Hebrews 13. The title of my message
is Our Unchanged Savior, Unchanged Savior, or Immutable Savior. And of course our text will be
verse 8. It's one of those places in Scripture
that's complete in itself, this sentence. Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and forever. That's good news, isn't it? We'll
consider the text just briefly in the context that it is in
this chapter. Look at verse 5, if you will. The writer says, let your conversation,
the way you live, be without covetedness and be content That's
the opposite of being covetous, isn't it? Be content with such
things as you have. For He has said, here's the reason. Now that seems like a pretty
tall order, doesn't it? Be content. That's a rare thing,
contentment. But look what the writer says
as a reason, or gives as a reason to be content. For he hath said,
that is God, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. That's reason enough for the
child of God. That Christ who is all in all
has promised, I'm never going to leave you. I'll never forsake
you. Not today, not tomorrow, not
forever. And then he goes on in verse
6 and says, so that we may boldly say in the light of that, his
faithfulness to his people, the Lord is my helper and I will
not fear what man shall do unto me. That's enough. That's a pretty
good reason for contentment, isn't it? Then he says in verse
7, "...remember them which have the rule over you, that is, pastors,
who have spoken unto you the word of God." Oh, not that they've
spoken their theories or their speculation. I declare, I wouldn't
expect anybody to come here tonight if that's what they were going
to hear. If I didn't have any more better to say than that,
what I think. rather than what thus saith the
Lord." I believe that's what'll comfort you, what God says. He
had said, as we've already read, I'll never leave you nor forsake
you. If God is pleased by His Spirit
to bless that to your hearts, you'll leave here rejoicing and
say, it's been a good place to be. Again, verse 7, who has spoken
unto you the word of God, That's what God calls men to do, to
preach His Word, to say what God says. Whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversation, follow their example. We're told. And then in verse
9, be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. Remember Paul went to a certain
place and it said that the Athenians spent their time in nothing else
but either the ear or the tail, some new thing. Their descendants
are still with us. The writer says, don't be like
that. Don't be like that. I think of what Paul said to
the Ephesian elders when he saw them for the last time in Acts
chapter 20. He says, I commend you to God
and the word of His grace which is able to build you up. The
very opposite of being tossed about with every wind of doctrine.
which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among
them that are sanctified. Therefore, be not carried about
with divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the
heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not
profited them that have been occupied therein." And the reason
for both those things, above verse 8 and that which follows,
or verse 9 rather, is verse 8. Jesus Christ the same. Don't
need new doctrine. If you preach Christ, your doctrine
will be the same about Him. The same yesterday, the same
today, and forever. Bess asked me the other evening
how old I am. And I told her I'm 60. Sixty. I just remembered that. Sixty-six-oh. And she replied, oh, uh-oh. Uh-oh. It's all downhill from
here. What Joe must have felt like
concerning those comforters. Oh, but Bessie, just tell them
the truth. It's all downhill. The hymn writer
said, change and decay in all around I see. O thou who changes
not, abide with me. God help me to remember that. That He changes not. I change,
I get older every day. And so do you. You change. Our
circumstances change. Our health change. Things out
here around us change. All around us, we see change
and decay. Oh, but we look at this verse
of Scripture, this blessed promise, Jesus Christ the same, regardless,
Whether it was yesterday, Today or forever, He'll always be the
same. Every divine attribute of Him,
every characteristic that belongs to Him will remain the same. His faithfulness, His love, His
mercy, His power, His grace, everything about Him. Jesus Christ
Himself. Oh, He's the embodiment of everything
lovely. He's the embodiment of every
precious truth in God's Word. He's the Word, after all, made
flesh. And we're told He's the same,
He changes not. That's the one person. That's
the one person, if it were possible for Him to change, that would
cause me to suffer the most, wouldn't it you? If Jesus Christ
should change, I will lose most by Him than I would anybody else. Anything else can change. I may
lose friends. I may lose relations. I may be
deserted. Oh, the psalmist said, though
father and mother forsake me, yet the Lord, he won't, he'll
take me up. Thank God that he changes not. Once I'm his, and I've always
been his. That's just the language we use.
