“New Things Have Come”
2 Corinthians 5.14-17
January 4, 2015 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A Paul had been a resident of Jerusalem during the earthly ministry of Jesus (some scholars believe that Paul was the rich young ruler of the gospels who refused to give up all he owned to follow Jesus.)
1 At one time, Paul despised Jesus and hated everyone who did love Him. (He had relentlessly persecuted the early church/Christians.)
a He, and most other Jews, were looking for a Messiah who would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Romans, restore David’s Throne, usher in eternal Kingdom . . . Jesus didn’t do that.
b Even worse, Jesus was crucified on a cross, which was considered the ultimate sign of God’s disapproval.
Deuteronomy 21:23 (NASB) 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.
aa Surly this man was no Messiah, itinerant Rabbi from Galilee is not the Savior.
bb Jesus’ outward appearance was a Messianic pretender, sham.
2 Acts 9:1-4 (NASB) 1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
. . . the rest is history: Paul died on that road to Damascus that day.
a The principles, company, plans, views he once had were dissolved in awesomeness of Jesus.
aa When Paul meet Jesus he had to re-evaluate his view of Jesus (Not just an itinerant Rabbi, threat to Judaism
bb Once Paul’s view of Jesus changed . . . his view on everyone/everything else changed as well.
b It was Christ’s love for Paul that compelled/gripped him to serve the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly, as an act of worship.
B Paul never lost his amazement of Christ’s love for him (and us).
1 Romans 8:35-39 (NASB) 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Galatians 2:20 (NASB) 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Ephesians 3:19 (NASB) 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
a Even until the end of Paul’s life (beheaded around 66 A.D. during the reign of Nero) he was still amazed of the love that Christ showed him.
2 Timothy 1:13 (NASB) 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
b Christ’s incomprehensible, unbreakable, unconditional love overwhelmed Paul.
2 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 (NASB) 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
a ETS: Paul’s entire life was changed when he changed his view of Jesus.
b ESS: Where there is a true encounter with Jesus there is always a life that is truly changed.
c IL. (GET VIDEO) http://www.kfvs12.com/story/27718174/makanda-womans-body-found-by-family-members-a-year-after-death
3 OBJ: I hope you’ll do a wellness check this morning to make sure your old self is still dead.
a P.Q.: How dead are you this morning?
b Pray
A Jesus’ substitutionary death for us/sins was sufficient for all sin that ever had been (or ever will be) committed.
1 1 Peter 1:17-19 (NASB) 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
a Jesus (fully God/ completely pure/ 100% sin-free, no criminal record) allowed Himself (volunteered) to die the death/execution of a criminal.
aa Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (NASB) 22 "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. The death of a criminal is not easy, painless, w/o a degree of spectacle.
bb Jesus didn’t die for a nameless/faceless foreigner that you have no contact/connection to . . . the criminal He died for is you & me.
b Romans 3:23 (NASB) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 (NASB) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
aa None of us are innocent AND the consequences/price of our guilt is a capitol offense . . . we deserve to die.
bb v.14b, “ . . . one died for all.” (All humanity, all sin/bondage/addiction/unrighteousness.)
2 Although He died for all, ONLY believers reap the benefits.
a He died for “us” (Christians)
Romans 5:8 (NASB) 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Thessalonians 5:10 (NASB) 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
AND “our” sins
1 Corinthians 15:3 (NASB) 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
aa The scope of what Jesus did is all-encompassing, but the application is particular. (In other words, His sacrifice only applies to those will put their faith in Him & what He did for them on Calvary.)
bb IL. A few years back a category 4 tornado came down out west, a young couple covered their 7 week old baby girl w/ their bodies, the next morning, rescue works heard the muffled cries of the child under the body of the couple: This a picture of what Christ did for us.
cc v.14b-15a, “. . . therefore all died and He died for all”
b What kind of “dead” are we talking about here?
aa Definitely not physically dead,
bb Probably not spiritually dead (We were spiritually dead before He went to the cross:
Romans 5:8 (NASB) 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 2:12 (NASB) 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
cc Death to sin . . . death to self, old thoughts, principles, and practices are passed away.
c Dead people don’t check their Email or post on Face Book.
aa Don’t notice the voice of friendship, charms of music, what’s going on around them . . . they’re dead.
bb Lost sinners are dead because they are deaf, blind, unfazed by the things of heaven.
cc When we come to Christ we are alive!
B Because we know that Jesus voluntarily sacrificed Himself in our place, arose by the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 1:4 (NASB) 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
it’s no longer natural for us to live for ourselves, but rather to live for Christ.
1 He did in our place/for everyone; He didn’t rise in your place/for everyone.
a Everyone is going die but not everyone is going to rise.
b When we put our trust in Christ as savior
2 Corinthians 2:17 (NASB) 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
we become united with Him & all He accomplished on our behalf
Romans 6:3-5 (NASB) 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
2 Jesus dies that we might live through Him; “God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him”.
1 John 4:9 (NASB) 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
a This is our experience of salvation, eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
b He died so we might live for Him, and not for ourselves .
2 Corinthians 5:15 (NASB) 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
aa At what age did Jesus’ life end? If we went to His funeral we’d be saying things like, “He was so young . . . so much he didn’t get to do/see/experience/accomplish.”
bb He died our death for us that we might live His life for Him.
C Because we know that Jesus voluntarily sacrificed Himself in our place, arose by the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 1:4 (NASB) 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
it’s no longer natural for us to live for ourselves, but rather to live for Christ.
1 He did in our place/for everyone; He didn’t rise in your place/for everyone.
a Everyone is going die but not everyone is going to rise.
b When we put our trust in Christ as savior
2 Corinthians 2:17 (NASB) 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
we become united with Him & all He accomplished on our behalf.
Romans 6:3-5 (NASB) 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
2 A lost sinner whose been to the cross can’t spend the rest of his/her life in selfishness, pride, vanity, arrogance, defeating thoughts of negativity.
a Our view of Jesus changes
aa (We know He was born in a manger/Bethlehem, but we interpret the manger through the His throne . . . crown on the glorified saviors brow.)
bb He’s no longer a historical figure, revolutionist, great teacher . . . He’s Messiah!
b Our view of others changes too (We see people through the eyes of Jesus)
Galatians 3:28 (NASB) 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Conclusion:
A John 15:4-5 (NASB) 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
1 We are to be united to Him by faith.
a He supports you! He’s the vine & you’re the branches.
aa You are a new creation in a moral sense, a renewed heart.
Ephesians 4:24 (NASB) 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
bb I’m living on child support for I am a child of the ONE TRUE GOD!!!!
b You are a new creation!
aa The voice that spoke creation into being called every sinner to repentance.
bb New motives, plans, principles . . . new man/woman.
2 Stop going back to the graveyard so often!!
a You’re not dead anymore.
b IL
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
