The Old Story for a New Day

Q: What does the Bible say about the unchanging nature of Christ?

Hebrews 13:8 states that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 emphasizes the constancy of Jesus Christ, affirming that He does not change with time or circumstance. The preceding verse calls on believers to remember and respect their spiritual leaders who preach the unchanging Gospel, which consistently points to Christ as the ultimate goal of their ministry. The immutability of Christ not only assures believers of His reliability across all generations but also underlines the significance of holding fast to the eternal truths of Scripture.

Q: Why is the Gospel considered an ancient message?

The Gospel is described as God's ancient message of grace that has remained unchanged since the beginning of time. The sermon underscores that the Gospel is not merely a historical record but an eternal truth rooted in God's unchanging nature. It traces the message back through time, noting that figures like Moses, Abraham, and Paul preached the same essential truths that we hold dear today. The Gospel's message of redemption through Christ transcends time, remaining relevant and powerful across generations. As stated in Romans and Hebrews, the basis of the Gospel—centered on faith, sin, and atonement—has not and will not change.

Q: How do we know God does not change?

Malachi 3:6 reveals God saying, 'I am the Lord, I change not.' God's immutability is foundational to understanding His character and the integrity of His promises. In Malachi 3:6, God explicitly states that He does not change, affirming that His nature, purposes, and promises remain constant. This does not just apply to God's personal attributes, but also to His gospel message. Whenever preachers claim to have a new revelation or interpretation, they contradict this essential truth of God's unchanging nature. Therefore, the assurance that God will always act according to His previously revealed Word gives believers confidence in His steadfast love and plan for salvation.

Q: Why is understanding original sin crucial for Christians?

Original sin explains humanity's fallen nature and the necessity for redemption through Christ. Understanding original sin is crucial because it defines the human condition ever since Adam's transgression in the Garden of Eden. The sermon clarifies that through Adam's disobedience, sin and death entered the world, affecting all of humanity. The doctrine of original sin indicates that every person is born with a sinful nature, which necessitates the need for a savior—Jesus Christ, the second Adam. This knowledge reminds believers of the depth of their need for grace and the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice to restore humanity. It is fundamental to the Gospel narrative that must be understood for a robust theological perspective.

Q: How does God meet a sinner in grace?

God meets a sinner in grace by regenerating the heart and revealing Christ, leading to faith. When God meets a sinner in grace, an intrinsic transformation occurs that goes beyond external actions. The sermon describes this encounter as leading the sinner to believe God and accept the Gospel's truth by faith. Regeneration is not merely a change of mind but a complete rebirth, making the person a new creation in Christ. This process instills a new love for God, His Word, and His people, marking the believer's journey of continuous growth in faith. The response to God's grace is not a mere decision or ritual; instead, it is the beginning of a life wholly transformed by God's mercy.

