We all mess up. We say things we later wish we could take back. We do things we wish we could undo. We miss opportunities. This happens in all spheres of our lives. Sometimes we make mistakes at work, sometimes we hurt the people we love, sometimes we disappoint God.
And because we all mess up, we like to start over-to turn our backs on the past, to look forward, to hope that this time round, things are going to be better.
There's something exciting about starting over-new challenges, new experiences, new opportunities. I love starting a new year. I have plans, things I'd like to accomplish, big challenges ahead of me. Looking back over the past year, I realize there are some things I'd like to do differently. Perhaps you've had similar thoughts...
I remember what it was like for me to start a new year at school: new books, new textbooks, sometimes new teachers and new subjects. And then there were all the New Year's resolutions: This year I'm going to write neatly. I'm going to do my homework everyday. I'm going to exercise regularly. And so the list begins.
I don't think I'm so different. I think people generally like to start over. I think that's why young people look forward to leaving school and going to university. I suspect that's why some people are continuously starting new relationships. Perhaps that's why we all like opportunities to rededicate our lives to God.
Yes, we all like to start over. Why? Because the future holds the hope for something better.
II. Lost Hope
But things don't always stay this way. After too many disappointments we often give up, we lose hope. A person can only start over so many times before you begin to wonder, "What's the point? What makes you think you're not going to mess it up again?"
Of course, people vary. The number of disappointments necessary before someone gives up hope differs from person to person.
The Bible tells a story of a lady who had reached this point, who had lost all hope:
Sighing deeply, she picks up the earthen jar and places it on her shoulder. With her free hand she opens the door. Suddenly the heat hits her and for a few seconds she can't see a thing. Then her eyes begin to adapt to the white light outside. She bends over slightly and walks through the low door.
Outside it's quiet. Not dead quiet-the cicadas are buzzing in the trees. But there is no-one in sight. She's alone. She looks up and down the dusty street but doesn't see any of the other women. With another sigh she begins to walk to the outskirts of town.
The woman is on her way to fetch water. It's not a good time to fetch water. In fact, it's not a good time to be outside. The sun has reached its zenith and seems to hang in the air as it beats down mercilessly on her. She could have chosen a cooler time of the day, but that would have meant facing the other women.
You see, this woman is the town's local "bad girl". She's not married to the man she's currently living with. She's already had five husbands. Five times she's tried to start over. Five times she's tried to build a new life. And now she's given up on marriage, given up on happiness, given up hope.
For her there is no turning back. No new start. No new beginning. She's accepted her lot as an outcast. She's learned to live without hope.
It's tragic to admit, but this woman is not alone in reaching this point of hopelessness. After too many disappointments, it can happen to anyone. After a while, you may begin to feel that there just isn't a new beginning for you.
III. A New Creation
However, the Bible does not agree with this feeling. In stark contrast the Bible speaks of a completely new beginning:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor 5:17; NIV)
A "new creation"-the Greek word used here is ktisis. If anyone has dedicated himself or herself to Christ, that person is a new ktisis. The two major meanings of ktisis are: (1) the creative act, the act of creation or (2) the thing created, the creation itself.
2 Cor 5:17 thus means that when someone has decided to dedicate their lives to Jesus, Jesus begins a new "act of creation" in their lives. They aren't merely reformed or rehabilitated. No, they are recreated. They become a brand new person from within. And they begin a brand new life.
Paul explains how this can take place in vv. 14 and 15:
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:14-15; NIV)
This is what baptism symbolizes. Your old life dies and you are buried under the water, just as Jesus was buried in the tomb. Then you stand up out of the water, just as Jesus stood up from the grave. You stand up as a new person, a new ktisis. That's why Paul can confidently say "the old has gone, the new has come!"
When we turn back to our Bible story, we see that Jesus offered just this sort of new life to the hopeless woman:
As she nears the well, the woman notices a man sitting on the wall. She hesitates. What's he doing there? She wants to turn away, but she needs water. With downcast eyes she walks closer. Perhaps he will just ignore her.
But He doesn't. Instead, He asks her for some water.
