INTRODUCTION: “New..”

The story is told of two liberal sociologists who were walking down the street. They saw a man lying unconscious and covered with cuts and bruises from a terrible mugging. One of the sociologists turned to his colleague and said, “Whoever did this terrible deed really needs our help.”

The problem with the sociologists was their perspective. They saw something, but they saw it from the wrong perspective. We all have a view of the world, but the view can look awfully different from different perspectives.

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

William Arthur Ward

The same wind is blowing on all three. The three just have different perspectives.

When Jesus Christ becomes the Leader of your life, you not only receive a new name, a new hope, a new destination, a new destiny, and a new start. You also receive a new perspective. When Jesus becomes your Lord, you cannot look at others, Christ, or yourself the same way. You have a new perspective. And so, as we continue in our series on our identity, we are going to turn today to 2 Corinthians 5. There in verses 16 and 17, Paul is going to give us a new perspective on others, a new perspective on Jesus, and a new perspective on ourselves.

EXPLANATION

I. A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON OTHERS.

“FROM NOW ON, THEREFORE, WE REGARD NO ONE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH.” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16

Verse 16 points backward to the preceding verses. Key among them is 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

Paul is saying, “If you believe that Jesus Christ died for you, then you can no longer live for you.” You have to have a different perspective on others. You cannot view them the same. Since Christ has done this, from now on, we can no longer regard anyone according to the flesh.” You see, those that have been saved by Christ are not to have a worldly perspective on the things of the world; instead, they are to have a heavenly perspective on worldly things.

Do you like to people-watch? Bird watching is fine. But I really like watching people. It’s hard for ADHD me to sit in a restaurant with Catherine because even though she is always the prettiest thing in the room, I see squirrels running around everywhere! I’ve noticed recently that she often will choose the seat in the restaurant that will give me the most limited perspective on the rest of the room so that I can focus on her.

What happens when you people-watch? You don’t mean to, you don’t plan on it, but you judge. “Can you believe she just ate that whole steak herself? He’s on his phone; what a jerk. They must be a new couple; they still look like they like each other.” You judge. You pass a verdict without any real evidence. You look on their outside and you make a value judgment on your inside.

This practice gets us in trouble. Think of the Jews. They made Saul a King just because he was tall. No consideration of his talents, skills, abilities, or qualifications. He was just big enough to play center on the basketball team, so let’s make him King! Even the prophet Samuel fell into an unhealthy perspective. When God sent him to find Paul’s replacements, Samuel called out all of David’s brothers. He looked them over. He wanted to make the oldest king, he wanted to make the strongest the king, he wanted to make the bravest a king. But God wanted a rosy-cheeked, sheep-loving, poetry-writing boy king. And God said, “Man looketh on the outward appearance; but God looketh on the heart.” Man looks on the outside. God looks on the inside.

• We look at the outward. God looks at the inward.
• We value popularity. God values character.
• We look at intelligence. God looks at the heart.
• We honor those with money. God honors those with integrity.
• We talk about what we own. God talks about what we give away.
• We list our accomplishments. God looks for a contrite heart.
• We value education. God values wisdom.
• We love size. God notices quality.
• We live for fame. God searches for humility.
• Our view is shallow. God’s view is deep.
• Our view is temporary. God’s view is eternal.
• So we ought to pray, “Lord, help me to see others through your eyes. Amen.” (https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/three-new-perspectives-that-can-change-your-life/)

If you have made Jesus your Lord, you have to look at people from God’s perspective! You are to love your neighbor as yourself. In love, you are to consider others better than yourself. Love one another. Care for one another. Encourage one another. Be careful not to harshly judge one another. Why? Because Christ has made us spiritual, therefore we should not consider anyone in the carnal. 

II. A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON CHRIST.

EVEN THOUGH WE ONCE REGARDED CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WE REGARD HIM THUS NO LONGER. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16

Paul now shifts to the need for a new perspective on Christ. Do you remember how you viewed Jesus before you were saved? Listen, when Paul uses the phrase, “according to the flesh,” he does not mean simply that we viewed Jesus from a human perspective. In the Bible, the phrase, “in the flesh,” means “that which is diametrically opposed to the things of God.” More than just a casual indifference, “the flesh” is literally that which is at war with God.

