Unchangeable

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Well as I mentioned, it's a great joy tonight to continue our study of the attributes of God. We introduced it last week. And if you missed last week, let me encourage you to go online and listen or pick up a CD. Because we really laid the foundation for what we mean when we talk about the attributes of God. And I'm not going to go over that again tonight because there's so much, I want to cover on this attribute, but I encourage you to do that. We also last week looked at the first of God's incommunicable attributes. Those attributes in which there's really nothing analogous in man. And that is, His self-existence or His independence. What we're going to do in each case and what I want to do tonight is we'll start by looking at a definition. Then we'll move to the biblical support and the references that give us that information, the biblical data, and then finally we'll move to the ramifications. And so, what? So, what does it mean in each of our Christian lives? Why did God reveal that truth about Himself?

When you think about the word on the screen, unchangeable, it seems absolutely foreign to us. Doesn't it? In fact, this, as with many of God's attributes, can only be defined in our minds by the negative because we can't imagine what it's like to be immutable. I don't know exactly who it was, but someone said that the only constants in life are death and taxes. That was really a comment not only on the person's bitterness against taxes, but it was also a comment on the constant change in our world. Basically, the comment was, everything changes with possibly two exceptions. Really only one and that is death and the other is taxes. Everything around us is in a state of flux.

We enjoy the seasons, but the seasons change. Here's the really bad news, our bodies change. You haven't noticed that lately just take a look tomorrow morning in the mirror very closely, and you'll see an extra wrinkle here and there, an extra sag, an extra couple of pounds. Our bodies change. Our families are in a state of change. It's truly amazing isn't it - how quickly children grow up. How quickly time passes, I think my wife and I were without children for about ten years in our marriage, and it just seemed like time never passed, like time stood still. But once you have children, the time just flies past as you watch their little lives go by. I told Gary Dunlap, that I sat in the back at his daughter's wedding and found myself as I watched him come down the aisle with his daughter, humming "Sunrise, Sunset." Because it just seems like that's how time goes. Our families change, our communities change. We move into an area we're settled. It seems like we've been there a long time, and then things begin to change. And some change is good. You like it when there's a new store down at the corner or maybe a mall nearby. But when too many people start moving in, it's like, Lord that's enough. Our country changes, in its politics and certainly in its culture. It is frankly shocking to see how much the culture has changed over the last thirty years. Things that were taboo then, are now acceptable. And our world changes. In fact, one of the most interesting perspectives on that is, I like some of you, bought a globe in the late eighties. I still have it somewhere. I think. Just to make sure that we can show our children that the world, in the face of the world used to be a lot different. But now it's completely outdated because it has this huge block over it in the areas of the Soviet Union marked off as the USSR. And there are other changes as well. We live in a world of change. And in a world of change like that, we constantly find ourselves searching for an anchor. Something that doesn't change. God alone, as we'll discover tonight, is unchanging and unchangeable. He becomes our anchor in a changing world. In God, no change is possible. For us, change is impossible to escape. God is unchangeable.

Now let's begin and look first at a definition. When we say God is immutable, that's the other word, the theological word for God's unchangeability, immutability. What do we mean by that? Well, let me give you a couple of illustrations. The most simple one I've come across is Tozer's. He never differs from Himself. He's always the same. He's always what He always has been. Berkoff gives us a little more complicated definition, but one that incorporates some other things we need to get our arms around tonight. And by the way that should be Berk. My computer must have rebelled at that moment. "It's that perfection of God, by which He is devoid of all change, not only in His being, but also in His perfections and in His purposes, and in His promises." A.W. Pink writes this: "God is perpetually the same. Subject to no change in his being, attributes or determinations" - that is what He determines to do His purposes.

So, with that in mind. Just a sort of basic definition. Let's look at what the Scripture has to say about this issue. The biblical data. And essentially when you look at the Scripture, the Scripture points out that God is unchanging in several ways. And I want to look at those tonight because I think it really underscores the value to us of God's unchangeability or His immutability.

