Which return back to Hebrews
chapter 13. I've entitled this message implications
of immutability. Implications of immutability. Now, when. The writer. Says, remember them which have
the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God, whose
faith followed. The Word of God is Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Their faith has something
to do with Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever,
and the end or the goal of their conversation is Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, today and forever. The immutability, the
changelessness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Immutability or changelessness
can only be said of God. Let me repeat that. Immutability
dwells only in God. Everything else changes. Circumstances change so severely
just like that. Your whole life can be turned
around. The universe is always changing. This earth is always changing
geologically. Our bodies are always changing. I've read where we don't have
any of the cells that we were born with. We've gone through
changes. Our circumstances are continually
changing. And think about how much people
change. You know, even the unfallen angels are charged with falling. Now, once you think about that,
he charges his angels with folly. Now, they've never committed
folly, but they could if he didn't keep them. They're mutable creatures. Therefore, he charges his angels
with folly, not because they've fallen, but because they could
if he didn't preserve them. All creatures are mutable, subject
to change. I think of how quickly we mutate
from one mood to another. I think the best word that could
describe every one of us is unstable. Unstable. Subject to change,
unlike him in whom there is no variability. Never changes. Not even a shadow. of turning. As the hymn writer said, change
and decay in all around I see, O thou who changes not, abide
with me. Now when we speak of Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, today, and forever, we're saying that Jesus
Christ is nobody less than the infinite, immutable God. That's what we confess when we
say that concerning him. Turn to Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8. But unto the Son, he saith, who
saith? God says, God the Father. But unto the Son, he saith, thy
throne, O God. That's what God the Father says
to God the Son. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness
and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the
earth. and the heavens are the works
of thine hand. They shall perish, but thou remainest,
and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture
thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou
art the same. And thy years shall not Turn
with me to the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament. Chapter 3, verse 6, For I am Jehovah, is the name
of the Lord. It says literally, I am Jehovah. Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the
Son, and Jehovah the Spirit. I am the Lord. And I love the
way they were so careful with the name of the Lord. They felt
it was too holy to repeat. And they put the Lord. He is
Jehovah. Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the
Son, and Jehovah the Spirit. I am Jehovah. What do you say
next? I change not. Therefore, because
of that, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. Now, if I change,
you'd be consumed. You'd be destroyed. But because
I do not change, you're not consumed. Now, who are these sons of Jacob?
Well, these sons of Jacob, they're the sons of election, aren't
they? Remember, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated? They're
sons of election. The children being not yet born,
having done any good or evil, but the purpose of God according
to election might stand. The sons of Jacob are the sons
of election. And the sons of Jacob are sinners. One thing
that I know for sure about Jacob, he was a sinful, deceitful man
in and of himself. As a matter of fact, his name
means cheat, supplanter. heal. Sons of Jacob are sinful
men and women. And I know this about the sons
of Jacob. I know this from reading that passage of scripture there
in Genesis chapter 32, when the Lord met with him and wrestled
with him. And he said, I will not let thee
go except thou bless me. Sons of Jacob must have his blessing. They can't do without it. They must have His grace. They
must have His mercy. They've got to have it. They
will not let Him go except they be blessed of Him. Whatever else
they need, they're not sure of, but they know this. They need
Him. I need the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that about myself. Might
be a lot of other things I'm not real sure about myself, but
I know this. I need Him, and I won't let Him go except He
bless me. And sons of Jacob, do you remember
what happened after that event in Genesis chapter 32 when he
wrestled with the Lord Jesus Christ? The Lord Jesus Christ
threw his hip out of joint, and he walked with a limp the rest
of his life. Sons of Jacob, walk. They walk
by faith. They walk with the Lord. But
they're aware that they walk with a limp. Now, here's who
gets this glorious benefit of him not changing. Therefore,
ye sons of Jacob. Do you fit the bill? Are you
a son of Jacob? Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. I'm Jehovah the Father. I change
not. I'm Jehovah the Son. I change
not. I'm Jehovah the Spirit. I change
not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. Now, he never changes. I love
to think about this. I don't, I don't much understand
how he never changes, but I can't conceive of a God who can change.
