What a privilege we all have to be able to look into the Word of God and to be able to worship together in freedom. Let's hope that that continues. It's certainly under threat. Will you take your Bibles and turn to Second Corinthians chapter five. If you haven't been with us, we make our way vers- by-verse through every book of the Bible, whatever we're studying, and this morning, we come to verses 16 and 17 in Second Corinthians five.

Before I read it to you, let me remind you of the context here. And also, to let you know that I want to make this imminently practical for each of us for indeed this is a verse--or these two verses that we're going to be looking at--are very timely, given what we're seeing in our world today. In the course of defending his integrity against the scurrilous slander of the false apostles that had entered into the church of Corinth and gained popularity, Paul has just stated in verse 15, how the love of Christ controls him. And he is astounded at the reality that Christ died on behalf of his sins, bore his sins in his body; that Christ died for all who died in Christ on that day, and therefore all who were raised to walk in newness of life. So he's overwhelmed with this magnanimous, this unmerited love of Christ, for him specifically.

And then he says this in verse 16, "Therefore from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." Last week, as I heard our president give his speech at the Republican National Convention, there was a part of me that wished that he would have preached this passage. You laugh because you know, that would never happen, right? He said many wonderful things, very inspirational things, many things that are true, many things that are important to protect our country, to maintain our economic prosperity. But I was thinking of what Jesus said in Mark eight. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of Him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angel." As I say, I want you to understand the power of this passage as it relates to our lives right now.

Let me take you to some things that I know you're seeing. It's all around us in our culture. We are witnessing a socialist takeover of our country. Sometimes you say, Well, where have these people been? Where they come from? I'll tell you where they've come from; from our colleges, and our universities, and our apostate churches, and our cultural Christianity churches that refuse to teach and preach and apply the truth. I heard just this morning, John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Security describe the tremendous threat of communist China and some of the things that he was allowed to say, in public; obviously concealing enormous amounts of truth. He was talking about the enormous influence that China is exerting on our government officials, congressmen and senators, and women in their various districts. The enormous influence that they are exerting over our electorate to make sure that Joe Biden gets elected--frightening. Folks, this is Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 that spawned the Communist Party. This is the same type of stuff. If you don't believe me read your history. These are the brown shirted hooligans of the nationalist Socialist German students League of 1933, Germany. One thing we learned from history is that we never learn from history. You notice that? You know, in Scripture, we're told in Ephesians 5:11, that we are not to "participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness." But we are to "expose them." And I want to expose some of these things, to make sure you have a biblical perspective of what's going on and so that we can apply even this passage. Especially I want you young people to hear this. I am frightened for the kind of world my grandchildren are growing up in, and what they will experience in the days to come. Today we see Antifa thugs destroying cities, attacking people, even in our capitol, you saw them attacking people coming out of the convention, even one of our senators Rand Paul and his wife. They tell us that America is an evil country, that capitalism is an evil system, that the Constitution and Christianity are evil tools of white supremacy. And today, we see growing numbers that find their identity in being a social justice warrior; foolishly believing that their ideologies that are going to somehow bring in a glorious utopia, despite the fact that that has done just the opposite historically every place it has been tried. Of course, social justice is rooted in postmodern ideology is derived from things like intersectionality, and radical feminism and critical race theory. All ideologies that are not just antithetical, but hostile to Christianity. Wherever these things have been applied, millions of people have died. Social justice is really a deceptive label, it should be called socialist injustice. The theme needs to be "you make it we'll take it." We have Black Lives Matter thugs entering restaurants, intimidating people to raise their fist in apparent solidarity with them, screaming "white silence is violence." Basically saying if you don't agree with our ideology, then you need to be canceled. By the way, every totalitarian regime that has ever existed started this way. Black Lives Matter has become a religious cult based on exaggerated claims of systemic racism, and racially motivated police brutality, although all of the statistical metrics say otherwise. So we watch so-called protesters loot and burn, vandalize and murder, while leftist governmental leaders watch on with smug satisfaction. And of course, the answer to all of this is to elect them, give them the power, defund the police and replace them with social workers. Reparations, which if you read this, it's a laundry list that should terrify every law abiding, taxpaying American. It's basically reward without responsibility. It's an attempt to gain political power. In fact, these people really leverage the sin of covetousness in the 10th commandment, to gain political power and to seize wealth from those who they have deemed it to be their oppressors. A vicious lie based upon revisionist history that appeals to the naive and the gullible; lies that need to be challenged but are canceled by a well-organized system of intimidation and propaganda with a complicit media. And folks, you must understand, and we know that Satan is temporarily allowed to be the god of this world until the Lord takes back what is his, but until that happens, these things are going to continue. And ultimately, they're coming for us. They're coming for our church. Don't be naive.

