Text:  1 Cor. 15:51-58
Title:  “We Shall All Be Changed”
Subj:  The change that Christ and death brings 

Intro:  A wise man once said, “The only thing that remains constant is change.”
It is an amazing thought for the Christian that when he/she dies, the first thing that happens is change.  You would think that death would settle all accounts and you would remain the same, which, by the way, many people who are not Christians believe.  But for the born-again Christian the moment of death brings instantaneous change. 
Change can be threatening, change can be encouraging or change can be challenging depending on your outlook.  Change can make you or break you,   but the change that death brings to the Christian is extraordinary, remarkable, unprecedented, incredible, miraculous, and amazing.  This is one of the reasons a born-again Christian looks forward to the day of his/her departure, whether by the undertaker or the Uppertaker.  It is the day of our change and that change is all for the better and for the glory of God.  And from that monumental moment of change comes eternal stability.
I have always found it interesting that in the physical realm, where we want constancy, there is never-ending change, but in the spiritual realm, to which we usually give scant attention, change brings that eternal stability. 

1 Cor. 15:51-58  --- “We Shall All Be Changed”  --- prayer 

(I will focus my message on v51-52)
I. GOD SHOWS YOU A MYSTERY (v51)
    A. “Mystery” = a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding.  Death is mysterious.  It is something you experience only once and from which you do not return.  So when God shows you this mystery, He wants you to learn from it and find peace in it.  
         1. We shall not all “sleep” (die). 
             a. The death of a born-again Christian is simply called sleep.
         2. We all shall be changed (“to exchange one thing for another, to transform.”)  We will all be transformed! 

     B. But There are a Number of Questions that Add to this Mystery.
          1. Who are the “we” that shall not all sleep (die) and shall all be changed?
              a. In the context of this passage, the we is referring to born again Christians, like __________, and I trust you, who have personally placed their faith and trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, or the breaking of God’s laws, because all sin must be punished.  So you can accept that Christ paid the price of your sins on the Cross, or you pay the punishment yourself by spending eternity in Hell.  You can tell the Judge that you are guilty and go free, or you can tell the Judge that you are innocent and be imprisoned. So when you trust or believe in Christ you are “saved” or “delivered” from the guilt of your sins and you are “born again” into the family of God and therefore are not held accountable by God for your sins.
               b. Second, the we refers to children who die before they reach the age of being able to understand the consequences of sin and the free offer of salvation in Christ.  This also includes all children who die in the womb. 
               c. Third, the we refers to adults whose mental capacities have limited their ability to understand the consequences of sin and the free offer of salvation, just like the little children.                    

Note:  These infants in the womb, children, and mentally handicapped adults, like __________, are taken to Heaven at death, not because they are sinless, but because they are accounted innocent and are protected by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  This is because of the justice of God.  Since Christ paid for the sins of the world, and salvation is by faith, a child under the age of accountability is not under condemnation until they are old enough to trust/reject Christ. Obviously those who have no capacity to believe or exercise faith are extended grace based upon the death of Christ.  This truth is confirmed by the over-all testimony of Scripture.

We shall all be changed
         2.  When is the “shall.”
              a. The shall is future.  It could be the distant future or the next few minutes.
              b. The shall is our assurance from the God who cannot lie, that we shall all be changed.

We shall all be changed
        3. Who are the “all”?
              a. The all includes everyone who has placed his/her faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.  There is no qualifying words or phrases—all will be changed.  It does not matter how you feel at any given moment, nor does it matter the scope of your disobedience to God.  All who have trusted Christ will be changed.
               b. The all also includes the children and adults that are found “innocent” before the Lord as mentioned above.  

II. GOD’S SPEED of Change (v52a)
     A. In a Moment (an indivisible moment of time) (there goes one, did you see it?) 

     B. In the Twinkling of an Eye (the beat of an indivisible moment of time)
The moment ________________ took his last breath & his spirit departed  he was changed! 

III. GOD’S TIME OF CHANGE (v52b)
      A. There are Three Times of Change for the Person who Becomes a Christian
            1. At the time of salvation when a person passes from spiritual death or separation from God unto spiritual life or union with God
Jn. 3:7 Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thy, ‘Ye must (it is a necessity) be born again’.” 
                a. Just as you had to have a physical birth to enter this world, so you must have a spiritual birth to enter Heaven.
2Cor. 5:17  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
                 b. It is a new birth, making a new creature, having a new life, a new outlook, a new purpose, a new attitude, a new hope and a new reasons for living!
                 c. This change, called salvation, takes your through this life
            2. At the moment of physical death.
                a. The spirit (your life force) & soul (the real you) go immediately to Heaven to be with the Lord. 
2Co 5:8  “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
                 b. The body, the house that God allowed you to live in, is consigned to the earth from whence it came;
“...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:19). 

