What Is The Difference? 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 

Genesis 1: 26-28

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, 
after our likeness; let him have dominion over the 
fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and 
over the cattle, and over every creeping thing that 
creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in 
his own image, in the image of God he created 
him; male and female he created them. And 
blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful 
and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and 
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over 
the birds of the air and over every living thing 
that moves upon the earth.”

Genesis 2: 1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 
and all the hosts of them. And on the seventh 
day God finished his work which he had done, 
and he rested on the seventh day from all his 
work which he had done in creation. So God 
blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, 
because on it God rested from all his work 
which he had done in creation.

Genesis 3: 1-7

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other 
wild creature that the LORD God had made. The 
serpent said to Eve, “Did God say, “You shall not 
eat of any tree of the garden? And Eve said to the 
serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the 
garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit 
of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, 
neither shall you touch it least you die.’ ”

Matthew 4: 1-6

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the 
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And Jesus 
fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards 
Jesus was hungry. And the tempter came and 
said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, 
command these stones to become bread; but 
Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live 
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took 
Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, and said 
to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God then throw 
yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his 
angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they 
will bear you up, lest you strike your foot 
against a stone.’ ”

Matthew 4: 7-11

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall 
not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Again, the devil 
took Jesus to a very high mountain, and showed 
him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory 
of them; and the devil said to Jesus, “All these I 
will give to you, if you will fall down and worship 
me.” Then Jesus said to the devil, “Be gone, 
Satin! for it is written, ‘You shall worship the 
Lord God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then 
the devil left and the angels ministered to Jesus.

Now we just read this scripture on January 23, in the sermon titled ‘What
If I Offered You?’ Why are we reading this scripture again? What does 
this sermon have to do with the first Sunday of Lent?

The connection between Adam and Eve and Jesus being tempted in the
wilderness is the terminology. It’s all about sin and how one makes the 
choice to look at it. Adam and Eve were tempted in a lush beautiful 
garden.

Jesus was tempted in a barren wilderness. We can be tempted in the 
nicest of the nicest as well as in the middle of nothing. Temptation does 
not know environments, it only knows sin. It doesn’t matter if your in a 
Mercedes or an old run down car, in the Ritz Carlton or a run down 
building. The environment does not always lessen the temptation or the 
desire. 

Neither Adam and Eve or Jesus were known to have sinned before their 
respective temptations. Remember, temptations only know that we are 
humans. The devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Turning 
stones to Bread is the lush of the flesh, Genesis 3: 7-11.

The devil tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle, the
highest place of the temple. Throwing oneself down from the highest 
place of the temple is sin of pride. OH LORD MY GOD HOW GREAT I 
ART!

The devil tempted Jesus by offering him to have all the kingdoms of the 
world if Jesus would fall down and worship him. Ruling all of the kingdoms 
is the sin of lust if the eyes, Matthew 6:24. Falling down to worship one 
other than God is the sin of worshipping a false god; Exodus 20:3 and 
Isaiah 44:6. Now we’ve learned about temptations but what is the 
season of Lent?

The term “Lent” is derived from the old Anglo-Saxon word, “Lencten,” 
for spring. The forty days of Lent do not include Sundays for they are the 
Lord’s day and are them self a celebration of the resurrection. Now I don’t 
know how it is in your house but Lent in our households, yours and mine, 
should be a time of making a personal sacrifice of something we like, 
doing something for someone that we may not normally do. Lent should 
be a time to stop in reflection, not what one may see in the mirror or a 
window, but in prayer. In prayer and in deepening our relationship with 
those we love and with God. And the word Spring should be related to 
cleaning our house. Our house, that we bathe and dress daily.

In the words of Steveland Morris who was born in Saginaw, Michigan and 
at his birth left too long in an incubator receiving too much oxygen that 
resulted in his being blind for life. Did I say Steveland Morris? You and the
world may know him as Stevie Wonder who stated and I quote, “Just 
because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” 

On this the first Sunday of Lent I ask do you have the use of your eyes
or vision? What’s the difference?

As Jesus sat in the Upper Room with His disciples he took the bread, 
broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is my body broken for you. Eat this 
often in remembrance of me”. Then Jesus took the cup, lifted it up and 
said, “Take, drink, this is my blood shed for you. Drink this often in 
remembrance of me”. 

Jesus knew what his calling was from his father, Our Father Who Art In 
Heaven. And remember that Eve in the Garden of Eden had a memory
of God’s word, Genesis 3a, “but God said,” and Jesus stated in 

Matthew:4; 7, and 10, “It is written….” 

One who sinned remembered the word of God and one 
who was without sin remembered the word of God.

What is the difference? 

Romans 5: 12-17

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and 
death through sin, and so death spread to all men because 
all men sinned-sin indeed was the in the world before the 
law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those
whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who 
was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is 
not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s 
trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free 
gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin. For the 
judgment following many trespasses becomes justification. 
If because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through 
that one man, much more will those who receive the free 
gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man 
Jesus Christ.

What is the difference? In the words of the band Guns’ N’ Roses:
"When you were young and your heart was an open book you use to
say live and let die. You know you did, you know you did, you know
you did. But if this ever changing world in which we live in. Makes you
give in and cry...Say live and let die. Live and let die. What does it matter 
to ya when ya got a job to do. Ya got to do it well. You got to give the 
other fella’ hell". 

What is the difference? 

Romans 5: 18-21

Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, 
so one man’s acts of righteousness leads to acquittal and life 
for all men. For as one’s man disobedience many were made 
sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made 
righteous. Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where 
sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin 
reigned in death, grace also might reign through 
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


The difference is the choice one makes during the season of Lent and in 
our lives. To live of the world, live and let die, or to commit your life to our 
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and live and live in eternal life.

May you make the choice to grow in your daily walk in prayer, scripture 
and meditation this Lenten season as we as a family take the journey to 
the cross. May you make the choice to read God’s word, commune with 
God and remember: What’s the difference? 
1 Samuel 16: 7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance 
or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for 
the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward 
appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

And all of God’s children stood and loudly proclaimed: 
AMEN!!





02/13/05 JWM



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