LIKE CHRIST WAS MADE TO WALK IN OUR SHOES BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
WE ARE MADE IN HIS LIKENESS BY THE SAME HOLY SPIRIT
***************************************
IN THIS TEXT BEFORE US
PAUL IS GIVING US A BRIEF DEFINITION OF A CHRISTIAN
HE LETS US KNOW THAT
A CHRISTIAN IS A BLOOD BOUGHT SON OR DAUGHTER OF GOD
WHO HAS A NEW AND SPIRITUAL NATURE THAT LIVES THROUGH THE BODY
BECAUSE THE NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST EXPERIENCE
IS A NEWNESS AND FRESHNESS THAT COULD NOT AND CANNOT BE EXPERIENCED IN ANY OTHER WAY
BECAUSE THROUGH CHRIST OUR PASTS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN
AND OUR SINS ARE NO LONGER HELD AGAINST US
BECAUSE WHEN JESUS DIED ON CALVARY AND GOT UP THAT 3RD DAY MORNING WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS
HE DROP ALL THE CHARGES AGAINST US
AND SINCE HE DROP THE CHARGES
THERE IS NO SENTENCING –NO PUNISHMENT
AND NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT MAKING PAROLE
BECAUSE THE BLOOD OF JESUS GAVE US A FULL PARDON FROM OUR PAST
BECAUSE OUR PAST HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY GOD IN A NEW LIGHT
AND SINCE GOD HAS ACCEPTED OUR PAST IN A NEW LIGHT
AS A NEW CREATURE WITH A NEW PAST WE HAVE TO ACCEPT OUR OLD PAST AS A NEW PAST
BECAUSE JUST AS GOD SEES OUR PAST IN A NEW LIGHT
ONCE WE BECOME A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST
WE TOO MUST SEE OUR OLD PAST IN A NEW LIGHT
AND THERE IS NO NEED FOR GUILT TRIPS
BECAUSE GOD HAS REMOVED THE REASON FOR GUILT TRIPS
AND SINCE GOD ACCEPTS US
WE MUST BE ABLE TO ACCEPT OURSELVES
BECAUSE WHEN GOD IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE
I SAY WHEN GOD IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE
GUILT HAS RECIEVED A EVICTION NOTICE TO MOVE OUT
BECAUSE OUR PAST IS FORGIVEN
AND OUR FUTURE BECOMES HOPEFUL
OUR PRESENT BECOMES MEANINGFUL
AND AS A NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST
WE KNOW WHERE WE HAVE BEEN
AND NOW WE KNOW BY THE GRACE OF GOD WHERE WE ARE GOING
BUT WE ALSO KNOW WHERE WE STAND IN THIS OLD EVIL SIN SICK WORLD
EVEN THOUGH WE STILL LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE
IN THE SAME CITY WITH THE SAME PEOPLE WITH THE SAME OLD JOB
BUT THE OLD MAN HAS PASS AWAY AND BEHOLD ALL THINGS HAS BECOME NEW
YOU SEE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
IT IS THE NEW CREATURE THAT MAKES THE CIRCUMSTANCES NEW
RATHER THAN NEW CIRCUMSTANCES MAKING THE CREATURE NEW
AND WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON OUR CIRCUMSTANCES AS THE CAUSE OF DIRECTION OUR LIVES HAS TAKEN
BUT PAUL SUGGEST TO US HERE IN THE TEXT
THAT THE NEW CREATURE PRECEDES THE NEW THINGS
YOU SEE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
CHRIST OFFERED HIMSELF AS THE SAVIOR OF MEN
AND BY OFFERING HIMSELF AS THE SAVIOR OF MEN
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHRIST TO SAVE HIMSELF
BECAUSE NO MAN CAN SAVE HIMSELF WHO SAVES ANOTHER
JUST LIKE THE RAIN CANNOT SAVE ITSELF IF IT IS TO BUD THE GREENERY
THE SUN CANNOT SAVE ITSELF IF IT IS TO LIGHT UP THE WORLD
A SEED CANNOT SAVE ITSELF IF IT IS TO MAKE THE HARVEST
A SOLDIER CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF IF HE IS TO SAVE HIS COUNTRY
AND I NEED TO TELL YOU THIS MORNING/EVEVNIG
THAT IT WAS`NT WEAKNESS THAT MADE JESUS CHRIST HANG ON THE CROSS
BUT IT WAS OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW OF LOVE
AND THATS WHY CHRIST WOULD NOT COME DOWN FROM THE CROSS TO SAVE HIMSELF
BUT HE DIED ON THAT CROSS TO SAVE SINNERS LIKE YOU AND ME
AND HE DID`NT GIVE HIS LIFE AS A OFFERING TO MAKE US BETTER
BUT HE GAVE HIMSELF TO MAKE US A NEW CREATURE
AND THAT WHY PAUL SAYS IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST
NOTICE HE DID`NT SAY
IF HE COME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY
IF HE TOTE A BIBLE
IF HE SINGS SONGS OF ZION
BUT HE SAID
IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST
AND IN ORDER TO BE IN CHRIST
CHRIST 1ST MUST BE IN YOU
IN OTHER WORDS
WHEN CHRIST IS IN YOU YOUR MIND WILL BE STEAD ON JESUS
PAUL SAYS -IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATURE
HE WILL HAVE ANEW OUT LOOK ON LIFE
BECAUSE THE OLD THINGS HAVE PASS AWAY AND BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW
IN OTHER WORDS YOU ARE NO LONGER A SINNER
BUT YOU HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A SINNER SAVED BY GRACE
A RECONCILED TO GOD AND HEADED FOR HEAVEN
YOU SEE
JESUS SAVED OUR SOULS AND MADE US WHOLE
AND THE REASON WHY I KNOW IS
BECAUSE HE DIED ON A HILL CALL CALVARY
PLACE IN A BORROWED TOMB
BUT EARLY.......OH ------EARLY---- SUNDAY MORNING HE GOT UP ---WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS
...AND BECAUSE HE GOT UP I`M A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST
AIN`T GOD ALRIGHT
IF YOU KNOW HE`S ALRIGHT ----LET ME HEAR YOU SAY -----HE`S ALRIGHT
