A day and when we're beginning a week of gospel meetings, wherein we're going to seek to exalt our lovely Savior in such a way that the Spirit of God is pleased to draw sinners to himself in mighty saving power. Now, it's up to you to do the work. when I say that I don't know of a family today that doesn't have unsaved relatives and friends and the only way they're going to be saved is through the God ordained means of salvation faith cometh by hearing hearing by the word of God so let us be in prayer and let us ask God to bless now I learned something last Sunday. I learned who somebody was. I often wondered who they were. I didn't find out until last Sunday. Now there's a reason for that. I usually stay right here near the front after a meeting. And I miss a lot of people who come to the meeting and leave. Now the purpose for my staying right here is if I'm expecting God to meet with sinners. And my purpose is that if they want to have a chat, they want to sit down and talk about being saved with an open Bible, they know where to find me. And that's the purpose of my staying right here near the front. I'm convinced that salvation is of the Lord, but I also know that when the Spirit of God and the Word of God are working on a soul, they may want to speak with someone and I try to make myself available and conspicuous so they don't have to search for me in a crowd and I don't mean to take ten years to learn to know who somebody is but it's one of those facts of life this morning I would like you to turn with me to second Corinthians chapter five second Corinthians chapter five And we want to begin our reading at verse seventeen. In fact, it is verse seventeen that we want to dwell upon this morning in our thinking concerning the saving union that transforms a sinner into a saint that brings him in vital relationship to the living God. We read, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and have committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now let us pray. Loving Father, as we open thy precious word, and as we now multiply words upon the sacred scriptures, oh, we pray that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart will be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer, hear us in this hour, and minister to our souls. For Jesus' sake. Amen. William Shakespeare wrote a number of plays, and we And just about everyone who has done much reading of literature has read some of William Shakespeare's works. And one of his great plays that he wrote, in fact the one I like the most, is The Merchant of Venice. And in The Merchant of Venice there is that scene where three suitors are going to try to win the hand of Portia. And there are three caskets. One is lead, one is silver, and one is gold. And as one person chooses the gold casket, the words are written on the inside. All that glitters is not gold. How often have you heard that expression? All that glitters is not gold. Our text here this morning, verse seventeen says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. This, beloved, is genuine reality. But there's much that passes for gold today in Christianity that he's not gold at all. All that glitters is not gold. The little boy was playing baseball. And who doesn't enjoy playing baseball? And he was playing the outfield, and somebody was up at Patton. They knocked the ball out over his head, and he was running for it. And the ball landed in the weeds, and he was out in the weeds looking for the baseball, and he saw another ball there. and it was yellow, bright, but it wasn't as big as a baseball, and he grabbed it, he held it in his hand. He said, I found some gold. I got gold. He forgot about the ball game, and he ran home to his mother. He says, Mother, I found a ball of gold. Here's a real thing. Take a look at it. And his mother was peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink. She didn't pay much attention to him. He said, Mom, you always told me gold was one of the heavy metals. Feel this. Look how heavy it is. Mother were rich. I found it this morning. And after his mother finished, she said, Now bring that ball of gold to me, son. and she brought he brought it to her and she took a paring knife and she just cut a piece of it off he said you see son all that glitters is not gold this is just a piece of lead painted with gold color and much today beloved in christianity that passes for the genuine thing is nothing more than the lead that's covered over with gold. But our text here is speaking of true gold. It says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. This verse here declares what the genuine believer possesses. And it teaches us that we need to realize where our genuine treasure is. Oh, let me ask you, do you have the real thing? Are you real? Do you have the real thing? Now, this passage is so clear. There's nothing in this passage that's hard to understand. This passage is a clear declaration of facts. It says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. This is our clear text. So we want to examine what the Apostle is saying. For the Apostle is speaking of a genuine saving union. He is speaking of the reality of a soul being united eternally to Jesus Christ. And that's what genuine Christianity is about. That's what the new birth is all about. It is a soul being united eternally to Jesus Christ. Now, first of all, we want to consider the object. of this saving union the object of this saving union and the object is Christ did you notice it says if any man be in Christ he is a new creation the object of our saving union is our Lord Jesus Christ in Colossians chapter one verse nineteen we read it pleased the Father that in him all fullness should dwell in Colossians two verses nine and ten we read in him in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and ye are complete in him the object of our saving union is a person of our Lord Jesus Christ a number of years ago We had a couple in our meeting in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They had a boy. This couple were Mennonites. They were former Mennonites. And he attended a Bible class, and we got to be great friends. And Mrs. Hess died. And the little boy, he was about twelve years of age when his mother died. She was the most versatile woman I ever knew, I believe. there wasn't anything she couldn't do could she cook and could she so and on the farm she could do anything but she died of cancer at the age of thirty four and I remember when Dick became about sixteen years of age he was coming along in spiritual things and I was going to be speaking at a watch night service in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. And I remember talking with Dick going out to Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was the father of the superhighways in the United States, that Pennsylvania Turnpike. And as we were driving out to Turnpike on New Year's Eve, Dick had neighbors. and these neighbors were beginning to have an influence on Dick and he said to me he said brother he said I want all that God has for me now isn't that a great statement I have I want all that God has for me and of course what he had in mind was a charismatic experience you see Now how would you answer? What would you say to a man who said something like that? And I'd flip the light on in the car immediately, and I said, Dick, I have a verse for you. I want you to read it to me. And I said, I want you to read Colossians chapter two, verses nine and ten. It says, In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete. in him complete where in an experience no we are complete in Christ it pleased God that all fullness should dwell in Christ and our text here in two Corinthians five seventeen says therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation it pleased God that everything centers in Christ not in an experience not in our feelings but in a person the person of Christ in John chapter one in verse sixteen John when he wrote his gospel account in the prologue he said of his fullness have all we received and grace upon grace it is of him the object is always Christ. And this speaks, beloved, of the spiritual union that exists between the person who is saved and our blessed Lord. You see, this text here declares unto us that we no longer know Christ after the flesh, and that you have in the previous verse. verse sixteen says therefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more he's telling us that the object of our saving union beloved is not the church the object of our saving union is not other believers what other believers say what other believers think what other believers do The object is Christ. The object of our saving union is not baptism. It is not the Lord's Supper. It is Christ. The object of our saving union, beloved, is not our faith. There are a lot of Christians that are trusting their faith rather than the person of Christ. The object is Christ. Christ is the one. For God has caused everything to center in Christ. It's in him. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. The object of our saving union. is not our experience it is not our faith it is not our works it is not the church it is Christ if any man be in Christ he is a new creation old things are passed away behold all things are become new now that brings us to the nature of this saving union beloved if you and I are linked eternally to our Lord Jesus Christ what is the nature of it the nature of it is found in that little word in if any man be in Christ he is a new creation for you're either in or you're out and you're not both places You're either in or out. And by the way, when you go through the New Testament, there isn't a one man who can put you in Christ. No matter how great he is, no man can put us in Christ. There's no preacher that can put us in Christ. There isn't an ordinance that can put us in Christ. The Lord's Supper or baptism or any other invention, a man can't put us in Christ. And yet, you see, the nature of this saving union, it is in Christ. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one. We want to notice just that little word in in a few verses. Ephesians one is so important. Notice verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Our blessings as believers are centered where? In Christ. They're in Christ. Verse four, according as he hath chosen us in him, in him, when before the foundation of the world. In other words, verse four teaches me that God is going to have a people with him in glory. and these people whom God is going to have with him in glory were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. This blessed doctrine, hated by many, but taught in Scripture becomes a foundation for genuine evangelism worldwide. let me give you an illustration the late dr donald gray barnhouse was visiting the mission fields he came to a mission station where they had seen the rich blessing of the lord and on this station they had seen soul saved their work expanded and was blessed of god he came to another mission station and the people had were very despondent. They had labored there for eighteen years, faithfully proclaiming the gospel, and hadn't seen one soul saved. They hadn't seen anybody saved. And they said to Dr. Barnas, yes, You came from a place of blessing, but now you've come to a place of death. And Barnhas looked this couple in the eye and he said to them, After you've been in heaven for ten thousand years, will you meet one person there who was not chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world? They said, no, you won't meet a person there who was not chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. He says, and God knows of the hardness of the hearts of these to whom you've ministered. Yes, he knows all about it. He said, and if God is pleased to bring blessing over there and not here, remember, The nature of saving union is that we are in Christ. We are blessed in Christ. Verse three. Verse four, we are chosen in Christ. Verse five, says, Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved. It is only in Christ that we are accepted. God will accept us no other way. If you're going to be savingly united to God, it must be in Christ. The nature of this saving union is in Christ it is in Christ that we're blessed it is in Christ that we're chosen it is in Christ that we are accepted and verse seven says in whom in Christ we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins so it is in Christ now beloved Only God can put a man in Christ. God has shut us up to one thing, grace. You can't put anybody in Christ. I can't put anybody in Christ. Only God can. And