Good morning, Watermark.
It's great to see you this morning.
Good to be here with you.
If you don't know me, my name is Eric.
I'm one of the guys on staff here at Watermark Church.
It's great to be with you today.
About six years ago, I woke up one morning and I was frustrated.
There was stuff happening at my school that I wasn't really a fan of,
and it left me frustrated.
And as I reflected on the things that were happening,
I decided that the way to fix these frustrations was a change of scenery.
I would get out of Dallas where I was going to school.
Things would be different.
Things would be new.
Things would be better.
At that same time, one of my friends had just come back from an internship
that he had done in Hong Kong.
And he wouldn't stop talking about how amazing of a city Hong Kong is
and how great of a time he had had doing this internship.
And I thought, hey, I want to get out of Dallas.
He says Hong Kong is amazing.
Perfect combo.
I applied for the same internship that he had had, and I got the job.
And a couple months later, I was on the plane heading to Hong Kong.
I landed in the city, and everything was bright and shiny and new and amazing,
and I loved it.
And everything felt better.
All of my problems were gone.
Life was good.
For a couple months.
And then Hong Kong became the old, the normal, the standard, the regular.
And as I got settled in here, I realized that the problems that I was running away from in Dallas
weren't things that were specific to Dallas.
They were things that were specific to me.
And that by changing my scenery, that that wouldn't fix my problems.
There was something bigger and something deeper that needed to change inside me
than just my location for things to change.
And we're just coming out of the Christmas season, or we're still sort of in it,
but we're in that awkward in-between phase.
And I think for a lot of us, we have this type of attitude in this season,
especially for children.
If I just get that one gift, my life will be better.
If I just get the new iPhone, then everything will be fine.
Or if you have kids who are in maybe first or second grade,
if I just get that cool water bottle that sprays the mist out of the top,
then I can be the cool kid in class.
Or maybe if my spouse gets me that new model of the Tesla,
then things will be good.
And we laugh at this because we know none of these things
are really going to change our lives for the better.
We're adults.
We've gotten enough Christmas gifts over the year
that we know you open up the gift, it's really exciting and new,
and by now, two days later, meh, it's just another toy that we have.
It might make life a little more convenient,
but nothing is substantially changed in our lives.
We're adults.
We think bigger things will change our lives.
We think, yeah, the Christmas gift won't make things new,
but my New Year's resolution next week, that's going to change things.
Just wait until you see who I become
when I go to the gym three times a week.
Or we think, maybe if I just had a new job
and I wasn't stuck with this oppressive and terrible boss,
things would be different.
I'd be a new person.
If I had a little bit bigger flat,
I would be so much less stressed and more organized.
Or maybe, like me, you thought,
a change of scenery is what I need.
I just need to get out of this city, go somewhere else,
go somewhere new, and everything will be okay.
But the problem is, none of these things will fix us.
All of these things are changing our circumstances
and changing the things around us,
and the issue with each and every one of us
each and every one of us have issues,
and they're issues that are much deeper than the circumstances around us.
And if we want true, lasting, substantial change in our lives,
we don't need change of circumstances.
we need a change of identity.
And so today, as we head into the new year,
I want to ask you a big question.
Are you new?
Not are your circumstances new, but are you new?
And to help us answer this question, I have three diagnostic questions for us.
Number one, where are you?
Number two, what are you?
And number three, what are you doing?
I know that's cryptic, intentionally.
But follow along, and you'll find out what I'm talking about.
So in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17,
it says,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
And my first question for us is, where are you?
Are you in Christ or not?
And I know this phrase of being in Christ
is not something that we talk about necessarily a whole lot
in the world at large today.
Maybe we reference it in church,
but even then, we'll do it in a way that sort of assumes
that everyone knows what we're talking about
when no one actually does.
And then everyone just nods along politely,
and then we move on to the next thing
because no one wants to ask the question and be that person.
But what does it mean to be in Christ?
I think Jesus gives us a good picture,
a word picture of this,
when he talks in John 15
about being in him like branches are in a vine.
He says, I am like a plant,
and you guys are like branches that grow off of the plant,
like this guy right here.
And he says, you need to be in me.
