I knew this was going to be the
last night of the year, and I wanted to say something that would hopefully help us
all. But one thing that has really, of all the attributes that God has,
the one that is my stay and my strength and my comfort And I'm
sure it's yours, for I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. If it wasn't for the unchangingness
of God, we would be consumed. Have every sin would consume
us if God didn't change. Flesh would consume us. Satan
would just have a field day with us. The world would just overcome
us. Because so many things would
consume us if God didn't change. And I'll tell you one thing that
we can be sure of, all of us can, is change. We can be sure
of change. Oh, how many changes go about
in our lives, in ourselves, changes in ourselves. Our moods, our
emotions, our feelings, they can change by the minute, they
can change by the hour. We can be hot and cold just in
the space of a few minutes. We can be just overwhelmed with
emotions once and then be just as hard as Flint the next. And I tell you, we went from,
been a great change in some of us from being young to all of a sudden looking we're
old. Been a great change in our nation
since we were young people. We have a lot of changes in our
families. new children born, new great-grandchildren. And we have some that leave us. Change. Change is something that's
just all around us. It's all around us. The old hymn
writer said, change and decay all around I see. O thou that
changest not, abide with me. And you're talking about a stay.
a stronghold, an anchor. No matter how many changes that
we'll go through in this world and in this life, and we will, He changes not. He changes not. And that's what I want to talk
about. He changes not. I am God and I change not. Now
you're talking about You're talking about a place to put your feet,
a place for the foundation of your faith, a place that no matter
which way the wind blows, no matter how fiery the trial may
be, no matter how deep the waters become or how hot the fire, no
matter what happens in this life, nothing will, if you're one of
His, if you're a son of Jacob, Nothing, nothing, nothing will
consume you or separate you from the love of Christ. This is one
of the most glorious attributes of God Almighty, is His immutability,
His inability, I'll say, to change. And when we talk about Him being
immutable, I change not, it means that He's the same. He's not
capable of changing. You and I are capable of changing,
not Him. He has no beginning. He has no
ending. He is everlastingly the same.
Look over in James chapter 1, just a moment. James chapter
1. And I tell you, listen, this
is two things that we as believers cherish. We cherish God. We love God. We need God. We
call on God. We worship God. But there's two
things that really, really, that we pitch our souls on, and pitch
camp on, and drive our stakes down deep on, and that's the
unchangeableness of God, His immutable, being immutable, and
His faithfulness. Those two things right there,
you can drive your stake down right there. He does not change,
and He's always faithful. He is faithful. He never fails. But look what he said here in
James 1.17. Talking about God not changing. Every good and
perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of
lights with whom is no variableness. No variableness. He does not
vary in any way. We vary. We vary so many times. We vary. Sometimes we feel like
being with people. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes
we hug people. Sometimes we want to just hit
the door and find us a hole someplace. That's just the way it is. We
vary. Everything about us varies. But there is no variness in God. There's no varibleness. You know,
they say the partly countable variable win. There's no varibleness
in God. And there's no shadow. You know
that when it's bright sun shining right in the middle of the day,
no shadow can beat me. And God, He's the Father of lights,
and since He's the Father of lights, and He's always shining
bright, there can never be a shadow, a shadow about Him. And I'll
tell you something about Him. He is immutable in His very essence. I mean, what makes God, God? There never was a time when He
was not. And there will never come a time
when God shall cease to be. God has not evolved. God has
not grown. God has not improved. All that
He is today, He always has been. And what He always has been,
He always will be. And He will not, cannot, will
not, dare not ever change. I am the Lord and I change not. He can't change for the better.
