Now, my text this morning is
the same as last week in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter
5 and verse 17. And I'm talking about the gospel
of the new creation. The gospel of the new creation.
And that verse, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, reads therefore if any
man be in Christ and that's that right there is the foundation
of the new creation to be in Christ and it says he is a new
creature or a new creation and what is that new creation well
he describes it in this next phrase he says old things are
passed away Behold, all things are become new. I made the point
last week to tell you that that phrase, that term there, old
things are passed away, is past tense. It doesn't mean old things
are in the process of passing away. They are gone. Whatever it is he's talking about,
it's passed away. And the same thing, behold all
things are become new. Whatever's become new, it's new.
It's not in the process of being made new. And so he's talking
about the new creation. And then verse 18 he says, these
all things that have become new and all things are of God. This
is the work of God. This is not the work of man.
It's not the work of the church. Now men and the church are instrumental
in the things that God does in bringing the gospel to the world.
But the work is God's. All things are of God who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. And that's another thing
we need to keep in mind about this passage. He's talking about
reconciliation. How God, a holy and just and
righteous God, reconciles his people unto himself. You see,
God is just and holy and righteous. And he cannot, he, listen, he
cannot, because of who he is, he cannot save sinners apart
from his law and justice being satisfied. He can save sinners,
but not without holiness, not without justice, not without
truth, not without righteousness. He is a merciful God. He is a
gracious God. He is a loving God. But any notion
or any message that portrays Him as showing grace and love
and mercy without justice, my friend, is not the God of this
Bible. He must be just when He justifies. He must be a just
God and a Savior. Isaiah spoke of that. Isaiah
45. And the question of all questions
that must be posed, especially in our generation, because it's
really not preached today. Now, you know, and I'm not just
saying that critically. It's just a missing element in
preaching today. I mean, today's gospel is much
more designed to how can God accommodate you. How can He meet
your felt needs? That kind of thing. But the question
of questions is this, how can a holy God who must punish sin,
how can He be just and righteous and remain true to Himself and
still save a sinner like me who justly deserves condemnation
and death? How can that happen? and that's
where the gospel of reconciliation Paul look at he says in verse
18 and all things are of God who have reconciled us unto himself
by Jesus Christ and have given us to us the ministry of reconciliation
a gospel ministry is a ministry of reconciliation he says in
verse 19 to wit now he's telling us how God can do all this he
says to wit or namely that God was in Christ and what that means
is that that the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were engaged
in the person of Christ, the Godman, God in human flesh, that's
who He is, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing, that
word impute means to charge or to account, not charging their
trespasses unto them. It's like a charge of guilt.
You see, we're sinners. David wrote in Psalm 32, he said,
blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, charges
not with iniquity. Well, God was in Christ, not
imputing, not charging their trespasses unto them. Who'd he
charge them to? Charged them to Christ. And he
says, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
So this new creation, whatever he is. however you think of him
he's the work of God now and you know that most people when
they think about a verse like 2nd Corinthians 5 17 old things
passed away behold all things are become new you know how the
natural man normally thinks of those things they they think
of him in terms of of well the sins that I used to do I don't
do anymore and the things I didn't do, I do now, things like that.
And it was just like the fellow they asked him, he said, how
do you know you're a new creation? And he said, well, I keep the
Ten Commandments, he said. And the fellow asked him, he
said, well, do you keep them perfectly? He said, well, I don't
know. He said, well, I can tell you.
The fellow answered, he said, I can tell you, you don't keep
them perfectly. He said, well, how much of them
do you have to keep? And the fellow said, well, the
Bible says that cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them, Galatians
3.10. He said, you mean all of them? The fellow said, yeah. And he said, but what about the
commandments that aren't codified in the Ten Commandments? He said,
well, what are you talking about? He said, well, do you eat too
much? The fellow said, well, you got me there. What about
gluttony? What about... You know, the thing
about it is the reasoning of the natural man will not fit
what God's Word says here in 2 Corinthians 5, 17. There are
people who go through outward reformations. Now, I'm all for
reforming society, but that's not salvation. That's not the
new creation. So what is this new creation?