Now what does it mean for this little leaf right here
to be in this plant?
If I just set it right there.
Are we good?
It's in the plant?
Physically, it's located next to the plant,
inside the plant.
But no, it's not talking about just physically being located there.
It's talking about having a life-giving, vital connection
where the plant is supplying all of the nutrients and needs
that this leaf needs for life.
That this leaf life comes from the plant.
That there is, it's not just proximity.
It's not just, oh, we're touching now.
Tied it on there and it's going to stay.
But it's actually that there is a life-giving connection
where the nutrients for life that this leaf needs
come from the plant.
And when we rip the leaf off from the plant,
like I just did, it's dead.
It still looks alive, but it's dead.
And it's only a matter of time
until the symptoms of death start setting in on the leaf.
And when the Bible talks about us being in Christ,
what it means is that we have a vital,
life-giving connection with Christ
where all of the sources and nutrients of our life,
not physically, but spiritually, come from him.
So does that mean showing up in church?
Is that what it means to be in Christ?
I think using this analogy, showing up in church
is sort of like setting the leaf on top of the plant
and saying, there we go, we're good.
But it's very easy to be in church and not be in Christ.
Does it mean reading our Bibles every day?
Maybe that would be like taking some string
and tying this leaf back on here.
It looks good.
Can't tell from the outside that anything's wrong.
But it's only a matter of days or weeks
before the greenness starts to wear off the leaf
and it turns brown.
And the Bible says that we have a fundamental problem
because each and every one of us
is what the Bible calls a sinner.
It means we've rebelled against God.
We were created to have a perfect relationship with God,
to be connected to him,
to have this relationship with him
be the source of life for us.
And yet each and every one of us looked at God,
looked at his commands and said,
no God, I know better than you how life works.
I have a better understanding
of where I need to get my nutrients from.
I'm going to tear myself off,
separate myself,
and try and provide my own sustenance in life.
I think that my job is going to give me meaning
more than you are.
And so I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my job,
even if that means cutting corners
and lying on the accounting sheets for my boss,
because I need this job more than I need you.
And we go along throughout life,
and every time we disobey and rebel against God,
we separate ourselves from him a little bit further.
And like this leaf,
when we're cut off from that source,
we're dead,
and it's only a matter of time
until the symptoms start showing up.
And what the Bible says
is that Jesus came to the earth,
that he lived a perfect life
in this perfect connection with God,
and that he died the death that we deserve
so that we can be reconnected to God.
In planting, in agriculture,
there's something called grafting,
where you take something from one plant,
and you cut it a certain way
and bind it to another plant,
and actually they can become one plant again,
even though they've been separated.
And the Bible talks about our connection with Christ
being like being grafted into a plant,
where even though we were separated,
even though we were far off
and weren't connected
and receiving this nutrition for life
that we need from him,
that he came and made a way
for us to be connected to God again.
And I don't know enough about grafting
to save this leaf, so sorry.
But the Bible says that through Christ
and through the work that he has done,
we have an opportunity to be in him,
to be connected to him
in this vital and life-giving way.
And so there are two places today
as we gather here that we can be.
We can be in Christ,
or we can be not in Christ.
And it's very important
that we answer this question.
Where are you?
Are you in Christ?
Do you have this relationship with God
where you have been forgiven
for your rebellion against him,
where you have trusted in him,
and where you are now receiving the nutrients
for your spiritual life
from him and his word?
Or are you separated from him?
The Bible talks a lot about the benefits
of those who are in Christ.
It says that in Christ,
we have forgiveness.
In Christ, we are made alive to God.
In Christ, we have eternal life.
In Christ, we have freedom.
In Christ, we become the children of God.
And the list goes on and on and on.
And what that means is that
if you are here today and you are in Christ,
then you have these things.
And if you are here today
and you're not in Christ,
then you've cut yourself off
from these things.
And so what difference does it make
whether we're in Christ or not?
It makes a big difference.
Because externally,
the actions can look the same
between people who are in Christ
and who aren't.
They can both go to church.
They can both read their Bibles.
They can both do service
within the community.
But the difference is
the motivation behind these things
and the heart behind these things.
