Saturday, February 9, 2019

A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST



We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” If anyone is in Christ then he is not a sinner any more. He does not practice sin, he is a saint. He does not do the same things that he used to do, he does not go the same places and he does not have the same worldly friends any more.
We read further in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. “14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?15Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
  “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18“And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.
If you are born again and baptized in water you will be different from what you were before. We read in Galatians 3:27 “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-7 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for he who has died is freed from sin.”
We must remain in Christ to bear fruit, us in Him and Him in us, in our mind, in our thoughts, in our heart, in our plans. Without  Jesus we can do nothing. Jesus said:”1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. “4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Many believers were once born again, they were grafted into the True Vine, Jesus Christ but they are not bearing fruit, because they did not stay in Jesus. They did not stay with Him, did not follow and obey Him. They are not in Christ. They are in sin and in disobedience. They are in the world, running after the pleasures of sin and after their own desires. They are close to being cut off and burned. If they do not repent and turn from their evil ways, they will be taken out and end up in hell. The message in Revelation 3:1 speaks to them:” ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I HAVE NOT FOUND YOUR DEEDS COMPLETED in the sight of My God. 3‘Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. 5‘He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. 6‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Dear friend, are you still IN CHRIST? Are your deeds complete? Is Jesus pleased with your fruit? Are you following Jesus in holiness and obedience? Is your name still in the book of life or is it in danger of being erased? Repent, and return to Jesus and bear good fruit, before it is too late.
May Jesus bless you.

3 comments:

  1. Hi brother I know you are a true follower of Christ. Is it okay to attend a church like time square church by pastor David Wilkerson?

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  2. Pray and ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to do, dear friend.

    ReplyDelete