Coping With Change, Part 1

Today on the Fellowship and the word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. I would wait just told them what they should joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work is one of the most change is a universal principle of the entire creation universe is changing steadily changing everything is moving from order to disorder energy is consistently diminishing within the entire universe to the second law of thermodynamics and one day there'll be no energy in the universe changing the world, always changing, never stops changing and I used to say at one time or take a thousand years to change. Then I started saying 500, then 100 now they're saying that the world changes dramatically every 10 years is just expediting yourself, the more and more change faster and faster. Change people find themselves confronting change throughout their personal lives change jobs which aim spouses. We lose our health, we lose loved ones or death change. Change is a universal principle of all created things and now we are all experiencing change everywhere on the planet because of the same thing. Because of the pandemic and Cova 19 the whole world is changing together the real question is not two things have to change. They clearly do. The real question is this how my, how are you coping with change. The reason I say that is change dealing in coping with change is very difficult to do.

Someone said this change is like a forced march to a destination you would never choose, often accompanied by disappointment.

That's a good description where we all are in. Who would've chosen this to say this is the route I what my life to go like, or the whole world. The delight the Bible warns us over and over again that there's a lot of difficulty in dealing with change.

I invite you to open your Bible is the book of Joshua chapter 1 Joshua chapter 1 great book, but it's context is interesting. Joshua chapter 1 in verse one says this now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, what is it change that's change, who led the people out of Egypt.

Moses, who did the people look to the leave them there but Moses. Moses is dead. Tremendous change now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of nun is that Moses servant, and he says Don Moses my servant is dead now therefore arise cross this Jordan you and all these people to the land that I am giving to them to the sons of Israel every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given it to you just as I said to Moses, and then he gives the dimensions of enforcers from the wilderness and this Lebanon even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates to the land of the Hittites, which is up by Turkey. He said, and as far as the great sea toward the setting sun that all be your territory. He says no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you. These were people of change they had spent 400 years in slavery. 400 years what you think should have been the happiest day of their lives. When I got out of Egypt right so what they say when they were in the wilderness. We want to go back. Let's go back to Egypt. They hated change they didn't know how to cope with change 10 generations of slaves and they didn't know what to do. How do we I don't want to go back and then they get to the verge of the promised land.

And you know how that went on. I think we can do this so for 40 years. They wander in the wilderness.

Notice what God is said to them in these verses. I'm giving you the land soldiers know who said that when you think that means of God says it, I'm giving you the land. Secondly, no man will be able to stand before you, who said that God does he know what he's talking about. Yes, I will be with you God. I will not fail you or forsake you. Sounds a lot like the New Testament to me. Notice that's God's part. God is told them this now. What's their part verse two, six be strong and courageous pieces for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do all according to the law of Moses my servant commanded you.

Do not turn from the right of the left so that you may have success wherever you go.

This book of the law will not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do all this and written in it and then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success have I not commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. While what's their part. Be strong and courageous. You need to be strong and courageous know. Up till now how strong of a bed not very strong. In fact, why did they going to the promised land.

They want strong and courageous. They didn't think that way at all. They say there there's two. These are warriors we get going and do that but he said more than that. He told them in verse seven, but be careful, be strong and begin courageous but be careful to do all that the losses you better be careful you better do, but the losses and then chosen, don't fear or front.

He says a little bit differently but notice what he says do not tremble or be dismayed. Why is that because that's what happens when we undertake change. I can Trumbull be dismayed that we find out about change. You see, change is hard.

It's destabilizing. It's discouraging to us.

God says look can eradicate your fear that you can overcome your fear.

You need to be strong and you need to be courageous. This is interesting because they were struggling with this idea of change and yet you and I would look back in simple why would they be that way.

God is just told him what it they should have.

Now let's go to the New Testament for a moment. Hebrews chapter 4 the book of Hebrews chapter 4.

Same idea completely different context. Why is the book of Hebrews even written because Jewish believers hated change they didn't know how to cope with.

You see, they are Jewish believers in Jesus Christ.

And so what happened when they became believers in Jesus Christ there Jewish families this on the there Jewish friends abandoned the Jewish culture persecuted them.

And boy they started falling to pieces they could deal with this change of all they find it very very difficult. That's why the whole book is written. You see, there is a prevailing idea that they got among them. Let's not deal with the change. Let's go back just like let's go back to Egypt. They said let's go back to Judaism. If we slip back into Judaism, everyone will like us again. It will be painful.

This will be discouraging because this think about this. If you are Jewish person I would as a believer and you're completely ostracized by the Jewish community. You think that affected these people financially, unbelievably, so I mean unbelievably so they're going through real hardship here and so their solution was I don't want to change.

I want to go back to where we were. So that's what he writes in chapter 4. Notice what he says in the first two verses he says.

Therefore, let us fear if while a promise remains of entering his rest. Anyone of you May seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us just as they also but the word they heard it did not profit them because it was not united with faith for the and those who heard in verse 11, he says, therefore, be diligent to enter the rest, so that no one of you will fall, he said, though he said through following the same example of disobedience. He likens the two together.

He calls the promised land of the Old Testament, the faith rest life that a Christian should be able to live the faith rest life, the life flowing with milk and honey. What Jesus called the abundant life in John 10 that should be. That should be your life. That's what is trying to tell them in the whole book is about how they interact with this Howdy enter the faith rest life again. What's God's part. Well, in the book. This is what you see that, but the book keeps saying to you in the book of Hebrews is if you have Jesus Christ you have everything.

If you have Jesus Christ you have everything there's nothing else. If you have Jesus Christ that can compare to having Jesus Christ and then the book tells you he is superior to the prophets. There is no profit comparable to Jesus Christ.