Of course, there's a stark difference between even the parties that we see today. We see for example, the Democratic Party. It's almost--like I listened to some of these things--and it's like some evil foreign country has invaded us. You have people that advance the idea of it being morally okay to kill unwanted, unborn babies. That is so incomprehensible to me. I can't even put it in words. They embrace the most deviant forms of sexual immorality and sexual perversion, major planks in their party platform. Evils, according to Scripture, that are such an abomination in his eyes that he describes, for example, in Leviticus 18, how he vomits out nations the practices those things. Obviously, no Christian could ever vote for such a party. John MacArthur said the other day, something to the effect that the Democratic Party has adopted Romans one as their platform, I thought that was a good statement. He also said this in something else that I read from the Daily Wire, quote, "We have literally watched this play out in living color, with Jerry Springer narrating, as our culture has sped down the exact path of spiritual decline Paul outlines in Romans one. Hollywood, hip hop, shock radio, and host of other pop culture obsessions, helped by mainstream media and the secular academy have indoctrinated recent generations to accept and even encourage every imaginable kind of depravity, and radical," quote, "alternative lifestyle," end quote.

Dear Christian friend, you must understand that the stark difference even between the Democratic and the Republican Party pales into utter insignificance in comparison to the difference between any of those groups, and the kingdom of God. We are citizens of another kingdom. That's why we feel like aliens here, right? We serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, we are part of his body, the church. Every church that honors him, as we try to do here at Calvary Bible Church is a celestial outpost of an eternal kingdom that is not of this world. We are a people who have received a word from another realm and who long to leave this earth at God's appointed time. And when we meet together to worship, we do so because an unfathomably glorious God has summoned us to do so; to worship him, and to hear from him through the stammering lips of his servants. My friends, please understand regardless of party, politicians and government can never solve the problems of our world. At best they can do is protect us from evil. Right now, they're not doing a very good job of it. Man's only hope, here this, is in Christ. Only Christ can change the heart. And this is the message of the gospel. This is the message America needs to hear. If I were running for president, which obviously I would never do. And I say this humbly, I have a much higher calling. This would be my platform, and it would be yours. Bottom line, dear friends, you are either in Christ, or you're out of Christ.

Let me tell you what the Bible says about those who are out of Christ. In other words, you have never yielded your life and repentant faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. You've never been saved. Okay? If you're out of Christ, according to Colossians 1:21 You are "alienated and hostile in mind engaged in evil deeds." You're "separate from Christ," according to Ephesians 2:12, "having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 4:17 and following says, you walk in the futility of your mind being darkened in your understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in you because of the hardness of your heart. You are controlled by your flesh, according to Romans eight five "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." The life of an unbeliever is dominated by his or her fallen nature with which they were born, they live under the authority, under the bondage of their flesh that binds them in their thoughts and their desires. Such as according to Galatians 5:19 and following: "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and the things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." If you're out of Christ, according to Ephesians, two beginning in verse one, you are "dead in your trespasses and sins." You walk "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." You live "in the lusts of your flesh, indulging the desires of your flesh and of the mind, and are by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." Second Peter one, I mean two verse 10, says that you "indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires." Philippians three and verse 19, you're among those whose "end is destruction, whose God is your appetite and whose glory is in your shame." You set your mind on earthly things.

I want you to contrast that horror with the remedy that bridges that estrangement, which is called union in Christ. Ephesians two, verse 13, we read, "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ." What a magnificent truth. And that's what Paul is saying here in Second Corinthians 5:17. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come." These people that are apoplectic with rage, protesting all of the stuff that you see, my heart aches for them, because they need Christ, and they don't see it. America doesn't have a skin problem and has a sin problem, right? People want justice, but they don't understand the justice of God. Otherwise, they would cry out for his mercy and be saved. And this, frankly, is what must be preached from pulpits today. People need to have a sobering recognition of the terrifying separation that exists between a holy God and fallen man, which makes union with Christ an indispensable necessity for salvation.