With that truth in mind I want to share with you, from the Word of God, what the spirit and soul look like in Heaven.
1. First, __________ has a human form without having a body. (Lk. 16:23, 24)
2. Second, ___________ has the ability of sight, touch, hearing and speech (Lk. 16:24; Rev. 7:10)
3, Third, __________ has complete freedom of movement (Lk. 16:24)
4. Fourth, __________ has full knowledge (1 Cor. 13:12)
5. Fifth, __________ is known by others (1 Cor. 13:12)
6. Sixth, _________ is dressed in a white robe while he awaits his body (Rev. 7:9)
7. Seventh, ___________ is serving and praising God (Rev. 7:10)
8. Eighth, ___________ is experiencing fulness of joy and pleasures forever (Ps. 16:11) 

              3. At the last trumpet (v52b), or the catching away
 1 Thess. 4:13-18 (read and listen)
This is confirmed in our passage
                  a. The dead in Christ are raised & changed (v52d)
                  b. The alive in Christ are changed & raised (v52e) 

Recap:
So when you die, your soul and spirit go either to Heaven or Hell, while your body goes into the grave. 
But if you are alive and are saved or born-again, when Christ comes back in the clouds your body will instantaneously be changed and you will be taken to Heaven (body, soul and spirit).
But if you had already died and are saved or born-again, when Christ comes back in the clouds your body will be resurrected from the grave and the Lord will unite your soul and spirit to your resurrected body and you will be taken instantaneously to Heaven.
If you are not saved when Christ comes back in the clouds, then you will wonder where the rest of us went and you will go through Hell on earth for 7 years and is if you even survive. 

With that added information in mind I want to share with you what ____________ changed or resurrected body will be like in Heaven

1. First, it will be ___________ body, only it will be a glorified (made known) body made to function in Heaven.  It will be like Christ’s glorified body (Rm. 8:17)
    a. We know it is a body that can go freely through solid materials (Jn. 20:19)
    b. We know it is a body that can be handled and seen (Lk. 24:39)
    c. We know it is a body made of flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39)
    d. We know it is a body that can eat (Lk 24:43)
    e. We know it is a body that can relate to others (Lk. 24:39)   
2. Second it will be a perfect body
    a. ____________ body will most likely be represented as being 30 years of age, since Christ entered His public ministry at 30.  Plus 30 was considered the age of maturity in the O.T. and Gospels
    b. ____________ will have none of the external or internal characteristics of _______________________
        1) Instead of being short, I believe that ____________will be 6 ft tall plus like his brother.
        2) Instead of the Down’s facial characteristics, ______________ will be, in his own words, “handsome, ” probably like his dad
       3) Instead of the internal organs that were affected by _____________ Down’s and diabetes, all his inner workings will be in perfect harmony with the rest of his body
        4) Instead of struggling with speech, sight, and hearing problems _____________ will be perfectly attuned to his new surroundings in Heaven.
3. It will be a perfect mind.
    a. Instead of the short-comings of his mental ability, Garrick’s mind will be clear, clean and certain about God’s plan and purpose for His life.  He will know the “why” of all he went through and the “why” of all he did not go through.
4. _________________ will be sinless and complete.
At the very end of the the Scriptures, the Bible sums up the eternal joys of Heaven by saying,
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”  Rev  21:4   

Concl:  v57.  1) Thanks be to God.  2) Who gave us the victory (over death).  3) Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christian, are you grateful to God for your victory through our Saviour?  I know _____________ is.  Then live in an attitude of gratitude and service.
If you are here this evening, but you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, are you grateful to God for giving you this opportunity to make things right with Him?  You don’t deserve this chance, but God is offering it.  Wouldn’t you like to have victory over the sting of death and have assurance that when you die you too will go to Heaven? 

V. Invitation:
Let’s have every head bowed and every eye closed.  Will you trust Christ as your Saviour tonight?  This may seem unusual at a funeral, but it is right and proper to ask family and friends to settle accounts with God as you consider your own mortality.  If God is encouraging you, will you pray this prayer silently after me, and mean it in your heart? 

“Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner who has broken your laws and commandments.  I am truly sorry and I repent of my sins.  I believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, shed His blood on the Cross for me, and came forth alive out of the grave.  I now trust Him as my Saviour, knowing He will take me to Heaven when I die.  Thank you for saving me.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”