A New Creation for the New Year

Text: II Corinthians 5:1-21

I. This fleshly life will soon pass away (vs. 1-10)

A. Everything that is manmade will eventually deteriorate.

1. The only thing that will last is what God has in store for us when we get to heaven.

2. Even if our Church Building was to burn down, we still have a Church.

3. The body of believers that we call a church is secured in heaven by God, not on Earth by a building.

B. Our desire should be to abide with God in heaven.

1. As Christians, we do not have to fear death; rather, we embrace it as a passage to eternal life with Jesus.

2. Death is simply a relief of the Earthly burdens we have been given; we cannot experience immortality until mortality has been done away with.

3. As long as we call this Earth our home, we are separated from God.

a. Since we cannot see God, we must live our lives by faith, trusting that he is there and will protect us in our times of need.

b. Although we long to be with God in heaven, we are here on Earth for a reason—we have a job to do.

C. Why do we care what happens in this life if we know that we will be with God when we die?

1. We work for God, so that we will be found acceptable in his sight.

2. We work to bring glory and honor to his name and to see lost souls saved.

3. We are to be good stewards of the time that God has given us on this Earth.

a. We will one day have to give an account of all that we have done while we were alive.

b. Matthew 25:14-30; Parable of the talents.

II. Our life should be such that others can see Christ living within us (vs. 11-21).

A. We are not to boast of our holiness, but to uplift our fellow Christians with our testimony.

1. Our testimony can be used to battle those who have only a godly appearance; those who do not have a true heart.

a. If we are to use our testimony to battle the hypocrites, we must first be sure that we are not one of them.

b. In all that you do, give the glory to God.

2. Our testimony can also be used to uplift our fellow Christians.

a. It is comforting to know that there is someone else that is going through or has gone through whatever struggle you are facing.

3. Everything we do should either glorify God or uplift or fellow Christians.

B. Before we accepted Christ, we were spiritually dead.

1. Once we accepted Christ into our lives, we no longer live for ourselves, but for the glory of Christ who died for our sins.

2. We have to consider the spiritual life of a person, not just their physical life.

a. Just as we no longer know Christ in the flesh, we should no longer think of people as just physical beings, but people with spiritual lives as well.

C. Once we accept Christ into our life, we are a new creation.

1. Christ “re-formats our hard-drive”.

2. This reformation takes place within the heart and starts by erasing all of our former makeup and replacing it with the desire to serve God.

3. We are “formatted” to serve God in the ministry of reaching lost people for Christ.

4. We are God’s ambassadors in this world.

Conclusion

Jesus Christ died for us all, so that no one would ever have to face eternal death.

1. The Bible tells us that Christ was no willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

2. Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, how about making a New Year’s reformation?

3. Is God calling you to make a decision today? Don’t delay! You may not get another chance. Why not start out the New Year with a commitment to serve God, not just for 2006, but for the rest of your life?