A New Life with a New Hope
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· 2 viewsAll too often we can be discouraged as Christians. We tend to let the culture, our circumstances, or our critics have influence on our lives. But as Christians we have new life. We don’t have to listen to the outside voices. We need to listen to Christ and be filled with the hope He gives. As we wrap up 2024 and enter into 2025, let us set our eyes on Christ and Let Go, Look Up, and Lean In so that our hope may abound!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As we wrap up 2024, are you hopeful for 2025?
We often let the 3 Cs dictate our hopefulness: Culture, Circumstances, and Critics.
Typically, we are not very hopeful when we listen to these. But there is another C we need to listen to and find hope in…Christ!
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
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. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
3 Ways We Can Start the New Year, Walking in New Life, and Relying on New Hope:
3 Ways We Can Start the New Year, Walking in New Life, and Relying on New Hope:
1) Let Go! (vs. 14-15)
1) Let Go! (vs. 14-15)
“…the love of Christ controls us…”
We have died with Christ.
We live with Christ.
We do not live for ourselves but for Him who died and was raised.
We let go of ourselves and cling to Christ.
2) Look Up! (vs. 16-17)
2) Look Up! (vs. 16-17)
“…we regard no one according to the flesh.”
We once through of Christ from a worldly point of view, we now view Him from an out of this world point of view.
We need to see ourselves and our world around us from this same perspective.
In Christ we are new creations…heavenly creations.
The old is gone…the new has come.
3) Lean In! (vs. 18-21)
3) Lean In! (vs. 18-21)
Our New perspective and our new life has a new goal.
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.”
We have a new purpose we must lean into.
Buy into the reality that “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that IN HIM we might become the righteousness of God.”
Call to Respond
Call to Respond
What will your focus be going into this next year?
What do you find hope in and is that hope abounding?
My prayer for you is “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
This will happen when we Let Go…Look Up…and Lean In to the person and purposes Christ has made us to be when He gave us new life!