The Significance Of A New Creation-10 Series

The SIGNIFICANCE Of A NEW CREATION-X—2Corinthians 5:9--6:10

Attention:

COLD WINTER PREDICTED

Its Late fall & the Native American Indians on a reservation in North Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky or his surroundings, he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold & that he would let them know more precisely how cold at a later date. He instructed the members of the village to collect firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service & asked, “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”

“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold”, the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the chief went back to his people & told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again, “Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?”

“Yes”, the man at National Weather Service again replied, “it's going to be a very cold winter.”

The chief again went back to his people & ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?” “Absolutely”, the man replied. “It's looking more & more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.”

“How can you be so sure?” the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, “We’ve observed that the Indians are collecting a bunch of of firewood this year!

The chief needed a new system for predicting the weather!

A true Christian receives a new nature.

Will you avoid shipwreck & disaster with your new life?

The hinge to our text 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—A new creation is significant in its New...

VIEW Of VANITY/Worth(6:1)

Explanation:(6:1)Useless/Vain/Vanity/Futile

6:1—“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

The apostle Paul & the apostolic workers(Timothy in this case(1:1) are “workers together” regarding the reconciliatory efforts of God in Christ. The term “workers together” informs & fleshes out the previous terms—“ministry”(:18), “committed”(:19), & “ambassadors”(:20).

As a result of their unified working “with” God, Paul & Timothy are thus compelled to “plead with” the church they are addressing in Corinth(absent today), but by the same Spirit of God.

Their personal heartfelt plea is that not even one of the church should emptily(“vain”) “receive the grace of God” which has come to them in Christ.

*It is very possible that God’s “grace” is either denied or “received” by an individual. However the quality of the reception is important. It can be flawed! That which is salvific can be received “in vain.” Receiving God’s grace in vain” means that such a receiver of God’s grace” has not relinquished full reign to God over the “grace” the person has “received.” So that God’s “grace” becomes tainted with ‘my’ designs & ‘my’ fleshly trappings...& is no longer Good News!

It is absolutely ludicrous to think personal reception of God’s “grace” in Christ is of no real consequence or direction or power—so that the life of the receiver is positively unaltered/unchanged except thru ‘self-help’!

“Workers Together”—sunergew—Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masc.—1) To work together, help in work, be partner in labour; 2) To put forth power together with & thereby to assist. Strong—To be a fellow-worker, i.e. Co-operate. Used 5X.

From—sun—Preposition—1) With. Strong—a primary preposition denoting union; With or together(but much closer than meta or para), i.e. By association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.—&—ergon—Noun Neuter—1) Business, employment, that which any one is occupied—1a) That which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking; 2) Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; 3) An act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opposition to that which is less than work. Strong—from a primary(but obsolete) ergw(to work); Toil(as an effort or occupation); by implication--An act.