Made New
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Scripture
2 Corinthians 5:15-17
15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Pray
Story
Story of me failing again and again at losing weight
But whatever goals or plans or resolutions you have, the most they can do is make you a nicer person, a healthier person, or even a smarter person depending on what they are.
However, none of them can make you a new person. It doesn’t matter how disciplined you are, how many goals you set, or how many self-help books you read, none of these can make you new. The truth is that you and I don’t have any power to change ourselves into a new person. On our own, we can’t bring about any lasting change or transformation. But that’s the great news of the gospel!
At the cross, Jesus did something for you and me that we couldn’t do for ourselves. Through His death and resurrection, He provided a way for us to be new people; not new in terms of an upgrade like on a phone or computer or new in the sense of a better version of ourselves. It’s new in the sense that a fundamental change has taken place at the core of who we are. It starts on the inside then works its way on the outside. As we start this new school year, what if our resolution is less about 100 new things to do or try and more about a different way of thinking and living? What if our resolution could line up with God’s hopes and dreams for us and had the potential to not only change our lives, but also the lives of those around us?
As we start of this school year, what if our one big focus or goal or resolution was to: Live like the NEW person God CREATED you to be. The passage that we’re going to look at together talks about this idea. It tells us what it means that God has made us new and gives us a picture of what could happen if we begin to live that way.
Application
What a great passage to remind us who we are! This passage tells us that for those who are followers of Jesus Christ, those who have already put their trust in Him, we have been made new by God. Specifically, there are at least three ways that this takes place.
1) You become a NEW PERSON.
That’s exactly what it says in verse 17. Anyone who belongs to Christ is a “new person.” This means that something has fundamentally changed in your identity, at the core of who you are. While your physical appearance may be exactly the same as before (sorry if you were hoping for God to change that tonight!), you are no longer the same person you used to be. Paul said it like this: “the old life is gone; a new life has begun.”
When a person puts their trust in Jesus and begins to follow Him, they become a new person. It’s a change on the inside that begins to affect the way they live on the outside. For some of us today, we need to be reminded of this truth. We’ve forgotten who we are, so we begin to live like someone that we’re not.
This means that the reason we shouldn’t lie is not because we might get caught; rather it’s simply not who we are anymore. The same is true of us if we have put our trust in Jesus Christ. Our identity has been changed. The old has gone, and the new has come.
What would happen if we began to embrace that truth this year? What would happen if we began to live like the person that God created us to be?
For some of us, this is really hard to see today because we’ve bought into the lie that nothing has really changed. We believe that we’re the same person as before: worthless, hopeless, helpless. We believe that we’re bound by our past mistakes and present addictions. But the truth we need to hear today is that Jesus died so that we could be made new. He says that we no longer stand condemned!
You are no longer a liar, a cheater, a victim or an addict. These are no longer who you are. It’s not your identity anymore. You are a new person so begin to live like who you already are!
2) You develop a NEW PERSPECTIVE.
In addition to becoming a new person, you will also begin to develop a new perspective. Look back in verse 16 of our passage tonight. Paul said that he had “stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” Another way of saying this is that his perspective had changed. He stopped looking at people through just the lens of race and ethnicity. Instead of thinking about people in terms of Jew or Gentile, Paul began to think about people in terms of their relationship with God. The same thing happens for us when we’re made new. God begins to change our perspective. We no longer see things the same we did before. Over time, this change affects our relationships, values, morals, the way we spend our time and even our money. We begin to see life through a new lens.
When a person begins to follow Jesus, God starts to change their perspective and they see life through a new lens. For some, this may be a slow process, while for others it can happen more rapidly. The rate of change is greatly impacted by the time you spend with the Lord in His Word and through time in small groups and serving. God begins to change your perspective to align it more with His. This is exactly what He did for Paul, someone who used to persecute Christians for a living.
For Paul, he was never the same after he met Jesus. He was a new person with a new perspective, and God has been doing the same thing for other people ever since.
3) You are given a NEW PURPOSE.
Look back at verse 15 in our passage for tonight. It says that Jesus “died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ.” This is our new mission. It is no longer just about us our needs and our wants. We have a new purpose in life.
God loves to take old things and make them new. Part of being made new means that we not only have a new perspective but also a new purpose.
Question
You and I were created anew to fulfill God’s purpose through our lives. As you begin this new school year, what new purpose or mission does God have for your life? Maybe it’s to start being regularly involved here in this church and youth group. Maybe it’s to join the student leadership. Maybe it’s to start reading the Bible or even memorizing verses of Scripture. Or it could be that there are some people in your sphere of influence that God wants for you to pray for, minister to, share the gospel with or invite here.
As we wrap up our time together this evening, what is God calling you to do and how does He want for you to respond? If you are already a follower of Jesus Christ, remember what God’s Word says about who you already are. God has made you new! You are a new person who is developing a new perspective and you have been given a new purpose. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, what mistakes you’ve already made or if you feel ready. The challenge for each of us tonight is to: live like the new person God created you to be. What would it look like for you to begin living this way and how does the Lord want for you to respond? Let’s pray.