that I want to use here in Malachi
chapter 3, and it is verse 6. We have a very comforting truth
here in verse 6. For I am the Lord, I am Jehovah,
I am the self-existing One, I I change not. I change not. Therefore, therefore, that's an important
word. That's a key word in this verse. Therefore, ye sons of
Jacob, I'm speaking to sons of Jacob this morning, are not consumed. Why? Because I don't change. I do not change. I found this
to be such a comfort. Been thinking about this off
and on for the past few weeks. I change not. The immutability
of God. We see a lot of changes, don't
we? We go through a lot of changes.
I have a picture hanging in my office of me and Vicki when we
were first engaged. 19 and 17, something like that. That was young. And nobody can
believe that's me. You don't know how many comments
I've had. That's you? I should say, no, that's my son.
I can say that now. That's my son. And they would
believe me. Go through a lot of changes.
What changes we have seen in this country. What changes we
have seen in our lifetime. the automobiles, the airplanes,
the air travel, just the internet. I mean, it's unbelievable the
changes that we have seen. But our God has not changed one
jot or tittle. We change, we mature. God does
not mature. He's perfect. If you're perfect,
you don't need to mature, do you? He's perfect. But you and I grow up from a
child, and we grow up, we learn, we mature, then we get old and
older and older, and then it's over. But our God is the same. He's the same. And it is great
comfort to believers. It is our security. My security is not in that I've
accepted Christ, My security is that God has chosen me and
accepted me in Christ, and that will not change. I cannot change
that. I cannot do it. Believe me, I
lived long enough to where if it could be, it would have been,
and all of you have too. We've lived long enough, sinned
enough to where we could change it, but it can't change because
God cannot and will not change. It is our security. I am the
Lord, I change not, therefore, here's your security, therefore
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. It is our confidence in prayer. It's our confidence in prayer.
He changes not. He's the same, the same person
I spoke to yesterday in prayer is the same one I'm speaking
to today in prayer. The same one that's merciful
to me yesterday is the same one that's merciful to me today.
He doesn't change. It's our confidence in prayer.
It's the foundation of expecting God to do just as he said he
would because he does not change. Now, A.W. Pink has a great book,
most of you probably read it, on the attributes of God. Some
of this I got out of there. It's good. I want to give you
some of the things that I've gotten read, and also out of
the Scriptures, out of the Word of God. It's based on the Word
of God. Our God is unchanging in His nature. He never changes. His nature never changes. Is
God holy? Is God Almighty holy? Then He
will always be holy. Is God perfect? He will always
be perfect. He will not grow in holiness. That's not possible.
Holiness is not by degrees. God is holy. Before he created
the world, before he created anything, it can be said, God
is holy. Right now, God is holy. And when
time is over with and eternity, we experience eternity, it'll
still be said, God is holy. They will still be singing. They
will still be crying. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. That won't change. That will
not change. Does God have all power? Does
He have all power over all things? Absolutely. Absolutely. That will not change. We do not
have to worry that something or someone is going to break
loose from His power because he has weakened over time. He has all power right now. He had all power in the beginning,
he has it all now, and he'll have it all as time goes on and
throughout eternity. His power will not be diminished. Ours is diminished. Our strength,
our power, if we live long enough, it just goes down, doesn't it?
Whether it be the authority of our word, I mean, there'd be
a point where people wouldn't listen to me. Our strength, our physical
strength, it just goes. But not God. Time has absolutely
no effect on God Almighty. No effect. It only has an effect
on us. Is God merciful? Does He delight to show mercy?
Yes. Then He always will. You can
write that down. He always will delight to show
mercy. Always will. Whoever, whatever
God is, whoever He is, remember this, He will always be. He will not change. He is who
He is. I am that I am. I watched a program
the other day called Who the Bleak Did I Marry? And this guy
married this woman, and he said, man, we got along, it was great.
He said, we dated, it was, man, after we got married, I don't
know who showed up. I don't know this person. I don't know this person. And
I mean, and of course, you know, it was bad, if he's telling the
truth. It was bad. We never have to
worry. be concerned that our God, who
is merciful and loving, will turn into a tyrant on us. That won't happen. God is love,
and He always will be. He always will be. Turn over to James chapter 1. This is why the scriptures, he's
called a rock. He doesn't change. In James chapter one. In verse 17, every good gift. James chapter one, verse 17,
every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and it cometh
down from the father of lights. Now, listen to this. with whom
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." There's not even
so much as a shadow of him turning, in the least degree. He said
in one place, I'm not as man that I should repent. You and
I need to repent often, but not our God, not our God. And then God's promises are the
same. Oh, that's so good. That's so
good. Whatever promise, whatever promise
we find in God's word, now get this, is the same today as it
was when he first gave it. It's the same. Time, sin, men
have not wore it out. It's still the same. This is
still the same. This is still the same. As the
day our Lord spoke this, come unto me, all you that labor
and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. That hasn't changed. I can say to any sinner, the
vilest of what we would call the vilest of sinners, which
is really us, come. Christ said, come to me. Well, he spoke that 2,000 years
ago. This is 2,000 years later. It
hasn't changed. It hasn't changed. The promises
of God do not change. Come unto me, all you that labor
and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. That's still the same.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. That's
still the same promise. That promise has not changed
in any way, shape, or form. That is still how God saves. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. The promises of God, you can
go throughout the Word of God, and they are the same as the
day he gave them. They are the same. And God's
counsel never changes. Look over in Isaiah 46. Isaiah
46, God's counsel. Boy, we ought to be glad of this
because you and I are included in that council. Our salvation is in it. Isaiah
46, look in verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God, and there
is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. But my counsel
shall stand, it shall not change, it shall not be changed. It can't. Another place it says, Whatever
his soul desireth, even that he doeth. Job said, He's of one
mind, and who can turn him? God cannot and will not change
His counsel or His purpose. We change ours all the time,
don't we? Not God. Never changes. Never changes. Whatever His purpose
has been, it still is. Whatever it was, it still is
and it will always be. It will not change. You and I
must change our will. The Lord said, not my will, but
thine will be done. Our purpose, we change them all
the time because we have to adapt. God does not adapt. God changes all things to work
out the counsel of his own will. You see, he changes all things,
but he who changes all things does not change at all. He does
not change at all. He has the power to cause everything
to happen His way. We don't have the power to make
anything happen our way. Really, do we? Let somebody just get stubborn
on you, like a mule. You just try to get them to do
something they absolutely will not do. Like leading a horse
to water, you can't make it drink. But our God has the power. He
has the power to accomplish His will, to bring all His counsel
to pass. He has the power to save His
sheep in every generation at any given time. He has the power
to do it. And His counsel concerning them
will not change. I have loved you. with an everlasting
love." His love toward us cannot change. It says in Psalm 33, verse 11,
the counsel of the Lord standeth forever. It standeth forever. In another place it says, Thy
word, O God, is settled in heaven. His word, His counsel is settled.
