His Immutability

I don't necessarily like change, but it happens. But there is one thing that's for certain. Our God never changes. And I thought that tonight it would be good for us to begin with the attribute of God that talks about the fact that He never changes. Why? The reason why is because whatever we talk about from here on out, we must understand that that's the way God is. He will never change. So we must understand the fact of his, what the theologians call his immutability, his change. He never changes, he's always the same.

It speaks of the fact that he is perpetually the same. And if we understand that, then we will clearly come to grips with the fact that his love never changes. His justice never changes. His holiness never changes. His wrath never changes. His omnipresence never changes. His omnipotence never changes. His grace never changes. His mercy never changes. His wisdom never changes. I think you get the Nothing changes with God because He is immutable. He never ch. So tonight, I want to cover four points with you.

Number one, the revelation of God's immutability. Number two, The implication of God's immutability. Number three, the question of God's immutability.

And number four, the application of God's immutability. Because God never changes, what does that mean to me? So, number one, the revelation of God's immutability.

I want to look at the Old Testament with you and the New Testament with you, look at some verses to explain to you what it means.

That God is perpetually the same. Turn me in your Bible to Psalm 102. In Psalm 102, we see a psalmist who asks a question. A question that deals with the fact: what can we count on in a world that is constantly changing? It's the prayer of one who is afflicted. He says in verse number 2, Do not hide thy face from me in the day of my distress. Incline thine ear to me. In the day when I call, answer me quickly. For my days have been consumed in smoke, and my bones have been scorched like a hearth. My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away.

Indeed, I forgot to eat my bread. Because of the loudness of my groaning, my bones cling to my flesh. I resemble a pelican of the wilderness. I have become like an owl of the waste places. I lie awake. I have become like a lonely bird on a houset. My enemies have reproached me all day long. Those who deride me have used my name as a curse. The psalmist is pouring out his complaint to God. And then he says in verse number 12, these words: But thou, O Lord, Dost abide forever and thy name to all gener.

When the psalmist would cry out to God because of the constant state of change, it seemed to be getting worse and worse and worse for him. There was something he could cling to. There was stability for him. There was steadfastness for him. There was the unchang God. And then verse number 25 of that same chapter says, This, of old, thou didst found the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands, even they will perish, but thou dost endure. And all of them will wear out like a garment, like clothing.

Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will not come to An end. The hope that the psalm had was the fact that there was a God who will never cease. To ex, he is more than eternal, he is unchang. Simply put, he is immutable. He is neither capable nor susceptible to change. Now that's a good thing. Because if he was susceptible to change, he could not be God. Because you see, if he could become better than he already is, that would mean he would be imperfect.

He can never get worse. If he could get worse, that would mean he would be imperfect, and therefore we would be in trouble because we could not count on his unchangeableness. He never changes. Turn over with me to the New Testament. It says over in Hebrews chapter 13, verse number 8, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's amazing. It says in James chapter 1, verse number 17: Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

He always has an unending succession of good that he bestows. Upon his people. Which leads us to point number two: the implications of God's immutability.

What are the implications? Let me give you five areas. First of all, in this person, we've already talked a little bit about this, but over in 1 Samuel chapter 15.

1 Samuel chapter 15, the story is of Saul and his inability to do what God told him to do, or his unwillingness to do what God told him to do, and that was to destroy everything at Amalek. And he did not do that. In fact, he kept the king. He kept some of the spoils. And when Samuel came to him and expressed to him. God's displeasure with what Saul had done. Listen to what Samuel says in 1 Samuel 15, verse number 29. And also, the glory of Israel will not lie or change his mind. For he is not a man that he should change his mind.

But look at number two, his precepts. Psalm 119, verse number 8 says this, Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. It says over in Isaiah 40, verse number 8: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever. He never has to retract a statement. Number three, his plans.

Not only is his person unchanging. Because his person is unchanging, his precepts are unchanging, therefore his plans are unchanging. It says in Psalm 3, 11, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation To gener, it says over in Proverbs chapter 19, verse number 21: There are many plans in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the Lord's counsel that will stand. God's plans are firm. His purposes are always carried out perfectly. Can you imagine being a CEO of a major corporation and all your plans coming about just as You wanted them to come about.

Can you imagine how much money you'd make? Can you imagine how valuable you would be to other companies? That you would be able to always plan and it always come out just the way you want it to come out? That's the way God is. We make plans, they never come out the way we want them to come out. Why? Because people affect our plans. The weather affects our plans. You see, people don't affect God's plans because God creates people. Weather never affects God's plans because God's in charge of the weather.

So weather could never be involved in affecting God's plans. Death always affects our plans, doesn't it? If someone dies, it becomes a major inconvenience to our already existing schedule. But we make room for that because there's been a change. But because God has designed the days in which a man lives and which he dies. Death doesn't affect him because he designed death. He knows exactly when people will die because he's predetermined it in eternity past. Over in Hebrews chapter 6, listen to what The writer of Hebrews said in verse number 17: In the same way, God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose.

