2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Have you ever wanted another chance in life? Probably most of us may have wanted another chance at some things that we have done in life. There may be some people who say that they have absolutely no regrets in life. That type thought could come from a humanistic viewpoint.
But from God’s point of view we all needed a new opportunity at life. Because from God ‘s point of view as the Bible tells us we were all born sinners: Ro 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That means that even the most respectful person that any of us has ever known has at some point sinned in word, thought, or deed. The Bible tells us that there is a penalty for that, but that there is also a gift that can remove the penalty from us and give us eternal life: Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV) There is good news! We can be forgiven and live with Jesus Christ in eternal glory forever and ever.
There is more good news! Eternal life begins the moment that we repent of our sins and put our faith in Him to save us from our sins. So not only are we forgiven of our sins, but as forgiven Holy Spirit indwelt children of God we can begin to be free from the power that sin has had over our lives.
We get a new identity. This identity is much better than the new identity that people get when they are in the Federal Protection Program. Their identity could be discovered and their enemies still find them out and do harm to them. With our new identity God is has got our back and He is protecting us from the demonic forces that would try to destroy us.
Our identity is no longer what is was when we were living in sin. Our identity does not have to be in some addiction we may have had, or are in the process of God delivering us from it. Our identity does not have to be associated with some sinful behavior that we have been involved in that is contrary to the word of God. We no longer have to be controlled by that sinful behavior. The Apostle Paul says it like this in “Ro 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
The other day as I was talking to a group of students about the atrociousness and cruelty of human slavery, I made a statement. I said that I did not want to be a slave to anyone. Immediately the Holy Spirit corrected me. There is One that I want to be a slave to. His Name is Jesus Christ. Because in being His slave we find true freedom. Paul says it like this in Ro 6:16 -18,22. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Today you may read this and you may be finding your identity in some type of sinful behavior. You may be getting pleasure out of it for a while. The Bible says that there is pleasure in sin for a season. God wants to give you a new identity. For some of us whom God has brought out of lifestyles of sin may we continually praise Him and thank Him for Him rescuing us from the bondage that we were in.
This morning as I was laying in bed praying these lines from one of my favorite Hymns O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing by Charles Wesley came to me:
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
Not only as a new creation in Christ Jesus does, He cancel and forgive our sin, but He delivers us from the power that sin has over our lives and sets us free from the desire to go back to it. Give Him Glory!
Let us Pray
Lord we thank You for the mercy that You have shown us when we came to You by faith in Your precious shed blood. Today continually by the power of the Holy Spirit take all desire away to go back to those old lifestyles and help us to move forward from glory to glory.
In Jesus Name
Amen
God bless you all!
Your Friend/Kinfolk
Preston
Real Party Ministry 