Job 14:13-15 WHEN MY CHANGE COMES
Intro: Job is in the midst of his great time of affliction. He is broken
and buffeted and in verse 13, Job longs for the day when God will call his number and he
will be allowed to die. Now, do not feel that this is the cry of a hopeless man. Job is
anything but hopeless. In truth, he is hopeful! He knows that he has a God upon whom he
can depend. He knows that when his time comes to leave this world, he will be far better
off then than he is now. As Job follows this train of thought, he addresses about five
areas of life that are of immense importance when one considers the time of one's death.
Job is looking forward to that day of his change, and by the way, I am too! As he speaks
of that time, he gives us a little insight into what that time will bring to pass for the
believer. Let's look with Job at these great truths and think about the time when our
change will come. I am going to preach for a while this evening on the thought, When My
Change Comes.
I. V. 14a A VALID CONCERNJob asks a question
that has plagued mankind since the very beginning. What, if anything, lies beyond the veil
of death? In job's day, man was limited in the scope of his vision. He did not have as
much light of the revelation of God as we enjoy. Therefore, men were often in the dark
about great spiritual matters. Thank God that we have the New Testament. In it, we can
learn all that we need to know about life and about death. Here are a few of the things
that we learn.
A. Death Is A Certainty - According to Hebrews
9:27, man is going to die! If the Lord tarries, every person in this room will face death
and will be overtaken by it someday.
B. Death Is A Shared Experience - Obviously, no
one in this room has ever died. If you have, then you need to leave right now. While none
of us have experienced death firsthand, we have all lost those we have known and loved to
death. Death is something we live with everyday of our lives. It is all around us and
figures greatly in our lives. It is a shared experience!
C. Death Is An Absolute Unknown - Even though we
are headed for it and we have seen others go through it, it is still something of an
unknown. Nobody here really knows what lies beyond death. However, I am glad that we have
the Word of God in the matter. While we cannot have knowledge based on experience, we can
have knowledge based on faith in what God has said. When we read the Bible, we learn:
1. When death comes, we will not face it alone - Psa. 23:4
2. When death comes, it will be followed by life - (Ill. The saints have
everlasting life in Jesus and can never die anyway. What I am saying is that ever soul
will either live in Heaven or in Hell.)
3. When death comes for the saint, it is simply his/her home going day!
4. While there are many unknowns surrounding death, there is one
absolute: the soul will go forever wither in Heaven or Hell. Therefore, men would do well
to remember that their lives are no more than times of preparation for eternity. What have
you done to insure that you will be ready when your time comes?
I. A Valid Concern
II. V. 14c A Vivid Change
(In this word, Job is referring to the resurrection of the dead. He had
no knowledge of the rapture. However, because of the New Testament, we know that there
will come a time known as "the rapture of the church." I believe that there will
be a day when the Lord Jesus Himself will descend from Heaven and will call His people
home to be with Him in Glory. I believe that the Bible teaches that this event will be
sudden, serious, selective, sad, and soon. 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52. When the day
of our change comes, whether it be by way of the undertaker or of the uppertaker, we can
rest assured that there will be some significant changes in our lives. What I am about to
address only applies to the saved! If you are lost, you will have nothing to look forward
to but an eternity in Hell, forever separated from God and Jesus.)
A. There Will Be Physical Changes
1. Address - No longer on the earth, but home
with Jesus in Heaven. I do not know what my exact address will be over there, but I know
that I will be in Heaven with my Lord when my change comes, John 14:1-3! (Elaborate on the
glories of my new home!)
2. Appearance - Not only will I be changing
locations, but I shall also be changing the way I look. When my change comes, I am going
to be getting a new body. One fashioned like our Lord's glorified body, 1 John 3:1-2.
(Ill. 1 Cor. 15:42-56) (Ill. What a day that will be!)
