[IN GOD’S IMAGE 45 – NEW CREATION]
This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli
We have been looking at the implications of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
• The resurrection of Jesus is living proof that we serve a God who has power to raise someone from the dead.
• And not only to raise them to immortality, but the resurrection of Jesus proves the nature of a finite person, their unique identity or “personhood” can extend beyond death into immortality.
• Last time we talked about the Father’s validation or stamp of approval on Jesus’s cry on the cross, “It is finished”(John 19:30).
• By raising Jesus from the dead, the Father was acknowledging Jesus had successfully fulfilled every task the Father had assigned Him in order to provide salvation for humanity.
• And we finished last time talking about God’s purpose to create through the saving work of Jesus Christ, one new humanity.
• Salvation is not only offered to Israelites but also to Gentiles under the New Covenant.
Today we are going to continue this theme of “one new humanity.”
• Much is made of the creation event in Genesis, but as far as God is concerned, this creation of the “new humanity” in Jesus Christ is the one that really counts.
• The resurrection of Jesus to immortality has heralded a new creation event.
• It is more than coincidence that here at the beginning of this new creation as at the old, Jesus is the central figure.
• John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
• And so it only fitting when it comes to the pinnacle of God’s creative event, man in the true image of God, Jesus is key to the process.
• With the incarnation, the Creator lovingly inserted Himself into our corrupt and fallen world in order to create the perfect union between the Creator and the created.
• Then from within our corrupt and fallen existence, Jesus creates a new humanity the pinnacle of which is His own resurrection from the dead.
• A new creature now exists in God’s spiritual world that has not existed before.
• For the first time a human truly in God’s image exists, one who through His sinless life, His death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day has opened the way for mortals to join God in eternity.
• In the symbolism of the Old Covenant, Jesus, as the Pascal Lamb sacrificed at Passover, has saved us from death so that we may be granted “life”! We have “passed over” from death to life.
• Romans 5:18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
• Jesus the Creator, and our mediator, has restored access to the source of true life so that eternal life is now available to all those who seek it.
We should not underestimate what Jesus’ resurrection from mortal to immortality means for humanity.
• The course of the created world including humanity is set on a whole new trajectory as a result of the resurrection.
• Because of Adam’s sin, mankind’s destiny was set on a trajectory of decay, corruption and death. Not just physical death, but also spiritual death, because they lived under God’s righteous judgment.
• Also in this corruptible state, they became easy prey to the forces of darkness and evil arrayed against them.
• And as we have seen, they had no means within themselves to free themselves from the process of decay, corruption and death or the hold the evil forces exerted over them.
• Under this scenario, humanity would cease to exist and descend into “oblivion.”
• But we have seen how Jesus, through His life, death and resurrection has defeated the enemies of mankind.
• He defeated and overcame our fallen human nature and the devil through His life and crucifixion, and He defeated death through His resurrection to immortality.
• Death had no power over Jesus, as He was sinless. It was impossible for Him to remain in the grave as death can only exert its power over sinners.
• When Jesus “set His face to go up to Jerusalem” it was with the intention of allowing Himself to be put to death in order to pay the penalty for our sins, but also to invade and defeat this last enemy, death.
• His bursting forth from the tomb on the third day demonstrated this last enemy had been defeated.
• We see Jesus as the Creator first of all injecting Himself into our fallen humanity in order to re-create it and restore true humanity, and secondarily, by intentionally allowing Himself to be put to death, He shattered the stranglehold of death and established the gateway to immortality.
• The course of humanity has been set on a whole new trajectory, one that no longer results in “death” and “oblivion,” but one that results in “life” and “true” humanity in the image of God.
• This is what makes the “new humanity” possible.
• Through His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has brought about the “redemption” of humanity.
• No longer is our destiny under the control of our fallen nature, the forces of evil, or death, but under the control of the one who declares, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; (John 11:25).
• Jesus through the ordeal of the atonement has forged a new humanity out of the old.
• Our inclusion in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis then for the creation of the “new humanity” which will live on into eternity.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
But it is not just man that is redeemed by Jesus’ resurrection. It has implications for the whole of fallen creation.
• As we discussed earlier, because of Adam’s sin, mankind’s destiny was set on a trajectory of decay, corruption and death.
• But this applies equally to the four-dimensional world of time and space we live in.
• We see this process at work every morning when we look at ourselves in the mirror and observe it in the natural world around us
• Romans 8:20-22 (NLT) Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse.
• The naturals world’s fate under the present conditions, including humanity, is on a trajectory to oblivion.
• And neither the natural world nor humanity can do anything about it. It is beyond our control.
• Fortunately there is someone who can and has done something about it.
• God’s intention from the beginning was to share His “life” with His creation, not see it descend into decay, corruption and death.
• So when we see God, the Creator, showing up in the birth of Jesus, it is with the intention of restoring life to a dead and dying world.
• You may remember this diagram used earlier to try to give some indication of the two dimensions we are grasping to understand when it come to God’s eternal time and our chronological time.
Chronos Time and Eternal Time. (See figure below).
• It is our “chronos” time that is descending into decay, corruption and oblivion.
• But something dramatic is about to happen to this chronos time when the Creator from eternal time invades it.
• As Creator and the source of “life” Jesus is about to restore “life” as the guiding principle to a planet fated for oblivion.
• This process of “recreation” begins with the incarnation when the source and giver of life joins Himself to humanity.
• 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
• Notice Paul’s distinction between the two dimensions. The created first Adam was given life in a physical body in time and space, the second Adam, Jesus, not only was raised immortal, but has the power to give spiritual life to others, a life-giving spirit.
• V.46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
• This is the rebirth of the new humanity we read about in Ephesians 2.
• With Jesus’ resurrection, humanity’s trajectory is set on a whole new path. No longer is it destined for oblivion, but rather, sharing glorious eternal life in communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of the end for earthly chronos time as the old is being replaced by the new creation.
• Both times continue to exist for the time being, but inexorably, the kingdom of God will advance and the old creation will fall away into oblivion.
The New Creation. (See figure below).
• Decaying chronos time which results in death and oblivion is not the end game. The Creator God set it in motion to serve His higher purpose of creating a new spiritual humanity, which is redeemed out of the old by Jesus Christ.
• Romans 8:20-22 But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
• What we see with Jesus’ resurrection to immortality, is not only the creation of the new humanity to share in the life and love of the godhead, but our cursed chronos time being liberated from death and decay so it too can share in the life-giving dimension of God’s eternal time.