We don't know how else to express it. But we've always been his.
Once we're His, we're His forever. Nothing. Mark it down. Nothing from His love can sever. Jesus Christ the Savior. Jesus. You know what that word
means. Savior. The salvation of the
Lord. The same. The same grace, as
we said. The same love. Having loved His
own, which were in the world. John 13. His own that were about
to desert Him. One that was about to betray
Him. One that would deny that He even
knew Him. Having loved His own, which were
in the world, He loved them unto the end. And it's the same today. The same today, because He changes
not. Isn't that comforting? But our
text doesn't only say Jesus, but it says Jesus Christ, or
that other name, the Anointed One, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God
with us. He hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee." That promise was given to Jacob that
night that he laid down at Bethel and had that dream. And God stood
above the latter in power and glory and promised Jacob, I'll
never leave you. And I'll never forsake you."
And bless God, what he said to Jacob, he says to you and I,
does he not? God's honor is at stake. God's
glory is engaged in the salvation of his people. Consider that. Who would be the greater loser? Oh, I would lose my soul, but
God would lose his honor. God would lose his glory if he
would ever forsake one of his own. Bless God, that shows the
impossibility of it. Oh, his honor is engaged in the
salvation of his people. I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee, he told Jacob, until I've done all that I've
promised concerning you in Genesis chapter 28. I'll get the job
done. That sounds familiar. That sounds
sort of like what Paul said writing to the church at Philippi. He
that's begun a good work in you will perform it, carry it on,
perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. Oh, if one of that multitude
of redeemed sinners, a multitude that no man could number, if
only one should be lost, What hope do any of us have? If Christ
should lose only one of those multiplied millions of sheep,
it robs us of all of our hope. Every one of us have no reason
to believe we won't be lost as well. Oh no. He said all. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and I'll not cast them out. I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, not even one of them. Oh, but
you don't know how ignorant I am. You won't perish, Larry. You
don't know how dumb I am sometimes. You won't perish. You don't know
how this heart is prone to wonder. It doesn't matter. It's not depending
upon you. It's depending upon Him, the
Great Shepherd of the sheep. He says, I'll never leave you
nor forsake you. No man. No man, I like that don't
you, in John 10, no man is able to pluck them out of my hand. It's not possible, Lester. It's
not going to happen. Hallelujah! What a Savior. Oh, what a reflection it would
be on the captain of our salvation if after him declaring, I've
lost none, the Father entrusted to my care, I've lost none, he
said, that he gave me to be a substitute for. I've lost none. What a reflection
it would be on him if he should lose one. Oh, it's not possible. He says they shall never perish. Turn if you will to Luke chapter
15. Luke chapter 15. Our Lord is surrounded by publicans and
sinners, verse 1. Can you picture that? Then drew
near unto him all the publicans. Those were the tax collectors,
not very popular fellas. They weren't invited to too many
places. Traitors, they were considered.
Collecting taxes for the Roman government against their own
people. Publicans and sinners for it to hear Him. Can you envision
that? There's our Lord. And He's encircled
by who? Not the religious elite. No,
verse 2 tells us they stood on the outside of the circle. They
didn't want to rub elbows with those publicans and sinners,
those Mary Magdalenes, those unlearned and ignorant fishermen.
