But we also see changes in other places, for example:
• The FASHION WORLD is constantly changing.
• The CAR DESIGNS are constantly changing.
• The BANKING INDUSTRY is constantly changing.
• The COMMUNICATION in this country is almost changing daily. For example:
(1) The telephone is being replaced by the Internet
(2) The US mail is being replaced by E-mail
• The WARS we fight are changing from hand to hand combat to airpower wars.
Our forefathers would be shocked to come back and see the many changes that have taken place since they lived here on earth.
But there are some changes that God has made to teach us valuable lessons, such as:
• The seasons, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER, SPRING are constantly changing to remind us that we have fewer days to live on this earth.
• The FAST GROWTH OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN is constantly reminding us that we are getting older.
• The WRINKLES in the face remind us that our body is constantly changing and time is running out on us.
• The GRAY HAIRS are a constant reminder that our days are running out.
• The ACHES AND PAINS in our bodies are constant reminders that our time on this earth is coming to a close.
These changes that we see constantly, are teaching us what Psalm 90:12 teaches us, and that is, “So teach us to number our days…”
We live in a changing world, and many of these changes are trying to teach us something. But there are four absolutes that have never changed. NEVER!
We can always depend on -
I. DEATH
Death has always been around since the beginning of time. As long as man has been on the face of the earth, man has had to deal with death.
Death will invade every one of our lives one day.
• There is no city that you can move to and avoid death
• There is no family that you can belong to and avoid death
Death is no respector of persons.
Death generally comes in two ways:
(1) SOMETIMES IT IS SUDDEN
1 Samuel 20:3 “…But truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.”
Many will wake up one day and they will take a step in this life, but their next step will be in eternity.
Death is SUDDEN for some, but -
(2) SOMETIMES IT IS GRADUAL
This was the case with _______________.
____________________, knew this day was coming in his life for years. With the help of good doctors he fought it off for years, but he knew eventually that Death would win the battle.
He knew he had put up a good fight, but he was about to lose this fight with death
In Heb. 9:27 we read, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
• Methuselah lived 969 years, but eventually his day arrived and he died like everyone else
• Houdini escaped death thousands of times, but one day he faced it and he did not walk away from it
• Elvis Presley and Howard Hughes had millions of dollars, but when their time came, they were no better off than the poorest of the poor. They could not buy one second with their millions
• Folks die in the best hospitals that are available to them, the same way they die in bad hospitals
• Some have the best doctors to care for them, but eventually the doctor has to say, “I have done all that I can do!”
• Some have the best medicine available, but eventually that medicine will no longer help them
One thing is certain; we can all depend on DEATH. Death is one of the CERTAINTIES of life.
But then the Bible says that after death, there is something else we can depend on and that is -
II. JUDGMENT
In Hebrews 9:27 we read, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.”
Illus: There are books today that you can purchase where you find people claiming to have all kinds of after death experiences.
Do not put a lot of confidence in such books, because the Bible says after this life is THE JUDGMENT. God is going to Judge every one of us.
Look at Romans 14:12, it says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
While the Bible teaches that God is going to judge us, God commands us not to judge one another.
In Matthew 7: 1-2, we read, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
WHY DOES THE LORD TEACH US NOT TO JUDGE ONE ANOTHER?
The reason that the Lord teaches us not to judge one another is because our judgment is unfair.
Illus: Most of us have served on a jury in which we had to hear the evidence against someone, and then make a judgment whether or not what we heard against the accused was true or false. But before we serve on the Jury, they will ask us:
• If we know the accused
• If we have any beliefs about the accused that will make it impossible for us to render a fair and honest verdict
Then the Lawyers will start to work.
• The Prosecutor will start to stack the evidence up against the accused
• The Defense Lawyer will began to tear down all the evidence he has put up
Then at a given time, we have to weigh all the things we have seen and heard in that court room, and render a verdict of guilty or not guilty.
Listen, even though we have the best judiciary system in the world, many times it has been proven that some innocent person has been sent to prison and sometimes even to death row.
But there are folks that can hear something about someone and without one shred of evidence, they will convict them of something.
The God of justice demands that we do not do such things. He has promised that those who do such things will be judged in the same manner.
But the Bible teaches us there are going to be two judgments for mankind.
(1) THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST - This is the judgment that all Christians will appear before. This is not a judgment of determining heaven or hell. That was taken care of the day they received Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is a judgment of REWARDS. All those who have faithfully served the Lord will be rewarded for the good they have done.