He's already perfect. He can't change for the worst. He's unaffected in the Lord bless
His name. He's unaffected by anything outside
of Himself. Anything goes on, He's unaffected
by anything that goes on in this world. No matter what anybody
says, no matter what anybody does, what any leader says, what
any angels try to do, what goes on in this world, absolutely
He's unaffected by anything. He's unaffected by us. Our righteousness don't make
Him any more righteous. Our sinfulness don't make Him
any less holy. Anything we do, He's unaffected
by anything in this universe. And for Him to improve or deteriorate,
it's absolutely impossible. He's perpetually ever the same. When Lise told Moses, Moses,
who am I going to say when He was going to go down and deliver
Israel? He said, Lord, who am I going
to say sent Me? He said, I Am. That I Am. Can you imagine Moses walking
up to Pharaoh and saying, who sent you here? I am. Who's he? I am that I am. I never heard
of him. You will. You will. And I tell you, bless His holy
name, His power, His power is ever the same. And His glory,
glory never fades. Never fades. Our glory has fades. And He's unaffected by age. He's
unaffected by time. He's unaffected by space. He's
unaffected by anything that happens in this world. And He's ever
the same. He's not older now than He ever
was. And He'll never be older than
He ever was. Because He never has age. He's
always the same. And oh, He does not change in
His attributes. Whatever His attributes were,
before he called this universe into existence. I said the universe. I didn't
say I said the universe. Everybody talks about all these
galaxies and all these places out there. God inhabits eternity. And He's not in the universe,
the universe is in Him. He brought in this universe and
everything in it into existence. And before, whatever He had before
He brought this universe into existence, laid the foundation
of this earth. caused it to start spinning,
and before He ever created a man, before anything ever happened,
whatever He was, before He ever brought this universe into existence,
is what He is now, and what He always will be. Now that's hard
for us to grasp, that somebody is that, like that. If He was
somebody we could grasp, if somebody we could understand, if somebody
that we could get a handle on, then we wouldn't worship Him
the way He is. But you look in, you look in
the sky, look in the space, and all that's in God. God's
not in here, it's in God. He inhabits eternity. Every star
out there, He called them all by name. Oh listen, I tell you
one more, you know where His wisdom dwells at? Look over here
at Colossians chapter 2 with me just a minute. Look at His
wisdom over here. Do you know where His wisdom
dwells? Let me show you where His wisdom dwells in Colossians
2. Whatever it was that God is, whatever He was and what His
attributes were, when He called the universe into existence, And they can talk about, you
know, they go out through there and they take all these wonderful
pictures, and it is. It's, wow, it's incredible. And
I don't know how long the universe has been in existence, but I
do know this, who brought it into existence. If it's been
a million years, a billion years, or ten billion, it don't make
any difference. That just tells you that God doesn't change.
Has the universe changed since it's been there? None of the
stars have changed their course, have they? The sun and the moon still in
the same place they are every morning and every evening. Why is that? Because He put them
into existence. And I tell you, look what He
said here in Colossians 2.2. That your hearts might be comforted,
being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full
assurance of understanding, so that we can acknowledge and if
this happens to you you start getting some understanding and
love the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father
and of Christ now watch this in whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge all the wisdom and all the knowledge
two of the attributes of God all dwell in the Lord Jesus Christ
And I tell you, His power is forever the same. His wisdom is never more, never
less. And I tell you something about
His wisdom. People think that God is mean, that God is a tyrant,
that God mistreats people and He don't treat people fair. But
I tell you what, there's one thing that I know, and this is
another thing that's a great comfort. that everything that
God does in this world is based on His infinite eternal wisdom. If it could have been done any
other way then you say that God's not all wise. Everything's done
just exactly the way it should be and must be because God is
wise. He's too wise to to let us govern
our own lives. He's too wise to let sin overcome
us. He's too wise to devise a salvation
any different than He could have had, where He can be just and
justified. And oh, beloved, His holiness
is as eternal as Himself. And His attributes, all of them,
are just as sure as He Himself is. If they ever change, then
he'll cease to be if they ever change. He said, his word endures
forever. Psalm 119 verse 89 says that
word forever, oh Lord, is settled in heaven. So his truth is ever
the same. People say truth is relative.
No, truth ain't relative. No, not when it comes to God,
not when it comes to the thing of man. No, no, truth is truth.
I tell you, I've talked to a lot of doctors, a lot of people down
through the years and talked to people and talked to folks
in religion. They say, boy, everything's black and white with you. There
ain't no gray in you. I said, no, there ain't no gray in me.
A lot of sin in me, but there ain't
no gray in me. Everything's black and white. And that's what, you
know, nothing, you know, there is things that's relative, but
I'm telling you, when it comes to truth, Truth, absolute truth. God is His. Truth never changes. And that's what people try to
do. They try to get God to change to meet the needs of man. Everything
that now about dates is God is the servant of man instead of
man being the servant of God. You know, they want God to be
man's servant. They want Him to be servant to
man. Whatever they need from Him, they'll get from Him. And
they'll ask Him. He's like a cow. He's like a
dog. If you need some comfort, you can pet Him like a dog. If
you need some food, He'll be a cow for you. If you need some
bread, He'll be bread for you. If you need help in your marriage,
He'll be your marriage. He'll be everything to you you
want Him to be. Anything but a Savior. Anything
but holy. Anything but righteous. Anything
but one who does not change. And bless His name. His truth
is forever the same. His Word is forever settled in
heaven. I can live with that and I can
die with that. And His love, His love has no
beginning and no end. He didn't start loving us when
we came into this world. It's because He loved us, He
brought us into this world. He loved us with an everlasting
love. He brought us into this world.
