Amen. Thank you for tuning in our Sunday School lesson and our series, New Beginning. Here, as we continue on at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, we've been talking about our sinful condition before salvation and how that each and every one of us as we go through life, that we make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. There's never been more important decision than to make that decision as well. And so each and every one of us, as we go through life today, we talked about understanding God's salvation. And because we're born sinners, we're already condemned and under God's judgment. And if we refuse the son of God, Jesus Christ, our punishment as sinners is hell. And our religious works, offerings and church attendance and baptism or any other good deeds cannot change our sinful condition before God, because God displays his love by sending his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Well, in our third lesson, we'll be talking about our new life in Christ and Our scriptures that we'll be highlighting is 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. Look on the left side of your screen and you'll see the scripture there that says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And then on the right side of the screen, you see Paul's writing again in Galatians 2, verse 20, where he says, I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Let's open up with prayer before we get a little bit further into our Sunday School lesson. Heavenly Father, I want to thank you that through Christ, we're not who we used to be. Help us today to understand what it truly means to live this new life that you've given us. Let the Holy Spirit open our eyes to the freedom, the power, and the joy of walking in Christ. Thank you, Lord, for saving us by your marvelous grace. In Jesus, we pray. Amen. You know when a person gets saved something supernatural happens. The old life dies and a brand new life begins and a life filled with hope, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm glad that I got saved in September 1972 and man I'm going to tell you it was September the 17th 1972 And I didn't go down to the altar that morning. I went down that Sunday night because I was under the Holy Spirit's conviction so bad that I could not pass it up again. And I'm glad that I didn't. I'm glad the Holy Spirit came to my life. Well, many Christians, they struggle because they try to live the Christian life in their old strength. But Christianity isn't just turning over a new leaf. It's receiving a new life. You see, the cross didn't just change my destination. It changed my identity. When you and I were born again, you didn't just get cleaned up. You got made totally brand new. And so Colossians chapter 1 verse 27 says, Christ in you is the hope of glory. Well, what Jesus began to do in his earthly life, he now desires to do through his people. When we get saved, God becomes our father. We become his children and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us. And the Christian life becomes a supernatural life lived by Christ in us and through us. I want to walk through what this new life really means. And when we look at it, we also have certain definitions when we begin to look at our new life in Christ. Those important definitions are three words. The Holy Spirit, born again and saved. When you look at the Holy Spirit, it's also referred to as the Holy Ghost. It's the third person of the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Well, we see that second definition that is very important to a new Christian, and that is born again. New birth into the family of God occurs when one accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. And so the third term, saved, refers to one that is accepted God's gift of salvation. And so we become the children of God by simply receiving Christ as our savior. God empowers us to become his children. And we then enter into a new and permanent relationship as a part of God's family. And so as we look at our new life in Christ, it began with the reality of a new life. It began with the reality of a new life. Because first of all, you and I have a new identity. What did we read in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17? If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. And that word new creature, it means a new kind of creation that never existed before. You and I are no longer defined by our past sins and failures and mistakes. You and I are now defined by who we are in Christ. You see, when you came to the cross, your old man died. God doesn't remodel sinners. He resurrects saints. And it's like getting a new birth certificate because the old record is gone and a new one is issued in heaven, written down in the Lamb's Book of Life and the blood of Jesus Christ. What happens to your identity when you're in Christ? You become a new creation because the old you is gone and a new you has come. And so we see the reality of that new life. You have a new identity. But secondly, you have a new nature. In the Old Testament of the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26, a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you. When we look at that, God doesn't just forgive you. He changes your heart. The Holy Spirit gives you new desires, new convictions and a new direction. You see, before salvation, sin was your master. But after salvation, Christ becomes your life. It's like swapping out a computer's operating system. The old corrupt system has been deleted and the new one runs on the power of grace. What does it mean to have a new heart and spirit? You see, God replaces our sinful nature with a spirit-led heart that loves and obeys him. And so, our new life in Christ, it began with the reality of that new life. And we have a new identity. We have a new nature. But thirdly, we have a new power. Acts chapter 1 verse 8, but you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. You're not meant to live this new life in your own strength. God gives you and I the Holy Spirit as your power source. You see, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside of you and me. And that means no sin, no devil, and no defeat has to rule over you again. But don't forget, you still got this corruptible, sinful flesh nature. And because of that, until we lay this old body down in the grave, It will always be a contention that we have to deal with. We have to crucify this old fleshly body. Yes, your soul is in the keeping through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. You're saved, saved, saved as that song goes. But the devil will mess with your flesh and he'll mess with you because he knows that you belong to Jesus and he wants to mess up your testimony and he wants to mess up your witness. Don't let him. So what gives believers power to live victoriously? The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. And so our new life in Christ began with the reality of the new life. But secondly, the responsibility of the new