Would you turn back to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. Lord willing, tonight we're going
to begin a study of the first epistle of Corinthians. And we haven't been in a New
Testament epistle for some time now. So I'm looking very much forward
to that. I've entitled this message What
does it mean to be in Christ? I'd love to have that question
answered by the Lord Himself to us. What does it mean to be
in Christ? Now you'll notice in verse 17
that it begins with the word Therefore, if any man be in Christ. Now the word therefore tells
us that what is said in verse 17 is predicated on what was
said before that. So let's look at verse 16. Wherefore, henceforth, Know we
no man after the flesh? Yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, can you imagine what a privilege that was to
know him after the flesh? To see him walk upon this earth?
To hear his voice? Yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Now what
does it mean to know no man after the flesh? It simply means we
do not think of men the way a lost man thinks. That's simple enough. We do not think of men the way
a man who does not know God thinks. Romans chapter 8 verses 7 and
8 make this statement with regard to lost men. What we all are by nature. The
carnal mind. That's the mind I was born with. On September 9th, 1959, when
I came into this world, I came into this world with a carnal
mind. A fleshly mind. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. That's the scriptural declaration.
The carnal mind, the fleshly mind is enmity against God, not
the God of its imagination, Not the God that it can keep in its
back pocket and pull him out whenever they want to use him
for their help when they need it. But I'm talking about the
God of the Bible. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. It's not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the
flesh, that's what I'm born, cannot Please, God. We don't look at men in a fleshly
way. We see them for who they are.
We see ourselves for who we are. You know, the Lord said in Luke
chapter 16, verse 15, that which is highly esteemed among men, that which is highly regarded
that which men set great value on. There's a lot of things that
come into our mind concerning what that could be. That which
is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight
of God. We don't judge men by fleshly Turn with me for a moment to
Colossians chapter three. Hold your finger there and turn to
Colossians chapter three, a few pages over. We know no man after the flesh.
Colossians chapter three, verse nine. Lie not one to another,
seeing that you've put off the old man with his deeds and have
put on the new man, which is renewed. in knowledge after the
image of him that created him. Now, do you pick up something
we read in that first verse? Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have become new. Here's what he's saying. We put
on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him, where there is neither the way the
flesh thinks, Greek nor Jew. Circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, all the distinctions that
the flesh makes, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, black,
white, the different distinctions that fleshly men love to make,
they're done away with. Christ is all in all. We know no man after the flesh.
You know what I think of you in Christ? Now notice he says,
if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. There's only
two kinds of people. Those in Christ and those not in Christ. All the world is divided into
those two groups, those in Christ and those not in Christ or out
of Christ. And you know what? If you're
in Christ, that's how I'm to see you. I'm to see you as God sees you
in Christ. Do you know right now if you're
in Christ, God looks at you and he's well pleased with you. There's nothing about you that
he's not pleased with in Christ. Accepted in the beloved. And
that's how I'm to look at you. If you're in Christ, not to look
after the flesh, but how you are in Christ. And if you're
out of Christ, you know how I look at you. I want you to hear the
gospel. I want you to be in Christ. I want you to know Him. In verse 17 of our text, we don't know any man after the
flesh. We're not to, in light of the gospel, we're to know
no man after the flesh in a fleshly way of thinking, the way natural
men think, verse 17. If any man be in Christ. Now this word if is a conditional
if. If any man be in Christ. If tells us that all men are
not in Christ. Now that's obvious enough, isn't
it? All men are not in Christ. Christ. If I die in unbelief,
I prove that I was never in Christ. Not everybody is in Christ. And I repeat something I've already
said. There are only two kinds of people
in this world, those who are in Christ and those who are not
in Christ. That's a sobering thought. Saved
or lost. Righteous or wicked. In Christ
or not in Christ. But notice it says, if any man
be in Christ. Now the gospel's not for every
man, but the gospel's for any man. If any man be in Christ, you
listen real carefully. If any man be in Christ, do not
anyone say, I'm afraid this is not for me. Not everybody's in Christ. Somebody
says, I'm afraid this is not for me. If any man be in Christ,
if any man thirst, Let him come to me and drink. Any man. Here's the point. I've got to
fit the character of the one described in Christ before I
