May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let
us turn to the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews chapter 13 and
we'll read verse 8. The epistle of Paul to the Hebrews
chapter 13 and reading verse 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today
and forever. Surely this is a wonderful strength
and a wonderful consolation to the true Church of God to know
that we have such a great and glorious Saviour. one who doesn't
change, one who is the same, one who never wearies, one who
never sleeps, one who is always alert. And it's good sometimes
to pause and to ponder the greatness of our God, to think indeed that
as we are here worshipping tonight, And as we perhaps have prayed
audibly or prayed silently to think the Lord hears our prayers,
the Lord takes notice of them. And then at the same time, there
may be people praying in the Far East, in China and the Philippines,
and their prayers don't fall to the ground unnoticed. The
Lord hears. It's the greatness of God, a
God who's so wonderful and powerful beyond our comprehension. But
this is the God that it is our privilege to come to. And this is the God that we have
to deal with. He's not a little God. It's not like the Athenians erected
that statue to the unknown God because they didn't know the
true God. But what a blessing it is for
us tonight if we are able to truly believe in the greatness
of God. And therefore, as we come to
our God in prayer, to come in faith, believing the Lord does
hear and does answer prayer. You don't want to come unbelieving. That which is not of faith is
sin. It's a very solemn, simple statement,
isn't it? You think if we come in prayer
in a haphazard way and not really praying, instead of receiving
answers, we've added to the bulk of our sin. How necessary it is that we come
seeking the Holy Spirit will give us the spirit of prevailing
prayer. The word of God tells us the
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man evadeth much. Well, what a blessing it is then
if we are blessed with effectual fervent prayer as we come to
this God believing He's not weary. He never tires. He is the same
yesterday and today and forever. That's the, of course, the New
Testament standard and position. And it's the same in the Old
Testament. In the last book, the prophecy
of Malachi, we read wonderful words And let me just read the
third verse in the third chapter first. This is what it says.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purify of silver. And he
shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver. that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering in righteousness. Well, how necessary it is, therefore,
that as we come to our God, that we may be purged, that means
all the rubbish taken away, that we come before God in that purified
way, truly bringing an offering in righteousness. And then the
sixth verse tells us, for I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. That really shows to us the mercy
of God. Because if it was not for God's
mercy, we would be consumed. We wouldn't be here tonight.
We would be cast off. We would now be in hell, but
oh, blessed be God. We have a God who doesn't change,
a God who is compassionate, a God who is merciful. This is the
God. This is the Savior. This is the
one who we can come to. Well, I wonder tonight, do we
know this blessed Jesus? Do we know? So we come to him
in prayer, that he does hear. Have we the evidences in our
life that he has heard and answered prayer? You may say, well, I've
prayed and God hasn't answered my prayers. Well, we have to
pray that the Lord's will might be done. And also sometimes If
we analyse our prayers, you know, they're not always for God's
honour and glory. They're sometimes so that we
might consume them upon our lusts. Let us not forget, our heart
is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Sometimes
we might think we have good desires, We might think we have pure desires,
but sometimes the Holy Spirit shows us. In fact, our desires
weren't quite as pure. They weren't quite as holy as
they should have been. And we acknowledge that what
the Lord does is just and right. You know, it's a great blessing,
and it emanates from the good hand of God. when he gives grace
to submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt us in due time. And he says, casting all your
care upon him. Just take that, all our care,
not some. Sometimes we think we can manage
things ourselves. Well, if you and I think that,
we'll soon have to prove that we can't. And blessed be God,
we'll soon prove that we don't want to. Because God manages
things better. As David said and had cause to
say, as for God, his way is perfect. And that may be very hard sometimes
to say. Perhaps you say, well, I don't
think I can say that. Well, perhaps. As time moves
on, you look back and you realise God was right. God was just. And I was so foolish in my way. There is a way that seemeth right
to a man, but the end thereof for the ways of death. It's very
easy, see, for our old nature to rise up and want this and
want that. But what a blessing it is that
we have a God who is still the same. He knows us inside out. He knows us far better than we
know ourselves. Because we can be deceived, we
often are deceived. The Lord is not deceived. And
what a blessing it is to know that the Lord's mercies continue. The way that he has ordained
for us continues. Sometimes I think of those lovely
words in the 15th of John, where the Lord says, you have not chosen
me. but I have chosen you. You should
go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain.
