A New Creation

If you whacked for your sins for all the tongue, but could not atone for them because it couldn't remove all your tears throughout the time that it would be no compensation for the fact that you are living in an rebellion against God doing you a reminder this Friday. The original creation was broken when, unfortunately, that brokenness is in the DNA of every person who's ever lived, including you, and we can't fix it, but there is one can, in fact, he has fixed, but it goes far beyond just making a few repairs, something much more drastic happens to those who are in union with no we've come to our first study in the series on union with Christ. I'm going to turn back again to that great passage in second Corinthians 5 looking up before, only this time I want to take the whole section from verse six through to the end of verse 21 member I said when we talked about this verse before and second Corinthians 517. What Paul is speaking about here is not just that something happens to me in solute. When I become a Christian, what happens to me is the time brought into a world that is in a sense outside of me. If anyone is in Christ, it's true. He is a new creature. She is a new creature somebody born again into the kingdom of God. What I think Paul is really emphasizing here is that when we become Christians were actually brought into a new world into a new atmosphere. Think about it in terms of the passage that we started last time.

Romans 512 to 21 when you trust in Christ and are brought into Christ. What does that mean that means you have been brought out of the old world to which you belong, by nature, a world of the family of Adam. I know now they're not new world we could think about lots in terms of a picture of the New Testament uses the Christian becomes an adopted child of God by nature. We belong to one family.

We then adopted by grace into another family doesn't mean the all-out instincts change overnight. Actually, it may take a long time for out instincts to catch up with the new world to which we belong, but we no longer belong to the old family bolt family is no longer any legal claims on us.

We belong to the new family. Even old floor and this is the struggle of the Christian life we are brought into that new family.

Many of the hobbits and distortions that belong to is because of the old family and so it's the slip all the speaking about here is centerpieces if I'm in Christ. I belong to a new creation. He does hear what we see.

He often does, he helps us to see the brightness of the gospel against the dark black cloth of the situation from which we have come. Sometimes we say you see the stars most clearly on the darkest night and so the background to this whole passage is actually the distortion of our lives through the fall. The original creation to which we belong. Said that the beginning of chapter 4, but the God of this age blinded our minds to the gospel so little vocal. The glory of Christ was late in the gospel. We simply couldn't see it was a miasma that was of blindness, but then by God's grace eyes wide open on the he wants is for a moment to look back is signal. If you are part of the new creation in Christ.

Never forget the old world from which you came from the loss. I say this is not the main point of the passage is interesting to see what he says he speaks. For example, by implication, but with a certain few of ourselves in verse 15. You'll notice he says we no longer know live to ourselves.

The implication is we once stood. We will laptop in ourselves and in being wrapped up in ourselves. We made ourselves the center of the universe we dethrone God and inevitably, our lives were destabilized and then a knock on effect on the way we viewed others. Notice how he goes on in verse 16 of the beginning to see when we no longer look at other people. According to flash of the implication is that so we used to look at people as true, isn't it. That's how you used to look at people before you became a Christian. That's how you assess the cars they drove the neighborhoods they live. That's how they assess few what school did you go to what kind of job do you. Everything was this entirely horizontal judgment. What Paul calls. According to the flesh, according to worldly standards. Why did she do that because that's the world to which you belong. You couldn't see this on the one member of the conversation with Jesus has with Nicodemus that such a great illustration of this, Jesus. Nicodemus, unless you're born again unless you enter this new world through the Holy Spirit. You'll never be able to see the kingdom of God in him and what Nicodemus's responses that can't be right because I can't see it as a living illustration of the very thing that Jesus says he doesn't even realize that's the truth about him something similar that Paul is saying here and then, of course, notice what he says at the end of verse 16 he says we also use to regard Christ according to the flash best we would say he was a great teacher.

But that would be at best.

We simply saw him and in human terms. We simply recently saw some of his teaching like we something I just love the sound of the month and thereby give indication that we never really read the sermon about some of my ends up with Jesus being the judge of all the but we have this patronizing few of Jesus we are superior to Jesus.

Notice that you mention Jesus to somebody is not a Christian, they will always regard themselves as having the last word.

They have the right to judge him. They view him. Paul says here, from a purely worldly point of view. So why is this so serious while Paul had already told us later on in the passage he says this is so serious because we will all one day stand before the judgment seat of God, and we will have nothing to compensate for arson.

