The SIGNIFICANCE Of A NEW CREATION-XI—2Corinthians 5:9--6:10
Attention:
Isn’t It Obvious?
While making rounds, a doctor points out an X-ray to a group of medical students. "As you can see," she says, "the patient limps because his left fibula & tibia are radically arched. Mr. Sanders, what would you do in a situation like this?"
"Well," ponders the student, "I suppose I'd limp too.”
The student needed a new way of looking at his purpose for being in medical school!
A true Christian receives a new nature.
Will you avoid disaster with your new life?
Need:
Does God seem distant to you?
Is your life the ‘same-old-same-old’?
The key to our verses is 2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Paul clarified the significance of being a new creation in Christ to the Corinthian church.
There is significance to being a new creation in Christ.
But what is significant about being a new creation in Christ?
10+ significations/signifiers of being a new creation in Christ.
Previously we have found that A new creation is significant in its New...
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY(5:13)Risk
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
7. CONSIDERATIONS(5:16)
8. NEWNESS/Creativeness(5:17)
9. RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation(5:18-19)
10. INSTRUMENTATION/Mediation(5:20)
11. RIGHTEOUSNESS(5:21)
12. VIEW Of VANITY(6:1)
13—A new creation is significant in its New...
URGENCY(6:2)
Explanation:(6:2)Opportunity
6:2—“For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Paul quotes from & applies Isa. 49:8, regarding the coming of times when Israel would be the source of restoration for the entire earth.
Isa. 49:8—“Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You & give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;”
Is Israel serving in that capacity now? No & Yes!
‘No’—Many Jews do not accept Jesus as God’s anointed(Messiah/Christ). These are enemies of the cross of Christ(Php. 3:18-19). These of such a mind & heart-set crucified Christ.
‘Yes’—“Salvation is of the Jews” in Christ Jesus alone(Jn. 4:22; Rom. 11:1-31).
Rom. 11:1-31—“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets & torn down Your altars, & I alone am left, & they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, & the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.” And David says: “Let their table become a snare & a trap, A stumbling block & a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, & bow down their back always.” I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, & their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh & save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; & if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, & you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, & with them became a partaker of the root & fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, & you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness & severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, & were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts & the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.”
Paul states that the “acceptable time” & the “day of” YaHWeH’s “salvation” have arrived. These are—simultaneous/concurrent/happening at the same time—with each other in Christ Jesus. Therefore they are “now” & remain.
It is God’s salvation of man & not man’s salvation of God!
“Acceptable/Favor”(See euprosdektov below)—dektov—Adj.—1) Accepted, acceptable. Strong—from decomai; Approved; figuratively--Propitious. Used 5X.
“Time”2X—kairov—Noun Masc.—1) Due measure; 2) A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence:—2a) A fixed & definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, 2b) Opportune or seasonable time, 2c) The right time, 2d) A limited period of time, 2e) To what time brings, the state of the times, the things & events of time. Kairov denotes a definitely limited portion of time with the added notion of suitableness. Strong—of uncertain affinity; An occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.
“Heard”—epakouw—Aorist Active Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To give ear to, listen to—1a) To perceive by the ear; 2) To listen to—2a) To hear with favor, grant one's request. Strong—To hearken(favorably) to. Used 1X.
From—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.—&—akouw—a primary verb; To hear(in various senses).
“Day”2X—hmera—Noun Fem.—1) The day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise & sunset, as distinguished from & contrasted with the night—1a) In the daytime, 1b) metaph.,--“The day” is regarded as the time for abstaining from indulgence, vice, crime, because acts of the sort are perpetrated at night & in darkness; 2) Of the civil day, or the space of twenty four hours(thus including the night)—2a) Eastern usage of this term differs from our western usage. Any part of a day is counted as a whole day, hence the expression "three days & three nights" does not mean literally three whole days, but at least one whole day plus part of two other days. Strong—feminine (with wra[hour] implied) of a derivative of hmai(to sit; akin to the base of edraiov[sedentary, immovable]) meaning--Tame, i.e. Gentle; Day, i.e. literally--The time space between dawn & dark, or the whole 24 hours(but several days were usually reckoned by the Jews as inclusive of the parts of both extremes); figuratively--A period(always defined more or less clearly by the context).; 3) of the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, & perfect his kingdom; 4) Used of time in general, i.e. The days of his life.
“Salvation”2X—swthria—Noun Fem.—1) Deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation; 2) Salvation as the present possession of all true Christians; 3) Future salvation, the sum of benefits & blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated & eternal kingdom of God. Strong—feminine of a derivative of swthr[Deliverer] as (properly, abstract)noun; Rescue or safety(physically or morally).
“Helped”—bohyew—Aorist Active Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To help, succor, bring aid. Strong—To aid or relieve. Used 8X.
“Behold”2X—idou—Particle—1) Behold, see, lo. Strong—second person singular imperative middle voice of eidw; used as imperative--Lo!.
