A New You for a New Year!

Now is the time to believe that you are who God said you are and that you can do all that He said you can do. Do not settle for anything less than God’s best in your life. When you truly believe that in Christ God made you sinless, you will sinless. The Bible’s promises of being holy as God is holy and being perfect as He is perfect is not “make believe.” The Bible is not asking you to pretend that your life changed when you were born again and made a new creation- like a person dressing up and pretending to be Captain Kurk at a Star Trek convention. God forbid!

The Bible is declaring with the full authority of God- that when you were born again your old sinful person was nailed to the cross of Christ and you were made a completely new person in the perfect image of God. You are seated with Jesus in heavenly realms, every spiritual gift has been given to you, you have been given divine power to live a godly life, and you are a partaker in the divine nature of Christ!

SERMON TEXT

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT), “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

REVIEW

1. KNOWING WHO YOU ARE: (1) There are only two types of people in the world; “Sinners,” Romans 5:19 & “Saints,” Philippians 1:1. (2) Though there are two types of saints; “Worldly Christians,” 1 Corinthians 3:3 & “Disciples,” John 8:31; everyone is expected to be a disciple, Matthew 28:19-20.
2. SOUL THEOLOGY: (1) When you were born again you became a new person in both your soul & spirit, John 3:3 & 2 Corinthians 5:15. (2) Though your body is still sinful, you are to count it as dead and live a holy life pleasing to God by His Word, 1 Peter 1:22-23.
3. OVER COMING ALL TEMPTATION: Jesus taught us to pray for God to deliver us from all temptation- (1) Inward Temptation: From your sinful body, James 1:13-16 & (2) Outward Temptation: From the Devil regarding; (a) God’s Word, Genesis 3:1 & (b) Your Identity, Luke 4:3.
4. PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: Let God, the Good Shepherd, lead you in His paths of righteousness, Psalm 23.
5. MIND OF CHRIST: Set your mind on the things of the Spirit because the Law of the Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death when you were born again, Romans 6:1-17.
6. THE NEW MAN: Since your sinful body was circumised with Christ you are a new person that can put to death it’s temptations and put on God’s all the attributes of God’s perfect love!
7. PERFECT IN CHRIST: When you were born again you were made perfect and complete in Jesus, Colossians 4:12.

EXAMPLES

1. THE TIGHT ROPE WALKER: The ladder to the top is instantaneous salvation being made holy in Christ, the rope is the lifelong path of holiness, the Word of God is the balancing rod, the ability to balance is the Holy Spirit, and the net is God’s grace. You can walk the path of holiness because you are holy and everything you need has been provided for you to succeed, 2 Peter 1:3.
2. PURE WATER: Salvation is not God taking you as dirty water and cleaning you from your sin in His water treatment facility until you die- making you more and more holy everyday. When you were born again you were created holy, just like pure water. If you sin you repent and are cleansed to be in your default position of holiness and purity, 1 Corinthians 6:11.
3. FLYING ON A 747: Just as it is impossible for a person to fly 35,000 feet in the air at 550mph, so it is impossible for someone to be righteous without Christ. However, with Christ the life of holiness is like flying in a 747 because something else is doing the work. Christians rely upon Jesus as the pilot and His righteousness as the plane to obey all of God’s commands. Without Christ, even the best person among us (the Pope, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, etc.) all fail to live holy (fly). Their best efforts compared to others may make them look like Michael Jordan, however, compared to Jesus (the 747) they are just playing hopscotch. Therefore, it is Christ who causes us to soar and accomplish the great things of God, not our man made rules, religion, or self-effort.

APPLICATION

When you believe you are who God said are and can do what He said you can do, you will be able to…

1. Live blameless like Enoch!
2. Be faithful like Noah!
3. Be blessed like Abraham!
4. Watch your dreams come true like Joseph!
5. Raise your children like Hannah!
6. Defeat giants like David!
7. Have wisdom like Solomon!
8. Call down the fire of God like Elijah!
9. Win a nation like Jonah!
10. Fight injustice like Isaiah!
11. Persevere through suffering like Daniel!
12. Stand against sin like John the Baptist!
13. Live like Jesus- heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse the lepers!
14. Preach like Peter!
15. Confront false religion like Stephen!
16. Give generously like Barnabas!
17. Lead like Phoebe!
18. Love like John!
19. Serve like Timothy!
20. Finish your race like Paul!