Extreme Makeover: The God Edition

Text: 2 Cor.5:16-6:2

Theme: God’s New Creation

16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2For he says,

"In the time of my favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you."[a] I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

How do you see yourself? Average guy? A success? A failure? A sinner? Bland person? Ugly? Imperfect? Useless? Take a few seconds now do some reflecting on who you are.

Howard Hendricks once said: “If you found a perfect church, don’t join it. You’ll ruin it.” Many of us struggling – in need of renovation, spiritual life in ruins. Go join another church

1. SAINT I AM! A new identity – in him we are righteousness of God

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” – as believers we see things from a spiritual view… as saints… as loved treasured people whom Christ died for

Nothing can take that away, you are secure saints! No one can make you less than righteous, if u are in him who loves you and gave himself for u. The Bible says “all this is from God” – GRACE.

Does not matter how u see yourself, or how others see u, from now on, see each other from a spiritual point of view, not a “worldly point in view.”

WE ARE SAINTS - “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

There is a sense of intimacy here recalling Eden’s paradise where God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day! In Christ – new creation- new relationship- new covenant - made new! Wow! God sees u as if there is no sin, no barrier, nothing that separates you from His love!

Remember if u read Paul’s letters to the Cor. Church – this church is not saintly in behavior…

they hurt him, they say he is ineffectual, lousy preacher, they think he is not flashy enough, he does not have a crowd pleasing miracle show, they challenged his integrity, accused as a fraud, who puts money collected into his own pocket, they disappoint him in they way they treated each other, squabbles, lawsuits, sexually immoral, arrogant because they were a gifted church, totally not respected, unappreciated, unloved, yet he sees them this way -

– “church of God in Corinth, …sanctified in Christ Jesus …” (1:2)

– “I always thank God for you because of the His grace given you in Christ Jesus (1:4)

– “He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless” (1:8)

– “God has called you into fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1:9)

– “brothers” (1:10, 26, 2:1, 3:1))

Whatever you have done, however u see yourself – don’t matter anymore – God sees you as you really are for “in him (Christ) we might become the righteousness of God” the Bible says! That’s it!

This is how we should now see others who are in the community of believers… as saints… ready to forgive as Christ forgave, ready to jump into community, as He communes with us, ready to forget the old, embrace the new, and enjoy all God has done! The key is “all this is from God.” – Nothing to do with us!

Therefore, we shall no longer see them as mean sinful imperfect people, who put the screws to us!

We shall move towards them as the church sanctified in Christ, thanking God for them because God’s grace, you will believe in them and be confident for them because God will keep them blameless, in Him we all are the righteousness of God. You will see each other as God sees them, righteous, blameless, enjoyers of Christ’s magnificent grace! You will be delighted in them as new creations, as God was when He first made people in His image… as God word shouts out in Genesis “it was very good!”