A New Creation Means a New Life – Part 2: Living the New Life

Introduction 

Genesis 8:1 NKJV  Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 

Genesis 8:20-22 NKJV  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  (21)  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.  (22)  “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” 

• This morning we continue our message from last week, A New Creation Means a New Life 

• Now last week we read the entirety of Chapter 8 and went over the three major things that stood out to me from the Chapter. 

• First, the phrase “God remembered Noah” stood out. 

• And we talked about how God is incapable of forgetting, in a memory sense… God does not have Amnesia. But God can forget people, in a destructions sense, in a distancing sense, in a “I don’t want anything to do with you sense” in America we might get angry with someone and say “Well forget you then”. 

• But God did not forget Noah, God remembered Noah… after a year of being on the Ark, God once again stretched out His arm, breathed His breath, and spoke to Noah afresh. God remembered Noah, God did not forget Noah. And God will remember you, dear Saints, if you keep the faith and stay on the straight an Narrow. 

• Now the next thing that stood out to me and my spirit was the events of the Raven and the Dove. 

• The Raven, an unclean bird, a scavenger, left the ark and never returned, finding plenty of death to feat on. 
• But a world of death and destruction was no place for the clean bird, for the dove. So it returned to the Ark two different times, before finally being sent out for good. 

• We compared that to believers lives, and how some believer find comfort in the death of their old life… but we should learn from the dove, that we don’t return to death, we live our life in tune with God and His commands for us. 
• And if God is to call us to a new location, to a new church, to a new season of life… we better be sure that we are sure, like the dove, that it is God and not our own flesh that wants to move on. 

• Now there was a third part that stood out to me, what we read this morning… God makes a wind to pass over the earth and then after Noah get’s off the Ark, God makes this new Covenant with Noah… 

• From now on there will be no more cursing of the ground, there will be seasons, there will be harvests… life will be different, and even though man is evil, life will be better for man. 

• Noah, in a sense, was walking into a new creation, a recreation of Earth… an earth where there is no more murderers, no more demon spawn babies, no more violence, no more corruption… let’s pray. 

Point One – You are a New Creation 

Genesis 8:1 NKJV  Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 

• Think back to before the flood, what was the world like? 

• The world was filled with sin. 
• Murderers and violence filled the earth. 
• Men had multiple wives and violent tempers against other men. 
• And women were sleeping with demons, creating the nephalim. 
• Corruption filled the earth, all kinds of evil, all kinds of wickedness, all kinds of sin. 

• THEN THE RAIN STARTED TO FALL. 

• Now the flood waters have risen, and the sin that has filled the earth has turned to death. 

• And now the earth is full of floating, rotting corpses, of animals and humans alike. 
• Death upon death upon death. 

• God’s creation, went from perfect, to sinful, to cursed, to corrupt, to dead… 

• But then God makes a wind to pass over the earth. 
• The spirit reminded me of this as I was preaching last week… this is not the only time a wind passed over a place of death… 

• The prophet Ezekial was taken in the spirit to a valley, and the valley was full of dry bones… it was full of death. 
• Ezekial was asked “Can these dry bones live” and Ezekial said “Only you know God”, then Ezekial is called to prophecy over the bones… look how God tells Ezekial to prophesy… 

Ezekiel 37:9-10 KJV  Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. (10)  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 

• Prophesy to the WIND! The WIND will blow over these dry bones and give them NEW LIFE. 

• And he does prophesy to the wind and the bones come to life, a new creation. 

• The word here for wind, in Ezekiel, is  the Hebrew word רוּחַ Ru-Akh, and Ru-Akh can be translated as wind, or breath, or even Spirit… 

• רוּחַ (Strongs H7307) 

• rûach (roo’-akh) 
• “Wind”, “Breath”, or “Spirit” 

• And here is the thing, and some of y’all have connected the dots already… Genesis 8:1 uses the same word. 

