Sunny Thoughts From Sunset 1-25

By Vance Drum

Thank God for the warmer weather!

On Sunday the Sunset pastor brought a message titled “God of New Beginnings” from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Isn’t it great that God loves and creates new things!  Kids like new toys, adults like new cars.  We all like new stuff.

The good Lord knows that we have needed a total makeover of our lives.  Without God, the devil has done us in.  Left to ourselves, we are dangerous to ourselves and to others.

The pastor made four points:  (1) Our Sin Problem; (2) God’s Sin Solution; (3) God’s New Creation; (4) Ambassadors for Christ.

(1) Our Sin Problem.  Paul says (v19) that when we’re reconciled to God, God does not count our sins against us.  As flawed human beings, we all have a sin problem.

Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  When we are reconciled (“made friends again”) with God, God forgives us because our aim now is to serve Him.

Serving God, we understand that Jesus is our new Leader, our Lord.  We follow, honor and obey him.  We do what he wants us to do, and what he wants us to avoid, we stay out of.

We do not use God’s grace as an excuse to sin.  The Christian’s aim is to always do the right thing—God’s will.

Somebody said, What’s the big problem with sin?  The big problem is that sin is (a) not God’s will; (b) you can’t be a Christian while keeping up the steady practice of our old sinful ways, and (c) it is destructive.  The devil and our sin will eventually kill you or others.

(2) God’s Sin Solution.  V21:  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us….” Jesus is God’s sin solution for us.

God looked down on poor desolate, sin-scarred humanity and said, They need divine assistance. They cannot get to heaven on their own, so I will bring them up myself.

So God sent his Son Jesus into the world at Christmas.  Jesus lived a holy life, and at the end of his life, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.”

When Jesus was on the cross, we were on his mind, and all our sins were on him.  He became the sin center of the universe.  “With his stripes we are healed.”

(3) God’s New Creation.  John the apostle said that (1:12) “to all who received Jesus, God gave them the power to become children of God.”  The Bible calls it the new birth.  When Jesus comes into your heart, and begins to lead your life, you become a whole new creation of the Almighty.

V17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  It is the most amazing thing since the creation of the heavens and the earth.  God recreates us and makes us into completely new people—with new thoughts, new speech, new behavior, new perspectives, values, goals and desires!

We no longer want to serve the demonic underworld; we now want to serve and honor our Creator God. Serving God is not a drudgery or chore; it is a delight and a blessing.  The blessing begins in this life, and goes all the way into eternity.  We begin to love God and our neighbor, and we experience the joy of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  There’s nothing like it this side of heaven!

(4) Ambassadors for Christ.  V20:  “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors….” Christians do not keep our blessings to ourselves.  We tell this Good News to all who will listen.

As “citizens of heaven,” we represent our heavenly king Jesus in the world in which we live.  We say, “There’s a Jesus train going all the way to heaven:  Get on board!”

“How many are your works, O Lord!  In wisdom you made them all….”  [Psalm 104:24]

May you be fully aware of God’s desire to work in your life this week—our prayer for you from your friends at Sunset Christian Church.

 

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