Principles for Discipleship: Be a New Creation (New Creation Sunday)

Good morning. Pretty cool to preach preach in

this church for the first time. So let's go, let's do it.

Well I was wondering what was going to happen with Cole over

here like a like he just like walked over here in the middle

of that song with a bag of What are those?

Are they sour sour worms. Sour Patch Kids.

I was I was hoping that Joseph was going to be like the a

teacher and be like Cole. If you bring something in the

class you need to share with the whole church.

Did he give you some Dirk? No, he didn't accept.

Okay, well, that's okay. Anyway, let's get to see all of

you. Welcome to 2023 right?

We We made it through 2022. So as Cole mentioned this

morning, we're starting a series on the spiritual disciplines.

And if that's ounds like a really churchy word, you're not

familiar with it. When we say spiritual

disciplines, what we're talking about is basically we want to

build spiritual muscles in this church.

And the spiritual disciplines are like doing a spiritual work

out like working out our spirituality and basically

growing spiritual muscles. Exhorts the church throughout

the Epistles to discipline themselves in godliness.

No, I don't want thank you. Thank you.

I love being interrupted in that way.

Thank you. Paul tells us to discipline

ourselves and godliness, not the eating of sour worms.

And as a church, we fought we, as goal mentioned, we have five

ways in which we do that, five basically spiritual workouts,

that we do as a church to build ourselves up in the faith, we

practice the intake of scripture, the practice of

solitude in praying, the practice of Sabbath thing, and

resting in Jesus of self-denial and fasting.

And in also, in the practice of the seasons, orienting our

calendars around the spiritual practices.

And today, what we're going to be doing, we're going to be

doing is not necessarily starting just talking about

those spiritual disciplines in individually.

But we're going to get down to the foundation down to the

basement layer of the spiritual disciplines and see what's at

the bottom of them. And I believe that if we can get

to the bottom of those, well, our experience in practicing,

the disciplines will, I believe be filled with joy, because

sometimes it's difficult, and a lot of times it's difficult, And

so I want to do that with you this morning.

So in 2016 there was a newspaper article that came out that sent

little Ripples and waves through the health and wellness movement

in America, they published a study showing that 70% of gym

memberships. Have no one showing up to the

gym. Which is crazy, right?

Seventy percent of people who have a gym membership never show

up. Now I'm not interested in

painting old Jim's the same and I'm sure the one you go to is

better than this. So I'm not here to and you know,

being a bigger guy that is out of shape.

I don't have an agenda here to shut down the health and

wellness industry. But this struck me, 70% of gym,

memberships are basically just donations.

Who have better odds going to Vegas playing Blackjack at 40%

of a chance of winning the go into a gym and getting in shape,

something's up with it. Well it's just got me thinking

and I'm like I said, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from

getting gym memberships. I need one right.

But there's a point here, really a question.

What is going on that? So many people are buying

memberships but not showing up. And I think the answer is

simple. Change is hard, change is really

freaking hard. It's really hard and apparently

changes somewhat rare room. And we all know this whether

it's gym, memberships a diet, whether it's reading through the

Bible in the year, how many of you made it through the 2022?

Reading through the Bible in the air plan.

I see a couple hands good for you guys.

You're rare. A lot of us started and didn't

make it. Our prayer life is our prayer

life. Did we pray as much as we

intended to in 2022? New, Year's resolutions, are

like this. We make commitments.

We want to make changes. We want to make improvements,

but we end up finding ourselves in the 70%.

Because change is hard. How do we end this?

So the question that keeps coming to my mind as I think

about this as they think about the disciplines is, how do we

escape the black cloud of the seventy percent and is it even

possible? Or is it just based on like

personality type, those who are naturally disciplined?

This is there really any Hope for Change.

Or to put it another way is practicing.

The discipline is just another way to feel like a failure.

Is it just another way to realize?

I didn't stick it out. What does that say about me as a

person? Well, I have good news for you

this morning. I have good news.

God, I believe wants to fill you with hope.

This morning. He wants you to know that your

efforts to grow as a Christian or not in vain.

