Okay, let's turn back to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I titled
this, A Message for the New Year. A Message for the New Year. Everything
in this physical life represents spiritual life. Every single
thing. Our calendar begins with January
the 1st. We have four seasons in this
life. What season is January? Winter. We start in winter. It's cold,
it's dead. And that's how we enter this world,
isn't it? Cold and dead. Helpless, weak, and dead in our
trespasses and sins. And then seeds of learning and
growth start to sprout, and we enter our teenage years and our
twenties. And that's spring. Everything's
coming up. It's all looking up. I got big
plans. There's a lot I'm going to be. And then we reach our 30s and
our 40s, and we're in full summer. It's on. The peak of the strength of life.
Somebody told me when I turned I think 30. Somebody said, if
you're going to do something, you better do it right now, because
this is it. We hope by that point we're starting
to get a little maturity, hopefully. Then we come to our 50s and our
60s, and these leaves on the top of our heads that we call
hair starts to change color on us. And at that point, it starts
to really set in that we're on the downhill slide. Fall. And then we reach three score
and ten. Or if by reason of strength,
four score, and we are right back where we started. Winter. Death. The Lord said, from dust
you came, and to dust you'll return. One year, this life,
it's a vapor. It's sad, isn't it? When I used
to, and I still love fall, but when I see fall, it makes me
think winter's coming. I can't help it. It's sad to
me. But it's true. It's true. I was just thinking about the
fact that here we all are, so many of us, What are we here
for? What are we doing here? I mean, really? We've devoted this
time? What are we here for? We're here
because of the fact that this is a real reality. There's an
end. There's an end to all this. Every
soul on this earth is going to face death. Every single one. Moses wrote, that they understood this, that
they would consider their latter in. Today is December the 31st, the
last day of the year. What if today was our last day? Really? We say that, I'm saying
that, and we're not entering into it because we think, oh,
we've got a long time ahead of us. Everybody thinks that. What if today was the last day? The calendar's gonna roll over
tonight. I'm not gonna write a 13 anymore. I am gonna write
a 13 for the next month and a half, but it's not 13, it's 14. What if tonight we went to meet
God? What if tonight we went to meet
God? That could really happen. What if on the way to Tony's
house, we go to meet God? We leave this world, we are transformed
into the next, and there He is. I'm not trying to scare anybody. I'm trying to prove that there
is one thing in this life that every single sinner needs. One thing. There's a lot of things
that I want. But there's only one thing that
I need, one thing. What if I went to meet God tonight
and I woke up tomorrow morning standing before His judgment
throne? What would happen to me? That's
the question. If everybody would ask, what
if I went to meet God and I stood before His throne, what would
happen to me? There is one very simple answer.
Go with me over to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John 5, look at verse 12. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. Period. Period. It's as simple as that. It's as complex as that. He that
hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. I need Jesus Christ. That's what I need. That's all
I need. Does everybody have Jesus Christ? No. They don't. Look right here in 1 John 5 verse
10. It says, He that believeth on
the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth
not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. Verse 13 says, These things have
I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God,
that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may
believe on the name of the Son of God. I need the Lord Jesus
Christ. I've been saying that a lot.
And by God's grace, I'm going to say it until the day I go
meet God. I need the Lord Jesus Christ.
May I never get tired of saying that? May I never get tired of
hearing that? May I never grow cold and believe
in that? I need Jesus Christ. That's all
I need. What does that mean? You hear
somebody say, I need Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Here's what
it means. I need His blood. I need His
blood. Not figuratively, literally. I need His blood to cover my
sin. I am a sinner. That shocking kind. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. I'm not up here
telling everybody, you better quit your sinning so you can
go to heaven. I would if I could, but I can't. I can't. It's gotten a hold of me. It
controls me. I am a sinner and what I need
is His blood to cover my sin. That's what I need. What can
wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. I'm telling you, I need Him.