Oh no, they were too good to stoop so low. So they stood outside
the circle and looked down their noses and said, would you look
at that? Would you look at that? Look who he keeps company with,
verse 2. And the Pharisees and scribes
murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. They meant that as a mark of
reproach, as an accusation of reproach. But bless God, our
Lord took it as a badge of honor. He answered them and said, You
don't know the half of it. Not only do I eat with publicans
and receive publicans and sinners, He said, I go out searching for
them. And He spake this parable, singular,
He spake this parable unto them saying, And you know the story,
the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin,
the parable of the prodigal son. He was answering those self-righteous
religious folk. He said, I go out and find my
sheep, and when I find him, I've pointed this out before, but
I like to do so. It's a comfort to my heart, and
I trust it'll be a comfort to yours. He doesn't say if I find
him. Oh, no, he always finds him tearing
if he goes out seeking his sheep He himself said I've come to
seek and what to save All those the father gave me he came to
seek and to save the lost wherever they are No matter how far they
wandered no matter how far they drifted in the darkness No matter
how depraved no matter if they're in the tomb. He says Lazarus
come out of there No matter how religious, no matter how hearted,
no matter how blinded, Zacchaeus, come down. Saul of Tarsus, you're
going no further. Oh, that's the great shepherd.
He seeks his sheep. He finds his sheep. And he saves
his sheep. He finds him and he puts him
on his shoulders. Lays him upon his shoulders,
verse 5. Look what it says. Rejoice. The shepherd rejoices in the
salvation of his sheep. And when he cometh home, that
is the shepherd, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me. Rejoice with me, for I have found
my sheep which was lost." And then he makes this application
in verse 7. I say unto you, he's not speaking
in a parable now, but he's making application of the parable. I
say unto you that likewise, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons
like those Pharisees who felt like they needed no repentance. And he expresses the same thing
in the other two parts of the parable. Oh, Mr. Toplady, I was
reading a message by him a couple of nights ago from this passage
entitled, Rejoicing in Heaven. And he said, now wait a minute.
Hold up. You may be rejoicing too soon. Your rejoicing might be premature. Because I suppose in Mr. Toplady's
day, just like in our day, there are those babblers who say a
man can be saved and then lost. God can love him today enough
to send his son to die, and then hate him tomorrow enough to cast
him into hell. And Mr. Toplady said, perhaps
you're rejoicing. Their rejoicing was premature,
because after all, we don't know if they'll make it. We don't
know if they'll finally get there. Oh, yes we do. The great shepherd
said, I give my sheep eternal life and they'll never perish. People who talk that way about
losing their soul, about being saved and lost, about being born
again and again and again and again, they don't know the Word
of God. They've not experienced His amazing
grace because it's His grace that keeps us. It's the work
of the Great Shepherd concerning the salvation of His sheep. Oh,
that's what makes Him such a Great Shepherd to us, is it not? He's
the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Look again, if you will, back
in Hebrews chapter 13. Look how the writer concludes
his epistle. Oh, what a good note this is.
This must have been encouraging to those who read it. Verse 20
of Hebrews 13, Now the God of peace that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, just like He promised
He would do, make you perfect in every good work to do His
will, working in you, like Laurel read a moment ago. Work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in
you, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and forever. Oh, yes, the great shepherd of
the sheep, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He won't change. Can you imagine
when our Faithful Savior said that day to His disciples,
let us cross over to the other side. And you know the story
about the storm and so forth, we've preached from that not
long ago. But he went over there to rescue
that poor demoniac in Mark chapter 5. We're told in verse 1, they
arrived at the other side and there was a man possessed with
2,000 devils. An absolute madman. Nobody could
do anything with him. They couldn't tame him. He broke
the fetters. So finally they said, put him
out there in the cemetery. He won't hurt anybody but himself,
and that's what he did. Oh, but the great shepherd said,
that's my sheep. Let's pass over into the other
side. Oh, Lord Jesus, he's a madman. He's a hard case. I mean, nobody
can do anything with him. Oh, but Jesus Christ is just
not anybody, is He? He's the Great Shepherd, that
demoniac running around those tombs, scaring everybody that
walked by. He's one that the Father gave
to Christ before the world began. He's one that Jesus said, Father,
when the fullness of time has come, I'll go forth and do everything
necessary to save that demoniac. Oh, it's the day of love, the
time of love, and he comes to where he's at. Come out of him, thou unclean
