Henry told me I had to be loud. I wasn't going to tell you that
he asked me to bring this message. I was just going to go right
into it. But because he just told you that, he did ask me to bring this message.
And I love it when that happens because it means somebody was
blessed by it. You want to know they were blessed by it. And
I do that to people all the time. I tell them, you know, they're
going to come and preach in Kingsport and I hear a message that they
brought and I say, man, if you could bring that, if you feel
led to bring that. But it doesn't always work out that way. You
still have to feel like, even if it's a message that you have
written out, you got to feel like it's the message of today. It's the message of the hour.
And I'm in Kingsport last week. I, you know, studied and got
everything all in order. And I had Friday night, Saturday
morning, Sunday morning. And this message was for yesterday. And I got up yesterday morning
and I just didn't feel like that was yesterday's message. And
so today's message became yesterday's message. And, um, I pray the
Lord will bless this as today's message. I do believe this is
today's message. But I'm telling you all that
to say, this whole thing reminded me of the fact that back in either
the 50s or the 60s, Brother Henry had one of his annual Bible conferences
and Rolf Barnard was a regular speaker. And Rolfe told Henry,
he said, what I think would be a good idea is if you'd have
five men and assign each of them one of the five points of Calvinism,
you know, have the first man speak on total depravity and
the next man speak on unconditional election and, you know, just
go through it that way. And Henry thought, well, that's
a good idea. So he asked five men and Rolfe Barnard was one
of them. I don't know which point was his, but when it came his
turn, he stood up and he said, I hate it when people assign
me a subject to preach. But I've been assigned it, so
I'm going to do it. And Henry thought, man, if I
could have wrung his neck. But I do love it when the Lord does make you feel like
this is the message for the hour. And I love this particular subject. I've preached from this verse
four or five times now. I've read it or quoted it, it
feels like four or five hundred times now. And I've yet to get
tired of it. I haven't gotten tired of this
yet. This really is one of the most
comforting things for me personally that I know of. Every time I
read this verse, it is so, so comforting. I mean this. You know, you have scriptures
in the Bible like. But there is forgiveness with
a, you know, this man receives sinners. And it's just comforting,
and this is one of those verses, it's so comforting. Turn with
me to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, our verse is verse
8. Hebrews 13, verse 8, it says,
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. That's comforting, isn't it?
That's so comforting. Everything is changing. Everything
in this world is changing. I have changed since I've been
here this weekend. I came into this place at 47
years old. I'm leaving this place at 48
years old. I'm going to get back to Kingsport and they're going
to say, man, that conference aged you. Everything is changing. Literally,
everything around us is changing. Doesn't it comfort your heart
to hear that Jesus Christ is the same? He's the same. He's the exact same. What He
was is what He is. That's what He will forever be. It's so sad to watch our loved
ones grow older. It really is. But our Lord is the exact same. He is the same yesterday and
today and forever. You know, when we lived here,
we had two little baby girls. You all remember that? And two and a half years ago,
Isabella started sitting in the driver's seat of our car. Had
her permit, you know. We were sitting on the other
side with no pedals. And now, you know, I tell people
I got Isabella driving all over town, doing whatever she wants
to do, and I got Sophie bribing Isabella to drive her all over
town to do whatever Sophie wants to do. Everything is changing. Everything is changing. People
are changing. People's word is changing. People change their word. You
can't trust their word. You can't trust people. You can't
trust their word. You sure can't trust Sophie's
word. I've got all my little illustrations
I run through. But Sophie, we made a deal. I didn't want her turning 5. I told her we weren't doing it
that year. I don't want you turning 5 this year. And she made a deal
with me. If you let me turn 5, I won't
turn 6, 7, or 8. I said deal. Everything's changing. It's just
changing. Doesn't it comfort our hearts
to know that Jesus Christ does not change? He is the same yesterday, today
and forever. What He was declared to be and
what we know Him to be This man that we know from his
word and believe on, that was a wonderful message. I'm so glad
that I heard that message. I want to hear that message.
I want my wife to hear that message. I want my children to hear that
message. I want my family to hear the message. I want my loved
ones to hear the message. This one that we believe on,
this man that we believe on. Doesn't it comfort our hearts
to know that we can count on the stability of what He... You know, the Gospel is who He
is. We need the stability of who
He is. What's the ground of our faith?
