What's New About You?

COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

AUGUST 12, 2002

KJV

SERMON TITLE: WHAT’S NEW ABOUT YOU?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

If you have your bibles, turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Let me start off by saying that there are a lot of people that are trying to be new creatures or trying to be new people. I’ve often heard the saying that, “I’m going to turn over a new leaf this year.” Maybe they want to be a better husband or better wife. A better father or better mother. But I want to emphasize today that we can not be new unless we’re in Christ according to what the word of God says.

We sang the son, “In the sweet Forever.” I want you to realize that as Christians that one day there is going to come a change one day after a while. Thank God the Bible says that the incorruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. Recently we lost our sister and we thank God for all those that prayed for her but we asked her several times when she was sick if she knew the Lord as her Savior and she said she did. She told me the time that she got saved. Even though it’s a great loss for us, it was a great gain for her. According to the word of God, the change at the end, when he calls us up, the Bible says and talks many times about how we’ll be translated. The bible says we’ll never die. We’ll just be promoted. We’ll go home with him and serve and worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth throughout eternity. The bible talks in Revelations that there will be no more tears or sorrow or pain. It also says there will be no more death. So we know and realize that we’re going to have a new body one day after a while. When that times comes and the change comes at the end..1 John 3:2 says “We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him for ourselves.” Thank God today that when the Lord calls my name the Bible says that this old body will return to the dust from whence it came. Adam was made out of the dust of the ground but he was made out of the image and the likeness of God.

1 Corinthians 15:49 says “And as we have born the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” That’s so glorious to know that even though we live in this world which we are so used to, one day we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We’ll have a new name, a new home, a new body and a new life. I’m glad this old world is not my home. It’s just a place we’re passing through. The Bible said Abraham looked for city whose builder and maker was God. I not only want us to look at the new things that are coming at the end but I want to concentrate on the new things at the beginning when we knelt down at that old fashioned altar when God saved our souls. If you’ve been saved you can go back to that time when he saved you. It doesn’t matter if you knelt down at an altar, in you pew, at your bedside..what matters is that you got saved. The most special place on this earth is where the Lord saved you. I want you to concentrate on the new things that you already have and not the ones that you have to wait for when you get to eternity.

Now here’s two new things God showed me in his word when we got saved.

Turn to Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you.” Even though we’re going to get some new things one day after a while, right now God has given us two new things. He gave us a new heart and a new spirit. I’m glad Paul knew what he was writing about when he wrote down 2 Corinthians 5:17.

I want to preach to you today on: What’s new about you? There’s a lot of Christians in the world today that don’t act like they are Christians. They don’t live like they are Christians. We have to concentrate on the two new things God gave us. That’s what makes up our whole entire Christian life. People say that it is hard to live for the Lord. No it’s not. The easiest thing I ever did was give my heart and my life to Christ. It’s not hard living a Christian life if you’ll just concentrate on those two things that he gave us. Let me kind of explain what these two things do in our lives. He didn’t give us new flesh. I heard Brother Joel once say that these are the same hands that he once used to take drugs with and drink alcohol with. He didn’t give us a new body. He gave us a new heart and a new spirit. That’s so we can understand Him and his will and be able to share him with others. It represents how faithful we are because of what we have in the heart. It also represents how fruitful we are because of how we affect other people. If you’re one of those Christians who isolates themselves and never wants to do anything for God and never wants to be around any other people; then you’re backslid. The Bible says we’re supposed to accept what God has for us and share it with others.