THINGS THAT DO NOT CHANGE
Psalm 102:25-27
A cynic once remarked that nothing is permanent except change. We live in a world of change. Everything from ladies’ shoes to legislation, from automobiles to art, from furniture to finances…styles, customs and conditions change overnight5.
Your world is changing. Every day, everything around you, from the number of hairs on your head to the wrinkles on your face; to the relationships you cherish, to the job that you endure; it’s all changing.
We live in an ever-changing world. Not only is the volume of knowledge increasing, the very rate of increase itself is increasing. Somewhere I read that the sheer volume of knowledge is now doubling every two years. Our children routinely play with electronic devices their great-grandparents never dreamed of. We take for granted technological advances that were simply unthinkable 25 years ago. And our grandchildren will enter a world advanced far beyond our current imagining.
But the essential things have not changed. Putting the entire Bible on a computer chip doesn’t change the fact that it is still the Word of God. We can translate the JESUS film into hundreds of languages—and do it by computer!—but the message is still the same.
This area has changed, is changing, and will change yet again. But we have nothing to fear because the human heart hasn’t changed at all. The packaging is different, the methods may vary, but the gospel of Christ is still the only hope for men and women trapped in sin. That has not changed and, with God’s help, will never change. You have the same God, the same Bible, the same Jesus, and the same gospel. Nothing that matters has changed at all.
In a world kept chaotic by change, you will eventually discover that one of the most precious qualities of God: He doesn’t change.
Bill Hybels, pastor of Willowcreek Community Church in South Barrington, tells of a foster child, 8-years-old who stayed with them for months and they began to see good things happen in this boy’s life. His name was Ronnie. He and Bill spent hours in the garage working on a model car. The boy was excited about the project. He treated the car with great respect. He wanted everything to fit just right and look perfect so they took their time to get it just right.
As the project continued, they got the phone call that it was time for Ronnie to go to another foster home. Bill went to the garage and as tenderly as he could, said, “Well, Buddy, in a few days, we’re going to have to make a different arrangement here because the people who make these decisions are going to ask you to move again.”
A coldness passed over Ronnie’s face. You could see the tension work its way through his jaw. He was silent but his emotions were churning inside. He slowly but determinedly raised his fist and smashed the prized model car.
5 minutes earlier, such an act would have been unthinkable, but that was before his archenemy – change – had blown its hideous breath his way.
He backed up against the garage wall, as if he couldn’t get far enough away from his smashed car and shouted, “What do people think I am, a football? They throw me here and they throw me there, and they kick me around all over the place. I’m sick and tired of being a football!”
That boy was lost in a windstorm of change. As soon as he thought roots were sinking into the ground, he was yanked up and planted somewhere else. His schools changed, his neighborhoods changed, his houses changed, even his “parents” changed. Sometimes things changed for the better. Sometimes they changed for the worst, but what he hated more than anything else was change itself. He was at a point where he would even choose a bad situation as long as he could stay in one place for a while.
Ever felt like that, wishing you could just hold up your hands and scream, “Time out!” and make everything stop? I have worked with couples in counseling and a spouse pointed a finger at their life partner and shouted, “You’ve changed! You’re not the person I married!”
I’ve talked to employees who loved working for their company – maybe they’ve worked there for decades – and the company gets bought out and the people change and the atmosphere changes and all of a sudden the employees mournfully reminisce about the “good old days”.
Countries are reconfigured and the entire governments are ousted in a coup. NFL quarterbacks grow old at age 36 and retire. Statesmen die. Families pass on. We are lost in a sea of change.
As soon as we think we’ve learned how to parent babies, we have to learn how to discipline toddlers. When we get good with toddlers, we’ve suddenly got preadolescents. When we get good with preadolescents, we get these strange creatures called teenagers. When you get a handle on teenagers, they are young adults who have moved out of the house! We never catch up.
Just because our team won the championship last year doesn’t mean they’ll win it this year. Things change. We change and we must learn to cope with change.
The irony is the best way to cope with change is to get to know a God who doesn’t change. There are anchors in the swirling sea of change.
Alvin Toffler, who wrote the best-selling book, Future Shock said that when people go through rapid times of change, they need what he calls, “islands of stability”. Those things that do not change in your life.