Who He is. I love people who are the same. I do. If you're going to be mad,
just stay mad all the time. I'll know how to take you. It's the stability of who He
is. I want to look at some ways and
some things that our Lord Jesus Christ has and will forever remain
the same in. Turn with me over to Psalm 47. Psalm 47, verse 8 says, God reigneth. The thing to focus on is E-T-H. Reigneth. Not reigned. We can get into
our history books and see some people who reigned. Not God. He's not in there. Not will reign. You know, do what you can so
you can get to glory, and then after that, God will take over.
No. God reigneth. God reigneth. That means right
now. God reigneth right now. Verse
8, God reigneth over the heathen. God sitteth right now, upon the throne of His holiness. Doesn't it comfort your heart
to know that His sovereignty is the same? Why do you have
to always talk about His sovereignty? Because it is. It's the same yesterday, today,
forever. God is sovereign. God is sovereign over everything. He is sovereign over everything. God rules and controls everything. Right now. Look with me at Psalm 93. Psalm 93, verse 1, it says, The
Lord reigneth. He is clothed with majesty. He is right now. The Lord is
clothed with strength. Wherewith he hath girded himself.
The world also is established that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of
old. Thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O
Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift
up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier
than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of
the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure. Holiness becometh
on how so, Lord, forever. Forever, His sovereignty, His
authority, His testimony, His Word, His holiness, it is. It is. Look at Psalm 97 right
here, verse 1. It says, The Lord reigneth. You already said that, David.
I know. I have a new song I want to write. It goes like this. The Lord reigneth! Let the earth rejoice. Let the
multitude of isles be glad thereof. Yeah, but that's the Old Testament.
See, everything that you've read to us so far is in the Old Testament.
That was all written 2,500 years ago. We'll go to Revelation 19. This right here is speaking of
a moment that's yet to come, a moment when time will be no
more. Revelation 19, verse six, it says. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and
as the voice of mighty thundering saying, Alleluia for the Lord
God omnipotent. Reina. His sovereignty is the same.
Yesterday, today, forever, his sovereign authority, his sovereign
power, his sovereign word. This word right here, the word
of God, first Peter one says it liveth. In a body. Forever, this word is alive. This word is alive. What other
book? Could you read chapter one over
and over and over? The last chapter of the book,
don't you already know how the book ends? You want to read it
again? Read it again, dear. This is
alive. This is more alive than we are
in the flesh. One of these days, we are going
to be as alive as this word is. This liveth. This abideth. People think this word is so
old fashioned, don't they? They think it's so old fashioned,
they don't think it applies anymore. They think this has changed or
it's changed from this. It's not so. Every word of this
book will stand forever. Not one word of this book is
ever going to fail. Every promise will stand true. Do you ever hear the promises
of God and think that is too good to be true? Holy and without blemish. Brother David just brought up
the image, you know, that And he said it. He said it doesn't
even sound right to say this. It feels like blasphemy. Like
I want to squat down so you can't see me before I say this. But
do you know the Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the image
of God Almighty? And it says we're going to bear
His image. Does that make you want to crawl up under something
and hide? That sounds too good to be true. causes us to believe that. We
believe on that. I don't understand it. And I
fear it. But I believe it. Every promise
is going to stand true. David said, although it's not
so with my house, the Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant
ordered in all things insured. Do you thank God for the everlasting
covenant? Do you have any idea how bad
you are? You have any idea how wretched
you are? And I'm a you. Every covenant promise, every
covenant promise will stand, whether it's a promise of judgment
or mercy. And it's because our God is eternally
holy. Holy, holy, holy. The seraphims never stop crying
holy. They haven't yet. Holy, holy,
holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Every now and then I think they
do break to say the whole earth is full of His glory. Holy, holy. Why are they still doing that?