He wants you to know. That you already are what you

aim to be in Jesus. You already are what you aim to

be in Jesus, that change has already occurred.

And you already are what you aim to be in Jesus.

Look at your neighbor and tell them you already are.

When you aim to be in Jesus. Change is not just possible for

a Christian. It is absolutely certain and I

want us to see that in the text that we're going to be looking

at together this morning. So stand with me as I read.

Second Corinthians 5:16 down to 6:1.

2 Corinthians 5:16

Paul writing here, says in verse 16 of second Corinthians chapter

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

5. From now on therefore we regard

no one according to the flesh even though we once regarded

Christ, according to the flesh, we regard him.

Thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is in

Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and

behold. The new has come all, this is

from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and

gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

That is in Christ. God was reconciling the world to

himself not counting their trespasses against them and

entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ.

God, making his appeal through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for

our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin.

So, that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.

Working together with him. Then we appeal to you to not

receive the grace of God, in vain, you could be seated.

The word of the Lord. It is good and it is true.

I think everybody loves a good locker room speech.

Everyone loves a love. You go to YouTube, you could

type in locker room speech and you get these scenes and Locker,

especially in football locker rooms or gets loud and Rowdy and

got a coach there yelling. And you got, you got the

inspirational music behind you. We all love inspiration like

this. But I want you to know.

I want to make clear here that Paul does not give us a locker

room speech here. It is not just like a

motivational. You can do it speech.

It's not a believe in yourself kind of Passage.

It is also not a new law that you're just going to struggle to

keep. It's not a get it together,

figure it out people, this passage is about two things,

it's telling us who Jesus is, and what a difference, he makes

in your life, what change? He brings into your life.

You see the difference between a locker room, speech, and this

passage is at the focus is not so much on what you need to do.

But on what Christ has done and what he's doing in you because

he wants you to know you already are what you aim to be in Jesus.

So Paul Starts Here by helping In verse 16, to reorient our

thinking about ourselves, he wants us to know who we are

because you and I, if you're like me, I feel like a failure.

I feel like, I'm reminded of the many things I intend to do, but

don't, but Paul wants us to reorient, our thinking about

ourselves and to reorient, our thinking about one another in

the church, he wants to speak to you about your identity.

Who are you? What are you?

And he says there in verse 16, from now on therefore, we regard

no one according to the flesh. We're not to understand

understand ourselves. We're not to know ourselves or

one another as just average basic humans.

We're not average basic people. Paul is saying, we don't regard

one, another as the normal person in the world, we're not

the 70%. In other words, we're not, we

are something different and I'm wonder and this question, I felt

this. Do I really believe that?

I'm not just the average Joe Do I really believe that?

I am not just the normal 70 percent and Paul here to help us

with this. He uses Jesus as an example to

help us think through this uses Jesus there and verse 16.

He says even though we once regarded Christ, according to

the flesh he was just the son of Mary, a carpenter who lived who

came from Nazareth. Just, he appeared in many ways

to just be a regular dude who also happen to really like the

Bible. But when he dies for sin and

raise us from the dead, we realize, oh, he's not just a

regular guy. He is not just a dude, from

Nazareth, he's the Lord, he's the Christ, he's God and do him

in his do worship. And so we don't just regard him

as a regular person. Paul is saying in a similar, but

different way we should not be regarding one.

Another as just regular people, we shouldn't regard ourselves as

a regular person in verse 17. He tells us how we should regard

ourselves. Elves and how we should regard

one another. he says in verse 17, therefore if you are in

Christ, Your what? A new creation.

You're Something Different. You aren't a normal average.

Joe you aren't just a regular person.

You aren't the 70%. That's not you.

You you have a different identity.

We're a new creation. Do the resurrection of Jesus.

His identity as God In the Flesh, was put on full display

and our Union to Christ by faith allows us to share in the

miracle of his resurrection, which is being changed into a

new creature. His resurrection brings us the

ability to be a new creature. Experiencing the work of New

Creation in our hearts. And You know, that can just

sound like a bunch of religious nonsense if you leave it there,

you know, we put this, we put verse 17 on coffee cups.