• The prophet Ezekial is told to prophesy to the Ru-Akh… to prophecy to the wind, to the breath of God, to the Spirit of God… to say “Ru-Akh breath life on these bones”… “Breath of God, breath life on these bones”… “HOLY SPIRIT breath life on these bones”. 
• The same word, Genesis 8:1… 

• God made a Ru-Akh to pass over the earth… 

• God made a wind to pass over the earth… 
• God breathed His breath over the earth. 

• The earth was dead, all but Noah and the Ark… and God sends the Holy Spirit to bring life! 

• LET’S KEEP IT GOING… GENESIS 1 Verse 2! 

Genesis 1:2 NKJV  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 

• And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters… that word for Spirit… Ru-Akh! 

• It’s the same word from Genesis 8 and the same word from Ezekiel 37. 

• The earth was formless and void, and God sent His wind to blow over the waters… God breathed His breath over the waters… THE HOLY SPIRIT HOVERED OVER THE WATERS. 

• You see when God makes a new creation, the Holy Spirit is always there. The Holy Spirit is always a part of it. 

• So remember, this point, point one, is that YOU are a new creation… amen? 

• We will get back to Ru-Akh…put a pin in it… let’s shift focus to YOU. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

• Therefore if anyone is in Christ He is a new creation. 

• If you are in Christ this mornings, say Amen…. 
• If you are in Christ say “I am a new creation!” 

• Come on! “I am a new Creation!” 
• Say “Old things have passed away” 

• Say “Violence has passed away” 
• Say “Hatred has passed away” 
• “Lust has passed away” 
• “Pride has passed away” 
• “Envy has passed away” 

• “Corruption has passed away” 
• “Sin has passed away” 
• “The old me has passed away” 

• Now this scripture says that if you are in Christ that you are a new creation, and that old things have passed away, then it says “Behold, all things have become new”. 

• Say “All things have become new” 
• Say “My life has become new” 
• Say “My faith has become new” 
• “My heart has become new” 
• “My emotions have become new” 
• Someone needs to say “MY RELATIONSHIPS HAVE BECOME NEW” 
• “MY PASSIONS HAVE BECOME NEW” 
• “MY THOUGHTS HAVE BECOME NEW” 
• COME ON CHURCH SAY IT… ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW! 
• Now listen church, if you are  a new Creation that means that the Ru-Akh of God must have breathed over you, it must live in you! 

• If you are filled with the Ru-Akh of God, SAY AMEN! 

Romans 8:11 NKJV  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

• The Ru-Akh of God gave new life to the bones in Ezekial, and He gives new life to us as believers. 

• The Ru-Akh of God hovered over the Creation in Genesis 1:2, and he lives in the new creation that is YOU in Christ Jesus. 
• The Ru-Akh of God hovered over all the death and destruction of the flood and brought new life to the earth and to Noah. 

• The days of Lamech, were over… the days of sin and corruption and violence and lust and pride… those things have passed away, now the Ru-Akh, the Spirit of God, has come and made ALL THINGS NEW. 

• If you are in Christ Jesus YOU ARE A NEW CREATION. You are full of the Ru-Akh of God, you are full of the Holy Spirit, and all things have become new! 

• So point one this morning is that YOU ARE A NEW CREATION… amen?! 

• But remember the Title of this sermon, a New Creation means a New Life… which means we have to learn to live life as a new creation… things are going to be different. 

Point Two – You Are a New Creation, Live Like It! 

Genesis 8:20-22 NKJV  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  (21)  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.  (22)  “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” 

• Noah had been accustomed to a life surrounded by sin, and death and corruption. 

• The earth was cursed before the flood in ways we can’t fully be sure of. 
• But some suggest, based on God’s new covenant, that the earth was fairly baren, and dry, and desolate before the flood. 

