Text: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Renewed Day by Day (Full Sermon Manuscript)
Introduction:
The goal of being renewed day by day is to be more like Christ. The Greek term (anakainoo) in this passage same in Colossians 3:10 is in present participle (“is being renewed”) which implies continuation. In theological terms, this is sanctification, being made holy each passing day.
Background:
“Renewal” pertains to the process of change. Meaning, there is a development each time we experience change. Indeed, we become different people each day. Your experience yesterday adds up to your former self. But what makes the principle of change in biblical terms—or the term being renewed—is that it leads to a certain goal. A person is not only being changed each day for no purpose. The biblical reality is that a Christian is being renewed each day towards Christlikeness.
Main Idea:
Discern (Holy Spirit) – “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10). It appeals to our minds that to change is to become more like Christ. That then should be the mindset of a Christian person. Is this renewal that I am experiencing, or a change in life that I am expecting will lead me to more like Christ? If yes, then embrace it. If not, then pray to God that He will sustain you through that struggle and this will come to pass. If unsure, read God’s Word and be enlightened to what really is God’s will (the idea of God’s Will).
Desire (Kingdom Renewal) – our desire each not limited to material things—objects that are seen and tangible. A Christian’s desire for renewal is closely related to the Kingdom renewal. This is the same principle when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, “We pray that your kingdom will come—that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Display (Eternal Life) – “If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived” (1 John 2:6). The chapter before our passage, in 2 Cor 3:2-3, states that we are the living witnesses of Christ in this world. Sometimes, we fall short to see other people as a person; we see them as objects to proselyte. Our aim in this renewal is to display the eternal life that we have as witnesses of Christ to be a living testimony of how great our Lord is in our lives.
Conclusion:
While everything in this world changes, our confidence (which was repeated many times in the book of 2 Corinthians) is in Christ. Why Jesus? Because we would rather put our faith in someone who does not change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).
Ptr. John Paul Arceno
UCBC New Jersey
March 20, 2022
This section is an excerpt only; download the full manuscript here.