The last installment in this series of “sentence sermons” is taken from Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.”This simple statement is a fundamental truth about our Lord which has great importance and should give much comfort to every Christian.
Uncertainty is a very uncomfortable feeling.Typically, we want to know what to expect today, tomorrow, and in the days to come.When a person is uncertain about whether or not his job will continue, whether or not his health will endure, or how he will get his next meal, he is likely to be stressed and discomforted.Such is our uncertain life in this world, for “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow” (Jas. 4:14; Prov. 27:1).
However, there is no uncertainty with our Lord Jesus Christ.He does not change.He is the same God today as He was in the beginning when He “was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).He is the same power through whom God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:2).He is the same righteous person that came to earth and walked as a man, teaching and practicing that which is good (John 1:9-14).He is the same Lord as He was when He ascended back to heaven and was seated at the right hand of God on the throne of David (Acts 2:29-36).He is the same force today who continuously “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).And He is the same judge whom we shall see coming again with the clouds, rewarding the faithful, and “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (1Thess. 4:13-18; 2Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 1:7).
This unchangeable quality of Christ is shared with God the Father, “with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (Jas. 1:17).Our God is not fickle, and He does not waver in His will or His promises.The work of redeeming man that was accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was “in accordance with the eternal purpose” of God (Eph. 3:11).God’s eternal plan to save man began to unfold immediately after man’s fall (Gen. 3:15), and it was consummated “in the fullness of time” when Christ came to earth (Gal. 4:4-5).All the years of man’s stubborn rebellion and sin did not deter God from carrying out His plan, and nothing will stop Him from finishing it now.
Therefore, knowing that our Lord does not change, we can have great confidence, security, and comfort.It is comforting to know that the merciful and compassionate Lord whom we read about in the pages of the New Testament is the same Lord who will judge us in the last day (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:31-46).It is also comforting to know that the standard of His judgment is the word which He spoke, which He has not altered and will not alter until He comes again (John 12:48).It gives us great security to be part of the church that Christ built, which He said by His unalterable word will not be overpowered by the gates of Hades (Matt. 16:18).By knowing our unchangeable Lord, we can know what to expect for eternity, which is life in Him.In this we find wonderful comfort indeed.
In Revelation 1:8, John recorded these words of Jesus – “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”From the beginning of creation, to the crucifixion, and to the Judgment – our Lord is the Almighty.By knowing what He has already done, we may also know for certain that He will do all He has said, for He has proven that He is the Almighty.Knowing this, let us confidently beseech our unchangeable, Almighty Lord in the words of John, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