He is superior to Moses. He is superior to the Angels. He is superior to the Levitical priesthood. He is superior to the law. He is superior to everything that's Judaism.

If you have Jesus.

That's what they're saying and yet they find themselves struggling. You see what's their part. Believe it. You have to believe it CX after believers. They don't want to believe it. You see, they don't want they don't want the change. It's amazing when you think about how change works he has so many people in our culture and basic gear. The same thing.

We don't want to change. I just got locked up. I went there with the change. Let's just go back to where it was and would just get on with it having to be the same. Just I don't want the change. I don't want to know reality I don't want any of that. I don't want to deal with change. Change is inevitable me.

Think of every aspect of your life, who once loved ones. The die no one to love one's die every day you see every day and some people don't even want to cope with that is funny. If you study the five stages of grief, what's the first stage of grief when someone you love dies, then I'll why I don't want that to be the case. You see, that's the point we we don't want that the same as they did in the time of Joshua the same as they did in the book of Hebrews chapter 4 so the Bible reveals the difficulty we have a change. I want to say this, though there is a science.

The change we have lived long enough and can see there's a process here. You see, change is the outcome changes in outcome. The key to coping with change is the transition to change the transitions a process it's different. You see the outcome of change. Two people died. The people whose jobs to people have new babies. The people moving to new jobs are moving to yes homes Ray who did stress test.

Years ago, took every change in life and gave you stress .4. No matter what it was a few at a change even Christmas with stressful vacations are stressful all and you get a certain amount of points and would say that change produces enormous stress for a lot of people. Now was interesting that he said if you had like over 200 points you are in deep trouble because of the minor changes you having to undergo by Marina Christian article on it and the guy said he figured it out that Job had about 780 points okay stink the changes he went through all 10 children. Not once seek a 10 children and I once and then you lose all you have in your servant Stein then your wife, stranger, marriage was a curse God and die.

Then you become unbelievably physically ill and you end up scraping with pottery sores.

Offer your body and then you lose all the respect people have frequently communing and live out on the ash heap. How many changes he had to go through and for that book is tough because what made it so tough as he had to cope with his. He had to cope with, and ultimately, he did it was a difficult process for him. There's a book written by William Bridges he's from the business world and it's called managing transitions and making the most of change that's what he writes about. That's his expertise managing transitions in his what he says. Change is not the same as transition change is situational. The new site.

The new boss the new team roles. The new policy.

I know reality transition is the psychological process. People go through to come to terms with the new situation change is external transition is internal and unless transition occurs you'll never cope with change. There has to be a transition in the way you think he said when we talk about change, we naturally focus on the outcome that that change will produce. If you move from California to New York City. The changes crossing the country and learning your way around the Big Apple transition is different.

The starting point for transition is not the outcome but the ending that you will have to make to leave the old situation behind situational change hinges on the new thing, but psychological transition depends on letting go of the old reality and the old identity you had before the change took place you have to do this. The transition is I have to let go. You see, I have to let go of that reality. I have to do that, you can just see how this would work no matter what it is. If I lose someone I love, whose dear to me. I have to let go. No matter how I deal with it. Even alive.

A moment of denial, the whole truth of the matter is there God and are not coming back. That's change I have to deal with that if I don't deal with that I'll never be able to cope and people run into that kind of thing all the time but if you get a terrible diagnosis. See what if you get a terrible diagnosis while you get it. That's the reality. I have to let go. What no I just want to be the way it was before had the diagnosis wanting to be the way you were before you had the diagnosis is never help anybody because is change or it's the change in how we cope with it. As I said earlier, Israel could not let go of Egypt could not and you and I was as I don't understand that 10 generations of slaves see another in a position of the unknown they're told to go on the promise land, and on laughing about the Jewish Christians in Hebrews could not let go. Judaism just couldn't do it. And now you hear people say the same thing I just want things to go back to the way they were. That's what I want.

I want to go back to pre-all the stuff let's just do it and then will have to change this reality to change, you have to be able to cope with Bridges goes on his book and he says there's three stages. The first transitional stage. Is this the ending. There has to be an ending in this transitional stage. In other words, you have to let go. You have to lose what was passed. I have to let it go.

I'm moving to a new place. I have to let it go.

I have to. That's my first stage the second stage is what he calls the neutral zone let things happen yet but once you let go. You're in the neutral zone. The third one is the new beginning of change. Nothing to this from the book of Joshua where they have to leave Goa Egypt where the neutral zone.

The wilderness and then what's the change the promised land they think of it in the book of Hebrews, where they have to let go of Judaism. You see worse the neutral zone. I'm a believable part of a church. But what's the promised land.

The faith rest life. That's the process so you may think will okay I understand that how do I do this. What does it take to actually do this transition be able to cope with change. See that's the problem that we have so often and when I want to do is go right back in a sense, to where we started the school back first to Joshua. Joshua chapter 1 seek does God equip us to be able to cope with change. Yes, over and over and over and over again. In fact, a lot of what God tells us is to equip us to cope with change because were sinful people. We live in a fallen world, and changes everywhere.

Life changes every day. I can still remember one of the books that I read many many years ago from a youth pastor a talked about the change in he was had a bunch of teenagers at the camp and he was on his fun-loving youth pastors and they ran an obstacle course and ran the obstacle course and at the last part of the obstacle courses along that of mind about 18 inches 2 feet deep in your to dive into the bad go under the finish line to do it and so he rented and then when he dove into the vat at the end something happen and he could move anything. He was conscious he could hear the kids laughing because he wasn't coming up, and then after a period of time pretty long. Imagine someone jumped in and rely something is wrong and he pulled them out and he broke his neck is a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. The title the book between the lightning and the sun. Everything between the lightning and the exchange is having pastoral never on the radio ministry of fellowship, nor if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just listen to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs is that Fellowship in the Word.

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