What are the old things that have passed away? What are the
old things that have become new? Well, last week I gave you these
three realms, and I want to major on the third one this morning.
I didn't have time to go into detail on it, and this is what
I want to do. But you remember, turn over to Jeremiah 31, the
passage that Brother Ron read to us. Now, the first realm, to understand
the new creation, There are three realms you have to see this thing
from. And the first one is the New
Covenant. The New Covenant. The New Creation. We're under the New Covenant.
And the New Covenant is the fulfillment in time of the everlasting covenant
of grace made before time. Now, when did that take place?
Well, that took place at the cross. When Jesus Christ, the
surety, the substitute, the God-man, mediator, died for the sins of
his sheep, he said it's finished. What was finished? The law was
finished. Christ is the end of the law,
the finishing of the law for righteousness to everyone that
believeth. What that tells me is, you see,
that's why the gospel of reconciliation is the preaching of the righteousness
of God. What is that? It's the entire
merit and worth and value and power of the obedience unto death
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the new creation is
not made new by works of the law. The new creation is made
new by the grace of God in Christ. And that's what we're saying.
And Paul, he mentions that over in 2 Corinthians 3, but you look
at Jeremiah 31, he talks about how we're not under the The old
covenant, that was a covenant of condemnation, that was a ministry
of condemnation, a ministry of death. You know why? Because
what that covenant did, it exposed the sinfulness of men and proclaimed
them guilty. That's what it does. What does
the old covenant say? It says you're guilty and you
deserve death. It's like being in a court of law. you're guilty
and you deserve to die you say well i'm not a simple some people
that's not the issue you're guilty and you deserve to die for all
of sin and come short of the glory of god the wages of sin
is death that means that's what we've earned if we've earned
anything it's death you say well i've tried to be good not good
enough you say are you telling me that
i cannot be good enough to be safe that's exactly what i've
been telling you for How long I've been up here? Since 2003.
Every time I preach. I cannot be good enough to make
myself righteous. You can't either. I hope you're
trying to be good. I hope I'm trying to be good.
But we cannot be good enough to save ourselves. To make ourselves
righteous. For by grace are you saved through
faith. That not of yourselves is the
gift of God. Not of what? works lest any man
should boast and we quote these you know I hear people quote
these things all the time and then they'll talk about how they
can try to be good enough to be righteous to be such it's
it's this by deeds of law shall no flesh be justified which flesh
no flesh that's anybody and everybody it's by grace so this new creation
is made new by the grace of God all things are of God And the
first thing is the new covenant. And that's what Jeremiah is talking
about here. In Jeremiah 31, this is a prophecy. And you know what
this whole chapter... This chapter is a prophecy of
Christ. That's what he prophesied of.
That's what Jeremiah prophesied of. He had prophesied of Christ
all through his ministry. In Jeremiah chapter 23, this
is where we get the great name of the Lord Jehovah Sid Canu. The Lord Our Righteousness. In
fact, it's very interesting to see that if you look at Jeremiah
23, 5 and 6, and then go over to Jeremiah 33, I think it's
15 and 16. In the first one it says, His
name shall be called the Lord of Our Righteousness. That's
talking about Christ Himself as the substitute of His people.
In Jeremiah 33, 15, and 16, it says, Her name shall be called
the Lord our God. That's His church. That's His
bride. The bride takes the name of the groom. And what's it saying? That Christ united to His people.
But that's the second thing. But now look at the New Covenant.