Well, with that little introduction, these are the magnificent streams of saving grace that flow from the well of truth that's in our text here this morning. I want you to see that salvation changed three things in Paul's life. And we can, all of us who know and love Christ, we all identify with this. It's real simple salvation changed his perception, his identity and his character. Notice closely the text verse 16, "Therefore," and here he is referring back to verses 14 and 15. He's just overwhelmed by the love of Christ who bore his sins. The reality that Jesus died for all without distinction, but not all without exception.

Jesus’ atonement was not a potential propitiation, but an actual propitiation for him and for all who trust in Christ. "Therefore," he says, "from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way, no longer." So number one, we see that salvation changed his perception. Notice closely he says, "From now on we recognize." "Recognize "—“oida” in the original language, it means "to know or to perceive." We don't perceive anyone according to the flesh anymore. The flesh referring to sinful humanity, whereby we're blinded by sin and by Satan. You see his conversion changed his ability to discern between that which is true, and that which is false. You might say it gave him a new set of lenses with which to see himself and to see the world and certainly to see Christ. No more seeing things through a hopelessly biased, self-serving, superficial, depraved criteria, as he once did. And you know, what's really ironic here is the false apostles were judging him in that same way that he used to judge Christ and Christians. Really interesting to think about that. But now he saying, he's talking about being recognized according to the flesh. You see, before Paul's conversion--remember, he was saw the self-righteous Pharisee who judged Jesus according to the flesh, and that's why he says, "even though we have known Christ according to the flesh," in other words, that's how I used to see him, through the eyes of my flesh--Paul saw Jesus as a messianic pretender, as a phony, a fraud, an enemy of Judaism, as a blasphemer who deserved to die. In fact, he, along with others, saw his crucifixion as evidence of that very thing. Because the cursed are going to be killed by God, even on a tree. Deuteronomy 21:22, "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree..." And so this is what Paul's thinking about, who Jesus was; as many people today. He hated all who belonged to Christ. In Acts 26 verse nine, and following, he said this, "So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often, in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities." You might say that Paul was a radical Jewish protester of his day. He was the king of cancel culture in his day. And of course, this is typical of unsaved people because they only know Christ according to the flesh. You ask the average person who Jesus is, people who are not in Christ, will not be able to give you an accurate answer. In fact, I read a new survey conducted by LifeWay Research, and released by Ligonier Ministries, that revealed that 52% of Americans, and 30% of Evangelicals say they believe that Jesus was a quote, "good teacher," but he was not God. In another part of the survey, 65% of Evangelicals agreed with the statement, quote, "Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God." Folks, anybody that believes that is unregenerate. You can't be a Christian and believe that. It's like calling yourself a geophysicist and believing that the earth is flat. Jesus repeatedly claimed that he was God. He was, by his own admission, the great "I Am" of the Old Testament, thus bearing the Old Testament, divine name of Yahweh. John 17 five, "Now," Jesus said as he goes to the cross, "glorify Thou Me together with Thy self, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. Repeatedly the apostles spoke of him as "Our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." Indeed, he is the Creator, the one who upholds all things by the Word of his power, the coming King of kings, the judge of the living and the dead and so on and so forth. A man simply cannot be in Christ and deny the deity of Christ.

Well, that was Paul's problem. He was religious, but he wasn't in Christ. But when he was converted, God opened his spiritual eyes. And that's why he says "yet now we know Him in this way, no longer." So salvation changed his perspective, as it does everybody who comes to Christ. His ability to look beyond his own preconceived biases, and ignorance was blown away. He can now see people in Christ through the lens of truth.