When someone is in Christ,
they're going to serve in the community
out of an overflow
of the love that they've received from God.
They're receiving
all of this abundance of life from God.
And it's like a cup that's overflowing.
They want to share
out of the excess of what they have.
They have their identity secure
and they go out and they serve.
But someone who's not in Christ
on the outside can look the same.
They can go out,
do the exact same acts of service
within the community.
But they're like an empty cup
that's trying to fill themselves up
with meaning by what they're doing.
So they go out and they work
and they work
and they try really hard
to build this identity
through their service.
And it can work for a while
just like the leaf can stay green
for a while.
But eventually what happens is
your identity becomes so tied
to what you do
that you have to keep working
even when you've worked yourself
to the bone
and you're tired
and you're exhausted
and you know that you need a break.
You have to keep going
because the moment you stop
you lose your identity
because your identity
is tied up in what you're doing.
You've been working so hard
to build up an identity
through these acts of service
and through doing good things.
You can't live without them.
You become dependent on them.
Where someone who is in Christ
who has that identity secure
before they start
is able to go
and to serve
and to love
and to rest
and to not fear
losing their identity
in that process
of rest.
And so
as we start out today
where are you?
Are you in Christ
or are you not?
The verse continues.
It says
if anyone is in Christ
he is a new creation.
The old has passed away.
Behold
the new has come.
It brings us
to our second question.
What are you?
Are you new
or are you old?
The verse is very clear
that when someone is in Christ
they are a new creation.
And the new has come
and the old has passed away
and there has been
a transformation
that has happened
in their lives.
And this transformation
isn't just
okay
God's given you
a second chance
time to go
try harder this time.
It's not extra effort.
It's not extra exertion.
But it's a fundamental
change of identity.
They cease to be
the old person
and become
someone new.
And I think
that for those of us
who are in Christ
this is something
that a lot of us
have a very hard time
understanding.
because
we become a Christian
and we look up
and the world
is exactly the same.
And we don't feel
any different.
And we look around
and we're like
what has changed?
And we think
well since I'm a Christian
I should be reading
my Bible
and we get to this verse
and we think
oh
well that's supposed
to be true about me
but I don't necessarily
feel like it's true.
And so I think
a lot of people
in the church
when they have
that experience
say alright
this is supposed
to be true of me
I don't feel
like it's true
so I have to
go out there
and try and make
it be true.
We go put out
this effort
to make this idea
of being new
true because we feel
like it's not
already true
in our lives.
It's sort of like
imagine this scenario
with me.
When I was a kid
my grandfather
had a crabapple tree
in his front yard.
Now crabapples
aren't really edible
they're like
mini super sour apples
that apparently
can be used
in certain dishes
but even then
his was an old
sick crabapple tree
so the apples
that it would grow
not only were they
tiny and really sour
but they were also
rotten.
You weren't going
to eat the apples
that grew on this tree
and it wasn't
the prettiest tree
ever
and then it would
leave these little
apples scattered
all over the lawn
every fall.
So imagine that
one day my grandmother
had said hey
I want that tree
out of our yard.
I want a nice
new good apple tree
there so we can
enjoy the fruit
from the apple.
And my grandfather
says alright
I got this
and he goes out
to the garage
and he grabs
a huge piece
of plywood
and some paint
and he sets
up his shop
and he paints
a picture
of a nice
new beautiful tree
and he carries
this big piece
of plywood outside
and he sets it
down on the ground
in front of the tree
and he walks
inside and he says
hey there it is
new tree.
Now is my grandmother
going to be fooled
by that?
Of course not.
Is anyone
going to be fooled
by that?
No.
And even if she
was fooled
by that temporarily
the next moment
that she goes
outside to the
front yard
my grandfather
has to scramble
because the picture
is obviously
only going to
cover one side
of the tree.
So he's got
to run out there
and pick up
the picture
and just
constantly move
it around the tree
as she's moving
around the yard
so that he doesn't
get busted
for what he's done.
What he's done
is not going
to be effective
at giving
new life
to the tree.
He's going
to be living
in fear
and anxiety
of getting
caught
the entire
time
and he's
going to be
exerting
himself
and putting
out insane
amounts of
effort
to keep
up the lie
and all the
while there's
still a dead
tree behind
the pretty
mask.
