THE DIFFERENCE CONVERSION SHOULD MAKE
2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-20 SO 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. 17 THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION; THE OLD HAS GONE, THE NEW HAS COME! 18 ALL THIS IS FROM GOD, WHO RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST AND GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION: 19 THAT 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. 20 WE 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.
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE: “OUR ABILITY AND DESIRE TO VIEW OUR GOD, OURSELVES AND OTHERS DIFFERENTLY RESTS ON OUR ABILITY TO EMBRACE OUR PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST.”
PAUL HAD A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
ACTS 9:3-5 AS HE NEARED DAMASCUS ON HIS JOURNEY, SUDDENLY A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN FLASHED AROUND HIM. 4 HE FELL TO THE GROUND AND HEARD A VOICE SAY TO HIM, "SAUL, SAUL, WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?" 5 "WHO ARE YOU, LORD?" SAUL ASKED. "I AM JESUS, WHOM YOU ARE PERSECUTING," HE REPLIED.
a. A REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIP – PAUL HAD A NEW ETERNITY
b. A RELATIONAL RELATIONSHIP – PAUL HAD A NEW ALLEGIANCE
c. A REGENERATIVE RELATIONSHIP – PAUL HAD A NEW LIFE
WE NEED OUR PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST TO CHANGE US. CHANGE IS A CHOICE
OUR REDEMPTIVE CHANGE WAS ACCOMPLISHED FULLY BY THE WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS.
OUR RELATIONAL AND REGENERATIVE CHANGE (ALLEGIANCE AND LIFE) HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED FOR US AS A RESULT OF OUR REDEMPTION, BUT MUST BE EMBRACED IN OUR DAILY WALK AND LIFE AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.
SO, I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE A RESOLUTION FOR 2012 – “I WILL RESOLVE TO EMBRACE MY PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST THIS YEAR AS EVIDENCED BY MY VISIBLE ALLEGIANCE TO CHRIST, AND MY VERIFIABLE ACTIVITIES OF MY NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
I. CHOOSING TO VIEW OTHERS DIFFERENTLY – SEEING PEOPLE AS JESUS SEES THEM
a. PAUL SAID, “FROM NOW ON, …”
i. PAUL DID NOT REST ON HIS PAST OR ALLOW HIS PAST TO HINDER LIVING A VICTORIOUS LIFE IN CHRIST!
ii. OTHERS WILL TRY AND HINDER US. THEY ONLY SUCCEED WHEN WE LET THEM SUCCEED!
b. ONE OF THE KEY THOUGHTS FOR US TO EMBRACE IN ORDER TO EMBRACE OUR ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST IS TO MOVE FORWARD AND NOT BE ANCHORED TO OUR PAST.
c. PAUL’S NEW METHOD OF EVALUATION
i. NOT FROM A WORLDLY POINT OF VIEW
1. FAMILY STATUS IS NO LONGER A METHOD OF EVALUATION
2. FINANCIAL POSITION IS NO LONGER A METHOD OF EVALUATION
ii. EMPLOYMENT POSITION IS NO LONGER A METHOD OF EVALUATION
WHATEVER THE WORLD AROUND YOU USES AS A METHOD OF DETERMINING A PERSONS WORTH OR STATUS IS NO LONGER THE METHOD PAUL USES.
JUST THINK FOR A MOMENT, … IF WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD, SKEWED TOWARDS SIN, LIVING IN DARKNESS, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO BE THE RESULT OF MAKING DETERMINATIONS BASED ON THE WORLDS CRITERIA?
d. THE WORLD HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF VIEWING THINGS!
i. TAKE THE CROSS FOR EXAMPLE
ii. FOR US, THE CROSS IS THE MOST VIVID SYMBOL OF VICTORY OVER SIN!
iii. TO THE JEW OF THAT TIME, THE CROSS WAS A SIGN OF GOD’S DISAPPOINTMENT!
e. PAUL’S TRANSFORMATION BROUGHT HIM A NEW VIEW OF CHRIST AND A NEW VIEW OF THOSE WITHOUT CHRIST
II. CHOOSING TO VIEW OURSELVES DIFFERENTLY – SEEING OURSELVES AS JESUS SEES US
a. THE KEY TO A NEW US IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST!
b. TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST!
c. WHAT A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IS NOT:
i. COMING TO CHURCH
ii. READING YOUR BIBLE
iii. PRAYING
iv. DOING GOOD DEEDS
ALL OF THESE ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, BUT ARE NOT A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE MIMICKED!