Nothing to compensate for arson immersing about great him rock of ages, cleft for me, but sadly moving line and not the labors of my hands can fulfill your laws. The mountains then this morning. Could my tears forever flow all for sin could not control if you wet for your sins for all eternity but could not atone for them. I could not atone for because it couldn't remove them all your tears throughout the time that it would be no compensation for the fact that you would. You are living in an rebellion against God.

And so what he wants us to understand is the distortion of the original creation of the for the distortion of our own lives in us against that background, but this restoration. This new creation in Christ is such a glorious reality friends.

We must never forget where we came from. If we forget where we came from. We begin to take the grace of God very lightly, that is still there, still enough of the old family atmosphere enters to end up congratulating ourselves because we were wildly of the grace of God. Of course God would choose people like us. So we must never lose sight of the black cloth of the distortion of our lives through the fall, but by the same token, and for some of us, this is an even more important work we must never lose sight of the glory of the new creation in Christ. Some of us fall off one side. Some of us fulfill her pastors often enough to spend a great deal of time dragging people how tall the overwhelming sense they hones of their failure. The overwhelming sense they have of the damage that has been done to them because of their past life. I need to say to them again and again but now you are in Cali's by the same token, some of us take it for granted and we need to be told as a member of the pit from which you were dog in order that you may catch the first sentence of the privileges that are yours in your restoration in Jesus Christ and want to use us here. Is this what is it mean to be united to Christ.

That means that in Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God in Jesus Christ. We are reconciled to God. But it's interesting the one for reconciliation means basically change or even better annex.

Reconciliation to God means that our old relationship to him has been exchanged for a new relationship to him and start new relationship is ours only because we are in Christ.

The exchange that takes place in our lives from old creation to new creation only takes place because of the exchange that took place. First of all, in our Lord Jesus Christ, under remember how he puts but actually it's it's one of the most basic themes in the whole of the Bible the way of salvation in the Bible is always the way of exchange.

There needs to be unmixed. Think about the Old Testament sacrifices. That's what they were. I deserve to die, but this animal extra dangerous places with me.

Probably the most vivid illustration of monitors. The two animals that were sacrificed.

Remember to make atonement for the sins of the people. One of them was slain, and its blood offered the other on her descendents of the people confessed over the man was taken out into the wilderness and let go. To wander in the wilderness put a picture of the two dimensions of what Jesus has done for us. On the one hand, being the sacrifice I mailed out in that sacrifice going into the no man's land between heaven and arson bearing our sins out into the wilderness area where he came under the Ross of God. Jesus made not exchange for he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement that brings us peace was upon him with his stripes we are made whole. We like sheep gone astray turned everyone to his own way on the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.

And Paul is saying, dearly beloved, Corinthians. If you are in Christ that exchanges be made for you. That exchange has been made for you and you see when not exchange is made for us and we are united to Jesus Christ we become part of this new creation in Christ.

And that leads to something else. So first of all, Paul is painting the black cloth distorted condition because of the fall she is setting before us the heart of the gospel in our restoration to this new creation in Christ. Benny goes on to speak about the transformation in our lives that results so far. What will happen to me if I come to the Lord Jesus in faith. I if I believe into Christ in them united to him. But here is something very wonderful.

He says justice that has taken place of reconciliation in Jesus Christ.

By the way, he has made this exchange when you come to faith in Jesus Christ and the United to the Lord Jesus Christ but is a corresponding exchange that takes place in your life you entered into this new world of pardon and forgiveness. And in that new world, your whole life begins to become quite different until you'll notice how this is exactly a reverse of what was caused by the fall notice Festival.

He says this is the most obvious thing isn't it. We exchange our old view of Christ for a new view of Christ. He says we used to the God, even Christ, according to the flesh, but we regard him. Thus, no longer we don't think of him in the same way. No remember what Paul says to the Philippians. Now we make it our game to live for his glory and he says the same thing here. Now we make it our goal to please Christ to honor Christ. It's one of the simplicities is in took what are you looking for your young person what are you living for an older person play with you, and a retired person 2190 what you living for all. This is the glory of the Christian life I'm united to the Lord Jesus and my life is really basically very simple and simplifies it is. I simply want to please the Lord Jesus and you know that clears out a lot of the rubbish of our lives doesn't hurt really does it's it's not rocket science. Jesus is not in the business of saying to you.

