Hebrews 13:5-8
January 13, 2013
When you stop and think about it, we’ve come a long way! Think about all the inventions and new technologies we’ve seen in our lifetimes. The older you are the more you’ve seen.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen people walk on the moon, room sized computers shrunk down to the size of a Bible. Televisions evolve from a small black and white (with no remotes) to flat screen mega TV’s, we have digital cable and satellite networks; and what would we do without DVD’s, blu-rays and DVR’s.
The old rotary phones are almost obsolete. Now we have cordless phones, pagers and cell phones. We can communicate anywhere and anytime. Add Skype, texting, facetime, facebook to the mix. Of course, we have the Internet, and our reliance on computers and calculators. Not to mention the medical breakthroughs, and da Vinci robotic surgery.
Some of you are saying, ‘Well if you think you’ve seen change, let me tell you a thing or two.
I believe people who are especially 80 and older have seen the most dramatic changes in their lives than in any other generation. You’ve seen cars, planes, rockets, space shuttles, electricity, plumbing, computers, television, telephones, central air, freezers and more. It’s hard to believe that there actually used to be an ice delivery service. I’ve heard stories of people who would run down the street to chase an airplane, they were so unusual.
If there is a constant in our world, it would be change. Nothing we do today resembles what we did 5, 10 and especially 20 years ago. We can argue that change is not good. We all have a desire for things in life to have a consistent, constant rhythm. Even when we fall into the trap of boredom from a normal daily routine, we fight against potential changes.
It’s true in all aspects of life. It’s true at home, at work, at school, at the grocery store who changes up the location of your favorite foods. And yes, it’s especially true at church. We often fight and stamp our feet at the prospect of change. Most churches fight it tooth and nail. Often to their own detriment.
And in the midst of all of this change we have these words from Hebrews 13:5-8,
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Yet, change and Christ, really go together. Change is inevitable and Christ is immutable, never changing. We’re always faced with making adjustments in our lives, because of change. Sometimes our changes are for the worse, and sometimes for the better. But our lives are always changing.
If the many departed saints of First Baptist Church were to return and take a look at all of the changes that have occurred within our church, they would be astounded. They would see new buildings, ministries, faces and equipment. Some may not like them, but many would know these changes have helped equip other saints to carry on the message of Christ. In all of the changes they see — — one thing would remain constant - Jesus. What they would find is a changeless Christ and a forever changing church. Jesus, the same . . . yesterday and today and forever.
My friends, we are asked to believe this powerful statement. No matter where we come from, no matter our job, no matter our weight or height or any other difference that we come up with. Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting. He is God, Yahweh, I am that I am. He is the One who spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush. He is the One who revealed Himself to John on the island of Patmos. He is the Alpha and the Omega. And He is the One who revealed Himself to me and you. And if you don’t know this Jesus, He desires to reveal Himself to you.
In changing times, we can count on a changeless Christ. His power has not changed. He has creative power, He has redemptive power, He has keeping power and He has protecting power.
And for the next few minutes, I want to talk about two types of change. Life change and church change!
When I talk about life change, it’s simply that. Life changes. We get older, sometimes that’s great, sometimes not. As a child, you can’t wait to get older, so you can grow, so you can do more things, stay up later, get your own phone, drive a car, shave, go to college. Those are fun changes. Things we look forward to.
But changes come too, don’t they as we get older. New responsibilities . . . that includes college, working, paying bills, family matters, maybe marriage and children. Add to that — — the joys of caring for children, aging, retirement, grandchildren, older children, sickness, mortality and death.
Life changes . . . some changes are great, some not so great. Yet through all of our changes, the writer of Hebrews reminds us
5 Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
These are great words of comfort as we’re two weeks into a new year. We don’t really know what 2013 will bring. Will it be a better year than last year? That means some good change. Will we have more struggles? That means some not so good change. Or change which will lead to something good in the end. No matter what happened, good or bad, or the same old responsibilities, we have been assured that God will never, never, never, leave us — — and He will never, never, never, forsake us. God will never abandon or leave us, He will always be with us.
In fact, we’re reminded that when we’re struggling to make sense of the crazy changes in life, God is the same all of the time. God is the same yesterday, He’s the same today, and He will be the same forever. He’ll be the same tomorrow. He won’t change. That’s great news when we’re about to go in for surgery, or when we’re about to get our drivers license. God does not change!!