We scribe it on our walls. You know, we memorize it and we

it becomes a slogan. Oh we're new creatures in Christ

but what does that actually mean?

What does that actually mean? And because I think if we get

get to the bottom of this, it will really help us in

particular as we think about the disciplines, Genesis 1 and 2 are

amazing chapters in the Bible. God creates the whole world.

He declares a good, he creates Adam and Eve he declares them

very good and so we get this picture of a pure sinless.

And really kind of Utopia in Genesis 1 and 2.

It's it's flourishing and happiness and joy.

It's what we all would want. It's what we all long for

they're in, loving relationship with one another and their

loving relationship with God and God walks with them in the cool

of the day. It's, it's beautiful.

It's what everyone wants. Creation was good and was all at

peace and joy. But then when we come to chapter

3 in Genesis, we see Adam and Eve fail they sin.

And as they sing God, banishes them from the garden.

He banishes them from his presence and all the flourishing

goes away, sin and death rain. And the question at the bottom

of every book, when you get, when you go through the Old

Testament, from Genesis 3 on is Is there any hope that any of

this is going to change? Is there any hope that we could

get back to Genesis 1 and 2? Is there any hope that Genesis 3

could be undone? Is it possible to get

flourishing life and peace and joy back?

Or we just destined to fail? And into that desperation into

that question comes. Jesus Paul makes explicit

reference to this earlier, in our passage, in verse 14, where

he says, who for our sake or their sake Christ, died and was

raised from the dead. He makes explicit reference to

Jesus being the second Adam in Romans 5, that added, that

Christ was just another atom coming to do what Adam couldnt

do, living the perfect life pleasing.

God living in peace with God. And with his people, he did what

Adam couldn't do. And then he paid for our sin

dying and raising from the dead. You see in Christ, God is

redoing Genesis 1 and 2. Jesus is the re-imagining, the

redoing, the new creation of Genesis 1 and 2.

Jesus was the new Adam and he did not sin and instead brings

life and flourishing. And here's my thought.

Here's my struggle with this. Okay, God's bringing New

Creation in Jesus. Flourishing, peace and joy.

That's great. But my life doesn't look like

it. And a lot of ways I struggled in

the less and if I'm honest I'm just waiting for Genesis 3 to

come again. Just waiting for the shoe to

drop for Genesis 32 come again be banished from God's presence

and be out of luck. That's that, that's the struggle

that I have. So what Paul does here then is

he wants to help us. He he wants to help us to see

that if you fail to read your Bible every year.

And that Genesis 3 is not coming knocking at your door.

He wants you to understand that you are a new creature and it's

not just Genesis 1 and 2 over again.

It's an entirely New Creation. And so I Paul goes on and that

we do not have time to unpack everything that's here but Paul

goes on and he I'm just going to pull out three things quickly,

three things that Paul uses to describe to us what being a new

creation means what it is and how it works.

He's going to show us that as new creatures were reconciled

that were righteous and that were fruitful.

So those are the three things he's going to show us here.

First, he shows us that were reconciled in verses 18 to 20.

He shows us that we are reconciled to God.

He says, all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us

to himself were reconciled, he gave us the ministry of

reconciliation that he made us reconciled people.

You are not a failure. You are reconciled to God.

God is not angry at you, and your job is not to make him

happy with you. You are reconciled with him

through the work of Christ. Jesus through his life, his

death and his resurrection, made peace between us and God, he

reconciled. What was broken in Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3? Genesis 3 is the story of how

our relationship with God, went bad and in Jesus him stepping NG

in. He makes it right in Christ.

You are reconciled to God. Being a new creature means that

you are perfectly reconciled with God.

You don't need to try to fix your relationship with God

Jesus. Did, you don't need to try to

maintain your relationship with God.

Jesus did and he does, you don't need to improve your

relationship with God because it's already perfect in Christ.

You already are what you aim to be in Jesus.

You cannot read enough of the Bible to make God more happy

with you than he currently is. You cannot pray.