Yeah, the Lord chooses and the Lord ordains and we don't. The Lord does it for his honour
and for his glory. Sometimes, you know, it's quite
good to just sit back and meditate upon our God. And as we pray,
as we pray to seek that we may pray with a right motive. Motives are so needful. Our motives are often so wrong,
and yet we can come, committing our way unto the Lord God. Well, says Paul, as he wrote
these words, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday. Right from the
beginning of time, the Lord reigned over the earth. The same yesterday. And today and forever, God does
not change. What a mercy that is. And to
think that our little lives are indeed planned out by a great
God. You see, we tend to look at now,
But we have a God who knows the end from the beginning. And that
includes the now, but it's not the end of the matter. The blessing
is that we have a God who knows the end from the beginning and
goes on to do those things which are right and indeed God-honouring
and indeed God-glorifying. I'm sure you remember God's servant
Job. Well, Job had, we might say,
a pretty tough life. He did have a difficult life.
And the great blessing was the Lord brought him through the
difficulties. He didn't come through unscathed.
If you look at the first few chapters in Job and you'll see
how much he lost. Virtually everything. And then
we see how he then tried to justify himself. Sometimes, my friends,
we're no better. We try and justify ourselves. But the Lord had a mercy towards
Job. And as we mentioned last week,
that didn't really show forth until right at the end of the
account of Job after his friends and Elihu had spoken to him and
then the Lord speak and when the Lord speak Job wasn't able
to answer back when the Lord speaks you and I are not able
to answer back we have to say it is the Lord let him do what
seemeth him good and Job tells us in the 23rd chapter and the
13th verse he said but he is in one mind and who can turn
him and what his soul desireth even that he doeth for he performeth
the thing that is appointed for me And many such things are with
him. Therefore, am I troubled at his
presence when I consider I am afraid of him? For God maketh
my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me. That's a blessing,
isn't it? To know that it's God that softens
our hard heart. We can so easily become rebellious
and hard-hearted. Well, that was Job's case, but
the Lord had mercy upon him. And as we know, the latter end
of Job was greatly blessed. We won't go over what we said
last week, but he was greatly blessed and we should be very
thankful that we therefore have records to encourage us I am
God and there is none else. And so Jesus Christ, the same
yesterday and today and forever. And to really comprehend the
unchanging nature of God. Well, Paul knew it, didn't he?
And Paul tells us in the earlier chapter, in the seventh chapter,
of this same epistle to the Hebrews, the greatness and the favor of
God's towards him. And he says this, but this man,
the Lord Jesus Christ, this man, because he continueth ever hath
an unchangeable priesthood. wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them. We need to carefully
meditate on such a glorious truth realising how great this Saviour
is, who is the same yesterday and today and forever. Wherefore he is also able also
to save them to the uttermost. So if you think tonight you're
just too bad for God to look upon, you're just too bad for
God to have mercy upon, Just read this 25th verse in the 7th
chapter to the Hebrews to be encouraged and to realize that
He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by Him. We come to God the Father, that
Holy God through the Lord Jesus Christ as our great and glorious
High Priest. The Hebrew speaks very much about
the high priesthood of God and what a wonderful blessing it
is that you and I can approach unto the majesty on high a holy
righteous God through the merits of this great and glorious Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who now sits on the right hand of the
throne in glory, there to intercede for us, the same yesterday and
today and forever. That's the blessed God we have.
