andy at faith: God Is Unchanging

30 years ago, when I started as a pastor at 2nd Ave. Church in Altoona, I upgraded the old computer in the church office. I worked with the administrative assistant and taught her how to use a mouse and work in windows and I set up all the programs we used in the church. Today, I need someone to tell me what kind of computer to buy and how to use it. Computer technology has changed so much that I am lucky if I can turn one on and use it.

15 years ago, I could run a wedding or a funeral here at the church on my own. I couldn’t play the organ or provide music, but I could turn on the lights and run the sound by myself. Today, I only know how to turn on the lights because Justin programmed it so I only have to hit one button to turn the lights on and one button to turn them off. Don’t ask me to make any changes to the lights because the light board is beyond my comprehension. And I have no idea how to turn on the sound board and get one of the mics to work, I only know how to turn my mic on and off, most of the time.

Technology is increasing at a rate we have never seen before and the speed of change is only going to get faster. As Artificial Intelligence is integrated into more things, there will be even more change. I don’t know about you, but all this change makes me unsettled, anxious and at times really frustrated. My Dad used to get so mad when his iphone would update and then he didn’t know where all his contacts were or how to check the weather. Now I am the one who gets mad when my phone updates and I can’t figure out how to use it.

But it’s not just the changes in technology that can be unsettling, it’s change in general. I was frustrated 30 years ago when my hair started to turn gray. At the time I said, well at least I still have it. Now, if I’m out in the sun too long, there is a little spot on the top of my head that gets sunburned because I don’t have much hair there anymore. I can’t see it most of the time, but when I see a video of me from behind and I see that spot - I get frustrated and a little sad. Justin - no more video from behind.

Our bodies change and while those changes are great when we are young, once we hit a certain age, those changes are frustrating. When you can’t drink coffee after 12 Noon because it will keep you up at night, or eat spicy food after 6 pm because of acid reflux, it’s not fun. And men, let’s face it, we know we are getting old when we are up not once or twice during the night to go to the bathroom, but three and four times. Change is not easy.

Right now political change is unsettling as we face an election. Social change keeps us from knowing what to say so that we don’t offend anyone, and financial changes can happen so fast that one day we feel rich and the next day we are anxious about our financial future. Everything changes and change is happening faster than ever before. Since we have been here this morning, my guess is that fashion has already changed and bellbottoms and leisure suits are making a comeback.

While we can laugh at some of these things - the truth is that change can be really difficult. Sometimes change makes us feel unwanted or left behind, it leaves us worried about the future for ourselves and our children, and it leaves us feeling out of control. Change is distressing and it could be this kind of distress the author of Psalm 102 was feeling.

We don’t know who wrote Psalm 102. Some think it was King David, but others think it may have been one of the prophets who experienced the fall of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem. What we know is that they were in some real distress because of how things were changing. Psalm 102:1-4

Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.

Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; and I forget to eat my food.

The psalmist is crying out to God and part of his distress is over how things have changed. He says, my days vanish like smoke, his body weakens quickly, it’s all like grass that is green one day and brown the next. Things are changing and he is unsettled and feeling out of control.

In a world where everything changes so fast that we find ourselves anxious and unsettled, the attribute of God that can give us hope and peace and strength is that God is unchanging. When everything around us changes leaving us in a whirlwind, we can place our feet on solid ground because God never changes. That’s where the psalmist found his hope and strength. Psalm 102:25-27

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

God is unchanging. The Bible makes this clear.

I, the Lord, do not change. Malachai 3:6

Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

When nothing around us is safe and secure, when nothing gives us a firm foundation on which to stand, we can find comfort and strength in the truth that God is unchanging. The economy and our finances change constantly, but God is the one who will supply all our needs and He never changes. Our health can change at any moment but the one who created us and knows how our bodies work and can bring healing, does not change. The stability of our nation and world can change overnight, but the God who created the world and is ruler of it all does not change. The unchanging nature of God can give us strength and stability and hope in an ever changing world.

There are three things about God that we know will never change and these three things can help us in life.

1. God’s word never changes. The Bible itself tells us this.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35.

What is so great about God’s word is that while it never changes, it is also living and active so it can speak to us in different ways at different times. There were two very specific times in my life when God’s word spoke to me. One was when I needed to know that God had forgiven me and redeemed me. At that moment I read Psalm 18;1-19.

Another time was when I needed guidance and direction and I read

2 Timothy 2:2

God’s word doesn’t change. Its truth doesn’t change. Its wisdom and guidance doesn’t change. It might speak to us in different ways at different times, but the truth and power of God’s word doesn’t change. It is not the book of the month or the book of the year, it’s the book of the ages and what doesn’t change is its ability to speak to us today. Many times we don’t read the Bible as much as the Bible reads us. What I mean is that as we read it, it speaks to us. That never changes. The Bible is living and active and it will be living and active forever. God’s word never changes.

