All Things New

When the Spirit of God comes into a place there will be a complete change. This change is not just for an improvement but the people will always become brand new. Only new people can belong to a new work of God. Only new life surrounds our Heavenly Father. This includes the Son: This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. 1 John 1:2 (NLT)

The first time the Spirit came into everyday people was 2000 years ago. Peter preached that day and he quoted the prophet Joel. Actually this prophecy speaks directly about another time in the future. It says: … you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced… In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.  Joel 2:26&29 (NLT). The prophecy is used more than once. 

Another time of the Spirit will soon come on the earth. This soon to happen event will come after the earth is judged for the way they treated Israel.  God said: And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—Joel 2:30. This time the Spirit will primarily be filling the hearts of the Jewish people because the Church will not be on the Earth. What a great time the nation of Israel will have as they are filled with the Holy Spirit. 

The future city of Jerusalem will be so different that God gives it a new name. The Scripture says:  The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth. The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see— a splendid crown in the hand of God. Isaiah 62:2-3 (NLT). All this will happen when God again pours out His spirit into their hearts. 

During this time of the Jews, the Christians will be at a celebration feast in heaven. After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, Praise the Lord! Rev 19:1 …For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb… For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.  And the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Rev 19:7-9 (NLT). 

Christians today should be busy doing God’s work. These works will be our white clothing in Heaven. If we want to be at the wedding feast we must whole heartily serve our Savior. The man in one of Daniel’s prophetic dreams said this: Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white… Dan 12:9&10 (KJV). The redeemed people will be dressed in a white robe given by Jesus. 

Our full time job is to die to our sinful nature by replacing it with the righteousness of Jesus. This is the way a brand new person takes the place of our old self. Paul said it this way: But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:13-14 (NLT). Yes! We become a new person who will eventually be dressed in a white robe. 

Jesus is making people brand new and then giving them rewards them for being dressed in His righteousness. Paul remarked that: I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Tim 4:7-8 (NLT). Friends we must desire righteousness. 

All things become new when the Spirit of God lives inside of us. The Holy Spirit came to gentiles many years ago and He will soon come to the Jewish nation. God seeks to redeem the people who do not resist Him. We have the job of spreading the Good News about the righteousness of Jesus. This is the way the Spirit makes humans into new creatures. Then at the end of this earthly life we will receive an eternal life with God.

Paradise Lost

Adam and God were very close at the beginning of their relationship. Adam was created perfect from the un-cursed earth of God’s beautiful paradise.  The Scripture says: So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:27 (NLT). The first two people were very intelligent but the Devil deceived the woman into disobeying God. This ruined their close relationship with God.

Separation of our fellowship caused the earth to be placed under a curse. God told Adam the following: And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. Gen 3:17. This was a paradise lost for all the people of the earth, but sadder still was the loss of their relationship with the Creator. 

Some people still feel as though God has abandoned them on this earth because He returned to Heaven which is not under the curse of disobedience. But God loves the people he created and has a great plan to redeem them. This means that someday we can live together with Him in Eternity. We cannot keep these old bodies because they are cursed. The Bible says: For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” Gen 3:19 (NLT). 

The center of God’s plan is for His Son to recreate us into brand new creatures. We can look back in history and see that Jesus came to earth to accomplish God’s requirements for our redemption. Now it is time for us to yield to God’s Spirit and find a new relationship with God. Today we have the unique opportunity of returning to fellowship with the Almighty. People all fell into sinfulness together but we must be redeemed one at a time.

Returning to paradise is the hope of every Christian. Paul tells us: …we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. Romans 8:23-24 (NLT). Serving God has the reward of a new body and life in the new world forever. 

The reentry of the “new” people to paradise will be a very big event. The Bible says: For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Romans 8:19-21 (NLT). What great plans God has for the redeemed. 

Even the angels of Heaven look forward to our reunion with God. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. 1 Peter 1:12 (NLT). The Good News is that Jesus has come to redeem people and make them into new creatures. God’s plan for Christians is thousands of years old. 

Everything God has done in human history has had the goal of returning people to Him. Unrighteousness cannot exist in the presence of our Holy Creator. Therefore we must have faith that the Lord can change us into a righteous creature. Our new life can enjoy the Paradise of God’s perfect world. We will certainly enjoy our relationship with God as a new perfect us. Wow! The Gospel of the Scriptures is fantastic.

Communication is a Problem

The first step in communication is simple. Some first party expresses themselves in one way or another. They might wriggle their eyebrows or bang on something. Speaking is the most used but it points out a big problem, a second party must understand what is being said. Communication has not taken place until another person understands the message. Our point is that God has sent messages to man for thousands of years but many people have not received it.  

Humans are born into a sure death. If God does not rescue us we cannot enter into eternal life. The Creator is continually sending us the message of salvation. We must receive and obey it. One of the ways God communicates is through the written word. Many times in the Bible we can read this phrase “It is written.”  As the instructions for eternal life are given by God’s servants they will many times repeat great truths given many years before. 

These great facts are timeless. Because God is absolute truth anything He says is good for earth’s 7000 years and all of eternity. This is why many times the New Testament writers will quote the Old Testament. God gave His written word to 44 different men and everything they wrote fits together perfectly. Paul gave us the heart of the New Testament message as given to Him directly by Jesus (2 Cor 5:17). It is that Christ can make us into “new” creatures.

In order to solve most of the communication problem the “new” person that we have become has the Spirit of God living inside. If we make the effort to talk with Jesus, the Spirit in us will make us aware of His answers. Paul guarantees us: You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. Romans 8:9 (NLT). Normally the Spirit does not speak in an audible voice but He has many ways of moving us if we allow it. 

Listening for the directions from the Spirit is mostly a matter of want-to. Most people are ignoring the Spirit of God because they would rather do their own thing. Usually when someone says they cannot “hear” the Spirit it is their own fault. Christians have different levels of reception but they should all understand that the Spirit is supposed to direct their life. There is no other way to live an acceptable spiritual life than to follow the Spirit.

The language of the Spirit is always in love. When a Christian says something that is not in love we can know that it is not a message from the Spirit. There are times when we will say the right thing to another person and both will know that it came from God. It is a wonderful feeling to know that we have done our Lord’s will. Communicating the Lord’s will to others is our part but the receiving must be done by someone willing to “hear” God. 

This is why the Bible says “it is written” so many times. The writers are trying to show us that God has not changed His message to people. There are people today saying that the Old Testament has gone out of date and its stories should not be believed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Learning what God said in the Old Testament shows us what the plan of God has been from the very beginning when Adam and Eve first sinned. 

It is the work of a Christian to communicate God’s plan to those around us. Our work is serious because it involves eternal life. Paul said: So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Cor 5:20 (NLT). The world has a communication problem with God. They will not listen. Our life long work is to plead with people to desire their God.

Submit to God's Royal Son

For thousands of years God has warned people that He must be obeyed. Even before Jesus came to earth King David wrote these words. Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry… Psalms 2:10-12 (NLT). It is crucial that we listen to every word of prophecy. It was great love that brought Jesus the first time, but total justice will rule His return. 

Upon His arrival Jesus will show unbelievable power and authority. The Scripture says: That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become (a King or) High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ” Heb 5:5 (NLT). David’s warning is followed by the Almighty’s notification that His Son will exercise all God’s power when He returns. 

God said to His Son: I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. Psalms 2:8 (NLT). Because the whole earth belongs to Jesus everyone should be in awe of Him. Instead we have fools on earth who even curse the name of Jesus. This will be dealt with when our Lord returns. After Jesus comes back to Earth truth will rule and justice will be handed out to every person on this earth. 

