MORPHING; It Can Happen to You

Sermon Notes, June 10, 2012

Pastor Jan Sinozich

Pastor Jan’s sermon was the third in the series “Miracle of Life Change,” and was titled “MORPHING: It Can Happen to You.”  The scripture reference is Ephesians 4:7-10

Jesus was totally committed to doing the will of the Father, even to death on a cross.  When we accept Jesus, we are committing to do the will of the Father.  We die to sin and are resurrected with Him.  If Christ is the Champion, so are we, through Him.

Jesus defeated Satan in the three days between His crucifixion and His resurrection.  But as long as Satan is the prince of this world, there will always be a struggle between right and wrong, righteousness and evil, God and Satan.  The problem is sin—anything that keeps us from becoming like Jesus.  He paid the penalty, and broke the power of sin.

In Ephesians 4:7-10, Paul tells us what Jesus did from Friday’s crucifixion to Sunday’s resurrection.  Verse 8 says He led a host of captives: Jesus won the battle with Satan, and captured sin and death. 

Where did He win this battle?  In “the lower parts of the earth,” Hades, where there were two compartments:  one for the wicked dead and one for the righteous dead, with a deep chasm separating them. Jesus preached to the demonic forces.  He made a royal proclamation, as the conquering king:  “It is finished! The victory is won. I died on the cross, sin’s power is broken, death no longer has its sting.  Satan, you are a defeated foe!”

 Then He visited the Paradise compartment of Hades, the abode of the Old Testament saints.  He preached the gospel, the good news, to them, to confirm the faith of the righteous dead.  They were there because they believed in the future work of the Christ, and there He was, telling them “I am the Messiah; I’ve come, and the permanent payment for sin has been paid.  God has accomplished what He promised to you.”

Verse 10 tells us why—“that He might fill all things.”  What was Jesus doing between the time of His death and His resurrection?  He was establishing His right to reclaim creation. He was declaring that He had defeated sin, death, and Satan. He was providing the basis for our spiritual freedom and transformation.

Where do we get the power to transform?  By knowing the truth, which sets us free.  The truth is, the power of sin has been broken.  We do not have to sin.  We do not have to be afraid, of death, of Satan, of being deceived by the world.  Genuine life change begins with the truth.  The enemy has been defeated.  All are subject to the authority of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God dwelling within us.  These are the truths that Heaven celebrates. (Revelation 5)