INTRODUCTION

Have you ever watched someone making something from scratch? Maybe you’ve seen someone make a sculpture out of ice or sand—or butter! You could have witnessed a piece of ugly metal be turned into an incredibly useful tool after it was in the hands of a talented welder. In all these situations, there is one driving theme: you were blown away by what you saw. Witnessing something that looks useless turned into something new or useful is an incredible thing. That’s exactly what Jesus does with humanity. When He saves us, He doesn’t just rehabilitate us, we are recreated! 

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

There are two Gifts I want you to take advantage of this year. 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE NEW LIFE IN JESUS.

Salvation and this new life come only through Jesus Christ. People who have accepted the free gift of salvation in Christ have been redeemed and regenerated. They have no choice but to live for Jesus. In fact in our focal verse, the Apostle Paul explains it like this. 

The old has passed away

• These people are no longer living for themselves, but for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15) And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised. 
• This means that old priorities, old beliefs, old loves, and old plans are gone. Evil and sin literally no longer control a person who is born-again. 
• Unfortunately evil and sin are still present in the world around the Christian, but now they see these things in a new perspective. 
• When Paul was converted, his top priority was to meet people's spiritual needs (Romans 10:1) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation! He no longer judged people according to worldly standards (2 Corinthians 10:3) For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, 

The new has come

• In the original Greek the "have come" tells us that this process of the new life is a continuing condition. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that creates divine life in believers (Romans 8:8-10) Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
• So, this new perspective the believer has is constantly with him. He is living considering eternity. He no longer thinks in and of the temporary things of the world.
• (James 2:14-25) James says the transformation that has taken place will produce good works (Ephesians 2:10) For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. 
• Believers no longer judge others by the system of the world but through the eyes of faith (2 Corinthians 5:16).

We who have been born-again have been Redeemed and Regenerated! We have no choice but to live for Jesus. The Holy Spirit that is living in us is constantly testifying about Christ and giving us Christ's perspective of the world. Everything in our lives must change. Our priorities, our beliefs and what we love change. His plans become our plans. We are not reformed, reeducated, or rehabilitated. We are recreated! 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GIFT OF GROWING IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE

When faced with a decision, most people want to hear from God. The truth is that a lot of people mistakenly believe they are hearing God’s voice, saying they are being led by God, when in fact, they are merely following their own thoughts and desires. But the primary way that God speaks to us today is through His revealed, written Word. Most of the will of God for our lives is already fully revealed in the Bible, and we simply must obey it. If we want to hear God’s voice, the Bible is where we should look. All Scripture is the will of God.

Did you know that you can have chocolate in milk and yet not have a glass of chocolate milk? Let’s compare a glass of milk to a person and the chocolate to the Spirit given to that person when they receive Christ as their Savior. If you pour the chocolate in the milk and let it set, the chocolate stays on the bottom. Just like a person is given the indwelling of the Spirit when they received Christ and are justified before God. Now take that same milk with the chocolate at the bottom and stir it. The milk and chocolate blend together and you have chocolate milk that tastes delicious. The stirring is the believer allowing the Holy Spirit to change and transform their soul. Through prayer, reading Scripture, confession of sin, and many spiritual disciplines spiritual transformation occurs.