It's settled. Look over in Hebrews 6. In Hebrews
chapter 6, look in verse 17. We're in, we're in God, willing
more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise That's us
who believe the gospel. We are heirs of promise and God
is willing, more abundantly willing, to show unto the heirs of promise
what? The immutability, the unchangeableness
of His counsel. That covenant of grace, that
counsel between Him and the Father and the Son concerning us. It cannot change. It cannot change. He even confirmed,
he said, by an oath, that by two immutable things, his word
and his oath, they cannot change, which it is impossible for God
to lie, that we might have a strong consolation if we have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. And this attribute, this attribute,
the immutability of God is ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Look
over in Hebrews 13. Verse 8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today, and forever, and that's showing us his deity. Jesus Christ is God, and Jesus
Christ, he says, is the same. Jesus Christ cannot change and
does not change. He's the same. He's the same
God, the same person, yesterday, today, and forever. Time has no effect on him, because
he's God. He's God. Only God can be the
same. You know that. Only God can be
the same. All of us creatures, all creation,
it's all changing. All this is changing, but not
God. Not our God. And this is great comfort to
the believer, and I'm going to wind this down. It's great comfort
to us in prayer. Great comfort. It's hard to cast
your cares upon someone today. And then tomorrow, you don't
know whether they're going to listen to you or not. You don't know if they're going
to run you off or listen to you. But we always, always have access
to the throne of grace, to the blood and righteousness of Jesus
Christ, and that does not change. Cast all your cares upon Him,
for He careth for you. Remember this, that does not
change and will not change. Even though I may feel, I may feel like a criminal that
I just can't go before his throne, I'm just too rotten. He says,
come. He says, cast. Cast your care
upon me. For he careth for you. That doesn't
change. He's great comfort in our daily
walk. We have this promise, I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. We have that promise that our
God will never leave us nor forsake us. We cannot go with each other
everywhere. We can't do it. This is not impossible. We can't even do that with our
own children because even as they grow up, we can't do it.
But our Lord said, when you go through the fire, when you go
through the water, I'll be waiting on you. Is that what He said?
He said, I'll be with you. I'll be with you. And you're
not going to drown. And you're not going to burn
up. You're going to come out of it. You're going to come out
of it just fine. You're going to come out of it like refined
gold is what you're going to do. And then in our witnessing, How
hard would it be to witness to lost men and women about a God
who never stays the same? How hard would that be? How hard
would it be to talk to someone about the mercy of God, the grace
of God, the salvation that's in Christ, and then that might
change? Here's our strength and our comfort
even when we witness to sinners. When I stand here and preach
the gospel, I'm preaching a gospel that does not change. I'm preaching
a God who does not change. I'm preaching a Redeemer who
does not change. And that makes preaching a whole
lot easier. It's our comfort in faith. Sirs, Paul said, I believe God. Well, what do you believe God
about, Paul? that it'll be just as he said
it would be. He's not going to change. He's
not going to go back on his word. Our God changes not. And in the
hour of death, in the hour of death, it'll be
great comfort to know that our Lord will not change on us. His blood The power of His blood
won't change. His righteousness won't change.
His love to us won't change. His mercy to us will not change.
In that hour of death when we are about to leave this world, we have a rock. We have a rock to stand on. Our Lord will not change His
mind. He will not change His mind. Therefore, therefore, because
of who I am, not because of who you are, but because of who I
am, you sons of Jacob are not destroyed. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord, and when God flooded the world, he told Noah to build
an ark, and when God flooded the world, he put Noah and his
family and some animals in that ark. And then he flooded this
world. You know why Noah wasn't destroyed
with the world? Number one, God had grace on
him. God loved him. And that didn't change. That
did not change. Even when he got drunk, he got
off the ark, planted the vineyard, Man got drunk, and you know that
story. God's love to Noah did not change. When he fell, his
love to Noah did not change. Because he loved him in Christ,
who's the same yesterday, today, and forever. If he loved me in
Christ, I'm in one who does not change. Therefore, you sons of election,
you sons of the covenant, you sons of God's love, are not consumed
for this one reason, and you can write this down, for this
one reason and this one reason only, I do not change. I do not change. Well, I find
that to be a great comfort. Love me in Christ, He'll always
love me in Christ, and that will not change. His mercy, I need it every day. I need it
every minute. I need it. And that will not change.