the nice part about it. He uses the gospel of saving grace to do it. And therefore, beloved, if all things are in Christ, if I have Christ, then I have all things. My works, my efforts could never produce this saving union. God has done it. You see, and in that passage that we read this morning, we saw how God does it. for it is God who made Christ to be sin for us, he who knew no sin. Man couldn't do that either. It was God who did it. It is God who made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and that's that saving union which we so desperately need only God can do it the object of this saving union is Christ the nature of this saving union is in we're in Christ and you're either in or you're out the third thing I want you to notice the effect of this saving union did you notice our text it says therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation a new creation emphasis on the word creation this is the effect now the concept here in second Corinthians five is that of creation now what do you think about when you think about creation I'll tell you what I think about making something out of nothing. That's what creation is. In creation God makes something out of nothing. And the Word of God says, we brought nothing into the world. When you came, you didn't come with anything. You came with nothing. We brought nothing into the world. Another text says, If a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Another text says, The flesh profiteth nothing. Another text says, Without me ye can do nothing. nothing another text says a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above and the final text says it is certain we can carry nothing out we came with nothing we leave with nothing and out of nothing God makes something by a saving union with Jesus Christ. And beloved, the effect of this saving union is a new creation. In Ephesians chapter two, verse ten, a verse that everybody can quote, it says, We are His workmanship created In Christ Jesus. And that word created carries with it the thought of creation. His workmanship. Created. James one eighteen says of his own will. Begaddy us with a word of truth. That we should be a kind of first fruits of his creation. His creation. Now how does God do it? How did God create in the first place? When I open my Bible, I'm introduced to the Creator. It says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then it says, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. That's the old creation. knife the object is Christ if the nature is in and if the effect is a new creation how does God do it how does God do it turned with me to second Corinthians chapter four well we were in chapter five weren't we just look back at chapter four and we begin our reading at verse three Second Corinthians, chapter four, verse three. In verses three and four, we have the extent of Satan's domain. It says, But if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the God of this age hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of a glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine in unto them. Here we learn that if our gospel is hidden, it's hidden to the lost. And Satan has so controlled the lost and he controls the lost that it's impossible for you and me to get the light in. We can't get the light in. This is why I beg you to pray. If a light is ever going to get into a darkened heart, God has to do it. God has to do it. Notice the next verses. How does God create? We read in verse five, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake, for God. Oh, when we preach Christ, and the object of saving union is not man and not his devices or his gimmicks, it is God, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts. In the first creation there was darkness upon the face of the deep. There was chaos. And what did God do? God said, let there be light, and there was light. And beloved in the new creation, in the new creation, as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, God says, let there be light. Let the light shine in the darkened hearts. For it says, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shone in our hearts. to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Again we're brought back to the object. It is shining, beloved, in the face of Jesus Christ. That one whom we learned in the Sunday School lesson this morning, man said, He is worthless. We'd only give the price of a slave thirty pieces of silver. And when he... Christ died on the cross and he was buried man said he isn't fit to live kill him and bury him but God reversed the verdict he raised him from the dead and God has caused all to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ notice verse five again it says we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake. Do you know what it is to preach yourself? You know what it is to preach yourself? I remember being at a banquet one night. It was a church banquet. And one of the young men from that church came in. He was dressed like a bum, and he looked like one. He looked like one. And a number of the women ran over and just hugged him and kissed him. Another brother nudged me and he said, We preach not ourselves. That's what I was preaching himself. We preach not ourselves. The object is Christ. The nature is in. the result the effect is a new creation you see I'm not interested in fools gold I'm not interested in a ball of lead that's just painted over on the outside unless the light of the gospel gets onto the inside whereby a new creation is produced, you don't have the real thing. For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Now that brings us to the fruit of the saving union. When a person is savingly united to our Lord Jesus Christ, it bears fruit. It bears fruit. There is fruit in the new creation. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. Let me ask you a question. What made the old creation old? What made the old covenant, the old covenant, the introduction of the new? And when the new covenant was introduced, the old had to leave, the coming of the new. And you see, our old view of Christ is gone. When a person is a new creation in Christ Jesus, he doesn't have the old view of Christ. He has a New Testament view of Christ. Paul says, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. We no more know Christ after the flesh. We don't go back to Bethlehem and worship a baby in a manger. We know not Christ after the flesh. We don't go and try to worship Him in His miracles. But God has highly exalted Christ. And beloved, the fruit in the life of the child of God doesn't flow from the cross. It flows from the throne. from the throne of heaven where God has highly exalted him and seated him in the heavenlies in Christ. It flows from the throne. Romans chapter five, verse ten says, For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we are saved by his life, his life before God. God has highly exalted him. He's exalted the heavens highest throne. And by the way, the fruit of this saving union, the old is gone. Notice verse sixteen of chapter four. Chapter four, verse sixteen, speaking of us, it says, For which cause we faint not. But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. You see, this saving union is a new creation. It is the creation of a new man, Christ Jesus the Lord, within the child of God. And the new man is renewed day by day. The outward man, that man that you see is perishing. He's perishing. And all you need to do is live a few years and then look in the mirror. And you see that the outward man is perishing, but the inward man, the real you, that new man in Christ, should be being renewed day by day. Verse seventeen, he says, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us, a far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory while we look, not at the things which are seen. but the things which are not seen. For that which is seen is temporal. That which is seen is transitory. That which is seen is going to pass away. But that which is not seen is eternal. And beloved, in preaching the gospel, we're dealing with that which is not seen. That saving union with Christ. Now, when we consider the fruit of this saving union, the old has passed away. Why, because of the introduction of the new, and the new remains. And those who are savingly united to Christ, they live in the joy of the new covenant. Do you ever consider the new covenant? If I were to have a quiz among those of you who say you're saved this morning, and I said to you, stand on your feet and give me three things that the New Covenant contains, what would you say? Give me three things that the New Covenant contains. For to me, this is what is, you see, when you say old things are passed away, all things have become new. Well, you see, I still have to brush my teeth every morning. I did that before I was saved. I still have to put gasoline in the car if I'm going to drive it. I still have to put oil in the car. I still have to eat. What has really passed away? What has really become new in your life? Our text here says, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. I'll tell you three new things real quickly, and I'm not going to expound them long. Number one, the law of God is now written in the heart. Oh, there's an inner delight in the law of God. God says... this new covenant I will make with you, I will put my laws into their heart and in their mind will I write them. One of the ways I know that I'm genuine gold, that I have this saving union, the law of God is in the heart and a desire to obey His law. I will put my laws in their heart and in their minds will I write them. that's number one the newest come beloved number two they shall not teach every man know the Lord for everyone shall know me and beloved there's a genuine knowledge of the Lord now the Lord has given us a knowledge of himself so that we rejoice in Christ Jesus and finally that number three We enjoy the forgiveness of sins, for the Scripture says, Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more forever. Does God forget? No. God doesn't forget. God is God. God can't forget. Does God know all my old sins? Yes. He knows every one of them. God does not forget. Our text says He has chosen not to remember. Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. he won't remember them he takes a negative position God is God beloved but God who is holy and righteous and just he has chosen not to remember the sins of those that he laid on Christ and were dealt with at the cross our text therefore if any man be in Christ. He is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Are you enjoying this saving union? Are you real? Or are you just a piece of lead painted over? but do you have the reality of Christ within? Oh, my friend, if you're here without Christ, won't you turn to him today? It is he who commands you to repent. It is he who says, come unto me. He's the only one who can create. He's the only one who can make something out of nothing. And a word of God says you're nothing. So why not come to him and let him make something out of nothing? No one else can. And we have the promise that if any man be in Christ, he is something. He's a new creation. And there's no glory to be given to man for God does it all. and it's by a relationship with Jesus Christ I think we should sing one stanza of a hymn two hundred fifty six the third stanza let's stand together and sing this as Bobby leads us two hundred fifty six the third stanza that says my sin oh the bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to his cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Oh my soul, oh my friend, is this yours? This is reality. And the saving union is real. May God make it real to you. Let's stand together and sing. My sin, O the bliss of this glorious song, My sin, not in part but the whole. is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. I trust, my friend, it is well with your soul because your soul is savingly united. to Jesus Christ. Now let's pray. Loving Father, we commend to thee the word of God and we graciously ask you to cause each in this room today to examine their own heart. Am I pure gold or am I just painted over for all the glitters is not gold. Graciously, our Father, use thy word to search our hearts and bring us back tonight, ready to again approach thy holy throne. We beseech thee, O God, work in our midst, in examination and in graciously saving And now we commend to thee, these people. As we go our separate ways, we pray that you will accompany us with conviction or comfort according to our need. For Jesus' sake, amen.