can have confidence that I'm in Christ. But if I fit the character
of the one described in Christ, I'm in Christ. For instance. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. Are you a sinner? If you are, Christ came to save
you. And if he came to save you, he
cannot fail in his intention. If any man be in Christ, Turn with me for a moment back
a few pages to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Verse 22, this will give us some
light as to what this means to be in Christ. Verse 22, for as
in Adam, all die. Everybody Adam represented died. When he died, in the day you
eat thereof, you shall surely die. We were born dead. In Adam, all die. No exceptions. Isn't that so? No exceptions to that. In Adam,
all die. Even so, in the precise same
manner In Christ shall all be made alive. Everybody in Christ,
everybody Christ represents, they shall all be made alive. Now, people in hell, and I don't even like using the word
when I think about people going to hell. It's difficult. I think
it's the most difficult thing in the scripture, really, to
think of people spending eternity in hell. Now, I'll be able to
see it from God's perspective one of these days. And I'll rejoice
at that time when men and women are cast into hell. I'll rejoice
because I see things as I should see them. But right now, when
I think of hell, it's difficult. Difficult. Difficult for you,
too, I'm sure. But I know this. Anybody that is in hell, they
were never in Christ. Amen? If they were, it would make being
in Christ meaningless. If I could be in Christ and wind
up in hell, what good would being in Christ do me? Absolutely nothing. If any man be in Christ, now
being in Christ is in a place in If I'm in this room, I'm in a
place. And being in Christ is being in a person. A place and
a person. I think it's a place that Paul
was speaking of when he said in Philippians 3, 9, oh, that
I may win Christ and be found in him. The emphasis is a person. when
Paul says, according as he hath chosen us, in him. Before the foundation of the
world. Now somebody says, why would
he ever choose me? Because you're in Christ. That's
the only reason. It's not because he saw any goodness
in you or any merit in you. You're in Christ. In Christ is
a place, that's the only place I wanna be found. That's all
I want God to see in a person. Now there's so many illustrations
of this thing of being in Christ in the scripture. What did it
mean to be in the ark? If you were in the ark, you were
saved. And if you were not in the ark,
you were drowned. One place of safety in the ark.
What did it mean to be in the house with the blood over the
door? If you're in a house with the
blood over the door, you are safe. I don't care if you committed
the most grotesque, wicked sin that very day. That's a good way to put it because
we're gonna understand your safety's in Christ. It's not in something
you've done. It's in Christ. If you were in
the house with the blood over the door, you were safe. If you
were not in the house with the blood over the door, I don't
care how good you thought you were, God would kill you. I love the example in Hebrews
chapter seven. It says old Levi paid tithes
when Abraham paid them. Levi wasn't even born. He was
in the loins of his father's Abraham. He wasn't even born.
He was the great-grandson of Abraham. But it doesn't say the
paying of tithes was charged to Levi. He said, Levi himself
paid those tithes. If I'm in Christ, whatever he
did, I did. When he obeyed, I obeyed. When
he died, I died. When he was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead. And this is what came to my mind.
Turn with me to Matthew chapter 3. In Christ. Baptism. Baptism. What in the world does that mean?
Somebody getting in the water, going down under, all the way
under the water, and coming back up. I mean, if you think about
it, try to divorce it from just, well, it seems weird, doesn't
it? I mean, religious rituals and so on, if that's all I see
in it, it does seem strange. Well, why do you, why baptism? You know, baptism is the believer's
confession of Christ. And baptism is explaining in
this simple act what it means to be in Jesus Christ. Now look at Matthew chapter three,
verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee
to Jordan and to John to be baptized of him. The Lord was baptized. Isn't that amazing? The Lord
submitted himself to be baptized. Why? He's God. He did. And I know why in this sense. When we're baptized, we're confessing
our only hope is being in him. And when he was baptized, he
was confessing our only hope was being in him. Same thing. Now let's read this. Then cometh
Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. And John did what me and you
would do. No. Me baptize you? Something's wrong with this picture. John forbade him. That doesn't
mean he was commanding the Lord. He knew who the Lord was, but
John just felt utterly, this is not appropriate. Me? Baptize you? I have need to be baptized of thee
and comest out of me. And Jesus answering said unto
him, suffer it to be so now. He didn't deny John's feelings
that this is inappropriate. He said, suffer to be so now. Four, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Now, he didn't say, thus it becomes
me, I need to do this because I need to fulfill all righteousness,
although he did. Doesn't say that at all, though.