2. God’s character never changes. Because God never changes, God’s character never changes. The attributes we have talked about this month aren’t going to change next month. God is merciful and God will always be merciful. God’s mercy is new every morning. God is loving and God will always be loving. God is with us and God will always be with us. God is good…. And all the time….

Because these attributes of God never change, we can depend on them, we can count on them, and we can trust them. God is trustworthy and always will be. For example, this is what the Bible says about the unchanging attribute of God’s love:

What can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 37-39

Neither the present nor the future can change God’s love for us. God’s love doesn’t change. Because God is love, God can’t not love us. Because God is merciful, God can’t not extend mercy to us. God’s character doesn’t change and God’s love and mercy and grace isn’t for some and not for others, it’s for all people at all times. God’s holiness is always there to initiate forgiveness for all.

While our feelings about God might change and our feelings about ourselves might change, God never changes and His feelings toward us never change. God is not swayed by what we do or what we don’t do. God’s character of love and grace and mercy is unchanging and the unchanging nature of God gives us strength and peace. Our lives change and our world changes but God’s word does not change and God’s character does not change.

3. God’s promises never change. Again, God’s unchanging word says, no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Every promise God has made to us, He will keep. It’s hard for us to understand this because our lives are filled with broken promises. Right now there are politicians making all kinds of promises to us to get us to vote for them, but the reality is that we don’t really believe them because we have seen politicians not keep their promises for generations. We don’t always trust the advertisements we see and hear because we know that businesses don’t keep their promises. Everywhere we turn we find people who don’t keep their promises and unfortunately even those we love and trust the most don’t always keep their promises.

Because all those around us don’t keep their promises, we have become cynical and jaded when we hear about a God who says He keeps His promises, but God does. God’s promises are YES and AMEN. God will not go back on what He has promised. God can’t go back on His promise because He is the promise keeper and His character doesn’t change. God’s promises are ours now and forever but too often we don’t lean on them or claim them for ourselves.

How sad it is that God has made us so many promises that we either forget about or don’t accept. It’s like a gift we aren’t using and enjoying. How many of you have a gift card at home that you haven’t used? I’ll be honest, I have several that I have had for a while and some that I have completely forgotten about. I read this week that the value of unused gift cards is estimated to be between 20 and 25 Billion Dollars. Billion! Each of us probably have some. We think about using them, but don’t or we have forgotten about them all together.

All of those unused gift cards are like all the unused promises of God. We know God has made these promises but we forget what they are and never accept and lean on them in our life. When we don’t remember, claim and stand on God’s promises, we are losing out on so much. Claim God’s promises! They have not changed, they are still Yes and Amen. They are still there for you today. Whatever promise you need, it is there for you. Listen to just some of the promises God has made to us.

God gives strength for the weary - Isaiah 40:31

God forgives all our sin - 1 John 1:9

God will fight for us - Exodus 14:13-14

God gives us wisdom- James 1:5

God will make us new - Romans 1:8

God will never leave us nor forsake us - Deuteronomy 3:6

God gives us eternal life - John 3:16

God gives us freedom - John 8:36

God will meet all our NEEDS - Philippians 4:19

God has written our name in the book of life - Revelation 3:5

God prepares for us a home in heaven - John 14:3

God gives us peace - Isaiah 26:3

God gives us courage - John 16:33

Good has a good plan for our future - Jeremiah 29:11

God gives us a way out when we are tempted - 1 Corinthians 10:13

God will walk with us always - Psalm 23:1-4

God will guide us through life - Proverbs 3:5-6

These are just some of the promises God has made to us that He will keep. We need to stand on them. We need to trust them and know that God will never go back on them. He will not change, He cannot change and He cannot NOT keep these promises.

God’s word never changes.

God’s character never changes.

God’s promises never change. They are Yes and Amen.

As we say… God is good… And all the time….

Next Steps

God Is Unchanging

Read Psalm 102:1-11.

● How might change be causing some of the author’s distress and depression?

● Where do you find the pace of change in our world today unsettling?

● What changes cause you the most frustration and anxiety?

● What are some things that help you adjust to unexpected changes?

God is Unchanging

Read Psalm 102:25-2, Malachi 3:6, and Hebrews 13:8

● How does the unchanging nature of God give you hope, strength, and peace?

3 Things of God that never change:

1. God’s word never changes

Read Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 24:35.

● How does the unchanging nature of God’s word give you hope?

● When has God’s word spoken directly to you?

2. God’s character never changes.

Looking back over this series, which attribute of God do you need to remember will never change and always be there:

● God’s Mercy

● God’s Love

● God’s Trustworthiness

● God’s Holiness

Why is this attribute so important to you?

3. God’s promises never change.

● Where have you seen God keep His promises in your life?

● What promise of God do you need to lean on and trust today?

Consider how some of these promises can give you strength, help and peace: