"The New
and Improved — You!"
August
31, 1997 am
MF Blume
2Cor 5:14 -18 For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were
all dead:And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore
henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we [him] no more. Therefore if any
man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
THE NEW YOU
- Sales slogans and clichés
abound with these words today.
- It speaks about new and improved
products.
- It is the same with the believer!
- Christian life is supposed
to be a NEW AND IMPROVED YOU.
- God’s will is that you be
a better you - new and improved.
- CHANGED.
- Here is how we might discuss
the new life in terms of marketing:.
"If you’re not completely
satisfied with your new life, then you need to come back and exchange it
for another one! A REAL ONE."
Remember, if people do not see
CHANGED in your life, then it isn’t the real thing!
From our text we find three
important points
1) JESUS DIED FOR US, SO WE
ARE DEAD
- We must believe that.
- It is true whether you believe
it or not.
- IF YOU ACCEPT JESUS and
get saved YOU ARE DEAD.
- Your old life is gone.
2) HE DIED FOR US SO WE LIVE FOR
HIM
- We are not to ive to ourselves.
- Not for self.
- You are now in something
far bigger than a little self-kingdom.
- You've been inducted into
the Kingdom of God.
- Where true heroes are people
whose lives totally committed to promote God’s will.
- YOUR NAME CAN BE IN THE
ANNALS OF SPIRITUAL HISTORY.
- Show others who struggle
what a dedicated life for God can do in this world.
- In this GREAT WARFARE the
glory is real and is there.
- BUT MANY HAVE GONE
do not have it.
- In Military there is a title
given...
- “Absent without leave.”
- A.W.O.L.
- Jesus never said do you
own thing.
- Jesus never said quit.
- Get hold of God now.
- Go sky-high in God’s will!
- Put 100% into it.
- When you fall, and you will
fall, get up and go on again.
BUT SOME ARE AWOL
- They've skipped out when no
word to be absent was given.
- No direction to be absent.
- Who told them to be absent?
3) ALL THINGS ARE NEW AND ALL
THESE NEW THINGS ARE OF GOD
- CHANGE is what is implied
on these verses.
- Only God can CHANGE a life
genuinely.
- It must be of GOD.
- If anything is new, it is
of God.
- Old is gone
- New has arrived.
- CHANGE!
- You ask God to come - He
comes.
- Make sure you have the real
thing.
- Have a genuinely changed
life.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
YOUR REASONABLE “SERVICE”
- You’re in the service now.
- You are expected to go all
the way.
- You are not expected to
do what you cannot do, though!
- You gave your LIFE to God.
- You’re expected to live
like that now.
- IN THE SERVICE NOW.
- A soldier who does not show
up for duty is AWOL
- He was expected to be there.
- When we give all to God,
something happens.
THE CHANGES WE MUST LOOK
FOR
- And the changes you will
have if you truly come to God properly.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
WE ARE transformed - CHANGED
- Our minds are RENEWED.
- We think differently.
- The will of God for each
of us is a changed life.
How do YOU think?
- Check to see if you really
are saved or not.
- Do not go by something that
happened a while back.
- What is happening NOW?
- These signs must be in your
life.
- We are going to show you
what the Bible says is a life that is saved.
THINK DIFFERENTLY
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath
dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind
one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
The way you THINK tells a lot.
Tells if you are really saved or not.
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD
SAYS “I come first.”
- But that is not the attitude
of the saved individual who is going to go to heaven.
(NOT ALL WHO CAME OUT OF EGYPT
IN THE EXODUS MADE IT INTO CANAAN).
1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren,
I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under
the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Cor 10:5-6 But with many of them
God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples,
to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Paul said we could take a lesson
from the Exodus.
- Not all who say they are “christians”
will go to Heaven.
- God’s way is the betterment
for the whole of the people.
- Selfish way is for the betterment
of yourself.
Ephesians 4:22-25 That ye put off concerning
the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for
we are members one of another.
SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND -
IS YOUR ATTITUDE.
James 2:14 What doth it profit,
my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith
save him?
