Fresh Start

Bible Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:14–17

Intro:

Josh Vaughan

come to you from Atlanta, GA

Take time to honor my wife Amber, my three children Levi, 10, Caleb, 8, Kendall, 3. Kendall is baby girl and she is the boss.

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Thank Jimmy Smith, who is my good friend, invited me to come speak and I gladly took him up on it.

I will admit, I spent some time working in Michigan and vowed it was too cold for me to return unless I had a great reason. I told Jimmy, but bc he is such a good friend, I went back on my word and here I am.

I also want to commend all of you for coming here, maybe your parents made you come or maybe your friend invited you to be here or maybe you are here because you really love Jesus. No matter the reason, my hope and prayer is that the Lord meets you where you are and gives you exactly what you need.

The theme of our conference is “Fresh”, everyone say “Fresh”. And we are going to explore what it means to have a fresh start relationship with God, a fresh fruit, fresh outlook, and a fresh air (how we love our neighbor).

Let’s open up in prayer

Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5:14-17

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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Co 5:14–17.

1. Controlled by Christ's Love

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

What is the love of Christ? 

God’s love for us is unconditional, it has nothing to do with what we have done. In fact, it completely contingent on Christ and is in fact in spite of us.

Romans 5 says this…Christ shows his perfect love for us, for when we were sinners, He died for the unGodly

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.5.6-8.NIV

God knew our sin and brokenness, He knew what you did behind closed doors, he knew the bad words you said about your friends, he knew the time you went to a party you were supposed to, he knew when you cheated on the test, yet, He said He loved His creation enough to die for it.

That is the good news of the Gospel, we bring nothing to the table to earn or deserve God’s love

So what happens when we know the love of Christ controls us?

His love is what drives us to live differently. 

We have seen that Christ has died for us all and now we no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who dies for us

Our lives are no longer are about us, we live for the love of God

If we are honest, we are often the center of our own universe. We receive praise and adulation bc of our prowess on the football field, our stature, and our importance in society

This often shapes our worldview to believe that things revolve around us. But when we encounter Christ’s unconditional love for us, our natural response is to live for Him bc we understand how much trouble we were in but He has given us a way out

Anyone seen the Avengers End Game?

Iron Man = self-centered, ego maniac who was all about himself

to beat Thanos and keep him from destroying the universe, Iron man had to do something he was never keen on doing, sacrifice himself for the good of others. the avengers and all mankind appreciated him for this and would continue to fight for him as a result of him willingly dying to save others

Because of the sacrifice that Jesus made, us believing in that sacrifice allows us to live for Him and love Him. Our life and motivations change because of what He has done for us

2. Changing How We See Others

2 Corinthians 5:16

V. 16 So we no longer regard people from a human point of view. Though once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

Paul once had this opinion about people who followed Christ…they were traitors and persons that should be put to death. That is what he devoted Himself to and that is the hill he was willing to die on. Being a religious leader to a fault and persecuting followers of Jesus.

But, once Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Demascus he had a radical shift in who He was and could no longer hold on to the same point of view

Have you ever had a moment that changes you, altered your perception that you could no longer hold to a previousl belief

Maybe it was a type of clothing that you wear, a sports opinion you had, activity you engaged in

Maybe it is an opinion about food

What is a food that you have thought was disgusting when you were younger but now you love or can’t live without?

Ask the audience

Mine was peanut Better, I hated peanut butter for most of my life bc my brother was allergic to everything, except peanut butter. Sweets, corn syrup, grapes, etc. Then, when my wife was pregnant with our second son, and whether it was her craving or mine, I all of a sudden liked peanut butter. Now, I eat peanut butter all the time.

Maybe it was a video game?

My first game system was a Sega Genesis, I loved it, street Fighter, NBA Jam, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog. How many of you have seen the new Sonic movies? Yes, it is not that new, Sonic has been out since the 1991. But even though I loved my Sega Genesis, my perspective on video games changed when I was introduced to the Playstation, ever since then, my video game experience has changed, I could no longer enjoy the Sega in the same way because something new and better was introduced. Nothing is better than playstation, sorry to all my X-Box people in the room, you have an inferior product.

Paul went on to preach about the very Jesus He once persecuted and harped on the fact that once in Christ, He changes us completely

The same thing for you all. When Christ is at the center of your heart, you no longer view things the way you used to. you no longer look at people the same way, maybe it was a person who bullied you or made fun of you, a person you were jealous of that had something you wanted, a person who was a better student...you approach them as a person created in the image of God, worthy of saving. You look at them with the same love that Christ had for you.

3. Created Brand New In Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17

Perhaps, emphasize that being in Christ means becoming a new creation—everything old has passed away. This truth empowers teens to shed past mistakes and embrace their identity in Christ. Encourage them to live with renewed purpose and shine Christ's light in their worlds, impacting their communities with the message of reconciliation.

V. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

I am terrible at art you guys. Like the worst. Like so bad that you know when parents put artwork for their kids on the refrigerator, yea, I never brought anything home that was worthy to put on the refrigerator. To make this worse, my dad was an art teacher.

Not too long ago, we did this spray paint class with my cousins. so of course, I am not excited about going. I start spray painting with an idea of what I wanted to look like. I made a mistake on a graphic I was trying to copy and it messed up my entire picture, it looked nothing like I wanted it to. I was frustrated and ready to give up. that’s when I discovered that I could basically start over again by spray painting my canvas white. It’s as if my mistakes were wiped away and I was able to have a fresh start on my painting and finish with something better

Maybe in your life, you have made some mistakes that you are not proud of, you have drifted beyond maybe you thought you would ever go. Or maybe you have grow up in church your whole life and feeling like you want to see what a life of sin looks like. You engage in activities you know are not of God, you followed your friends down a path of sin.

I know what that feels like. You see I grew up like many of you, I was always in church. My mom lead worship, my dad lead youth ministry, I was in church every time the doors opened. Yet, when I got to high school, I was more concerned about pleasing my friends, being popular, playing sports, living a life of sin...I thought this way of life would bring me satisfaction and fulfillment, but instead, it left me empty and broken. It was not until I encountered a relationship with Jesus that my life was changed and transformed.

But guess what, Jesus is able to wash them white as snow. Like that white spray paint on a canvas gave me a clean slate and Fresh start, Jesus will do the same thing for us. If we put our faith and trust in Him, he erases the mistakes of our past and sees us as the new beings that we have become.

That is the Gospel. Everyone in this room has that opportunity for a Fresh Start. No matter how bad you feel like you have sinned or how horrible the guilt or shame, Jesus says I will make you new. The verse again says if “anyone” is in Christ, that means any. the are a new creation

My challenge to you tonight is if you have not given your life to Jesus or you have not had a fresh start with Him...it is to make that decision today.

Every head bowed and every eye closed = invitation to the Gospel

if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved

Questions

What does it mean to be controlled by the love of Christ as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15?

How can understanding Christ's unconditional love for us influence the way we live our daily lives?

Can you think of a time when your perspective on a person changed? How did that relate to seeing them through the lens of Christ's love?

What does it mean to live no longer for ourselves but for Christ?

What does being a 'new creation' in Christ look like in your own words?

How can you remind yourself that Jesus gives you a fresh start when you make mistakes?

What steps can you take this week to view others through Christ's love?