A NEW CREATION
2 Cor 5:17, 18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
When we surrender our lives to Christ we are born again and given a brand new start with God and on this earth. That is who we are – a new creation and now we by the power of Gods Spirit, help reconcile man to God through Jesus Christ
You and I have the wonderful privilege to make a positive difference in the world – a life is only effective when it touches the life of another. We can and must make an eternal difference!
WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE?
Jesus calls us to be light
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
And that’s the light that we shine – the light of life- of God!
We take the light we receive from Christ and shine it in a dark world.
John 8:12
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
A client who is a new ager called me a light bearer the other day!
The whole world lies in the darkness of sin, violence, wickedness, lies, slavery and sexual sin, but when we are born again we become a small light in the darkness and as we grow in Christ our light grows to become a raging fire and a beacon to the lost of this world.
Lights are for guidance – they guide us at night so we can find our way.
Lights are for warning –a lighthouse and shows rocks for ships in dangerous seas and warn ships don’t come near the rocks or you will sink.
Lights have a cheering influence- they comfort us especially when the darkness of our lives seems to overwhelm us.
No such thing as darkness – it’s just the absence of light.
There was a medieval lord who built a church for his peasants, but he made no windows in the church, but above every seat he placed a holder for a torch. If you were not at church your seat was dark. It is the same today, you may be no one in your own eyes, but when you come to church you bring light and your light will be a comfort to someone here.
We are a letter
“Clearly you are an epistle (letter) of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablet of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, on the heart.” 2 Cor. 3:3
Our lives tell a story. Before you were saved it was not a very good story - and it would have become worse. Since you were saved your life has begun to tell a very different story. This difference is called your testimony. It is the amount of change that has taken place in you since you were born again.
Paul says that our lives are like love letters written by Jesus to a dying world, a living letter, letting the world know what can happen when someone gives their heart to Him. We become walking sermons and the Hands and Feet of Christ to everyone we meet. People should get a glimpse of Christ by our example.
We are ambassadors ‘
Definition: a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one country to another as its resident representative and as such, has the full weight of that country behind him
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5:20
Daniel gave an interpretation of a dream King Nebuchadnezzar had and he said this about the Kingdom of God:
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Dan 2:45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces(the kingdoms) the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
Most of us were nothing or are nothing in this world, but when we become born again we are joined to the greatest kingdom of the universe, The Kingdom of God. This kingdom is the greatest Kingdom and God allows us to be the ambassadors of this great Kingdom, we have the armies of God behind us, the resources of God and the Power and authority of God on this earth. You may never have been a prince or a king or have royalty in your family line, but now you are royalty, Gods people representing His Kingdom to the world.
We are perfume
“Now thanks be to God who always leads in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved, and to those who are perishing.” 2 Cor 2:14 & 15
You know those Christians who walk around as if they’ve just swallowed lemon juice – or those that walk around like they have a bad smell under their nose… Are we a sweet fragrance spreading Christ’s aroma - or a stench?
Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of a “perfume compound of the remembered benefits of God.” Such a fragrance is easily obtained by spending a season in praise for the things God has already done. Not just by saying thank you, but by expressing a life of gratitude. Every born-again Christian should be giving off a pleasing odour.
Roses in the Balken Mountains: Produce some of the world’s finest perfume. In order to get the best fragrance the workers must pick them in the darkest part of the night. They start right after midnight and finish within two hours. Scientific study has shown that this is the interval where the blossoms give their most pleasing scent and that with the coming of day they lose 40 % of their fragrance. Dark nights are necessary for our greatest fragrance to appear.
We are salt
Matt 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, there are more than 14,000 uses for salt.
Soothe a bee sting. ...
Kill Poison Ivy. ...
Test for rotten eggs
Clean up a dropped egg. If you accidentally drop an egg on the floor, sprinkle some salt on the mess and wait 20 minutes. ...
Who knew?
The most well known uses of sale are for:
• flavour
• for preserving,
• for an antiseptic (mouth ulcer – gargle in salt – it sometimes hurts!)
• In some places, salt is even used to melt snow
In 2 Chronicles 13:5 reference is made to a covenant of salt. This denotes a ceremony or ritual that ratified a treaty (agreement). So, salt symbolised faith and loyalty.
And in some cultures, salt was used as a currency.