I think a lot
of us think
this is what
happens when
God makes us
new.
He just paints
a new sign
he puts it
out there
and then we
are responsible
from now on
for carrying
around this
sign to cover
up who we
really are.
We're afraid
and anxious
that we're
going to get
busted
and we're
exerting
ourselves
and exhausting
ourselves
because we
know that
what we're
showing to
everyone else
is not the
truth
and at the
same time
we feel
like we're
dying
inside.
God.
And guys
I have
good news
for you.
That type
of change
is not
what this
verse is
talking about
when it
says that
anyone who's
in Christ
is a new
creation.
No this
verse is
talking about
something
radically
totally
different.
It's like
if my
grandfather
had gone
out there
and he
had dug
up the
old tree
he had
thrown it
out and
he had
put a
new tree
in its
place.
And the
new tree
may look
very similar
on the
outside to
the old
tree that
was there
before.
My
grandmother
might even
go out
and be
like is
this really
a different
tree?
Because it
looks very
similar to
the one
that was
here before.
But at
harvest season
when the
fruit grows
on the
new tree
they will
see a
difference
because the
healthy tree
is going
to grow
healthy
fruit.
And when
the fruit
grows
they're going
to see
these are
not rotten
sour crab
apples
but these
are real
apples.
And the
Bible says
that that
is the
type of
change
that God
affects
in our
lives.
Even though
we may
not subjectively
feel like
that is
true the
Bible says
the moment
that we
trust in
Jesus for
salvation
God affects
that change
in our
lives.
objectively
true whether
we feel
it or
not.
And so
our job
is not
to go
out and
hold up
a sign
to hide
what's
behind
us
but rather
to live
the reality
that we
have a
new
identity.
And I
know the
feeling of
being that
person who's
holding up
the sign
running around
while you
feel like
you're dead
inside.
I know
from experience
it is
exhausting.
It is
not fun.
It is
not
where I
would want
any of
us to
be.
And if
you are
here today
and you
feel like
you're in
that place
where you're
just trying
so hard
and you
feel like
you can
never get
it right
I would
encourage you
to find
me or
Chris or
Jeremy and
talk with
one of us
after service
and we'd
love to
pray with
you about
that.
Because the
reality is
that Christ
came not
to give
us a new
facade so
that we
can put
an effort
to make
everyone
else think
we're
new.
But Christ
came to
transform us
from the
inside and
to make
us new.
Like the
new tree
in the
yard.
It may
look similar
on the
outside.
The harvest
is going
to show
the reality
that there
is something
new.
The old
isn't just
hiding,
waiting to
be discovered
behind the
new face.
the old
has been
completely
uprooted
and replaced
by the
new.
So where
are you?
Are you
in Christ
or not?
What are
you?
Are you
new?
Are you
old?
Are you
old but
holding up
a mask
that says
that you're
new to
the world?
And then
my third
question for
us today,
what do
you do?
we've
already
mentioned
the old
person and
the new
person,
the person
who's not
in Christ
and the
person who
is in
Christ,
can live
lives that
on the
outside look
very similar.
But the
heart behind
it is very
different.
The motivation
behind that
life is
very different.
And so the
fruit that
comes out of
that life
will be
very different.
Just as
the old
apple tree
and the
new apple
tree can
look similar,
but at
harvest time,
the old
tree is
going to
grow rotten,
bad apples.
And the
new tree is
going to
bear new,
fresh,
beautiful,
delicious apples.
The old
man, the
old person,
is going to
grow fruit or
produce results
in their lives
that are in
line with
their old
identity.
And the
new person
is going to
produce results
in their
lives that
are in
line with
their new
identity.
reality.
And so
how does
a new
creation live?
If you
read through
these verses
that we have
right here,
there's a
list.
And the
list is too
big for us
to go through
entirely with
the time that
we have left
today.
But there's
two things
that I want
to hit on,
two things I
want to talk
about from
this list
that are
major markers
of the fact
that we are
new,
that we are
changed,
that we are
different.
And the
first is
in verse
20,
slash
18 through
20,
I'll read
it all.