I really need Him. I need His record. His good deeds. Did you know that the only way
that a sinner can get into heaven is if he or she is as good as
God? That's it. If they are not as
good as God, they cannot come in. They're not coming in. I've
already messed that up. As I stand in my record, I cannot
come in. You know what he would say to
me? If I go to meet God tonight and I don't have Jesus Christ,
he's gonna say, depart from me Ye that work iniquity, I never
knew you." That's what he would say if I went to meet God tonight
outside of Jesus Christ. I need his record. That's what I need. I need to
be able to take the things that he has done. and show them to
God when I stand there. Show Christ's record to God as
though I did them. And I need Him to take the things
that I have done and die for them as though He did them. That's what I need. I need Him. I don't need health. I am thankful
for my health. I do not want cancer. I don't. But I don't need health. And
I don't need wealth. And I used to think I did. And
I still like money. But I don't need it. And I don't
need happiness. It's a wonderful thing. But I
don't need it. I don't need health. I don't
need wealth. I don't need happiness. I need
Him. I don't care how wealthy I was
in this life. If I go meet God without Jesus
Christ, I'm going to be damned forever. I don't care how happy
I was in this life. I don't care if I could pull
a bus. I don't care how healthy I was. I need Him. I don't need those
things. But if I have Him, if I do have Him, really, not
just in theory and not just in phony church whatever, if I have
Him, I'm gonna be healthy. All my sin is gonna be gone. All my sickness is gonna be gone.
I'll never forget, I've told you this before and I'm going
to tell you it again. When I was sitting at my mother's funeral, listening
to Brother Henry preach the funeral, he looked right at me and he
said, Gabe, she's well. She suffered and she died on
this earth, no more. She's well. Healthy. If I have him, I'm going to be
wealthy. Wealthy. This world is not my
world. I will not inherit this world.
Bill Gates did. But I have one to come. And how
shall he not with Him freely also give it to me? I'll have the unsearchable riches
of Christ if I have Him. I will have the pearl of great
price. cannot put a value on it. If I have him, I'm gonna be so
happy. I'm gonna be happy. Happy is
the man that has the God of Jacob for his help. Can you imagine? Have you ever thought about the
day of judgment? Have you ever thought about what that's gonna
be like? Have you ever thought about that scenario? I have a
lot. I don't know if that's good or
bad, but I have a lot. And can you imagine how happy
we're gonna be to get to the judgment and find out we really
do have Christ? Really. We hoped, we believed,
we do. Can you imagine how relieved
we're gonna be when name after name after name is called And
the great judge says, show me your record. Show me what you
did. Here it is. Depart from me. Ye that work
iniquity, I never knew you. Can you imagine how this old
sinful heart is going to start burning, burning, and it's never
going to stop? when it hears, Gabstoniker, come
forth. And Jesus Christ stands up and
says, here I am. Show me your record. Here it
is. Well done, thou good and faithful
servant. Come on in. I only need one thing. I don't care what I accumulate
in this life. I don't care how much land I
get. I think it's only gonna be .46 acres. I don't care. I only need one
thing. I need Jesus Christ and that's
it. If I have Jesus Christ, he's
all I need, all I need. That's it. Now, let's look at
our text, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. One verse is the text, it's
verse 17. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says this,
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things
are passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. Brand spanking new. Brand new. Go over to Galatians 6. Galatians chapter 6. Verse 14 says, But God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many
as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy,
and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble
me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." That's
good news. Let no man trouble me. I have
Christ. That is good news to a sinner. If I'm not a sinner, then that's
not good news. I don't need Christ. I'll make
it fine on my own, thank you. But if I know that I'm not gonna
make it, and I see the one thing that'll make me acceptable to
God, that's the greatest news I've ever heard and seen in my
life, the gospel. Back over in 2 Corinthians 5,
verse 17 says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, He is a
new creature. Old things are passed away. Old things are passed away. What
are these old things that are passed away? I've got a margin
right by old things and it says to go to Ephesians 2 verse 15. So let's go there. Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 15. Ephesians 2 verse 15 says, having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one
new man, so making peace. He abolished in his flesh the
enmity. Do you know what enmity is? It
is hate. Hate. That's what it is. Hostility. Opposition. That's what it means.
Hate. Who had all that? Me. And you. Me and you. Every human being
on this earth is born spiritually dead. Well, I've never hated
God. Well, you just called God a liar. You only call people liars who
you hate. Spiritually dead. Look at right
here in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1. And you hath he quickened
who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you
walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all, every one of us, had our conversation
in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of
wrath, just like everybody else, even as others. All of us. Hate for God. That is terrible. But verse 15 says, "...having
abolished in His flesh the enmity." He put that hate away. It's gone. Even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances. He abolished the law of commandments,
that law that I can't keep. He abolished it. The law is gone. The law that I break every hour
of every day, it is gone. The law that if I don't have
Him is going to sentence me to an eternity in hell. If I don't
have Jesus Christ, every time that I say the word hell, I think,
oh, that's a hard word to say. It's true. If I don't have Christ, if I
don't have Christ, all of my bondage to that hate and to that
law, He abolished it. In Christ, we don't hate God
anymore. We don't. Thanks be to Christ,
I don't hate God. Isn't that amazing? We're sinners,
children of wrath. I love this. I want you to hold
your place in Ephesians. We're gonna come right back and
go to Psalm 18. Psalm 18, just under the chapter
and number, there's a heading there, a title there. It says,
to the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the
Lord. who spake unto the Lord the words
of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the
hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock
and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my strength in whom I
will trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation in my high
tower. I will call upon the Lord who
is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies."