Interposed with an oath in order that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. We may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set Before us, two unchangeable things. The word of God, he makes an oath. The purposes of God never change. And because those two things are unchangeable. We can have security in the fact that God's plan will always work out best for our lives. God's plan is never out of sync, it's never off course. God only has one plan.

It's always plan A. He never has to come up with plan B and plan C and plan D based on how we respond to plan A. It's always plan A with God. There are no Alternate plans in heaven. God has a plan. It always works out the way He wants it to work out. A fourth area, and that is his provision. We read it earlier, James chapter 1, verse number 17. God always provides good things, God always takes care of his people. As you recall, he provided for Abraham. If he provided for Abraham, he'll provide for you and me.

See, we have a problem. We think that sometimes God gets too old to provide for us like he provided for Abraham. Why? Because you see, as we get older, we're not as good as we used to be, right? We can't do the things we used to do for our kids. We can't play with them like we used to play with them. You, ever since I had back surgery, my wife says, I'm half the man I used to be. I can't do the things my kids I used to do. And the older I get, the less things I can do. And we think sometimes God gets too old.

God provided for Abraham, but that was way back when. God's getting older now, and He's just not as good at providing the things He used to provide. But that's not what the Bible says.

If God provided for Abraham, God's going to provide for you, because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's the way God is. And then lastly, his promises. Because God is unchanging, his promises never change. Someone said that there were over 800 different promises in the Bible that God gives. 800 different promises. And because God is unchangeable, his promises never change. And that means that when he says in Psalm 8:11, no good thing would the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly, he means exactly that.

There is no good thing he will withhold from those who walk uprightly. Why? Because he is the father of lights who bestows good gifts. Constantly upon his people. God said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. That's a great promise. Do you believe that? God is unchangeable, he never leaves. Turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter 2.

2 Timothy chapter 2. And Paul gives Timothy a trustworthy statement. That talks about the promises of God. He says in verse number 11: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. That's his promise. If I am crucified to Christ, I will live with him forever. If I've died to self, I will live with him forever. It says in verse number 12: if we endure, we also shall reign. With him. The true mark of a believer is endurance. The ability to persevere, not because of my own. Ability, but because of the grace that God bestows upon my life to cause me to endure to the very end.

See? And so Paul tells Timothy: if we endure, we shall also reign with him. Why? Because the true mark of a Christian is endurance. And those who endure to the end prove themselves to be saved, and we will reign with them forever. That he says this. If we deny him, he also will deny us. That's a promise. If you live a life that habitually denies the character of God and who He is and what He's done, He will deny you. Now, listen very carefully. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. Most people say, Well, when we're faithless and we don't really live things out the way we are, it's okay because God's faithful.

That's not what the verse means. Although most preachers will tell you, if you're faithless, that's okay. God is faithful. Well, that's true. He's faithful to what? He's faithful to deny you. See that? If you deny him, he will deny you. If you're faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny him. He can't say, you're faithless, you've denied me, that's okay. I'm faithful, and I'm going to take you with me. That's not the character of God. All throughout the scripture, if you're ashamed of me and my words in this generation, so will the Son of Man be ashamed of you in the age to come.

He's not going to be there with you because you have denied him. You've denied his existence. You've denied his character. You've denied his being. And God is faithful. He is faithful if you' Because he cannot deny him. That 's so important. You see, we look at that as a faithful promise to us to keep us going.

There's two sides of the coin here. God says, Look, I can't deny myself. I will be faithful to my word to deny you if you deny me. See that? If you deny him, he will deny you. That's a promise. Which leads us to point number three.

The question of God's immutability. There will be some of you who will say, Wait a minute. There are specific verses in the Bible that say that God changed his mind. So, how do you reconcile that with the fact that God is unchangeable? Well, let's look at a couple of those.

Jonah. Jonah chapter 3. Jonah chapter 3, you know the story of Jonah, the whale got on that under express after rebelling against God, and God Put him in a fish and took him back to Nineveh, and and he repented of his ways and asked God to forgive him of his sins and went to preach to Nineveh. He didn't want to go because he knew they would repent of their sins. If he preached about a good God who loved them and wanted to show mercy upon their lives, he knew they would repent. And so he did not want to go and have his enemies repent and turn and follow the God that he served.

But due to extenuating circumstances outside of his control, he had to go that way. And so he did. He preached, and sure enough. The people of Nineveh repented. Listen to what it says. Jonah 3, verse number 10. When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way. Then God rel, repented concerning the calamity which he had declared he would bring upon them, and he did not do it. And someone 's going to say, see? God changed his mind. God was going to kill him. God was going to crush him.

God was going to destroy him. They repented. God changed his mind. Say that? God is not unchangeable. Really? Let me ask you a question.