• That there was no rain and no seasons. 
• There was no seedtime, or harvest, winter, or summer… maybe not even a solid day and night cycle… 

• Because of the nature of God’s new covenant with Noah “Never again will I curse the earth as I had done before… but from now on there will be seedtime and harvest, Cold, and Heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease”. 
• So maybe, just maybe, there was no seasons, seedtime, or harvest, there was not guarantee of night and day… 

• Either way, things were different for Noah now, for sure there are seasons now, for sure there is day and night, for sure there is seedtime and harvest… 
• And even if those things existed before, things are different now because there is no more Lamech and his wives, there is no more corruption… there are no more Nephilim, there is no more sin filling the earth. 

• This things will eventually all come back, of course… but for Noah, for now, things are different. He is in a new creation… and this means life is going to be different. 
• Notice the FIRST thing Noah does when he comes onto dry ground, onto the new creation so to say, look at the first thing Noah does: 

Genesis 8:20 NKJV  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 

• The very first thing Noah did in the new creation, after the Ru-Akh of God breathed over the waters… the very first thing Noah did… even before he was given the revelation of the New covenant from God… the very first thing Noah did was build an altar and make an offering to God. 

• Noah worshiped and sacrificed to his God. 

• So first in foremost, if you are a new Creation, then worship and sacrifice needs to be a part of your life. 

Romans 12:1 ESV  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

• Noah worshiped by building an altar and sacrificing animals on it. 

• We worship by living our lives as a sacrifice to God. 

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV  Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 

• Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise. 

• Let’s be honest, sometimes coming to church is a sacrifice… 

• Getting up early, getting dressed, getting the kids in the car. 
• Sometimes you have to chose between worshiping God and your kid’s sports team. 
• Sometimes you are tired and just need a little more sleep. 

• But does not God deserve our worship? 
• Does He not deserve your praise? 
• You are a new creation! That means you have a NEW LIFE. 

• And part of your New Life is WORSHIP. 

• Don’t live the same way you lived before the sprit of God changed you… A new Creation means a new life. You are a New Creation, live like it! WORSHIP LIKE IT! SACRIFICE LIKE IT! 

Genesis 8:22 NKJV  “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” 

• Now, if there really was no seedtime and harvest and seasons and stable day and night cycles before the flood, then Noah was going to have to learn to live life differently. 

• Before mankind had to scavenge and eat of the land, gathering fruit from bushes that were covered in thorns and thistles… a hard life, certainly not a life of abundance. 
• There would have been meat, for we see that some of the people raised cattle in Genesis chapter 4… but even that would have been difficult without seasons to plant and harvest. 

• Things are different now, things are better now, but there is still a work to do. 
• During seedtime, you actually have to plant seeds. 

• And during harvest you actually have to harvest. 

• And we see that Noah did indeed learn to live life in the new creation, in the very next chapter of Genesis we see what Noah put his hand to after the ark: 

Genesis 9:20 NKJV  And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 

• Now Noah was not the first farmer… Adam and Eve were called to till the ground in the garden, and Cain tilled the ground after the fall… so there was some form of farming… but after cain we don’t see the word for farming until Noah… a word that was used 15 times between Adam and Eve and his son Cain… then the word is absent for thousands of years of history until Noah… 

• Maybe that is a coincidence, maybe not, either way Noah stepped off the ark into a world with seedtime and harvest and he learned to thrive in that new creation. 

• Now here is the kicker church… as a Christian YOU ARE A NEW CREATION… you have stepped into a new life with seedtimes and harvests, with seasons as God ordains… You are a new Creation, Live Like it. 

• The old way of living life is not going to cut it… the old way of just scavenging enough spiritual feel goods to get you through the week, that’s not going to cut it. 

• You are a child of God, He calls you friend… you shouldn’t be a spiritual scavenger anymore. You should be a spiritual farmer, planting vineyards and gathering harvests. 

