Scripture Genesis
1:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17
THE CREATION
Genesis
1:1-5, 26
In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light,"
and there was light. 4 God saw that
the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and
the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was
morning — the first day. 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in
our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground."
On day four of creation God set the light sources in
the sky. Do you have a clue as to how
vast God’s creation is? Do you have a
clue as to everything God was doing on the 4th day alone? We can’t begin to know what is in space
beyond what we have equipment to identify.
4th day creation is beyond comprehension. The more we
discover the more we realize how much more there is beyond what we ever
thought. EXAMPLE from Louie Giglio –
imagine the 4th day of creation as God is speaking the stars and
planets into place.
VIDEO cut and paste in browser: http://youtu.be/KHBGwJqssH8
THE NEW CREATION
2 Corinthians
5:16-21
So from now on we regard no one
from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do
so no longer. 17 Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to
himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed
to us the message of reconciliation. 20
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This section
of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians mentions two things that are necessary in
order to truly live a Christian life, both of which are the consequences of
Christ's dying for us; They are: Regeneration and Reconciliation.
I. Regeneration means FROM NOW ON we do not look at things from the
same point of view anymore. We used to
look at things through our eyes – eyes with a fleshly worldly perspective, now
we look at things from a divine, God perspective. We don’t look at anyone the way we used
too. Before we looked at people as in
our way or by what they could do for me. Now we see them as a way to glorify
God and what we can do for them. That is
radical thinking – God thinking. The love of Christ is in our hearts, and the
world is under our feet." Even
though we once regarded Jesus form a worldly perspective, we no longer do. That is why 1 Cor 2:11-16 (The Message) asks;
Who ever knows what you're thinking and
planning except you yourself? The same with God — except that he not only knows
what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the
gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the
world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to
school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus,
and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way. The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature,
can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They
seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit — God's Spirit
and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to
everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics.
Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone
who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have
Christ's Spirit.
Therefore, being generated again means you were
generated or created once and you are now regenerated or recreated – made a new
creation. This must be evident in all
who profess the Christian faith, that they be new creatures; not only that they
have a new name, but that they have a new heart and new nature. And so great is
the change the grace of God makes in the soul, that, as it follows, old things
are passed away—old thoughts, old principles, and old practices, are passed
away; and all these things must become new. Note, Regenerating grace creates a
new world in the soul; all things are new. The renewed person acts from new
principles, by new rules, with new ends, and in new company.
II.
Reconciliation, which is here spoken of under a double notion:—
1. As an unquestionable
privilege, v. 18,19. Reconciliation supposes a fight or break of friendship;
and sin has made a break, it has broken the friendship between God and man. The
heart of the sinner is filled with antagonism against God, and God is offended
by the sinner. Yet, there may be a reconciliation; the offended Creator is
willing to be reconciled. He has appointed the Mediator of reconciliation: Jesus
Christ. He does not take advantage of
his position or hold us hostage because of our sin, but is willing to
enter into a
new treaty, and into a new covenant of grace, and, freely to forgive us all our
sins, and justify freely by his grace all those who do believe.
2. Notice that at
the very moment of our reconciliation with God, the moment we are made a new
creation he makes us ministers of reconciliation. Once we have been reconciled to God, we are
to let others know that they too can be reconciled to God. This is so strong that we are called
AMBASSADORS of reconciliation.
AMBASSADOR: an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent of the
highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident
representative of his or her own government 2
an authorized representative. When you become a new creation by being
reconciled to God through the shed blood and death of Jesus Christ, you become
an authorized official of the King of Heaven to let others know how to be reconciled
to God. God makes his appeal to the
world THROUGH US!!!
God took Jesus, who had never sinned,
who had never experienced sin, who had never known sin to be sin for us – so
that we, the sinners, the ones who had sinned could become the righteousness of
God.
As Christ, who knew no sin of his own,
was made sin for us, so we, who have no righteousness of our own, are made the
righteousness of God in him.
Day 1
of Creation – “God said, Let there be LIGHT!”
Day 1 of the New Creation – God said through his word in 1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard
from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at
all. If we claim to have fellowship with
him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin. Ephesians 5:8-9
For you were once darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. 1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may
declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. Once you were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.
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