Alright, 2 Corinthians 5. Let me read verse 17. It says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things all things are become new. Now Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes
chapter 1 verse 9, the thing that hath been, it shall be. And that which is done is that
which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the There's no new thing under the
sun. And no doubt Solomon was correct in that of which he wrote,
because he wrote about the world. And there's certainly in the
world no new thing. It's all been said, and it's
all been done, and it's all been repeated, and it'll be done and
repeated again and again and again. But here in our text,
2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, Paul says all things are become new. And while Solomon's writing about
the world of men, Paul's writing about the kingdom of God. And
in the kingdom of God, old things are passed away. And all things
are become new. John said in Revelation 21, he
that sat on the throne, he said, behold, I make all things new. I make all things new. What does
this mean? Verse 17. Well, let's see if
we can find out. Therefore, if any man, any man,
that is Jew or Gentile, any man, old or young, any man, rich or poor, male or female,
wise or unwise, if any man, any man, if any man, no matter who
it is. What we're talking about here,
we're talking about every person who participates in this blessing
and enjoys this blessing and experiences this blessing of
being in Christ, no matter who it is. No matter who it is, preacher or someone in the pew. Any man. Be in Christ. Now here's the
secret. If any man, be in Christ. Now I've heard of being with
a person. I've heard of following a person.
I've heard of being related to a person. Well, what's this,
in Christ? If any man be in Christ? In Christ. Well, the scripture
tells us, let's turn to Ephesians chapter 1. It tells us what it
is to be in Christ. It says here in Ephesians chapter
1, verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. That's where God's mercies
are, in Christ, where his blessings are. And he's blessed us with
those blessings, justification, sanctification, redemption, righteousness,
in Christ. In Christ. Read on. According
as he chose us in Christ. We are in Christ by divine choice. Before the foundation of the
world, he chose us in Christ that we should be holy and without
blame, before him, in love. In Christ is to be in love. Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, All of this is according to the good pleasure of his will,
not our will, his will. We're born not of the will of
the flesh nor the will of man, but of God. And all of it is
to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he made us. He fashioned us. He equipped
us. He made us meet. He made us accepted
in Christ. In whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches
of his grace, in Christ. Over here in Colossians, let
me let you look at this, Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1 verse 9,
or chapter 2 verse 9. Colossians 2 verse 9. In Christ dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. That's where all of God is, manifested
in Christ, revealed in Christ, brought together in Christ. It's
all in Christ. And you are complete in Him. What is this? If any man be in
Christ, well, it's in Christ as Noah was in the ark. As Noah was in the ark. Secure. Safe. Held up. Upheld. Supported. Sustained. When God looked down, he saw
the ark. He didn't say Noah, he saw the ark. Noah was in the
ark. Noah wasn't swimming. Noah was sitting at the table
eating. The ark bore the storm. The ark
bore the rain. The ark endured the trial and
the testing. And the ark brought him through
the flood. He was in the ark, resting, sleeping,
eating, dining, fellowshipping. Be in Christ is to be in him
as Noah was in the ark and as the manslayer was in the city
of refuge. The avenger was out there ranting
and raving, thirsting for his blood. But this man was in that
city as content and secure and safe As if the crime had never
been committed. Couldn't touch him. Sheltered
in the arms of God. In Christ as the branches in
the vine. In Christ as the living stone
is in the temple of God. Let's read on. If any man, it
doesn't matter who it is. This fellow standing up here,
are you out there? Anybody. If, if, I have the big
two letter word, if, he's in Christ. If he's in Christ. If he is. What is he? He's a new creature. That word,
if you want to write it in the margin, is a new creation. He's
a new creation. And the believer is a new creation
because his redemption is like the old creation. It says back
here in chapter 4, verse 6. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness. This is the old creation. You
remember in the beginning, the scripture says God created. In the beginning, God. He is,
he was, he always has been, always will be. In the beginning, God.
Everything starts with God. Modern religions, conversions,
start with man. God's done all he can do. He
can't do anything else. It's up to you now. But God's
creation begins with God. In the beginning, God. Created. He created. Alright, here it
says, And God who, and He commanded the light, He said, let there
be light, and there was light. And He who commanded the light
to shine out of that awful darkness. Have you ever been down in a
deep cave, a mammoth cave, or one of those caves around Chattanooga,
and you'll be following the God and then you'll turn the lights
out. And that's darkness now. That is darkness. There's no
sun. There's no glimmer of light. at all. And this world, when God created
the world, there was darkness upon the face of the deep. Darkness
like you can't imagine, cut with a knife. And God said, let there
be light. And that's what happened. He
commanded the light to shine out of darkness and shined in
our hearts. Our hearts were dead. Darkness. to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. Now, if any
man be in Christ, he's a new creation. And how is it a new
creation? Well, one, it's got the same
author. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
And God created this new creature, this son, this elect, this believer. this devoted person, this committed
person. God created him. God created
the world and God created him. And when God created the world,
he said it's good. And when God created that new
creature in Christ, he said it's good. It's righteous, it's holy
in my sight. It's good. And it's not only
good in my sight, but it's a good person. a kind person, a loving
person, an affectionate person. That's right. You say there's
none good. I know that. None good is God. God is perfect. But God's people
are good people. They are. You know, when they
ordained the first deacons and the first elders, they said,
look out some good men. Isn't that what it said? Good
men. Examples. Men who are examples. I talked to a preacher last week,
he said, I'd like to do away with Sunday morning worship and just have Sunday night and
Wednesday night where people are there to worship God. That's
because they want to be, not out of ritualism and form and
ceremony because it's Sunday, because that's time to go to
church. God's people are good people. That's right. They're new creatures. Good people. They are there to worship God.
They are there to meet with God. Good people. He said this, and
he did it by Spirit. The Spirit of God moved on the
face of the water. And God created this new creation
by His Word. He said, let there be light. Let there be light. Let there
be light. And I tell you this, that old
creation, that new creation are sustained by the power of God,
kept by the power of God. Turn over here to 2 Peter chapter
3. 2 Peter chapter 3. Listen to what he says here about
the old creation. 2 Peter chapter 3. in verse 7 of 2 Peter chapter
3, but the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word
are kept in store and reserved unto fire against the day of
judgment, perdition of ungodly men. Now turn to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, and it says here in
verse 5, we are kept by the power of God through faith under salvation,
ready to be revealed at the last time. So this new creation, if
any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, new creation. Same
author. God said it's good. It's good. By his Spirit, through his Word. By his Spirit, through his Word.
Kept, sustained, kept by the power of God. And the believer has a new heart,
and a new nature, and a new family, and a new home, and a new Lord,
and a new Master, Christ Jesus. And then notice
this in my text, turn back to 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new person. And old things are passed away. What are those old things that
are passed away? Well, number one, the old Levitical
law is passed away. It's all fulfilled. We don't
have a tabernacle with priesthood and sacrifices and atonements
and mercy seats and arcs and all of this bondage of the law.
It's all been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He fulfilled it perfectly. Perfectly. And put it away. He takes away the first and establishes
the second. Old things are passed away. The
old legal religion, the old righteousness passed away. Listen to Paul over
here in Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3 verse 8. Paul talking about his old religion,
his old righteousness, his old ritualism, and he says in verse
8 of Philippians 3, "...Yea, doubtless, I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things. I do
count them but done, that I may win Christ and be found in Him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith." Old things passed away. The old Levitical
law, our old religion, our old religious profession, our old
self-righteousness, our old companions. We no longer find delight in
these old companions that we used to run around with. Spend
our time with. These old companions, these old... You know, the scripture says
evil companions corrupt good manners. I never could understand how
believers could gather on Sunday morning and Sunday night with
the people of God and have all this fellowship and spend all
the rest of their time with the people of the world. Go on vacations
with them. What do you talk about? If somebody
hates God, what do you talk about? Spending your time with people
who have no knowledge of the gospel, no knowledge of Christ,
no love for the gospel, no love for your pastor, no love for
your church, who despise what you believe, what do you talk
about? How do you fellowship? How does darkness and light blend?
How does Satan and God get along? How do Pharisees and believers
spend six days a week together? and they can't worship together.
Something wrong. Old things pass away now. If
anybody's in Christ, that's the key, if he's in Christ, he's
a new creature. Like a new creation. God created
it. God's the author. God's the author. God says it's good. And God did
it by His power and by His Spirit. And He's old. The author of the
new covenant has opened for us a new and living way into a new
heaven and a new earth and a new walk. We walk not in the flesh
but in the Spirit. The old legal religion is gone.
The legal righteousness, the old walk in the flesh, the old
companions of sin are put aside. They don't speak the same language.
They don't love the same things. They don't have the same objectives.
