Things That Never Change

Malachi 3:6

Things That Never Change

Introduction

There are many things that are changing rapidly all around us. We are living in a constantly changing world – and as the years go by the rate at which the changes occur are increasing more and more. Practically every phase of life changes. Travel has changed – from horse and buggy in our grandparents or great-grandparents time to auto and air today. We hardly even take notice when a space shuttle sends someone to space any more. Political methods have changed – from absolute monarchs to democracies. The entire medical field has changed – things that were once impossible are now routine, and what used to take weeks or months to heal is now outpatient. Brother Vaughn, who many of you have met, told me that he is having cornea replacement surgery. How in the world can they even handle something so delicate? Times have definitely changed!

I am thankful though that in our world of constant change there are some things that never change. Read with me Malachi 3:6.

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

God was referring to His own qualities of patience, long-suffering and mercy when He said, “I am the Lord, I change not…” The word LORD in our text is the Hebrew word Jehovah. We learned in our Wednesday evening studies of the names of God that His name Jehovah means that He is the eternal, self-existent, self-sufficient God who created and sustains it all. He never had a beginning and will never have an ending. God has always been, always is and will always be. If you understand all that then you can explain it to me sometime! God is more awesome than I’ll ever understand and infinitely more complex than I can ever hope to explore. He transcends all time, all space, all knowledge, and every other dimension you can come up with.

Psalm 102:25-27 says,

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like raiment, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no end.”

God existed before the heavens and earth were made, and He will exist long after they have been destroyed. God causes the universe to change, but in contrast to this change He is the same. James said that our God is the “Father of lights, with whom is no variation, neither shadow of turning.” The writer of Hebrews said that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.”

Listen, God is unchanging – He is unchanging in His being, in His perfections, and in His purposes. God is the great “I AM.” He is eternally perfect in every way, and His purposes will stand forever. What is the great purpose of God? I have always said that God’s greatest purpose is to seek and to save those who are lost, but I am learning otherwise in my study of the Scriptures, and I’ll be sharing this with you in more detail in the future, but I believe the Bible teaches us that the chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever. Certainly our redemption is a part of that great pursuit, but it is only one part and not the whole. God has never changed and He is not going to change! More about that later…today I want to explore three things about which God does not change.

God is not going to change the way He feels about man.

God loves man and created him to have a relationship with him. He loved the first man Adam in the garden before He sinned, and He loved that man after sin entered the picture. How do I know God loves man? The Bible tells me that He does! 1 John 3:7 says…

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God loved man enough to send His one and only Son into this world to live and die for him. Romans 5:8 says that…

“…God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

You ought to be thankful today that God doesn’t change the way He feels about you – He loves you just as much today as He has ever loved you and no matter what you do you won’t change that. You can’t make God love you any more – and you can’t make God love you any less. Some of you have wrecked your lives with sin and shame, you’ve thrown away your opportunities, you’ve walked on the grace and mercy of God, you turned your back on Him, and yet He stands there with open arms waiting to receive you to Himself! He loves you!