God made human beings to be very adaptable and flexible. But, when everything is flying off the wall, coming unglued and the hurricanes of change are blowing through our lives, we need to have something that does not change. As we face changes, we need to be able to say, “I know many things are going to change around me, but I know these things for sure. I can count on this and this and this.”
Is there anything like that in the world? Are there island of stability? There are some things in your life that you thought were unchangeable 2 or 3 years ago but have already changed. And they were not reliable. Is there anything that never, ever changes?
The Bible speaks of 3 things that never change.
Body
I. GOD’S CHARACTER NEVER CHANGES.
In this passage the Psalmist is going through some trouble. He compares himself to a lonely bird in verses 6-7. He feels like a bird alone on a housetop. His enemies are reproaching him but he goes to the Lord in prayer and tells the Lord how he feels.
Then in the second half of the psalm, he looks at the world around and how it is changing and perishing, but God is the only sure thing (vs.26-27).
In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I, the Lord, do not change.” The theological term for that is the immutability of God. That means He’s always been the same. He is the same right now and He will always be the same.
Why does God never change? Is it that He can’t? Is it that He doesn’t want to? Is it that He is stuck in His ways? Why does God never change?
It is because He is perfect! And because God is perfect, He can’t get any better – and He won’t get any worse. If you’re perfect, there is no reason to change, because you are perfect. So, God says, “I never change.”
The fact that God is absolutely consistent in His character is very good news but only because of the quality of His character. Sometimes consistency can be bad. Consistency is bad if you are dishonest, lazy and deceitful. You don’t want people to count on the fact that you are dishonest, lazy and deceitful.
God’s character never changes. When we are talking about God’s power, presence, knowledge, commitments, graciousness and generosity, any change would have to be for the worse. If God changed, that would mean He would have to be less gracious. He would have to be less faithful. He would have to speak to me less and guide me less. I don’t want that!
God’s character never changes. I may want my spouse to change. I may want my children to change. I may want my friends to change and my church to change. I certainly want myself to change. But I don’t want God to change!
Any product can be improved. You can create a laundry detergent that makes clothes whiter and is better for the environment. You can improve your favorite breakfast cereal by adding more vitamins, more fiber or more crunch, but how can you improve on perfect knowledge, perfect power and perfect love?
James 1 says, (Jas 1:17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
The NIV says, “who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Not only is there no turning, there isn’t even a shadow of turning! God doesn’t even begin to lean away from righteousness, much less move His feet.
Yet in spite of the teaching of Scripture, in spite of centuries of Christian experience faithfully passed on, I still have moments when I begin to doubt things about God. Sometimes when the pressures in my life are building, I think, “I don’t think God knows about this!” He may be omniscient, but somehow this has escaped His attention!
Or we get in a tricky situation – disaster seems certain and God seems distant. We say in fear, “I don’t think He’s present with me right now. This may be the first time He’s taken a 15-minute break, but finally it’s happened.”
Or we get ourselves entangles in a destructive relationship or see a loved one trapped by what seems insurmountable bad circumstances and quietly we groan, “God may be all-powerful, but I don’t think even He has the power to solve this one.”
We think things such as, “The God of Moses parted the waters; the God of David slew Goliath – but that was in His prime. Somehow over the years, the centuries have taken a toll on God.”
Some of us fear that God has lost His stuff. His fastball doesn’t pop like it used to. His curveball hangs and his breaking ball doesn’t break anymore. Those of us left on the field are powerless to dodge all the hits that now come flying our way.
I read this week how Michael Jordan is owner or part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. He came to practice with the team the other day to motivate them. One of the players said that Michael Jordan can still shoot the ball but he had lost his quickness. Some of us think the same thing about God.
Several of our hymns stress this aspect of God’s character—perhaps none as beautifully as these lines from “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise":We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth thee!
“I the Lord do not change.” “You remain the same.” God has been all-knowing from eternity past and will be to eternity future. God will always know everything about you. He will always be present. Every time you step on a plane, you can rest secure that God is on your plane. He isn’t staying home more these days. He’s not occasionally taking a day off. He has not lost His stuff.
Everything God was…He is! The same God who empowered Samson, Gideon, and Paul seeks to empower my life and your life, because God hasn’t changed.
