Ever since close to the halfway point of this year, I’ve had it in my heart to open the eyes of those who would give me the time, of the sheer beauty of our salvation in Christ.
It’s been something I’ve kept in my mind, as we walked, together with the congregation I serve, through what we called the ‘Roman Road’ – or, a glimpse into every chapter of the book of Romans, every Sunday since the start of July.
In our preaching, we’ve realized that, indeed, Christ didn’t do all that He did just so we would have a Monopoly ‘Get To Heaven When You Die’ card – and shame on us if that’s all we know and share to others!
I’ve personally been very redundant about it through the past months, I know, but I really couldn’t keep it in:
By the power of the Holy Spirit we’ve come to realize that we’ve been separated from God, we were sinners by Adam’s sin, and we were doomed to die, and doomed to oblivion.
In the fullness of time, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, loved us and lay down His life for us – that we would be fully reconciled, and declared righteous unto eternal Life!
Through Christ we’ve died to sin and the flesh and we’ve been set free from the Law of sin and death;
Through Christ we’ve been born again into righteousness, set free INTO the Law of Spirit and life!
Now, as at least one Hillsong composition would have us singing – we are free to dance, we are free to celebrate this Life and this Love, much so that: (1) we continually offer ourselves as living sacrifices, (2) we subject ourselves to all authority by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and (3) we love one another, as Christ as loved us!
This salvation we have in Christ is FAR more than a little piece of cardboard, FAR more than an afterthought that stays in the back of our minds – More than a concept, it IS Life!
From here it also seems that I ought to be touching base on how we ought to really appreciating how we’ve been made New Creations.
I mean, I believe we’ve done a really good job of expounding on what a great Salvation we have in Jesus… and it feels like a natural next step for us to realize, and to consequently be thankful for what’s been made new in us.
To that note, let me share. In the recent days, I’ve observed people are moving out, and moving in.
There are folks within what I’m calling my team that have other opportunities in mind.
There are folks that are actively moving into our neighboring lot.
I find comfort in the fact that, whether the analysis has me realizing that I’m gaining or losing anything from these changes happening, what’s in common in both situations is that these folks are making the most of what’s been given them. They aren’t being held back, and they are going forth, to new areas, to take in new experiences, to learn new lessons.
They’re broadening their perspectives, and I have no doubt that, in their broadening, they are that further away from the safe and comfortable mindset that has them thinking they’re at peace with what they know; consequently, they are that much closer, again, to seeing God’s goodness in a new light, and from new angles.
Here I mention: I’ve oft taken comfort from the Truth that we’ve been made new creations – that the old has passed, the new has come, and oh, how great of a ‘newness’ we’re in. Writing all this has me thinking that in our being made new creations, we’ve also been subject to new ideas, new ways of thinking.
These folks moving out and moving in are also living confirmations of how our being new creations also entails that the doors have been open for us to take on new territory, new opportunities, and new experiences.
Finally, I’m also realizing that in our appreciating how we’ve been made new creations, it couldn’t be avoided that we understand – ALL of us has been made new, down to our minds, our brains. And with that said, as we have been made new creations, so we’ve also bee subject to new mindsets, new patterns – yes, we see new opportunities as seen easily by our flesh-bound senses, but we also see new opportunities in other ways: To correct our flow, to relinquish what we once thought was critical in the temporal, in favor of what really matters in the eternal; To correct our timing, so we move from operating from impulsive fear, to peace and power, to love and REAL life.
All in all I believe that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, all this movement which could render a significant number of us discouraged about our prospects for the future – all this movement now just reminds me of all that really matters – WHO really matters – and, halleluyah, He is for me, and not against me. In Him I live, in Him I move, and in Him I have my being.
He who moves with the movement of this reality, and beyond, is absolutely trustworthy; By Christ’s finished work, I know He is trustworthy – and I am thankful, because as it is written, all who place their trust in Him will not be ashamed, all who place their trust in Him shall be blessed.
Now if you’ll notice, that was just me talking, with shades of Scripture here and there. But I really should be throwing in Scripture, where we have solid facts to back up our claims.
Gosh, now that I think about it, there’s a whole BUNCH of verses we could pull up… But let me just share what comes to mind, here and now.
Also, notice – there’s a lot we can gather from how we WERE to appreciate who we are NOW. In other words, we can draw from what we used to be as old creations, to determine more of what it entails for us now as new creations!
Once we were blind…
2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ”
Ephesians 4:18: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart”
…and once we were deaf…
Isaiah 6:10: “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed”
Matthew 13:15 (quoting Isaiah): “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed”
Jeremiah 6:10: “Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen”
We praise God, because part of our Salvation in Christ is that we’ve been made New Creations, which now entails:
Ezekiel 36:26: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
2 Corinthians 3:3: “(You yourselves are our commendation) written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image”
John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”
Ephesians 5:8 “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord”
Once, our hearts were hardened, our hearts were made dull.
Now, not only have these hard hearts of stone been removed; now, we have new hearts of flesh, and also a new Spirit put within us!
And speaking of the Spirit, He is not only within us – the other Scripture mentions He is written on our human hearts!
Once, we were ‘alienated’ – ‘separated’ doesn’t cut it – from the life of God, because ignorance was in us.
Now, we have been brought into a family, a race chosen to proclaim His excellence!
Once, we have been blinded in our minds, and darkened in our understanding.
Now, our faces have been unveiled – we behold the glory of the Lord, and as such, we are being transformed into the same image!
Once, our eyes were blinded; we could not see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ.
Now, not only have we been brought out of darkness INTO the Light, and not only do we SEE this Light; the Holy Spirit convicts us, saying, we ARE Light IN the Lord! We are in the Lord, and we are in the Light – we ARE Light.
Once, we could barely hear with our ears; our ears were heavy and uncircumcised that even if we COULD hear, we certainly CANNOT listen.
Now, we clearly hear our good Shepherd’s voice – Our minds now know how HE knows us, and as such, we follow Him!
I dare say, now, our ears are ‘light’ where they were once ‘heavy’, unburdened where they were once ‘uncircumcised’, that not only CAN we listen to His excellencies, but we take them in so much that we are able to proclaim His excellencies!
Friends, this is just a mere speck of what it means when we say that we are New Creations! I am thankful because through Christ, the Spirit has been poured into us and written on us, that our eyes have been open to so much more.
I am also thankful, because through Christ, our once hardened hearts have been removed and our ears have been unburdened, so now we are able to hear so much more – choirs of a thousand angels, the opening of the Heavens – SO much more!
All in all, through this exercise I’ve been brought to remember, through Scripture and by the power of the Holy Spirit.. that our being New Creations means that we’re able to see what others cannot, and hear what others cannot; We’re able to discern together with Christ.
We’re able to reveal insights and make observations with new eyes that see as the Holy Spirit sees. We’re able to hear so much more and thus discern what is heavenly.
We have a new heart, and the mind of Christ.
And these aren’t to be seen as our ‘super powers’ as Christians, folks. Just a reminder, this is all that we have as New Creations, as part of the Salvation which Christ paid such a great price for us to have.
One more thing: Christ IS our Salvation, and as Christ rose from the dead, so it follows that we rose from being dead old creations, to being New Creations, enjoying the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always!
It’s from the reconciliation that we’ve been reborn – what a great and wonderful revelation!
I’m tempted to transform what I’ve learned from this Appraisal series into declarations… but I’m saving that opportunity exclusively for what I’ve taken from the Inventory series… consequently, for the exclusivity of what was shared to me here.
Folks, I thank you for your time. Somebody, please tell me if I’m not making any sense anymore.
Until the next post, may the Lord bless us all. Amen!
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