A New Creation, Part 4

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In his article in Christianity Today, Russell Moore says, When we come to Christ, He doesn't just polish up what is already there. He makes us a new creation.

The old is passed away. We become dead to self and alive to Christ. Listen as Pastor Rich shares what it looks like to be made new in Christ. From 2 Corinthians 5, 12-17. Jesus doesn't want to be in your life. Your life's a wreck. Jesus calls you into His life.

And His life isn't boring or purposeless or static. It is wild and exhilarating and unpredictable. So saddle up your horses and let's go. That was my part, by the way.

Referring to Stephen Curtis Chapman's song, my favorite of all time. Great adventure. If we're new. If within us exists the life that God has for us. What else is new? Our outlook.

Our outlook with regard to Fran. Friends, relatives, associates, neighbors. People in our lives. Verse 16. Therefore from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. From now on we regard no one according to the flesh.

That word regard no one according to the flesh. That phrase, it means to understand and perceive others from a merely human point of view. To understand and perceive others from a merely human point of view.

And my whole outlook is now new. And I'm looking through a transcendent lens. If I'm looking at others and I perceive others and relate to them simply from a human point of view, I will think of them and interact with them only in terms of how it relates to me. I will think of them and relate to them in terms of what they think of me. And that becomes a controlling factor in my life.

Not only what they think of me, but what they can do to me or for me. That's the merely human point of view. But Paul says as a new creation we no longer regard anyone according to the flesh. But we look at them from God's point of view. And that's the transcendent outlook. The transcendent outlook.

You've got Fran in your life. Friends, relatives, associates, neighbors. Many of them unregenerate. You look at them and you don't perceive them or interact with them in terms of what they can do for you, or to you, or what they think of you. But your first perception of them is this, that they are created in God's image.

You have to start there. That's where the Christian starts with God's image. With the perception of others. They are created in God's image.

Secondly, not only are they created in God's image, but they need to be reconciled to God. Do you understand how absolutely revolutionizing that can be in relationships? The most important thing in this person's life is that they need to be reconciled to God. You know what that means? That means that you will then be liberated in terms of your interaction with others. What do I mean by that?

Because you have only one opinion to please. And your perception of the other person, your biblical understanding, the transcendent outlook is that this person is created in God's image and they need to be reconciled. They need to be reconciled to God.

What does that do? That liberates you from their opinion and any possible action that they might have towards you. Those things don't become important anymore. That's new. That's not a default way of thinking. That's something that God does. That's the definition to be influential in your world. Influential for the purposes of God. Lastly, what is new in terms of new creation? We have a new motive.

A new motive. He says the love of Christ compels us. The apostle said this, verse 14, the love of Christ compels us. And that word compels can probably be more accurately translated controls.

Controls. Meaning that the love of Christ provides for me the parameters to my behavior. The parameters to my behavior are His character and His purpose. Two senses that we can approach that.

One is the restrictive, for the purposes of protection, right? For my good, for the glory of God, that anything that I do, if it is not according to God's character and His purpose, then because I love Him, I will not do it. The love of Christ controls us.

But it is also prescriptive. In the sense that it is what drives my ambition and my aim in life is to please God. That means Him. That means that I am all about growing in the character of Christ. I am all about persevering in the purpose of Christ. That's what defines me as a new creation. I am a branch drawing life from the tree.

And the natural outflow of that is producing fruit. Which is what it means to live for Him. To live for Him. And if I'm living for Him, it means I'm delighting in Him.

It is my desire to please Him. Jesus' love becomes the driving force of aim and conduct. Jesus' love becomes the driving force of aim. Jesus' love becomes the driving force of aim and conduct. Jesus' love becomes the driving force of aim and conduct.

Now think about that. You can know a lot. But what is the greatest command of Scripture? But to love God.

Humans, listen to me. Your highest function is to love God. You can know about Him.

And do you love Him? Because what you love is what you serve. And I want you to know something, church, that as I pray for you through the course of the week, though some of you think I only work one day a week, I pray for you, and in the office, through the course of the week, I am in the Word, I am in prayer for you, and I pray for you by name, by family. And let me let you know how I pray for you. This is what I pray for you. That God will grant you a growing delight in His Word.

You know why? Because I know that if you delight in His Word, it will lead you to delight in Him. And that delight is what transforms you. Because it's anchored in the newness that God has formed in you. And we delight in Him, we love Him, and we serve Him with delight. That is the glory of the Gospel.

Lee Strobel. How can I tell you the difference God has made in my life? My daughter Allison was five years old when I became a follower of Jesus. And all she had known in those five years was a dad who was profane and angry.

I remember I came home one night and kicked a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life. I am ashamed to think of the times Allison hid in her room to get away from me. Five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that little girl went to my wife and said, Mommy, I want God to do for me what He's done for Daddy.

She had never studied the archeological evidence regarding the truth of the Bible. He's five years old for peace sake. All she knew was her dad used to be this way, hard to live with. But more and more, her dad is becoming this way, like Christ.

And if that is what God does to people, then sign her up. At age five, she gave her life to Jesus. God changed my family. He changed my world. He changed my eternity. Loved ones, that is the glory of the Gospel. God is in the business of changing people, creating new creations and changing people. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m. .