Can you? Can you even conceive of a God that could change? I
can't even grasp that. But he never changes. He never
changes in his essence. Now somebody says, what's his
essence? I don't know. I don't know. I can't tell you what the
essence of deity is. But I know this. He never changes
in his essence, whatever his essence is. He never changed in his essence
when he became flesh, when he was born of a virgin. He never
changed in his essence when he was nailed to that cross. He
never changed in His essence when He walked out of that tomb.
He's Jehovah. He changes not. Even now, He's seated at the
right hand of the Father, and He hasn't changed. It's still
true. He says, He that has seen Me
has seen the Father. Now, I want you to think about
what He said. He said, If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father. You've seen God. It's still true,
Isaiah 9, 6, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Now, that is Him who never changes. He doesn't change in His attributes.
What do I mean by that? Yesterday, was he all powerful
when he created the world? You know what? He's the same
today. And he always will be. He's the
same. Yesterday, was he all wise? You know he was. When he planned
salvation, was he all wise? He is today all wise, and He
always will be. He's the only wise God, our Savior. I love that name of His, don't
you? The only wise God, our Savior. Yesterday, was He sovereign?
Was He in control of everything yesterday? Well, you know He
was. Is He today? Absolutely. He's
the sovereign of the universe. He never changes. You take any
attribute of his. You take his holiness. You take
his justice. You take his love. You take his
mercy. You take his grace. Whatever
attribute that is. That's what he was. That's what
he is. That's what it always will be.
He never changes. Isn't that wonderful? He never
changes. He hasn't changed in his plan
and his purpose. Turn with me for a moment to
Isaiah chapter 46. I love this verse of scripture. Isaiah chapter
46. Verse 9. Remember the former things of
old. For I am God and there is none else. I am God. and there's 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 Calling a ravenous bird from the east,
the man that executes my counsel from a far country, yea, I have
spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it,
I will also do it." God has a purpose. We read in Ephesians 1, 11 of
the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. And we read in Ephesians 3, of
the eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. Now, does he lack the power to
carry out his purpose? You say, no, he's all powerful. He has the power to carry out
his purpose. We lack the power to carry out
our purposes. I complain all kinds of things.
I don't know what is going to happen or not, because I'm such
a mutable, weak creature, but not him. He's all powerful. Whatever
he has decreed cannot be altered. Why should it? He's almighty.
He has the power to execute it. And he's all wise. Therefore,
it couldn't have been a bad plan. Whatever his purpose was great
because he purposed it. He's all wise. And unlike us,
how many times have people had certain purposes and plans and
things they wanted to do and they died and they weren't able
to carry them out? He's him who liveth. He was dead,
but he lives never to die again. And whatever his purpose is,
he's always there having the power and the wisdom. He's not
going to die. He's going to make sure his purpose
is carried out. His purpose, his decrees, his
will. is never altered. He's not a
man like us that he should change his mind where he messed up and
he has to respond to something. No, his purposes are always done. He's the same. Always, he do it. This is the
scripture. Daniel chapter four, verse thirty
five. He do it. He's always acting, he's always
working, he do it. according to His will in the
armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And
none can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest thou? Give
an account for yourself. He gives no account of His matters.
He's absolutely, immutably sovereign. Would you have it any other way?
Would you want it to be any other way? You know, if it were my
power to change that, I would want to change it. This is glorious.
He does not change in His purpose. He's unchanging in His promises.
His promises are not yea and nay, but all of the promises
of God in Him are yea and amen. That's why when He says, I'll
never leave you nor forsake you, He never will leave you nor forsake
you. He's promised. His promises never,
He never goes back on His promise. God who cannot lie, Titus 1,2
says, promised before the world began. He can't lie. His promises are sure. He's unchanging
in his threatenings. It's still true that he that believeth not shall
be damned. That's still true. All of his
threatenings will come to pass. And he is unchanging in the objects
of his love. Turn to Romans 8, a very familiar
passage of Scripture. Verse 28, And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. Now, that's an amazing thing
in and of itself, but it's not hard for God. He's able to make
all things to work together for good. To them that love him,
to them who are called according to his purpose. But look what
it says in verse 9. For whom? Not what. Somebody says, well,
God knows everything that's going to happen. That's true. But that's
not what this is talking about. For whom? Whom? He did foreknow. Remember that
one group, he said, depart from me. I never knew you. I never
knew you. I never knew you to be mine.
That's what he said to those people. He knew who they were. He knew exactly who they were.
