New creation in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

1. What God has done

for the world

God made Him who had

no sin to be sin for us,

so that in Him we might become

the righteousness of God.

(verse 21)

God was reconciling the

world to Himself in Christ,

not counting people’s sins

against them …

(verse 19)

2. Our Identity

Therefore, if anyone is

in Christ, the new creation

has come. The old has gone,

the new is here!

(verse 17)

And if the Spirit of Him who raised

Jesus from the dead is living in you,

He who raised Christ from the dead

will also give life to your mortal

bodies because of His Spirit who

lives in you.

(Romans 8:11)

Therefore, if anyone is

in Christ, the new creation

has come. The old has gone,

the new is here!

All of this is from God, who

reconciled us to Himself …

(verse 17 & 18)

3. Our purpose

And He died for all, that those

who live should no longer live

for themselves but

for Him who died for them

and was raised again.

(verse 15)

Our purpose is clear -

we are to live for Jesus

All this is from God, who reconciled us

to Himself through Christ and gave us

the ministry of reconciliation: that God

was reconciling the world to Himself in

Christ, not counting people’s sins

against them. And He has committed to

us the message of reconciliation.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors!

(verses 18-20)

New creations in Christ

Living out our God given identity

and purpose in the digital age

For we know that our

old self crucified with Him so that

the body ruled by sin might be

done away with, that we should no

longer be slaves to sin.

(Romans 6:6)

OLD SINFUL

NATURE

Am I accepted? Do I belong?

Am I loved?

IDENTITY

We do not have to

create our identity –

God gives us

our identity

Honour

Christ

in all

What is

the purpose

of use?

How can

I best use

this medium

as an

ambassador

for Jesus

Christ?

THE GOSPEL

Matthew 28

The Great Commission

I am the way, the truth,

the life; no one comes to the

Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Ambassadors

of SELF

Ambassadors

of CHRIST

For the fruit of the Spirit

is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness and self control.

Against such there is no law.

Galations 5:22-23

LOVE

GENTLENESS

SELF CONTROL

The old sinful nature sets

ourselves up as “god”

Who is in control?

Is it God or is it you?

Our old sinful nature is

focussed on SELF

Do nothing out of selfish ambition

or vain conceit. Rather, in humility

value others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests

but each of you to the interests

of the others.

Philippians 2:3-5

Social

media

facilitates

false

identities

and fake

news

The new creation brings

TRUTH

The Lord detests lying lips

but He delights

in those who are worthy.

Proverbs 12:22

Our old sinful nature

focuses on self pleasure

The Christian’s focus

- Holiness

- Future treasure in Heaven

- The Gospel

Our old sinful nature loves

instant gratification

The new creation

understands the

godliness of patience

Our old sinful nature

is never satisfied,

it always wants more

Godliness with contentment

is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6

Our old sinful nature loves

a life of ease & comfort

As we continue to reduce the

physical burden it takes to move

through the world - how will we

strengthen the real will for love

of God and neighbour?

In theory, we want to love more,

but in reality we want it to cost

us less.

But following Christ, we are

radically called to the “bother”

of this world with its burdens

and griefs. Love is the radical

embrace of burden, not the

rejection of it.

Jen Pollock Michel

Perhaps I can remember that

love patterned after God’s

own self-giving, is bent on

inconvenience and cost …

that I am supposed to love with

my body… as God did with His.

Jen Pollock Michel

Our old sinful nature views

people in the worldly way

So from now on we

regard no one from a

worldly point of view.

Verse 16

We are Christ’s ambassadors

Ministry of reconciliation

Our old sinful nature likes the

sound of its own voice

All thinking, all commenting

goes back to the Word of God

(authority, basis, lens)

When words are many

sin is not lacking, but whoever

restrains his lips is prudent.

Proverbs 10:9

Lovers of self, lovers of money,

boastful, proud, abusive,

disobedient to their parents,

ungrateful, unholy, without love,

unforgiving, slanderous,

without self-control, brutal,

not lovers of the good,

treacherous, rash, conceited,

lovers of pleasure rather than

lovers of God.

As God’s new creation,

our identity is in Christ.

Be prepared to be an

ambassador for Christ