Things That Time Can Never Change

things that time can never change. My text, Hebrews 13, 8, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
and today and forever. And the songwriter furnishes
my introduction, swift to its close, ebbs out life's little
days. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories
fade away. Change and decay in all around
I see, O thou who changest not, abide with me." What is there
that time has not changed? Well, nations change. Where are
the mighty empires of old? Where are the great governments
that in their day seem so permanent, so secure, so powerful? Societies
change, traditions, customs, dress, habits, all of these things
change. Friends change, families change,
babies are born, they grow up, they marry, they leave home,
relatives move away, parents die, We're left alone, and we
change. We grow older, and with age many,
many changes come. Nothing physical, nothing material
remains the same. Some changes are for the better,
and some, regrettably, for the worse. And we're led to ask this
question, is there anything that time does not change? Is there anything that time does
not alter? And our text gives us the answer.
Here is the answer. One thing that time has never
and can never change. Jesus Christ. He is the same. He is the same yesterday, He
is the same today, and He is the same forever. I have four
points in this message. The first one is this, Christ
himself never changes. He is, he was, he always will
be the same. His glory is the same. Turn with
me to the book of Proverbs, and I want you to read this scripture.
Proverbs chapter eight, beginning with verse twenty-two. Our Lord's
glory never changes. In the eighth chapter of Proverbs,
beginning with verse twenty-two, he is called wisdom. But now
this scripture is talking about Christ our Lord. Proverbs 8,
22. Listen to it. The Lord possessed
me in the beginning of his way before his works of old. I was
set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth
was. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet God had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there. When
He set a compass upon the face of the depth, when He established
the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
He gave to the sea His decree that the water should not pass
His commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth.
Then I was by him, as one brought up with him, and I was daily
his delight, rejoicing always before him." Rejoicing in the
habitable part of the earth, and my delights were with the
sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me,
O ye children, for blessed are they that keep his ways. Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the
man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at
the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth
life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth
against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. Christ is wisdom. Christ is wisdom. Now turn to John 1. In the first
chapter of John, beginning with verse 1 through verse 5, Christ
is called the Word. The Word of God, the wisdom of
God, and the Word of God. In John 1, verse 1, in the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth
in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." Now John
17, verse 4 and 5. In the seventeenth chapter of
John, verse 4 and verse 5, our Lord speaks of Himself and declares,
I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father," now watch
this carefully, "...glorify thou me with thine own self, with
the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Whether
in the covenant of old, whether in the creation of the world,
whether in the manger at Bethlehem, whether by the seashore of Galilee,
whether on the mountains of Judea or in the streets of Jerusalem,
on the cross or at the Father's right hand, He is the glory of
God. Turn to Philippians 2, in the
second chapter of Philippians, verse 5 through 11. Philippians
2, 5, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men,
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He has no new glory,
and He has not lost any glory. He is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. His glory is the same. And then back in our text, in
Hebrews chapter 13, it says in verse 8, Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, today, and forever. His glory is the same, but so
is His purpose. Not only is Christ in His glory
the same, but He is the same in His purpose. Now in Hebrews
7, verse 22, and this is important here, I want you to look at one
word, Hebrews 7, verse 22. Hebrews 7.22. I'm saying that
Christ is the same not only in His glory, but He's the same
in His purpose. In Hebrews 7.22 it says, By so
much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant, of an everlasting
covenant. A surety. And what is a surety?
