You Are A New Creature In Christ - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes this, he said.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ is a new creature. The old things have passed away. The whole new things, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away and new things, a visit that verse. A little later, but the reasonable rates that verse in verse 17 is the kind of tell us that should make a tremendous difference in your life for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor November now once again he shows us how God's word and member Y2K was something I mean all the buildup all the drama was going to change the whole world is going to change, but it didn't witness countries in Europe and then eventually America went to war in World War I.

The title that they gave that war was it was the war to end all wars but it didn't when the Industrial Revolution got started and we started to be able to realize the technology that man could have and what he could do. They send it soon through the Industrial Revolution, we would create a utopia for the world because of man's technology, but we haven't even when the Renaissance began the thought then was that man has now left the dark ages in the crudeness and the darkness a man will be ever behind us as we now renewing a whole new era, but it didn't man has mistaken me thought that certain events in history had the capacity to change everything if they would just change everything for man, but they didn't. But there was a greatest moment in history that did change everything.

2000 years ago God stepped in the time and space and a baby was born in Bethlehem conceived the virgin live the perfect life, went to the cross paid for the sins of the world was buried and then resurrected from the dead, and he ascended to heaven and that changes everything potentially for every one it's bad enough that in the world. So many people never recognize that, but I also think that among believers within the context of the church. There are so many of us that struggle with this whole notion of who we are in Christ because of what he is done. We don't really think about it and we end up living our lives, sort of in a desperate mode just the way we always did. Last week I started a series entitled I am who you say I am and I said last week that God tells us that were a child of God, and you have any idea what that means, not a believer in God, a child of God. Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born again. You must be born into the family of God.

When you are just curious child is not only just that God says, and I adopt you as my son or my daughter and I put my Spirit in you. He said didn't so that you have, even as my adopt the child. My nature. He also says because were child of God were joint heirs with Jesus Christ and he inherits everything and then lastly, he said we have this great privilege of enlarging the family as children of God.

The book of acts as were witnesses. We just testify and through the testifying of what God has done for us men and women, boys and Grossman come to a saving knowledge of Christ. This week I want to explore another verse. Open your Bibles to second Corinthians chapter 5 in verse 17 and if it looks familiar to you it was on the screen just a few minutes ago.

Second Corinthians 517 the apostle Paul writes this, he said. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things are passed away and new things have come. I'll visit that verse. A little later but the reason Paul writes that verse in verse 17 Izzy trying to tell us that should make a tremendous difference in your life. Everything about your life should be different because of the truth of that verse and he begins that whole argument in verse one. So we go back to chapter 5 in verse one.

Paul begins to make his argument in his first eight verses of chapter 5, Paul said that you and I if we are new creations in Christ should look at suffering and death differently differently than we used to, and differently than they do. We should look at suffering and death differently. He starts up and he says for we know that if the earthly tent, which is our house was torn down. We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Tremendous verse. He said our new body is going to be the best.

The next body you when I get is going to be the best but he says we know something, here's a fact. He said if the earthly tent, which is our house was torn down.

He calls our physical body attempt.

No one you know by text. The temple and if you want some. The last hundred years you put up a tent tents don't work that way. But he says something else and indicated he'll be more specific later about something of what happens to us, he said that the earthly tent, which is our house is torn down.

That's what life does the earthly tent cursor down every one of us every single one of us have an earthly tent. This physical body and every one of us are going to have it torn down. In other words, were going to die.

He said yeah that's the reality said you should look at that differently, but that's the reality will like that reality like that much. People don't even like to talk about that very much.

This whole idea that the earthly tennis could be torn out and it's going to be Paul Teal, a billionaire behind PayPal.

The first investor. By the way, and Facebook said he I plan to lived on 120 and he said they told the Washington Post. I've always had this really strong sense that death was a terrible terrible thing by the way, he said, in addition to following a strict diet.