Now, here's the subject for today. The old story for a new day. The old story for a new day. And I'm reading Hebrews 13, verse
7 and 8. Now, verse 8, you've heard quoted
many, many times. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
today, and forever. But the verse preceding that
verse goes with it and must be read along with that verse. So
I'm reading verse 7 and verse 8. Now listen, and you'll see
why these verses must go together. The apostle writes in Hebrews
13, 7, Remember them, respect them, listen to them, who have
the rule over you, your spiritual leaders and teachers. pastors,
who have spoken unto you the word of the Lord. Remember these
who have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of
God, whose gospel, whose faith, follow, follow the faith that
they preach, follow the gospel that they preach, considering
the end of their conversation or the goal of their ministry,
considering the objective of their ministry, which is Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do you see why they
have to go together? One of the problems we have in
this day is the sickness of versitis. We just, at liberty, carelessly
lift verses out of the Bible and just quote them and say,
this is what the Bible says. It does say that, but it says
something that reveals what it means when it says that. Remember
them that have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the
word of God, whose gospel follow, considering the goal of their
ministry, the reason for their ministry, the objective of their
ministry, which is to point you and lead you to Jesus Christ,
who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. My friends, time
and knowledge has drastically changed every occupation, almost
every occupation. Let's put it that way. Because
of new tools, new materials, knowledge, most every occupation
does not even resemble what they were centuries ago. All these
occupations are different. Think about the science of medicine,
how different it is now. or government, or teaching, or
masonry, carpentry, steelmaking, oil. These are all so different
because time has changed these occupations. But there's one
occupation, there's one profession, there's one vocation, one message
that's totally the same. It never changes. To change it
is to ruin it. To change it would be detrimental
to it. To change it would cause it totally
to lose its power. Just the slightest alteration
in this message, in this profession, would make it lose its power
and make it to become error. What is that? The gospel ministry. That's right, the Word of God.
The person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he says
here, the end of our ministry, the goal of our ministry is the
same, whether it's Moses preaching, Abraham, David, Isaiah, Paul,
Augustine, Ignatius, Polycarp, Martin Luther, Calvin, Zwingli,
Huss, whomever, me, is Jesus Christ, and he is the same. in
the yesterday of eternity, today and forever. You see, our gospel... Oh, you listen carefully to me.
Our gospel is the ancient gospel. Somebody says, you've got an
old message. It's older than that. It's older than that. My message is eternal. It's the
ancient gospel of God's grace. Even back down to 2,000 years
ago, 2,000 years ago, 20 millenniums, they
said to our Lord Jesus Christ, they said, we have Moses. We
go back further. We have Moses. And the Lord Jesus
said, well, if you had believed Moses, you would have believed
me. Moses wrote of me. Here we go back 2,000 years,
and they go back 2,000 years and say, we have Moses. And he
said, well, if you did, if you did hear Moses and have Moses,
you'd believe me. Moses wrote of me. Moses hoped. For his own redemption was in
Christ Jesus. Moses wrote of Christ. And then
they said, well, we have Abraham to our father. They go back another
2,000 years to Abraham. And they said, well, Abraham's
our father. And our Lord said, if you were the sons of Abraham,
you would love me. Because even Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. He saw it. and was glad. And
before Abraham was, I am." Well, they said this. They said, well,
but the Christ is the son of David. They said, he said to
them, what think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They said, he's
the son of David. And our Lord said, well, why
did David call him Lord if he's his son? If he's his son, and
of the Jewish heritage, then why did he call him Lord when
he said, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand
until I make thine enemies thy footstool. You see, Jesus of
Nazareth is David's Christ and Moses' subject and Abraham's
Redeemer. So there's nothing new about
our gospel. That's the reason I say change
it, ruin it. Change it, destroy it. Change it, take its effect
away. Change it, it becomes error.
Because there's nothing new about the gospel of God's grace. Let
me tell you something. From Abel's sacrifice to the
20th century, it's the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. And the reason for that is this.
Now listen carefully. God is the same. He said, I am the Lord, I change
not. God is immutable. The word immutable
means unchangeable. God never learns anything and
never forgets anything. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. He declared the end from the
beginning and from ancient times the things that are not even
done, saying, my counsel shall stand. So God doesn't change.
And anytime a preacher says, I've got a new message, I've
got a new revelation from God, he's a fool and whoever listens
to him is a fool because God says, I don't change. And when
he finished the Word of God, he said, if any man adds to this