More to God, to make him more happy with you than he already

is in Jesus. In other words you are already

what you want to be with God in Jesus your reconciled.

So when you fail to pray, as your should, or read your Bible,

as you should practice the disciplines as you should, Do

you need to be reconciled with God?

Do you need to, you know, go to him and try to figure out a way

to make peace with them. The answer is no because Jesus

already has for you. In Jesus, you are permanently

perfectly and eternally at peace with God.

He did it, it's done. You don't have to worry about

it. You can rest in him.

In fact it's not just something that's done.

It's your identity. It's who you are.

It defines you as a being. You are a new creature in a far

better place than Even Adam and Eve.

Were you see? Adam and Eve were at peace with

God in the garden in Genesis 1 and 2.

The problem was was they were capable of being at odds with

God and the ended up being at odds with God in Genesis 3.

But what Jesus Does If he gives us a far better situation, he

comes in and he reconciles with God and us with God.

In a way that makes that reconciliation permanent.

We cannot be unreconciled with God, because our reconciliation

is not based upon us or our Behavior, our, our practice of

the disciplines are reconciliation, is rooted in the

work of Jesus, which gives us a very secure Foundation, which

means that when you tried to go practice the disciplines you

could do so without Fear God is not going to be upset with you.

If you don't do what you think you need to do with the

disciplines. You are rooted, you are a

reconciled person as a new creation creature.

You don't have to fear Genesis 3 happening to you again.

Second, you're not only reconciled but you're righteous

verse 21. You're not only reconciled, but

in verse 21 for our sake, he made him to be sin Christ to be

sin, your sin, and my sin. He made him to be sin who knew

no sin. So, that, in Christ, we might

become the righteousness of God. You are righteous.

You're not just reconciled God. It's not just that.

God, you're at peace with God. You are righteous before him.

And that's your very identity. You are a righteous person.

You are not the 70%. You are righteous before him.

So many of us think that if we read more of the Bible that that

will make us more righteous, you cannot be more righteous than

what Jesus has made you. If we pray, more will be more

righteous if we practice more fasting, that'll make us more

righteous know you are righteous in Christ.

You cannot add to it and you certainly cannot detract from

it. You are already righteous and

change has already come at. The question is not is chains

possible. The question, the reality is

change has already happened. It's already happened.

You aren't the old has gone. The new has come.

You are righteous. You have the very righteousness

of God, the righteousness of Jesus.

This is why this is why we just quoted in, in our confession,

that we have the Jesus robe of righteousness.

We wear his righteousness, where his righteousness Adam and Eve

were righteous and they were without sending the garden.

But it was their own righteousness, which means that

it could be lost and it meant that it could be corrupted.

Note, here, we are given God's. Righteousness is what he says in

verse 21, that we might become the righteousness of God.

We don't have our own righteousness, we have God's

righteousness. So what that means is, you can't

mess it up. The change has happened and it's

permanent its effective, and it's forever.

You cannot fail. You are already righteous, you

are already what you aim to be in.

Jesus. Look at your neighbor and remind

them that you are already, what you aim to be in Jesus.

many of you are tired of failing because you've tried discipline

and you've stopped You've tried to read the Bible, then stopped,

you tried to pray and then quit. You tried to stop a particular

sin and you failed. You've tried to improve your

marriage but failed, you've tried to find joy in Jesus and

just feel stuck. No, this you already possess

every good thing you have in Jesus.

You're reconciled Your Righteous.

You're already changed. You're guaranteed to succeed,

you're not your failure, your failures, do not define you, the

righteousness of Jesus does, you're not your mistakes?

Your sins. Your Righteous and Jesus today,

right now, and in him, you are everything wants you want?

You are everything. God wants you to be already.

This means that when you strive to grow, you strive to be

disciplined. You can't fail.

And that's the gospel. That is the gospel.

The gospel is not just Jesus died for your sin and rose from

the dead so that you don't have to go to hell.

It's true. That's not all.

It's also that you have the righteousness of God and you

are, you're not just guaranteed future, change your changed, and

that change is working itself out in your life right now.