In Romans 8, a chapter I gave an overview to last week during this hour, Paul wrote, in verse 7,

THE MIND THAT IS SET ON THE FLESH IS HOSTILE TO GOD, FOR IT DOES NOT SUBMIT TO GOD’S LAW; INDEED IT CANNOT. THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD.

Before you enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, you are at war with God. You are not indifferent; you are insolent. You are not casually against Him, you are in conflict with Him. Simply stated, you were an enemy of God.

JESUS DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO MAKE BAD PEOPLE GOOD. JESUS DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO ENSURE GOOD PEOPLE ARE WARM AND WELL-FED, HEALTHY AND HAPPY, AND SAFE AND SECURE. JESUS CAME TO EARTH TO MAKE DEAD PEOPLE ALIVE.

Your perspective is radically altered when you shift your perspective from wondering what Jesus CAN do for you, and you begin to worship Him for what He HAS ALREADY done for you.

• Jesus didn’t come to heal you from sickness; He came to heal your sin-sickness
• Jesus didn’t come to make you happy; He came to make you holy
• Jesus didn’t come to keep you from suffering; He came to suffer for you
• Jesus didn’t come to keep you from Hell; He came to bring you to Himself
• Jesus didn’t come because of your deeds; He came because you were dead
• Jesus didn’t come to bring moral reformation; He came to bring total resurrection. He came to earth to make dead people alive.

How do you view Christ? What is your perspective? Throughout the Gospels, we see people who thought He was an earthly ruler. We already have enough of those. But Jesus is the Lord of Lords.

Many saw Him as a miracle worker. But, friend, Jesus is the Messiah.

Many saw Him as the healer of sickness. Jesus is the healer from sin.

Jesus is the soul-saving, life-changing, sin-cleansing, foe-defeating, grave-conquering, death-vanquishing, corpse-raising Son of God. Don’t settle for an earthly perspective of Jesus. Don’t account Him according to the flesh. Not any longer. See Him for Who He is and worship Him! No longer. Not a minute longer. 

III. A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON YOU.

THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION. THE OLD HAS PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD THE NEW HAS COME. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

I share with you an uncomfortable truth. You are either in Christ, or you are not in Christ. There is no middle ground. There is no wiggle room. There is no “all the above.” In Christ. Not in Christ. New. Old. That’s it.

A Christian is a person who daily lives under the Leadership of Jesus Christ. That is what it means to be “in Christ.” To be “in Christ” means that you love what Christ loves, and you hate what Christ hates. To be “in Christ” means that the holiness that Christ has worked into you is being worked out of you on a daily basis. To be “in Christ” means that you are willing to share in Christ’s suffering. To be “in Christ” means that you are willing to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow after Christ. In short, to be “in Christ” means that you have been born-again and you are living like it.

When you chose to return over and over again to your sin you are like a dog returning to its vomit. Why would you ever want to smell puke again when you have smelled the sweet aroma of resurrection? Listen, you are not a dog that you should return to the putrid and vile things. You are a son/daughter of God, so stop going back to the stink.

Dead things stink. They are vile. They have an odor. They are repulsive. But there is nothing like that new car or that new baby smell. Throw out the old. Put on the new. It is all a matter of perspective.

APPLICATION: 

• If you have a wrong perspective of others, you can treat them as you wish. This will lead you to sin against others. If you have a new perspective of others, you will treat them with love.
• If you have a wrong perspective of Jesus, you will treat Him like a cosmic fire escape designed to keep you out of danger. This will allow you to sin against Jesus. If you have a new perspective of Jesus, you will treat Him as the King of Heaven who desires to live with you forever.
• If you have a wrong perspective of yourself, you will treat yourself as the Universal Law-Giver. This will allow you to settle for sin. If you have a new perspective of yourself, you will treat yourself as one undeservedly given new life.

CONCLUSION:

It’s not easy to be different from the crowd. The pressure is always on us to conform, to fit in, to go with the flow. But listen, dead fish go with the flow; live fish swim upstream. Swim against the current of this world. If you are new, act like it.

Many years ago, Charles Simeon concluded his sermon from this text with these words:

LET THE PLEASURES, THE RICHES, THE HONORS OF THE WORLD BE TO YOU AS DIRT UNDER YOUR FEET: BE CRUCIFIED TO THE WORLD, AND LET THE WORLD BE CRUCIFIED UNTO YOU. 

Only a new perspective shed in our hearts will enable us to treat the bright lights of the world as dirt under our feet.