You Are A New Creature In Christ - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ also says you are in Christ and Christ is in you. That's what it says. So the implications of that are where you are, Christ where he is.

You Ephesians chapter 2 Paul tells the church of Ephesus were all seated in the heavens like how they been having some writer uranium receives in you.

During him as their intent that the things that's the joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world. Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word are more the judgment seat of Christ in us.

The judgment seat in Greek culture of the sporting whenever you ran the race and there were rewards to be given you want to the bema and the judge at the bema would give you reward usually delete the following her 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 when you first look at that you say while he's talking about my bad stop and my good stuff I know is not that that way. One he will not come up at the judgment seat of Christ are your sins is good reason thereof. A judge of the cross. What will come up are your deeds airline works good things. That's well, 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 and, in the sense of wasted a an idea of something that has no value at all.

Caucus is the word mean something is morally bad what you and I do will be there worthy or worth less when we get 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 the 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 is 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 on remains should receive a reward. And if any man's work is burned up, suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet though, as through fire. This another newer salvation is a policy and using one is how you know when works are good or not. Chapter 4 verse five in the sink Process. Therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time, but 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 coming from God is on your motor crisis.

Whatever you did good to matter motive I want to judge it. Did you do it for me or did you do it for you and by the way that's harder than you think. It's really hard denied living I do for the Lord.

Maybe. But don't like other people to know you did good things that really wasn't it appears that my net was wonderful and great guy. You're wonderful woman that's one I am. I like I mean, that's the point. He says now you gotta do it for me at the judge makes it longer to stand there now back to that second Corinthians, so he says we should look at this differently.

He says in verse 11. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men, but he said we are made manifest to God and I hope that we are made manifest.

Also to your conscience when he is saying there is look the reason I do what I do is I want men and women to be reconciled to God. I do everything I can to persuade a man for this. That's a very important thing here. He said, but that's part of my service so we we should look at suffering and death differently and we should look at our life in service differently.

Thirdly, he says we should also look at Christ excusing ourselves differently. Those verse 12 he says, but we are not again commending ourselves to you. We were giving you the occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart out the back my net versus this Paul has enemies and the people hate Paul the most of the religious crowd.

The religious Jews just hate they've stoned him.

They beaten with rods a driven amount of every city they hated him okay and they really hate his message of grace religious people hate grace and so they hated Paul Ford.

Notice how Paul describes him. I think it's an interesting thing.

He said those who take pride in their appearance that something to think about it really religious people always look religious and just have a look about how you look means a lot like I was a really religious guy could have quite an outfit. You know, really miss all the guys religious. Look at this stuff. I'm wearing. I mean it's ridiculous when you think about it was all about the time of Paul Calder, says a take pride in their appearance, but not in her heart, he said, for if we are beside ourselves is for God, that's a funny verse. If we are beside ourselves literally in the Greek to me paraphrase, if we look crazy.

The reason I say that is in Mark chapter 3 in verse 21 Jesus relative said this, we think he has lost the senses same Greek phrase were beside ourselves possible. If we look crazy to the religious scribe is because of God is ask us to look that way. And by the way, to an awful lot of people.

That's how people love relationship with Christ.

Look, that's just crazy when you mean you just put your faith and trust in some guy.

He died on the cross, buried and resurrected. Everything is right between you and God.

Get the Lexus crazy is just crazy.

Gotta be doing stuff that's apposite. He said if we are beside ourselves.

It is for God, but he said if we are of sound mind.

It's for you.

There's a tremendous model logic and the loving grace of God is that I know that to be a fact. He said let me explain my motive for the love of Christ controls us. Having concluded this, that one died for all. I'm just driven by the love of Christ. I want to tell every human being I can. One died for all. That's Paul's view. He says notice. One died for all, therefore all died and he died for all, so that they he said, who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf.

The idea here is the gospel. He says he died for everybody.

Then he made a statement, it's hard for a lot of people understand.

He says that therefore all died.