So my friends, never be discouraged. Never think there's no point
in praying. Never think the Lord will never
hear my prayer. Because here we have a description
of the worst of sinners, the uttermost. Never think our sins are too
great. Never think, therefore, that
our sin stands between us. It does. But blessed be God,
we have an intercessor, we have a glorious high priest, the Lord
Jesus Christ. What love that the Saviour should
look upon us and take our prayers, which we may feel sometimes to
be very poor. But my friends, we don't have
to produce what we think is a wonderful prayer. Probably the best prayer
in scripture is by that publican who said, God be merciful to
me a sinner. There was confession and there
was need. And we're told, I tell you, this
man went down to his house justified rather than the other. And the other, of course, was
the Pharisee who was proud of his religion. He was proud of
his prayers. But my friends, there was no reality. They were
just dead. But the publican prayed from
his heart. And what a blessing it is when
the Holy Spirit comes to us. and gives us true prayer, true
prevailing prayer. And it's only prevailing prayer
because our prayers are taken by our blessed Saviour and presented
to His Father in the holy place. So tonight, this Saviour, remember,
He's the same yesterday, He's the same today, and He'll be
the same tomorrow and the next day. He stands ready to hear
and to answer our prayers. Oh bless God then that you and
I may come. Come unto me says the Lord himself. Come unto me. Be ye saved all
the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is none
else. Oh, my friends, what a great
and glorious gospel we have. What great and glorious invitations
we have to unworthy sinners who don't deserve any notice. You will never think, if you're
rightly taught of God, that you deserve to be heard. My friends,
we're only heard for Jesus' sake. We're only heard because he is
this great and glorious savior. Wherefore, remember again, he
is able also to save them to the uttermost. It's a lovely
word, isn't it? It's a very comprehensive word.
Uttermost. It's very inclusive, isn't it? It means what it says, the uttermost
situation. able to save to the uttermost. Be encouraged then, tonight,
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for us. Well, there we are, that's the
great truth of the Gospel, and that's the great Saviour that
we have, which tells us tonight He is the same yesterday and
today and forever. He is the same that looked upon
the dying thief in his dying hour who cried unto the Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. He knew by the blessed work of
the Spirit in his soul that he was with the Saviour of sinners. They were on different crosses
and yet he was able to come and plead, remember me. It wasn't a long complicated
prayer was it? It's a good thing, isn't it?
We don't have to produce long, complicated prayers. And so He
came, Jesus, who is the same yesterday and today. He was with
that dying thief on that day, that day in the history of the
world. And what did the Lord say? Today,
shalt thou be with me in paradise. An answer to His prayer, we could
say, an answer to his cry. And this is the God, this is
the Saviour that we have, who is, blessed be God, the same
yesterday and today and forever. The same unchanging God that
had mercy upon that dying thief. You see, he was blessed with
the true confession. We indeed receive the due reward
of our sin. But this man has done nothing
amiss. Given faith to view the Saviour
as he was. What a mercy, what a blessing,
what a wonderful favour. to come like that but don't forget
he came with confession he didn't come as a man with his own righteousness
he confessed he was receiving the due reward for his sin and
he didn't deserve any mercy but he pleaded for it and he received
it Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
and today and forever. Well, we should be so thankful
then that we have this God who doesn't change, doesn't change. He is the same to hear your prayer
and my prayer today, as he always has done through the ages. His ear is
never heavy. His arm is never shortened. He's
always there. At the Father's right hand, there
to hear and to answer our prayers. So my friends, never give up. Never give up. If perhaps you
have a great need, and when I say that, the principal needs must
always be with reference to our never-dying soul. You see, we
all have needs, don't we? Providentially, we all have needs
in our life. Sometimes we think those needs
are very great and very important, and they may be, but they're
not as important as the health and the life of our soul. And you say, well, why do you
say that? I say that for this reason. Our natural life is very
short. Our eternal life is what it says,
it never ends. Surely, we can very simply understand
it. the vast difference between our
little life on this earth, for our natural body, and the eternal
life of our soul. The hymn writer says, How stands
the case, my soul with thee? For heaven are thy credentials
clear. Is Jesus Christ thy only plea. We come tonight, my friends,
we sit by each other, we see each other. It's only God who
knows how we stand before him. Whether our true hope is built
on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his right, Jesus' blood and
his righteousness. My friends, tonight, as you and
I stand before God, where is our hope? What is our hope? Is
it in what this blessed saviour has done? The one who doesn't
change? Where is your hope tonight? Do
you have a hope? Again, it's good to be honest.
