The Unchangeable Christ in Changing Times
Introduction: There have been several recognizable people that have passed away in 2016. They had put their stamp on the 80's of my generation. There were famous muscial artists like Prince, David Bowie, and George Michael and who could forget Princess Lea - Carrie Fisher who just passed away a few days ago and there were political leaders like Antonin Scalia, Nancy Reagan and Fidel Castro who died this passed year; that is just to name a few. It can be lonely getting older, as one of our parishioners once told me, "the older you get the less friends you have." Mainly because you are attending their funerals. After each one you attend you lose another friend.
And you begin to notice as years pile on top of one another how few friends you have and how things are always changing. As some of you know, I like to collect old things like old gas pumps, pop machines, and old advertising signs from before the 60's. I just think those things are neat. But when I talk to my mother, she doesn't get the appeal and as she puts it "I guess it is because I grew up in that era." I undertand it because my son Cody will ask me if I remember the first nintendo or Atari and when I see one it seems more like trash than treasure. But not to him, he thinks those things are neat. If it weren't for the changing times I don't think we could appreciate the things from the past. I don't think we would ever desire things to stay the same.
In today's era, as soon as you buy a new phone or a new computer it is outdated by the time you get it home. Things are changing so fast that there is a part of us that wants to stay in that some sweet safe place that we remember from our past. But change is a part of nature.
Solomon said "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." The whole earth changes with the seasons. New life comes with the Spring and we enjoy the vibrant colors and hope of warming weather and not long afterward we are looking for shade and perhaps a lake to swim in to escape the heat of the summer and after several weeks of hot weather we enjoy the thought of things cooling back down in the fall and then we notice all the green grass and trees turning brown, copper, and red and then the winter snow comes again.
And through the four seasons, just as everything on earth, we too become another year older. And the many years bring many changes in circumstances. Some might have got a new job, others may have just finished college, others have just lost a job and another just retired. While one woman just found out she has cancer, another woman just found out she is pregnant. One man has found the love of his life while another man's love of his life has just left him. Someone just took their last steps on earth while another has just took their first.
Everything changes, everything is in motion. The uncertainty of our situation can cause anxiety. And when we are tired of the tumultuous changing and wish that things would settle down for a while, because we are becoming seasick from the back and forth and constant ups and downs of life, we are glad when we remember our scripture this morning.
Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Transition: As things are changing in this new year, I want to encourage you by directing your attention to three things that never change about Christ. These things are the same yesterday, today, and forever. First,
His Lordship is the same yesterday, today and forever
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." -Matthew 28:18
Simply stated, Jesus is the All-powerful Lord. Also, notice that Jesus said that this power had been "given" unto Him. This simply means that at some time in the past, God the Father gave Jesus His power and authority and that this gift has ongoing power into the future, In other words, it is God's will that Jesus possess all power in Heaven and earth and nothing can change this fact.
By the very fact that Jesus is Divine, He is changeless. God said, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Christ's Lordship, his divine authority has never, can never, and will never change.
Why is his unchanging Lordship important?
Because change implies imperfection, and God is perfect! To suggest that God changes, implies that he is not sovereign. Science is always changing, Those who love science pride themselves in knowledge, but their knowledge is always evolving. Those who believe in evolution believe they are evolving into something better. The Lord doesn't need to evolve because He is perfect.
We are not perfect and that is why we need to trust in a perfect savior with perect authority, with perfect love and perfect justice. We make laws to allow freedom of religion in order to promote charity, kindness, civility, and a general good for the community, there is bound to be a fraud that intends to abuse those freedoms for evil. But Christ knows the intricacies that we can not see. He sees through evil intentions and He knows the hidden motivation that we do not. When Judas joined the disciples, The Lord knew something the others didn't, he kew the whole time that Judas would be a traitor. That Judas would betray him with a kiss. It seems that some time in our life we will meet someone who through the disguise of friendship will eventually stab us in the back? But Christ looked him in the eye before he sold him out for 30 pieces of silver and said "one of you is a devil"
In his omniscience he knows who will betray him and who will serve him faithfully. And when we know that he knows all things ahead of us as if they had already happened and been put behind us, we have great peace and assurance in him.
There is an old hymn that an old woman would sing from the old country church we went to as kids, I love to sing it. It's called "Hold to God's unchanging hand." The first line of that hymn is "Time is filled with swift transition naught of earth unmoved can stand, build your hopes on things eternal hold to God’s unchanging hand."