The old desire for riches, honor, worldly glory is gone. It's gone. We want to win Christ and be
found in Him. I was talking about Sunday morning
church services. I sit up here and look out there
and I see people who never open a Bible while I'm preaching. We sing these great songs and
I look out and see people don't sing them. What's wrong? Don't you love
His Word? Don't you love the Gospel? Don't
you love the singing the praises of God? You love that old worldly
music that the world plays, that you listen to on your radios
and stereos all the time, but you don't sing the songs of Zion. The Israelites gave the reason
why people don't sing. They said, we can't sing the
songs of Zion in a strange land. And I'd rather have some subtractions
than additions. I'd rather meet with five people
and everybody worship God and sing the songs of Zion and read
the Word and enjoy the fellowship of God than meet with 1,000 that
are doing what you ought to do to be religious. Because there
ain't no other place to go. And people come to hear me because
they want to hear the truth. But if you don't do the truth,
it doesn't do you any good to hear the truth. In fact, it adds
to your damnation if you don't do the Word of God. If you just
hear it and don't do it, you just hold some doctrines. The
devil is a Calvinist. He knows God's sovereignty. He
knows God elected a people, and he knows Christ is Lord, and
he knows Christ died for only his people. He's a strong Calvinist,
but he is not a Christian. That's tough, but that's the
way I feel. The old religion is gone. The
old righteousness is gone. The old walk is gone. The old
companions are gone. The old desire for riches. What
would Tim James say? Get all you can and can all you
get and sit on the can. And die with it. Perish with
it. Your heart's where your treasure
is. If Christ is your treasure, that's where your heart is. Keep
getting promoted. Keep gaining. Keep reaching.
Keep building. I want to win Christ, don't you?
And be found in Him. And I tell you, our new commandment
is love for God and love for His Word. If any man's in Christ,
he's a new creature. And these old things are gone.
They're gone. And all things become new. Now,
what does that mean, all things become new? Well, it means several
things. All things become new. I know
these new things. It's a new heart. It's a new
nature. It's a new walk. It's a new desire. It's a new objective. It's a
new family. It's new interest. It's new conversation. It's a new commitment. It's a
new way. It's a new and living way. And watch verse 18. And all these
things are of God. All these new things are of God. You know, this statement is true
in everything. All things in creation are of
God. All things in providence are of God. Everything comes
our way. I know God is the first cause of all things. All of God. I know all things in this world
and the world to come are of God. He's the first cause of
all things. I may not understand them and
may not like them, but He's the first cause. He's God. Let God
be God, never man a liar. He's on the throne. But what
Paul is talking about here in verse 18, now watch this. If
any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, old things are passed
away, all things become new, and these things are of God.
These all things are of God. It's not something I do for myself,
it's something God does for me. In redemption, all things are
of God. From God, by God, to God, for
the glory of God, in Christ. God is the author and finisher
of faith. My regeneration is of God. I'm
born of God. My conviction of sin is of God. He convinces the world of sin.
My repentance is the gift of God. My faith is the gift of
God. My perseverance is the gift of
God. It's all of God. I know a man
cannot do these things for himself. When you talk about what an experience of grace is, what
a life of grace is, and a life with Christ, you say, well, preacher,
I can't do those things. I know you can't of yourself,
but God is able to do them. And He has to do them. If a person
does not have an interest in the things of God, God hasn't
given him that interest. And I read while ago, seek the
Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He's near.
Ask Him. Let the unrighteous forsake his
thoughts and his ways. My thoughts and my ways are his
ways. And let him return unto the Lord.
Let him commit himself. Don't just say, well, I don't
like that preacher, I don't like what he says. That won't help
you any. Not liking me or not liking what
I say. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. I'm reading
this. Old things are passed away. All
things become new. He sets his affections on things
above. He's committed to Christ. He's
a man of God. He walks with the Lord. That's
so. Seek it. These things have come
from God. God gives them. Verse 18, they
are of God, listen, who hath reconciled us to himself. He, the Holy God, has reconciled
us guilty sinners to Himself. Acceptance and forgiveness by
Jesus Christ. That's how He did it. By Christ,
by Christ's righteousness, by Christ's blood, by love for Christ,
by commitment to Christ. You know, our Lord said, if any man would
be my disciple, Let him take up his cross and follow me. And
he that loveth father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife,
yea, his own life more than me, he can't be my disciple. And God hath given us this ministry
of reconciliation. And verse 19, he tells us what
it is, namely that God was in Christ. God was in Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
and Jesus Christ is God the Son. And God was in Christ reconciling,
redeeming the world to Himself. Not the Jew only, but the Gentile,
the world unto Himself. The world of believers. And watch
this, not imputing, charging their sins, their trespasses
unto them. I want you to turn to Romans
4 and listen to this. Paul over here in Romans 4, he's
quoting David. Romans chapter 4, verse 6, Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. That's this ministry of reconciliation. That's this word of reconciliation. God was in Christ. God came down
to this earth in the person of his Son, gave himself, his life,
his blood, and reconciled Jew and Gentile unto himself, and
didn't charge our sins to us. Oh, what mercy, what grace. God
does not hold us accountable for our sins. God does not impute
our sins to us. He's imputed them to Christ.
