Sermon Cloud

When you became a Christian, you were aware that certain things were happening. Formerly you had been separated from God, not in relationship with him, but then you repented. Formerly you were dead but now you are alive. But much more happened, even if you were not aware of it. Before conversion, did you know that it was God drawing you to himself, helping you understand your guilt and emptiness? In conversion God rescued you from the kingdom of darkness and brought you into his kingdom of light, forgave your sins, acquitted you from all guilt, freed you from all condemnation, redeemed you from the tyranny of sin, made you holy, made you into a new creation, adopted you into his family, made you a citizen of heaven and gave you the gift of his Holy Spirit to live within you forever as a helper and a guarantee that you would receive the inheritance that God has promised. With all this, it should come as no surprise that changed people will live in a changed way. Of course your life is going to be different; it cannot possibly be the same because you are not the same. The Bible uses many different ways of discussing this new life. Jesus says that we become his disciples, which means that we are his followers and learn from him. Conversion is an important first step in this new life. The Bible also talks about the “fruits of the Spirit.” “Fruits” stands for the changes that God’s Spirit is going to accomplish in your life, changes like love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Do not be frightened about these changes. God is not standing there with a frown, demanding that you be perfect. But he will give you the desire to change and then the ability to do so. This change is not automatic; you can fight him, but why would you want to do that? Another metaphor that the Bible uses to describe followers of Jesus is that we are the “salt of the earth.” Life is going to be different; you are going to be different. Things are about to change in your life.