Loved us before we was in our mother's belly. Loved us when
we were infants laying in our crib. Loved us when we were three
years old. Loved us when we was 10, 15,
20, 25, all the way through eternity. He'll love us. But it's like
He did before we ever were. You say, I'm unlovable. I know
you are and I am too. But He loves us anyway. And I've been loved His own.
He loved them right to the very end. And His mercy, oh bless
His name, mercy never ceases. Never ceases. We don't even have
to ask for it. He just gives it. We don't have
to ask for grace. He just gives us grace. We ask
for it, we need it, but He gives it to us. Oh my, He gave us grace
before we ever asked for it. Gave us grace in Christ before
the world began. His mercy endures forever. She extends to thousands and thousands
and thousands of generations, He said. Oh, it'll never cease. Never
ceases, His mercy doth. And when you... the last few
weeks, last... I don't even know how to pray.
I don't know how to pray when I'm by myself. I don't know what
to say. I don't know what to say. I don't
know how to pray. I don't know how to express myself.
I just know that I hurt. I hurt all the time. And I can't
express myself. But I know this. that God gives
grace and God gives mercy and God's been my strength and been
my comfort and stay because He does not change. And I have nothing
but, I can't do nothing but change. And I know that and I take His
mercy, I don't have to ask, it comes. I don't have to seek it,
it's there. And He promised us when we couldn't
say anything, He'd say it for us. Didn't He do that? He said
He'll say it for us. And let me tell you something
else about Him. He does not change in His counsel. When we talk
about His counsel, He works all things after the counsel of His
only. And that counsel is the same word as will. His will never
changes. His will never varies. People talk about, it's not the
will of God for you to be this way. It's not the will of God
for you to be sick. It's not the will of God for you to be
here. It's not the will of God for you to, you know, and I tell
you this, God's will is going to be done in spite of anything
we think, say or do. Now, ain't that right? I'm so thankful for that. Oh
listen, let me show you some things. Let me, I know, let me
look in Genesis 6 with me just a minute. Let's look at this
together. Genesis 6. I'm talking about this tonight
because we're going to get up tomorrow and we're going to go
through another year of life if God lets us live. We're going
to go through another year. We'll make it through 2015 if
it's God's will. And if it's the Lord's will,
we will live and breathe and have our meat and our being.
But look what he said here in Genesis 6, 5 and 6, talking about
his will never changes, never were. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth and that every imagination and
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it
repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it
grieved him. It repented him. He repented him. Sounds like
God made a change. Made a change. Well, now look
with me over in Numbers. Numbers is the fourth book in
the Old Testament. Look in Numbers 23 with me just
a moment. In verse 19. Now there it said He repented.
That He made man. and going to destroy him because
of his wickedness. And then he said here in Numbers
23, 19, God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of
man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not
do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Huh? No, wait a minute. Didn't he just say over there
that he had repented, that he made man? And then he says, God,
who's not a man, that he should lie, that he should repent. Does
not he say what he means? And does he not mean what he
says? And does what he says he means to do? Is that what he
says? And I tell you what, we know
the Scriptures don't contradict themselves. We know that. If
we can't make them harmonize, then we got the wrong interpretation.
So what does he mean that over here he says he repents that
he made man? Over here he says he's not a man that he should
lie or repent. Well, the Lord accommodates himself to our language. He accommodates himself. God
don't have eyes, but He talks about seeing. God don't have ears, but He talks
about He inclined His ear. God don't have hands, but He
says His hand reaches out. Don't have arms, but His arm
reaches out. He don't have feet, but He says
that He runs. He don't have a heart, but He
talks about the heart of God. But so when He uses language,
He uses it to commendate ourselves. To commendate us. And I tell
you what, then He told them, don't sleep. But we are limited
in our capacity, so he uses words to help us understand. So what
he does in one place, he's saying, these men, this human race that
I've done, he says, dealing with them, I'm going to destroy them.
There's a change in my dealings with them, and I'm going to make
me a one new race on this face of this earth. And he used the
language to accommodate himself to us. And he described his conduct
there as repenting. And yet he does not repent. He
does not change his mind. He just uses language to accommodate
us. It's like Jonah going to Nineveh.
Jonah went just as hard as he could, does the direction. But
when God got hold of him, he repented. He went to Nineveh.