And he put them away. And he hath given us this word
of reconciliation. Now then, let's look at these
last two verses and I'll close. Now then, we're ambassadors for
Christ. That's what the preacher is.
That's what the true minister is. That's what the man who's
interested in God's glory and your good, that's what he is.
He's an ambassador of Jesus Christ. Of Christ and for Christ. And
here it is. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. What does that mean? That genre
says God reconciled us to Himself by Christ. The word reconciliation
indicates a separation. Now listen to me. The word reconciliation
indicates a separation, a division. Somebody is at odds. God and
the sinner are at odds. The problem is our sin, our pride,
our flesh, lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride
of life. Your thoughts aren't my thoughts.
Your ways aren't my ways. You're not godly. You're not
holy. You're not committed. You're not surrendered. You're
not bowed. Still a rebel. has reconciled us to himself
by Christ. He sent Christ to pay for our
sins, to give us a righteousness, talking about his elect, to make
them accepted in the beloved, to put away the enmity. Because
Christ shielded us from the wrath of God, the wrath is gone. Because
Christ put away our sin, God's wrath is gone. But we're still
at odds with him. We still want our way. We're
still arrogant, and haughty, and rebellious, and proud, and
ambitious, and selfish, and self-centered, and don't give a tinker's damn
for anybody. That's right. Moving in our own
circles, having our own ways, mad half the time. pouting the
other half the time, hard to get along with, uncooperative,
we're still mad at God. Now what Paul is saying, I'm
an ambassador of Christ, I'm a preacher of the gospel, and
I'm telling you, you be reconciled to God. You lay down your shotgun. You turn from your ways to God's
ways. You turn from your thoughts to
God's thoughts. You turn from what you want to
do to what He says for you to do. You quit, well, I'm just
like I am. Well, quit being like I am and
be like He is. Well, you just want to take me
like I am. No, I don't either. Because God won't. He won't take
you like you are. You're going to be changed. You're
going to be converted. You're going to become a new creature
or be damned. Isn't that right? You'd be reconciled
to God. The ball's in your court. That's
right. There's got to be a change. There's
got to be a surrender. Our Lord said to Peter, Peter
was such a... I know about Apostle Peter. I'm
just like him in so many ways. Impulsive. Quick-tempered, having
his way. And our Lord said, now Peter,
when you get converted, you strengthen your brethren. But you can't
strengthen them like you are. You've got to be converted. You've
got to be changed. He was God's child. God had reconciled
him. God put away the enmity through
Christ. But he said, now you lay down
your shotgun. And you straighten up. You straighten up. That's what I'm talking about.
I'm an ambassador for Christ. And I pray you in Christ's stead. I pray you, Christ's not going
to come down here and talk to you. He's going to send these
elders in this place to talk to you. If you don't hear them,
you're not going to hear Him. Is that right, John? We are ambassadors
of Christ and we beseech you in God's stead, in Christ's stead,
in the place of the Son of God, straighten up and fall on your face and worship
God. And surrender and submit and
bow to Him. Bow to Him. And we've got all
the motivation in the world to do it, verse 21, for He, God, hath made Him Christ to be sin
for us." He didn't know any sin. He didn't have anything to straighten
up about. He didn't have any rebellion
against the Father. But God made Him bear our sins
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Worshipping the Lord. Worshipping
the Lord. Honouring God. Walking with God. Old things have passed away. And they batter before they do.
And all things become new. I'm committed. You're committed. Children of God. Child of the
King. Our Father, thank You for Your
Word. Our times of worship ought to
be times of repentance and times of conviction, times of submission,
times of surrender, times of consideration of Your mercies
Grace to us in Christ. Times of consideration of Your
forgiveness, kindness toward us. Times of rejoicing in the gift
of Christ. Times of praise, singing praises
to Your glorious name. Times of feasting upon Your Word. Times of meditation, awe and fear. an adoration, worship
of the living God. Lord, restore it. Give us those
times together with broken hearts, surrendered wills, dedicated
in every way, kindness, fellowship, or take us home. But we long,
O Lord, for a refreshing from Thee. Bless this message. We need to
be rebuked and reproved and corrected and instructed. We need to be
broken and surrendered and submitted to Christ Jesus. Use it for your glory in whatever
way it pleases you and glorifies Christ and blesses your people
for Christ's sake. Amen.