Hold On Your Change Is Coming

HOLD ON YOUR CHANGE IS COMING

1COR. 15:50-58: Pastor Kenneth L. Brown 4/8/07

There have been several TV shows that have dealt with extreme makeovers. Rather they were regular people or celebrities they captured America because these people were not happy with their present bodies and they were willing to do anything for a change. In fact thousands of dollars are spent by people everyday trying to make a physical change to their bodies.  Yet despite their changes they still get old and soon they will die.  Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate His death because for we who believe in Jesus His death brought about a change in our spiritual lives.  And because of His resurrection it will bring about a change in our physical lives. One day we will receive the most extreme makeover just like Jesus. It will not cost us thousands of dollars all we have to do is hold on to Jesus and our change is coming so we can get into heaven. Some one might be asking Pastor Brown why do I have wait and why can’t my present body get into heaven.

I.                   OUR CHANGE IS NEEDED – v.50

a.       Because your flesh and your blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Our bodies are physical and our bodies perish everyday.  Our hair falls out everyday, our skin dies and flakes away everyday and it is because our physical bodies are dying it is perishing. And since our human bodies our perishing they are not suited to inherit the imperishable Kingdom of God. This is what Paul means when he says nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

b.      We who are in Christ Jesus we must be made different there has to be a change to us a transformation process. Look at v. 42-44.

c.       We must be changed just like Jesus v.47-49. We will be transformed into the very image of Christ who is eternal so that we too can live eternally.

II.                OUR CHANGE PRODUCES A NEW REVELATION – 51-52

a.       When Paul uses the word mystery it means revelation, a once hidden fact now revealed. We could never have understood the resurrection change without God revealing it to us.

b.      What is revealed is that Christians who are alive when the Lord returns will not have to die (sleep) in order to receive their changed bodies.  Paul says we shall all be changed. When Christ returns there will be living Christians and their will be those who have died and Paul lets us know that all of our bodies will be changed.

c.       How will that change come about? V.52 tells us that the change will be quick and sudden. In a moment, Grk atomos from which we get our word atom and the word means cannot be divided or cut, because it is too small.

d.      To further magnify the quickness of our change Paul says that it would happen in a twinkling of an eye, faster than a blink of an eye.

e.       And this will occur at the sound of the last trump.  This is the trump sound of God as He summons all those who have lived and died waiting for His glorious appearing. 1 Thess. 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord”

f.        V.53 – Put on – idea is to be dressed in clothing. The dead must put on incorruption and the living must put immortality in order to enter the kingdom of God.

III.             OUR CHANGE WILL BRING VICTORY – V54-55

a.       Jesus Christ resurrection broke the power of death for all of us who believe in Him.  Jesus put death to death. He took the sting out of death. And although we all will have to face death one day, we who believe in Jesus don’t have to fear death for death itself no longer has victory.

b.      Lazuraus miraculous resurrection after 4 days in the grave will pale in comparison when millions of born again believers who have been lying in their graves for thousands of years will suddenly rise to eternal life. Change will bring victory because death will have no victory.

c.       The thought of this caused Paul to taught and tease death O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?

d.      Our change will bring victory over sin – v. 56. Sin brings upon death, Rom.6:23 says For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So since death has no victory logically sin will no longer have any victory for we who will be changed will not have the Law to condemn us for we will be perfected children of our risen savior.

IV.              OUR CHANGE IS ON ACCOUNT OF JESUS - .V57

a.       Let’s make it clear if it were not for Jesus dying for our sins we would not have any hope for our change. He satisfied God’s wrath because Jesus was a just and righteous sacrifice for sin. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and you will have that opportunity today, Jesus places His righteousness upon you and you are forgiven of your sins, and you are promised victory over sin and death. You cannot help but to thank Jesus for the victory, thank him for the change that’s victory, thank Him for paying for your sins that’s victory.

V.                 OUR CHANGE DEMANDS A DEDICATED LIFE – V58

a.       If you want to have a change, a new body that will live eternally with Jesus you will have to have a dedicated life. You cannot live for Jesus today and then go back to who you where before.

b.      You have to be stedfast.  This word means to be faithful, firm, and fixed. And too many folk are playing like they are faithful, playing like the are firm and fixed in the faith. They allow the world to uproot them from the faith, a little hardship to drive them away from God. But you got to be stedfast in this Christian race if you want to receive your change.

c.       Then Paul uses the word unmovable. Which means unshaken or not fickle or some timey. And the devil is causing many of you to be shaken, fickle and some timey. Some time you at church, some time your not, some time you saying the praises of Jesus and some time your not, you can’t expect to receive your change and get into heaven living like that. You are living a lie, you are fickle, you say you are going to stop lying only to keep on lying, you say your not going to sleep around, then you find yourself sleeping around.  Who you fooling?

d.      Paul says you ought to be abounding in the work of the Lord. We who did not deserve anything from the Lord received the abounding work of His life, death and resurrection. We at least should abound to work for Jesus who deserves everything from us.

e.       We ought to labor for the Lord. The verse translates to this thought; that is you ought to be laboring for Jesus to the point of exhaustion.

f.        You never slack up, you never cease, you never stop or quit. Why? Because your labor is not in vain.

g.       You press through you hold on because your change is your reward.

h.       You fight and strive and hold on because one day your change is going to come.

i.         You don’t lose hope because your change is going to come.

j.        You value Jesus death upon the cross and you hold on because your change is coming.

k.      There are days when life will get you and me down, but we get up and get going and hold on because our change is going to come.

l.         You had family & friends turn their back on you, but you are holding on because your change is going to come.

m.     You go through ever bump and bruise and you hold on because your change is going to come.

n.       You deal with the temptations, the trails and the tribulation and you hold on because your change is going to come.