Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Lesson 119 The New Creation

     2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether) the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
     The "fresh and new" isn't something that has been held back for another time, but has now already come.  When we received Jesus as our Savior, the new creation was instantly born from above.  We've spent many days and years trying to become what the Father has already done.  We don't need to try becoming a new creation, you are already a new creation.  Now, we study the Word of God to discover what the new creation was born to do.
     2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) says, "So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ's personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."  As ambassadors of Christ, we are sent forth from the Kingdom of God into a foreign country, to reveal the new Kingdom to those who are outside of this realm.  This Kingdom has resources and privileges that the earthly kingdom cannot offer to the people.
     As personal representatives of Christ, we're not only to show the world a different religion, but Life itself.  In John 10:10 Jesus didn't say that He would show the people a different way to live, but He said that without Him, they couldn't and didn't live at all.  These people were eating, drinking, building home and raising families, but they were not alive.  They had no concept of "spiritual death" and had no idea of what He was saying.  For much of today's Church, we still have no concept of what Jesus was saying.  It's true that sin brought death, but this death was separation from God Who is Life.  The flesh still had life, because we were created by God as spirit beings and spirit beings are eternal.  It wasn't that the spirit wouldn't live forever, but where it would live, according to Revelations 20:14-15 (Amplified) which says, "Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire.  This lake of fire is the second death.  Verse 15  goes on, "And if anyone's (name) was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the Lake of Fire."
     This isn't just a source of punishment.  For those who didn't have their names in the Book of Life, they were already dead before the judgment.  These were those who rejected the offer of Life and decided to remain children of transgression.  Their father is the devil, he is transgression itself.
     Since spirit beings are already eternal beings, not confining these outlaw spirits from the new heaven and new earth, would be equivalent to opening all of our prisons and setting all of the prisoners free into society.
     If you can imagine the results of releasing satan and his works into the new heaven and earth, then what would be different in the future from what it is now?  Would Jesus have to come and die again and again pay for perpetual sin?  Hebrews 10:26-27 (Amplified) says, "For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for (our) sins (no further offering to which to look forward) (There is nothing left for us then) but a kind of awful and fearful prospect and expectation of divine judgment and the fury of burning wrath and indignation which will consume those who put themselves in opposition (to God)."
     The above scripture speaks about those who put themselves in opposition to God.  We all have God's grace operating for us to bring us to the place of salvation, but if we deliberately set ourselves to oppose God, then we have counted Jesus' sacrifice as nothing and have made a mockery of the price grace paid for our deliverance.  There is nothing left to pay for spiritual separation from God and we would remain in this eternal place of separation from Him forever.
     There would have been no need for Jesus to come at all, if God simply put all who opposed Him back into His new kingdom, to start over again with this demonic realm of rebellion.  Satan would recruit more of the rebels to overthrow God and His Kingdom.  And, the rebellion in the Garden of Eden would be put on a loop, over and over again throughout eternity.
     Many believe that a Just and Righteous Judge wouldn't sentence mankind into such a place, but God has done above and beyond everything that is possible to prevent this judgment.  We will all have to choose whether to say, "I need You, God" or "I don't accept Your Son or Your forgiveness" or say, "We don't want You, God."  Choosing "death and cursing" is the most ignorant decision one could possibly make, but there are those who will choose these things.  God doesn't make this choice for man, but allows man to choose for himself.
     God set the choice before all of mankind in Deuteronomy 30:11-14,19-20, that continues today.  The things God spoke about in Verses 11-14 are the same things recorded about salvation in Romans 10:8-10.  God said in Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (Amplified), "For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off. For it is not (a secret laid up) in Heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to Heaven and bring it to us that we may hear and do it. Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it? But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in mind and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil."
     God goes on in Verses 19-20 saying, "I call Heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curses; therefore choose Life, that you and your descendants may live and love the Lord your God, obey His Voice, and cling to Him, For He is your Life and the Length of your days."
     If we do not choose Life, then the only thing remaining is death and cursing for now and hereafter.  This is the choice that each person must make on a personal level.  When we choose to receive the Gift of Jesus Christ, we choose Life and God, Who became our Father again.  When we choose Jesus, we are instantly born-again and become new creations.  In this new creation, we have chosen to walk in Life and blessing.  This is the choice we all must make on this side of natural death.  When we choose Jesus, we also choose Life and blessing.  The blessing goes with the choice.
     Throughout the years, many have been taught that things happening to the new creation people are from God and not from the Curse.  This isn't true, but satan uses this deception to try controlling the new creation.  I suppose that we still have the right to choose what we will receive or reject, even after we are born-again.  Many have erroneously chosen the curse of sickness, poverty and despair, believing God was putting these things on them for a purpose.  This is the believer's responsibility to accept or reject.  God gave us the right to choose and He will respect our choice.  The "Word is still near us, in our heart and our mouth to choose as we will."  If this is your choice, then understand that in these Last Days, those who reject salvation were granted the same choice and have chosen what they have. 
    

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