First, God is unchangeable in His being, or in His essential attributes. Now think about this first, before we look at the Scripture. Think about this logically. God can't change in His being, or He would cease to be God. What are the ways you can change? Think about yourself for a moment. What are the ways you can change? Well, you can get better. Like most of us, when we look in the mirror, you know I'm getting better day by day. You can get worse. Or you can change in some way that shows, from that doesn't show moral change but shows change from say immaturity to maturity. But you're not really changing for better or worse you're just changing in a different way. Think about God. God can't change from immaturity to maturity. That's out of the picture. God can't change from better to worse because the moment that happens, He ceases to be God. He's no, by definition, no longer God. Neither can God change from what He is to something better. God is perfect by definition. How can He get better? So logically, that's true. But the Scripture makes it unquestionably clear. All that God is, He always has been, and all that He has been and is He will ever be. No change in who He is.

Let's look at it together. Let's look first at Malachi. Malachi, the last prophet in the Old Testament. Chapter 3:6. Now let them give you some context here. The book of Malachi is essentially broken down into a series of questions by the people and answers by God. This particular section Malachi 3:6, is the end. It's the last verse in a section that begins in Chapter 2:17. Notice Verse 17. "You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied Him?" This is a question of God's justice. God says, you have worn me out with what you've been saying. The people say, well exactly how have we done that? And here's God's answer: In that you say, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them, or where is the God of justice?

You see God's answer is, here's how you're questioning me. You're questioning My justice in that you're questioning my governance of the moral universe. See, the Israelites had concluded that one of two things must be true. Notice Verse 17 again. Either God delights in those who do evil, or God is simply uninvolved. One of those must be true because look, the evil prospering. So, either God delights in evil and those who do it or He's just out of the picture. Where is the God of justice? He must not be dealing with the world. In other words, they were concluding essentially, one of two things. Ether God isn't good, or God isn't sovereign. That's what they concluded. You see their real beef was - God hasn't treated us fairly. What does that sound familiar? We've been talking about that a lot recently, but that's what they say. That's what they said. And they said either God is uninvolved in the world. Our God must delight in evil, and God said, you have wearied me with that. And so, beginning in chapter 3:1-6, you have a divine apologetic for God's justice. I'm not going to take time to go through this in detail but notice the first four verses. Essentially, if I could summarize it, it's this. God's justice will come. To paraphrase the famous sermon by the Southern Baptist preacher R.G. Lee – payday, someday. God's justice will come. Don't mistake God's long suffering and his patience with a lack of justice.

Notice Verse 5. There's another principle of God's justice. Not only will it come for sure: Verses 1- 4 and God has already chosen to do that through the Messiah, but God's justice is impartial. Notice Verse 5. Then I will draw near to you for judgment. Now, if you're an Israelite, your community responses well away a minute. Our concern was with those people out there who are doing evil. Our concern is with them, and God says, I will draw near to you in judgment or judgment. And I will be a swift witness against all of you who are living like you shouldn't live. God's justice is impartial. But then notice Verse 6. And this is where we're coming. Here's the point about God's justice. God's justice in Verse 6 is tempered with His loyalty to His people and His promises, and by His grace. I love that. Notice Verse 6. OK, it's justice that you want? Be glad you're not getting it – 'For I the Lord do not change." There is the unequivocal statement of the character of God. He says, I am Yahweh and here is something that's true about Me. You can take it to the bank. I don't change. And let me tell you why that's good news. He says, look at the end of Verse 6. Therefore, you owe sons of Jacob are not consumed. Literally, therefore, you owe sons of Jacob have not come to an end. God says, listen, I am immutable. In my being. I don't change, and that means that I will temper the justice you deserve with the gracious promises I have made to you. That's why you're not consumed. But God makes the statement very clearly, undeniably, unequivocally. I am unchangeable in my being and my essential attributes. I am Yahweh and I do not change.

Let's look at another Hebrews 1:10. Now this is quoting the Psalms 102:25-27, which we'll look at a little later tonight. Notice what the writer of Hebrews says Verse 10. "And, You Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth. And the heavens or the works of your hands." God, You created the earth, and you created the heavens. Verse 11. "They will perish, but You remain. And they will all become old like a garment. And like a mantle, You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed, but You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end." Now the writer here intends to underscore the basic difference between the Creator and the creature. Notice, He says, two things about God. The one is the one we normally notice, and that is that God has no end. He's eternal. We'll come back to this text when we when we get there. Verse 11. Everything You made will perish, but You will remain. Notice the end of verse 12. "Your years will not come to an end." That's God's eternality. But there's another point made in this verse or in these verses I should say. Notice what he says. "Like a mantle You will roll them up like a garment they will also be changed." It's as if everything God made is like a garment. Like a garment that you can just take off and they are changed. But You God are the same. You see, He doesn't merely say that God is without end, which is true. He says that God, unlike creation, always remains the same.