So, we can trust that God doesn’t change! That’s true for us individually and within our families. If it’s true there, it’s also true in the church.
And as the world changes, the church must change along with it. Every church must consistently be willing to change in order to reach people with the greatest story ever told in contemporary languages and styles and music that they can understand. It doesn’t mean we water down the gospel. In fact, what is most vital is that we preach the Word of God with even greater conviction.
A big question is: “Can a church be contemporary and Biblical?” Can a church be attractional and missional? Do we have to choose one way to make the message of Jesus come alive? I believe it’s critical to be both. It’s not an either / or, but a both / and. But how do we remain contemporary without sacrificing Biblical integrity?
We have to remember two important truths —
Truth Number ONE: Some things never, ever change. In a world that is constantly changing isn’t it good to know there are some things that are Rock solid, immovable and unshakable?
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Our God is a faithful God who never changes. And in a world that is constantly changing, that’s good news. As Jesus was concluding the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24, He said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.”
We are told to build our house, our lives upon the rock, and friends, you do know who the rock is? It’s Jesus. He is the immovable, unshakable, sure foundation. In Luke 21:33, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Some things never, ever change. That’s great news!
Truth number TWO is just the opposite, some things ALWAYS change.
As I was preparing this message, I thought about how the apostles prepared their messages; with a quill and papyrus. When I went to college, I used pen, paper and typewriter. Now, I use a computer and printer. Paul shouted above the noisy crowd at the market place. I wear a microphone. He wore a robe, maybe even a toga. Aren’t you glad I don’t?
Friends, it’s the same message. Different culture, different times, different methods. Have you heard the old saying -- “Methods are many, principles are few; Principles never change, methods always do!”
And that’s why the church ought to be constantly evaluating its methods; to tell the old, old story in a way that will touch the hearts of the world. Now you might be thinking, ‘oh that’s hogwash. What was good for me, should be good for them.’ Unfortunately, friends, it is not.
Some of you grew up with the outhouse. We don’t want to go back to that. You didn’t have central air or televisions or phones, but now you do. We might say we’d be better off without all the technology, and sometimes I agree, but do you want to go back?
Our generations are labeled, we have boomers, busters, Gen - X, Gen - Y and Gen - Z. How are we going to meet the needs of these folks who don’t know Christ; and who have never known love and grace? They were never demonstrated at home. To them, God may be mean and angry, or if there is a God, He’s detached and distant. So, how do we go about it in this changing world? The church must be a step ahead, but we’ve lagged behind.
If we don’t show Christ’s love, then what type of Christ follower are you? How can we preach a changeless and loving God, when we’re angry, frustrated and unforgiving? How can we go into the world and seek to trample others, to hurt in the name of business, sports, or politics; then attend worship and put on that phony smile? It doesn’t work and the world sees through it.
The doors of First Baptist Church must be open for any and all to enter. We must be proactive, not reactive. There are opportunities to reach out to people who are in need; within our church and community.
Do we have the passion and desire to do this? Do we want to experience the joy of leading someone to know Jesus Christ? Do we want to have the opportunity to help someone who has a need, just because we feel Christ is leading us that way? What kind of Christ follower do we want to be called? A casual, nondescript Christian, a hypocritical Christian, a dead, passionless Christian or a passionate believer in Jesus Christ. Not obnoxious, but filled with His love, power and grace.
We need to be out there sharing our stories and listening to the stories of others. We all have stories, whether it’s about faith or life or questions about life. There’s a story.
We don’t know whose lives we are going to touch because of the changeless love of Christ. Don’t you want to make a difference?
Of course, when I talk about changing the way we do things, many of us become scared and anxious. Change is a nasty word, it can be threatening. But change can also be exciting. All change, even positive change, produces stress. But change is part of following Jesus Christ. Really, it’s part of living.
I don’t know what you are going to do, but if I were you, I would put my hand in the Hand of the Man who stills the water. I would make sure that my anchor grabs hold of the solid rock . . . Jesus!
Jesus the same yesterday
Jesus the same today (you can count on that)
Jesus the same forever.
