New Beginnings...
I. New Creatures in Christ (Introduction)...
a) Read...
2Co 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.
b) We Need Renewal...
How many in here tonight knows that we need renewal in our lives?
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The Word says all things become new...Not half, not, part, not a piece, etc.
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But what does it really mean to be renewed?
II. What Is Renewal?
RENEW’, v.t. [L. renovo; re and novo, or re and new.]
To renovate; to restore to a former state, or to a
good state, after decay or depravation; to rebuild;
to repair.
AND TO REVIVE!!!
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In the Biblical sense to be renewed is to:
1. to give spiritual strength to;
2. to cause to exist again, you get your life back!!!
3. reestablish, revive; to replace with a fresh
supply;
The Greek word translated "NEW" in our
scripture actually means to become new in
freshness!
Fresh oil, anointing, encounter with God, etc.
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Renewing is done by replacing that which is
worn or old.
There are a lot of words that are similar to
renewal, but they don’t grasp the full meaning of
Biblical renewal.
1. Renovation...It is different from renovating,
which means only to replace enough worn or old
parts to put back into good condition.
Though we need to have old or worn parts
replaced, we really need more than a renovation.
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2. Restoration...It means something different
from restoring, which means to bring back to an
original or unimpaired condition.
We do many times need to be restored, brought
back to an original or unimpaired condition, and
the Lord does that frequently for us.
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3. Refreshing...It means something more than
refresh, which implies a restoring of depleted
strength and vigor,
We do need to be refreshed, to have our depleted
strength and vigor restored;
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4. Rejuvenation...It means something more
than rejuvenate, which means to restore to a
youthful appearance.
we do need to be brought back to a place of
youthful strength in the Lord.
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Each of these words contain something which is
contained in the word "renew."
We as Christians when we fail or sin, and come
to the Lord asking for forgiveness receive
renewal.
He renews us, makes us as if we are new again.
I’m here to tell you many times in our lives we
will need to be renewed.
The good news is that we have promises from
God that this can happen in our lives.
III. In Christ, we can be renewed. (2 Cor 4:16)
2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but
though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Taken in context here, Paul has been talking to
the church at Corinth about the difficulty they
might have in serving God. He has talked to
them of being hard pressed on every side, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down,
but not destroyed.
He’s talked to them of being given over to death
for Jesus’ sake, so that Christ’s life might be
revealed in our mortal bodies.
In all this, Paul said he knows that the one who
raised Jesus from the dead will also do that for
us, and present us to God.
But because of all these external pressures, Paul
said that though he was wasting away outwardly,
he did not lose heart, for he knew that inwardly,
in the inner man, the part which counts, he was
being renewed day by day. He knew that the light
afflictions he was currently going through were
gaining him an eternal glory that outweighed all
them.
Now what are some of the areas in which we
need to be renewed. Let us just consider the
main three; those components which comprise
the human being. We need to be renewed in our
physical bodies, in our minds and in the spiritual
man.
1. We can be renewed in our physical bodies by the touch and work of God.
1. God renews us through healing our illnesses,
sicknesses and diseases.
In Psalms 103:1-5 David says,
Psa 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Here, we are told that God gives benefits to us.
He forgives our sins; many times, when sins are
confessed, forgiven, and abandoned, healing and
renewing comes to the physical body as a natural
consequence.
As a result, our lives are redeemed from the pit in
which they were by our God of love and mercy.
He even gives us the desires of our hearts when
we seek Him totally, and these all combine to
make it as if our youth has been restored or
renewed.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us: "but those who hope in the
LORD will renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow
weary, they will walk and not be faint. NIV)
Here, God again promises help with the physical
renewing that we need. He promises renewed
strength. Our strength and youth will be restored
by our mighty God. Those who trust in Him
fully, even with their lives, will receive His help.
God’s strength will revive them in the midst of
exhaustion and weakness, suffering and trial.
They will be given the ability to rise above their
difficulties like an eagle soars in the sky; they will
have the ability to run spiritually without tiring,
and to walk steadily forward without fainting at
God’s delays. God promises that if His people
will patiently trust Him, He will provide
whatever is needed to sustain them.
2.x We can be renewed in our minds by the work and power of God in us.
Romans 12:2 tells us,
Rom 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.
And Ephesians 4:23 instructs us To be renewed
in the spirit of your mind;
while Colossians 3:10 says:
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
1. God does not want our minds, which control
our attitudes and actions, to be formed according
to the pattern of this world. That would result in
worldly attitudes and actions, in being like the
world. We must realize that the present world
system is evil, under Satan’s rule.
2. God instead wants to renew our minds by the
working of the Holy Spirit in us. He wants this so
we will be able to determine the will of God for
our lives. We must stand against the prevailing
and popular forms of the spirit of this world,
proclaiming instead the eternal truths and
righteous standards of God’s Word for Christ’s
sake.
3. God wants to renew our minds also by the
knowledge we gain from the study of the Word of
God. The Word has a renewing effect on the
human mind. It brings the mind of the human
into agreement with the mind of God. We must
learn to despise what is evil, and love what is
good; we must refuse to yield to various types of
worldliness which surrounds the church, such as
greed, selfishness, envy, hatred, revenge,
impurity, filthy language, ungodly
entertainment, tempting and immodest dress,
immorality, drugs, alcohol etc.
Instead our minds must be conformed to God’s
pattern; to His way of thinking. This is done by
reading and meditating on His Word.
IV. We can be renewed in the spiritual part of our being by the work of God and the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:4-7 says,
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
David prayed for God to work in his life after his
sin with Bathsheba, in Psalm 51:10, "Create in
me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me." (NIV)
Paul says that the thoughts of the advantage his
soul would reap by the sufferings of his body
kept him from fainting; and in 2 Corinthians
4;16 says "Though our outward man perish, our
inward man is renewed day by day."
Now we all realize that the inward man, as
opposed to the outward man, is the spiritual man
rather than the physical man which we see when
we look at someone. The spiritual man is
renewed, is revived and receives a daily dose of
the light and life of God. And as we receive these
infusions of light and life, we become more holy,
more happy, and more ready for the glory of
heaven each day.
Now this renewing of the spiritual man is not
without effort on our part, nor is the renewing of
the mind. Colossians 3:9-10 says this to us:
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
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But it also has the work of God. Lamentations
5:21 says, "Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that
we may return; renew our days as of old.
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CONCLUSION:
What kind of renewing do you need for yourself
this evening? Do you need the renewing of the
physical man? Seek the Lord. He is able to heal,
and to minister strength to the physical man.
Do you need the renewing of your mind? Are you
suffering from mental stress or depression? The
Lord has the answer to that also; He can and will
restore your mind through the work of the Holy
Spirit, and through His Holy Word. He is able to
minister health and renewal to your mind.
Do you need the renewing of your spiritual man?
In this area, God is the Master Craftsman. He
can do here what no other power can do. He can
make anew your spiritual man if that is
necessary. He can restore the spiritual man, He
can renew the spiritual man, And He can fill you
with His Spirit.