Look at verse 31 of Jeremiah 31. He says, Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah." Now why does
he say house of Israel and house of Judah? Later on he just says
Israel, down in verse 33. He said, but this shall be a
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. He's making
a point. And what is the point? Well at this time in Israel's
history, it was a divided kingdom. You remember after Solomon died,
The kingdom was divided between Jeroboam and Rehoboam. There
was the northern kingdom, and it consisted of 10 of the 12
tribes. And it was called Israel because
it had the majority of the tribes. And then to the south, the southern
kingdom, was Judah and Benjamin. And it was called Judah. So you
had the house of Israel, the house of Judah, you had a divided
kingdom. But there's another interesting
thing about this right here. Do you know that when Jeremiah
prophesied that the northern kingdom didn't even exist, Israel,
the northern kingdom, they'd already been destroyed. They'd
been destroyed by the Assyrian empire and dispersed and scattered
throughout the empire. And yet he says, in this day
I will make a new covenant. with the house of israel the
house of june now what is that this is a prophetic way of showing
that whenever this new covenant comes about it will not be a
divided kingdom but that it'll be a united kingdom under the
headship of christ that's what it should not only a divided
kingdom like like it was there but it's a united kingdom under
the headship of christ And later on, he tells us, well, actually
all throughout the Old Testament, especially the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was before Jeremiah. And
he tells us that this new united kingdom under the headship of
Christ will not be an earthly kingdom. It will not be a geographical
kingdom. It won't be a kingdom that's
got geographical borders. And he says it's not going to
be an earthly kingdom, it's going to be a spiritual kingdom, and
it's going to be made up of Jews and Gentiles. And Isaiah spoke
more of that even more than Jeremiah, and that's why they killed Isaiah.
It's one of the reasons they hated Isaiah in his own homeland. But it's going to be God's people
out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation, spiritual
Israel. And no one expands upon that
in the New Testament more than the Apostle Paul. Remember in
Romans 2 and verse 28 and 29, he talks about how he is a Jew
which is not, he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, but he
is a Jew which is one inwardly. That is spiritual. And circumcision
is not that of the flesh, but that of the heart. That's the
new birth. And that's part of the new creation.
So he says it's going to be with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah. And then he says in verse 32 of Jeremiah 31, it's
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt. Now whatever this new covenant is, wherein
this new creation exists, it's not going to be like that covenant.
It's not going to be a covenant of condemnation and death. It's
not going to be written on tablets of stone. He says in verse 32,
which covenant, which my covenant they break? The nation Israel
broke the covenant, all right? Although I was a husband to them,
although I joined myself to them for a period of time. It was
like 1500 years from Sinai to Calvary. Verse 33, but this shall
be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. Now,
one of the things about the new creation is this. The new creation has a new name.
A new name. And what is that name? Well,
the new name is a composite of many names. But Israel is a good
way to say it. You remember how Israel came
about? The name Israel. It was given to a man. His name
started out to be Jacob. Remember Jacob. And Jacob was
a scoundrel. Read about Jacob. He was a scoundrel. He was a conniver. He was a cheater. He was a supplanter. He was not one who based on his
character and conduct could be recommended unto God. And yet,
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am
chief. God saved Jacob. and it's recorded in genesis
thirty-two where jacob wrestled with the angel which i believe
was a pre-incarnate visitation of the lord jesus christ there's
a picture of the kingdom of heaven being taken by storm remember
jacob said i will not let you go to you bless me and and he
prevailed with the lord now that doesn't mean that by his own
power he he won the battle what that simply means he's showing
there that those who are saved, they cling to Christ and will
not let go. And God said, your name will
no longer be Jacob, but it'll be what? Israel. And that means
one who has prevailed with God. Now, now let me ask you this
question. How does a sinner prevail with God? Not but one way. Christ said, I am the way, I
am the truth, I am the life, no man cometh unto the Father
but by me. By clinging to Christ. That's
how you prevail with God. And some translations say Prince
of God. And that's okay too. We're kings
and priests unto the Lord. So you see, the new creation,
we got a new name. We're ones who have prevailed
with God. Before, when we were lost in
our sins, we didn't prevail with God. We failed. We were defeated. Any sinner who comes to God seeking
salvation by their works is a total, total failure, no matter who
they are. and no matter how good they try
to be to come to god and seek salvation based on your works
is you will not prevail but to come to god like that all public
and beating on his breast saying god be merciful to me the center
be propitious i need a substitute i'd hate immediate i need god
in human flesh in manuel Jesus to save me from my sins. Come
to God through Christ. You'll prevail with God. That's
Israel. You'll have a new name. And you
give Him many names. Saint. We talked about that in
the sentence. He's a saint. She's a saint. Well, I've heard people say,
well, I'm a Christian, but I'm no saint. My friend, if you're
truly a Christian, you're a saint. There is no such thing as a true
Christian who's not a saint and a saint who's not a Christian.