“Now”2X—nun—Adverb—1) At this time, the present, now. “Now”, marks a definite point or period of time, the (objective)immediate present. Strong—a primary particle of present time; “Now”(as adverb of date, a transition or emphasis); also as noun or adjective--Present or Immediate.
“Accepted”(See dektov above)—euprosdektov—Adj.—1) Well received, accepted, acceptable. Strong—Well-received, i.e. Approved, favorable. Used 5X. Euprosdektov is at once, more intensive than dektov.
From—eu—Adverb—1)To be well off, fare well, prosper; 2)Acting well. Strong—neuter of a primary euv(good); adverbially--Well—&—prosdecomai—To admit(to intercourse, hospitality, credence, or figuratively--Endurance); by implication--To await(with confidence or patience).
Argumentation:
God will one day judge the world...
Rev. 20:11-15—“Then I saw a great white throne & Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth & the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small & great, standing before God, & books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, & Death & Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death & Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
2Tim. 4:1—“I charge you therefore before God & the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living & the dead at His appearing & His kingdom:”
Rom. 3:3-6—“For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?”
Col. 3:1-6—“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, & covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,”
Isa. 61:1-3—“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Lk. 4:16-21—So He[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, & stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, & gave it back to the attendant & sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Mat. 9:35-10:1—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, & to heal all kinds of sickness & all kinds of disease.”
God has a task for you. He has a purpose for you! He has a purpose that is inseparably tied to loving Him & bringing in His harvest!...& if you do not get ahold of that, or rather do not let that get ahold of you, then you have turned your back on the bare minimum of God’s design, desire, & plan for you!
**Heb. 4:1-11—“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’”[Ps. 95:11] although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; & again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, & those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
Mat. 28:18—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
**Rom. 13:10-14—“Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, & let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry & drunkenness, not in lewdness & lust, not in strife & envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Rev. 21:6-21(:6, 7, 12, 20)—“...Shortly...Surely I am coming quickly...”
1Jn. 2:15-18—“It is the last hour”2X
Jn. 9:4—“I[Jesus] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
Isa. 55:6—“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.”
Illustration:
While employed at Carolina Rubber Hose, I was working on the roll dept. & it was my first day in that dept./I had to apply a certain amount of pliable-uncured rubber to an industrial metal roller core(~4ft long X ~6in dia.)/I & another guy had to simultaneously hand-feed this uncured rubber sheet between a metal roller & the metal core. The roller, with specific pressure, pressed the rubber firmly & evenly to the core/Then the rubber would be tightly wrapped with cloth & steam cured under pressure for a certain amount of time/As we began feeding the rubber, my trainer was telling me how to hold the rubber sheet & how to feed it properly etc./We had to maintain pressure on the sheet, with open hands, somewhat evenly over the entire surface as the automated process began wrapping it around the core/My right hand got too close to the pinch point & went right between the rollers/I panicked!—I couldn’t pull my hand out & couldn’t stop the machine!/It was pulling me into the machine little by little/During training I had been shown & used a wire that ran across at foot level which would stop the process & disengage the pressure roller/I was so panicked that it never crossed my mind to hit the wire—I wanted my hand back!/Praise be to God that my co-worker-trainer hit the emergency stop which released the pressurized roller & stopped the rotation of the roll core, freeing my hand!/URGENCIES
God was looking out for me because the pressure on the roller was minimal compared to others in the same dept.!/
Construction vehicles backing up/A warning signal automatically comes on when it is in reverse/It lets anyone in its path know that there is danger & that they must pay attention/The driver of the vehicle has limited sight & may unknowingly run over unsuspecting people/It is a desperate & pressing situation, where those effected must decide to either lose or save their lives!/URGENCIES
Just as I began walking to the church for Sunday School, I noticed a boat being pulled behind a truck/It caused me to ask myself, “Have those boat owners missed the urgency of attending Sunday service(s)?/URGENCIES
A specific ‘Code’ call at the hospital/Most of the codes are related to emergency-stat-immediacy situations—specific attention is needed immediately/To wait would mean the demise of someone’s condition & very likely the loss of life/URGENCIES
Ambulance
Hurricane/Tornado warnings—spotted!=‘Hunker down’ & get ready for it to hit!/URGENCIES
Application:
?Are New URGENCIES apparent in your New Creation?
?Your New Creation Significant?
?Is yours a truly New Creation or a Creation by your own hand?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Dr. to medical student, "What would you do in a situation like this?"—"I suppose I'd limp too.”
Action:
A new creation is significant in its New...
13. URGENCY(6:2)
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY(5:13)Risk
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
7. CONSIDERATIONS(5:16)
8. NEWNESS/Creativeness(5:17)
9. RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation(5:18-19)
10. INSTRUMENTATION/Mediation(5:20)
11. RIGHTEOUSNESS(5:21)
12. VIEW Of VANITY/Worth(6:1)
Pt. 13 only! presented 04/10/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