He started out to Nineveh to start with. That's his place
to go. Now God's going to get him in Nineveh. If He has to
put him in the belly of hell, He's going to Nineveh. And God
uses a language to accommodate these men. I'm going to change
them. They're so awfully wicked that I'm going to destroy them.
And it repents me that I ever made them because they're so
wicked. And not only is He immutable
in His will and His counsel, and let me tell you something,
the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. And He
told Job, He said, He said, I'll never change in my dealings with
you, never. That's why Job said, though he
slayed me, yet I'll trust him. There's two things that cause
a man to change his mind. Two things that cause a man to
change his mind. He didn't have the foresight
to see all that would happen, or he doesn't have the power
to execute his plan. That's why me and you can't do
things very well. We don't have the foresight to
see what's going to happen. And we certainly don't have the
power to execute whatever plans we make sometimes. But God, you
reckon He knows everything that's going to happen? He declared
the end from the beginning, didn't He? He declared the end from
the beginning. And if He has a purpose in this
world and a plan, does He not have the power to execute it,
to carry it out? And oh, He's omniscient, all-wise. He knows all things that is.
In all things that's possible. And He's omnipotent. So He'll
never ever lack the power to carry out His Word. There's a
verse of Scripture you all need to look at, mark it, believe
it. In Psalm 33, I've quoted this
so many times over the years. But listen, this is one of them
verses scriptures that everybody needs to understand and needs
to believe it, needs to remember it, needs to memorize it. This
is one of those verses of scripture. Look what it says there. In verse
8, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants
of the world stand in awe of Him. Now listen, for He spake,
And it was. Just leave out the done. For
he spake, and it was. He commanded, and it stood fast. Wouldn't you like that? You know
that's what we've told our kids all the time. Now I'm not going
to tell you again. I've done spoke once. They just walk away like you know. You remember trying
to get your children's attention? And you even get to say, look
at me now, look at me. Pay attention to me, I'm talking
to you. Well, when God speaks, it is, it happens. When he says,
seeking my heart, you know what we do? We seek his heart. He said, in the day of my power
you'll be made willing. He's fake, it was done. He said, I'll send the Holy Spirit
and He'll regenerate you and give you a new heart and a new
spirit. He's fake, and it was done. Oh my, what an infinite distance
and difference between God and us. Between God and man, we come
from the dust and we're going to go back to the dust. The only
thing that keeps us, we came from nothing, we're going to
go back to nothing. The only thing that keeps us from nothingness,
the only thing that keeps us is the will of God sustaining
us and the power of God keeping us. Known under God are all his
works from the beginning. All power, yea, I've heard once,
yea, twice, that all power belongs under him. But it says also there
in Malachi, I said, you sons of Jacob, I change not, for I,
the Lord, change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. Being fallen, being mutable,
we are mutable. Everything about us is flesh.
Everything about us is opposed to God. We're so variable. We're
so changeable. Fallen man is restless. He's inconsistent. Reuben, you
know what Jacob said about his oldest son Reuben? He had 12
sons. And the oldest one, you know
what he said about his oldest one? He said Reuben is as unstable
as water. is unstable as water. And I tell
you what, see she from man, no human being, no human being can
be dependent upon. Believe me. Can't do it. Now
we can have confidence in one another, we can, but boy, to
depend on them for anything that we need spiritually, eternally,
it's got to come from God. It's got to come from God. And
I tell you, it'll come from Him. And let me tell you this. People
who know, who like you today, may not like you tomorrow. They
begin to cry, Hosanitai, Lord, when He came into town, the next
three days, three days later, they're just crying, crucify
Him, crucify Him, crucify Him. There's preachers that I was
friends with for years and years, and all of a sudden, Somebody
says something about me or something about where I was at or somebody
I saw fellowship with and then you don't ever hear from them
again. That's two or three preachers I've known for years and don't
even hear from them. I don't know what happens to
them. You have somebody's fellowship with them and they say, well,
I don't want to have nothing to do with them because they do this. And then you have
people that you fellowship with for years, and then something
happens and the fellowship breaks. Because we're immutable creatures.
It don't take much to... I mean, our relationships are
sometimes so frail. If God don't make us mature believers,
most of us wouldn't be friends long enough to spit down the
sidewalk. If it wasn't for... Now, I'm
telling you, if God didn't... God has to do it for us. And
God has to establish these relationships. But oh, listen, let me tell you
something. You may have a friend today and he may be gone tomorrow.
I'll tell you how many, that's something else that changes.