I am reportedly taking high volume of human growth hormones, although I know there's some risk with that. He said there's always the worry about increases in my cancer risk, he said, but I'm hopeful that will get cancer cured in the next decade is a billionaire and not the only silicone entrepreneur Larry Ellison, the cofounder of Oracle said this, he said I don't understand how someone can be here and then not be here.

He said I am mystified by the universal reality of death, Bill Mares, a capitalist who lost his father to a brain tumor said my thoughts can turn dark when I'm alone. He said I'm doing everything I can and I am convincing other investors to launch Google's billion-dollar supersecret supersecret effort to cure aging.

So the guys of Google are working on this thing cryogenics frees yourself, knowing he figured out Delphi out three, 350 people already frozen and 2000 on the waiting list that you don't want to be frozen too soon but on the waiting list.

When the time comes when my favorite Larry King is on that list and Larry said, you know, I know it's not. He said, but at least then I have a little hope we don't like this and this is something we don't like. It's difficult for us. Paul says you know what though, because your new creation in Christ. You should look at suffering and death differently. Notice he said I know are. We know that if the earthly tent, which is our house was torn down. We have a building from God house not made with hands, it's eternal in the heavens. Paul said I know that I'm not getting a tent getting a building and are not getting a tent that was made with men. I'm getting a building was made by God and it's eternal.

It will never change.

He said that's one of the things that should cause me to look at things a little differently than those who don't know Christ. He says in verse two. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven at the beginning of this should say one yeah we do groan because life couple we suffer a lot, but Paul didn't say that Ms. Percy's is something different. He said you know why groan.

I go because I'm not there. That's why groan. I long for that. The Philippians actually ask Paul in a sense, you have a death wish.

And Paul said well come to think of it, yes. He said if I had a choice I'd rather go and be with the Lord. I'd rather die. But if the Lord wants me here. I'm more than happy to stay here and serve you, but that's his perspective. So what does AMI have that all of us seem to have is that he doesn't have fear he's not afraid he's not like the people that are freezing their bodies is not like he's not like these people, he said, I'm not afraid if he remembered. The psalmist wrote even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. Why because you're with me being a new creature should have been a profound affect on how we suffer and how we die. He goes on, and he says inasmuch as we have inputted one will not be fun. Make it. He said for indeed while we are in this tent, we groan being burned because we do not want to be." The clothed so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life what he saying there is a paraphrase.

He said you know, I know I'm a spiritual being. I know I have spiritual life. However, my body is just a tent and it's going to die see I I want my I want my body to be the same as my spirit.

I want to live forever. He said that's what I want to do. I can't wait for the resurrected body.

I can't wait to have one made by God. You see that that's his mindset. He goes on, and he says now he who prepared us for this this very purpose is God who gave us the Spirit as a pledge is an interesting verse but boy permeated with meaning. How do I know this is going to happen. God promised me and how I know a price of the game is Holy Spirit. Here is a pledge he said I should give you my spirit and put my Spirit in you, Jewish point of view. This was really odd. The only place that the spirit of God ever resided was in the tabernacle and the temple is his acknowledgment reside in you and God to somebody give you my spirit as a pledge but whenever someone makes a pledge.

What are they telling you I'm in a bring about his that's why gave the spirit. He also says the Holy Spirit was given to us as a seal that we belong to God. He says another book that the Holy Spirit was given to us as earnest money or a down payment that God will pay in full. He says look I'm so I count on this so much that God's is what I want you to be assured of this. So I give you my spirit is a pledge he said therefore being always of good courage, knowing that while we are at home in the body were absent from the Lord pose a realist. How we live life here sinful people in a cursed world peace and what to take courage is that it takes courage to me a lot of pain and suffering in life.

It takes courage. By the way when you're tense being torn down. It's going to take courage going to be like that. He said I know that that's the way this works. He simply notice he said therefore always being a good courage, knowing that while we are home in the body were absent from the board. He said look we walk by faith not by sight. I do this because this is what I believe to be true.

He said we are of good courage, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord that verse while that one word is a word you own or not notice the word of Paul said he said we are of good college, I say.