It says,
All this
is from
God,
who through
Christ
reconciled
us to
himself,
and gave
us the
ministry of
reconciliation.
That is,
in Christ,
God was
reconciling the
world to
himself,
not counting
their trespasses
against them,
and entrusting
to us the
message of
reconciliation.
Therefore,
we are
ambassadors for
Christ,
God making
his appeal
through us.
We implore
you on
behalf of
Christ,
be reconciled
to God.
And what
it's saying
here is that
if we are
the new
creation,
then one
way that
our lives
are to be
fundamentally
different is
that we are
to be what
he calls
ministers of
reconciliation,
or ambassadors
for Christ.
Christ.
If you think
about what
an ambassador
does,
they're a
foreigner.
They come
in from
an outside
country to
a foreign
land as a
representative of
their government.
The Bible
says that when
we become
Christians,
we are made
new.
We're not the
same old people
as we were
before.
We're something
different.
We no longer
represent just
humanity,
but we
represent a
new king,
Christ.
And Christ,
our king,
has sent us
to the world
as his
ambassadors to
deliver a
very, very
important message
to everyone
around us.
And that
message is that
we are alienated
from God,
but God,
in his great
love,
wants us to
be reconciled
to him.
Now,
this is something
that is unique
to people
who are in
Christ and
who have
been made
new creations
because if
you haven't
experienced this
reconciliation with
God yourself,
it's very, very
difficult to
invite others
to experience
that reconciliation
and new
relationship.
But if we are
new creations
and we've
experienced this
reconciliation with
God,
and we have
this new
relationship with
him and we
are new
creations,
then he says
that's not
something that's
supposed to
stay with us.
It's something
that we're
supposed to
take and
spread to
the world
as his
ambassadors.
We are
God's primary
means of
taking this
message into
the world
if we are
his people.
Which means
that ministry
is actually
not just the
job of the
people on
staff at
the church.
It's the
job of
everyone who
is in
Christ.
People think
of me as
the student
minister or
something along
those lines,
but actually
there are way
more students
here who
should be
doing student
ministry than
me.
Because there
are way more
students here
than there are
of me.
And every
student who is
in Christ
should be a
minister to
the other
students in
their school.
If you are
working in a
business place,
then you should
be in business
place ministry.
Because that is
what Christ has
called every
Christian in the
business place to
be.
A minister of
reconciliation who
as an ambassador
of God goes out
and tells the
world around them
that God wants
a relationship
with you.
And this is a
distinctive mark of
someone who is a
new creation.
So how do we do
that?
What does that
look like?
Maybe if you are
a parent, you have
kids, they are
fighting, and you
talk to them about
the need to
reconcile with each
other, but also at
the same time
mention the fact
that even more
important than
needing to reconcile
with each other,
they are alienated
from God, and
they need to be
reconciled in that
relationship.
Maybe if you have
a disagreement with
someone, something
that you really
want to win, that
you learn to
swallow your pride
and let the other
person win.
That's weird.
People in the
world won't get
it.
Maybe they'll even
ask you questions.
Why?
When you had the
right to win that
argument, your
arguments were good.
The other person
had no ground to
stand on.
If you had pressed
hard enough, you
could have won it.
But it will open up
opportunities to share
with them that I
serve a God who,
when we had wronged
him, came and took
the initiative to be
reconciled to us.
And I want to
emulate that to the
world around me and
show examples of
even when I'm right,
even when I can get
my way and I have the
right to do it, that I
give it up and I serve
for the sake of
reconciliation, for the
sake of maintaining
that relationship.
relationship.
And I do it so that you
can see how amazing of
an experience it is and
so that hopefully you
will want to be
reconciled to God.
And so God calls us to
be these ministers of
reconciliation, people
who go out and show
the world the wonders
and joys of being
reconciled to him and
who call people to be
reconciled to God.
So if you're here today
and you haven't yet
entered into this
relationship with God,
if you haven't gotten
to the point where you
are now in Christ, I
would encourage you to
be reconciled to God.
And if you're here
today and you are in
that relationship with
Christ and you have
been reconciled to him,
my encouragement to
you is to be a minister
of reconciliation.