A saint is a sanctified one. A saint is a sinner saved by
the grace of God. And I made this statement, the
thief on the cross, he was just as much a saint as the apostle
Paul. And that's the grace of God in
Christ. The thief on the cross was just
as much washed from his sins by the blood of Christ as Paul
was. He was just as righteous as Paul was because they both
stood before God in the righteousness of Christ imputed, accounted
to them. So look back at Jeremiah 31. He says in verse 33, but this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their parts.
One of the things you have to see about this, all right, there's
the new covenant. The second thing about this new,
the second realm is the new creation itself in Christ. It's all in
Christ. Look, hold your finger there,
Jeremiah 31, and turn to Ephesians chapter 2. It's all in Christ. And sometime when you get an
opportunity, sit down and read Ephesians chapter 1 and 2. and underscore how many times
there's a reference made to being in Christ, in Him. It's all through it. But look
at verse 8 that I just quoted, Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
8. Now he's talking about how we're united with Christ and
this is how we're reconciled to God, through the blood of
Christ peace made by the cross of Christ Colossians 1 says look
at verse 8 he says for by grace are you saved through faith and
that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works
lest any man should boast now look at verse 10 for we are his
workmanship all right created that's the new creation created
in Christ Jesus now we're his workmanship created in Christ
Jesus it's God's work in Christ It's God's work by Christ. It's
not just God's work, because without Christ, God could not
be satisfied in His law and justice. He couldn't be honored, and we
couldn't be saved. So we're created in Christ Jesus,
and He says, unto good works, and I always make this point,
not because of good works, but unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them. And then he goes
on to talk about the unity of the church, Jew and Gentile under
Christ. One new man. Let me read that. Let's look at that. This is the
new creation right here. Look at verse 11. Wherefore remember
that in you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are
called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision.
Uncircumcision was a way of referring to Gentiles. Circumcision was
a way of referring to Jews. Physically. And he says, he says
in the flesh made by hands, verse 12, that at that time you were
without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers or foreigners from the covenants of promise, having
no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus,
you who sometimes were far off are made nigh. Now that could
be, it's not the same word, but it means the same thing. Reconciled. How? by the blood of Jesus. You see that? And he says, for
He is our peace. Christ is our peace. That's the
new creation. It's peace with God through Christ.
And he says, who hath made both one, and listen to this, and
hath broken down the middle wall partition between us, the division
of Jew and Gentile is no more, having abolished in his flesh
the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinance that's
the old covenant for to make in himself of twain of two one
new man there's the new creation so making peace and that's the
second round the new creation in Christ well here's the third
round new life new life what are we talking about we're talking
about the gospel life we're talking about the christian life living
the christian life and there's a lot of different ideas about
that in many of you may wonder well am i really living the christian
how can i know what does a real christian do what does a real
christian not well you know we could go for weeks and weeks
and weeks on that subject and we do when we preach but listen
to this Now, keep your finger there, Jeremiah 31, and I want
to read a portion in Galatians chapter 2, verse 19. Now, I've already told
you, a true Christian has a new name. The Christian life, the
new creation, includes a new life, that is spiritual life,
being born again by the Spirit. Being born again by the Spirit.
Now the old things have passed away. What is that old thing
that's passed away? I was dead in trespasses and sins. But now
I'm alive in Christ. Now I have spiritual life. I
have it. And it cannot be taken away.