life. First of all, with the responsibility of the new life, we all walk in the spirit from here on out. Paul said in Galatians 516, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Well, when we walk in the spirit, it means letting the Holy Spirit lead your step by step, guide your choices and empower your daily walk. You see, when you walk in the spirit, you don't live by rules. You live by relationship. You know, just imagine walking with someone on a trail to stay in step you have to match their pace in their direction. I was in Pathfinder school in the academy and every time we had a pace count and how far we went we had a knot string and we either tied a knot or we had a little bead that we could pull up and mark our distance with our pace count and with that bead that's how far we came. So when you're in a team, one of them is keeping up with the pace count, the other one is shooting a direction through a compass, and the other one is reading a map, and it takes that Pathfinder team. But when you get done, you're able to do all of those together. Imagine walking with someone on a trail to stay in step and you have to match their pace and their direction. That's what it means to walk in the Spirit of God. How do we avoid falling back into our old habits that we used to when we were lost? By daily walking in the Spirit's guidance and strength. And so I'm glad our new life in Christ began with the responsibility of the new life. And that is we walk in the Spirit now. But secondly, it renews our mind. Roman chapter 12 verse 2. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Though your heart is new, your mind still needs renewing through the word of God. And the Bible cleanses our thinking, it aligns our desires, and it strengthens our faith. You see, the mind is a battlefield. You can't live in victory if your thoughts are still in bondage, huh? And so it's like updating a GPS. If it's not refreshed, it keeps sending you the wrong way and God's word recalibrates your direction. Man, I tell you, I went the other week up to Atlanta and so many of the roads had changed and things were different. And so it's something that is always redirecting and updating. But I'm glad that it refreshes us and it keeps us and recalibrates our direction. That's what the Holy Spirit does best when we renew our mind. What changes our thinking as believers? Regularly renewing our minds through God's word. And so our new life in Christ began with the responsibility of that new life. that we walk in the Spirit, that we renew our minds, and that we put off the old and we put on the new. In Ephesians chapter 4 verses 22, 23, and 24, as I'll paraphrase that, is that we put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, and put on the new man. You see, salvation changes our position, but sanctification changes our condition. And so, We must daily laid aside those old habits, those old attitudes, and let Christ's character shape our behavior. And so the cross saves us from sin's penalty, and the Spirit saves you from sin's power. Hallelujah. Amen. And so I'm glad that what is our responsibility as new believers? It is to put off the old life and to put on the character of Christ through daily obedience. And so our new life in Christ, it began, first of all, with the reality of the new life. Secondly, with the responsibility of the new life. But thirdly and closing, the rewards of the new life. You see, first of all, I'm glad that the reward of that new life was peace with God. In Romans 5.1, the Bible says, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before salvation, that was a conflict, that was a battle, but now there's peace. You can rest knowing your sins are forgiven and your future is secure. And like a soldier coming home after war, the battle's over and the heart finally rest is. Well, what does peace with God mean? The war between our sin and God's holiness is over because of Jesus Christ. And what he did with our sins, man, he put them in the sea of forgetfulness. And as far as the East is from the West, he took care of it. Man, he nailed it down on the cross of Calvary. He took our place. He went through the punishment that we should have went through. And so I'm glad. that our new life in Christ began with the rewards of the new life, having peace with God, but secondly, purpose in life. In Ephesians 2, verse 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. You're not here by accident. God has a plan for your new life. Every believer is shaped for service, designed for purpose, and sent on a mission. And so I'm glad that when Christ saved you and me, he didn't just take you out of sin and me out of sin. He brought us into a purpose, amen. Why did God make us new? So that we could live out his purpose and do good works that glorify him. And so I'm glad that we look and we see that our new life began. It began. through not only the reality of a new life and the responsibility of a new life. Amen. And I thank God it began with the rewards of the new life. Peace with God and also purpose in life. But lastly and closing, it began with power over sin. Because in Romans chapter 6 verse 14, for sin shall not have dominion over you. In our new life, sin no longer rules the throne, Christ does. We all have an authority through his name and victory through his blood. Sin used to be our master, but now Jesus is our Lord, and you don't have to serve what he already defeated. I wonder, can sin control a believer who walks in the Spirit? Absolutely no, because the power of Christ gives victory over sin. And so as I close out, as I talk about our new life in Christ, and how that we talked about it began with the reality of the new life, the responsibility of new life, and the rewards of that new life. As I close out, this new life in Christ is more than a decision. It's a transformation. And the same God who saved you is now living inside you, guiding you, changing you, empowering you every step of the way. In Philippians chapter 1 verse 6, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. You see, let the world see the difference. You are not who you used to be. You are now a child of God walking in the newness of life. And so I hope and pray that you got something from this simple new beginning. Lesson three, our new life in Christ, reading the scriptures that tells us how that we have a brand new life in Christ because Jesus is in the transformation business. And there's only one person who has ever lived the perfect Christian life. It's not you. It's not me. It's Jesus. Why? Because what Jesus began to do in his life on earth, he wants to continue to do through every child of God. Jesus Christ wants to live his life through you and me. Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me a new life. Teach me to walk. in the Spirit. Renew my mind with your truth, O Lord. Help me to live out the purpose you designed for me, and let my life be a living testimony that Christ changes everything. In the holy name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.