One of the most difficult things for people to grab is whenever you become a believer in Jesus Christ and you put your faith and trust in him. The New Testament says you are immediately placed in Christ, not a believer of Christ.

But I believe you are in Christ in the New Testament also says you're in Christ and Christ is in you. That's what it says. So the implications of that are where you are. Christ is where he is. You are Ephesians chapter 2 Paul tells the church of Ephesus were all seated in heavenly's like, what, how, maybe in a heavenly's right here, he's there, you're in him you see he's in you, you're here, you're in him is there not only that, he says when the future comes, he said where he is or will you be also. So the surety is because you are in Christ were Christ is in the future is where you will be in the future can take that to the bank. He said that's the true but he takes a step further. He said all there's one other thing I want to tell you where you are.

He is where he is you are, where he will be you will be and where he was. You were when you mean when he went to the cross he went to the cause. When he died on the cross you died on us when he was buried, you were.

When he was raised in the newness of life. You were raised to the newness of life, and any says in Romans six where he explains all this he says now consider it so you have to believe it is he one of the reasons I'm free to sin as I'm dead to sin.

Sin can't enslave me anymore.

I'm not under its power anymore been crucified, buried and raised with Christ at this point.

That's why said when one died. Therefore, they all died amazing. He said in verse 16. Therefore now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, and now we know him this way no longer. Not only do we see ourselves differently said receive Christ differently. People always tell you all.

Jesus was a really great rabbi.

He was a philosopher. He was a good moral teacher of the Muslim say he was a prophet. He's an example to us all and so true. But that's not what he used to me is God incarnate, is the son of God.

You see, he sent pulses that we all know him. According to the flesh, but I don't seem according to the flesh anymore.

I see them for who use we see Christ in a very different kind of way.

He is the substituting and toning one. He was the one who was buried in raising the debt. I see him differently now we get to verse 17, after we look at suffering and death differently.

We look at life in service differently. We look at ourselves differently.

We look at Christ differently now. Paul says therefore, having said all that, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.

The old things passed away, behold, new things have come.

That's his conclusion. If anyone is in Christ is a new there were no there is kind us.

It doesn't mean that a new time means new and quality that's what it means in the word there creature. Probably not a really good word creation would be better. The word you have a who was creatures. The word zoo on we get the word zoo from bramble zoology zoo honors the great work you were creature visiting that word. This is in the words you want to know.

It's the work to phthisis and could phthisis means creation where new creation. When I just a better version of ourselves using God's not trust him to make better version of bill. This is a new creation. That's what you and I are is a true miracle is what he said is America and think about this. If you're completely new creation should then make a difference in your life. That's the whole point when I'm standing up. Should that make a difference in your life, your new creation to see all things passed away what old things my values my ideas my plans my desires, my guilt my anxiety my stress all passed away. So that's that's done, your new creation that has a great word, you're sure to read over in English, but Greg couldn't.

He says the old things passed away in English.

This is behold now, in Greek, they don't have punctuation she can put! But the word behold is triple explanation! What is it do so.

It would read this way, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old things passed away behold that's the way would be seated. Behold know things have come completely know things have come. That's a fact that were have come is the word you know my and get all my what's great about it is the grammar. It's a perfect tense and being a perfect tense.

It doesn't mean it just came at that moment, it means something it came at a point in time, but the result of a coming go on forever when he says new things have come.

Something came at that moment those results go on forever, the moment I receive Christ came and the results of me receiving Christ go on forever you and I are new creations in Christ you have the capacity to put the past behind you.

Like Paul said forgetting what lies behind the press on your forever enjoy the new things of come if you believe this verse, you would never say I've always been this way never done that following the same sin, same result.

I've always been like this ever since I was a little guy. I've always been like this for your new creation. I can go back, see, I have to believe this to be true.

