What Matters Most

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It is no secret that we live in a day and a culture of text messages.
Think for a moment how our systems of communication have changed throughout the years.
WAY back in the day, before printing was a thing, our main way of communication was oral transmission.
Everything was spread by word of mouth. People commited stories and historical accounts to memory and they shared these stories with upcoming generations to keep them alive.
When print came on the scene, humankind now had the ability to create physical documents… we could now create a written record of stories and history.
We no longer had to rely so much on memory as physical letters could be sent to one another.
As telecommunications were developed, telegrams could be sent more quickly and efficiently over the network of cables now beginning to encompass the globe.
Shortly after, the ability to speak over these lines became possible and now we could hear the voice of friends and family members that we many miles away!
With the development of cell phone technology, we can now talk to people no matter where we might be in the land (dead zones being the exception) - and what I find to be interesting is… we have reverted back to sending texts… back to sending words instead of speaking them!
Now… there is one problem when we send words instead of having voiced conversations with each other: it can be hard to know the attitude or mindset that comes with those words.
Ever sent a text or an email that was taken the wrong way? Perhaps the person implied a negative attitude or read your words with a tone you did not intend to communicate?
So now we have a sort of code we use to help communicate our tone.
Emojis have certainly helped in this area, but there are other cues to look for.
All caps usually indicates what? Either yelling or trying to make a stern point.
Bold means i don’t want you to miss this.
… at the end of a phrase means more to come or something to think about.
And the list could go on.
So what Biblical point am I trying to make here. Look at Galatians 6:11 for a moment. Paul decodes his writing code here. Although we cannot see his original letter, I find his emphasis here to be very interesting.

11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Why would Paul point out the large letters he is using in this final section of Galatians? Because He wants the reader to take to heart the words that follow!
Remember, this letter was written to the Galatians to set the record straight. Paul is desperately working to lead the people back to the true gospel message of Jesus - the message that we are saved by grace, not by following the law.
A group of certain people were trying to steer the Galatian believers in a different direction… and we will see why here in a moment. But Paul wants his final words to be taken seriously.
You have heard me say, “If you don’t hear anything else in this message I want you to hear these words.” The point or statement that follows is important… life changing truth straight from the Word of God.
So what final point was Paul wanting the Galatians to receive? We find it in Galatians 6:15-16

15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

What COUNTS is the NEW CREATION! What Matters MOST is the NEW CREATION! Paul places a HUGE emphasis on this final point… an emphasis we know is inspired of the Holy Spirit!
Listen to me carefully… take note of the intensity of my voice! Notice the LARGE letters on the screen! GOD WANTS US TO KNOW THIS! When it comes to salvation: What Matters MOST is the NEW CREATION!!!
What we are going to look at today is this extremely important point. We are going to look at how a person becomes this new creation and how a person lives as a new creation.
Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Galatians… and he does NOT want them to miss this inspired point. God desires for us to understand this as well… THIS IS WHAT MATTERS MOST… and church, we need to realize this as well.

What Matters Most: Becoming a New Creation

The greatest decision any person can make in life is the decision to FOLLOW Christ. There is NO greater choice we can make… nothing else matters nearly as much as this decision does! Why? Because it will change your spiritual reality FOREVER!
Becoming a new creation is something that is beyond anything we could do on our own. We cannot overcome our sin and unrighteousness on our own. The price is simply too high… the transgressions are simply too great. The rebellion simply runs too deep. ALL OF US HAVE SINNED. ALL OF US ARE IN NEED OF A SAVIOR.
We needed someone to step in and to pay the price. We needed someone who was without sin to take on our transgressions. We needed someone who could bridge the gap that sin created. We needed… Jesus.
It is only through Christ that we can do away with the old and come alive in the new!!!
I want us to look intently at the words Paul uses in his point… what matters most is the NEW CREATION. What does Paul mean by using the term new creation? Let’s look to another passage he wrote that uses this same term in 2 Corinthians 5:17

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

First off, notice something really cool here: If a person is in Christ, that person IS a new creation! Coming to Jesus is the turning point! Surrendering to Christ makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!
Those who accept God’s forgiveness and by faith surrender their lives to Jesus are “born again” (John 3:3-8) and they are COMPLETELY renewed from the inside out. Look at how 2 Corinthians 4:6 describes it.

