House of Hope Online

December 31, 2023

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Happy New Year to you all!  With the turn of the calendar tonight comes a new year 2024, and for many of us, with the new year comes a fresh start, a new attitude, a new resolve, a new hope, and a new expectation.

Many will make new year’s resolutions to lose weight, to exercise more, or to approach life with a new zeal.  The excitement lasts until the new year gets old.

We have a fascination with newness, and as Christians, we have a promise of newness yet to come.  A newness that will never get old.

We Are New Creatures, Reconciled to Jesus

2^nd Corinthians 5:

 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

 18 Now all [these] things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 21 He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NASB)

We are made new creatures by our relationship with Jesus.  We are reconciled to Him and therefore we become new.  Paul calls this process of becoming a new creature in Christ “the ministry of reconciliation.”  The Greek word for “reconciliation” in verse 18 is “katallage,” (pronounced kat-al-lag-ay’) which means an exchange or adjustment, i.e., a restoration to divine favor, an atonement.  I love that – we are made new creatures, and we are restored to divine favor.  Our trespasses are not counted against us.  Our selfish, jealous, and judgmental nature is forgiven. We are given a new slate of righteousness through Him.  We are born again as a new creature.

Do not underestimate the restoration of divine favor in our new creature.  Father God favors us because we accepted Jesus in our heart.  Some of us forget to walk in that favor.  We see the difficulties ahead of us and we forget that we have been made new creatures that have been restored to divine favor.  We assume that a job loss is a financial disaster, instead of counting it as an open door to walk in more favor.  Jesus said in Revelation 3:8: “…I have put before you an open door which no one can shut…”

What is before us in the new year may look like a closed door, but Jesus calls it an open door.  A health condition may have a scary name, but divine favor says, “by His stripes you are healed.”  Let our new creature walk in that divine favor in the new year and beyond!

This new creature that Jesus made when we were born again never gets old.  The ministry of reconciliation continuously makes us a new creature by exchanging our fleshly nature in the Spirit.  It is a permanent change from darkness to light, from jealous deeds of the flesh to agape love and compassion for others, along with a desire to share the truth of the Gospel.  It does not mean we never sin, but it does mean the ministry of reconciliation is continuous for those who sincerely repent.

We Have the Promise of New Revelation

In addition to being new, reconciled creatures, we have the promise that the Lord will reveal new things to us, hidden things that we have not known. 

Isaiah 48:

 6 “You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known.

The revelation of the Holy Spirit is a new and recurring gift that comes to us just like the fresh manna came every day to the people of God in the Old Testament, as they wandered in the wilderness.  Our world today is becoming increasingly a wilderness that requires revelation of the Spirit.  It is new fruit in our lives, fruit that never grows old, fruit that never rots.

As we walk in these end days, there is more revelation coming to us.  These are things that have been in His word but to date have been hidden from our understanding.  This emphasizes that we can read His word with our minds and comprehend it, but full understanding of the significance of His word comes only with revelation from the Holy Spirit.  This means we will read His word with new revelation.  He will not re-write the Bible, but He will give us new revelation of His word in His perfect timing.  Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians 13:9-10: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”

Perfect knowledge and understanding are coming.  Rejoice that the new year brings us the new revelation promised in Isaiah 48:6. Will you not declare it?

The New Heaven and the New Earth Are Coming

Our fascination with newness will be satisfied by Jesus, who is making all things new.  He showed John a vision of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21.

Revelation 21:

 1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer [any] sea.

 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,

 4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be [any] death; there shall no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

There is a new life coming for us.  He will wipe away every tear, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.  He is making all things new!  Receive all that into your spirit!  You do not have to make a New Year’s resolution to be happy.  The Lord, your God, is making all things new, and He promises to deliver no more tears or pain or sadness.  Glory to Jesus!

In addition to Happy New Year, I bid you Happy New Creature!  Happy New Revelation!  And Happy New Heaven and New Earth!

Let us pray.    

Father God, thank You for making us new creatures, reconciled to Jesus, and restored to divine favor.  Help us to walk in that favor through the open door that Jesus has placed before us.  Heal our bodies, we pray, by His stripes.  Reveal to us new, hidden things that we have not known, and instill in us a renewed desire to walk into the new heaven and new earth, where there are no more tears, curses, mourning, pain, or death.  Let the Spirit and the bride say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.