A Celebration of New Life

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2 Corinthians 5:17–19 NKJV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

1. We are celebrating new life!

“A new creation.”
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We are not recreated.
We are not being “the best version of ourselves”
Our old life was not worth redoing.
Ephesians 2:1 NKJV
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Before Christ we were dead, useless and hopeless.
Romans 3:12 ESV
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
We are celebrating a life that is completely new.
We are celebrating a life that is worth something!

A new creation means we are a new person.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
When we receive Christ this becomes who we are.
Controlled by the love of Christ.
No longer living for ourselves.

A new creation means we have a new why.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
Why do I now exist?
What is my purpose?
To be an ambassador for Christ.
To allow Christ to plead through us!
Don’t miss the power of this.
If you are not actively doing this, you are missing your why!

2. We are celebrating Christ’s work of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is the act of two people in conflict coming to an into a relationship.
God is holy and we are sinful.
Ephesians 2:1–7 ESV
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
This is the old man.
The old man is dead.
The old man has been reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:19 NKJV
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This new life, this reconciliation came at a great price.

3. We are giving thanks for being part of Christ’s work of reconciliation.

God uses us as ambassadors to reconcile the world to himself.
I am thankful that we don’t view baptism as a graduation, but the beginning!
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