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” t made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Before Christ… there was no light within.... only sin. But after Christ, God’s light came alive in our hearts!!! The darkness of our hearts was OVERCOME by the light of Christ!
Secondly, through a personal relationship with Jesus, a believer becomes a new person who is renewed in God’s image. They become Christians. They now share His glory with a renewed knowledge of God and a transformed way of thinking and behaving that begins to reflect God’s holiness.
A believer is NO LONGER about the flesh and its ways and desires, but rather follows the leading and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. Where the flesh would lead to death and destruction, the Spirit leads us to life, peace and mercy!
The flesh has been silenced as the Spirit comes alive!
Third, as a new creation belonging to God, the Christian takes on a totally new existence in which God’s Spirit rules. All of this restores the believer to the purpose for which God originally created them.
The world now stands behind the believer as the cross now lies before them. Through making the decision to follow Jesus, we say goodbye to the old… and truly come alive in the new.
And notice something very important in all of this: The NEW is something we receive from Jesus… it is NOT something we can earn or manufacture on our own. JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN RESURRECT US TO NEW LIFE!
We are unable to make this complete transformation on our own. What matters most is that we realize it is only through Christ that the new becomes our reality. Paul recognized this and declared this reality in Galatians 6:14

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Jesus is the way! Through Christ we can truly walk out from under the weight of the old and become brand new!
What matters most is… Jesus! And He is offering new life to all who would call on His name! And this new life is not something we only experience in a moment… but it is something we live in each and every day. What matters most is becoming a new creation… but also living as a new creation.

Living as a New Creation

The Galatians were struggling in this. Someone was trying to mix in some of the old… with the new. And Paul, with the large letters written by his own hand brings caution regarding what was taking place. He calls out the false teachers motives and… he calls out their boasting. Galatians 6:12-13

12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.

Everything that Paul points out in this passage is not for eternal gain… but for fleshly gain. Let’s look at what the issue was.
One, the false teachers desired to “impress people by means of the flesh.” They were going in the opposite direction of the Spirit.
This kind of desire is fueled by selfish gain. They desired to be seen as more holy… more righteous… through their actions and teachings. They missed the heart of Jesus’ commands… and even in God’s commands regarding the law… and they were bound by legalism.
They compelled people to follow in their footsteps… to make a name for themselves… to take glory FROM God instead of giving glory TO God. They desired to make a name for themselves.
They boasted about the things of the flesh instead of the ways of the Spirit.
Secondly, Paul exposed their hidden motivator: Fear. They feared the persecution that might come if they fully embraced the cross of Jesus.
God’s grace… goes against the way we think in this world. The flesh would have us focus on the outward actions or behaviors as a way to “earn” our acceptance or righteousness. But God looked beyond the outward things and looked straight to our inward need. When God changes the heart through the gift of His Son, you can believe that whole person will be changed from the inside out!
God did not stop at the surface behavior, He works to change the condition of the heart… to shine light where only darkness existed!
Fear has a way of keeping people in what was traditionally accepted. You might call it a “safety in numbers” approach. But in the case of our redemption, there is only ONE who can deliver no matter how much the majority would say otherwise.
The Jews feared for their reputation and their “good standing” in the eyes of man should they fully embrace Jesus. That fear… kept them in the dark.
We need to STOP caring what man would say… and fully embrace what God is saying over us! Fear should never be allowed to override our faith in God!
So Paul delivers this amazing truth: If we are going to boast… may it ONLY be in the cross of Christ! That is how we will continue to live as new creations! That is what matters most!
Church, living as believers will NEVER be about what we can do… it will forever be about what God can do and about what God has done through His Son!
What matters most is that we take our eyes off of us, this world, and everything else… and firmly affix their focus on Jesus! HE TRULY IS ALL THAT WE NEED!
If we desire to LIVE as new creations, then we must follow and boast in the One that makes all things new!

Closing

This decision, this choice is truly what matters most. There truly is no other decision more important than this! And the really cool part of all of this is… Jesus did all that was necessary. Jesus paid the price in full that we might come out of the old and into the new.
The decision we are talking about making today is… receiving the gift that God is offering to you through His Son, Jesus.
That gift is eternal life. It is received when we choose to repent of our sins, turn away from the world, and turn back to Jesus.
In Christ, we receive forgiveness of our sins, freedom from the bondage, we are fully and completely redeemed by His blood, and given the promise of eternal life. Church, it truly doesn’t get better than that!
But what happens if a person does not choose Christ? Such a decision results in receiving what sin has earned… what life without Christ deserves… death.
Jesus made the way… are you willing to follow His way?
PRAYER - Salvation
In response to what Christ has done, we are going to say thank you by remembering all that He did for us.
Before we made the choice to follow Him, He made the choice to follow the will of His Father… even though that meant giving His life on the cross.
His love for us has NEVER failed. As we worship this morning and receive communion, let’s give God our highest praise for the gift of His Son! 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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