God Is God – And Has Not Changed
It has been said by some – “that to properly study mankind you must study a man.” I am not really opposed to this idea – yet I would say – to properly study a Christian – “you must study Christ.” I am aware that Christ is much more lofty than most Christians are – I think that goes without saying – but it is into His likeness that we are being changed – and if God has begun a good work in you – the scripture tells us – that God will labor until the work is complete. Look at what it says in Philippians:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NASV)
You see – God’s labor is not complete until it is totally finished. Once God has begun a work in a person’s life He will not stop until that work reaches its completion. Therefore – to understand Christians it would be a good idea to study Christ – for God’s goal for our lives is that every follower of Christ will be made more like Him. In the process of studying Christ you will gain much benefit. Let me explain.
A naturalist may boast of his ability to understand the insect world. He may be able to arrange all the insects into classes and call them by unutterable names. But let me ask you – is there any moral value in knowing these facts? Is knowing every insect that creeps on the earth going to make me a better person? Is knowing the name of every star in heaven? I don’t think so. I will have head knowledge – but where is the heart knowledge. If I am a computer scientist and know both hardware and software – will that knowledge make me into a virtuous person? No! But if one is to study Christ – to understand His love for the Father and His love for the world – there is great moral value in the endeavor. He who often thinks of God – has the ability to set his mind on godly things. This is of great moral and spiritual value to our soul. This is why Paul tells us:
“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.” Colossians 3:2 (HCSB)
Nothing will help a person more – then to investigate godly things – to seek God’s wisdom and God’s guidance. To walk closer to Christ should be the desire of every Christian.
Do you wish to become more godly? Do you wish to become more like the Savior Jesus Christ? Are you overwhelmed by the worries of the world? Are you consumed by all your cares? Study Christ! He is the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End – the unchangeable One – the Eternal One. Listen to what God’s word says – this is our text for today:
"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed.” Malachi 3:6 (MSG)
He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply travels around this earthly globe collecting facts of every sort and nature. Nothing will so cleanse the soul of a person than earnestly and devoutly seeking an understanding of Christ’s sacrificial offering on the cross. Christ is the balm that heals every wounded soul. Christ is the power that takes a broken and shattered life and puts it back together. Christ is the anointing oil for every festering sore of sin. Only He has the power to heal our brokenness. Only He has the power to forgive us. Only He has the power to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Study Him – pursue Him – build your relationship with Him – come to know Him.
God has always been in the life change business – that fact has never changed. That is why the scripture says:
"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed.” Malachi 3:6 (MSG)
Would you be freed from you sorrows? Would you choose to be loosed of your cares? Would you desire to be washed clean from the stains of your unholy actions and your unholy thoughts? Then seek the knowledge which is above this world. Seek Him who sits in the heavens. Seek godly wisdom by seeking God Himself. I know of nothing that can cure a broken soul other than knowing He who created the soul of man in the first place. It is only God who formed the first human soul and it is only God who can fix it. Take your brokenness to One who knows best how to fix it. God says:
"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed.” Malachi 3:6 (MSG)
This morning I want us to look at five facts of an unchanging God. Lets jump in with fact one:
1. God’s NATURE has not changed
He is infinite – He is almighty – He is all powerful. He has not changed.
The mountains with their snow-white crowns will with time – be worn away. Rain will beat upon them. Rivers will trickle down their sides. Storms will unleash their forces against them and over time the power of nature will have its effect upon the mountains. But this is not so with God. He is God – and He never changes.
We change. As children we grow – just not physically but emotionally and socially as well. It seems that our bodies are constantly in transition. As a toddler we seem to have unending amounts of energy – running here and there – discovering all kinds of things and getting into all kinds of mischief. During adolescence and youth our hormones change and we find those of opposite gender of interest. We date – we marry – we raise families. We become parents then grandparents. But with time our metabolism slows down. Ageing takes it effect on all of us. We don’t run so fast (if we even run at all). We don’t see so well – our eyes have become dimmed and our vision blurred. We don’t hear so well. We forget some things. Yet, God does not change. God is perpetually the same. He is not composed of flesh and bone. He is spirit – pure and holy. He remains the same – unchangeable. There are no wrinkles on His brow. No age spots on His hands. He does not get dark circles under His eyes for lack of sleep. He is the great I Am – the Great Unchangeable. His essence does not change. Even when Christ became man – God’s nature did not change. Flesh did not become God – but God became flesh and dwelt among us. By this act the Godhead did not change God – for God is God and does not change. He remains everlasting, eternal, the one unchanging God, the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow. That is why He can say:
"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed.” Malachi 3:6 (MSG)
Point two:
2. God’s CHARACTER has not changed
Whatever God’s character was from before time – it still is today. There is a little phrase we hear in church sometimes and it goes like this:
“As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.”
Was He powerful when He created the universe? Was He mighty when He formed the mountains? Was He holy when He told Moses to remove his shoes for he was standing on Holy ground? Did God speak the world into existence? Of course He did. He was powerful then – and He is powerful now. He has not changed – He has not aged.