spirit. Now, can you just imagine, can
you just imagine, if he were no more a Savior, then he's claim
to be today falsely. He would say to Peter, well,
Peter, I can't get this man to cooperate. Louis, he just won't
take the first step. My hands are tied. Unless he
opens up his heart, we cross that sea, we endure that storm
for nothing. He's just not going to do his
part. That's not good news. Oh no,
that's not good news. He said, come out of the man,
thou unclean spirit, and the next time we see that man, where
is he at? Where is he at? Where every redeemed
child of God wants to be. It's their heart's desire to
be at the feet of Jesus. We see him setting and clothed
in his right mind. That's why there's rejoicing
in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, because he's able
to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today, and forever. In Joshua, our Lord used that
sweet promise to comfort him. When the mantle of Moses fell
on Joshua, when Moses was taken by God, was dead, the Lord appeared
to Joshua and said, don't be afraid. Don't you be afraid. Chapter 1, because I'm with you. Just like I was with Moses, I'll
be with you. And over and over again, he keeps
saying, Joshua, don't be afraid. Just like the writer here says,
"'Cause I'll never leave you or never forsake you." Years
later, when God did everything that he promised Joshua that
he would do, in chapter 23, Joshua is dying. He's an old man, and
he calls the elders of Israel around him and says, You know
there has not been one word, not one word of any of the promises
that God made to us that has failed. Not one word. And you
know, Jesus is just the Greek word for Joshua. And our Joshua
says, my name is Jesus and I shall save my people from their sins. Our Joshua said, I come to do
thy will, O my God. Our Joshua, when the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth our Joshua. made of a woman,
made under the law to redeem them. Bless God, to redeem them. to redeem them. All the scriptures
don't talk like men talk. God's trying. God wants to. God just hopes He has His way.
You don't find that kind of talk. When God speaks, He says, I have
my way all the time. And our Joshua, our Jesus, our
Savior, has His way yesterday and today and forever. Oh, as Abraham found What God
had promised, he's able also to perform. I have a little clipping. I cut it out. It's some words
of old John Newton. You've heard it. I cut it out
of a bullet, but I keep it. He was an old man, the old saved
slave trader. and wrote that glorious old hymn,
giving honor to whom honor is due. But when he was an old man
with not much time left, he said, my memory is nearly gone. But I remember two things. That
I am, not used to be, but that I am a great sinner, and that
Christ is, not used to be, and Christ is a great Savior. And those are my words. The time
may come my memory won't be very good. The time may come I won't
remember my name. Oh, but God allow me to remember
that I'm a great sinner and He's a great Savior. John Who are
these that are all arrayed in white, that stand around the
throne of God, bashing in the sunlight of perfect acceptance? Who are these, John, that wave
the palm leaf of victory and are clothed in perfect white? Who are they? Where did they
come from, John? I don't know. John said, Thou
knowest. You tell me. And the elders said,
these are they who came out of great tribulation and have washed
their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before
the throne of God and worship Him day and night. They came
out. You've heard me say it before,
but I like that passage, don't you? Lester, they came out. There's never been a war fought
that there wasn't casualties, Lord. It's the price of freedom. And thank God for this country,
and thank God for those men that laid down their life. But there
were casualties. Oh, not in the army of King Jesus.
Not in the army of the captain of our salvation. He alone can
look back and say, I've lost none. They all came out. They all came out. They all endured
tribulation. None of them was exempt from
tribulation. They all suffered much. They
endured heartache and ridicule, and they were martyred. Oh, but
they all came out. Because I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. I'm the same yesterday, or Christ
says, Jesus Christ, our text says, the same yesterday. Yesterday
He loved me. with an everlasting love, and
he does today, and he will tomorrow, no matter what I do, Lonnie,
or what I fail to do. Some people would hear that,
I don't think anyone here tonight, but they'll say, oh no, oh don't
say that. Don't say that. You can't tell
people that. That God's going to love them
in spite of themselves? That God's going to love them
no matter what they do or don't do? You can't say that. Oh yeah, God says that. God says
that. Oh, aren't you afraid what people
will do with that? No, no, no. Not God's people. Self-righteous people, yeah,
they'll do what they will. But not God's people. Everyone
that has this hope in himself, John says, purifies himself even
as he is pure. You know what happens to a bankrupt
sinner like that woman in Luke 7? Our Lord said in the house
of Simon the Pharisee, and that woman came in, a redeemed sinner,
and wanted to show her gratitude. And she stood behind our Lord
at His feet, as the custom was they reclined when they ate.