Hebrews 13:8. We won't turn there. It's a very familiar one. Essentially makes the point that this is true of Christ, who, of course is God, and so therefore it defines the character of God. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever?" Can't change.

James 1:17 turn there. I do want to show you several things in James 1:17. First of all, I want you to notice the context. Remember that James has just finished talking about the issue of temptation. And he's dealing with the fact that you and I are easily carried away by our cravings to desire what God hasn't given us. And so, he makes the opposite point in Verse 17 or actually beginning Verse 16, he says, "Don't be deceived my beloved brethren." Now, why does he say that? "Don't be deceived." What kind of deception goes along with temptation? Well first of all, we're deceived that that thing is good, even though it doesn't come from God. We're certainly deceived into thinking it won't harm us. There are a number of deceptions he could be implying, but I think he makes it clear what deception he means by the next verse. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above." What's the deception you're to avoid? The deception when you're tempted is that there's some good thing that God is withholding from you. Isn't that really the basic underlying assumption behind temptation. God is withholding something for me that would be really good to have and enjoy. And the writer here, James says, "Don't be deceived." It's not true. It's a lie. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights. And then he makes this profound statement about God as the supplier, provider, the creator, the Father of lights. He says, God is the creator, the Father of, the creator of all of the heavenly bodies and with Him there is no variation or shifting shadow. The word variation is used only here in the New Testament. It speaks of change from a set course, ruler pattern. As the variation of an object in a constant orbit. It's if something is constantly orbiting and it slightly varies its orbit. In this context, it probably refers to the course and the character of the actual sun. He's just referred to God as the Father of lights, meaning the heavenly lights. And he says, the course of the sun that passes over head changes and its light and its heat. Its intensity varies. We experience that don't we? Summertime is a lot different in Texas than January. But the character of God, its creator never changes. There is no variation. No slight change in orbit. And then he adds or shifting shadow. Both of these words are found only here in the New Testament. This word shifting is used in the Septuagint of the movements again of the stars and the heavenly bodies. Literally, what the text says is with God, there is no shadow of turning. With Him, there is no shadow cast by turning.

Think of standing outside in the evening, as the sun begins to set on the horizon and there's a shadow cast across the ground. If you stand still there's no change, but if you move slightly your direction that motion, that movement is exaggerated in the shadow that you cast and there's a shadow cast by turning. James says, with God there's no shadow cast by turning. In other words, He doesn't turn, He doesn't vary. He doesn't turn. He is always who He is. God's life, His character, His truth, His ways, His purposes never change. But here the primary reference I believe is to His character. James, in this passage has referred to God's goodness. He's referred to God's holiness, His generosity to men, His hostility to sin. And that God, who is like that is the one with whom there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. God is absolutely unchanging and unchangeable in his being in character.

That brings us to the second point in Scripture makes about God's unchangeability. And that is, He is unchangeable in his eternal purpose, plan or decree. Think about yourself for a moment, how often do you change your plans? About as often as you change socks, some of you may be more often. Why do we change our plans? We change our plans for one of two reasons. Either A) We fail to anticipate everything that we should have anticipated and brought into that decision or B) We have a good plan, but we lack the power to carry it out, to execute it. Those are really the only two reasons we change our plans. Think about God for a moment. Does God ever fail to anticipate anything? No! He's omniscient. He's absolutely all knowing. Does God ever lack the power to execute the plan that He's decided to follow? No! He's omnipotent. So, God never needs to change His plans. He's always accounted for everything, and He always has the power to execute His perfect wise and holy plan. And so therefore, God is unchangeable in His eternal purpose, plan or decree

Let's look at a few verses that demonstrate this reality for us. Turn to Deuteronomy 32:39. This is in the song of Moses. Moses is about to go over to the mountain and be taken into the presence of the Lord, to die and be taken into the presence of the Lord. And he writes this song that's recorded for us here at the end of Deuteronomy. Verse 39 describes God in this way. "See now that I, I am He. There is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand." Essentially, God is making the point here that there is no other God who can act and fulfill His purpose and will. And he says, whatever you want to name, and He gives a couple of categories here. It is I who put to death and give life. I'm the one who, in the decisions of who lives and who dies, make that decision. I have wounded, and it is I who heal.

It's interesting if you go back to Exodus 4, you remember when God appears to Moses, we won't turn back there, but in Exodus 4, God appears to Moses and Moses complains about his ability to speak. If he was complaining about his voice, I could appreciate that. But he was complaining about his ability to speak, and God says this to him; Who has made man's mouth? Isn't it I who made the seeing and the blind and the mute and the lame, and the and God takes full responsibility for all of those things that in our world, we call disabilities? God says, I'm the one who does it, and you're just going to have to trust Me. Here, God makes that same point in a more profound way. He says, I put to death. I give life, I wound, I heal and there's none who can deliver from My hand. In other words, you can't change My purpose. If I have the decision, if I've made the decision to do this, then it will be done.

Psalm 33 drives home this point as well in a more general way. Psalm 33:11. We looked at this briefly last week. Notice Verse 10. Or let's start back at Verse 8. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." The Psalmist is calling the entire intelligent human race to fear God, to fear Yahweh, the God of Israel. And to stand in awe of Him. Why? Verse 9 because "He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast." What happens if someone else's decisions run contrary to the Lord's decisions? Verse 10. "The Lord nullifies the council of the nations and He frustrates the plans of the peoples." Verse 11. "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart. from generation to generation." Now understand the nature of Hebrew poetry here is what's called synonymous parallelism. It's a form of poetry in which one line is essentially a synonym for the other line but expands and develops it in some way. Essentially, God says this: The council or decisions of the Lord stand forever. The plans of his heart, those two words are synonymous, from generation to generation. It's unchangeable. Generations may come and go, but God doesn't change His plans.

Isaiah, Let's turn to the Book of Isaiah, where he makes the same point. Isaiah 14:24: "The Lord of hosts has sworn saying. 'Surely, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand.'" And he goes on to talk about specifically the judgment of Syria, but God is saying listen. Whatever I decided to do, that's what's going to happen, and My plan will be accomplished. There's no changing My plans. Isaiah 43:13: "Even from eternity, I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand, I act and who can reverse it?" The obvious rhetorical question demands a note no one answer. There's absolutely no one.

And finally, Paul makes this point in Romans 11. You remember that Paul is developing the issue of God's election of Israel and the reality that God isn't finished with Israel. Notice Verse 1 of Romans 11. Paul begins with this question that he's going to answer and develop. I say then, God has not rejected His people, Israel? Has He? May it never be. And then he goes on to argue that God hasn't done that. Skip down to Verse 28. "From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake. From the standpoint of God's choice, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." And then he gives this amazing statement "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Now it doesn't change His purpose and plan. His eternal purpose marches on for generation to generation, and even Israel in her sin didn't mess up the eternal plan.

The next sort of major point, the Bible makes about God's immutability is that he is unchangeable in his covenant faithfulness. Now don't be scared by the word covenant. I'm still dispensational. The word covenant is a biblical word. It simply means this. It is it refers to a legally binding promise. It's a legally binding promise. When you got married, you made a covenant with your spouse. You made a legally binding promise in front of witnesses that you would honor and serve that person and love them and care for them. Well God does something amazing. God decides to make legally binding promises to us. And when He does that, He's absolutely unchangeable in those legally binding promises.

I love this. Let's look at several references. Turn to Psalm 89. Psalm 89:34. Let's start in Verse 30. It sets the context. "If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, if they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments. Then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes." In other words, I'm going to deal with them. I'm going to punish them for their disobedience. Verse 33. "But I will not break off my lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. The word lovingkindness is a favorite Hebrew word of mine. I think I've explained it to you before. It's the word hesed. It's a combination of two ideas married into one word. It really doesn't have a great English translation, except perhaps unfaltering, unfailing love is the idea. But it has both concepts of loyalty and love married together. Sort of the relationship you and I should have to our wives, to our spouses. Loyalty and love marry together, a commitment to keep the legally binding promises I've made because of my love.

