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NEW CREATURES Introduction: The word "new" is used in various ways. At times the word new is used to refer to something did not exist before; new products are developed (Ipods, PDA’s, laser printer), a new baby, etc. In advertising it is used to describe a product that has been "improved." New and improved obviously suggest the new and improved is to be desired over the old and deficient. Folgers new bleed of coffee, or New Bounty the stronger picker upper, is what we really want. On other occasions it is used to describe a new relationship. I do not know the number of times while growing up my parents would buy a car. We would be excited and tell people we have a "new car" only to be corrected; it was not new it was just new to us. 2 Corinthians 5.17 speaks of Christians as being "new creatures." We want to see what this means, why we should want to be "new creatures", and some of the blessings and responsibilities we have.I) In Christ We Are New Creatures A) To be a Christian one must be "in Christ 1. Consider the number of times Paul points out that being in Christ is where all our blessings lie, a. "we have redemption through His blood" Col. 1.14 b. "the forgiveness of sins" v. 14b c. "in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless" v. 22 d. "you are complete in Him" 2.10 e. "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcison made without hands" 2.11 d. "buried with Him in baptism" 2.12 2. All of the spiritual blessings God intended for mankind is in Christ, Ephesians 1.3 B) To be "in Christ" one must obey Him 1. It only makes sense if one wants to be in Christ they must do what Christ says. We are not in the position to dictate to Christ what we are willing to do to become one of His disciples. Such would be like a soldier telling the army what he would be willing to do before he enrolls. 2. It is through our obedience we are saved, 1 Peter 1.22 3. We are saved a. His death on the cross, Romans 6.3 b. His words, Acts 11.14 c. His life, Romans 5.10 d. By grace, Eph. 2.5 c. through faith, Eph. 2.8 e. His blood, Eph. 1.7 f. Repentance, Acts 3.9 g. Confessing Christ, Romans 10.10 h. Baptism, Gal. 3.26-27 4. Before one obeys the gospel they are in sin . Sin condemns one; God is holy and will not be in the presence of sin, Hab. 1.13
II) New & Improved Creature A) The Old Man 1. Paul speaks of the "o wretched man" Romans 7.24 a. Earlier he describes the battle that every person wanting to be righteous must wage against sin. He desired to do good but at times he found himself doing things he, himself did not approve of, Romans 7.15,19 b. How many times have we all lost our temper only to regret what we have said? How many times have we forsaken our duties to God, repeated gossip, envied what another had, or committed some other sin, and realize we should not have done so? 2. In Ephesians Paul says this old man is corrupt, Eph. 4.17-22 3. Man without God is weak and prone to sin, think of all those that lived before Christ, not one have lived a sinless life. Think of the millions that have lived after Christ and not one has lived without sin. B) The New Man 1. Has been forgiven of his previous sins. Every person carries with them the burden of all their sins; it is a great blessing to have those past mistakes removed, Romans 4:7-8 a. Think of those ladies that had abortions only to later realize what they had done. The guilt associate with such action will either crush a person or be removed. b. I knew a lady in her 70’s in a congregation, many years before she had killed her husband. Fortunately she heard and obeyed the gospel. c. Before we start ranking sin we must realize all of us have done things not right with God. d. Do you remember what it was like to be afraid of dying because you knew you were carrying about the burden of sin? e. Do you remember the relief you had when you had that burden removed? 2. Instead of being subject to the power of satan and sin he is subject to the power of God, Romans 6.17 3. All the wisdom and knowledge in Christ has been revealed to him in the Bible. 4. He has the avenue to prayer to talk with God; ask for help, intercede on behalf of others, to confess his sins and ask for forgiveness, and to praise God III) The New Blessings and Responsibilities A) Looking forward to heaven 1. Hope is desire plus expectation. Many live their lives without hope. They are afraid of death because they do not expect to go there. 2. Sad to go to a funeral of a person that either never obeyed Christ or became unfaithful in their life; sad to think of their soul, sad to see the family grieve as those without hope. 3. God sent Jesus so we can have hope of heaven. We can not only desire it we have reason to expect to go there. B) Communion with God and His people 1. People speak of having a "deep personal relationship with God" let me suggest there is no other relationship for one in Christ but a "deep personal relationship." a. God knows all about our daily trials and triumphs. He is not some impersonal being that does not care about us. b. Our obedience must be from the heart, not superficial or ritualistic religion. 2. We also are in communion with God’s people. From Acts 2.42 on we see Christians in communion with each other in prayers, worship, and work. a. Christianity is not some isolationist religion. It requires us to work together, think of each other, and care about each other. b. We are missing out of some of the best blessings if we allow our selves to get separated from other Christians in our daily lives. C) A New Self Image 1. How many of us pick ourselves apart? We are too fat, too thin, too short, too tall, our hair is turning gray or falling out, or we are not good singers, not smart enough, etc. a. Low self esteem is a major problem; "Life is one long struggle to think well of ourselves." b. This can cause people to either lash out at others in order to make themselves feel better, or lash inward at themselves. Self destructive behavior is found in all kinds of behavior; refusing to go to a doctor, self mutilation, binge eating, binge drinking, promiscuous behavior, etc. 2. God does not look at us the way we look at ourselves but he sees the soul. a. God loves a cheerful giver, 2 Corinthians 9.7 b. God loves a humble heart, a forgiving heart, a person that loves His word, etc. 3. Each and every person is of value to God because he is made in the image of God. 4. Each person is valuable because of the cost; John 3.16 Conclusion: Remember the line in an old country song, "I may be a lump of coal but I am going to be a diamond some day"? The Christian may be a rough diamond at times but he is still a diamond. We can all enter Christ and have be a new creature, have our sins forgiven, strive to live better each day and enjoy the blessings God wants us to have. D. T. @ Westside Church of Christ 10.15.06
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