Matthew 13:3-9 NKJV  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.  (4)  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  (5)  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  (6)  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  (7)  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  (8)  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  (9)  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 

• Jesus goes on to explain that the seed in this parable that is being spread and planted is the word of God. 

• And while some reject the word of God, and some are snatched up by the devil or the cares of this world… there will be others that yield fruit, that get saved, that multiply! 

• But the question must be asked, who is the person sowing the seed in this parable? 
• IT IS YOU! YOU ARE A NEW CREATION! LIVE LIKE IT. 

Mark 16:15 NKJV  And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 

1 Peter 3:15 NKJV  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 

Romans 1:16 NKJV  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 

• As a Christian you should be sharing your faith. Period. 

• “But pastor, I am really shy” 

• “I suffer from social anxiety” 
• “I am not good with words” 

• NO! You are a new creation! You were really shy, now you are more than a conqueror. 
• You used to suffer from social anxiety, but by His stripes you have been healed, you are a royal priest! 
• You may not have been good with words before, but you have the Holy Spirit inside of you who has literally promised to remind you of all God has taught you and tell you the right things to say! 

• You are a new creation, LIVE LIKE IT! 

• And I am not saying you have to be an extravert like me… you don’t have to go out on the streets with a megaphone and preach repentance to total strangers… 

• But you should be able to pray for people in your family. 
• To invite you coworkers to church. 
• To answer, when someone asks how you are doing “I am filled with hope and joy because of my savior”. 
• Any plans for this weekend? “I am going to be worshiping my Savior at church this Sunday… want to come?” 

• And even if you NEVER talk to people, which I think you should, you certainly can be praying for people. 

• Pray for your boss’s salvation. You coworkers, family members… you don’t have to talk to anyone but Jesus… 

• And by the way, as a new creation, you should be sending people on missions! 

Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  (38)  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” 

• Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest! 

Romans 10:13-15 NKJV  For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”  (14)  How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  (15)  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!” 

• As a new creation, you should care about the harvest and you should care about people being saved. 

• To be saved you must call on the name of the Lord… but how can you call on the name of the Lord if you have never heard of the name of the Lord… so someone must preach… but how can someone preach if they are not sent. 

• This is why we do missions, so we can send people to preach about Jesus! 

• This is the harvest! This is living life as a new creation. 
• You are a new creation! Live like it! 

• And when you start living like a new creation, you start experiencing the blessings of the new creation… 

• Let’s conclude with where we started… Ru-Ach… 

Conclusion 

Genesis 8:1 NKJV  Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 

Romans 8:9-11 NKJV  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.  (10)  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  (11)  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

• Listen if you are in Christ then you are a new creation, the old has passed away and all things are new. 

• If you are in Christ then the Ru-akh of God lives in you… the Spirit of God lives in you. 
• And being a new creation means having new work to do, yes, but it also comes with new blessings. 

• Like the first snow of winter, or the warmth of the spring air blowing though. 
• Summer and winter, spring time and harvest, day and night… they all bring with them blessings. 
• And being filled with the Ru-Akh of God comes with new blessings doesn’t it? 

Galatians 5:19-23 NKJV  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  (20)  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  (21)  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. BUT THOSE THINGS ARE DEAD… YOU ARE NOW A NEW CREATION FILLED WITH THE RU-AKH OF GOD! (22)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  (23)  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 

• Maybe you are here this morning and you have never experienced the Ru-Akh of God, you have never experienced the love and joy and peace and patience that God’s Spirit offers His new Creations… the goodness and kindness, faithfulness, and gentleness, even the self control gifted by the Spirit… if you are here, and you are not a new creation, you don’t have these things… but you can… you can become a new Creation… the Ru-Akh of God can breath over you… you can be saved… 

Join us this Sunday at either 8:30AM or 10:30AM for worship followed by this message from the Word of God. Christian Life Church of Cedar Rapids. 2808 Schaeffer DR SW, Cedar Rapids, IA   52404. www.CedarRapidsChurch.com