I will love the Lord. I will. Thanks be to God, Christ
made me. He made me and now I will. How did he do that? How did he
abolish my enmity? Back in Ephesians 2, I have another margin. I want
you to see why we're going there. Having abolished. I've got the
letter B next to mine. And in the margin, it says to
go to Colossians 2 verse 14. So let's go over to Colossians
2 verse 14. Colossians 2.14 says, blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his
cross. I love that. I love how he took ownership
of my sin. I love the fact that it doesn't
say THE cross, it says HIS cross. I'm going to take every bit of
that and I'm going to nail it to my cross. Our text back over in 2 Corinthians
5, verse 17, it says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new." New, brand new. David wrote, sing
unto him a new song. All the saints in glory are singing
a new song. Solomon wrote, thy presses shall
burst out with new wine. Jeremiah wrote, it is of the
Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. because his compassions
fail not, they are new every morning. The Lord said, I will
put a new spirit within you and I'll make a new heart, brand
new. Referring to his own death, he
said, this cup is the new testament of my blood. It's all brand new
in this, everything is now brand new. Go with me over to 2 Peter
3. 2 Peter 3 verse 13 says, Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, Look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. I'm ready for that. I'm looking
for that. Verse 14 says, Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you
may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. How
can we do that? I'm covered in spots. I should be nothing but blamed.
How do we do that? Across my page, look at 1 John
chapter 2 verse 8, it says, Again a new commandment I write
unto you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the
darkness is past and the true light now shineth. What is it?
What is this new commandment? Go to chapter 3 verse 23. Chapter three, 1 John chapter
three, verse 23 says, and this is his commandment, that we should
believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another
as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him and he in him, and hereby we know that he abideth
in us by the spirit which he hath given us. Therefore, if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. Now go with me over to Revelation
21. Revelation chapter 21 verse 1
says, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no
more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, For the former things are passed away. Death is gone. Sorrow is gone. Crying is gone. And pain is gone. It's all passed away. Verse five
says, And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. Aren't you glad? Let's start
over. I'm gonna make it all new. And
he said unto me, write for these words are true and faithful."
That's the truth. Brand spanking new. Now, because
of that, because of what Christ has already done, I wanna show
you something back in our text. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. Says, therefore, if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. And all things are of God. May we remember that? Starting tomorrow, people everywhere
are gonna be making New Year's resolutions. I'm gonna try to
drop a few. I'll try as hard as I can. But may we remember through this
coming year that all things are of God. All things. Verse 18 says, who hath reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ. Reconciled means to make friends
again. To make friends again. Adam was the friend of God. Abraham's
the friend of God. It means to bring into harmony
again. Verse 18 says, all things are
of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and
hath given to us the ministry. And that word means service,
the work of reconciliation. Reconciliation. Because of what
Christ did for us, that is now our job. That's now our job. It says it all through the Word,
doesn't it? All through the Word. May God make us resolved to that. Hold your place there and go
to Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4 verse 31 says, If
that's not a reason to forgive, I don't know what is. I don't
know what is. Back over in our text, verse
18 says, all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, and that means to know,
that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them, and hath committed And I've got a
marginal reference by that verse, by that word, and it says, put
in us. He has put in us the word of
reconciliation. This book is the word of reconciliation. That's what the whole book is
about, reconciliation. Verse 20 says, now then we are
ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. How is that possible? Verse 21
says, for, this is how it's possible. He hath made him, to be sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him." We are all sinners, but not in
Christ. In Christ, we are righteous. And as God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven us, We ought not hold one sin against each other,
should we? Not one. He made him to be sin
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Therefore, if
any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed
away. The past is the past. It's over
and done. Behold, all things are become
new. In Christ, everything is brand
new. Every morning is brand new. Brand
spanking new. I pray the Lord will bless us. Let's stand together.