But he said, I never knew you. I never loved you. That's what
that means. I never knew you to believe on me. I never knew
you to lay hold upon me. But those whom he foreknew, he
also did predestinate. to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Now, if God predestinated me to be conformed to the image
of Jesus Christ, you know what? It is. Whatever he predestinates
must come to the pass to this extent. I am already conformed
to his image because I'm in the Lord Jesus Christ. He went to
far as to say that, well, let's go and read him to show that.
Verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called, and whom he called, then he also justified. And whom he justified, then he
also will glorify. Doesn't say that, does it? That's
in the past tense. In Christ, I'm already glorified. So obviously, God is not going
to change in the objects of his love. What should we say to these
things if God be for us? These people he just described,
if God be for us, who can be against us? I, like I've already said, I
can't conceive of God changing, can you? Now, if he could change,
you know what that would mean? That means he would either be
improving, or he'd be going downhill. If he changed at all, he'd either
be improving, and that would mean he's not perfect, or he
would go downhill, and that would mean he's no longer perfect. God is infinite. Now, what all
that means, I don't know. But I know God is infinite. He's
boundless. He's bottomless. He's infinite,
having no end. If he changed, That'd be two
infinites. And that, my definition, is an
impossibility. There can only be one infinite. I like to think of his name,
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus. What's
Jesus mean? The Savior. Do you know he was
the Savior yesterday before time began, before there was ever
a sinner? There was a Savior. Isn't that
precious? He's called the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was a Savior. Yesterday, He was the only Savior
of sinners. Yesterday, He was everything
in salvation. You know what? It's the exact
same thing today. And when we've been there 10,000
years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing
his praise, because he's still the Savior. He's still my everything
in salvation. He is my Savior. Jesus, the same, yesterday, today,
and forever. Christ, He's the Christ. He's God's anointed Word. Yesterday, He was the Word of
God. That's what God's prophet is, the one who brings the Word
of God. Yesterday, he was the Word of God. Today, he's still
the Word of God, isn't he? He's still all God has to say. And tomorrow, he's the Word of
God. Yesterday, he was God's priest. Yesterday, my standing before
God was only as He represented me when He became my surety. Yesterday, that was everything
God required of me. Yesterday was in His Son. You
know what? It's the same thing today. And
in glory, it'll still be the same. You know, we sing that
one hymn, There is a Fountain Filled with Blood, and that one
line which says, Oh, precious, dear dying lamb, thy precious
blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church
of God be saved to sin no more. Now, I love that hymn, but I
don't much like that. Because his precious blood shall never
lose its power. Period. Period. He's the same yesterday, today
and forever. He's God's king yesterday. He's God's King today. He's God's
King eternally. Now to the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, yesterday, today, and forever.
He's the same in His person. Yesterday, He was the well-beloved
of the Father. Before time began, when all there
was was God, He was the well-beloved of the Father. Today, He is the
well-beloved of the Father. And when time is no more, he
is the well beloved of the father. He's the same to his people.
Yesterday, today and forever, and I love to think about this.
My eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ. When he became my surety, which
there was never a time when he became my surety, he's always
been my surety. He's always been my surety. And
everything God requires of me, He looks to Him for, as my surety.
That's the way it was yesterday. You know what? No different today.
Not a bit. Everything God requires of me,
He looks to His Son for. And that's the way it always
will be. Yesterday, He was my righteousness before God. Yesterday,
He was the only righteousness I had. I remember when I got a hold
of that. He's the only righteousness.
Yesterday, he was the only righteousness. You know what? Same way today.
It hadn't changed a bit. And tomorrow it will be the same. Yesterday, he was my husband. Yesterday, he was my Lord. Yesterday,
he was my shepherd. Yesterday, he was my brother.
Yesterday, he was my friend. He's all those things today.
And he's all those things forever. And he's the same with sinners.
Yesterday, he was the sinner's friend. Now, I want you to think
about that title of the Lord Jesus. Yesterday, he was the
friend. He was the friend of publicans
and sinners. Today, he is the friend of sinners. And eternally, he is the friend
His gospel is the same. No new or modified gospel is
needed. His gospel is the eternal gospel. I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
shall not be consumed. Now, the implications of immutability. It's clear. Jesus Christ is the
same. Yesterday, today, and forever. That means he never changes.
That's the reason you and I are not consumed. If he could change,
he'd have kicked me out a long time ago. Isn't that so? If he could change, if he could
change in his thoughts toward you, what would happen to you?
