So, What’s New With You?

5th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/1/12
2 Corinthians 5:14-21


So, What’s New With You?
I. You’ve been reconciled to God.
II. Make it certain.


It’s a common form of a greeting. You meet a friend or acquaintance, someone you haven’t spoken with in quite some time, and they ask, “So, what’s new?”

When you get asked that question, how do you usually respond? Most of us try to find something positive to say. We don’t want to be known as a “Donny or Debbie Downer” who constantly announce what’s wrong in our lives. We prefer to announce a recent positive change in our lives—a new child or grandchild, the purchase of a home or vehicle, a new job or the fact that we just entered retirement.

In this section of his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul is speaking about the ministry that the Lord gave him. That ministry was to share the gospel—the good news about Jesus—with as many people as possible. As Paul met these people for the first time, his goal was not to ask them what was new; his goal was to tell them what was new. Here’s what Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

If Paul himself were here this morning, I imagine he would announce that every one of us is new. In what way? To find out, let’s study what Paul has to say and let’s do so asking the question, “So, what’s new with you?” May the Holy Spirit not only reveal what’s new with you but make you confident of it.

Part I.

It’s one of the most unsettling situations in life. You have a dear friend, someone you’ve known and appreciated for years, but suddenly you get the distinct impression that something is terribly wrong with your relationship. What did you say or do to upset them? What did someone else say to your friend about you to ruin your relationship? It pains you knowing that a wedge has driven this person away from your life. You wonder what you can possibly do to rectify the situation.

As painful as that is, at least knowing there’s a problem gives you the opportunity to address it. You can’t address what you don’t know.

We could easily whistle our merry way through this life thinking that we’re OK with God just the way we are. We keep our noses clean. We’re responsible citizens. We try to follow the Golden Rule. We generally pay what we owe and we don’t cheat, lie or steal. We could easily tell our God as so many other people do, “I’m OK; you’re OK.”

But nothing could be further from the truth! The truth is we’re sinners even from conception and birth. The truth is we’re inherently evil, not inherently good. The truth is that there’s no one who does good, not even one as Paul wrote to the Romans. And our sins have driven a wedge between us and our God, an eternal wedge.

When that wedge has been driven between you and a human friend, what do can you do? Well, you try to find out what the problem is, apologize if appropriate, and then work at repairing the relationship.

But what do you do about your eternally damaged relationship with God? How can you make up for anything you’ve done wrong? As the misguided Jews of the Old Testament asked, “Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 5:7). Not even that would do anything to repair our relationship with God. So what can we do?

Nothing. We can do nothing. We don’t have to do anything because our God has done it all. Paul declares, “We are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died and was raised again.” Paul states the very heart of the greatest good news that anyone could hear—Jesus died as the payment for the sins of all people. He died to save all people. That’s what his sacrifice on Calvary’s cross was all about.

But really, what does the death of Jesus so long ago have to do with me? Millions of people deny that it has any effect, positive or negative. But Paul declares this glorious, comforting truth. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” Christ’s death reconciled us to God. That “wedge” we just talked about, the one between us and God, has been removed, destroyed, obliterated. The weight of our sins which were dragging us to hell has been cut loose from us. Our sins are gone because Jesus died for them. Our God no longer has anything against us. And now we’re not just his friends, we’re his own dear children by faith in Jesus. All is well between us and God, now and for eternity.

That means we are what Paul tells us we are. We are a new creation. Before, we were condemned sinners, destined to die eternally apart from God. Now we are forgiven and saved children of God, destined for eternal life in glory and bliss with our God. Before, we had no hope and no purpose. Now we are filled with certain hope, our life is with God and we live with the highest purpose—that of serving him in joy eternally and reigning over all things with him in glory. And all this because you have been reconciled to God!

So, what’s new with you? You’ve been reconciled to God!

We began this sermon stating that we try to answer with something positive when asked, “So, what’s new with you?” But there are times when that’s not so easy. What’s really new with you is that new pain in your body that is making life miserable. What’s really new is the critical situation in your life or a loved one’s life that worries you to the point you have trouble sleeping. What’s new? Maybe you have trouble answering because it’s what’s old that consumes you—the problems, the issues that never get resolved, the daily grind. Maybe what’s new is that you’re thoroughly disgusted with what’s happening in your life and in your world. So, what’s positive? You’re reconciled! Every day that’s something new. Truth be told, some of the problems in our lives are the result of our own sins—our discontent, and failure to trust our God, our sinful priorities, to name a few. Every sin sets us at odds with the holy God but here’s what’s new—you’re reconciled, forgiven, made holy and new in God’s eyes. Now that’s the good news that overcomes whatever troubles we’re facing.

Part II.

“I’m so done with that!” People use that expression to indicate that they have done or experienced something in life and don’t intend to face it again. They are determined not to put any more effort into that particular endeavor ever again.

That may be true regarding some of the aspects of your life, but it’s never true about your spiritual life, your Christianity. After assuring the Corinthians that they had been reconciled to God through Christ, Paul wrote, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” As stated earlier, this reconciliation is something our God has already accomplished for us. So why does Paul now make it sound as if it’s something we do? Theologians call this a gospel imperative. It’s similar to the command, “Believe in Jesus as your Savior.” We know from God’s word that faith in Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit. It’s all God’s doing from beginning to end.

And that same God also commands us to work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12). In other words, don’t take it for granted, don’t neglect it, don’t lose it. The only way of avoiding all of those is to apply yourself to the means of grace, the gospel in God’s word and sacraments. The only way God brings you to faith in Jesus and keeps you in that faith is through the good news of Jesus in his word and in the sacraments. It’s up to you, now that you have faith in Jesus, to make sure you remain in that faith, that you remain reconciled to God.

So focus, Christian! Focus on God’s word and sacraments. Don’t make the same mistake far too many Christians do when they distance themselves from God’s word, when they wrongly conclude that their spiritual life is taken care of and no more attention to it is needed. You’ve been reconciled to God! Don’t lose it! Instead, make it certain.

Make it certain. If there’s one thing in life God wants you to be absolutely certain of, it’s that you have been reconciled to God through the life and death of Jesus Christ. The purpose for sending God’s Son to this earth was to win your forgiveness and eternal life for you. He didn’t come to make this life here trouble and pain free for you. Every one of those troubles and pains reminds us how frustrating and empty this life is. But in Christ we have our forgiveness. Each day’s sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. Each day we are God’s new creatures and another day closer to life with him forever.

In a world that may offer you very few positives and far too many negatives, there’s your reason to live in Christian hope and joy. What’s new? Each day you can rejoice that you are reconciled. Make it certain by remaining in God’s word! Amen.