I am alive spiritually. As I was dead in sin spiritually,
now I'm alive in Christ. I've been born again by the Spirit. Well, listen to what Paul writes
in Galatians 2 and verse 19. He says, For I, through the law,
am dead to the law, that I might, what? Live under God. I'm living. Now, what is he talking
about? He's talking about spiritual
life. And he said, I'm dead to the law, through the law. That
is, somebody satisfied the law for me. I'm dead to the law. That means the law cannot condemn
me. The law has no hold on me. The law cannot charge me. Well, how did that happen? Well,
he says, verse 20, I'm crucified with Christ. Christ took my sins
and he bore them away. He was made sin. Christ who knew
no sin. For me, that I might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. No sin charged to me. I'm still
a sinner. But God doesn't charge me with
my sin. They're not laid to my account.
Christ bore them away. Christ suffered the full punishment
due unto all my sin. What I deserved, Christ took. What I earned, Christ took. The
debt that I owed to God's law and justice, Christ paid it in
full. Isn't that something? and gave me in return a righteousness
that answers the demands of God's law and justice, an everlasting
righteousness. I'm crucified with Christ. When
He died, I died. When He was buried, I was buried.
When He arose again, I rose again. Nevertheless, I live. Now, I'm
dead to the law. I was crucified with Christ,
but I'm living spiritually. Yet, not I. What does that mean? Well, Paul, are you talking in
circles here? No. I'm living, but I'm not the
source of that life. That life wasn't natural to me.
I didn't work it, earn it, or create it. Yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me. It's the life of Christ within
me. He lives in me by His Spirit and by His Word. And the life
which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son
of God, my whole salvation. The beginning of it, the continuing
of it, the fulfillment of it, the culmination of it, the glory
of it is totally conditioned on Christ. That's what Paul said,
I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Who
loved me and gave himself for me and I don't frustrate the
grace of God. I don't make it void. For if
righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
I live by the life of Christ. That's the new creation. Now,
how do we know that? Well, look back at Jeremiah 31.
Listen to what he says in verse 33. Now, listen to it. He says, But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts. What are the inward parts? Well,
what is he talking about there? He's talking about what the Scripture
calls the inner man. He's talking about the heart.
He's talking about the mind, the affections and the will.
He's not talking about the physical parts of us. But He's talking
about the part you can't see. What I think. My motives. My
goals. My ways of thinking, you see. You know, a person can be doing
something outwardly that seems good, but in reality, evil. Think about that. And this is
how we learn to think biblically now. I always refer to Matthew
chapter 7 on that because that's one of the most glaring pictures
of it here's these fellows these preachers they stand before the
Lord and they said Lord Lord haven't we prophesied in your
name haven't we cast out demons if you ever saw a fella casting
out demons the world would say that's good haven't we done many
wonderful works only to hear him say I never knew you depart
from me you that work what iniquity What's the point there that he's
making? Well, they're not building their house on the rock. They're
not clinging to Christ. They're clinging to their works,
you see. And that's what I'm talking about.
These are the things that we can't see about. I can't see
into your heart, into your mind, into your motives. And he says,
I'm going to put my law, that's his word, in their inward parts. In other words, it's not going
to be just something they put on the wall and read when they
come to church. It's not going to be on a bumper
sticker. It's going to be in their heart. And you remember
what Paul wrote over here in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 when
he was talking about the new covenant. He says it's a ministration
of the Spirit. And he says this, he said, it's
not in tables of stone but in fleshy tables of the heart. What's he talking about? He's
talking about a new spirit. Look on at verse 33 of Jeremiah 30. He said, I'll write it in their
hearts. That means not just a knowledge
of it, but it means a desire for it. And I'll be their God,
and they shall be my people. This is the new creation right
here. He says in verse 34, they shall teach no more every man
his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord.