Some people that I can never do that even if I wanted to. Another guy could do that I can do all things room strengthens me on the new creation. That's what he trying to tell us we are new creatures in Christ, we should look at suffering and death differently. We should look at life in service differently. Look at ourselves the front of the Christ differently in verses 18 to 21 we shall look at people differently. Pulses now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation you put your faith and trust in Christ you and got up and reconcile your been brought together by Christ holy God in the center brought together you been reconcile. Not only have we been reconciled is about God's given us the ministry of reconciliation. Our job is to help other people become reconciled to God.

He said mainly he says mainly that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.

That's another thing is told.

Last week you told us we are witnesses for Christ, we testify what Christ is done for us now is your ambassador for Christ.

Think about that you and I are ambassadors for Jesus Christ were messengers for Jesus Christ. We represented ambassador represents the countries from you represent me your my ambassador. What a great word that is.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us.

Is it when you share the good news of reconciliation between a holy God and sinful men with other people. It's as though God sharing that is yes, because you're my ambassador when you tell people something like this touches on right there is just so I'm talking to my amazing statement that is. He said we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God that tells you his heart when Palmetto person was lost, his heart was, I beg you to accept this is big except the loving grace of God except the finished work of Jesus Christ, that big the consequences of the rejection are overwhelming to Paul and should be to us. He said we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. That's us. That's what we do so we look at suffering and death differently.

We look at life in service differently were good Christ different with ourselves differently. We see people differently minutes. Verse 21 credible verse stated this way. In 1347, the Mongols, they attempted to conquer the general lease trading post cough in Crimea, which is modern Ukraine. They attempt to conquer the city may Conquer and so they come up with an idea. They decided the catapult bodies of people would die with bubonic plague over the walls of the city so they started catapulting bodies over the walls of the city of people had bought bubonic plague the people inside cough up panicked and so they fled and went all the way to Italy with the plague in the next 34 years over 30/20,000,000 people in Europe died in the bubonic plague is panic.

They called a pandemic 20 million died in 1918 and 1919, worldwide up to 50 million people died of the flu. The greatest pandemic ever. 50 million people died in a year of the flu. Those are called delivery pandemics, but they're not even close to the worst of them all affect Puritan writer Robin because of the plague of plagues it affects every single person who's ever lived is 100% fatal pandemic of sin, death all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The wages of sin is death is the greatest pandemic ever in verse 21 is a remedy is a remedy to the worst pandemic ever upon man John MacArthur says these 15 Greek words are some of the greatest words ever written in the New Testament is right. He starts out first. Who's the benefactor.

Notice the words he made him God the father made him is the benefactor, God the father made him. For God so loved the world that he sent him. He is the benefactor. Next, the substitute he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. He made him who knew no sin to become sick person, one who hangs on a tree. He made him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf. He was the substitute on our behalf means were the beneficiaries man's the beneficiary. Christ is the substitute and then look at the benefit so that we might become the righteousness of God in him and him again, there's the benefit. How simple is that he made him a knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God is simpler than it is just the gospel is a difference between heaven and hell. It's the most important remedy to the worst plague that plagues mankind and everything changed because of the cross cross changed every every single thing for you and I the reminder to us today is simply this, you and I are new creations in Christ and that should change everything about us spring father. I feel that our dilemma simple. These truths are profound and yet somehow they get lost on us and we never confined to our lives. We are constantly finding ourselves under the weight of life crumbling under the circumstances, struggling with sin.

Whatever it is we find it over and over again in last week you told us where your children and this week you told us were new creations that they should make a difference in life. The difference in the way we suffer the difference in the way we died.

The difference in the way we live.

The difference in the way we serve.

The difference in how we see Christ. The difference in how we see ourselves in a difference in how we see everybody else thought I just pray that your spirit will convict us of this help us understand something here that we have such an enormous potential to live a life that is filled with your spirit. A life of peace and joy and hope life of victory rather than failure. A life that makes a difference.

It gives us purpose and meaning. But, as Paul told the Romans you must consider this to be true. That's my prayer for all. We believe these things that as we passed a broken heart. The radio ministry of fellowship in the if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember that you can do a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word.

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