You would have to be turned out, wouldn't you? You'd have to be.
He couldn't do anything but that if he could change. I love what
one lady said about election. She said, I know that God must
have loved me before I had existence, because if He didn't love me
until I had existence, He couldn't have loved me. That's so, isn't
it? That's so. He never changes. Is that good news to you? Now,
the implications of immutability. Since he never changes, he's
the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, he has claims
on divine worship, doesn't he? He's God. Worship him for who
he is. He is the eternal, immortal God
Almighty. Secondly, since he's the same,
And you'll never change. You can't take that too far.
We are to follow him. All the way to the end. Since he's the same. We should
hold fast in the faith. And trust him completely, he
can be relied upon utterly because he is the same. And since he is the eternal same,
how ought we to rejoice? And here's why I rejoice in his
eternal, never changing, he's the same. He loved me before I was ever
born. Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. He saw me in Christ. That's why
he chose me. He saw me in Christ. I was in
the beloved. And since he never changes, it's
that way right now. And it always will be. He never
changes. What a reason for confidence
and rejoicing. How secure we are. Now, would you turn with me to
Matthew chapter eight? This is what I want to close
with. I want to talk about something that happened yesterday. And
I never get very far from this passage of scripture, you know,
I believe that I could. I'm sure I could get stale because
I'm the one bringing it. But I never get past this passage
of scripture. I just love this. And this is
something that happened yesterday. And I want you to read real carefully
with me what took place. Verse one. When he was come down from the
mountain yesterday, great multitudes followed him yesterday and behold, There came a leper. Luke's account tells us that
he was full of leprosy, which represents his sinful condition. He was full of sin. That's all that could be said
of him. He was full of sin. And he came and worshiped him. Now, the Lord had not yet cleansed
him of his leprosy, and he didn't know whether or not he would. He said, if you will, you can
make me clean. He did not know for sure that
the Lord would make him clean. But he comes to the Lord yesterday and he worships him. Now, I want
to ask you a question, and I want to ask myself a question. Can
I worship the Lord for who He is? Is He worthy of divine worship,
even if He never saves me? Is He worthy of worship? Well,
of course He is. He's the Lord. And the leper
understood that. He didn't know whether the Lord
was going to do anything for him. But look at the way he comes. And behold, there came a leper
and worshipped him, saying, Lord. Now, one thing this leper didn't
know, he knew that Jesus Christ is the Lord. The Lord of glory,
the dictator, the one who reigns. Do you know that? You might not
be sure about yourself. You might not even be sure about
your own relationship with him. But you believe he is the Lord. He is God, God, the son. Now, this leper comes not really
sure about what was going to happen with him, but he knew
this. He needed to be clean. He knew
he couldn't make himself clean, but he knew the Lord could. He
knew it was up to the Lord. He could not make himself clean,
though. He knew that. Do you know that
you cannot make yourself clean? Do you know that? There's nothing
you can do to make yourself clean. In and of yourself, you're nothing
but filthiness. You know that. That's your heart.
That's who you are. Full of leprosy. Full of sin. He knew he couldn't make himself
clean, and he knew his one need was to be clean. Do you know
that? What do you need to stand before
God? You need to be clean. And you
can't make yourself clean. And the only one who can make
you clean is this one you bow before and worship. He's the
Lord. Can you come before him? And
this is what this leper did yesterday. Today, can you come before him
just like that leper did? Filled with leprosy, unclean,
knowing you can't make yourself clean, knowing he can, but it's
up to him. You don't have any control in
this. It's up to him. And you come and bow down at
his feet, falling at his feet, knowing he is the Lord, and you
leave it right here. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. Do you believe that he is able
to make you clean? Do you believe that? And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched
him, saying, I will be thou cleansed. And immediately, his leprosy
was cleansed. And if you come to the Lord today,
the way that fellow came yesterday, today, you will hear those words,
I will be thou cleansed. And when he says that, you know
what takes place? Immediately. No time of healing. No probationary period. No, let's
watch him. Immediately, his leprosy was
cleansed. May God give you and I the grace
to come just like This man did. Right now. Lord. Worshipping
him for who he is without reference to what he does for me. Lord.
If you will. You can. Make me clean. And you come saying that. Today he says, I will. Be thou
clean. Let's pray.