Finding Newness in the Old, Old Story
Everybody likes new stuff. We always want the one that looks, feels and smells the newest. It?s funny to go to Wal-Mart and watch someone open a package to see if the contents are what they really want, then put it back on the shelf and pick up the one that they didn?t open. People are hilarious. Why do we do that? Because we like the one that gives the best sense of newness. New cars (don?t you love the way they smell? There?s now ?new car scent? available at the auto parts store!), new homes, new restaurants, new fishing poles, new lipstick. New years.
And now we have one, labeled ?1997.? Can you believe it? At this new year, 1997, we are reminded that it?s been about one thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven . . . well, almost two thousand years since Almighty God stripped Himself of His glory and became a servant, Jesus Christ, leaving the splendor of Heaven to ?tabernacle? among sinful men. You know the story. It?s a story that?s very old. Actually it is the ?Old, Old Story,? but more beautiful and precious than anything new than I?ve ever known.
Therein lies a paradox: an old, old Truth (before the foundation of the world!) full of newness and freshness every year . . . even every day. The wonder of the Old Old Story is that Christ will meet us where we are, with all our old habits, our old sins, our old guilt, our old strongholds ? our old nature ? and make all things brand new (2 Cor. 5:17)!
Those who trust Christ are given a new birth, which implies a new life! We have a new name, ?Christian,? ?saint,? ?child of God.? A new family; God is now our Father, Christ, our brother, and all believers our brothers and sisters in Him. We have new strength (Phil 4:13; Isa.40:31) in the face of our circumstances. We are given a new mind, a new way of thinking, the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16; Rom. 12:2). A new purpose, to glorify God. New sight, spiritual blindness is gone. A new standing with God, adopted, regenerated, purified, justified, ? saved! And the list goes on.
Sure, we put a high premium on the earthly things whereby we enjoy the privilege of being the first owner, but if we are first-owned by Him, we are His new creation and He rejoices in our newness even more than we. Hallelujah! And new things are shown continually. ?The Lord?s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning.? (Lam. 3:2-23)
Ah, so the paradox continues. Usually, the more we use a thing the less ?new? it becomes. Like those tennis shoes you wear that you swore you?d keep white this time. Like that car you used to wash twice a week. Oh, and let?s not forget the things that we don?t even touch yet their newness evades us (like all that meat in the freezer you couldn?t wait to eat. . . four years ago). But, hallelujah, not so with Jesus! His marvelous works are unsearchable (or, ?endless,? ?incomprehensible”) (Job 5:9); His greatness is unsearchable (Ps. 145:3); His wisdom and knowledge, His judgments and His ways are unsearchable (Rom. 11:33); the riches of the gospel of Christ indeed are unsearchable (Eph. 3:8)! Search God, increase in your knowledge of Him and His blessings toward you all of your life, even for all eternity, and you will find new things continually!
Beloved, has the ?newness? of your blessings in Christ worn off? Has the Old, Old Story become somewhat. . . old? If it has, the reason is certainly not because we have finally discovered all there is to know about our Lord! If the newness wears off, it?s certainly not because we have finally comprehended all of the beautiful facets our salvation! If the newness does wear off, it?s because the Old, Old Story has, to us, truly become old hat: grace no longer amazing, God?s presence no longer awe-inspiring, the Word no longer enlightening, conviction no longer uncomfortable, perhaps Jesus no longer Lord.
If the fact of our redemption, friend, has lost its freshness on this new year, the problem lies not with the Blessing, the problem lies within ourselves. Remember what the new year marks, the time of our Lord. Nineteen hundred ninety-seven years since Christ, the gift! Since Christ, the Lord! Since Christ, the Savior of the world! He is still alive and we know Him personally! May our theme song for the new year be:
More, More about Jesus!
More, More about Jesus!
More of His saving fullness see
More of His love who died for me!
There?s always something new to be discovered. So tell me again the Old, Old Story, sweetest that ever was heard.
