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Living the New Life
Let me start by asking you some pretty basic questions. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe that He lived a perfect, sinless life? Was He crucified on the cross, put to death bearing the punishment for all of your sin? Did He raise from the dead, conquering sin and death forever? Now for the big question. Having believed all those things, do you place your faith and trust in Him, and accept Him as your Lord, your Master and your Savior? I want to solidify these things right up front, because if you answered yes to all these questions, then He has replaced your stony, hardened heart with a new one, giving you a new life in Him. Ezekiel 36:24-27 "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Essentially, just like Jesus told us about in John Chapter 3, you have been born again and now have been spiritually made new. Jesus said in order to see and experience the Kingdom of God, you must be spiritually born again. John 3:1-2 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. " Just to believe on in Jesus because of His miracles is not enough however. Countless denominations and religions teach that He was a good man, that He was a prophet and promote the idea that we should believe in Him because He did miracles. But they leave out the answer that Jesus gave Nicodemus… John 3:1-7 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." Most of you are thinking, "Yeah, please tell me something I don’t know. I've already accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I've already been born again." But, as the title of today's message implies, I want to not just see you be saved and on your way to heaven, but to live in the blessing of the new life that He has given you. For starters, you have to quit thinking of yourself as who you used to be and start seeing yourself as who you are now in Christ. You are a new creation in Christ. Spiritually, you got to start over. Your slate was wiped clean by your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ shed for you. All things have become new. 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." Your flesh however was not born again. Remember that Jesus said, "That which is flesh is flesh and that which is Spirit is spirit." You may have wondered at times, "Why if I am a totally new creation do I still lose my temper or lust or say and do things I know are wrong?" You were born of the spirit by faith. Your spirit got born again, but your soul, your mind will and emotions, did not experience the instant transformation. The scripture did not say that you have a new mind, or that you will not remember the life and experiences that you once had. We are instructed as believers in Christ to renew our minds with the word of God. Jesus said, Luke 4:4 "That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." You do not live by the natural, "what you can see with your eyes" realm anymore. We now live according to the word of God and what it says rules your life. The Bible tells us that the faith that we need to believe in the completed works of Christ comes through hearing and hearing the word of God. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Your spirit is already as pure and holy as it can get. Your mind however can still think evil thoughts. You can sill lust or hate or be prideful. You have to renew your thinking so that it lines up with God's word and His way of thinking. If you have a lusting problem or struggle with wanting to look at pornography, you have to line your way of thinking about women up with the way God sees them. They are not an object, but a beautiful and wonderful and precious creation He has made. If you have a problem with greed or love of money, then you have to altar your thinking from the way of the old, unregenerate man's ways, to God's. Money can be useful, but it is not what life is about. As a child of God, we bring our body under subjection, renew our mind and live from our spirit. Romans 8:5-9 "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." You are a new creation in Christ. You are now a spiritual being capable of living out the ways of God, not being dominated and governed by your flesh any longer. Colossians 1:20-23 "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;" What Jesus has done through his life, death and resurrection that we place our faith in, has given us free and open access in the spirit to the love, power and righteousness of God. You can live out the life that God intended for you. You do not have to live with a failure mentality, that you will never be good enough. God has done what He needed to do to make you good enough and given you access to live it out. Ephesians 2:10-14 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;" You at one time were incapable of pleasing God. You were not capable by your own willpower or the strength of your flesh to live righteously. But now, you are spiritually a new man. But it takes faith in the unseen to see it come to pass in the natural. You have to believe more in the plan of God, than just what you can see with your own eyes. We are instructed in more than one place in the scripture to put on and live from the new man. Ephesians 4:17-24 "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." When we first trusted in Christ, something changed in us that now makes us capable of living out the ways of God. Your understanding is no longer darkened. You are no longer ignorant or blind to godliness and holiness. The truth of who you are now, is in Jesus. You were recreated by faith in Him to be Holy, righteous and without blame. Again as Paul wrote to the Colossians, he reminds them too of this change that has taken place and says, ""Don’t live like the old man, but live like the new one you are now." Colossians 3:1-15 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." I love the way he ends this passage here as he says, "Don’t live like you used to be, but live like you are now and 'be ye thankful' that you don’t have to be that way anymore!" Praise God that He has given you a new heart. Praise God that He changed you on the inside. Thank God that you are not who you used to be!
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AuthorGary Gilbert has been serving in the ministry of Christ since 1995 and is the author of "The Narrow Road- What it takes (and doesn't take) to go to Heaven" and "The Covenant of Grace.". He is currently a loving husband, father of 2 wonderful sons and a full time Pastor. Archives
December 2018
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