He does not demand you to be righteous as if your efforts

are, what will get the job done? He did it for you.

And all we, what we get to do as Christians is living to that

reality. You don't know how many of you

have had friends like, like I think we've all seen this and

maybe I'd been this person but you have a friend who you like,

you love them, you appreciate them.

And that friend is not convinced and so they try to convince you

to be their friend when you're already their friend and they

kind of act in exaggerated ways. They're just kind of like, what

are you doing? I already like you.

You don't need to impress me. I think God might feel that way

about some of us some time, especially with the disciplines

We don't need to get do anything to get him to like us.

We're already righteous. He already loves us, were

already reconciled. Our practice of the disciplines

is not to get his attempt positive attention.

We already have it. If you already have it, it's

already there. And much more.

It means that being being righteous.

Now, listen to this. For some of us, this is a real

struggle being righteous is the authentic version of us.

It's the authentic version of us.

I've heard some people say well I would pray more but that's

just not me. I mean, I would I would be a

fake version of myself. Like I'm putting on

spirituality. Nope.

The authentic version of you is a righteous person who prays the

authentic version of you is the person who loves the god of,

with the word of God and stays in it.

The authentic version of you is the person who worships

passionately and and God is inviting you into that without

fear. Because you don't, you can't

fail and and it is your future that's who you are.

That's who you are and what you will be or people will think.

Well, I feel like a failure because I have really failed.

And so it just be inauthentic for me to come in and pretend

like I'm not a not a failure. Well again your failure doesn't

Define you the righteousness of Christ does.

So be authentic, you comes in to spite, your failure and worship.

Jesus and praise and reads the Bible, you don't practice the

disciplines to get better or to be a reflection of who you are.

The old self, we do it as a reflection of who we really are

in Jesus, which is Reconciled and righteous people.

You see? Genesis 3 is not coming again.

Because in Jesus Your Righteous and will be perfectly forever.

Adam, and Eve had the capability of being unrighteous.

You do not in Christ, you are righteous end of story, it is

who you are. You are already, what you aim to

be in. Jesus, the last thing then we

see here is that we are fruitful and chapter 6 and verse 1.

He says, working together with him, then we appeal to you to

not receive the grace of God in vain.

In light of what Paul is just said, he tells the church to act

to work together with God, he suggesting that we work with

God. So, what he's, what he's

envisioning here is that our identity, our identity, and

Jesus has reconciled and righteous people should produce

activity. Should produce effort should

produce effort, like, living out the disciplines, like, fighting

against sin like striving to make our marriage.

Better, whatever it may be. Because being a new creature

does not produce lazy people. It just doesn't, it doesn't

produce people who sit back and say, well, I'm reconciled and

righteous, there's nothing for me to do it.

Produces people who then are free.

And happy to engage the work that God has called us to do.

Because we're not trying to earn anything, but because we can

joyfully and freely live in. Do we already are in Jesus.

Freedom yields work and you all know that freedom yields work.

You all know this because well, My wife and I go on vacations

from time to time freed from the restraints of our labor during

the week freed from the restraints of normal life.

Having to clean the house, we got a hotel room and the maid

can do it freed from having to make our own meals.

The restaurant can do it freed from keeping an agenda.

We get to set our own agenda, it's amazing.

And then what happens when you get home, From vacation after

all that freedom. I need a vacation from my

vacation, don't you all feel that way?

I need a couple days to recover from the work of vacationing

before I go back to work. It's a real thing because

Freedom makes you want to go out and do things with your freedom,

it breeds work. And that's what Paul's

envisioning here. The freedom you have is

reconciled and righteous people is going to make you want to do

things because now you do, You're not inhibited.

Now I'm not inhibited with, I can't fail and reading the

Bible, I'm not just going to read it through.

Once I'm gonna read through three times this year, that's

the idea that Paul has in mind here.

I got ahead of myself. This is the kind of thing that

happens in the Christian Life when Jesus makes you a new

creature. You don't use that new identity

tube out of life and stare at a screen all day.