(2) THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT - This will be a judgment for sinners. They will all appear before Him and hear Him say these words, “Depart from me!”
We can rest assured, in both of these judgments, the Lord will deal out TRUE JUSTICE!
• No Christian will get any rewards he does not deserve
• No Sinner will get any punishment he does not deserve
DEATH and JUDGMENT are two things we can depend on in this changing world. God’s Word says that after this life there is THE JUDGMENT.
Notice, the Bible does not say a thing about PERGATORY or a SECOND CHANCE, as some teach.
God’s Word says, “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment….”
We can depend on DEATH, and JUDGMENT, but also we can depend on -
III. GOD’S LOVE
Love is a wonderful thing. It is something that is virtually impossible to hide.
• Sometimes folks in love will rent billboards and in large letters say that they love someone very special in their life
• Sometimes they will hire skywriters in airplanes to let everyone know they love someone
• Sometimes they risk their life and climb large water tanks high in the air and write on them that they love someone
• Sometimes they will put an ad in the newspaper
• Sometimes they will find a large rock on the road side and write the name or initials of someone they love
• Sometimes they will carve the name of someone they love on trees
• Sometimes they will tattoo the name of someone they love on their arms
But the Lord Jesus loves us so much that He left the portals of heaven, and hung on a cross with outstretched arms to show us how much he loves us.
No one has ever gone through the trouble and suffering as He went through to show us how much love He has for us.
Illus: Dennis Lawrence tells the story of a grandfather. (Read for best results) It goes like this: Grandpa walked into the family room and found his little grandson, Jeffy, standing up in his playpen, crying.
He looked so pitiful, standing there in his little baseball T-shirt and diaper. His face was red and tear-stained from crying. When Jeffy saw his grandpa, his face lit up in a way that smote the old man’s heart.
The little grandson said, “Out Papa, out!”
What grandpa could resist such a plea? Not this one! He walked over to the playpen and reached down to lift his little buddy out of captivity and distress.
Just then, however, Law and Order stepped into the room.
Jeffy’s mother walked out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in her hand and spoke sternly. “No, Jeffy! You are being punished. You have to stay in bed! Leave him right there, Dad.”
Oh, fine. Now what’s a grandpa to do? His grandson’s tears and reaching little hands tugged mightily at his heart - but he didn’t want to interfere with a mother’s discipline either.
He couldn’t stand staying in the same room with the boy, reading his newspaper and pretending to be aloof. Nor could he turn around and walk out the door without feeling like a betrayer to his little pal. What could he do? Love found a way.
Since Grandpa couldn’t take Jeffy out of the playpen, he climbed in with him. “If you’re in the playpen, Buddy, I’m in the playpen. What’s your sentence? How long are you in for?” And finding a big, jolly grandpa suddenly filling his little prison cell, the little boy found comfort even in his captivity.”
This is exactly what the Lord has done for us. He stepped into our world because he loves us so dearly.
The greatest love became flesh.
In this world of CHANGE, we can depend on DEATH, JUDGMENT, and GOD’S LOVE. But we can depend on one more thing, that is -
IV. GOD’S SALVATION
Illus: Clint Eastwood the actor starred in the 1993 hit film, “In the Line of Fire.” He played a Secret Service agent named Frank Horrigan.
Horrigan had protected the life of the President for more than three decades, but he was haunted by the memory of what had happened thirty years before.
Horrigan was a young agent assigned to President Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas in 1963. When the assassin fired, Horrigan froze in shock. For thirty years afterward, he wrestled with the ultimate question for a Secret Service agent: Can I take a bullet for the President?
In the climax of the movie, Horrigan does what he had been unable to do earlier: he throws himself into the path of an assassin's bullet to save the chief executive.
Secret Service agents are willing to do such a thing because they believe the President is so valuable to our country and the world that he is worth dying for. Obviously they would not take a bullet for just anyone.
At Calvary the situation was reversed. The President of the Universe actually took a bullet for each of us. At the Cross we see how valuable we are to God. (Douglas G. Pratt, Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 2.)
In so much of this life, we find ourselves on the outside of the blessings of life. That is, it seems many times that others:
• Have fame
• Have Wealth
• Have materials goods
• Have invitations that we do not have
• Have privileges that we do not have
But the Lord did not leave any of us out. HE DIED FOR ALL!
In Romans 10:13, we read, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Conclusion:
In this world of changing things, we can depend on the certainty of -
I. DEATH
II. JUDGMENT
III. GOD’S LOVE
IV. GOD’S SALVATION
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