He says, thus it becometh us. You know who's included in that
us? Everybody in Him. Now that's what it means to be
in Him. When He fulfilled all righteousness, that is me fulfilling
all righteousness, because what He did, I did. Now let's go on reading. Then
He suffered him, And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straight
way out of the water. Now somebody says, what's the
mode of baptism? You go under the water and come
up. That's the only mode because of what it teaches. You see,
when I'm under the water, that means I'm totally immersed in
Christ. That's all God sees. I'm immersed
in Jesus Christ. My only hope is being in him. That's what I'm confessing when
I'm baptized. My only hope of being saved is
being in him. When he went to the grave, I
went to the grave. When he lived and fulfilled all
righteousness, I did. When he went into the grave,
I went with him. When he was raised from the dead,
I was raised with him because I'm in him. Now somebody's thinking,
well, how do you get in him? The scripture says, of him are
you in Christ Jesus? That's the only way I know how
to answer that. That's the way the Bible answers it. Of him
are you in Christ Jesus? You didn't say, well, I think
I'm gonna get in Christ. No, if you're in Christ, you've always
been in Christ. according as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world. Now, baptism signifies this. Now look, let's go on reading.
In Jesus, verse 16, when he was baptized, went up straightway
out of the water, and lo, the heavens were open unto him, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon
him, and lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved son,
in whom I am well pleased. Now, what if he would have said,
with whom I'm well pleased? What if he would have said that?
I wouldn't have any hope of being saved. Of course, he's pleased
with Christ, but that doesn't mean he's pleased with me. But he doesn't
say, with whom I'm well pleased. in whom I am well pleased. If I'm in Christ, if you're in
Christ, guess what? God is well pleased with you. If any man be in Christ. The Lord, when I think of being
in Christ, the Lord gives us an illustration that I think
is the closest illustration that could be given when he said,
I am the vine, you are the branches. What that means is the same stem
that goes through the vine goes through the branches. There's
no connecting point. The same stem that is in the
vine goes through the branches. That's how close this union is. It's not real close together,
it's one. One. Both he that sanctifyeth and
they who are sanctified are all one. Somebody says this is above
us. I know it is. I never pretended it's not. It's
above me, but I believe it. I believe it. In Christ. My only hope of salvation is
being in Christ. Can you say in your heart amen
to that? That's my only hope. Then you're in him. You're in
him. If that's your only hope is being
found in Christ, you're in him. Somebody says, I don't see any
necessity to this. Well, you're not in him then. If you die that
way, you're not in him. Those who are in him see the
absolute necessity of being found in him. Now let's go back to
our text in 2 Corinthians chapter five. Verse 17. Therefore, if any man
Be in Christ. He is a new creature. And that word creature is creation.