book, I'll add to him the plagues of this book. And if any man
takes away from this book, I'll take his name out of the book
of life. God never changes. So his message never changes.
His gospel never changes. whether it's preached by Moses
or Abraham or David or Isaiah or you or me. And then sin is
the same. In Adam all died. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. We traced the mess we're
in back to Adam. It hadn't changed. Somebody says,
oh, the world's getting worse. No worse than it was when Adam
fell. Sin is sin. There may be more open sin at
various times. Sin may be covered more at various
times, but sin is sin. Rebellion is rebellion. Darkness
is darkness. And men are men. And the situation
hasn't changed a bit. No different. Sin is no different. Death is the same. Folks still
dying. I know we're doing our best to
try to live hundreds of years on this earth, but it won't work.
God says a man's days are three score and ten. That's 70 years,
and that'll be the average. That's the average then. It's
the average now. It'll be the average 100 years from now. Some
will live longer, and some will live not so long, but death's
the same. It's the part of the man who
wants to die. You know anybody who hasn't died? You say, yeah, a lot of people
haven't died, but they will. They will. Judgment's the same.
God Almighty said, I'm going to judge the world in righteousness
by that man, Jesus Christ, whom I've ordained, whereof I've given
witness to all men. I raised him from the dead. Judgment
hadn't changed. It's appointed unto men what's
to die, and after that, the judgment. And we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. That's just so. And we're going
to be judged in the light of our relationship with Jesus Christ. That's true of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. That's true of you, your neighbor
and your pastor. That's true of me and everybody
else. We're going to be judged according
to our union or relationship or lack of it with His Son. He's
going to judge the world by that man. Faith's the same. When God defined faith, He went
all the way back to Abraham. He said, Abraham believed God.
Abraham believed God. If you want to define faith,
don't pick up some of these folks today. Go back and define faith
like God did. Abraham believed God. It was
counted to him for righteousness. And this was not written for
his sake alone that it was counted to him for righteousness, but
for our sakes also, to whom it shall be imputed as righteousness,
if we believe like Abraham believed. That's what God said in Romans
4. The blood atonement's the same. All the way back there
in Leviticus 1711, God said, I've given you the blood upon
the altar to make an atonement for your soul. It's the blood
that maketh atonement for the soul. That's 5,000 years ago. It's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. And Paul came along in Hebrews
9.22 and said, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.
Same message. It's the blood. that maketh atonement
for the soul. What can wash away my sin? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. That's Moses' song too. The song
of Moses and the Lamb is the blood of Christ unto Him who
loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Resurrection's
the same, mercy's the same. Back in Exodus 33, that's a long,
long time ago, Exodus 33, God said to Moses, I'll be merciful
to whom I will be merciful, I'll be gracious to whom I will be
gracious. And Paul came along in Romans 9 and said, God said
to Moses, I'll be merciful to whom I will be merciful, I'll
be gracious to whom I will be gracious. Paul and Moses preached
the same message, same profession, same vocation, same message,
same gospel. Not of him that willeth nor of
him that runneth, it's of God that showeth mercy. We have no
new Bible. We have no new message. We have
no new revelation. We have the unchanging gospel
of the unchanging God. Jesus Christ, the same. Yesterday and all the yesterdays. Today and all the todays. Whoever's
living at that time and using the word today, he's the same. and forever. Any change made
in the gospel would be to corrupt it, compromise it, destroy it. Paul said, I do not frustrate,
confuse the grace of God. If righteousness and life come
by the law, then Jesus Christ died in vain. Now I want your
attention for a few moments here. You listen to me. There are three
things three things which a man learns who learns the gospel. Now, it doesn't matter to me
how long you've been in religion or how involved you are in religion
or how wise you think you are in religion. There are three
things that a man learns if he learns the gospel, and these
three things never change from able to eternity. from able sacrifice to this day. And you know what they are? Have
you learned these three things? Listen to them. What happened
in the Garden of Eden? Do you know? What happened, what
really happened on the cross of Calvary? Do you know? What really happens when God
in mercy and grace meets a sinner and conquers him and conquers
him and saves him? Do you know? Those are the three
things. They've never changed. They've never changed. They've
been true from Abraham to this day. Now, let's look at them
briefly, each one. First of all, what happened in
the Garden of Eden? Will you listen to me? What really
happened way back there in the Garden of Eden? Well, Spurgeon,
Charles Spurgeon said this about that happening. He said, let
a man go wrong here on what happened in the Garden. and his whole
system of theology is wrong. It's like heading in the wrong
