Preparing For Change

Pastor’s Bible Class

Thomas Road Baptist Church

Preparing for Change

Dr. Elmer L. Towns

December 30, 2007

“Generations come and go but it makes no difference. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. The rivers run into the sea but the sea is never full, and the water returns again to the rivers, and flows again to the sea. History merely repeats itself. Nothing is truly new; it has all been done or said before. What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn’t exist long ages ago? We don’t remember what happened in those former times, and in the future generations no one will remember what we have done back here” (Ecc. 1:4-7; 9-11, LB).

A. 3 + 1 ATTITUDES TOWARD CHANGE

1. The future will not be like the past.

2. The future will not be like what we expect.

3. The rate of change will be faster in the future then in the past.

4. We live in a time between two eras, i.e., the fading industrial age and the coming information age.

B. 4 + 1 PRINCIPLES OF CHANGE

1. Growth equals change; you cannot grow unless you change.

2. All growth is not for the better, but can be for the worst.

3. All change does not represent progress, it can retrogress.

4. Don’t confuse immobility with stability.

5. Change is the price we pay for growth.

We must give up to go up

C. 10 REASONS WHY WE RESIST CHANGE

1. People misunderstood why they must change.

2. People lack ownership in the changing process.

3. People don’t like to change their habit patterns.

4. People feel the new is not worth the price.

5. People resist when they are threatened with the loss of something valuable.

6. People are satisfied with the old.

7. People are just negative towards change.

8. People don’t respect the change agent.

9. Tradition: we have never done it that way before.

10. People have greater resistance when change comes as a surprise.

D. WHERE IS GOD IN CHANGE?

1. God does not change. “I Am the Lord, I change not” (Mal. 3:6).

2. God allows us to change. “He changes the times and the seasons” (Dan. 2:21).

3. The crucial change is inward.

a. Some are changed by sin. “For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature” (Rom. 1:26, KJV).

b. Some are changed by God. “We all, with open face . . . are changed into (His) same image” (II Cor. 3:18).

E. QUESTIONS WE MUST ASK OURSELVES

1. Is my trust in God, or do I trust things, money, my talent, or my job?

2. Will change make me better or bitter?

3. What enemies will I make by this change?

4. What friends will I lose with this change?

5. Have I done a good job in handling change in the past?

6. Will I be open to admit a mistake when a change doesn’t work?

7. Am I willing to pay the price that change demands?

8. Do I live my life by principles or am I blown about by every wind of change that comes along?

9. Can I make a decision about the future and make it work?

10. Will I be comfortable in God’s care if change doesn’t work?

11. Will the change pull me closer to God, or draw me away?

12. Am I changing God’s principles, or the way things get done?

F. WHAT CHANGES IRRITATED YOU MOST

(Scale 1 to 10; 10 being the most irritable)

1. Clothing styles _____

2. New secular music _____

3. New church music _____

4. From land base to cell phone _____

5. From Selectric typewriter to computer _____

6. Television programs _____

7. From Mp3 to iPods ______

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.