The same God who led the Children of Israel through the wilderness and led Paul to go to Macedonia will lead this church and will lead you.
God is unchanging in His power, in His presence and in His knowledge. When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts…God knows how hard you have tried.
When you’ve cried so long and your heart is torn in two…God has counted your tears.
If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by…God is waiting with you.
When you are lonely and your friends are too busy for even a phone call…God is by your side.
When you think you’ve tried everything and don’t know where to turn…God has a solution.
When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated…God has the answer.
Wherever you are or whatever you are facing…God knows and is able.
God’s love will also never change. In Jeremiah 31:3, He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” You were created as an object of God’s love. You were made to be loved by God. You want to know why you’re here on this earth? You were created to be loved by God. His love is continuous. His love is everlasting. His love is consistent. The Bible says that God is always unchanging in His love toward us.
That is very good news because while God is consistent, I am incredibly inconsistent. The Bible teaches that God loves me just as much on my good days as He does on my bad days. He loves me when I feel it and He loves me when I don’t feel it. He loves me when I think I’m close to Him and doing the right thing and He loves me when I’m not close to Him and I’m not doing the right thing. His love is not based on my performance. His love is based on His character.
You can count on God. No matter what happens God is never going to stop loving you. We always get into trouble when we doubt God’s love. Always. I never need to doubt His love for me. There are many things I could worry about, but I don’t have to worry about that one! No matter how I feel, no matter what I’ve done, or what I’ve thought, God’s love is based on His character and is unchanging.
(Rom 8:38) I'm absolutely convinced that nothing--nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow,
(Rom 8:39) high or low, thinkable or unthinkable--absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
That means you can go to bed tonight, confident of the fact that tomorrow morning when you get up God is not going to have changed His mind about you. Be encouraged, child of God. He loves you even in the midst of your pain. He loves you even when you don’t love Him. He loves you when you feel utterly alone.
Suffering can take your health, your happiness, your prosperity, your popularity, your friends, your career, even your family. But there’s one thing suffering can’t take away: it can’t take away the love of God.
You will never be loved by God any more than you are at this moment. You will never be loved by God any less than you are at this moment. God’s love never changes. I can anchor my life to that.
II. GOD’S WORD WILL NEVER CHANGE.
(Isa 40:8) The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
God’s Word is timeless, enduring and eternal. It never withers; it is always fresh. It doesn’t get stale. God’s Word is never out of date.
It will guide you today and tomorrow. Psalm 119:152, “Long ago I learned from Your statues that You established them to last forever.”
The American Bible Society reported the story of a lady who wanted to do something special for the Lord and decided to give away Bibles. While looking for someone to give a Bible to, she came upon a man building a block wall. The lady discovered he had never owned a Bible and offered him one, writing his name in it.
The man was too embarrassed to refuse the Bible. But when the Bible lady left, he said, “I’ll never read this Bible and I’ll make sure no one else does either.” He placed the Bible behind one of the blocks and finished the wall around it, certain that the Bible was hidden forever.
Years later, an earthquake struck the area. An inspector checking the damage the earthquake had done found a crack in the wall. He saw the Bible the stonemason had hidden in the wall. The inspector carefully removed the Bible and took it home with him. That evening he read the Bible for the first time.
Soon the inspector was on his knees, thanking Jesus for dying for him and giving his life to the Lord. He became a Bible distributor for the Bible Society of Spain.
One day the former inspector came on a stonemason and offered him a Bible at a very low cost. The man told the Bible salesman he had sealed the only Bible he ever had in a wall. The distributor took from his pocket the very Bible, glanced at the flyleaf and told the stonemason his name. The startled laborer sat down and listened to the distributor’s story. Then he, too, decided to have a closer look at this book!
God’s Word will last forever because it is eternal. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away but My Word will never pass away.” (Matt. 24:35)
When astronaut Alan Shepherd was getting ready to go into space for the very first time, a reporter asked him, “What are you depending on in this flight?” His answer was classic: “I’m depending upon the fact that God’s laws will not change.”
What would happen if gravity worked every other day? Would that put a crimp in your lifestyle?
In the same way, God has established some moral and spiritual laws for the universe. God gives these boundaries for our good. When we ignore these spiritual laws, we don’t break them – they break us! We get hurt. Every time I ignore God’s laws, I hurt myself. They are there for my benefit. When I go against what God says, it causes stress. It causes worry. It causes guilt. It causes anger. It causes conflict in relationships.