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Many always SAY they have great
faith and are Christians
- But these many do not live
a life to prove it.
- They manifest no evidence
and no works that indicate they do have this faith.
- Lives are the same as sinners
who never believed on Jesus.
A genuine experience from a genuine
God will show genuine CHANGE.
- If there is no real change,
there is no real experience.
Make sure this does not happen
to you in your step to live for God.
- True salvation involves a
total change.
- Things will come out of
your life that people will see, which never came out before.
Psalm 107:2-10 Let the redeemed of
the LORD say [so], whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And
gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the
north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary
way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted
in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered
them out of their distresses.And he led them forth by the right way, that
they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD
for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For
he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction
and iron;
After they were redeemed...
- They went a solitary way.
- No city.
- Hungry.
- Something more to the life
than going to Church now and calling Jesus “Lord.”
- THEN THEY CRIED.
- PAUL experienced this frustration.
- In Romans 7 he tried to
good but never could do it.
Romans 7:18-19 For I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that
I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
But then PAUL CRIED...
Romans 7:24-25 O wretched man that
I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;
but with the flesh the law of sin.
- Finally Paul lived a changed life.
- Paul became concerned his
life was not better.
- THROUGH JESUS his life finally
became better.
- FINALLY the people of Exodus
begin their duty.
- And God THEN led them the
right way.
- NOT AIMLESS.
- He satisfies.
OUR GOAL IS NEWNESS OF
LIFE
- New and Improved
- For your eternity’s sake,
be concerned over your condition.
- Be concerned over a real
change in you, like Paul.
Romans 6:4-5 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
- WE SHOULD have a newness
of life.
- If we do not then there
is something wrong.
- We were not on the likeness
of his death.
- You may be buried into a
death, but it is not the likeness of HIS DEATH, because HIS DEATH is followed
by a CHANGE - newness of life.
- There is something wrong
with one is not in newness of life because if we have been truly planted
as He was planted, we will be (No “if’s,” “and’s” or “but’s” about it) in
the likeness of his resurrection.
- Jesus came to newness of
life.
- His burial led to His resurrection.
- And if we have the likeness
of HIS BURIAL - (which is total death and genuine deadness of old life) -
we will have His resurrection.
- HIS KIND OF BURIAL INTO
DEATH produces a changed life.
- Those who are buried with
HIS BURIAL, are going to genuinely live HIS VICTORY.
- If they do not live it,
then they did not genuinely die HIS DEATH.
- They missed the whole point
of His death.
REPENT: WE CHANGE DIRECTION
- TURN
- Everything about the word
REPENT implies CHANGE.
- God’s way now.
- Old life is dead to you.
- If it is not dead to you
yet, then you better repent.
- You might say, “I repented
already”.
- No you did not.
- Not the way God meant it.
- Forgiven of all old sins
and ways.
- Past guilt goes.
BAPTISM: In order
to get to newness of life, Jesus was first planted in death
- A decision to stop old ways
for good.
- Repentance was sins of PAST
forgiven.
- Baptism buries the critter
that committed those sins so there are no more for the FUTURE .
- You bury it so it doesn’t
do any more again.
NOW THAT THE OLD LIFE
IS GONE, WE NEED A SOURCE OF NEW LIFE
- Holy Ghost baptism.
- Not the goal, but the beginning.
- Once you get the Spirit,
then CHANGE MUST START TO OCCUR.
- Repentance and baptism removed
old ways.
- But now need new ways.
- Cannot simply get rid of
old ways and do nothing.
- NEED NEW WAYS NOW.
- So we need His Spirit.
- SPIRIT - vital principle
by which the body is animated.
- Our duty is to walk after
the Spirit now.
- That means we must let the
Spirit lead you.
- Get the full effects of the
Spirit that means get filled with Spirit.
1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on
the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath
made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his
Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath
not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
There must be evidence that
you are truly born of God.
- A change is evidence!
- If you are not overcoming,
you are not real.
- Something is badly lacking.
- You are not new and improved.
- And you will miss it all.
But, oh, the joy that comes with
REAL CHANGE.