This hymn is a clear reference to Matthew 6:20 - "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
When we trust in the unchanging rock of Christ and his authority, we trust something that is eternal. The authority of men in this world comes and goes but his authority lasts forever. So when we store up treasures, we store them in the place that will have them forever.
Transition: We have hope by trusting in his divine authoirty; His Lordship is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and secondly . . .
His language is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Everything changes, even language. The word 'Homophobe' which means fear of homosexuality, was not a popular word 30 years ago, now it has entered into the mainstream of our culture. Some of our liberal friends have found a way to silence those who oppose homosexuality on moral grounds by using this word to insinuate bigotry. There is another word that means "one who fears of Christ or Christians" it is called 'Christophobe' but do you ever hear anyone use that word? Do you ever hear news anchors use it to describe ISIS who behead Christian believers? No.
There are other words like 'holy', 'righteous', 'pious' 'God-fearing', that are never used in a positive way outside of church. And there are words like 'wicked', 'blasphemous', and 'heresy' that are hardly used anymore to describe the moral rot that surrounds us. No wonder our children are confused, they have no Christian principle to stand on, because their Sunday School language has been replaced with politically correct language. Which is frankly, tyranny of speech. If we have freedom of speech in this country then why do we get nervous about saying certain things. because our culture and not our church has said this is what is acceptable to say and we obey our culture before we obey the Lord. We all need to come to a decision on who we want to please, who we want to obey, and who we want to follow.
"Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing." - I Kings 18:21
No one said "I will follow God" and no one said "I will follow Baal." Once we come to a decision we can not be silent nor ashamed to admit who we have decided to believe in.
Isn't it telling about the times we live when terms like "homophobe" "same sex marriage" or "abortion rights" are more readily accepted than say words like "worldly" "immoral" "secular" or "humanism." It's no surprise. One of the biggest myths that many churches believe is that this world is our friend. Though we love those in the world as God does, they are not our friend. 1 John 5:19 says "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one." John is saying that the whole unbelieving world is trusting in Satan. And in order to appease God and the world, some will try to be tolerant, which is a nice way of saying neutral. Instead of saying with the apostle "I am not ashamed of the gospel" we say "I am tolerant!" - Jesus calls it lukewarm and his despises it.
The world changes words and changes the meaning of words but the WORD of God never changes! He is "Yea and Amen." No matter how hard the world may try to change his language they will not succeed, even if they were to change every dictionary, every school book and force everyone on the news, radio, and internet to say only certain words and not others, the gates of Hell will still not prevail against Christ's church.
Transition: His language is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And finally,
His love is the same yesterday, today and forever.
"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." -Ps. 100:5
No matter how sad our spirits may be when we look to ourselves, we will always have a reason to praise the Lord when we look to his love that is never changing, and ever present and eternal. We have joy in our hearts when we look to his endless love for our comfort. The covenant of grace, with so many promises, strengthens the faith of every weak believer.
Ill. A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.
The everlasting unchangeable mercy of God, is demonstrated on the cross. He was preeminently Savior from the beginning. The plan of the cross was known before time. Before Adam and Eve walked the earth Jesus was destined for the cross. He couldn't stand the thought of the ones he loves, suffering for their sins in a lake of fire. There must be a way to save those I love. There is but it will take a miracle and it will be brutal, and it will be torturously painful. But when he looks into your eyes he sees the love of his life and how could he not do anything to save you. And it is his endless love that's the first motivates us to turn to him, and it will be why we praise his name for all eternity.
Conclusion: In the story 'A Christmas Carol' Bob Cratchet asks Ebenezer Scrooge if he should take down Jacob Marley's name from the sign that hung outside the office for seven years after he died. Scrooge's reply was simply "No. Time will erase it at no cost to us." Time can be just as cruel as Ebenezer, erasing our lives with no concern or compassion. We live in accordance to the calendar, a measure of time. But God exists outside of time. He is lordship, his language, his love, his light, and his life are the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is two things for sure. He is good and He is Love and both of these things are just as true today as they were when he sacrificed himself on the cross. He is the same Lord that answered your past prayers and will answer them today and will answer them tomorrow and the next day.
"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen." - Jude 1:25
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