God says, "I will not break off my hesed from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness, I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever, like the moon and the witness in the sky is faithful."

God says, Listen, I don't know how to make it any plainer any clear to you. I have made legally binding promises that are unconditional. God makes conditional promises as well. We'll talk about that in a moment. But sometimes God makes unconditional legally binding promise. IT doesn't matter, He's going to keep his promise, and God says, That's the way it is with my people and with David.

Isaiah 54:10: "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake," But My, there's that word again. My hesed, My commitment, My unfailing love, My loving promise will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. God says, I just can't be changed. When I make a legally binding promise to those I have set My love upon, I will not be changed.

And I love Micah 7. The prophet makes the same point in Verse 19. Start in Verse 18. There's a great song that is not in our hymn books, but we need to find, Seth, that comes from this passage.

"Who is a pardoning God like you?" That's the point that the prophet is making here "Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession. He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love." There's our word again translated differently. He delights in hesed. He delights in unfailing love. "He will again have compassion on us, and He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all their sins in the depths of the sea. And you will give faithfulness to Jacob and hesed to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the days of old." Micah says listen. We're sinful, we deserve to be cut off, but you made promises legally binding promises and they won't be changed.

One more point that God makes about Himself in the Scripture and His unchangeability. He is unchangeable in His revealed truth. And we're just going to look briefly at these references. Turn to Numbers 23. Numbers 23:19. In the prophecies of Balaam, a man who didn't deserve to speak the truth, but whom got empowered to speak the truth in Verse 19, he says this, "God is not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He should repent." That is, change His mind. "Has, He said, and will He not do it, or has He spoken and will He not make it good. Listen God is unchangeable in what He has said. In His revealed truth, it will not change. He's not like us. He doesn't change His word at the whim of the moment. Has He said it, and will He not do it, or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

1 Samuel 15. As a stark contrast to Saul and his disobedience and the fact that he didn't live up to his word. God says this through the prophet Samuel, 1 Samuel 15:29: The Glory of Israel, regarding God's plan to take the mantle away from Saul and give it to David, the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind. For He is not a man that He should change his mind. He has spoken by me, Samuel says. He said, this is how it's going to be, and He won't change. Psalm 110:4 which is quoted in the Book of Hebrews, again makes the same point. "The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind." In other words, God has said this, He's sworn this, and He's not going to change His mind. "You were a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." It's God's character to speak unchangeably His truth.

Psalm 118:89 speaks of the reality that God has His words settled forever. Verse 89: "Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven." Literally, in the Hebrew text, he says, "Forever, O lord, Your word stands firm in heaven." Stands firm. You spoke it, and it's never going to change. It stands firm.

Finally, Isaiah 46:4. "Even to your old age I will be the same." God's using a metaphor of having birthed Israel and having cared for all the years. Notice Verse 3: "Listen to me, house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel. You have been born by me from birth and who have been carried from the womb; even to your old age I will be the same. And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it. I will carry you. And I will bear you, and I will deliver you." I've made promises. I've spoken, and it will be true. Literally, in this verse, He says, "Even to your old age, I AM He." He uses His eternal name. I'll be the same one I've always been. What I've said will always be true. So, as we sing that song, "Ancient Words Ever True." That's exactly what these verses are saying. God's ancient words are ever true. Our infallible guide in spite of the passing of time, in spite of massive changes in human culture, God's truth is unchanged.

Now there are two, very quickly two crucial clarifications I want to make about this doctrine.

First of all, does God change his mind? Did he ever change his mind in the sense that we use that expression? There are a number of debated passages. I'm not going to turn to each of them. But I do want to highlight one of them. Let me just show you this. Turn to Genesis 6. They all essentially make the same point. Genesis 6:5. In the days before the flood, says "The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart." The old King James I think used to say it repented God or God repented that He'd made man. You go to these other texts, and you have similar expressions. God repents or changes His mind about something. Now how do we reconcile this with God never changing in His eternal purpose, and in His eternal plan? How do we reconcile these passages with what we've just learned is throughout the Scripture? Well, let me give you this a brief explanation. When you read those verses, God's new course of action is only His settled promise immutable response when people repent or when they choose to sin, let me show you this in Jeremiah. God tells us that this is how He has eternally chosen to respond. Jeremiah 18 and notice Verse 7. Let's start Verse 5.

"Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Behold, like the clay and the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel?

At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot to pull down or to destroy it. If that nation against which I spoke in turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I plan to bring on it' (literally, I will repent of the calamity I plan to bring on it). 'Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; and if it does evil in my sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good which I had promised to bless it."

In other words, I'm going to change My mind yet again. Now what's going on here in these verses? What the prophet is telling us, what the Lord is telling us through the prophet is that some prophecies may appear to be straightforward predictions, but they are really warnings with implied conditions.

Let me give you an example that may clarify that. Take Jonah for example. God told Jonah to go into the city of Nineveh and to preach a message. You remember the message? Yet how long? Forty days and judgment is coming. You are going to be destroyed. You are going to be wiped out. Now, does that mean that that was really God's plan, and when the people repented that God had to go - UH oh? You know I shouldn't have spoken that rashly they've repented, and now I'm going to change and go a different direction. Is that what was going on? No! Implied in the warning that forty days' judgment was coming was an implied understanding that if they would repent and turn from their ways that God would hear and relent. In case you think I'm making that up. Turn to Jonah for example. Since I've brought that up. I'll show you. Jonah understood this. He understood that in the message he was bringing, forty days and judgments coming, there was an implied condition that they would repent - God would change. That God would deal with them differently. Verse 2 of Chapter 4. You remember Jonah is angry now. God has forgiven the people. And he prays, Verse 2 to the Lord and said "Please, LORD, was not this what I said, while I was still in my country. Therefore, in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish for I knew that you were gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abundant in lovingkindness and one who relents concerning calamity." He said, look, I knew that if I came and preached and the people repented, that you would spare the city. So, Jonah understood that. He understood in the warning he was bringing there was an implied warning. That if they heeded, the city could be delivered. Even the King of Nineveh understood that.

Notice Verse 7 of Chapter 3. The King issued a proclamation he said:

In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man or beast or herd or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. Both men and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from violence, which is in his hands.

Verse 9

Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.

He understood that implied in the statement was a warning that if they heeded, God would change.

But when we describe these changes, when it says God repented or God relented. The changes in God's treatment of men are described as if they were a change in God when in reality, they are a change in the people.

And this is the second important point. This change was not a change in God's eternal plan and purpose. Back in Jeremiah 18. It's interesting when you look at Jeremiah 18 those verses, I read you about the sort of conditions upon which God would grant forgiveness. Guess what the image is, he uses right before it. Verses 1- 4 are all about the potter and the clay. God is saying, listen, I have determined what will happen. It's a presentation of absolute sovereignty. So that when we turn, when we repent or when we turn to sin that fits within the sovereign purpose of God. It doesn't change his plan. Obviously in the story of Jonah, God in His eternal purpose, had decided not to judge Nineveh at the time Jonah was sent because God knew they would repent. So, He didn't change His mind in the sense that you and I change our mind. That is simply an expression.

Let me put it this way to you. When we're told that God changes His mind, it simply means that from our perspective it appears God changed his mind. But in reality, it was consistent with His eternal knowledge and His eternal plan. It just helps us to understand what happened.

There's a second issue. I want to touch on briefly before we get to the practical application of this. And I mean this respectfully. Does God have mood swings? We're talking about the issue of, or the doctrine called impassability, impassability. Literally means without passions. This has been under attack today. This doctrine has been under attack. It's part of God's immutability, and I'll explain it in just a moment. It's been under attack from two sources and I'm not going to go in a lot of detail about this but let me just mention them. The first is process theology. The other is open theism. In both of these cases, they say that God changes, and God reacts. And therefore, God is not without passions as we are. But that in fact, God is affected by what we do and changes because of us. God develops. He changes in His being.