My friends, let us not be deceived. You know, the devil wants us
to be deceived. That's his great ploy. It always has been. Right from
the Garden of Eden. When he deceived Adam and Eve. And my friends, he hasn't changed
his plan. He still endeavours to deceive
the Church of God. He still endeavours to deceive
you and me. My friends, one of the greatest
things is to believe a lie. Yes, he sowed a seed of doubt
in the heart of Eve and Adam by telling them a lie. Don't believe the devil's lies. We have the truth of God in the
Word of God search the scriptures to see
whether those things which perhaps you have a good hope of perhaps
you're relying on are true you won't be failed if you search
the scriptures but don't listen to the devil you may remember
after the Lord Jesus Christ was baptised he was led up into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil for those 40 days and 40
nights and as he was tempted the Lord answered the devil with
scripture don't try and answer the devil yourself my friends
turn to scripture answer the devil from the scripture if he
says You have no faith. If he says your religion is false,
my friends, turn to the scriptures. You'll find there the answers. You'll find there the encouragement. You'll be able to tell the devil
that he's a liar. He has been from the beginning.
He always will be. My friends, we have a great and
glorious savior who we know is true. And when he prayed to his
father, in that glorious 17th chapter of John, he said, Thy
word is truth. And that's what you and I can
rely upon. So tonight, perhaps if you're
fearful, first of all remember, this blessed Saviour doesn't
change. He is the same yesterday, when
you were born, through your life, The same today and will be throughout
your life, right down to your dying hour. He does not change. He is there. And the hymn writer
says, a refuge for sinners. The gospel makes known. It is
found in the merits of Jesus alone. You can plead the merits
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can plead, my friends, his
atoning sacrifice, that great and glorious sacrifice when he
gave his life upon that cross at Calvary. And remember what
he endured, what he endured to redeem our souls. I said this
morning, never tire of coming to Calvary. Never retire by desiring faith to view the
suffering saviour and to hear that glorious cry, it is finished. The work his father gave him
to do, he completed. My friends, what a battle he
had. We can't understand. When we
try and think the Lord carried our sins, let's try and think
your life, your sins. Go back to when you were a little
child, your sins. Perhaps when you were a teenager, your sins. Perhaps when you got
older, your sins. And you conclude, what a mountain. Well, the Saviour didn't just
carry your sins. He carried the sins of the whole
Church of God. What a burden. What a burden. And I think the beautiful picture
is that our sins were placed upon the Saviour. in other words
our sins were imputed to the Saviour and what do we receive
in return? His righteousness that glorious spotless robe and
my friends none of us will get safe home to glory without that
righteousness Don't think you'll be able to creep in some way
and not possess that robe of righteousness. All of us, without
exception, need to be clothed with His righteousness and to
realise that Christ the Saviour of sinners died upon Calvary's
cross so that you and I might receive freely that great and
glorious blessing of that robe of righteousness. So then, you
see, when we're called in to the marriage supper of the Lamb,
we'll have on that wedding garment. That's the blessing and that's
the glorious gift from the Saviour who is the same yesterday and
today and forever. And Jesus, you know, Abraham
saw my day and was glad. Abraham didn't, of course, see
that Lord Jesus physically hadn't been born. But by faith, he viewed
the Lord Jesus Christ. And my friends, now today, you
and I won't physically be able to see the Savior. But what a
blessing it is if God gives us faith to view the Lord Jesus
Christ as that one who has died and suffered all incarnate God
could bear. with strength enough and none
to spare. What a mercy tonight, if Jesus
is precious to you. If he's precious to you, if he's
valuable, if he means more to you than anything else. You may say, well, I'm not sure
about that. Well, my friends, pray that the Lord will show
you What He's done for you in redeeming your soul, paying the
price required to free you from the guilt of all your sin. Yes,
there was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. It was
the blessed Lord Jesus. Oh, my friends, tonight, may
we come and echo the words What a Saviour! What a Saviour that should so willingly give
His life that I might receive life and that eternally. Wonderful, isn't it? What a blessing
it is. And if you and I enter into the
reality of that, We will desire to say and to sing while on this
earth that new song which the saints of God sing in glory.
And that is very simply this, worthy is the lamb that was slain. Worthy is to receive honor and
glory. Worthy is to receive my honor
and my glory. Well, tonight, my friends, we
read here this very wonderful chapter that the Apostle was
instructed to write, and he tells us, For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. And if the Lord Jesus Christ
is to you and to me the same yesterday and today and forever,
the altogether lovely one. We will be looking forward to
that time and we shall be with him in that city of God, praising
him forever and ever. It's good to realise that we're
only here for a short time, but eternity is before us. And what
a mercy it is if we are blessed by the Spirit of God to really
understand and really appreciate and really thank God for this
great and glorious truth, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and
today and forever. Amen.