And she wiped, or rather, washed his feet with her tears and dried
them with her hair. And Simon said, my soul, this
proves he's not who he claims he is. If he was a prophet, if
he knew things, he would know that this woman's a sinner and
he wouldn't allow her to touch him. Simon was embarrassed by
it. Oh, but you know what our Lord
said to him, Simon, There's two debtors, one owed
50 pence and one owed 500. And when they had nothing to
pay, he frankly, freely forgave them both. Who's going to love
him the most? I came into your house and you
didn't do any of these things. You didn't anoint my head. You
didn't wash my feet. But this woman, since the time
I came in, has not ceased to do both. I say unto you, Simon,
whether you like it or not, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.
And they who sat at meat with Simon said, Who is this that
forgiveth sins also? And then he turned to the woman
and said, Thy sins are forgiven. Go in peace. You tell me that woman didn't
leave there with a grateful, thankful heart. The more we learn about Jesus
Christ's preciousness, His faithfulness, the same history today and forever,
We don't run out like we're accused of and live as we want. Oh, no. We bow down before Him and look
up with a heart of gratitude and say, Hallelujah! What a Savior! What a Savior! Thank God for
Him. I looked at a biography. Well,
not a biography. I have a small volume of sermons
that Brother Rolf Barnard preached. I understand some of you knew
him. I never did. But in the introduction, there's
a brief biography of Barnard by the man before the sermons
printed there. The last part of it as he wraps
it up, he mentions that Barnard died on January 21st, 1969 and
Henry Mahan conducted his funeral. And this is a part of Henry's
message, he said. Henry said of Barnard, his message
was truly the gospel of God's glory. He clearly defined the
good news as a work God does for the sinner and not something
the sinner does for God. He declared how God can be just
and justify the ungodly through the righteousness of Christ Jesus
our Lord. He has now fully realized the
last verse of his favorite song. And when life's journey is over,
and I, the dear Savior, shall see, I'll praise Him forever
and ever for saving a sinner like me. And we will too. We will too. Thank God. Oh, I don't know what changes
lie in store for us. We may wake up tomorrow and there's
an economic crisis. Seems to always be anymore. Or
some political change. And so on and so on. Changes
out here. Changes here. I don't know what
the day may bring forth. I don't know what tomorrow holds.
Oh, but by His grace, I know who holds tomorrow, and that's
so much better. It's so much better than knowing
what. That's knowing who. Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, today, and forever. When you wake up in
the morning, and you go out in this world, this Christ-rejecting,
God-hating world, when you wake up in the morning, go out to
face another day, remember this. May God bring it back to our
hearts. Jesus Christ didn't change. While you were sleeping, he that
keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. He didn't
change. Yesterday, he won't change today,
and he won't change forever. Thank God for him. We're going
to sing a closing hymn, but I would like just to quote one, just
to read a few verses of one. And then I'll be done. It says,
abide with me, fast falls the evening tide. The darkness deepens,
Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts
flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. Swift to its close
ebbs out life's little day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories
pass away. Change and decay in all around
I see, oh, thou who changes not. Abide with me. Hold thou thy
word before my closing eyes. Shine through the gloom and point
me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks, and
earth's vain shadows flee. In life, in death, O Lord, abide
with me." And he promised that he will. God bless you. God bless
each of you. Brother, Lord, lead us in that
hymn, if you will. And we'll close the service with that.