What is this doctrine that has been taught for many years in history, forever in the history of the Church? What does it teach? I should say it's been taught in forms not exactly as it's articulated here. This dates from the time of the reformation. But what it doesn't mean is that God is insulated and detached from, unconcerned with or insensitive to men. That's how it's sometimes made and presented. When you say, God doesn't have passions, you're almost saying, like you're saying, that God doesn't have anything that would be like our emotions. That God is completely stoic. That is not a biblical view of God. What it does mean is that man cannot inflict suffering pain or any sort of distress upon God against His will. God's experiences, listen to J. I. Packer: "God's experiences do not come upon Him, as ours come upon us. For His are foreknown, willed and chosen by Him, and are not involuntary surprises forced on Him from the outside apart from His own decision. In the way that ours regularly are." Think about your emotions or your passions. They're always what? Reactions. They are always reactions to some external reality that happens or that we sense. God doesn't have passions in that sense. God has passions only in the sense that He has decided to be affected by us. We don't inflict anything on Him against His will. If He has been moved, if His great heart is moved, it's because He has decided to be moved. He has decided to allow our trouble, our pain to affect His heart. There's so much more to be said about that, but I just wanted to touch on that in this doctrine.

Let me move on to the practical ramifications. So what? God is immutable, what difference does that make in our lives and in our relationship to Him? Well, they're a number. I'm just going to give you a few of the richest to me. First of all, the fact that God is immutable provides a foundation for an enduring practical trustworthy Bible. I won't turn again to these two references, but you remember Numbers 23. Basically, God is saying that if He's spoken, it will come to pass. That He's not going to change His once for all delivered Word.

Psalm 119:89 says that. "Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven." Or stands firm in heaven. The fact that God is immutable means that this still holds true today. It means that what God said to Abraham is every bit as true today as it was in 2100 BC. It means that when I read the promises, God made to those who would turn to Him and repent in the book of Isaiah about 700 BC. That those promises are still good for me today. Because God is immutable. It also means when I read of all that God will do in the future, both in the Old Testament and in the New, we heard this morning about the great book of Revelation. When I read those things, I can be certain that they're real and they're true, and they will come to pass because God is immutable. He doesn't change.

Secondly, because God is unchanging, it guarantees that God's relationship with us will never change and I tell you, this is an incredible comfort. Let me have you turn to a couple of these references. Turn to Psalm 102. This is the passage that we read from Hebrews, quoted in Hebrews 1. Psalm 102. But there's a portion of it that isn't quoted in Hebrews 1 that I think draws the point and the conclusion. Beginning in Verse 25 of Psalm 102, he quotes the realer, presents the reality that God created everything, that they'll perish, that the God doesn't change. Verse 27: "But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end." You're both eternal and You're eternally unchangeable. What's the conclusion? What's the application? Verse 28 that means: "The children of your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before you." The Psalmist says that means my children who are Israelites. Their ways will be established and their descendants, their seed, literally into the future generations will always be Your people. Their relationship to You even in coming generations won't change because of who You are, because You never change.

Isaiah 54:10. We looked briefly at this before. Notice the application again. "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you. And My covenant of peace will not be changed and won't be shaken." Listen. God says the mountains themselves may fall into the sea. But My relationship to you and the promises I've made to you will never change.

Malachi 3:6. My computer again. I have to get it fixed. Malachi 3:6. "For I, the Lord do not change, therefore, O sons of Jacob you are not consumed." Listen I've made promises to you. I've entered into a relationship with you, and even though you sin horribly, even though you question My justice, even though you deserve the worse from My hand, I'm not going to consume you. My relationship with you is not going to change.

Luke 10:20. We won't turn there, but you remember the verse. That where Christ says. Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. The whole image that's behind that, "recorded in heaven". Implies what? Permanency. They're recorded there. They're written. We sing a song about our hands being written and graven on the hands and heart of God. That's what God himself says. We looked at Romans 11:2: The gifts and calling or God or without being revoked, they're irrevocable. God has called you to Himself. And that calling, just as with Israel, that calling of you is irrevocable, your relationship to God cannot and will not change. You will forever, if you are now His child, you will forever be His child because God doesn't change.

Let me back up. I need to make one more point here. I love what Tozer says about this issue. He says, quote "In this world, where men forget us. Change their attitude toward us as their private interests dictate and revise their opinion of us for the slightest cause. Is it not a wondrous source of strength to know that the God with whom we have to do, changes not." Listen your spouse may change his or her mind about you, your closest friends, even your own parents but God's relationship to you will never change. He is, I love the image, the rock. He never changes.

He goes on to say that His attitude toward us now is the same as it was in eternity past and will be an eternity to come. Is that not also a great comfort? God never changes moods or cools off in His affections.