It leads to work too, good work and context here that leads to

the ministry of reconciliation. Bringing New Creation to the

world around us and to others around us.

But for our purposes today it means working out the

disciplines. It means getting after it and

prayer and Bible reading fasting, the seasons and resting

in Jesus's accomplishment for us.

Note here, he says that working together with him.

Our work won't be in vain. Look at that in verse verse 12,

not receive the grace of God in vain mean, meaning that your

efforts are going to be worth. All the work you're not wasting

your time. That's really good news because

that means, that means that if you intend to read through the

Bible this year and you make it to February, that there's good

fruit in that. And God is working through it

and he's using it and it's not a waste of your time.

Well, I didn't make it through. I'm a fail.

You know you're righteous and your work is fruitful.

God is going to use it to bless you and serve you.

So I don't know if you're tending to read through the

Bible in the air, the through the year and this year.

But if you do, take that word of Hope, don't fear failure.

Jumping. God will make your work.

Fruitful your work is already fruitful.

You are a fruitful person in Jesus.

It is part of your identity. It's part of the reality.

Be of being a new creation. Paul says, this another way a

couple chapters earlier in chapter 3 and verse 18, mm might

be up on the screen if the if it's in the computer still back

there. He says this, he says we all

with unveiled face beholding, the glory of the Lord are being

transformed into the same image from one degree of Glory into

another. That as Christians, we look at

who we are in Jesus and God takes our little meager efforts

from one Glory. He to another and we grow.

And so we might not get through the Bible in a year this year.

That's just one Glory. There's Mo so many more to come.

God is great. God is working through you to

make sure that you are fruitful, you will realize and become the

righteousness that you already are in Jesus, it's coming.

It's certain, you cannot fail with it.

You don't make progress becoming you don't make more progress

becoming more righteous. You don't make progress becoming

more reconciled with him. You make progress, living into

your true self as a person who was already righteous You live

in to the reality of who you are as a changed, person a righteous

and fruitful person who's deeply loved by God.

So as you can see here Paul doesn't just give us a I hope

it's not perceived as just a motivational speech.

He wants to reorient your vision of who you are and how that

works out in your life. It's not just a TED Talk.

He helps us to see our true identity in Jesus and to live

out of it. In 2007, Georgia Tech.

They were an underdog football team at the time.

Not very good. They didn't have a team that on

paper, look, the best and they went to go play Notre Dame.

They were a team, Georgia Tech was team, just riddled with

injury and illness. And before they went into that

game, the the team chaplain, he got up and gave a speech.

He grabbed a big hammer, and if you watch this on YouTube, they

got like real inspirational music behind it.

He standing there with this big sledgehammer, and he's talking

to him. And he goes, we're gonna fight

until we can't fight no more. We're gonna lie down and we're

gonna bleed a while. Then we're gonna get up, and

we're gonna fight some more and the cheapest, and they go crazy,

and they go out and they win the game, right?

It's great. So it's a great locker room

speech. It's exciting.

It's motivating. Run through wall with a football

helmet. Like it's great but it's not

gospel. It's not gospel.

Here's how Paul would say it to us.

We're going to fight until we can't fight no more but Jesus

was already beat down for us. He bled to death, then he got up

from the dead and he fought to give us the victory that he

already won. You've already won so now just

go out and play like it just go out and play like it because

it's done. God wants you to know you

already are what you aim to be in Jesus.

So practice the disciplines with the freedom and the joy.

That that truth gives you. Let's pray and ask him for help

to do that. God, we thank you for the hope

that we have in Jesus. Good night without it.

A world of Genesis threes would just be looming over our heads.

I just pray Lord that this year, as we think about the

disciplines, as we strive to live for you that 20:23 would

just be a year of even greater glory than we could imagine.

As we behold your face together, we pray and ask this in Jesus

name. Amen.

I just pray Lord that this year, as we think about the

disciplines, as we strive to live for you that 20:23 would

just be a year of even greater glory than we could imagine.

As we behold your face together, we pray and ask this in Jesus

name. Amen.