But secondly, it changed his identity. And here's where it gets even more exciting. Verse 17. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." I mean, think about it. Saul of Tarsus, as he was called, prior to his conversion, found his identity in being a Christ hating Pharisee. And of course, that determined his character. He was a self-righteous fool. He felt fulfilled, even virtuous, in destroying Christians. But on the road to Damascus, what happened? Suddenly, the Lord of glory revealed himself. And all of a sudden, Paul, the apostle, got a new identity. At that point, he was in Christ, which radically changed everything about him; everything about his character. Now he's a new creature in Christ. And many today find their identity, for example, in being a social justice warrior. They're considered to be the woke, which unfortunately--and I'm gonna say this kindly--t's really a synonym for being deceived. Sadly, Satan has provided other sources of identity that can determine your character. For example, gender identity-- what an amazing thought. You can now choose your sexual orientation. If you don't identify with your biological gender when you were born, you now have, and I did a little research on this, I found anywhere from 56 to 112 variations of gender identity you can choose from. ABC News listed the 56 Facebook genders, I'll give you just a few of them: a-gender, androgynous, bi-gender, cisgender, gender queer, non-binary, trans female, trans male, and on it goes. Of course, it's all absurd. And of course your identity is based upon your desires, they will tell us your attractions. And whenever you're attracted biblically to something that God forbids--"epithumeo," the term that is used is translated "lust." But they will say that your identity is based upon your desires, and that determines your sexual orientation. In fact, the American Psychological Association's definition of sexual orientation is this quote, "Sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual," here it is, "attractions to men, women, or both sexes. Sexual orientation also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors and membership in a community of others who share those attractions." I was reading the other day in the Washington Post. There was an article that caught my eye. It said "Advice to Parents on Raising a Happy and Healthy LGBTQ Child." I’ll just quote one little section. "Parents aren't always aware of their child's sexual or gender identities." By the way, I watched all three children of mine, being born and there was no doubt as to what their gender identity was. "Parents aren't always aware of their child's sexual gender identities, especially when they are young. And their identities are in many ways just emerging. This is why family members should consider that any child might be LGBTQ."

Dear Christian, these people need Christ. That's the only thing that can give them a proper perspective of life, of themselves, of others and certainly of Christ. Now Paul is saying here that everything about him changed when he was placed in Christ, a new identity. The believer’s union with the Lord Jesus Christ is such a precious doctrine. I have written on it, maybe some of you have read one of my books on it. Because indeed, he is our representative. He is our substitute; he is the sacred mediator of all of the blessings of the redeemed. According to one of my esteemed professors, Dr. Richard Mayhew, our union with Christ is, quote, "The source of every spiritual blessing we receive from the Father's election in eternity past to the Son's redemptive life, death, burial and resurrection, all the way to the glorification of the saints with Christ in heaven. And I love the way Charles Spurgeon put it, "There is no joy in this world like union with Christ. The more we can feel it, the happier we are, whatever our circumstances." Think about it, and I think I have this available for you to look at. For we have been "crucified with Christ." Galatians 2:20. We have "died" with him, Romans six, eight, We have been "buried" with him, Romans six, three. We have been "raised up with Him to walk in newness of life," Ephesians, two, five through six. And we have been "seated with Him in the heavenly places," Ephesians two, six.

Dear friends, when we behold the marvel of being in Christ, we find ourselves just adoring God's provision of new life in the Spirit, which is summarized so comprehensively by John Murray. Here's what he said, "Union with Christ has as its source the election of God, the Father, before the foundation of the world, and has its fruition in the glorification of the sons of God. The perspective of God's people is not narrow. It is broad and it is long. It is not confined to space and time; it has the expanse of eternity. Its orbit has two foci: one the electing love of God the Father and the counsels of eternity, the other, glorification with Christ and the manifestation of His glory. The former has no beginning, the latter has no end." And he went on to say, "Why does the believer entertain the thought of God's determinate counsel with such joy? Why can he have patience in the perplexities and adversities of the present? Why can he have confident assurance with reference to the future and rejoice in hope of the glory of God? It is because he cannot think of past, present or future apart from union with Christ." Knowing that we are able to consciously commune with our ever-present Savior, who can sympathize with our weaknesses, who has been tempted at all things even as we are, yet without sin, it's just a reality that boggles my mind, and delights my soul.

And with these truths resonating within our heart, we can better understand Peter's poignant words in First Peter one eight. He said, "Though you have not seen Him you love Him. And though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy, inexpressible full of glory." Dear Child of God, this magnificent mystery, once again, is the foundation of all of our spiritual blessings. And this is what Paul is saying. And that's why your walk with Christ is so important. And when you come to Christ, you're so dramatically changed. Rather than seeing Christ as a means to an end, as many people do, when they hear the Gospel, you suddenly discovered that Christ is the all-sufficient and all, glorious end in and of himself. We are in Christ; he is in us. In fact, Christ is esteemed in such a way that when he describes this, we see him talking about it, even in his high priestly prayer to the Father. Remember, he's preparing to endure the agonies of the cross on your behalf and mine. And he says this, he prayed, "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and the loved them, even as You have loved Me." John 17:21 and following.