He's still holy. He hasn't changed. Malachi 3.6, he said, I am the
Lord, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. Thank God His holiness is the
same yesterday, today, forever. He will by no means clear the
guilty because He's holy. But do you
know what that means? He will by no means punish the
innocent, because He's holy. And if we have been made to be
innocent in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will by
no means punish us. He's holy. Turn over to 2 Timothy chapter
2. 2 Timothy 2, verse 19, it says, Nevertheless, the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth. He still knows. He knew beforehand whom he did
foreknow, He knows, and He will forever know, them that are His. His election
of the people who were made to be precious to Him, that election
will stand forever. His election will stand forever. We sinners are constantly worried
about something. I am. I really. Some of you will understand this,
but. We're constantly worried about. Messing up or ruining or losing
God's favor. You understand what I'm saying? Like, OK, every now and then
I'll and get in my fleshly sinful way and kind of get back out
of it. But I've been here a little too
long now. I've been forgetting Him a little
too long now. All my prayers have been lip
service. Nothing's coming from my heart. Do you know that the redemption
of Christ, total, absolute, total redemption in the standing of
God, the redemption of Christ that satisfied God and satisfied
the law and satisfied justice yesterday? Do you know that that
same redemption still satisfies, that means pleases, with a smile
and countenance, still satisfies God and the law? and judgment and justice. It satisfies it today. And it'll
satisfy it forever. God's favor for toward his people
in Christ is eternal. I'm telling you, that's a comfort
to my heart. Salvation is the same. It's the
same. Yesterday, today, forever salvation
from our sin through the cross of Christ, it is finished, it
was finished. It is finished, it will forever
be finished. It's the same. It's the same. Turn over to Psalm 103. Don't you love Psalm 103? Haven't you all already read
this chapter? Psalm 103, verse 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. The first time I noticed this,
I just can't, I can't tell you how much this blessed me. And
if you've never seen this before, I pray this will be a real blessing
to you. Take notice that everything here is in present tense. Okay. Focus on present right now. Take
notice that everything written right here is right now tense. Okay. Verse three, it says, who
forgiveth right now. right now, who forgiveth all
thine iniquities, who healeth right now all thy spiritual diseases. We think of our forgiveness as
being 2,000 years ago. We think of our forgiveness as
being in eternity past in the mind and purpose of God. And
we think of our forgiveness as being on the cross of Calvary
2000 years ago. And it was. It was eternally
in the mind and purpose of God, it was forgiven in the lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. And then it was forgiven
on the cross of Calvary as he hung there in the stead of his
people 2000 years ago. But who our Lord was in eternity
past and who he was 2000 years ago on the cross of Calvary,
that's who he still is today. Forgiveness is not just what
he did, forgiveness is who he is. He healed us. He heals us. One day real soon,
He's about to heal us. That's who He is. That's just
who He is. What He did for us, that's what
He does for us. What we needed, that's what we
need. And do you know why? We haven't
changed. What we were, that's what we
are. In the flesh. In our flesh. What we needed, that's what we
need. Therefore, what He did, that's what He does. I still need forgiveness. I still need forgiveness. Verse 3 says, Who forgiveth? He forgiveth. All thine iniquities,
who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction. You know, we're talking about yesterday,
talking about being down in a pit. You know what I do every time
he pulls me out? I jump back in. And he'll pull me out again. I'll jump back in. Wandering
around in my little pit, staggering like a drunken man, then I'll
cry unto the Lord who will deliver me out of my... Verse 4, who redeemeth thy life
from destruction, who crowneth thee and crowneth thee and crowneth
thee with love, loving kindness and tender mercies. His love
for us is the same It's the same. We think, how could his love
be the same? I'm so unlovely all the time. And it's true. And that's what
we are in our flesh. We're unlovely. But Christ is
altogether lovely. And God's love for us is not
based on us, it's based on Christ. That's why it's the same. Verse four says his loving kindness
and his tender mercy. remains the same. I don't care who I've told this
illustration to anymore. I used to wonder, have I told
people this? I don't care anymore. This is
so good. We have a dear brother in Kingsport
who's been with us now about seven years. He saw us on our
TV broadcast and he's a precious man. And seven years ago when
he got to our assembly, the first time I met him, he was there
first at the church building. I pulled up. second and he was
from his car. He was trying to see who was
in my car and who it was. And I was thinking, man, this
guy's really staring at me. And so he recognized me. So he
gets out and he comes running over with his hand out and just
laughing and smiling. He said, you don't know who I
am, but you look like an old friend to me. I've been watching
you on TV. And so he started coming and
his the reason he started coming is because he said, when I saw
you on TV, He said, that's the first time I thought somebody
may have an answer for me. He said, here's my problem. I'm
a bad center. I'm a really bad center. And he, he is still, I mean,
just, just four days ago, it's like,
he just wants to double check. Now, what you're saying is. But he'd come into the services
and talk with me before and after and show up at my office and
talk and, oh, I've got so much sin. And I would point him to
Christ. If you from sin are longing to
be free, look to the Lamb of God. And so he came in one morning
in just a bad way. He was just in a bad way. And
before the Bible study, he pulled me into my office and, oh, I
just I don't know what to do. I just can't. I've been because
religion told him he had to get rid of it. You know, religion
told him he had to shake the devil off his back and he had
to do all this. And it wasn't working, it's not
working. And I said, Danny, you cry out
to God for mercy in the blood of Jesus Christ. You ask God
to forgive your sin and wash your sin in the blood of Jesus
Christ. He said, OK, that's what I'm
going to do. He said, mercy. I'm going to
cry out for mercy. That's what I'm going to do.