direction from the starting gate. It's like a runner in a race.
Instead of going the way the track goes, going the other way.
He'll never reach the destination. And if a man doesn't start right,
his whole system of theology is wrong, and the starting place
is what happened in the Garden of Eden. What happened? Something happened that has affected
every one of us and brought about everything that this Bible reveals. Well, first of all, back there
in the garden, God created man in His own image. Now, I'm going
to be as plain and simple as I can be, quoting Scripture for
most of the things I say. God made man upright and holy. That's what Scripture says. He
created man in His own image. Man walked with God. The man's
name was Adam, which means red earth. Man made out of the dust. And God breathed into that man
the breath of life, and he became a living soul. And God gave that
man one commandment. He said, Obey me and live. That
was the summary of it. He gave him dominion over the
fish, the fowl of the air, The garden, everything, told
him to multiply and replenish the earth, have dominion over
all things. But he said, I'm still God. You're still in subjection
to me. I'm the king. You're the subject.
And there's one tree in the garden. Nobody knows what that was. I
know they picture apples and all these things, but nobody
knows. But God said, if you eat of that tree, you'll die. Obey
me and live. It was a covenant of works. Man
was placed under God's government, under God's covenant, in obedience
to God, with all that he had. That was the one law, obey me
and live, disobey me and die. Well, Satan, who had already
fallen, you can read that in Isaiah 14, Satan fell from heaven,
Christ said, as a lightning. And his sin was, he said, I will
be like God. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will ascend to the north. I
will be like God. I'll not have God to reign over
me." That's what he was saying. And God smote him down. He fell,
became Satan, became the devil, became the evil power, the God
of this fallen world. Well, he tempted Eve, who in
turn spoke to Adam. And he said to Adam, he said,
hath God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The woman said, we can eat of any tree except one. And he said,
God knows that when you eat that tree, you'll be like God. Whoa,
that was his sin. You'll be like God. You'll throw
off the rule and reign and government of God and no longer be subject
to God and you'll be your own God. That's what David said,
the fool has said in his heart, no God for me, I'll be my own
God. And that's what Satan said to
this woman. And we know what happened, they took the fruit,
with this intention, we'll be like God. Throw off his government,
throw off his rule, throw off his sovereignty, and we'll be
God ourselves. Well, you know what happened?
They died. They didn't die physically, Adam lived over 800 years, but
they died spiritually. The light went out. The man who
walked with God now ran from God. The man who knew God now
didn't know God. The man who was a wisest man
who lived became a fool. The man who was a genius, the
man who was holy became naked. And that man represented all
men. You say, how did his fall affect me? Well, the Word of
God says this, in Adam all died. By one man sin entered this world,
and death by sin, so death passed upon all men. Sin was imputed
to us and imparted to us. God never created but one man.
Even the woman was taken out of him. He was the head of the
human race. And when he fell, we fell. And
his carnal, fallen, dark, dead, depraved nature was not only
imputed to us, but imparted to us. Sin entered the world in
death and judgment. Sin was imputed and imparted.
And behold, now we're shaping an iniquity. We're born in sin.
That's original sin. What causes all the death on
this earth? The tears, the heartache, the
sickness, the disappointment, the wars and rumors of wars and
all these things, sin. Those things were not in this
world before Adam fell. It left its mark on everything
and now we're born in the flesh and in the flesh no man can please
God. You see what happened in the garden? Man died. He wasn't slightly wounded, he
died. And he's dead in trespasses and
sins. Without God, without hope in this world, separated from
God. Your sins have separated you
from God, destined to be damned unless something happens. And
that brings us to what happened on the cross. What happened on
the cross of Calvary? Well, in the garden man fell.
On the cross of Calvary, men were restored. You see, let me
read the Scripture now. You'll find this in Romans 5
and 1 Corinthians 15. In Adam, we died. In Christ,
we're made alive. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit,
when he threw off the government of God, when he said, My will,
not your will, then we died. When Christ came to this earth
in the flesh, the second Adam, the Bible says there are two
Adams, in the first Adam and the second Adam. The first Adam
is of the earth earthy. The second Adam is the Lord from
heaven. In Adam, we died. In Christ, we're made alive in
the second Adam. And Christ said, not my will,
but thy will be done. That's the opposite. Through
one man's disobedience, we were made sinners. Through the other
man's obedience, we were made righteous, imputation, impartation. By one man came death. By the
new man came resurrection, by the second Adam. By the offense
of one, judgment came upon all. By the righteousness of one,
the free gift of life came upon all who were in him, all who
were represented by Adam. Who were they? All flesh, black,
white, red, yellow, Chinese, Americans, whomever. They all