God says to you and to me, “I want you to listen to My Word.” The most basic fundamental temptation is the temptation Adam and Eve had and it’s the same one you have every single day of your life: the temptation to doubt God’s Word. We hear it like this: “Did God really say, don’t do that?”
God’s character never changes and God’s Word will never change.
III. GOD’S PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE WILL NEVER CHANGE.
1 Samuel 15:29 says, “God is not a man. He doesn’t change His mind.”
What God is doing in the world has never been thwarted. He is at work in human history far beyond our ability to visualize what He is doing.
Psalm 112:6-8 says, “Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”
Remember that old saying, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” We have been in the grips of a recession that we all feel. There is much uncertainty out there and in here!
None of this financial turmoil is a surprise to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has promised to provide for His children.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake… Psalm 46:1-3Harner’s paraphrase – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the banks give way and the stock market falls into the heart of Wall Street, though the newspapers roar and foam, and the network news causes quakes with its reporting.
I’ve read the end of the book and we win! I’m on the winning team! You’re not just All State, All District, or All Around. We are All Eternity!
I’m glad. Long before you were born, God planned you. And that plan has never changed. He created you for a purpose. You were made for a reason. If you are alive today, God has a purpose for your life.
Have you noticed that your plans often get changed? Why? There are at least 2 reasons:
1. You can’t see the future. You don’t have foresight. You don’t have the perspective to see what will happen in the future. None of us can know what is going to happen tomorrow much less 10 years from now.
2. You don’t have the means to pull them off. You may have a great plan, but you don’t have the time or you don’t have the money or the energy or intelligence or the opportunity or the power to pull it all off.
Contrast that with God. God never has to change His plans. Never. Why? Because God is omniscient – all-knowing. And God is omnipotent – all-powerful. So God never has to change His plans. He already knows everything that is going to happen and He already has the power to do anything He wants to do. So He doesn’t have to change His plans. His plan for you has never changed. And it never will.Can I miss God’s purpose for my life? Sure. You can miss it. Many people miss God’s purpose for their lives all the time. You can miss it by neglect. You can miss God’s purpose by arrogance – by doing your own plan and not God’s. You can miss it by disobedience, by rebellion and by laziness. You can live your entire life and never fulfill the reason you were actually put on this earth. That’s a tragedy, but God never forces His purpose on us. It’s a choice where you say, “Jesus, I want You to be my Lord. I want to follow Your plan and purpose for my life.”
Can I get back on track after wasting years of my life? Absolutely. Psalms 33:11, “His plans endure forever. His purposes last eternally.”
Isaiah 46:10, “I make the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is to come. I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.”
Proverbs 19:21, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
What about all the dumb things I’ve done? What about all those foolish decisions and bad choices? Those things I regret and wish had never happened? (Rom 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Regardless of what it is that has you stressed out this morning, why don’t you do what David did in Psalm 56:11: “I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?”
Why should I be afraid? I trust in God! Then he says this: “God is our refuge and strength, a tested help (He’s proven reliable) in times of trouble. And so we need not fear if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea.” The truth is I don’t know what the future holds and neither do you.
But I do know 3 things. And I know if I build my life on these three unchangeable facts, on these 3 islands of stability, I can handle enormous stress and change in my life. I know this:
· God will never stop loving me, even when I feel unloveable.
· God’s Word is always true. It may not make sense. It may seem unreasonable and unpopular, but it is always the truth.
· God’s purposes are greater than my problems.
Any time I start doubting these things – these 3 grand truths – I get myself into trouble. When I start doubting God’s love, I start disobeying Him. When I start doubting God’s Word, I tend to do my own thing. When I begin doubting that God has a purpose, I start saying, “Why are all these problems happening to me? Why me? What’s going on?” And I start doubting that God really is in control.
If you want to face the future with confidence and to cope victoriously with change, all you need to do is respond. It’s not automatic. God offers us stability, but we must respond in order to activate His power in our lives.
· Accept God’s love
· Believe God’s Word
· Commit to God’s purpose.
You do these 3 things and you have no need to fear any of the changes that will come your way.