Throughout most of Israel's existence as a nation under the old covenant,
they refused the knowledge of God. And the reason they refused
the knowledge of God then is the same reason men and women
refuse it now. Because a true knowledge of God will not exalt
man. It will not enable man to cling
to his false refuges. And they don't want any part
of it. But under the new covenant, the new creation, he says, for
they shall all know me. From the least of them unto the
greatest of them say, Lord, I will forgive their iniquity and I
will remember their sin no more. Sin will not be laid to their
charge. Turn to Ezekiel. Look at Ezekiel 36. Here's another prophecy of Christ,
a prophecy of the new covenant. Listen to what he says here in
verse twenty-five. Well, verse twenty-four, he says,
in Ezekiel thirty-six, verse twenty-four, he says, For I will
take you from among the heathen. You know, when God saved me and
saved you, what did He do? He took us from among the heathen.
Wait a minute, I lived in Ashland. You were taken from among the
heathen, folks. What is the heathen there? It's
not just people who dress up in grass skirts and dance around
a fire. It's anybody who doesn't worship the true and living God
of this book. Anyone who doesn't know Christ.
He says, I'll gather you out of all countries and will bring
you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you. That's being washed in the blood
of Christ. You shall be clean from all your
filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. And
look here, verse 26. A new heart also I will give
you. A new spirit I will put within
you, the spirit of God. I will take away the stony heart
out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and
I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes,
walk in his word, in the grace of God in Christ. And you shall
keep my judgments and do them." Now that doesn't mean you're
going to keep the law perfectly. It means you're going to follow
Christ. It means you're going to cling to him and follow him.
And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers,
and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Now there's
a physical fulfillment of that when Judah actually was brought
out of the Babylonian captivity and reclaimed their land. But
that didn't last. They lost it again. The spiritual
eternal fulfillment of that is in the new creation. So what
is this new creation? It's being born again by the
Spirit of God. Regenerated and converted. The
new birth. Christ said you must be born
again. What is that? That's the fruit and the result
of His death on the cross. It's having that new name. I
prevailed with God. How have you prevailed with God?
I'm clinging to Christ and I won't let go. By the grace of God,
I won't let go. I'm resting in Him for all my
salvation. I'm resting in Him for all my
righteousness. I'm resting in Him for all my
forgiveness. I'm resting in Him for all glory.
There's a new spirit, the Spirit of God. Look over Romans 7. Turn over there with me. A new spirit. First of all, I
have the Spirit of God Himself. The Holy Spirit indwells every
one of His people. He's the sovereign agent in the
new birth who by the Word of God brings about that new life. And He indwells His people, and
then He gives us a new spirit. He brings us to spiritual life. And listen to how He puts it
here in verse 4 of Romans 7. He says, wherefore, my brethren,
you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. See,
that's how we're dead to the law. We're justified, not guilty,
righteous by the body of Christ. That you should be married to
another. We're married to Christ. Even to him who's raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. And that's
what we do. He's the vine, we're the branches.
We bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. joy, peace, long-suffering,
love, all of those things. Not imperfection now. Not without
the contamination of sin that's still within us. But there's
a warfare. But we cultivate that fruit by the Word of God. For
when we were in the flesh, that is, when we were unregenerate,
the motions of sins which were by the law did work in our members
to bring forth fruit unto death. That's what we did before the
new creation. We brought bears of fruit unto
death. either in an immoral way or a
religious way, either way. But now we're delivered from
the law that being dead when we were held that we should serve
in newness of spirit, a new spirit. And not in oldness of the left.