If we submit to King Jesus of our own freewill there will be great reward. But for the majority of the world that has not submitted there is only punishment waiting. The rule of Jesus will be very different than rule today. One prophet said: I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea… Zech 9:10 (NLT). When he says “your king” he means King Jesus. 

Peace to the nations will be possible only after judgment is finished. Billions of people will die during the world’s time of judgment. However the people that are left will gladly live in peace under the rule of Jesus the Son of God. The weapons of war will all be destroyed by God so that there will be no killing anywhere on the earth. It sounds impossible but all things are possible with our great God.

The prophet Isaiah said about the Son of God: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT). The rule of Jesus will not be temporary. He will rule forever.

The person who goes to God for His people is called a High Priest. Humans have always needed someone to speak to God for them. It also works the other way. The Almighty wants to speak to the King of His people in order to give instructions to the masses. When the baby Jesus came one wonderful day, the plan of God was revealed in His life and death. Very soon the Royal Son of God will become both Priest and King forever.

For the first time a King will be so righteous that God will also make Him the high priest. The prophet said: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of the Lord. Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’ Zech 6:12-13 (NLT). 

If only people would submit to Jesus. He is the Royal Son of God and He has all the authority of His Father at His fingertips. The Bible says:  Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. Eph 1:21-22 (NLT). Wow! First Jesus paid our sin debt and now all God’s power works for the benefit of the redeemed.

Belief is a Miracle

Most of the people living on earth don’t believe the good news of the Gospel. They tend to think that the unbeliever must simply have confidence in the invisible God. The truth is that most people already have some kind of faith in God. Simply believing is not salvation. Every born-again Christian has had a great miracle happen inside. It is the miracle of a new birth that happens when our spirit becomes connected to the Spirit of God. 

Believing is an intellectual activity that we control. But believing in the active Gospel of Jesus always takes a miracle. God does a miracle that humans cannot explain. We can only testify to the change in our nature and thinking. Many Christians have said that it seemed as though a “switch of belief” had been turned on inside of them. New Christians will usually ask “What do I do now?” Our part is to yield mind and body to the leading of God’s Spirit.

When Paul was a young religious leader he accomplished everything by his own power. But when God knocked him down into the dirt he learned that God is in control of salvation. Paul preached that the Gospel message can be explained to people but that it still takes the miracle of a special belief. This type of belief will change a person dramatically and their desire to obey God will increase amazingly. 

Part of the reason God uses a special “miracle of belief” is to keep people from entering Heaven by using their own power. On one occasion the disciples were rejoicing that they had been saved and Jesus said: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. Luke 10:21 (NLT)

In other words belief is a miracle. The Old Testament prophets spent a lot of time telling us that a Savior would come to the world. Then Jesus revealed that He was the special one that people all over the world had been waiting for. Paul wrote: And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Eph 3:6. Salvation is about those who can “believe” the Gospel! 

Remember that we cannot do it ourselves. The Bible says: This Good News tells us how God makes us righteous in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. Romans 1:17 (NLT). Once again, this verse is talking about the miracle of faith. As creatures of earth we have absolutely no way of knowing for sure if another person is truly a Christian. However the words that people speak allows us to know what is in their heart. 

Living as a Christian is a very specific profile. We must follow the path of our savior. One of the disciples asked Jesus the way to Heaven. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14:5-7 (NLT). No person will ever find another way in to God’s family.  

To follow the path of Jesus requires a desire to be like Him. The longer we follow our Savior the more we understand our new life. The Bible says: …grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Eph 1:17-18 (NLT). The wonders of Heaven await the faithful few. 

The opportunity for salvation is available to all. Paul said: This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. Romans 16:25-26 (NLT). In order to enter the family of God, we must find our miracle of belief. 

To know more about belief, the plan of God and walking as a Christian, check out a book called Pillars, by Phillip Lloyd, available on Amazon.  Even if you’ve been a Christian for a long while, this book uses the Old Testament Tabernacle to explain God’s plan for mankind from a beautifully visual perspective.