You see, it is impossible to fathom the gulf that exists between our holy God, our Creator, and his sinful creatures. For the Son of God to purchase our redemption; to be willing to marry such a wretched bride, is just unfathomable. It's like he looks, and he sees me and says, yeah, there is a rebellious, mean, selfish and submissive, ugly one. I want to marry that one. That's what he did. There was no merit in me. There was no merit in any of you. It's the glory of the gospel. It's amazing. Nevertheless, the intended unity that we have with him was decreed before the foundation of the world and it was this very unity that occupied the heart of the Lord on the eve of his crucifixion. It's just amazing to me to think about it. And that this is recorded in Scripture, a certain proof that He wants us all to apprehend, accurately; the nature of this mystical union, and all that it means to the redeemed. Again, it was his desire for his bridal church to relish the profound implications of this everlasting marriage. That she might enjoy the staggering benefits of what it means to be in Christ. This is at the heart of Paul's doxology recorded in Ephesians, one, three, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." That little preposition "in", "in Christ" signifies the deep wonder of Christ being more than just with us, more than existing outside of us, but rather he is one who is in us, and we are in him. One who is more than just our Sovereign King and our risen Savior, our Lord and Master, our teacher, and friend, and so forth; although he is all of those things. But to be in Christ is not some mystical form of pantheism whereby we are absorbed into the wholeness, which is God. It's not at all what Scripture teaches. Nor is it a physical union taught as some of the Sacramentarians would teach where Christ somehow enters men physically when they participate in some rite or ceremony, like Roman Catholic, transubstantiation, or whatever. Nor is it a union of essence, where somehow, we lose our humanity and become one with God and absorbed in Christ. I've heard those things before. But rather dear friends, to be in Christ is an expression of inter-connectedness, whereby we share a common spiritual life with him. For "we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God," right? Colossians three, three. He is "our life”, Colossians three, four. And he "lives" in us Galatians 2:20.

Scripture reveals some amazing truths about this nature. I've summarized them for you, so that you can look at quickly as we move along here. Union with Christ is a supernatural union authored by God. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." John 14:23. But it's not only a supernatural union, it is a vital union by which Christ becomes our very life. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

But it is also an organic union, in that with Christ, believers form one body, the church, and we respond to Christ as the head. Colossians 1:18, "He is the head of the body, the church."

It is also a spiritual union in that Christ dwells within us, by the Spirit, who is the "Spirit of Christ", First Peter 1:11. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body... and we were all made to drink of one Spirit," First Corinthians 12:13.

But also, and this is very important, it is a legal union; in that Christ is our representative head who has made us the beneficiary of his substitutionary work of salvation, Romans five eighteen, "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. Whereas through the one's disobedience, the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One, the many will be made righteous."

Ah, but dear friends, it is also a mysterious union, in that it has no analogy in human experience. Colossians 1:27, "God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." And finally, it is an everlasting union that can never be severed. Romans 8:38 and following, "For I am convinced," Paul says, "that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." And as we look at Scripture, we see various figures that the Spirit of God uses to help us grasp this unfathomable mystery. We are "married to Christ," Romans seven four. We are to Christ as a bride is to the bridegroom, Ephesians 5:22 and following. We are "branches of the true vine," John 15, one through 11. We partake of Jesus, the "true bread of heaven," John 6:51. We are" the body" and Jesus is ""the head Ephesians 1:22 and following. We are a spiritual building, quote, "joined together and growing into a holy temple in the Lord," Ephesians 2:21.

Folks, the implications of these descriptions are staggering. Not only with respect to how they relate to the doctrine of salvation, but with respect to how they cause us to live out this union, in our everyday life; in our gospel proclamation, in our worship, in our service, and all of our relationships with other believers. And even the unsaved world. And I stand in awe when I reflect upon the glorious reality that the Christ came to this earth not only to pay the penalty for my sin, but also to establish an intimate, eternal union with me, where I become one with him. My head blows up. I trust you share my amazement, as well as my eternal gratitude, for what Christ has done. You see, folks, this is my identity, I hope it is yours. I am in Christ--that's changed everything.

