My New Life In Christ

What this episode covers

My New Life in Christ Blank Outline My New Life in Christ Filled in Outline Bible Verses – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Colossians 3:12-17 Thank you for your singing, and that’s why we’re here this morning, God’s love. And we’re going to learn a little bit more about that this morning as we look into God’s word. So let me read just a couple of short verses from 2nd Corinthians 5:16 and 17. Talks about the new life that we have in Christ. And so, here’s what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. So, from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. We once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Here’s a familiar verse. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. The new creation has come, the old has gone, and the new is here. Well, next 35 minutes or so, we’re going to jump into the book of Colossians. And let me just give you the setting, a little bit of background reminder of the purpose of the book and why Colossians was written. So, you remember that the leader of the church at Colossae was a fellow by the name of Epaphras. And actually, the Apostle Paul never visited Colossae. But what was going on is that there was some false teaching that was infiltrating those new believers there in Colossae. And Epaphras, the pastor of the church, makes a 1,300-mile journey. Think of that in the first century. It would have taken weeks, maybe a couple months. He makes this long journey, and he visits the Apostle Paul, who’s under house arrest in Rome. Paul was there for two years. He was able to receive visitors. And Epaphras tells him what’s going on in the church at Colossae. And so, Paul writes this letter to correct some doctrinal error about who Jesus is and to encourage those new believers. So, we’re in chapter three. The first two chapters are more doctrinal, doctrinal truth. And when we get to three and four, a little bit more on the application side. So, this morning, we’re going to think about our new life in Christ, my new life in Christ, and I trust that describes you this morning. There are certain moments in our lives that radically change our life. I remember back in August 20th of 1977, my wife and I stood in front of a church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was the Emmanuel Baptist Church. My dad happened to be the pastor there. And we stood there before about 250, 300 people, and we said some very important words and vows about marriage. And then my dad, like most pastors do, make a pronouncement. And now by the authority given to me by the Church of Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you husband and wife. And life has changed. Our status has changed. Our identity has changed. We no longer check the single box. We check the married box. Think about those families that have adopted children. We have a nephew and his wife in northern Ohio, and they have four biological kids, but they’re very passionate about adoption, the adoption option. And they’ve adopted two children, so now they have a family of six children. And it’s one of the few, I think, happy occasions in our court system where a family legally adopts and brings into their family young children and a name change and all that that entails. Those are moments that totally change the trajectory and identity of our life, but perhaps no greater change happens in our life than when we put our faith in Jesus Christ to be our Savior, because that has a huge impact in our life. John chapter 1, John writing talks about the fact that to those who receive Christ, to those who believe in His name, He gives them the right to be called the children of God. And so, when we put our faith in Christ, when that great exchange happens, described in 2nd Corinthians 5:19 through 21, He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God, a tremendous change takes place. And we pass from death, spiritual death, to spiritual life. The New Testament describes that we pass from

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