Sunday Message: The New Creation – April 16, 2017
This is a message given at a house church on the new creation.
Wrapped up in this discussion of things new are the the new covenant, the new man in Christ, and how God is dealing with the new creation as Jesus on the cross judged the old creation in Adam.
This is extremely relevant to anyone serious about following Jesus Christ as it speaks of God’s eternal perspective for us as Christians.
Christians are opposed by the world, the flesh, and the devil which although judged with the old creation by Jesus on the cross, are yet in place until the Lord returns. Our challenge is to see this, and overcome it by faith in God by His Spirit.
We, as the bride of Christ, and body of Christ on earth, need to see with spiritual vision what is really true and what God states is so.
Too often the lines between old creation and new creation are blurred, and Christians identify with their flesh, or do not even realize they are relying on their old nature to attempt to live a new life.
Please click on the > play button to listen.
Outline Notes
NEW MAN IN THE NEW COVENANT AS A NEW CREATION
Eph 2- Identity – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
ROOTED – PAUL’S prayer SUPERCEDES MERE words –
EPH 3:14-19 — For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[a] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
STEP ONE – INTERNALIZE ACCEPTED IN BELOVED. KNOW SAVED. PRESS INTO LOVE OF GOD.
2 Cor 8:5 – And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
Mind renewal –
Eph 4:17-24 – This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
THIS IS PART OF MIND RENEWAL –
ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE – GET CLEAR ON IT.
New covenant, New man,
Everything in life is new creation or old creation
TWO REALITIES
KINGDOM OF GOD / KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD (WORLD SYSTEM)
Contrast – old creation
Flesh, fallen man, carnal man, old man.
New man – old man.
NEW CREATION
In Adam – In Christ – born again
ROMANS SIX – baptized into death
“For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Rom. 6.5). Regeneration gives us life; resurrection gives us life more abundant. Were a believer to stop at regeneration, he would not be able to overcome sin. If he were to remain at the stage of co-death, he would have no power to practice righteousness (that is, the holiness of God). So we need to advance in our experiencing of Christ. Let us see that we are regenerated first, then we are co-crucified, and finally we are co-resurrected. In actual fact, however, whenever we believe in the Lord Jesus and thus are born again, at that very instant God has reckoned us as having already been resurrected, though we may have as yet to experience it in our life.
The redemptive plan of God is not meant to repair or mend the old we have; it is to “re-create” us. He discards the old. He uses the death of the Lord Jesus to deliver us from the old, and He uses the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to get us into the new. As we are raised with Christ, we experience union with Him. As we experience being “in Christ,” we experience the “new creation.” If we are dead with Christ, we must also be raised together with Him. Thus shall we experience the life of a new creature.
Whatever is in the “old creation”—whether it is the old life or its nature or its works—can never satisfy God’s heart. “In Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15.22).
1 Cor 15 –
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.”[a] But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
NEW CREATION SCRIPTURES
2 Cor 5 – 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Gal 6 – 11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
ENCULTURATED – OF FATHER THE DEVIL
MENTAL GOSPEL HELD BY OLD CREATION
INFECTIOUS DISEASE – UNBELIEF MASQUERADING AS BELIEF
MENTAL ASSENT TO TRUTH
KINGDOM OF GOD NOT IN WORD BUT POWER
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. – Rom. 13:14
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. – Gal. 3:27
Put on Christ = WALK IN SPIRIT
There are two kinds of Christians: soulish (1 COR 30 and spiritual. What kind are you, and what kind do you want to be?
Actually, there is also a third kind of Christian, and this more often describes many in Christianity today. This is a mixed Christian – one who’s part-time spiritual, and part-time walking in the flesh.
A soulish Christian is one who lives, thinks, and acts out from the power and means of the carnal soul – of the old creation.
A spiritual Christian is one who walks with God, who walks according to the Spirit – this person knows what it means to abide in Christ, and does so abide.
It was not God’s intent, and God did not send Jesus and His Spirit to make full- or part-time fleshly or carnal believers – who stay that way indefinitely.
Of course there is such a thing as being a “babe” in Christ and yes, there is grace for us to find our way, but it is vital that we get on the same page here. God does want us to grow up!
Even a mind independent of God is in sin! Even a religiously minded person who seeks to rely on his own strength is yet not pleasing to God, and this is ultimately sin.
It is sin because it denies God’s true way, and seeks to please Him in the power of the Old Creation, the natural man.
#####
So much today of what passes for “Christian” activity can be done without God, and this ought not to be so.
So much of our daily lives are according to who we were in the world before we ever knew who God really was, or were saved by faith in Jesus.
To the degree this is true, this is the flesh. This is a working definition of being a fleshly Christian, sowing to the flesh, living as who you are in you, and not who you are in Christ.
Jesus was able to have the old Adamic creation crucified in himself and to begin a new creation. Through His death and resurrection He recovered the world which the first Adam had lost. Thus sinners who deserve to die can die to the old Adam by His death and be joined in life to Him—that is to say, to the Christ. This is salvation and such is the meaning of believing in the death of the Lord Jesus. All who believe in the Lord are therefore at enmity with the devil. The latter will attack us in all things, yet we must resist him, his angels, and his demons at all times. And such is real spiritual warfare.
Thus, Satan was judged once at “the holy mountain of God” and once again at Calvary. His sin has already been condemned, and only the execution has not been fully carried out. The time will come when he shall be cast down to earth. And when the Son of God shall return to the earth, then Satan shall be cast into the abyss.
END GOAL – NEW BEGINNING
Rev 21 – Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John,[a] saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,[b] “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
EPH 6:15-20 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[c]
