The Years Change, but God Remains the Same
Text: Psalm 102:24-28, Malachi 3:6, Philippians 4:6
OPEN WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING
Today is the first day of the new year. 2023 anno domini – The year of our Lord. And with the new year comes new things… for some, it brings excitement, new possibilities, new adventures, new challenges… For others it brings dread. In-fact; I read a poll the other day that said since 2020 there have been more and more people growing pessimistic every new year. People are less joyful, less hopeful, less optimistic. Everyone just kind of knows that something has changed, and it’s not for the better. People are anxious, and fearful, and worried about the future.
And let’s be honest, it’s not without reason.
I mean, think about it – this is how 2022 ended. The F.B.I. has been caught red-handed, manipulating social media in order to effect the outcome of Presidential Elections. The United States government has been caught purposefully trying to escalate the war in Ukraine and essentially start WWIII… Not to mention we couldn’t afford to pay the December salaries of the National Guard because of all the money sent to Ukraine. The W.E.F. has been caught red-handed essentially saying they want to get rid of 1/3 of the earths population… They want to do away with farming and make us all eat bugs, and eliminate the use of all fossil fuels (except for in China and the Middle East…). It has been proven that the W.H.O. and the US government were in-fact doing gain of function research in Wuhan China – and continues to do that. Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia are on the verge of a war. China and Taiwan are on the verge of war. India is massing troops on their border with China, and our military is worried about pronouns and is facing a 40% decline in recruiting because of that. We’ve got CRT in schools, and in the seminaries, and drag queen story time in the libraries. Inflation is slated to keep rising, meaning everything is going to get even more expensive. And according to some economists, due to the massive spending recently, our national debt has reached insolvability.
It used to be that if things were going bad we’d just vote out the corrupt, incompetent politicians.
But now days, with all the allegations of fraud, and cheating, and clear election manipulation by our own federal agencies… people don’t know if that can be done anymore. And what that results in is a sense of marginalization, disenfranchisement, and hopelessness in a lot of people. And if those people are not being constrained and restrained by the Holy Spirit – if they are not being transformed by the renewing of their minds… if the love of Jesus Christ isn’t in their heart… then things can get pretty bad, pretty quickly. So what should we do? Well… we do what Christians have always done… we go to the Lord. Let’s open our Bibles, and if you would, please follow along as I read three passages to you this morning.
(READ Psalm 102:24-28, Malachi 3:6, and Philippians 4:6).
So what do we see from those three passages that can steady us in this new year? We see that our God is immutable – He is unchanging! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! And that should be a great source of comfort to us. Because not a single one of us knows what 2023 holds, or has in store for us. But God does. God is ALL-KNOWING – Omniscient! He knows what tomorrow holds, and next week holds, and next month. He knows all things. There is nothing that 2023 might throw at us that God doesn’t already know about, and doesn’t already have a plan for.
Now when we look at our first passage there – Psalm 102, it’s interesting… the author of this Psalm is afflicted. He’s in some kind of trouble, or at least he thinks he is. He’s distressed. He’s fearful. And I had us begin in verse 24 there because it shows us the state he’s in. He says, “… Take me not away in the midst of my days…” In other words, the author of this Psalm feels like he’s dying. He feels like he’s going to be taken from this world in the middle of his life… maybe even the prime of his life.
Now I don’t know about y’all, but there have been a couple of times in my life when I thought, “Yup, this is it. I’m about to meet the Lord.” Some of those were because of my own foolishness… and others were due to other circumstances, but God in His mercy has kept me here thus far.
So the author of this Psalm is in a state of affliction. He’s in some kind of trouble.
It might be a sickness he’s facing. It might be that there are actually people who want to take his life. I think in this particular Psalm (if you read through it), his affliction has more to do with the fact that he’s under heavy conviction for some sin and the guilt and remorse have consumed him to the point where he feels like he’s going to die.