He is a new creation. Now in the old creation, or the
first creation, God brought something from nothing. That's creation. God brought something from nothing. I think the Latin is ex nihilo. Somebody will correct me about
this. I'll have somebody listen to it and they'll give me what
I should have said. So I'll beat you to it. But the
point is God brings something from nothing. He wills it. and the universe comes into existence. It wasn't there before. When
did it get there? When he willed it. God brings
something from nothing in the new creation. And when I'm talking
about new, I'm not talking nearly about new in respect to time,
but new in respect to existence. In the new creation, Something is brought into being
that was not there before. Just like in the first creation,
the second creation, we are His workmanship created in Christ
Jesus unto good works. Now with regard to the first
creation, why is there something and not nothing? Solely because
of the activity of God. In the second creation, in the
new creation, why is there something and not nothing? Solely because
of the activity of God. It's called being born of the
spirit, a new birth, a new man with a new name and a new song
on a journey to the new Jerusalem located in the new heaven and
the new earth. If any man be in Christ, he is
a new creation. I believe the best understanding
of this might be found in Ezekiel 36, verse 26, when God says,
a new heart will I give thee. Now this is what the new creation
is. It's a new heart that God gives. You know, I hear preachers
say things like, won't you open up your heart to Jesus? Won't
you give your heart to Jesus? You know, the Bible doesn't speak
like that. He says, I'll give you a new
heart. Isn't that what David prayed for? Create in me a clean
heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. When God says,
son, give me your heart, he's not referring to opening up your
heart and letting him in. He's talking about that heart
that loves God, that heart that believes. With the heart man
believeth unto righteousness. The heart is made up of the mind. This is the new heart that he
gives. You have a new understanding. You understand who God is. You love who he is. You understand something of his
character. That's what happens when he gives you a new heart.
You understand something about yourself. That's the first time
you ever understand sin is when God gives you a new heart. When
you have an old heart, you look at sin as things you do, and
sin is things you do. I wouldn't deny that in any way. But when you have a new heart,
you find out sin's more than what you do. It's what you are.
It's what you are. It comes out of your pores. It's
your breathing. It's your thinking. It's what
you are. When He gives you this new heart,
oh, you're given a heart that you see the necessity of being
saved by grace. You see the necessity of being
in Christ. You see the necessity of being
found in Him. You see the necessity of having
His righteousness because you know you sure enough don't have
one. That's what happens when you're given a new heart. You
hear the gospel. You can't hear the gospel without
a new heart. When he gives you a new heart,
guess what? You hear the gospel. A new heart also will I give
thee. And you now love things that
you did not love before in that heart that you did not have before.
When he's talking about the new heart, he's not talking about
that heart you were born with. that Jeremiah describes as deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. He's not talking about
that heart. He's talking about the new heart
that he gives. A new heart. Also will I give
thee. I love the newness of the gospel,
a new heart. What does that mean, the newness
of the gospel? News. If I do not hear the gospel as
news, good news, like I'd never heard it before, I'm either not
hearing the gospel, or I'm not hearing it as a sinner. One of
those two things are true. I hate it, and I've been guilty
of this, and everybody in here knows what I'm talking about.
Isn't it awful when you hear the gospel as a judge and a critic,
rather than as a sinner needing to hear the message? Oh, may
the Lord always enable us to hear of his new mercies. His
mercies are new every morning. the newness of the gospel. Now back into our text, 2 Corinthians
5, 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. Old things are passed away. I heard a preacher preaching
on this. This is many years ago. And he said, old sinful desires
have passed away. I want to give two answers to
that. Number one, it's not scriptural. Read Roman 7. That's all you
got to do is read Roman 7. It's not scriptural. I don't
have those sinful desires anymore. You're a liar. You're just flat
out a liar. I can't believe anything you
say. As soon as somebody makes a statement like that, they've
lost all credibility. They're dishonest. They're trying
to present something. They're trying to fool me. I ain't fooled. It's not scriptural, and it is
just A man that makes that claim is a liar. Well, what's he saying
then when he says old things are passed away? The old covenant
of works has passed away. The old guilty standing before
God has passed away. It's dead. Being saved by works, dead. You know what? If you believe
that your salvation is some way conditioned upon you, you're
never going to love God. You're just going to resent him. It's only when you see all that
is gone that you love God. You love him for who he is. All
separation has been taken away. I think of what John said, well,
we'll get there in a minute. No sea. Have you ever looked
at the sea and thought about separation? John's going to say
that in Revelation 21. I'm going to turn there in just
a minute. Every time I go to the ocean, I think about the
people on the other side. Boy, I'm a long way from them.
John said there'll be no more sea in this new Jerusalem, in
this new creation. No sea, no separation from God.