Jesus should not have spoken with her. The etiquette of the day forbade it. (1) She was a woman-and a man did not speak with a woman, particularly if her husband or father were not present. (2) She was a Samaritan and He was a Jew-and the Jews and Samaritans felt the same way about each other then as the Jews and Palestinians feel about each other today. (3) She was living in sin-nobody would speak with her anymore, not even the other women in town. Jesus should not have spoken with her. But he did.
And then Jesus offers her living water-the living water which quenches a persons thirst and gives eternal life. There're a number of Old Testament texts which refer to God as the fountain of living water (Ps 36:9; Jer 17:13) and in making this reference to living water, Jesus is actually telling her, "Hey, I'm the Messiah! I'm what you've been longing for! I'm what you need in your life!"
But the woman does not realize what He's talking about. And then He begins to get too personal. He tells her about her failed marriages. He reminds her of her past, of all her disappointments. And with each word the door to her pain is forced a little more open.
She begins to realize what He's offering her-a brand new beginning-but the pain is just too much and she slams the door shut. In her mind she steps away from His offer and throws up a smokescreen between herself and the Messiah. She changes the topic, tries to lure Him away with a popular debate, lure Him away from her sin, lure Him away from her disappointments, lure Him away from her pain.
It's not easy to confront our failures, our disappointments, our pain. In fact, it's possible for us to get used to living in spiritual poverty, to live without hope. To hope again is scary. If we begin to hope again, we can be disappointed again. If we try to start over once more, we might just fail once more.
But however scary it might be to think of making a new start, that is exactly what the Bible is promising: "[I]f anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."
IV. Ambassadors for Christ
But what happens with this new creation? What happens to us after we get this chance at a new beginning?
Paul says something interesting:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors... (2 Cor 5:17-20a; NIV)
Here is something amazing. When we make that decision to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Christ, and He begins that work of recreation in us, we become His ambassadors! We aren't treated like the naughty boy who apologizes and is then allowed back in the classroom, but in a lonely corner separated from his friends. No, instead we are entrusted with the message of reconciliation. Suddenly our lives have a larger purpose than just earning enough to live comfortably.
Back to our Bible story:
Eventually the woman at the well realizes that she has met the Messiah and that He has begun to recreate her. Outwardly she looks just the same, but inside-inside she is a new creation!
She begins to change. She no longer sees herself as a hopeless outcast. Instead, she realizes that she has been entrusted with a message, with wonderfully good news: The Messiah is here! God has reconciled us to Himself! God has made it all okay between us again!
And this woman who walked to the well-walked to the well without a friend, without hope, without a future-this same woman runs back to town. She has met the Messiah. She has become Jesus' ambassador.
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 ''Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him...
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ''He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, ''We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (Jn 4:28-30,39-42; NIV)
When we meet Jesus as our personal Messiah, then our lives are filled with a deeper purpose, then we become His ambassadors, then we are entrusted with the message of reconciliation.
Conclusion
I could ask the question, "Where does this message leave us today?" Instead, "I am going to ask, "Where does this message find you today?"
Perhaps things are still going well. Sure, you've made some mistakes, you've messed up a little, but you're still living with the hope that you will be able to start over, that this new year presents you with the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf-to drop some bad habits and pick up some good ones.
Perhaps things are falling apart. You've tried the starting over bit-over and over and over-and you've come to realize it's just a futile attempt at making yourself feel better for a while. You've lost all hope in any real new beginning.
Perhaps you've met the Messiah. You've gone through the ups and downs. You've tried it all-you know what it's like to promise yourself a new start, you know what it's like to reach that point of hopelessness, of just giving up. But now you've met the Messiah. And suddenly you know what it is to really start over-to be a new creation.
Perhaps you've become His ambassador. You've been liberated, set free from you trust in yourself, your loss of hope. And now you can't help but carry a message-the message that it's okay. That God has made things right between you and Him, everyone and Him!
It doesn't really matter where you are today, because today is a new day. Paul writes further:
6 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,
''In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you."
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor 6:1, 2; NIV)
Today is a new day. Jesus is offering you what He offered the woman at the well-a new creation, living water. Go on. Drink it.
