THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST!

By Rev Michael Jarrett

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new.

2 Cor 5:17

 

·        IF – here is the beginning of the Gospel! 

Men and women everywhere must hear…

…. if they don’t hear then they can’t believe! IF! IF! IF!

·        If we share..

·        If we care..

·        If we go..

·        If we preach

·        If we reach..

 

         IF! IF!  IF!  IF!  IF! WHAT AN IMPORTANT WORD!

·        IF anyone is not in Christ, he is unredeemed, unregenerate, unaccepted, unsaved, unhappy, unholy

·        If anyone is not in Christ, old things cling to him like a chain around his neck, 

·        If anyone is not in Christ, he is unchanged, everything is the same:

o       sin,

o       shame

o       pain

o       its all the same!

Oh, IF someone would share the Good News.. If he would hear and receive.

It all rests on that little word.. IF

 

If ANYONE is in Christ: the universality of the Gospel.. .all people

This word reminds us that God sent Jesus for ALL people, ALL nations. Everyone must hear so that that ANYONE can be saved. We are called to ALL

people…not just ‘our” people.

Every person..

Good or bad, failing or successful, rich or poor, black, white and every other race

Near, the far, even those at the Ends of the Earth.

It is an ANYONE Gospel.

 

Is in Christ:  

a. must be born again, of the Spirit, come alive

 2 Cor 1:20-22

 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

b. We must be disciples and we must make disciples..the difference between believing and believing!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 15:1-8  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 

He/she is a NEW

NT:2537 from Strong’s Greek Dictionary : recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn

as respects substance; of a new kind; unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

NEW  a new character of manhood, spiritual and moral, after the pattern of Christ

NEW kainos NT:2537 denotes "new," of that which is unaccustomed or unused, not "new" in time, recent, but "new" as to form or quality,

 of different nature from what is contrasted as old.

If you are NOT FRESH…. Get more IN Christ!

 

Creation….

A new creation…

In the old creation…

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters  Gen 1:1-2

In our old life

·         we were formless, and empty… lacking shape, purpose and destiny..

·        void of true righteousness, mercy, compassion, of real life..

·        Darkness was over our hearts…blind to our need of a Savior, blind to the Living God

 

But the Spirit of God hovered over us,

like hen sitting on her eggs…

The Spirit of God hovered… watched over until the time was right…

Then God spoke…

Let there be light…. And we came to life!

·        We came alive! The light of Christ shined in our lives, the power of the Spirit God brought shape to

·        our lives, giving us purpose and destiny!!

·        AND GOD LOOKED AT HIS NEW CREATION AND SAID “it is great!”

 

Old things are passed away.

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

BLOT OUT..  to erase; abolish, blot out, destroy,  utterly, wipe (away, out)

REMEBERANCE… So thourougly erased, destroyed, wiped out that they CANNOT be remembered!!

 

An illustration: I was adopted when I was 12 years old. I was given a new name.. from Grogan to Jarrett. I could change my first and middle name if  I desired. (I did.. my name was George Michael. I hated George and changed my name to Michael Lee). The judge explained that once adopted, every record would be deleted and destroyed concerning my “former” life. A new birth certificate. Now, for me this was huge! My natural father was a criminal… in and out of prisoner his entire life. My natural mother had gone insane and was locked away in an institution. As the judge explained that I would have a new birth certificate I understood that my legacy, my heritage was about to change! The old was passing away!

Now what God does to us when we come to Christ is great than any human court can do! He literally removes the stain of sin from our hearts. He ADOPTS us and makes us His children.

When He adopts.. it is more than a legal matter.

We are a new creation, born over..

with a new nature that comes from having a new Father.

·        Our sins,

·        our past,

·        our failures,

·        our old legacies are cut off..

are removed and thrown far from us.

 

Thank God for the forgetfulness of God!!

 

Behold! Same word John uses when Christ atoning mission is revealed to him! (Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world)

It is the wonder of the Gospel!

The incredible new life in Chirst!

The supernatural amazing and fasicnating power of the Gospel to bring to Change!!

Behold…

In modern English!  WOW!!!

60’s  English:  GROOVY 

In 70’s english!: COOL!  

80’s English DUDE!

 

ALL THINGS have BECOME NEW!:

How much of your life, your thinking, your attitude, your values, your principles be affected by the Gospel?  ALL!   Everything!

 

Have become NEW!  (can be translated “fresh”)

Not just you… but everything in your life, everything about your life..

·    A fresh start, a fresh way of looking at life,

Picure spring coming to a land that has known only winter.. spring that has come to the frozen lands that never have thawed before like the arctic, or the

land of Narnia!

 an awakening that brings excitement.. like spring in the air…

 

REMEMBER!

IF- we must care and then share the Gospel.. if we don’t people won’t experience New Life!

In Christ reminds us that we are talking about the TWO  PARTs of salvation, ours and His…

          OUR PART: We must hear, believe and receive.. HIS PART He brings us to life, and writes our name in His book of Life…

He won’t do our part.. and we can’t do His!

We must be disciples, allowing ourselves to be transformed… He will give us grace and strength.

We must be IN CHRIST… not just with Him… And it remings us that we must not only evangelize but disciple!

NEW CREATION: this compels us to preach the real Gospel.. .that changes people, transforming them and giving them a fresh and new start!

OLD things have passed away: there is nothing that God can’t change, no sin too dark that He can’t blot it out!

It reminds us that when God looks at us He remembers not our sin! He sees us in Christ!

This is the power of the Gospel we must proclaim! There is a God who blots out, who erases the past, who wipes away our sins!

BEHOLD all things have become new!

Reminds us that every area of lives and attitudes is to be changed by the Gospel! And that same God that has been rich in mercy to us and given us this new life,  abundant life, this eternal life… is ready and rich in mercy to all who call on His name!!