d. WHAT A REAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IS:
i. SALVATION/REDEMPTION
ii. ADMITTING YOUR SIN – NOT IN RELATION TO OTHERS, BUT IN RELATION TO GOD
iii. BELIEVING THE JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU – HIS DEATH PAYING THE PRICE FOR YOUR SIN.
iv. CONFESSING YOUR NEED FOR SALVATION AND FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SIN – AGREEING WITH GOD THAT WITHOUT HIM YOU ARE TOTALLY LOST, AND ARE DESTINED TO SPEND AN ETERNITY IN HELL.
e. TO BE “IN CHRIST IS TO BE A NEW CREATION
i. TO BE NEW IN QUALITY
ii. IN FACT THE GRAMMAR OF THE VERSE INDICATES THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING EXPERIENCE.
iii. BEGINS WITH OUR REGENERATION
iv. CONCLUDES WITH OUR TRANSFORMATION AT THE RETURN OF CHRIST
v. TO HAVE/DEVELOP NEW ATTITUDES
vi. TO HAVE/DEVELOP NEW ACTIONS
1. ACTIONS IN DIRECTION
2. ACTION IN ACTIVITIES
3. ACTION IN RESPONSES
4. ACTION IN PERCEPTION
vii. PART OF OUR NEWNESS IN CHRIST IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR INABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, …
1. “ALL THIS” – OUR CREATION
2. IT IS FROM GOD – HE IS THE AUTHOR AND THE SOURCE OF OUR NEW CREATION
3. THE RESULT OF GOD’S CREATIVE WORK IN US IS OUR RECONCILIATION TO HIM
a. THE NATURE OF OUR SIN
b. THE BARRIER OF OUR SIN
f. HERE IS WHAT IS NEW ABOUT US IN CHRIST:
i. A New Birth -- John 3:3—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. We have been spiritually changed.
ii. A New Heart & Spirit -- Ezekiel 36:26—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.
iii. A New Man -- Ephesians 4:24—And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
iv. A New Song -- Psalm 40:3—And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
v. A New Name -- Isaiah 62:2—And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
vi. A New Home -- JohN. 14:1-2—... Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
1. The word "prepare" is from the Greek word hetoimazo {het-oy-mad'-zo} which means "to make ready, to prepare." It is drawn from the oriental custom of sending on before kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable. The Lord is preparing our homes for us.
vii. A New Body -- 2 Corinthians 5:1—For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
III. CHOOSING TO VIEW OUR GOD DIFFERENTLY – SEEING GOD AS WE SHOULD SEE HIM
a. GOD HAS MADE US HIS VESSEL OF RECONCILIATION
i. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A RECONCILIATION MINISTRY.
ii. GIVING A GIFT AND RECEIVING A GIFT ARE TWO VASTLY DIFFERENT THINGS.
iii. THIS IS A MATTER OF CHOICE. WILL YOU EMBRACE GOD AS THE ONE WHO HAS GIVEN YOU THIS MINISTRY?
iv. THE EVIDENCE THAT YOU HAVE IS THE FACT THAT YOU ARE A RECONCILER!
b. GOD IS AT WORK IN THE WORLD AS HE IS AT WORK IN US
i. GOD IS ACTIVE IN THE WORLD.
ii. MUCH OF HIS ACTIVITY HE HAS CHOSEN TO DO THROUGH US
iii. WE OFTEN SPEND TO MUCH TIME LOOKING FOR THE MIRACULOUS INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR THE OBVIOUS!
c. GOD HAS GIVEN US A UNIVERSAL POSITION OF SERVICE
i. GOD HAS A UNIVERSAL EXPECTATION OF EACH OF US.
ii. AN EXPECTATION TO BE A RECONCILER
iii. AN EXPECTATION TO BE AN AMBASSADOR
iv. AN EXPECTATION TO BE A SERVANT
v. NOTICE THAT GOD IS MAKING “HIS APPEAL” (TO THE WORLD) THROUGH US!
d. PART OF SEEING GOD THEY WAY HE WANTS TO BE SEEN IS TO SEE HIS “DESIRE” FOR EACH OF US TO SERVE. GOD’S DESIRE IS FOR UNIVERSAL SERVICE
i. WE SERVE INCREMENTALLY
ii. WE SERVE SELFISHLY
iii. WE SERVE HAPHAZARDLY
iv. WE SERVE UNWILLINGLY – AND THEN CRITICIZE THOSE WHO SERVE
PAUL EXHORTS US TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD. THE ONLY WAY WE CAN TRULY BE RECONCILED TO GOD IS TO EMBRACE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST!