came from one blood. God is made of one blood, all
nations. We all have one Father. Our roots
go back to Adam. Our sin goes back to Adam. Our
death, our confusion, Our depravity goes back to Adam. He represented
us. He stood and we stood. He fell
and we fell. He died and we died. That's what
the Bible said. And when Christ came, he represented
a new people, a new nation, a new kingdom. And all who are in him
are restored and live. You see, the fall in the garden
was a total fall. And the restoration on the cross
of Calvary was a total restoration. When Christ cried, it's finished. When Adam fell, boy, it was finished
then. Finished for any of us to have
any hope in the flesh or any hope of ever being brought to
God. Too much debt, too much to pay, too much condemnation. But when Christ came and paid
the debt, he said, it's finished. Who was on that cross? The second
Adam, representative, the Lord from heaven. What did He do on
that cross? He died the just for the unjust
that He might bring us to God. Why did He do this? Because He
loved us. Here in His love, not that we
loved God, He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. And He died to honor the law
and to honor the justice of God, that God may be just and justifier. Well, where is He now? He arose,
He ascended, He's at the right hand of God. And all who are
in Him, all for whom He died, He took with Him. whether in
reality or in representation. Well, for whom did He die? For
whom did He rise? For whom does He intercede? For
all who believe. For all who receive Him. To as
many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God. For all who trust Him. And I'll tell you this, did you
know the cross of Calvary is older than the Garden of Eden? Oh, preacher, come on. That's
right. He was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Nothing changes. God said, I'm God, I never change.
Well, here's the third question. What happens when a sinner, what
happens in a sinner when God meets him in grace and conquers
him and reveals Christ to his heart and saves him? I tell you
this, don't be deceived. It's a whole lot more than a
walk in an aisle. It's a whole lot more than a decision. It's
a whole lot more than shaking a counselor's hand or calling
somebody on the phone or signing a pledge card or going to a mourner's
bench. It's a whole lot more than that.
Salvation's a whole lot more than joining a church. What happens
in a sinner's heart when God meets him, when God Almighty
meets him and God conquers him and God reveals Christ to his
heart? Well, number one, he believes God. He believes God. You don't have to recite the
sinner's prayer for him. He knows what to pray. He believes
God. Abraham believed God, and we
believe God, and he that believeth on the Son hath life, and he
that believeth not the Son hath not life. Secondly, he's a new
creature. He's born again. God regenerates
him. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. He's a new person. He's a babe,
and he'll grow, but he's a new creature. The things he once
hated he now loves and the things he once loved he now hates. He
wants to be like Christ. He says with David, I'll be satisfied
when I awake with his likeness. Thirdly, he has eternal life.
This is the record. God has given us eternal life.
This life's in his Son. He that hath the Son of God hath
life. He's accepted in the beloved. He has full access to the throne
of God. He's made righteous in Jesus
Christ. He's brought into a vital living
union with the Son of God. What happens? He loves God. He
loves God's Word. He loves God's people. Everyone
that loveth is born of God. He's not born of God because
he loves. He loves because he's born of God. He's not born of
God because he believes. He believes because he's born
of God. He that loveth not knoweth not God. This man is a new creature. And then he walks in the Spirit
of God. He walks not in the flesh, he walks in the Spirit of God.
He minds the things of God. He lives in the grace of God.
It's his life. And he grows in grace, in the
fruit of the Spirit. And let me tell you something,
he'll continue in the faith too. There's no such doctrine in the
New Testament as backsliding. Don't you ever let anybody tell
you there is. It's not so. Backsliding had
reference to carnal, national Israel who didn't even know God.
God's people continue in the faith. They don't quit. And then
this man will never die. He has life eternal. He'll sleep,
but he'll never die. Do you know what happened in
the garden on the cross? In a sinner, when God saves him,
not when some preacher talks him into a profession of faith,
but when God saves him, that message never changes. Now, if
you want this tape, it's called The Old Story for the New Day.
And on the other side, I have another message. I would not
have you to be ignorant. Send two dollars. Here's the
address. Till next week, God bless you.

The Old Story for a New Day

What does the Bible say about the unchanging nature of Christ?

Why is the Gospel considered an ancient message?

How do we know God does not change?

Why is understanding original sin crucial for Christians?

How does God meet a sinner in grace?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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The Old Story for a New Day

What does the Bible say about the unchanging nature of Christ?

Why is the Gospel considered an ancient message?

How do we know God does not change?

Why is understanding original sin crucial for Christians?

How does God meet a sinner in grace?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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