"A Change Gonna Come"

Introduction to the Message

The old song says I know I’ve been changed and the angels in heaven done signed my name. This the confident hope of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ for those who’ve accepted the messianic work at Calvary. For those who receive the mystery of the gospel in faith receive the rewards of heaven and those who deny Christ here will be denied access into heaven. The changed for Christ will enjoy His presence at no end, while the unchanged endure everlasting damnation. The changed hold fast to the profession of their faith the expectant hope of Christ’s return while the unchanged spend a lifetime in a vain attempt to control the inevitable. The author of Hebrews states it is appointed once to die and then the judgement. Humanity as a whole can count on seeing Jesus face to face, and that mandatory meeting cannot be cancelled, post-phoned or rescheduled. We have to meet our maker one day, you determine the type of meeting you will have. Philippians is a joyful letter, but its undercurrent is a sober realization that time is running out. Paul himself was facing a possible death sentence; the church was tensed up, ready for the assault of a menacing world and for the insidious encroachment of false doctrines. Above all, God’s clock was turning relentlessly to the hour which would be both End and Climax. Paul realized that everything that happened in his life provided Paul with a clear sense that he was right in the center of God’s will. Paul’s second missionary journey did not start off well and it eventually looked like it was running out of steam but God provided for him. Philippi was the establishment of the European church that was born from prayer and through the preaching of the unchanged apostolic theme of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the “prison” epistles written by Paul which reveals the heart of Paul to the church. Paul calls attention to two quarrelling women Euodia and Syntyche and provided wisdom in dealing with them. Paul reminds the church that unity is paramount, the church will be under attack, but there is the coming of the great day when the Lord Jesus shall return to bring his citizens home.

Philippians is a joyful letter, but its undercurrent is a sober realization that time is running out. Paul himself was facing

The confession of Christ changes our “conversation” and “destination”

The image of a heavenly city with God where the joy bells ring, where our loves ones who passed this way hope await our arrival, the city of God where there will be no more crying, pain or sorrow cannot not be presented effectively without understanding there are enemies of the cross. In the preceeding verses, Paul encourages the church to follow, or be imitators him because it will help you live a life which attest to the truth about the cross and the coming of Christ. When the truths about the cross and the coming of Christ are grasped, a certain way of life naturally follows. This integration between what we believe and what we do lies close to the center of Paul’s thinking. Paul writes to Titus and says that some profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; Christians must adorn the doctrine of God our Savior by the way they live. Until your confession changes, then you will continue on your original destination which is Hell itself. When you have heaven in your heart, you are halfway there then

politeuma: “the place or location in which one has the right to be a citizen”

Believers have the right to be a citizen of heaven because of the acceptance by faith of Jesus Christ, and with that faith you are “just visiting” waiting on the Lord to return. You have the right as a citizen of heaven to tap into all the benefits of the kingdom while you are travelling here as a sojourner.

There ought to be an “external expression” of the “internal conversation” that you’ve had with the Savior

With the

While we live by heaven’s laws, we go about out earthly business with heavenly minds. With the body we walk about on earth, with the heart we dwell in heaven.

The change of “conversation” fuels your faith in His return

The gaining of citizenship in the halls of heaven through a changed conversation now gives faith to your hope in His return. Paul throughout the epistles speaks of the advent of the Lord in all his glory in . When you believe in Christ, then you have the hope of his glorious return to the earth to bring His citizens home from this world down here. Waiting on him is not standing in the line through the years waiting on the sweet chariot to come by and pick you up. You must continue to work while you wait because the adversity and trouble you face don’t stop because you met the savior. In the Greek, Savior is placed first, separate from its relating words, granting it special emphasis. Its a bad thing to wait on someone or something, but it is another thing for you to out wait what your waiting on.

apekdechometha: to wait out the time of any one’s absence, i.e. to wait long for, to await, or expect ardently

“The conversation changes the way you wait.”

While we wait on him, He is waiting on the times to be fulfilled....#heswaiting

Romans 8:23 ESV

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

The change of “conversation” will provide you with a change of clothes

Paul in the book of says that this earthly tent is destroyed, then we have another building from God not made with hands in the heavens, and that is the reason why we groan in this body. Understand that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and Paul is not suggesting that you despise your body but one day you will be able to change clothes from this body. This body is doomed to return to the dust, but our spirit back to the owner. Paul is looking at the redemption of this body from the taint of sin and the corruption. The proper translation of these words is “the body of our humiliation, because in it we experience those painful and humiliating experiences, privations, afflictions, persecutions, which belong to the Christian life on earth. This body, in which now we are so often humiliated, is to be changed at Christ’s coming, and fashioned like his glorious body.

2 Corinthians 5:1–2 ESV

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,

There was an old lady who lived in an old raggedy house, leaks all in the ceiling, cracks all in the walls, holes all in the floor. She lived the all by herself. Neighbors would come by and ask why she wouldn’t leave this old raggedy house and go somewhere else to live either in a nursing home or with your family. The woman would make the same response every single time. the Lord made me a promise that He would build me a house. Family members would come by and say why don’t leave this old raggedy house and come home with us, or will put you in the fines senior complex. She again made the response that the Lord made me a promise that He would build me a new house. But you know when you’ve been in a situation a while, people will stop coming by to see you. Until one night, a storm came through the town and hit the old lady’s house and blew the roof clean off the old lady’s house. When they heard that the storm hit the old lady’s house, they got up and went to the old lady’s house. When they got there, she was sitting on her porch in a rocking chair. They said I guess you’re ready to leave this old raggedy house. The old lady never stopped rocking. She just the same old words, the Lord made me a promise that the Lord would build me a new house and I’m going hang in there until my blessing comes. Later on, family members came up and said come on and leave this old raggedy house. The old was getting frustrated and she said, the Lord made me a promise that He would build me a brand new house and I’m going to hang in there. Later on, a black SUV pulled up to the old lady’s house and a man in a black suit got out with a white shirt, black tie and a clipboard, walked up to the porch. and asked the lady if this was her house. The lady got frustrated and said yes this is my house and I’m not going anywhere. The man said I don’t want you to go anywhere you see I’m from the government of heaven and the storm that came through last night, the King of glory declared it a spiritual disaster and I can see that the storm hit your house. I can see that the storm messed up your walls, I can see it put holes in your floor, it even blew the roof clean off your house. All I came to do is give to the address to your new home. The old lady got up out of her rocking chair and started singing a testimony song

I’ve been through the storm and rain but I made it

I’ve been through the storm and rain but I made it

I’ve had heartache and pain but I made

You wonder how I made it

With the help of God, he done his part

Thank you Jesus, I made it

I’ve seen the lightning flash

I’ve heard the thunder roll

I’ve felt the sin breaker’s dash

The only reason that she made it to heaven was not because she hung in there, but she made it because He hung up there....