Who changed? God or the Nine? Nine changed. They repented of their sin. Let me ask you this question.

It says in Ezekiel 18:4, that the soul that sins, it shall die. God means what he says, right? Have you sinned? Then you should die. Yet, what's Romans 8:1 say? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, praise be to God, none whatsoever. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6:2. But the gift of God is eternal life. God said, the soul that sins, it's going to die. But if we change, that is, if we repent of our sin, what happens? We receive eternal life. Did God change or did we change?

God never changed. God always fun in accord with his character. Always. Does God change his mind? No, he doesn't. From our perspective, it looks like he does. But from heaven's perspective, God knows all. God is sovereign. Eternity passed. He predetermined the repentance of Nineveh. He wasn't taken by surprise. He wasn't up in heaven saying, I can't believe this man never repented. Look at the angels Can you believe this angels, man?

This is so great, man. I can't believe this happened. This is unbelievable. This is the greatest, most unbelievable thing I've ever seen. We've got to change things here. That's not what God did. Why? Because God predetermines all things. And so He brings about His good pleasure. See? Now, question number two.

Does God change his methods? Does God change his methods? His character never changes. His methods of dealing with men and administering his program on earth May vary, but whatever he does, it is totally consistent with his nature, known. From eternity past, if you were to go to Hebrews chapter 7 and read in verse number 12 these words: For when the priesthood is changed. Of necessity there takes place a change of law also. Wait a minute. If God is unchangeable, what takes place here? In the order of God's events, God changed the priesthood.

He never changed the moral law. But because he changed the priesthood, he changed the ceremonial law, he changed the judicial law. That is, he put something in its place, is what the word literally means. And what did he put in its place? He put his son in its place, the ultimate high priest. So, what he put in its place was much better than what was in existence under the old covenant. And the writer of Hebrews writes to portray the superiority of Christ to all things, to man, to angels, to the priesthood.

Why? Because he is the ultimate. Priest. And because he is the ultimate priest, what you can never do under the old covenant, you can now do under the new covenant, and that is to enter the actual presence of a holy God. You can never do that before. So, what God did was change his method. He changed it by sending his son to do something that the priesthood under the old covenant could not do. And although now there was that one supreme sacrifice, no longer do we have to go to the temple and offer sacrifices for our sins because there was a one-time sacrifice that takes away all of our sins.

So, what God did in changing his method was give us the greater method, the greater avenue to his presence through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the way our God works. He's a great God. Or, what is the application of this to our life? The fact that God's immutable. Three things. Quickly. Number one is this.

Because God is unchangeable, you can count on Him completely. You can count on God completely. To always tell the truth. I'm not sure you can ever count on someone else to always tell the truth. We'd like to think we can. But God always tells the truth. Psalm 19, 9 says that the judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. God does not lie. He is the God of truth. You can always count on God completely to treat us tenderly. It says over in Psalm 103, verse number 13 to 14: Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

For he him knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust. But the great verse is 1 Corinthians 15. Verses 51 and 52. We shall all be chang in the twinkling Of an eye in a moment. Because you can count on God completely, one day when He returns in a moment, bam, we're changed. Everything. We will see him. And John says that when we see him, we'll be like him, for we'll see him as he is. We too then will become unchangeable. Why? Because we will have glorified bodies. We will be just like our heavenly Father.

And God says, you can count on me completely to tell you the truth. To trans your life totally. And in the meantime, to treat you tenderly because I'm your God. That's good to know. You can count on him, and because you can count on him, you give your life to him. Don't give your life to somebody you can't count on. Give your life to somebody you can count on if you can count on God. Number two, not only can you count on him completely, but you can communicate with him confidently.

You can communicate with him confidently. Hebrews chapter 4, verse number 16 says, What? Let us therefore draw near with con to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy. And may find grace to help in time of need. God is always open to your request, He never gets tired of you coming. In fact, he invites you to come to him. He says in Jeremiah:, Call unto me, and I will show you great and mighty things that thou knowest not, but you've got to call. Matthew 7, verse number 7, ask. Seek, knock.

Philippians 4:6, let your request be made known unto God. Psalm:, the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. He wants you to communicate with him confidently. That's why the unchangeable character of God is so important. And number three.

You receive comfort from him constantly. I love John 13, verse number 1. Speaking of Christ to his men, it says he loved them too. The end. Well, that's good. He loved them to the end. In spite of their rejection. In spite of their weak faith, in spite of their inability to do what he asked them to do, he loved them to the end. What are you going through? That you need the comfort of God. When you lose a loved one, you need the comfort of God. You never find comfort in the bottom. You never find comfort in a book.

You'll never find comfort in another body. You only find comfort in God. He's the God of all comfort. He will comfort you constantly. Because he's a God who never changes. May God give us the grace to understand that our God never changes.