Sermon Central
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What A Difference You've Made In My Life!
Contributed by Bruce Willis on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: This is a sermon from the perspective of "The Exchanged Life" which seeks to communicate the difference Adam’s choice has made in our lives.
Now, the word sin is first introduced in Genesis 4:7. God addresses Cain, who is contemplating murder. He says, “Sin is crouching at the door; and his desire is for you, but you must master him.” God personifies this power which He calls sin. Understanding this truth will help you in the important role in your battle against sin. But when Adam sinned against God’s authority, not only did his innocent spirit die to God so that he had no life toward God, but his spirit instantly became one with Satan. Adam’s dead spirit was instantly unified with Satan’s spirit, the power of sin. This power of sin entered into Adam and took control over him in spirit, soul and body. He became Satan’s spirit-offspring, born of the same rebellion as him, a dead spirit being in human form totally submissive to Satan. Ephesians 2:1-2 describes this difference Adam made in our lives.
What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life! The Spiritual Death of us, The Power of Sin entered into us, and:
III. The Soul and Body is Dying by Degrees
Not only was Adam’s spirit now dead to God, but his soul and body were now dying by degrees as well. And if he didn’t repent before he ejected from his dying earthsuit, he’d have to exist forever as a dead spirit-son of Satan in hell. So take a look at what the Bible says about the difference he’s made in our Mind, Will and Emotions.
Ephesians 4:17-18 describes a lost person as having a darkened mind, as having a veil over his mind. This means that he can’t understand the things of God. He has no spiritual comprehension. The Bible will be meaningless to you in terms of being able to discern spiritual enlightenment from it. You may earn a Ph. D. in Bible, but still not know anything about spiritual truth. The mind is darkened and dying.
The will is rebellious. The lost person has rebellious will. You will not, indeed you cannot, submit to God’s authority over you. You see God’s ways as burdensome. You may see God as an authoritarian party pooper. Your theme song is, “I Did It My Way.” You fit perfectly into the “Me Generation” of the world today. You’re your own god and insist on ruling over your own personal kingdom. Your will has become totally self-centered.
The emotions of a person like Adam are for worldly affection. You love the world, the system of the world, the way it’s structured. You live to satisfy your needs. You live to feel good. You enjoy life separated from God you’d like to be 21 on earth forever! That is if your body would let you. However, Adam’s body was dying as well. It was headed for the dirt. It was just a matter of time before the warranty would run out. This is what Adam and each of us became with the Fall of Man thus, “The Difference he Made in Our Lives.”
But the good news is that there’s a second Adam Jesus Christ the Son of God. And you can be born again, you can receive a new identity; an “in Christ” identity. You can become a new person altogether; then a real positive difference can be made in your life that will last forever. As the lyrics to the song Amy Grant sings, “What A Difference You’ve Made” written by Archie Jordan communicates:
