Raised to Newness of Life
By Rev., Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Transformation Pastor
March is here and with it Holy Week! This special week means so much to those of us who have a deep, abiding relationship with the
Lord of life. We love Him with all of our being and enjoy celebrating His love for us during this special week. When we think of all that
Christ has done for us, we can do little but celebrate! Consider the Apostle Paul’s argument for this very type of life …
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer
in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were
buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection. Romans 6:1-5
Newness of life … that is what Jesus Christ is all about! Gone are the old ways and the old attitudes. In their place have come
incredible changes! What has happened to us? You have been healed of your moral and spiritual failures … God has healed you of
some terrible sin problems! (Thoughts below taken from Galatians 5.) Think of the things God may have healed you of …
Lord Jesus said …
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:18-20
This Holy Week come with renewed joy and celebration for the transformation you have experienced in your life because of Jesus
Christ! On Palm Sunday at 11 am in worship, join us as we celebrate God’s work by shouting “YES!” to the question of the day: “Will
You Stand for Jesus?” On Good Friday at 7 pm, join us as we celebrate the Lamb of God who took away our sins, sing and praise
Him for the power of an indestructible life! And on Easter morning at 11 am, answer the call of Jesus as we ask the question: “Will
You Speak Boldly for Jesus?” by shouting your willingness to tell everyone of the incredible change Jesus has brought to your every-
day, walking about life!
For the global glory of God!
By Rev., Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Transformation Pastor
March is here and with it Holy Week! This special week means so much to those of us who have a deep, abiding relationship with the
Lord of life. We love Him with all of our being and enjoy celebrating His love for us during this special week. When we think of all that
Christ has done for us, we can do little but celebrate! Consider the Apostle Paul’s argument for this very type of life …
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer
in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were
buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection. Romans 6:1-5
Newness of life … that is what Jesus Christ is all about! Gone are the old ways and the old attitudes. In their place have come
incredible changes! What has happened to us? You have been healed of your moral and spiritual failures … God has healed you of
some terrible sin problems! (Thoughts below taken from Galatians 5.) Think of the things God may have healed you of …
- Sexual immorality; you no longer have extra-marital affairs by the grace of God!
- Impure thoughts; God has brought healing to your sensually-laden thought life!
- Eagerness for lustful pleasure; by His kindness He has removed your affection for these things which God calls evil!
- Idolatry; you no longer worship one of the many man-made or false gods of this world because of God’s healing grace!
- Participation in drugs; you were in the never-ending spiral of drug use and then Jesus came into your life and took away the
drug life and gave you new life and new hope! - Participation in demonic activities; even though in the past you explored Ouija boards, tarot cards, séances and palm
readings, you now know and understand that God had delivered you from that kingdom of darkness and transferred you into
the kingdom of His marvelous light! - Hostility; for some reason your life was filled with challenging others, opposing those you didn’t like and didn’t agree with.
Then Jesus came and you found that He replaced the aggression with compassion for others! - Quarrelling; until Jesus brought healing to you, you loved to debate with people. If they said “yes” you would say “no!” But when
Jesus came the monster inside of you was slain and you sought for unity and relationship instead of being right. - Jealousy; before Jesus brought healing, you were constantly enraged … upset that people didn’t treat you better, upset by how
people didn’t respond correctly, offended by people’s tone or words. But when Jesus healed you and your heart and mind
became whole again; He replaced the anger with His generosity … and what a change that brought! - Outbursts of anger; people used to fear you and your mouth! You were like a volcano, always ready to explode and spew your
red-hot words onto people and incinerate them at the least thing. But when Jesus touched your heart, your mouth changed as
well! Now your words are gentle and your spirit is sweet … the evidences of His presence inside of you. - Selfish ambition; before Jesus brought new life to your old soul, YOU were the center of your universe. All of life – every aspect
– revolved around you. Then Jesus came and you discovered there were other people who had interesting lives! As Jesus
brought wellness to your soul, you became just as interested in others as you were of your own life. - Divisions; can you remember the days before Jesus? You didn’t mind sharing your disapproval and – if the truth were known
– you longed to influence the situation to your group’s desires. Then you came under the leadership and release of the Lord
Jesus! The needs of the many now outweigh the desires of the few. Personal sacrifice is your method and motto. You give up
so that others can go up. - The feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group; before Jesus, you stayed in your little group – your
clique. Now you embrace all of the body of Christ with their diversity and variety. The love of Jesus is greater than you can
believe and it provides an amazing care for those whom you would never have drawn close to before Jesus’ healing! - Envy; there seemed to be no end to your desire to have what others possess. You could never understand why someone else
received something you did not. Your favorite phrase was, “That’s not fair!” Then Jesus came and brought healing to your sin-
sick heart. He replaced the greed for more with the willingness to give all the more. - Drunkenness; your old life – before Jesus’ gentle, healing touch – was marked by your inability to stop drinking. While you
wanted the benefits of the spirits, all you got was the ruin of alcohol. Then Jesus came … and with His healing He brought the
Spirit of God. What you had longed for … joy, courage, peace and happiness … all of these came with the indwelling Spirit of
God (and so much more!). - Wild parties; while you used to live for the pleasures of the here and now, feeding every fleshly desire and thought you could
imagine, Jesus’ coming brought a quenching of your lusts! Since you are going to live forever, God has brought assurance of
your value, promise of your inheritance and patience for their fulfillment in His healing!
Lord Jesus said …
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:18-20
This Holy Week come with renewed joy and celebration for the transformation you have experienced in your life because of Jesus
Christ! On Palm Sunday at 11 am in worship, join us as we celebrate God’s work by shouting “YES!” to the question of the day: “Will
You Stand for Jesus?” On Good Friday at 7 pm, join us as we celebrate the Lamb of God who took away our sins, sing and praise
Him for the power of an indestructible life! And on Easter morning at 11 am, answer the call of Jesus as we ask the question: “Will
You Speak Boldly for Jesus?” by shouting your willingness to tell everyone of the incredible change Jesus has brought to your every-
day, walking about life!
For the global glory of God!
| Transformation |
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| First Baptist Church |
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