Be someone who goes
into the world and
calls others to join in
that relationship as
well.
The second thing I want
us to see about the
way that new creation
lives differently is in
verse 21.
It says,
For our sake he made
him to be sin who knew
no sin, so that in him
we might become the
righteousness of God.
God.
Righteousness is a big
word that we don't
really use today, but it
means having a right
relationship or a right
standing with God.
It says that when we
were sinners, when we
were separated from God
and alienated from him,
Christ came in, even
though he was perfect,
and took on that
separation and alienation
so that we can have a
new right standing and
right relationship with
God.
If you are a new creation,
you have a new standing
and a new relationship
with God.
The wording of this
verse is huge.
Notice it doesn't just
say we have the
righteousness of God.
It says we become the
righteousness of God.
There's a big difference
between having something
and being something.
If I want to go to China,
I have to go and apply
at the office and then
pay lots of money and I
get a China visa.
And when I have this
China visa, if I
accidentally forget it
when I'm going to the
border, they won't let me
into the country.
If I go into the country
and I break the law, they
can take away the visa.
And even if I follow all
of the rules perfectly,
eventually the visa expires
and I have to put in more
effort of applying again
and paying again to get
another visa.
In contrast, I was born
in America and I am an
American.
Unless the USA ceases to
be a country or they
severely change their
citizenship laws, I am an
American.
If I lose all of my
identification, I can go to
the American consulate and
they will work with me to
get me a new identification
to prove that I am an
American.
because it's part of my
identity.
When you have something,
it's like the China visa.
It can easily be taken
away.
You have to put in effort
to maintain it.
But when something is part
of your identity, it's part
of who you are and it can't
be taken away.
If we have the righteousness
of God, we have to work.
We have to try.
We have to hold on to it
to maintain it.
But if we are the
righteousness of God, then
it's something that God has
implanted in us as part of
our new identity.
When he makes us new, that
is part of our new
identity.
Something that can't be
ripped away from us unless
God ceases to exist or God
changes his rules about how
to get into his family,
which the Bible is very
clear will not happen.
And so when it says that we
have become the righteousness
of God, we have a new
identity implanted in us.
And if you have that identity,
I encourage you this week to
live in obedience to God and
to avoid sin completely, not
even to flirt with it.
Because the Bible is clear that
as part of our new identity, as
being in Christ, sin is
fundamentally opposed to that
new identity.
It rips us apart from him.
And if we have been reunited,
sin is now opposed to our
identity.
Rebellion against God is now
fundamentally opposed to who
we are.
It's not something that we do
to try and earn God's favor.
It's not something we do,
obedience isn't something we do
to try and make God love us
more.
Obedience is something that we
do because it's part of who we
are now if we are in Christ.
And so my challenge to you, if
you are new, if you are in
Christ this week, be a minister
of reconciliation and live as
the righteousness of God,
walking in obedience to him,
not even coming close to sin,
even though it can be so
appealing and hold out so many
promises to us.
Remember that if you are a new
creation, sin is fundamentally
opposed to your new identity.
So the big question overarching,
are you new?
Where are you?
Are you in Christ or not?
What are you?
Are you a new creation?
Or are you simply an old
creation holding up a mask,
trying to make everyone think
that you're okay?
And if you are a new creation,
what do you do?
Are you living in line with your
new identity?
God came to make us new.
God came not to give us the
appearance of life, but to give
us life and life abundantly.
And as we enter into this new
year, I pray that each of us would
see that and experience it and
live that new life that we've been
given in Christ.
Or accept the new life that we've
been offered in Christ, if we
haven't done that yet.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your love
for us.
We thank you for this promise that
if anyone is in Christ, we are new
creations.
That it's not something that we have
to earn on our own.
It's not something we have to fake to
keep up appearances of.
But it's something that you have made
objectively real in our lives.
God, I pray that we would recognize
that reality.
That we wouldn't be shaped by what
we think of ourselves on a
subjective level, but that we would
remember the objective truth of the
change that you have brought in our
lives.
I pray that if anyone's here who
hasn't yet had that change, that
they would see your beauty today and
fall in love with you and trust in
you.
And I pray that each of us this week
would live in line with who we are in
you.
And in Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.