But the old covenant of works has passed away. Behold, all
things have become new. Turn to Revelation 21. Revelation 21. John says, and I saw a new heaven
and a new earth. For the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away. Now I want you to think about
this new heaven and new earth. There's not even going to be
a remembrance at that time of the old. no remembrance of sin,
no remembrance of all these fleshly distinctions. There's not even
going to be, you know, well, I see my mom in heaven. Well,
I hope you do, but that's not the point. Christ is there. and
you're going to see everybody in the same light. You're not
gonna look at, well, there's my wife, no, where's the angels
of God, these family relationships that people, and I'm thankful
for them, but there won't be anything like that in heaven.
Everybody will be brothers and sisters looking to the Lord Jesus
Christ, and there won't be a memory of this place. A new heaven,
a new earth, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away, dead. And there
was no more sea. There was no more separation.
All the separation. Your sins have separated you.
And you think of the separation between people. We can't get
it together. No separation there. Complete,
absolute unity. No separation. And I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. Now, if you go on reading in
this passage of scripture, you're gonna read about that city. That
city's the bride. He tells us that right here.
That city is the bride. If you read about the size of
the city, I mean, that's not talking about It's
all about the bride of Christ. And he says that right here.
He says, the bride adorned. 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. And he that sat upon the throne
said, behold, I make all things new. Now there's how old things
are passed away and all things have become new. I have a new
history. I don't have a skeleton in my
closet. I've got a new history and it's
all good. You could read the pages of my history and it's
perfect likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have a new Bible. Christ is the Bible. I am living in a new world. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. I have
a new song. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.
I have a new commandment, a new commandment I give you, that
you love one another as I have loved you. I've got a new citizenship,
heavenly. I have a new family, the family
of God. And aren't you thankful for that
scripture? His mercies are new every morning. Now, this new creation is someone
who's been given this new heart. That's the heart man believes
with. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. He's not
talking about the heart you were born with. That doesn't believe.
He's talking about the new heart. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness. Now I want to close by giving
you four things that a man-generated faith can never do that only
a heart given by God can do. Four things, real simple. A man-generated faith can never be broken over sin. It can never say my sin is ever
before me. It always says your sin's ever
before me. Oh, we can see that clearly. But it never says my
sin is ever before me. A heart broken over sin. The scripture says a broken and
a contrite heart, oh God, thou wilt not despise. A heart that
doesn't work. That's what broken means. It
doesn't work. Secondly, a false faith cannot
be brought to the acknowledgement that I have no righteousness
and no goodness. False faith will never be brought
there. It cannot believe Genesis 6,
5 about itself. The heart when God saw the wickedness
of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil nonstop. A false faith doesn't believe
that. A true faith does. A false faith will always find
something you can brag about and glory in. Gonna do it. Thirdly, a false faith will not
acknowledge that salvation is utterly and completely of the
Lord. What's that mean? If I'm saved, there's one reason
God saved me. God elected me. Christ died for
me. God the Holy Spirit gave me a
new heart. Salvation is of the Lord. And fourthly, false faith
cannot receive Christ plus nothing, minus nothing. Christ only. A Christ and what I do is not
faith in Christ. Christ only. True faith acknowledges personal sinfulness. True faith acknowledges No righteousness. True faith believes salvation
is of the Lord. And true faith looks to Christ
only. That is the new creation in Christ
Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, we are so. Completely and
utterly dependent upon you. In every sense of the word, but
Lord, we know good will come out of anything that was said
unless you're pleased to bless it, and we ask in Christ's name. That you would. Allow us cause us. To be eternally. In your son, give us this new heart of the
new creation. And Lord, cause us to see, cause
me to see that in my flesh dwells no good thing. Cause me to see that there's
no righteousness in and of myself, in me at all. Cause me to see
in glory and the salvation that's of the Lord. Lord, teach me and
teach every person in here to look to Christ only as all in
their salvation. Now bless this message for Christ's
sake. We give you thanks for him in his name we pray, amen.