What is that newness of spirit? That's serving God as we're motivated
by love and grace and gratitude as a willing, loving bond slave
of Christ. Not trying to pay our debt, but
knowing that our debt's been paid and we've been set free
indeed. We have new motives of obedience
motivated. The love of Christ constrained
me. We have spiritual life. We have new eyes. We see things
in the Spirit that we didn't see before. We see the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Do you see your salvation anywhere
else but in Christ and Him crucified and risen again? Did you hear
what I said? Do you see your salvation? The reality of it? The security
of it? Do you see your salvation anywhere
but fully and finally and eternally in the person and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ? If you see your salvation in
Him alone, that's spiritualized. Did you know that? His blood
alone, His righteousness alone. New ears, we hear things we didn't
hear before. I can remember when I first started
hearing the gospel, how I hated it. How I rebelled against it. And then God broke the wild ass's
coat and put a bridle in his mouth. Put him in the dust where
he belongs. And now I can't get enough of
it. I feed on it. A new song. That's the new creation. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. A new rule, he that walks by
this rule, peace be on them and mercy of God and the Israel of
God. A new heart, a broken heart.
Look across the page there to Romans 6 and verse 17. Listen
to this, he says, but God be thanked that you were the servants
of sin. slaves to sin. You couldn't do
anything but sin. Without Christ, there's nothing
but sin. But you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
which was delivered you. You know how that would read
literally in the original? It would be this, but you have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which you were delivered
to. You were delivered to it. Being
then made free from sin, liberated, you became the servants of righteousness,
servants of Christ. That's a new heart, a broken
heart over sin, contrite, poor in spirit, wherein the love of
Christ has been shed abroad by the Holy Spirit, faith, a heart
of faith, a heart of repentance, a heart of love, and then a new
knowledge. I know things now that I didn't
know before. I know who God is now. Like Isaiah, I saw God high
and lifted up, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. His train
filled the temple. And then I knew myself. There's
none righteous, no not one. There's none that seeketh after
God. None good, no not one. Sinner. Sinner. And then I knew
Christ. The knowledge of God. The knowledge
of the glory of God in Christ Jesus. It's a new knowledge.
A new commandment. Love one another. People have
a hard time with that. The Lord spoke of it in John
13, 34. He said, a new commandment I give unto you that you love
one another as I have loved you that you also love one another.
Well, what's he talking about? The scriptures, the law had always
said love your neighbors yourself. That's not new. But what is the
new commandment? He's talking about that divine
love. that God sheds abroad within
the hearts of His people that brings them together in fellowship
in loyalty and love to Christ and His truth that binds us together
that love that supersedes all of our differences and keeps
us in a new fellowship whereas before we were in fellowship
with the world but now we're in fellowship with Christ and
His people You know, we have a lot of differences, don't we?
A lot of different opinions. We've got a lot of different
ideas about how things should be done, what should be done,
all that. But I'll tell you what binds us together, it's that
new commandment. It's love in the truth. We have
a mutual love for Christ and His truth. That's new. That's the new creation. Look
over at 2 Peter chapter 1 and I'll close with this. 2 Peter chapter 1. Here's this new fellowship. Listen
to this. Simon Peter verse 1. A servant and an apostle of Jesus
Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith. Now it doesn't
say like precious preferences or like precious prejudices. It doesn't say anything like
precious faith, the common faith. We believe the same thing concerning
the gospel of God's grace in Christ. That's our fellowship.
With us through the righteousness of literally our God and Savior
Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. the same God, the same Lord,
according as His divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness." Everything that pertains to eternal
life and godliness has been given to every one of God's people
as a gift from Christ. And it's through the knowledge
of Him that called us to glory and virtues, through knowing
Christ. You know, not knowledge of Christ is always linked with
salvation. whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises that's to every one of us that's our
fellowship he didn't give one to you and one to another to
me it's all one that by these these promises you might be partakers
of the divine nature that partakers there is a word of fellowship
partners participants fellowshipers of the divine nature what's the
divine nature that's God God the Father, God the Son, God
the Holy Spirit. In other words, by these promises,
through this knowledge of this person, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and what he accomplished for us, and that like precious faith,
we are brought into fellowship, equally, every one of us, with
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That's the new creation. And then he says, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust. Isn't that
something? All right. Well, let's sing as
our closing hymn. Take the name of Jesus with you.
Hymn number 63.