I think I can illustrate that best by asking you to turn to
Genesis chapter 43. Christ is the surety of an everlasting
covenant, of God's covenant of mercy. Now in Genesis 43 verse
9, hold that just a moment and let me bring you the setting
here. There was a great famine down
in the land of Israel, down in the land of Jacob. In Egypt,
there was corn and wheat and things to eat. Joseph, the son
of Jacob, was in command in Egypt. You know how he got there. God
in his providence and God in his purpose led him there. But
Jacob, his father, did not know Joseph was there. So Jacob sent
his ten sons. He had twelve. Joseph was his
son, Benjamin, but Joseph, he thought, was dead. Benjamin was
the youngest son, and he kept him at home and protected him
because he was one of his favorite sons. And he sent these ten boys
to Egypt to get food. They went up there, and Joseph
gave them the food, but he did not reveal himself to them. These
brothers had sold him into slavery many years before, but he did
not reveal himself to them at this time. But he wanted to see
his younger brother. So he said to the ten brothers,
he said, when you come back for grain and corn and wheat, bring
your younger brother Benjamin with you. They had told him they
had a younger brother at home. He inquired about their father
and their brother and so forth. And he said, well now, don't
come back unless you bring this younger brother. So they left,
went back to Israel, and they told Jacob what this king in
Egypt had said. They didn't know it was Joseph.
They told the father that the king in Egypt said that he would
sell them more grain and corn and wheat and food if they'd
bring their younger brother with them. And Jacob said, no, not
so. He cannot go. Joseph is dead
and Simeon is not. Would you take Benjamin from
me? Why, it would kill me if something happened to Benjamin.
Well, the weeks passed and the months passed and the grain and
the corn were gone. The brethren came back to the
father and they said, we've got to go to Egypt to get corn. He
said, we'll go. They said, we can't go without
Benjamin. We've got to take Benjamin with us. And the father said,
well, you can't take him. And Judah, one of the boys, Judah,
and this is the tribe through which Christ our Lord came, the
tribe of Judah. Judah stepped forth, verse 8,
Genesis 43. Now listen to it. And Judah said
to Israel, his father, send the lad with me, and we will arise
and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou, and
also our little one." Now watch this next verse, "...I will be
surety for him. Of my hand shalt thou require
him." This is a surety. "...of my hand shalt thou require
him. If I bring him not unto thee,
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever. Judah says, Father, you commit
Benjamin to me. I'll take him to Israel, and
I'll bring him back, and I will be totally and completely responsible,
nobody else. You'll not blame these brothers,
you'll not blame yourself, you'll not blame the king of Egypt,
you blame me. If anything happens to him, if
I don't bring him home, you blame me. Here in Hebrews 7.22, Christ
is our surety. Christ is our guarantor. Into Christ's hands, every one
of God's elect, every one of God's people have been given
into the hands of Christ. And his purpose is to redeem
them. His purpose is to buy them back
from the law of God, from the justice of God. And Hebrews 8,
verse 6 says this, But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant. He is the mediator, he is the
advocate which was established upon better purposes and promises. I have loved thee, Christ said,
with an everlasting love. Having loved his own, he loved
them unto the end. In his purposes he never changed. From the covenant of old, from
the covenant of mercy, from the covenant of grace, Christ is
our surety. And into his hands we have been
committed. And he says, Father, I will bring
them home. Now, the third thing, his offices
are the same. Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. He's the same in his offices.
What are the offices of Christ? The scriptural offices of Christ
are prophet, priest, and king. He is the prophet still. Moses
wrote of Him being a prophet. Moses said, God will raise up
from among you that prophet, Him you shall hear. This is my
beloved Son, hear ye Him. Now men may try to set aside
the Lord Jesus Christ as the prophet. They may try to set
Him aside with science, so-called, or with human philosophy, or
with religious tradition, but the sheep still hear his voice,
they still follow him, and a stranger they will not follow. His word
is precious to their ears and to their hearts. His word is
still to them as sure and as sound and as precious as it was
when it was spoken two thousand years ago. He is our prophet,
and he is our priest. Men may ignore the cross, they
may try to ignore the blood, they may sneer at the sacrifice
of Calvary, but to his own, his blood is still the precious word. It is the precious promises It
is the precious blood, it is the precious word, and the scripture
says, under you that believe, he is precious. In Hebrews chapter 8 it also
says that he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And then he is the king, supreme
in the universe, supreme in the world, and supreme in the church. All hail the power of Jesus'
name. let angels prostrate fall, bring
forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Ye chosen race,
chosen seed of Israel's race, ye ransomed from the fall, bring
forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all." Jesus Christ,
in His glory, in His purposes, in His offices, in his love,
the same yesterday, today, and forever. In the second place,
his doctrines never change. Look back at the text, Hebrews
13, verse 8. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today, and forever. Now look at verse 9. Be not carried
about with different and strange doctrines. It's a good thing
that the heart be established with grace, the grace of God,
the grace of Christ our Lord, the grace of the Holy Spirit.
