If you have your bibles, turn to 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
People crave for new things today - new phones, new cars, clothes, hairstyles, and a new face.
· They want a new face - go for plastic surgery to get a new nose, a new body...
· But now new can you get? Overtime, nothing will be new anymore.
· How much can you really change? How much can you really improve on?
What we need today is not better gadgets, better education, more research or more money. This won’t give us an abundant, fulfilling life. We need a change of heart. Look at the news today - violence, murder, hatred... (The problem is with this ’evil’ in the hearts of man). The Bible says, the sin nature in us.
God knew that. And that’s why He needs to give us a NEW life. Only the One who make us - and given us this life - will be able to give us a new life.
When we come to know Jesus, the Bible says we took on a new life. The old life is over, God makes all things new. Jesus puts it this way, "you must be born again." (John 3:3) It’s not a remake of the old; it’s new! It’s not just an improvement of the old; it’s a new life. God told prophet Ezekiel: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." (Ezek 36:26)
That’s what we experienced - we took on a new meaning and purpose in life. We can experience a new joy (not just a happiness based on the surrounding), a new hope (not based on circumstances) and we are looking forward to a home in heaven. The Bible says in v.18 "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ..."
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. What does this mean to us today? We must trust that God is able to make all things new.
(1) DON’T LIVE IN THE PAST
Don’t live in regrets over your past mistakes. Don’t live in guilt over your past wrongs.
Don’t live with "I should have done this or that... I shouldn’t have done this or that..."
Don’t live in failure… in hopelessness... in sorrow...
The caterpillar that has been transformed into a butterfly will never crawl again.
Our sin has been dwelt with when Jesus was nailed to the cross. God has forgiven us of all our sins.
· 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
· Heb 8:12 "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
The Bible says, IN CHRIST I am a new creation.
I can now face life with confidence because of Jesus Christ.
Paul says, don’t "grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." (1 Thess 4:13).
Jesus: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
If you are a Christian today, you are the child of the King of kings. And you can live like it.
Don’t live as if our God is defeated. Don’t live as if our God has failed.
That’s what baptism signifies - Rom 6:3 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
This life we live today is different because of Jesus Christ - we can have victory over sin, we can find peace in difficult circumstances, we can rejoice always, we can give thanks always.
Notice, the change is not up to you - you don’t change yourself - you are changed! God changed you! Note: He is the One who does the reconciling; He is the One who give us a new life. We have to trust God to make all things new.
Are you struggling today? Come to the One who makes all things new. Pray to the One who can still make all things new today.
THE OLD MAN WITH THE RAGS
A beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments are welcome.
The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please sir, I would like to speak to the king."
"Wait here," the guard replied.
In a few minutes, he was brought before the king. "What do you want?" the king asked.
"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"
The beggar was trembling in fear of what the king might do.
"You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."
The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he have never dared hope for.
"You are now eligible to attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."
The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.
The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself, as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.
Time proved that the prince was right. No one came to ask for the royal clothes. Still the poor beggar was doubtful, clinging on to his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.
Many weeks later as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king’s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince’s words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of joy. He wept bitterly at his folly.
Bro/sis, we have to learn to see things differently now. When I become a butterfly, we cannot continue to think like a caterpillar. As a butterfly, I don’t crawl like a caterpillar. We are going to lean on Christ and find victory in life. And let the world know we have a great God and a great Saviour in Jesus Christ.
(2) LIVE WITH A RENEWED PURPOSE
In the past, we do not know why we’re here. We toil and toil until we’re old and then we’ll just wait for the day we die. Is this life? No.
Now that we know Jesus, life is no longer the same. We live to serve Him.
The Bible says - "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us." (2 Cor 5:20)
This life’s purpose has to do with God. The world must come to know Jesus. This world is not our eternal home. Therefore we mustn’t get too attached to the things around us. It’s temporary and will pass away!
’What does an ambassador do?’ you ask. He...
(a) knows the mind of his king
(b) stays in constant communication
(c) keeps his heart set on his king’s interests alone
(d) represents him well
(e) is ready for recall at a moment’s notice.
We are betraying His trust if we live only for the here and now, and only for ourselves.
We are to USE the things we have - not to get too ATTACHED to them - and finish the work God has entrusted to us. As ambassadors, we’re going back home.
"For this world and all it contains will pass away." (1 Cor 7:31 NLT)
THE RACE
The story is told of the Lee Steamboat Company carrying a cargo of salt pork from New Orleans to Memphis. As they passed Natchez another boat attempted to pass her and the race was on. The Lee steamboat captain ordered full steam but it was not good enough to pass her smaller counterpart.
Then the captain got an idea. He ordered that some of the salt pork they were carrying be thrown into the furnace. Instantly thick black smoke came billowing out and the boat increased its power. This worked so well that they tried it again and again. At last, with whistles blowing and flags waving, the Lee steamboat arrived in the port of Memphis far ahead of its rival.
But, alas, when the merchants came for their cargo of pork, they found that it had all been destroyed in the furnace to win the race.
This story serves a good parable about human life.
We are in a race to see who comes in first, and in the process we forget what the voyage is all about.
Our mission is to be in service to the Master and to deliver what He has given us. Everything else in life should be secondary. C. S. Lewis says, "All that is not eternal is eternally useless."
The world today is so filled with entertainment and pleasure. With so many fun attractions around, it is easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is all about.
Have you ever asked yourself this question?
"Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary?"
Be a good ambassador - do your job and prepare for home.
The world needs to know their God, and be reconciled to Him. The world needs Jesus.
We have this purpose in life - to know Him and make Him known. Everything else is secondary.
Echoing Paul’s words, let us implore the world on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Conclusion
Dear friends, the Bible says, you need to be reconciled with God, your Creator. The man who is in Christ will experience newness of life! In order words, you need to put your trust in Jesus. You need to rely upon Him. You need to be praying.
Man has been trying - by their own efforts - to do right and live right. But the Bible says we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. By our own efforts, we can never be good enough. No amount of change can truly improve our lives. No amount of education can give us a good life. We need a change of heart. We need the forgiveness of our sins. We need a new life.
Only Jesus Christ can do that. Believe Him today.
You have to ADMIT that you drifted from God and sinned; RECEIVE Jesus as your Saviour and INVITE Him to be Lord of your life.