It changed Paul's perception, his identity and finally his character, verse 17. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." The little adjective "new"--"kainos" in the original language, means "unseen," "of a kind not seen before," is the idea. It's new in quality, not in sequence. This is the miracle of the new birth. This is the miracle of regeneration. "Palingenesia", we're born again. It is that instantaneous, supernatural impartation of spiritual life to the spiritually dead, where he causes us to raise from death unto eternal life. A miracle that is beyond our comprehension. So what Paul was speaking of here is a radical departure from his whole life, a dramatic change has taken place between his "pre" versus "post" conversion experience. There is a total restructuring of who he is. All of the biased, selfish, ignorant, sinful perspectives, of ourselves, goes away when we are in Christ. All of our biased perspectives of the world and other people, all changed. David Garland said it this way, "The new heaven and new earth and the complete transformation of believers remain a future hope. But for Christians, they are so certain to be fulfilled, that their lives are controlled by this new reality that still awaits consummation for individuals to become a part of this new creation. They must choose to be in Christ."

Beloved, you must understand that what validates true saving faith is a changed life. Not some profession, not some prayer, not some ritual that you did once upon a time when you were sprinkled or baptized or whatever it was that happened. But a changed life. As I say, "you say you're an apple tree, let's see the apples", right? If you're a new creature in Christ, the old things pass away the new things come. At the moment of our new birth we are made new creatures. And that sets into motion, this process of sanctification, whereby the Holy Spirit that dwells within us gradually conforms us into the likeness of Christ. Jesus said in John 3:64, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and what and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." You see the life of a Christian, someone who is in Christ, is characterized by being able to overcome the wicked influences of this fallen world system. It includes a newfound hatred for the things that we once loved, and a love for the things that we once hated. All of you who know Christ can identify with this and tell your stories. The Spirit plants within us new desires, new loves, new passions, new inclinations, new beliefs, new values, so that we manifest the fruits of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, as we read in Galatians, five. Moreover, with the disposition of the soul so radically changed, what's fascinating is God's desires become our desires, Psalm 37:4. He causes us, as Paul said, in Romans 6:17, to "become obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which we were committed." For indeed, "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness, is born of Him," First, John 2:29.

Well, dear friends, does this describe the longing of your heart? Does this describe the essence of your character, the trajectory of your life? Or are you merely, as so many are, a cultural Christian? A Christian in name only, going with the flow. You don't really find your identity in Christ; you find it in all the other things that are out there in this world that is passing away.

I want to close with a quote from Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher. He said this about 150 years ago in London. It spoke to my heart I hope it will to yours as well. He said this, "But what is it to be born again?" In other words, to become a new creature in Christ? "Well, I've already said that I cannot tell you how the Spirit of God operates upon the unregenerate making them to be new creatures in Christ Jesus. I know that He usually operates through the Word, through the proclamation of the truth of the gospel. So far as we know, He works upon the mind according to the laws of mind by first illuminating the understanding. He then controls the judgment, influences the will and changes the affections. But over and above all that we can describe, there is a marvelous power which He exerts, which must remain among the inscrutable mysteries of this finite state, even if we can never comprehend it. By this power, such a wonderous effect is produced, that a man becomes a new man, as much as if he had returned to his native nothingness and had been born again in an altogether higher sphere. The new nature is created within him. Although the old nature is not entirely eradicated, it will ultimately be destroyed, but it is not destroyed at first. Yet a new nature is born within the man, A nature which hates what the old nature loved, and loves what the old nature hated. A new nature, which is akin to the nature of God." Dear friends, you're either in Christ or you are separated from him. And I plead with you as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ that if you're outside of Christ, and you feel that conviction, you simply must come to Christ in repented faith. Because unless you repent, and trust in Christ as your Savior, you will remain separated from him forever. You say, "Well, I don't believe in those things." I'm sure you don't, and you won't believe it until you humble yourself and when you become placed in Christ, you will see it in ways you never have before. You may think it's all fine now to be outside of Christ. And it's no big deal. But it won't be that fine in that day when Christ casts you into hell and banishes you forever, from the blessings of the kingdom of God. So I plead with you come to Christ, and watch what he will do in your life, both now and for eternity.

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for the eternal truths of your word that speaks so directly to our hearts. I can only pray that your word will soften hearts. Even here today. We know that it will either soften or harden and that's up to your sovereign purposes. But Father, you have asked us to pray, you have asked us to repent. And that's what we do this day. Take your word, make it powerful. Change even the lives of the redeem that we might walk more in fellowship with you. That others might see the transformation that you have wrought within our souls by the power of your Spirit. For it's in Jesus name that I pray. Amen.