It is a good thing that the heart be established with God's gospel
of grace, not with meets, either taking them or doing without
them, not with certain seasons and feast days and holy days
and traditions and customs, which have not profited them that have
been occupied therein. It's never profited anybody.
People that abstain from certain meats and doing certain things
on certain days in order to make themselves acceptable to God
or more religious, it hasn't profited them in any way. Now,
my friends, from the connection here, it is evident that the
doctrine we're talking about The doctrine which we're talking
about refers to the teachings of Christ. Now look at the text
and then the next verse. Jesus Christ is the same. He's the same in His glory, He's
the same in His offices, He's the same in His purpose, yesterday,
today, and forever, and He's the same in His doctrine. Be
not carried away with strange doctrines. Let your heart be
established in the doctrines of Christ. in the doctrine of
grace. Grace is Christ. Let your heart
be established in his doctrine. Now, this is where men make a
serious mistake. I hope you'll listen carefully
to me right now. I've thought about this a great
deal, and I'm sure this is true. This is where men make a serious
mistake. Now, medicine and the sciences
change, and they develop according to new light. and new methods. Medicine, the science of medicine,
or the art of medicine, call it what you will, it does change.
It develops. And the science of mechanics,
farming. Men are so much better farmers
than they used to be because they've got more knowledge about
farming. Architecture, mining, building,
even the field of education. All of these things change. All
of them develop according to new understanding and new life.
But not theology. Theology cannot. It does not
change. It does not change. It cannot
change. Now, we may grow in the knowledge of theology. We may
learn more about Christ. We may learn more about His love
and His word and His ways and His will. But Jesus Christ is
the perfect revelation of God. He that hath seen me, Christ
said, hath seen the Father. So theology cannot develop for
the better. In previous days, God spoke to
the people by the prophets. In these last days, He said,
He has spoken to us by His Son. His Son is God's ultimatum. His Son is God's full revelation. His Son is God's perfect revelation. And you can learn no more about
God than Christ reveals. And if you know Christ, you may
grow in the grace of Christ and grow in the knowledge of Christ,
but nothing can be added to Christ. Turn to, in fact, in Revelation
chapter 22. Verse 18, God says this, I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book. Revelation 22, 18. If any man shall add to these
things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this
book. Any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the book
of life and out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book. Yes, sir, our sciences and mechanics and
things of that nature can improve as we receive more light and
more understanding. But my friends, theology never
changes. It's the same because Christ
is the same. And Christ is the full revelation
of God, and Christ is the perfect revelation of God, and Christ
is God's ultimatum. There's no more to be said. If
you would learn about God, learn about Christ. If you would see
God, see Christ. If you would worship God, worship
Christ, because He is the perfect revelation of God. Do not add
to Him. Do not take away from Him. He
is God's perfect revelation. And then the salvation of Christ
is the same in all ages. The Scripture says, Other foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid, Christ Jesus. The Scripture
says there's none other name unto heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved, Christ Jesus. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me, Christ Jesus. And then in Galatians chapter
1, listen to what Paul said. In Galatians 1.8, Paul says,
Though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we preached, let him be accursed. This is
1900 years ago. Though we, or if it be an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel, any other theology, any
other doctrine to you, let him be accursed. What is this doctrine? What is this doctrine, Paul?
I'm determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. What is this doctrine, Paul?
We preach Christ and Him crucified. What is this doctrine, Paul?
He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. Christ is the same in His glory,
Christ is the same in His purpose, Christ is the same in His office,
Christ is the same in his doctrine. He's the full revelation of God.
He's the perfect revelation of God. He is the ultimatum of the
Father. And the salvation of Christ is
the same in all ages. Abraham saw my day, and he was
glad. Moses rose of me. And then the
gospel of redemption has the same effect upon men. What does
the gospel of redemption do? What does it do for the apostles?
What did it do for Luther, Zwingli, Owen, Whitfield, Spurgeon? It
breaks the heart and makes the sinner whole. It wounds the sinner
and heals him. It slays the sinner and gives
him life. It hurls the sinner down and
humbles him and lifts him up in joy. It brings the sinner
to love Christ, to love his word, to love his law. It makes the
sinner a new creature in Christ Jesus. It gives the sinner hope
of eternal life and the grace of the Holy Spirit to live for
God's glory. The results of the gospel of
Jesus Christ flowing from the same Redeemer will have the same
effect upon all whom it blesses. Back to our text again one more
time. Jesus Christ is the same. in
his glory, in his person, in his purpose, in his office. Jesus Christ the same in his
doctrine. Salvation is the same. And then
Jesus Christ the same in his way of working. Look at verse
17. Obey them that have the rule
over you, them that are your spiritual guides. Submit yourselves. For they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy,
not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you." What's he saying here? Back 1900 years ago in the days
of Paul, our Lord saved sinners by the preaching of the gospel.
It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believed. If you look down through church
history, you'll find that whenever there's been a revival, whenever
there's been conversion of sinners, it has always been linked with
what? With the preaching of the gospel,
with the faithful ministering of the gospel. Now, men aren't
going to be saved by social reform. Men aren't going to be saved
by priests in long, special clothing. Men aren't going to be saved
by music. Men aren't going to be saved
by gospel movies and gospel plays and gospel so-called entertainment,
but by the preaching of the gospel. It pleased God by the preaching
of the gospel to save them that believe. Paul said, I am not
ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God unto salvation.
Our Lord said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned. I know in
this day that we're getting weary of the divine plan. It's obvious
to me. Pastors and church leaders have
called in every known plan to build churches and boost attendance
and increase offerings. But God Almighty has one way
of saving sinners, and that is by the death of His Son and the
preaching of that message. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. The Holy Spirit uses
one message, that's the message of Christ, and He uses it by
the message or voice of one of His called ministers. In closing, Christ Jesus the
same in His glory, in His purpose, in His person. Christ Jesus the
same in His doctrine, in His way of reaching sinners with
the gospel. But may I be able to say, and
may you be able to say this morning, Christ Jesus is the same to me. He is my only Savior. I leaned
upon Him in faith at the beginning. I lean upon Him now. He is my only Savior. He is my
only hope. I have not the faintest hope
of the forgiveness of sins. I have not the faintest hope
of acceptance with the Father. I have not the faintest hope
of communion and fellowship with the living God. I have not the
faintest hope of eternal life. I have not the faintest hope
of eternal glory outside of Jesus Christ. He is my wisdom. He is my righteousness. He is
my sanctification. He is my redemption. I am able
to say with the Apostle, I am complete in Him. Jesus Christ
is my highest joy. Oh, Paul said that I might know
Him. He summed up all his religious
accomplishments, his honors, his glory, his fame, his faithfulness. He said, I count these but done
that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness
of God, which is by faith in Christ Jesus, O that I might
know him. David said, I shall be satisfied
when I awake with his likeness. And Paul wrote in Philippians
that I may glorify him whether in my life or in my death. He is my highest joy, and then
he is my expectation. Paul said, I am in a straight
betwixt the two. I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better, to depart and be with
Christ. which is far better. Yes, my
only Savior, my only hope, my only wisdom, my only joy, and
my only way to the Father. He is the same. He is the same
yesterday, He is the same today, and He is the same forever. Our
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this sure, steadfast foundation. Change and decay all around me
I see. Nothing can be...

Things That Time Can Never Change

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Things That Time Can Never Change

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