B. There Will Be Spiritual Changes
1. Attitudes - No longer will there be hatred,
prejudice, unforgiveness, and just plain old meanness. But, thank God, when He changes
these old bodies, he will change this old mind and finally and fully fashion it to think
like His! There are times, most of the time in fact, when my mind doesn't work like the
Lord's. I long for the day when I shall think like my Lord.
2. Actions - No longer will these bodies thrive
in sin and long for the things that gratify the flesh and not the Lord! When our change
comes, thank God, we will finally be free from the sinful urges of the flesh and the mind.
We will be free and will live in pure holiness forever! (Ill. When we see Jesus, we'll
want nothing else!
3. There Will Be Eternal Changes - When the day
of our change comes, we will forever be delivered from death, disease, disuse, decay,
destruction, disaster and disappointment. When we are changed, it will be a forever
change! We will never again be like we are now, but forever we will be like Jesus!
I. A Valid Concern
II. A Vivid Change
III. V. 14b A VITAL CONSISTENCY
A. Job declares that he will patiently await this time of renewal from
the Lord. This implies a consistency of life and activity.
B. As Christians, we are to be sold out and totally dedicated to the
Lord Jesus and His will for our lives! There must be an absolute commitment to Jesus and
to following Him.
C. Certainly, there will be times when serving the Lord isn't as much as
it is at other times. There will be periods of testing, trials and temptations and each of
these have the power to derail our Christian walk. However, there must be a desire in the
heart of the child of God to walk with the Lord regardless of what comes our way. We must
be willing to forsake all and follow Him, Luke 14:26-33. (Ill. Luke 9:59-62)
D. Folk, Jesus is coming and He is going to deliver all of His children
from this world of sorrow and tears, but until He does, we are to strive to live holy,
separated and clean before the Lord and before the world! So that when He comes, we will
not be ashamed!
I. A Valid Concern
II. A Vivid Change
III. A Vital Consistency
IV. V. 15a A VICTORIOUS CALL (As I have already
said, the call of God to leave this world will come in one of two ways. He will either
call us home via the avenue of death, or He will call us home via the rapture.)
A. The Call Of Death - If the Lord wills and He
tarries, every person in this room will face the call of death. However, for the child of
God, death is only a shadow. In fact, the child of God never really dies, he just departs
for glory! According to the words of Jesus, we have passed from death unto life, John
5:24. All that happens when we die is that we leave these early bodies behind and go home
to be with Jesus - 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:21-23.
B. The Call To Depart - This is the call that I
am anticipating! I am looking for the day when Jesus will call His children home to be
with Him in Heaven. There are many who refuse to believe in the "rapture" of the
church. However, this is the blessed hope of the believer, Titus 2:13. Imagine that you
were just going about life as usual one day and the Lord came and called you home to
Heaven. Wouldn't that be a great blessing? Certainly it would! The fact is, millions will
experience that reality some glorious day. My prayer is that I will be found among them!
C. However when the call comes for me, I know I am ready, how about you?
I. A Vital Concern
II. A Vivid Change
III. A Vital Consistency
IV. A Victorious Call
V. V. 15b A VALUABLE COMFORT
A. Job declares that the Lord will have a "desire to the work of
His hands." This simply means that when the times comes, God won't forget those who
belong to Him.
B. May I remind you that the Lord knows them that are His and He will
not allow a single one to fall by the wayside! God didn't save you to lose you along the
way, or to leave you behind in the end. He saved you to take you to Heaven to be with Him.
C. He intends to keep all that come to Jesus.
1. John 6:35-44
2. Jude 24
3. 2 Tim. 1:12
4. John 10:28-30
5. Phil. 3:21
6. Heb. 7:25
7. John 17:20-24
8. 1 Peter 1:5
Conc: I am like old Job, I long for the day when this life will be over
and we will all be with the Lord in Heaven. Now, the question that springs to mind is
this, are you ready for the time of your change? The only way to prepare is to receive
Jesus into your heart and life. If you have done that, then your future is settled and
secure. If you haven't, that needs to be settled today.