I said, you say that in your prayer. You cry out for mercy,
Lord. Give me mercy. So then I brought the Bible study,
30 minutes. As soon as I said, you know, for the Bible study,
you're dismissed. We have to have a break. He grabs me and
pulls me into my office and just serious, way more serious than
a heart attack. He looked me right in the eye
and he said, how much mercy does God have for me? And I said, it's infinite. It
could never be exhausted. It starts over brand spanking
new every single morning, the entire volume of God's mercy. And he doesn't divide it amongst
his people. Everybody gets all of it. And
Danny, right there, you know, we had a church building full
of people. Danny just started belly laughing
in my office. He threw his head back. He just
started laughing out loud. He said, that's the greatest
news I've ever heard in my life. That's what all of God's people
say. He sounds like a believer. He sounds like a believer on
the Lord Jesus Christ. His mercy doesn't change. It's
forever. It's forever. I guarantee you,
you're going to mess up today. I bet you sin today. His mercy is forever. Look right here in Psalm 103
at verse 13. Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him, for he knoweth
our frame. He remembereth that we are done. He just keeps remembering and
remembering and remembering. Verse 15. As for man, his days
are as grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth
For the wind passeth over it and it's gone and the place shall
know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord. That's
all you can say about man. But the mercy of the Lord is
from everlasting to everlasting. Upon them that fear him and his
righteousness and the children's children. Oh, I pray that so. He said it was, didn't he? I hope he hadn't forgotten that.
I hope he hadn't forgotten that he said that. He hasn't. He still feels that
way. He's a merciful God. If I can
say it this way, I say this in fear, but do you know what he said? His
favorite thing to do was, he said, I delight to show mercy. He loves to do it. Thank God he's the same. Thank God his mercy is the same
from everlasting to everlasting. He remains the same. Psalm 104,
verse 31, right here, Psalm 104, verse 31, it says. The glory
of the Lord. Remains the same. It endures forever. The Lord
shall rejoice in His works, His glory, His majesty. Thine is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Of Him, through Him, to Him are
all things to whom be glory forever. Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. If any man glory, let him glory
in the Lord. You know how long? Forever. His
glory will remain the same forever. I love the thought that in glory,
his glory will never diminish. Not in reality, not in our hearts
or our minds. Never. Matter of fact, of its
increase, there will be no end. When we've been there 10,000
years, it's just going to be even more glorious than the moment
we got there. I think that's the only thing that might change.
Christ will just keep increasing and increasing and increasing.
That's unchangeable. He's just going to keep increasing. His glory as our prophet, priest,
and king. Our brother just alluded to that.
As our prophet, his word will stand forever. As our preacher,
his word will stand forever. As our priest, his intercession
will stand forever. He just said something that made
me think it was about our Lord's intercession. It just made me
think that's what he does. He said, I pray for them. He didn't say, Father, I prayed
for them. He didn't say, Father, do you
remember on the cross of Calvary when I asked you to forgive them
because they know not what they do? He said, I pray. You could
probably put an ETH at the end of that. I pray. I pray for them. That's what he does. I pray for
him. He is praying for us right now. I believe he's praying for us
while we preach. I believe he's praying for us
while we're here. We pray for each other, don't we? I was praying
for you. I was praying for me and I was praying for you while
he was preaching. I've been praying for us all
morning. So has Jesus Christ. I don't even know where I am
in my notes anymore, I keep losing my place. So our prophet, his word will
stand forever. Our priest, thank God, his priesthood
is an unchangeable priesthood, his intercessions forever. As
our King of His Kingdom, there shall be
no end. We're never going to have to
vote on anybody else ever again. Thank God He remains the same
forever. Did you know that His means of
calling His people is the same? The reason is because his message
is the same. This gospel, this is the only
gospel that there is. It's the same gospel today that
it was yesterday. And that it will be forever. Thank God, thank God for the
comfort and the stability, the hope that is laid up for us in
Christ. Same hope. Same Lord, same Savior. Those angels said, you know,
we mentioned this Friday night, they said, why are you standing
there gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus. Alpha and Omega, beginning and
end, same yesterday, today, forever. All may change. But the Lord
Jesus Christ, never. Glory to His name. I pray if
the Lord would let me live and if He would allow me to come
back here for the next 40 years, I hope
I'm preaching the same message, same Jesus, now and forever. Amen.