Salt is basic, yet it is essential. Without it, food is bland and tasteless. Jesus calls us to be influencers in the way that salt influences a meal, not overpowering, but powerfully effective.
Bottom line, we need salt to:
• bring flavour to the lives of people who are so tired of leading bland, tasteless lives
• to bring healing to their hurts,
• to remove the bitter and sad experiences they have been through.
Are we effective salt – or have we lost our flavour?
Ghandi once said “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians because they’re so unlike their Christ”
WE SHOULD BE:
? excellent
? truthful
? fearless
? bearers of Good News
EXCELLENCE
Because we now live for God, we should strive for excellence in all we do because our purpose in life is to bring glory to God.
Col 3:23,24
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ”
We know God by His works – I went to a seminar many years ago in Cape Town where they had gathered some of the best Christian speakers in the world. Advisers to Presidents, top lawyers, great business men and Champions of Christ. One of those lecturers spoke on work! One of things he said stuck with me, He said, We know God by His Work. We look at the great mountains, the stars, the sea, the millions of species of insects and all the different animals and we know who God is through His work. The power of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, the wind and storms, and the beautiful animals.
So we know God by His work and we know who you are by your work. Your work defines who you are and shows us what kind of person you are, by your honesty, excellence and faithfulness. By these things we witness to a broken world.
When we look at creation, it enables us to understand that the Creator does everything with excellence. If we excel in everything we do, it will testify (witness) of the excellent God we serve. Glorify God through your work and excellence.
TRUTHFUL
Always being truthful is not an option for Christians, because the very nature of Jesus is truth.
“I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6
He is the absolute truth and to be His witnesses, we must be people of truth. This means we must:
• speak the truth – in LOVE!
• be real and honest – what you see is what you get
• stand up for the truth – always side with truth- always
• correctly represent the truth of God’s Word
We must not just talk the walk, but we have to walk the talk. When a Christian lies, it confuses their testimony and glorifies the devil. God hates lies!
John 8:44
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
When we speak the truth, we identify with Him Who is the truth. When we tell a lie, we identify with him who is the father of all lies.
(if you tell lies, you’ve made the devil your step father!)
Truthfulness also means to be honest in all things.
Rev 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Pro 6:16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
Pro 6:19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas .
Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.
When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, ‘You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.’ Then he thought, ‘Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter.
Who would worry about this little amount?
Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it.
Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.’
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, ‘Here, you gave me too much change.’
The driver, with a smile, replied, ‘Aren’ t you the new preacher in town?
I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship.
I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.’
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, ‘Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.’
FEARLESS
People everywhere live in fear of the future, of crime, of sickness of death, of certain animals, what people think of them – the list goes on. Although we do not know what the future holds, we know Who holds the future.
General Paton said that “courage is fear holding on a bit longer”
2 Tim 1:7
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
The Greek word for the above word “fear” is deilia which means timidity, being fearful of what others may think of us (fear of rejection)
Luke 21:26
“Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
The Greek word for the above word “fear” is “phobos” which means fear of things. (where we get “phobia” from).
The thing that deals with fear is the love of God. This agape love overrules fear as our relationship with God deepens.
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
As good witnesses we need to take refuge in our relationship with God, and live confidently in the assurance that God is our strong tower.
God says in Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
And Jesus said in John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
“Fear God, fear the Word, fear nothing”.
When I( Christine)Googled it, the only entry I found was from someone’s Twitter feed - the name of that person - Anthony Stander!
BEARERS OF GOOD NEWS
We have been given the awesome responsibility to bring the good news of salvation to a dying world that there is an answer to their questions and fears and that there is a way out! (awesome that God would use us)
John 3:16,17
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
We are in the reconciliation business – our opening Scripture in 2 Cor 5:18 it says
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
Francis of Assisi said “Be prepared to preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”
We are not all gifted to be an evangelist, but we are all required to do the work of an evangelist – in other words, we should all be witnesses.
The Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said, “There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four.”
What is true religion in Gods Eyes?
James 1 :27
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans (old King James says fatherless) and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
So What is our duty?
Ecc 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
So go be a love letter, a good ambassador, lovely perfume, tangy salt & a bright light & a clean mirror!
Go and be excellent, truthful, fearless & bearers of good news! A Christian who Glorifies God in everything we do and win the lost at any cost!
Amen.