Was He wise when He put all things in order? When He set the stars in their place? Did He have wisdom when He planned the way of salvation? Yes He did – He was wise then and He is wise now. His eyes see clearly. His ears hear with no restrictions. His wisdom is unchanging from the beginning even till now – it has never – never changed. Look at Psalm one hundred and four:
“How countless are Your works, Lord! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.” Psalms 104:24 (HCSB)
He has always been holy. He has always been just. He has always been wise. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty – the earth is filled with His glory.” He is unchanged mercy. He is unchanged love. He is unchanged justice. He is unchanged truth. He is unchanged goodness. He is unchanged generosity. God has not changed. That is why God says:
"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed.” Malachi 3:6 (MSG)
Mercy, justice, faithfulness, wisdom, patience, holiness, compassion and any other attributes of God – have not changed – forever and ever and ever.
But that is not all:
3. God’s PLANS have not changed
A man started a journey but became sick on his day of departure – so he changed his plans. Another man was building a house. But before it was finished he ran out of money – so he changed his plans. Has this ever happened to God? Has He ever gotten sick – so He has to change His plans? Has He run out of money – so that He can not finish what He started? No! Never! Do you remember the verse from Philippians that I read earlier in the sermon? Let me read it again to refresh your memory:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NASV)
God does not get sick. He does not run out of money. He is not forgetful. He has unlimited storehouses of supply and He will always - always accomplish what He sets out to do. Look at this promise God makes for His children:
“For I know the plans I have for you — plans for ⌊your⌋ welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB)
Every person makes plans – with some we are successful – but not all. God, however, is the master-mind. He knows all the “in-s and out-s”. He knows all the details. God does not alter His plans because He has the cold or the flu. He does not alter His plans because He has nothing to wear. He doesn’t alter His plans because you don’t agree with them. God’s plans are from everlasting to everlasting. They do not change – they do not get adjusted. He is the everlasting God – the Mighty One - the Holy One and His plans will be accomplished. Why should He change? He is God. Why should He adjust? He is God. He is the unchangeable One. You may change your plans. In fact – God may step in and “help” you change your plans. But He shall never – never – never change His plans for you. He has plans for your welfare – not for your disaster. He has plans for your future and for your hope.
Point four:
4. God’s PROMISES have not changed
Ah! We sure like to rest on the sweet promises of God – don’t we? But what if one of those promises changes? What if one of those promises turns out to be false. Where is the promise – if it turns out to be a lie? Folks you have been lied to – but here is a fact – you have never been lied to by God. What He says – He does. His yes is always yes and His no is always no. He does not change. He does not give you a promise one day – and take it back the next. God does not work that way. I like the way the Message Bible states Hebrews chapter six verse eighteen. Follow along with me as I read:
“God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go.” Hebrews 6:18 (MSG)
A promise is never a promise if it is changing all the time. I don’t know about you but I want something solid – something that is sure – something that I can rely on – and that something are the promises of God. God’s Word is full of promises and they do not change.
Folks – there is an old hymn that speaks about the promises of God. Some of you have probably sung it. It goes like this:
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior,
Standing, Standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior,
Standing, Standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Folks you can rest assured that you can stand on the promises of God – because God’s promises have not changed.
Point five:
5. God’s LOVE has not changed
Folks – did you know that from the beginning of time – God has loved you? It is true. From the beginning of time God has loved you. Look at what it says in Ephesians chapter one:
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Ephesians 1:4 (NKJV)
The Message Bible says it this way:
“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” Ephesians 1:4 (MSG)
God loves us with an everlasting love. God loves us with an unchanging love.
I know that many of you are parents – and as parents we have the honor and privilege of seeing our children grow up. I love the age of my children now but I also loved my children they were toddlers. My children had a tendency of getting dirty. I would take them outside – and they seemed to look for ways to get dirty. If there was a mud puddle - they would fall in it. They would love to play in the mud making mud pies – building dams and forming rivers – making a mess of them-selves. Getting covered in mud – and having fun. Did I quiet loving them because they were covered with filth? Did I give them up for adoption because they got dirty? Did I disown them for playing in the mud? No! They were still my children and there was nothing wrong with them that a little cleansing - a little scrubing would not fix. I would take them and wash them – scrub them up – make them clean again. They were always my children - no matter how dirty they got.
The same is true of God. He knows that we have been playing out in the mud. He knows that we have gotten dirty. He knows what kind of filth is clinging to our clothes. He also has a way to clean us up. Look at what First John tells us:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
Folks we need to confess that we have fallen – that we are dirty – and that we need to be cleaned up. We need be washed by the Father and He will do it! Why? Because He loves you – because He cares for you – He has always loved you – He will always love you – because His love is unchangeable. It reaches to the highest heaven – but it also reaches down to the lowest cesspool. He knows our sins – He knows our faults and He wants to clean you up. What are you going to do? Are you going to let Him clean you up? He is faithful – forever and ever and ever – to forgive us our sins and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. God’s love for you has not changed – no matter how dirty you have gotten.
(Sermon starter idea from a sermon by C.H. SPURGEON)
