| Sermon
Notes :: Sunday, December 20, 2009
AM _________________________________________________________________________
People of Joy __________________________________________________________________________ Over the past 4 weeks of Advent we have mentioned that
our prayer during this season was that you will discover for the first
time or re-discover what God has done for you through the birth of His
Son, Jesus Christ.
We spoke of 4 things to help us grasp what God was doing through the
miraculous birth of His Son and how they can impact our lives.
His birth offered hope, peace, love and joy to a world stumbling along
in darkness as a result of man’s sin. In John’s gospel it says that
Jesus is, “the light that shines into darkness” (John 1:5).
He’s the light of hope that reflects the mercy and faithfulness of God.
It’s when we have a better understanding of these four things—we can
discover what God was doing through the birth of His Son.
This morning I invite you to
look again at what 2 Corinthians 5 has to say to us. I believe that the
apostle Paul will shed some more light on what God has done through the
birth of Christ…and how it will impact each of us personally.
Notice in verse 17 that Paul mentions the possibility of someone
becoming a new creation.
That being the case—how does this
new creation happen, and furthermore, how does this newly created person
live? 1. A new creation is reborn.
When Paul says in verse 17, “if anyone is in Christ—he is a new
creation”…he’s talking about a spiritual re-creation so that a person
will be able to once again have a relationship with God.
Once again enjoy perfect
fellowship throughout all eternity.
Adam was told in Genesis 2:17 that he was free to eat from any tree in
the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he ate
from that tree he would die.
This death was not only physical—it was spiritual as well. The
relationship that man enjoyed with God was broken when Adam sinned…or in
other words died.
What we learn here in this passage is good news. There is the
possibility of being reborn…or as the Bible says “be born again.”
Paul is not talking about us being reborn physically—we know that cannot
happen…he’s talking about spiritually. This idea of becoming a new creation…or being born
again spiritually was at the heart of a conversation between Jesus and a
man by the name of Nicodemus late one evening (John 3).
Jesus told Nicodemus that no one would ever see or enter the Kingdom of
God unless they were born again.
In order to fellowship with God
in His Kingdom it requires both a physical and a spiritual birth
according to Jesus.
Why is the possibility of becoming a new creation such good news?
Because the Bible teaches we are all born into this world spiritually
dead (Eph 2:1). Everyone has
followed in the footsteps of our father Adam…and sinned. And—it’s our
sin that has separated us from enjoying perfect fellowship with God
(Isaiah 59:2).
But—here’s the good news of this verse…if anyone is in Christ,
everything changes. The cost
and consequence of man’s sin is covered by the death of Christ and
through faith in Him we can be reborn spiritually into the Kingdom of
God. 2. A new creation’s life is reversed.
Paul tells us here in verse 15 that those who are in Christ—those who
are a new creation…”will no longer live for themselves.” The good news about this passage is this—the new has
come to those who are in Christ…and everything changes. The new way of
life includes things like being secure in the hand of God, the ability
to live in complete submission to the Lord’s will and a desire to serve
Christ every day.
One of the best examples of the old being gone and the new way of life
coming…is the apostle Paul.
Prior to him coming to faith in Christ—he zealously pursued a
works-centered salvation and he persecuted anyone who didn’t believe as
he did.
Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. From that day forward
he no longer lived for himself or viewed anyone in anyway other than how
Christ saw them. He saw
everyone as a person who needed to have their life reversed through
repentance and faith in Christ so that they will be able to live
selflessly instead of selfishly. “No longer for themselves”
3. A new creation’s life is all about reconciliation. The apostle Paul is a great example of this—but Christ expects us to be examples of reconciliation as well (read 18-21). As a new creation—someone who has received the free gift of God’s amazing grace…we are called to participate in spreading the good news of hope, peace, love and joy that is only found in Christ. How do I know for sure that He wants me to
participate in spreading the good news of Christ?
Ask yourself this question, “Have I ask God to forgive me of my sin and
received His forgiveness through trusting Jesus as my Savior and Lord?”
If your answer is “yes”…then
notice what the Holy Spirit of God has said to you through the writing
of Paul here in these verses we just read (vv18-21).
It was God who made reconciliation possible. In verses 17-18 Paul
clearly says if you’re in Christ God made it happen…”all
of this is from God…”
God also gave us a message. In verse 19 we’re told that He gave us…”the
message of reconciliation.” A summary of the message is found in verse
21. God is making His appeal through us. The “us” here refers to
all of those who are in Christ…a new creation. Are you a new creation in Christ? If not God has made
it possible for you to be one. God has kept His promise to send a Savior therefore we
have hope. God’s Savior has paid the price for man’s sin
therefore peace is now possible. This Savior is God’s Son and His sacrifice at Calvary
is the definition of love. Everyone who experiences this hope, peace, and love will be filled with joy. |
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