But the point for us is still the same. We don’t know what’s coming. Life can change in an instant. And this world is ever changing, so where can we find stability, and peace. How can we face all this uncertainty? And that’s kind of what this Psalmist is saying in verses 25, 26 & 27. He says, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands… (but you know what?) They will perish, but YOU will remain! They will wear out like a garment. (So the heavens and the earth, are passing away. God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth) He goes on and says, “You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but You are the same, and Your years have no end.”
Now look at verse 28, “The children of Your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before You.” Verse 28 is what the Psalmist concludes is the result of God being steadfast and unchanging.
Because God doesn’t change… because God is immutable… God’s people are secure!
Flip over to our second passage there in Malachi and you’ll see the same thing. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the Lord do not change; THEREFORE you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
A good rule of thumb when interpreting Scripture: When you see the word “therefore” you need to ask yourself what it’s there for. It’s an adverb and it means “consequently” or, “Because of this thing, this other thing happens”. So… The Lord does not change – and because of that – You are not consumed.
In other words church – God is good, ALL THE TIME. God is omnipotent, ALL THE TIME. God is omniscient, ALL THE TIME. He is omnipresent, ALL THE TIME. He is holy and sovereign, ALL THE TIME. These are what theologians have called the immutable attributes of God.
So because God is good all the time, you and I can know that He is for us, not against us… that He is working all things together for good, according to His purpose. So even in crazy, scary, troubling times, we know that we are loved by a good God, who cares for us.
Because God is omnipotent all the time, we can know that there is nothing beyond His control. That word “omnipotent” literally means – ALL POWERFUL. God’s power is without limit. It doesn’t run and down and need to be recharged. He is always – at all times – all powerful. That’s the God we serve, and that’s the God who loves us and has saved us.
Because God is omniscient all the time, you and I can know that there is nothing that ever takes God by surprise. There is nothing that He is unaware of. Omniscient literally means ALL KNOWING. God knows all things, all things that have ever happened, all things that are happening, all things that will happen, and all things that could happen.
Because God is omnipresent all the time, that means you and I can know that He is an ever present help in times of trouble. God is not distant. He is with us always… and on and on it goes… and all of these things about God never change. He is God all the time, and He is unchanging. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”
So God’s promises don’t change. His power doesn’t change. He doesn’t change.
He is still the holy, and just, and sovereign Lord of all creation. His promises are unchangeable, because He is unchangeable. That’s why the Bible says that even though heaven and earth will pass away, His Word will remain.
Now I can’t stand up here and tell you that in 2023 everything is going to be wine and roses. I can’t stand up here and say that you won’t have sickness, or that the economy is going to turn and we’ll all be prosperous. I can’t stand up here and tell you that the beast we know as Marxism (which by the way seemed to suffer a fatal head wound back in 1990 at the end of the Cold War) won’t continue to gain in strength and influence. I can’t stand up here and tell you those things, because our God who knows all things tells us in His unchanging Word that our world is going to get worse.
He tells us that so that we’re not overtaken with fear, and stress, and anxiety.
When the weatherman says a storm is coming, you get extra wood for the fireplace. You get extra bottles of water. You get gas for the generator. You make sure you’re stocked up with what you need. And if you prepare adequately, you can face the storm when it comes with confidence. The same is true with God’s Word. I can’t stand up here and tell you that 2023 is going to be a better year for you… and I can’t stand up here and say that it’s going to be horrible either. What I’m trying to say is that if you are adequately prepared, no matter what comes… be it good or bad… be it horrible, or wonderful. You’re going to face it with confidence and assurance because you know who your heavenly Father is, and you know how He is…
And that brings us to that last text I had you look at, Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
I’m not a big fan of the Beatles… but there’s a line from one of their songs that seems applicable here. It’s from the song, “I’ll follow the Sun”… and it goes, “For tomorrow may bring rain, I’ll follow the sun.” Paul McCartney was right… he just got the spelling wrong. Don’t follow the sun (S.U.N.)… follow the Son (S.O.N.). We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow.
Let’s Pray
CLOSING AND COMMUNION