Let me let me try and make your decisions in life is complicated as they can possibly be, is really in the business of saying we can clear out 99% of the decisions you ever make by your answer to this question in the situation. What according to God's word is most going to attend to the pleasure of my Lord Jesus Christ. The more you know the Scriptures, the more you lower what pleases him. The more you read the Gospels, the more you develop instincts back to what we said about the use of the manager lustration in the New Testament is how it works us into there was a time in my life in the United States when I wasn't also the minister of the local congregation. When I would beg, borrow or steal pulpits just for the privilege of preaching often I would be staying in the home of people in the congregation on I would arise in a Friday night and leave at the end of the conference or whatever it was, and I just privately use to say to myself I want to know when I leave this house why these two people got married in the first place and it didn't take very long didn't take very long to see what it was that had attracted them to one another and quiet was that they had become so like one another and they didn't they didn't need to sit down and discuss how they were going to react. They had learned by listening to, they had learned through the maturing of their union.

They thought the same way. 99% of the time, quite instinctively because they knew each other they would in union with each other.

They would in communion with each other. The wife didn't need to see if you really wanted to please me, you would do this, but her husband knew her well enough to do what he knew would please start something that falls out of the airlock comes to us by some mystical experience. That's what we learn. When our lives more and more absorbed the Scriptures which is the mind of God. The Gospels that tell us not only who Jesus was, but who Jesus is that great statement in Hebrews 13 is the same yesterday today and forever, is not saying Jesus is eternal. That's true but that's not without versus equipment versus saying to his is he is exactly the same today as he was in the Gospels. So when I see them in the Gospels when I lived with them in the Gospels those instincts begin to develop and I no longer think in this 1 Will Play Way because I'm united to the Lord Jesus Christ and I want to please because I'm reconciled to him on the inevitable result of a lot of courses that I exchange the old view of others for a new view of others are used to view them according to the flash but I don't view them any longer that way. Callers contribute less only on he says everybody I meet. I see a shadow of divine judgment behind them. I don't look at them as though they were simply passing through this world because I'm united to the Lord Jesus I begin to see them through Jesus followers wonder they're going to stand before him on the going to be charged minor was the first minister of the church to which I belong in Scotland Groton. His jungle one day as I was walking through the fields that thought came to me with almost overwhelming power, but everyone to whom I speak must shortly stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be sent either to heaven or to hell. People don't see themselves that way the blind to the reality when you united to Christ, you begin to see them through these new areas and process we prepared even to go to the point where people think we are certainly for the sake of Jesus Christ, he possesses no people say you are out of your mind. He was told that Max… Paul you are raving mad. And people are more sophisticated ways of staying up to us to play to demean us to treat is as though we were strange to to marginalize our Christian faith and usually sophisticated ways, but sometimes overtly hostile ways using language the hearts of pulses when we prepared for this.

We prepared to be seen, even as having lost the plot in this world. If by any means, our lives will tell for the Lord Jesus Christ yes to being united to Christ is costly but he says the love of Christ, the love of Christ we know in union with him constrains us to this best of all, of course, we not only have as he says a new view of Christ in the new view of others for best of all, we are so united to the Lord Jesus Christ that we know will never be separated from him about in his presence will live forever. This is a big thing is one of the men and women view the future as being small and insubstantial in the present, big and substantial though so united to Christ. See, because the future but expect insubstantial and therefore better able to live with all the trials and tribulations of the present because need I say it once more the United glorious truth for those who are in Christ. Full redemption pardon forgiveness and restoration are ours.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing you. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson's new teaching series this week. Your on Renewing Your Mind.

It's titled union with Christ and we are very portions of it for the first time over the past several days.

It's available for preorder at our website, but were giving you the opportunity to get the 12 messages on two DVDs right now when you requested today with a donation of any amount you can give your gift online@renewingyourmind.org or you can call us at 800-435-4343, before we say goodbye. Let me remind you that today is the last they were making this offer available so I hope your request union with Christ by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. Our phone number again is 800-435-4343. You can also give your gift online@renewingyourmind.org by God's grace your gift today will help Christians around the world understand the significance of the believer's union with Christ.

So we thank you. Next week will feature Dr. Darcy's post sweeping overview of systematic theology series recall foundations and will look at two vital aspects of Scripture infallibility and inerrancy. We hope to see you right back here next week for Renewing Your Mind