Thirdly, it ensures our permanent forgiveness. We looked at Micah 7. And Micah reminds us that the forgiveness that we enjoy is tied to God's hesed, to His unchanging - love to His unchangeable love. He delights in unchanging love, the prophet says. So, He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities underfoot. He will cast all of our sins – where? Into the depths of the sea. God's immutability, His unchangeableness guarantees, permanent forgiveness.

It also guarantees the punishment of the wicked. This is a sobering point, Ezekiel 8:18. Turn there for a moment, God makes an interesting point. 8:18. Speaking of time yet to come, He said, "Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity, nor will I spare, and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them." Those are chilling words, but God is saying listen, when I determine to destroy, when I determined to eventually to carry out My wrath, and that is in My eternal sovereign purpose. Then no amount of crying no amount of cries for mercy will turn Me away.

One writer puts it this way. The divine immutability, like the cloud which interposed between the Israelites and the Egyptian army, has a dark as well as a light side. It ensures the execution of His threatening's as well as the performance of His promises. AW Pink says, "Here is terror for the wicked. Those who defy Him break His laws, have no concern for His glory, but live their lives as though He did not exist, must not suppose that when at the last they shall cry to Him for mercy, He will alter His will, revoke His word and rescind His awful threatenings." To us what is a great source of comfort is to those who spurn God's mercy and grace an incredible source of terror. God doesn't change. He will do everything He has promised to do to those who hate Him.

And I'll end on this point. He guarantees our salvation. He guarantees our salvation. 2 Corinthians 1:20. Verse 20. I mentioned Verse 19 this morning, that Christ was preached among you by us. And it was a certain gospel you heard. Not yes and no but yes in Him. Verse 20. "For as many as are the promises of God in Christ, they are yes." An eternal certain yes. They will happen. Therefore, also through Him is our amen to the glory of God through us. He says listen, in Christ, you received promises specifically in the gospel, the promise of forgiveness in salvation, and that was an absolutely certain promise. Because God himself doesn't change, neither will the promises He's made. And. finally, in Hebrews, 6 and I preached a message on this to you several weeks ago, so I won't belabor it now, but in Hebrews 6:17: "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise." That is, us, we are spiritual heirs of the promise made to Abraham. That in Him, all the world would be blessed. In other words, the promise that really comes as part of the new covenant the Gospel. He says, "desiring even more to show to the heirs to promise the unchangeableness of His purpose." There, it is. I didn't include this earlier we could have, but I wanted to include in the practical application side. God's purpose is unchangeable. To make sure we understood that He interposed with an oath. He guaranteed it with an oath. Verse 18: "So that by two unchangeable things." Those unchangeable things are God's promise and His oath. "In which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have a strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us." What's going on here? The writer of Hebrews is essentially saying this: Listen, God made some promises to you, and He made one very specific promise, and that was the promise to redeem you from sin. The promise that's in the Gospel, to justify you in Christ. And God wanted to make sure you got the message that that was forever settled. That it was absolutely unchangeable. That His purpose to save you, to justify you, to make you like Christ, to bring you into glory and as Paul says in Ephesians 2 – in the ages to come to lavish you with His grace. To make sure you got it - that it wasn't going to change, God said, I'm going to show them. I'm going to make an oath. I'm going to take an oath on My own character on who I am. That this is what I intend to do because I want them to have hope.

Listen to folks. If you don't think you appreciate God's immutability? Realize this. If God wasn't immutable, tomorrow, God could change His mind about you. He could change His mind about a future for you. He could change His mind about saving any soul in the entire earth. He could change His mind about eternity. He could change His mind about the grounds on which were accepted before Him and make it our work. But God is immutable in His purpose. He is unchangeable in His purpose and that absolutely guarantees our eternal future. May God be blessed forever and ever.

Let's pray together. Father. We praise You; we bless You for who You are. Lord we change, we live in a world of change. Those who love us change. And yet You change not. Father thank You that You are the rock on which our lives are built, and not just our lives here, but our eternal future. Because You don't change, we have not been consumed. We are not consumed, and we never will be. Because You've made promises that You will keep because you are immutable in Your person and in Your promises and Your covenant faithfulness in Your Word. Lord, we praise You. May our lives be one constant sacrifice of praise to who You are, we pray in Jesus' name.