How to live in the New Creation while still in the Old

Speaker: 
Andrew Fountain
Date: 
Sun, 2021-02-14

Video cover image by Vincent Ledvina free Upsplash image

  • All our problems as Christians, come down to the fact that although we are a New Creation, we are still living in the Old.
  • Answering this problem leads to true victory.
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Sermon Outline - New Creation (3) — How to live in the New Creation while still in the Old

Goal:

  1. To see more clearly the pictures painted of the New Creation
  2. in the Old Testament and in the New
  3. so that we can learn to live in this New Creation

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

How to live in the New Creation while still in the Old

  1. Spotting New Creation themes in the O.T.
  2. Jesus Inaugurates the New Creation
  3. How do we Live in the New?

1. Spotting New Creation themes in the O.T.

The Creation Week theme

  • The Creation week: Sabbath rest on the 7th day (Saturday)
    • was a strong theme in the O.T.
  • But some rituals to be performed on the “8th day” —the first day of a new week
    • e.g. circumcision, and some festival events
  • Jesus rose from the dead on the 8th day (Sunday)
    • the first day of a new creation week

Jesus and the Sabbath

  • He often did miracles on the Sabbath, e.g. John 5
  1. Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting him.
  2. So he told them, “My Father is working up to the present, and I too am working.”

Prophets

Background to Jeremiah 4

The nation of Israel has become so hopelessly wicked,
that God is going to make a completely new start with them.

Jeremiah 4: Reversal of Creation

  1. I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.…
  2. I looked, and behold, there was no human, and all the birds of the air had fled.
  3. For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation;…
  4. For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark; for I have spoken;…

Jeremiah 31: New Covenant

  1. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
  2. not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 37:1–14

  1. The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
  2. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
  3. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”
    •  
  4. Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
  5. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
  6. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
    •  
  7. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
  8. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.
    •  
  9. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath,
    Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”
  10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
    •  
  11. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’
  12. Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.
  13. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.
  14. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

based on ESV with some changes by amf

Isaiah 43

  1. Remember not the former things,
    • nor consider the things of old.
  2. Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    • now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
    • Isaiah 65
  3. For behold, I create
    • new heavens and a new earth,
  4. and the former things shall not be remembered
    • nor will they come into mind.

2. Jesus Inaugurates the New Creation

John 1 – Creation Language

  1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  2. He was in the beginning with God.
  3. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
  4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
  5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 3

  1. Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” …
  2. Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
  3. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

3. How do we Live in the New?

2 Corinthians 5

  1. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
  2. and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.…
  3. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.
    The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Galatians 2
— New Life in Christ

  1. I have been crucified with Christ.
    It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
    And the life I now live in the flesh
    I live by faith in the Son of God,
    who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 John 4

  1. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
  2. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
  3. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
  4. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
  5. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
  6. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
  7. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Colossians 3:1–15

  1. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
  2. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
  3. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
  4. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
    •  
  5. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
  6. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
  7. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
    •  
  8. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
  9. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
  10. and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
  11. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
    •  
  12. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
  13. bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
  14. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
  15. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

based on ESV with some changes by amf

Conclusion

  • God has put a piece of eternity inside us.
    • You are called to live out of this new reality
  • Every bit of the love of Jesus you show for another person is made of the stuff of eternity
    • Nothing you do for God will be lost
    • They will survive till the end of time
  • Thank you God that you have given us the victory! (1 Cor 15:57)
  • Thank you for the amazing new thing you are doing inside us!

Updated on 2021-02-14 by Andrew Fountain