ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
BE IN CHRIST
V:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
The text says if we are in Christ, we have become a new creation God did a heart transplant. God did a mind transplant. God took out the old and replaced them with the new.
We have a new way of thinking, A new way of operating, A new way of seeing, and
a new way of hearing. We got a new smell. We smell like sheep. We are geared for a
new mindset; one of humbleness,
Not just some things but all things, but ALL THINGS have become new.
The phrase “all things” in Greek is “pas ” which means, any, every, the whole
At first glance, It seems to be a contradiction. The body gets old, it breaks down, and it is decaying. However, the body is just a temple, an earthly dwelling for the spirit. The Spirit is renewed in Christ. In Christ, we have a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new relationship, and a new reliance. We have designed for us a new immortal
body. We have a new mansion in heaven prepared for us.
We have a new guardian, God the Father. We have a new friendship God the Son.
We have a new comforter, God the Holy Spirit. You have a choice, you can live
in the oldness of life, or live in the newness of life.
Sometimes we have to wrestle with the old to get to the new. I know a man
who brought his wife a new car and parked it in the garage next to the old car.
For months the wife walked passed the new car and drove her old car. The
husband said honey why are you not driving the new car. She said I am not
comfortable with it. One day she drove the new car. Brought it back home
and drove the old car. It took some time before she became comfortable driving
the new car.
It is the same with this Christian life. We grew up in the old life. We are comfortable
with the old. So we hang on to our old ways. We accepted Christ and immediately
became new. If you are truthful with yourself, there is a struggle with old. In some
things and some ways we still revert to our old way of living.
If you don\’t believe me, consider these; cursing is the old, Anger is old,
Sadness is the old, Worry is the old, Fear is the old, and Lust is the old. Being
your own man and own woman is the old. Trying to handle everything by
yourself is the old. We ought to be living in the newness of life. We got
Jesus who is everything we need for all times.
LIVE LIKE JESUS IS WALKING WITH YOU
ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD
Verse 18 says ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD. Not some things, but all things.
God didn’t create sin, but He allowed it. God created the angels to be holy. But
He allowed one angel, Lucifer to become proud and desired to be Him. Thus
sin entered into God’s perfect creation. God said I hate the proud. The first
sin entered God’s perfect creation.
This same angel, Lucifer, tempted perfect Adam and Eve to eat from the
The Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil, thus perfect man became evil.
It was part of God’s plan for man to need a Savior. We were born in sin, shaped
in iniquity in need of reconciliation.
Consider this, why did God the Father put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil in the middle of the Garden with the command not to eat from it? Since God
is all-knowing, He knew man was not equipped to handle the temptation.
It appears to me, God left the door open for Adam to sin. Maybe, because out
of His Love, Grace and Mercy would flow.
Don’t know what you are going through, but it is of God!
Look at Job. By God\’s own assessment, there was none more righteous
than Job. God allowed Lucifer, to kill all his animals, kill his 7 children,
and fill his body with sores. Then Job’s three trusted friends came along and
tried to convince him that he did something wrong. There are 42 chapters in
the book of Job. 35 of those chapters, Job’s friends tryed to destroy his confidence in
his righteousness. To top that off, Job’s wife told him to curse God and die.
Job’s circumstances did change his worship of the Lord. He never left Christ.
Job’s response was you got to take the good with the bad. Because
Job endured, God restores double what he lost. We have to endure the trials
of life to reap the reward God planned for us (Galatians 6:9).
REMEMBER WHATEVER HAPPENS, IT\’S ALL OF GOD
ACCEPT THE RECONCILIATION
V:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
You going to have some good times and some bad times. Because of God’s love,
and His grace and mercy, He decided to reconcile you to Himself.
Somewhere in heaven, a decision was made to send Jesus to die for your sins
and mine.
We know what happen. Man sinned and became an enemy of God. God didn’t
change, man did. Reconciliation can only take place in the blood of Jesus. He
who knew no sin became the sin offering for us.
The story of Job is God’s example to us THAT BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO
GOOD PEOPLE. The truth is, good people need to be reconciled by Jesus.
Whatever we desire can be found in All Things. All things encompass the
whole of our lives. You cannot exhaust the resources of God with your needs
and desires. This life is too much for you to handle. That’s why you must
accept the reconciliation of Christ. The old man is not equipped to handle
ALL THINGS.
We got mass murders every day, parents killing children. Children killing parents.
We got wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, hate crimes, crimes of
passion, and the list goes on and on. It\’s too much for you to handle, but it is of God
(Matthew 24:6-8). These are like birth pains before the return of Christ.
This reconciliation to Christ is the key to your physical and emotional well-being.
You cannot make sense of what\’s happening around you. You cannot protect
yourself from what\’s happening. It is all of God. God said this;
Isaiah 55:8-10
8 \”For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,\” declares the Lord.
9 \”As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We have a new life, created in Christ and therefore, we must live in Christ.
The best way to endure personal tragedies is to be reconciled with Christ.
We must plant this reconciliation in our thought process because the outworking
of it is our strength in the Lord. When we are weak, He is strong.
To accept this reconciliation we must accept the terms of the reconciliation.
First, It is all of God. He is the author of our reconciliation. He is the first cause of
everything.
Second, The mediator of your reconciliation is Christ Jesus.
His death on the cross atoned for your sins and mine.
His righteousness was transferred to you.
Third, The Holy Spirit became resident in you.
He is your guide, your teacher, your comforter, your uncommon
Spiritual sense.
Forth, You must accept slavery to Jesus. He owns you. He paid the price
for your freedom from sin.
Fifth Confess your sins before the Lord daily and repent.
Sixth You must be obedient to the commands of God. The Lord said,
I would rather have obedience than sacrifice. Obedience comes from the
heart. Sacrifice can be out of habit.
Seventh You must trust God with all your heart, mind, and soul.
Eight You must be committed to serving God, and Him only
You must take hold of all the benefits of your reconciliation.
First Develop a prayer life. Spend some quality time with the Lord.
Pray without ceasing.
Make all your request known to the Lord
Second Get familiar with the promises of God and put them into practice
Third Fear no one and no circumstance. God has not given you the spirit
of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind.
Forth Give and it will be given to you, pressed down and running over
Fifth Expect God to supply all your needs.
Sixth Expect God to be your protector.
Seventh Lean on God
ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Consider the responsibilities of Reconciliation
We are ambassadors for Christ. We are His messengers. We are the light
of the world.
It is because of His grace and mercy that we are allowed to represent Him.
The world needs to see the change the reconciliation by Christ has made in
our lives.
This reconciliation is one of infinite grace and mercy. It is the favor of God to
choose us for the ministry of Reconciliation. God is the Fatherhood of all
mankind. Fatherhood does not mean automatic Sonship. Sonship is by God’s
election. Sonship is a Hallelujah moment when you realize that by no merit
of your own, you were elected for reconciliation.
The ministry of reconciliation can only be performed out of Love. A love
extended to you that you extend to others. It is a good work ordained and
started by Christ (Philippians 1:6).
The first function of reconciliation is living a reconciled life. It is a life of
hope, a life of peace, a life of joy, a life of expectations in Christ, and a life
of obedience.
The second function of reconciliation is a life of service. Carrying out the
the great commission is our work.
Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.\”
All Things Include some new things you have not experienced. All things include
some new people you have not met. All Things include some new places you have not been to. All things include some new heights. All Things include some New doors
open to you.
All things include some new excitements. All Things include some new mercies
and new grace.
ACCEPT HIS FORGIVENESS
V:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 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.
21 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.
Every day you can start with a new plate, fresh and clean. God does not hold your
past sins against you. The old has passed away, and the new takes place.
His forgiveness gives you a new start.
SUMMARY
BE IN CHRIST
ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD
ACCEPT THE RECONCILIATION
ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS
CLASS QUESTIONS
WHO DO YOU BLAME FOR YOUR BAD TIMES?
GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF BAD THAT WORKED
OUT FOR YOUR GOOD
HOW DOES YOUR ENEMY WORK FOR YOUR GOOD?