You know, marriage and divorce is just something that, just
people change partners like it's just nothing. Change, change,
change. Change all around. But oh listen,
no matter what happens in this world, how many relationships
that stop and finish and start and stop and love you today and
don't like you tomorrow, speak to you today and won't speak
to you tomorrow. But in the Lord Himself, there is great, great
comfort. He ain't never going to change.
He ain't never going to change. He ain't going to change for
you whatsoever you do, whatsoever you say, wherever you go. Whatever
you do, He's not going to change. You're talking about solid rock
to stand on. He's not going to change. He
does not change. I may fall and I have fallen.
I may disappoint and be a disappointment to you a thousand times. And you may be a disappointment
to you, but I'll never be let down, be disappointed in God
my Father, because He never changes. Never changes. In fact, He took
us and set our feet on a solid rock. And you know what He said? He established our goings. And we can call on Him. We can
depend on Him. We can trust Him. We can look
to Him. We can rely on Him. We can make
Him beloved to know. We can know that there's nothing, no way that He will ever change
towards us under any circumstances. If I thought for a minute that
so, Oh, what would we do? Oh, we
find great assurance in calling on Him who is immutable. Oh my,
would you call on someone who grants you a request one day
and then denies you the next? Oh, bless His name. He doesn't
change. He doesn't change. I change. I will change. I have changed. And I'll change
some more. You see people change in a lot
of ways. One day you see them, the next
day they can't hardly know their name. One day they're here, the
next they're gone. One day they wave their hand
at you, the next they say, who was that? But oh my, my, my. He never changes. Never changes. My feet are as
stable and solid as they're ever going to be. My soul is as safe and secure
as it ever will be. Nothing. He changes. Not I change. My life changes. My home changes.
My children change. But he don't. Just as old Henry used to say
all the time, say, get you a steak and drive it down right there.
He never changes. Now I'm going to tell you something,
though, but for the lost, that's a great terror for the lost.
He doesn't change. He's not going to let you get
by. He ain't going to change. You face
Him with your sin, He ain't going to change. You face Him with
your rebellion, He ain't going to change. You go into eternity
without trusting God, without trusting Christ, He's not going
to change. He's not going to change. He's
not going to change when you get ready to go out into eternity.
And jump up and say, oh listen, oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm
going to save you real, real quick before you leave here. No, He
don't change. He ain't going to change. And
that's a scary thing for somebody that's unconverted, ain't it? Oh, our Father, overwhelmed with the truth, the
blessed truth that you never change. Oh, Lord, we go through
changes through these services, even through the services where
we sit in them. We go through changes in our minds, in our
thoughts, in our emotions. And yet you change not, never
change. Thank you for such a foundation,
for such a truth, for such a blessed place to stand, for truth. Put
it deep in our hearts, put it deep in our souls, that you never
change. And because of that, Lord, we're
not consumed. We're not consumed by sin, by
flesh, by the world, by nothing that happens in this world. Not
consumed by sorrow, sadness, joy, life, death. not consumed,
because you change not. Oh, Lord, bless you. And bless
this congregation. Oh, God, we look to You for everything. We look to You for Your wisdom.
We look to You for our guidance. We look to You for Your will
to be done. We look to You to cause the church
to grow, to flourish, for salvation of sinners. We look to You And
Lord, we know that you'll do exactly what's right for us.
And for every member of this congregation, for everybody here,
you'll do exactly what's right. You'll do so good. You'll do
so gracious. Oh God, we bless you. Make every
family to grow. Make every sinner here to see
their need of Christ. Make every one of us, oh Lord,
fall head over heels in love with You again. Lord, touch our
hearts. Touch our minds. And Lord, give
us a year, or just give us a day at a time. Just a day at a time.
And Lord, if You're pleased to give us a year, God bless the
year as it seemeth good in Your sight. Thank You, Lord. Blessed be Your
name. O thou that changest not, abide
with me. Amen. Amen. Do you know that
song, 75, Abide With Me? Do y'all know that song, Abide
With Me? Do we know it? Let's stand and sing it. Abide with me. Abide with me. 75, I believe it is, ain't it? Of thy weary past falls the eventide,
The darkness sleepeth for day. When other helpers fail and comforts
flee, help of the helpless, O abide with me. to its close. Steps out by this little day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories
pass away. Change and decay, I need thy presence. What but Thy grace can foil the
tempter's fire? Who like Thyself my guide and
stake can be? and sunshine, oh abide with me. Hold Thou Thy Word before my
cleansing eyes. Shine through the gloom and point
me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks, and
earth's vain shadows sleep. Enlightened is the Lord, abide
with me.