Our New Life In Christ Series

OUR NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

II Peter 1:1-2

Each one of us deserves death, judgment, and an eternity in Hell. But thanks to God’s mercy, we have been delivered from that fate. God has lavished His love, mercy, and grace upon us. He sent His Son, Jesus to be our Savior and as a result of our relationship with Him, we have access to innumerable blessings in this life and in the life to come.

Because of Christ, we have a new life; one that is abundant, victorious, and eternal. Because of His finished work, we have a new family. We are children of God, joint heirs with Jesus and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thanks to Jesus, we are free from the law, delivered from the chains of sin, rescued from condemnation, and we no longer have to endure fear, guilt, shame, death, Hell, or Satan, In Christ we have been redeemed, set free and forgiven.

Furthermore, thanks to our Savior we have an eternal home. A place with walls of jasper, streets of gold, a crystal river, and gates of pearl. We look forward to a glorious reunion and unimaginable celebration in Heaven. One day we will join the Angels of God, the Apostles and Prophets and our loved ones who died in Christ. Greater than all of this, is the fact that we will see our Heavenly Father face to face. We will serve, worship, adore and praise Him throughout eternity. Moreover, there is coming a day when our faith will become sight and we will behold our Savior. We will see the scars on His hands, feet and on His brow. We will feel His arms around us and hear Him say "well done, good and faithful servant". We will bow before Him and cry “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty! “

On top of the amazing things that will be in that land, we are also assured that several things that will not be in Heaven. When we enter into the presence of the Lord it will be in a place with no more sickness, pain, sadness, grief, death or crying. Never again will we have to endure the presence of sin or the influence of Satan.

We certainly look forward to all that awaits us in Heaven, but we must not lose sight of the truth that the Christian life is a truly wonderful life here and now. As children of God, we enjoy the privilege of prayer. We currently have direct, unhindered access to the Father. We are able to go boldly before the throne of grace and make our requests known. Each and every day we have the privilege of communing with our Savior. He has given us His holy Word and through it He speaks to us. Moreover, the precious Holy Spirit instructs, and guides us through this life.

We also live with the assurance that Jesus is our protector. He protects us from evil, temptation, and harm. He protects us presently and He will protect us eternally. Those who belong to Him are assured of their justification, salvation, and ultimate glorification. We rest in the truth that He will not cast us out and no one is able to pluck us out of His hand.

Jesus is also our provider. He provides us with physical and material necessities. He provides us with strength, joy, and comfort. Christ is our advocate, our source of peace and our burden bearer. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, our refuge, and our friend. He is Lord, Savior, Master, and King. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, and He has proved that His love will never fail us.

With all of these truths in view, they barely scratch the surface of the many privileges that we enjoy in the Christian life. Though this life is a remarkable life, there is no escaping the reality that at the moment, it is a life lived in human flesh and in the midst of a fallen creation. As a result, there are times when we forget all that God has done for us. The troubles and struggles of daily life often distract us from our true position in Christ Jesus.

Our selected text shows us several of the amazing benefits that belong to every Christian. I would like to examine those benefits and consider “Our New Life In Christ”.

- First of all, we need to be reminded that:

WE HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS

v1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ

Peter begins his letter by mentioning his close personal relationship with the Savior. At the outset of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He encountered a young man named Andrew. After this encounter, Andrew was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Filled with joy and excitement, he immediately went to his brother Simon, and took him to Jesus. Soon, Peter came to the same realization as his brother and responded by leaving behind everything he knew and following Jesus.