“The Immutability of Christ”
Hebrews 13: Let brotherly love continue.
2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby* some have entertained angels unawares.
3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor* forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Introduction: In our lives today, everything changes. Technology advances and we must stay informed in order to succeed in our everyday lives.
Who can remember when there were no computers?
Who can remember when there were no cell phones?
Who can remember when there was no internet, e-mail, etc?
Today, if you do not have any of these, it may cause you to have difficulty in some way in your life.
This is a small example of how things tend to change.
Everything in creation is changing, living and dying and constantly in a state of flux but this is not true of the one who created everything. Our creator does not change.
Our text this morning refers to one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith concerning the being and attributes of God. I’m speaking of the immutability of God. Something that is immutable is unchangeable. One dictionary definition states that immutability is the quality of not being subject to or susceptible to change. God cannot change, nor can He be changed. Malachi 3:6a says, "For I the LORD do not change." James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the ...
I. His person is immutable
Jesus Is Unchangeable In His Love
The Bible says that God is Love. The word is- denotes a continual present state, AN UNCHANGEABLE STATE. GOD IS LOVE. God was is and will be love!!!
Our words cannot describe this attribute of God. I am unworthy to even attempt describe it to you
a. His love is immutable
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.
John 15:12-14 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
b. His love is for the sinner is immutable
The Bible says over and over, “ Whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely”. Another verse comes to mind, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”
He is holy and that can never change.
c. His Lordship is immutable
Lordship means authority.
For someone to be lord over something is to have authority over something!!!!
He is Lord of all and Lord of Lords. That cannot change.
II. His presence is immutable
The omnipresent one has declared that He will never leave thee nor forsake thee, So that I may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Vs 5a-6
ILL. WHERE WAS GOD ON 9/11?
In his article, "Ten Years Later", R.C. Sproul said: "A full decade has passed since America suffered the tragedy of 9/11. Ten years ago, I repeatedly heard the question raised: 'Where was God in all of this? Where was God on 9/11 when the planes crashed into the twin towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania?' My answer then was the same as it is now: God was in the precise place on 9/11 that He was on the day before and the day after. He was on His throne then and continues to be on His throne now because He is the Lord God omnipotent who reigns. He reigns day in and day out in consistent manifestation of His immutable sovereignty. God is immutable, unchanging, even though people and cultures continually change."
[Ligonier.org/learn/articles/ten-years-later-2/) From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, That Sinking Feeling, 9/10/2011]
II. His power is immutable
He is the omnipotent one and His power never changes, is never diminished by anything of anyone. What He did when He destroyed the earth and saved Noah and his family He can still do today. What He did when He delivered 2 million from Egypt He can still do today. What He did when He helped Daniel from the lion’s den He can still do today. What He did when He walked in the fiery furnace with three Hebrews boys He can still do today.
"I began to understand God’s omnipotent power," Struecker said. "He was orchestrating every single bullet that was fired that night. ... The peace that I had was not only for my own life, but for the lives of my soldiers. If any of them were to get shot, then that was part of God’s sovereign plan." And God chose to preserve Struecker that night. “Therefore Lord God, you are more truly omnipotent, because you have no power through impotence and nothing can be against you.” – Anselm of Canterbury, “To make our religious life deep and strong we need to recover that lost sense of awe. We need to be taught afresh the fear of the Lord. And to recover that lost sense of awe, to create a feeling of reverence, we need a fresh vision of God as the Holy Sovereign. The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble. Why (should the nations tremble)? He is holy. We have only to realize that God is the Holy Sovereign, and the awe is bound to come back. The will that rules is a holy will. The power that governs is a holy power. All who sin bring themselves into collision with the sovereign will and power of the universe…The destinies of the world are not, for instance, at the mercy of fleets and armies. The Lord reigns. To know that God rules – to realize His sovereignty – is to be delivered from fear and despair.” “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.” Spurgeon
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Our leisure, even our play, is a matter of serious concern. There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God.”
III. His purposes are immutable
PURPOSE IN LIFE
Many years before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he was a store-keeper in Salem, Illinois. Abe had a rifle displayed in his store that was one of the most beautiful rifles ever made. The barrel was made from the finest steel, the stock from the best walnut wood; and a world-famous gunsmith had assembled the gun. The price was extremely reasonable. Displayed next to this attractive gun was a rack of ordinary Kentucky squirrel rifles. These long-barrel rifles were made from ordinary gun steel, and plain wooden stocks. Yet, the price was higher.
A customer entered the store looking for a new rifle. He was impressed by the fine-looking gun, but was confused as to why it was priced much lower than the less attractive rifles. Abe explained that the good-looking rifle was for show, while the others were for shooting. The pioneer bought the Kentucky squirrel rifle.
A little while later, a rich farmer was decorating a room in his country mansion. He wanted to place a gun over the fireplace mantle with his big game trophies. Abe’s fancy gun was exactly what he needed. The fact that it would not shoot was irrelevant. The purpose of the gun had changed.
God has given each of us a purpose, too. We can choose to work for God’s glory and make disciples for Christ, or we can choose to be decorations in the church. What purpose are you serving in your relationship with Christ?
Pastor Don Holliday, The Scocaster, September 27, 1998 — (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
IV. His proclamations are immutable
The Bible says, 1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you.
a. Jesus Is Immutible In His Law
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
1. Sins that seem to be overlooked today by many are not overlooked by God.
JESUS CHRIST HAS NOT CHANGED HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT SIN
b. Sins will be punished
1. Sins committed will be punished by the promises of the Word of God.
Jesus clearly stated in His earthly ministry that He was the light of the World. In His message He deals with sin.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me SHALL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Verse 58- …before Abraham was I am- He showed them their error
The Pharisees placed their confidence in their father Abraham… but Jesus said, “BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS I AM”
"The eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate. It is immutable. And if the moral order does not change, then it imposes on us obligations toward God and man. Duty, then, requires the willingness to accept responsibility and to sacrifice one's desires to a higher law."
Conclusion: Because He is immutable then,
A promise is a promise,
Forgiven sin is forgiven and forgotten,
We are never alone,
All who seek Him will find Him,
His Word can never be changed, it is relevant for every age,
If you repent, ask His forgiveness and call upon His name you will be saved,
But is we fail to repent we will receive the punishment decreed ib His Word.