And here it is. Prefer I prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be home with the Lord.

So would you prefer, not what you believe is that what you prefer me for most of us to typical Christian is what I want to go to heaven. I just don't want to go tonight right MNS the way Christians think about this possible. If I had a preference so that be my preference would an interesting way of looking at life. You notice it immunizes him against fear.

Whatever way you threaten Paul to Teradyne is €10 going exam okay with that. What a difference it would make for any of us. So he says we should look at things like suffering and death differently. Secondly, we should look at life and service differently. Verses nine through 11 he said. Therefore, we also have is our ambition, whether at home or absent to be pleasing to that's all right, that's my ambition.

If you said to Paul what what you ambition that I want to be pleasing to him.

Is that your ambition is that my ambition so that's what it should be. We have a lot of ambition for a lot of different things, but almost never hear someone articulate that Oswald Sanders is broken. Spiritual leadership said because we children of Adam want to become great.

He became small because we will not stoop, he humbled himself, and because we want to roll. He came to serve Jesus had a very different ambition. Recent whatever I do I do it only for one reason to please the father not to do my will but yours pulses. That's the way should be for us. That should be how I see my life. Is it pleasing to the Lord. He said he said, whether at home or absent.

Whether I'm here or there. I am one ambition to please the Lord.

By way when we all got there that will be the ambition always have will have the same ambition just to please the Lord with everyone's but he said that's the way we should look at life now. In other words, if you're trying to think about it from a point of view and this is been around for years been a very important way to think about living your life is that Paul says what we ought to be able to do only look at our life as I live my life for an audience of one that's on the my life.

I live my life for an audience of one living when the first times I ever heard that was in the city down at the first Baptist in New Orleans when John MacArthur was either speaking to a whole bunch of pastors and students in John said that and he used that phrase and I can still remember musing and he said look I don't really care what you people think of me.

I don't even care about the thousands upon thousands of people go to my church. Think about it won't matter. I only care about what he thinks about me because in the end, that's all it is a matter. Nothing else is going have any bearing in this at all is a guess the way I have this do it lookee and is an audience of one.

He says for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The bema now, the judgment seat of Christ is not the great white throne going to be no sin mentioned. This is only for believers. This has nothing to do with unbelievers what your sins are like and that none of that, the judgment seat of Christ is for all believers will stand before Christ. The word judgment seat. There is bema and it's the judgment seat and in Greek culture of a sporting event whenever you ran the race and there were rewards to be given. You went to the bema and the judge at the bema would give you rewards usually leave the put on your head. He said you were all going appear there.

He said, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he is done, whether good or bad knowing you first look at that you say while he's talking about by bad stuff and my good stuff I know is not that that way.

One, they will not come up with the judgment seat of Christ are your sins is good reason eroded judge of the cross.

What will come up are your deeds Teradyne works good things. That's what will come up that will come up and he said, whether good or bad. It doesn't mean good morally or bad morally it means good, intrinsically, or the Greek word is used here is the word false and follow us means it in in the sense of wasted a an idea of something that has no value at all. Caucus is the word to mean something. It's morally bad what you and I do will be there worthy or worthless.

When we got to the judgment seat holder place or just for a moment with me and go to first Corinthians chapter 3 I just want to remind you these verses first Corinthians chapter 3. This is what he writes verse 12. He said if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones the good things for Woodham straw.

He said each man's work. There's the word Aragon again. Each man's work will become evident for the day will show it because it is also to be revealed with judgment or fire, and the judgment itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work.

He says which he has built one remains him receive a reward. And if any man's work is burned up or suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet though, as through fire. This another newer salvation as opposed and using what is and how you know what your works are good or not. Chapter 4 verse five in the same chapter Paul says, therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time wait until the Lord comes in he will both bring to light the things hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts and then each man's praise, Steiner mode prices. Whatever you did good to matter more. I want to judge you do for me are good for you to pass through government on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time.

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I'm Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order