It's wonderful to be here this morning on this beautiful, hot, and humid Sunday.
As one of the interns, I'm so grateful for opportunities to serve and to preach.
It really is a privilege to preach here this morning, to preach God's Word.
I recently heard John Piper remark that preaching is not just an explanation of biblical texts,
but a celebration of biblical realities.
And in this Knowing God series, we're attempting to magnify the biblical realities of God's attributes.
Knowing God involves knowing what makes Him who He is.
And this is important because in essence, or the essence of the Christian life,
is to live for God's glory by knowing Him, by treasuring Him,
and by pointing people to the risen Messiah.
So with that, let's just open in prayer.
Our dear, gracious, and heavenly Father,
Father, we just thank you, Lord, that in you there is strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
We pray, Lord, that as we study and see what your Word says about your attributes,
that our minds and our hearts would be shaped, our attitudes and actions,
that we may be a people who would live for your glory.
Pour out your Spirit among us.
We thank you, Lord, for your presence here.
We pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
In our world today, God is described in various ways.
In one religion, there are infinite manifestations of gods and goddesses
who become incarnate with idols, temples, rivers, and animals, and so forth.
Many have the belief of a superior and transcendent God
who is a strict judge and who will be merciful to followers
who have done more good deeds than bad deeds.
Another popular view promotes the idea that true divinity exists within us,
that we ourselves are gods.
New Testament scholar D.A. Carson observes that
just because somebody uses the word God
and then somebody else uses the word God,
it does not follow that they mean the same thing.
In this Knowing God series,
we have been speaking about the triune God of the Bible,
the one true God who is creator and sustainer of everything and everyone.
We've been looking at some of God's essential characteristics
that make him who he is.
Two weeks ago, Reverend George preached on
how the one true God exists in a loving unity of three persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Last week, you remember, Reverend Daniel showed us from Scripture
how God is sovereign,
how he is all-knowing and all-powerful.
And this morning, we're going to look at
God's unchanging and eternal characteristics.
Our theme this morning is
God is unchanging and eternal.
So our faith and hope rests on a solid foundation.
God is unchanging and eternal.
So our faith and hope rests on a solid foundation.
And we're going to look at two passages in Scripture
which features God's unchanging and eternal characteristics.
The first is found, as we read earlier,
in Malachi 3, verse 6,
where it describes God is unchanging in his character.
We'll just read that again.
Malachi 3, verse 6,
For I, the Lord, do not change.
Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
Malachi's ministry took place during a time of spiritual decline
among the people of Israel.
The temple had finally been rebuilt
thanks to the urging of the prophets Zechariah and Haggai.
But the promises of the coming Messiah
and God's blessings had yet to come.
And this resulted, as you can imagine,
in Israel's spiritual drift
to half-hearted worship and unfaithfulness.
But in loving response,
God calls his people back
to renewed covenant commitment and faithfulness.
Now this phrase,
I, the Lord, do not change,
specifically relates
to God's unchanging character.
In contrast to Israel's unfaithfulness,
Malachi points us to God's faithfulness
in his unchanging character.
So it's on the basis of God's unchangeableness
that his people, the children of Jacob,
are not consumed.
God's unchangeableness,
another way to put it,
is his immutability,
is a theme all throughout Scripture.
In the book of Exodus,
God announced himself to Moses
as,
I am who I am.
In other words,
I am the one who always is,
unchanging in mercy,
grace, and faithfulness,
unchanging in justice,
keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
who by no means clear the guilty.
Exodus 34, 6-7.
In the book of James,
God is celebrated
as a faithful giver of good gifts
from whom there is no variation
or shadow of turning.
As God was in the beginning,
he is now and ever shall be.
God cannot be anything other than who he is.
And if you know God
being united to Christ by faith,
you can rejoice
knowing that his unchanging character
provides you a sure foundation
for your faith.
To name just a few.
Number one,
God is unchanging in his love.
God is love.
And from the beginning
has existed a Trinitarian love
between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Love is central to who he is.
And creation is an outpouring
of his divine love.
And in love,
the triune God created you
and I in his image
to be in relationship with him.
In the fall,
our relationship was broken.
But through God's gracious work in Christ,
He redeemed us to restore us
that we may love him supremely
and love others.
And because God is unchanging in his love,
you have a sure foundation
for your faith.
God is unchanging in his power.
God is all-powerful
and by the power of his word,
he created the heavens and the earth.
Indeed, the heavens declare the glory of God.
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
The same God who created the universe
is the same God who sustains you
by the power of his spirit,
by grace,
whether in good times or bad times.
He sustains us by his power
in sickness and in suffering,
whether physical or mental.
Can you recall
all the times that God
has sustained you?
Because God is unchanging in his power.
You have a sure foundation for your faith.
God is unchanging in his justice.
If there is a God,
many people ask,
I ask this all the time,
and we touched on this last week,
if there is a God,
how can he allow so much evil,
suffering,
and injustices in the world?
That's a question
with a lot of weight.
But hear what the Apostle Peter
has to say.
He reminds us that
with the Lord,
one day is a thousand years,
and a thousand years
as one day.
The Lord is not slow
to fulfill his promises
as some count slowness,
but is patient towards you,
not wishing any should perish,
but all to come
to repentance.
And though God's justice
has yet to fully come,
there will come a time
when God will judge
the world in righteousness.
And until then,
the Lord extends his mercy
to those who are lost
and broken.
God is unchanging
in his justice,
and at the same time,
he's unchanging
in his mercy.
The Lord is good,
and his mercy
endures forever.
And God's enduring mercy
was made visible
at the cross.
At the cross,
Jesus satisfied
God's justice
justice
by paying the full penalty
of our sin,
making mercy possible
for you and I.
And if you're here this morning
and you don't know Jesus,
God's mercy
and forgiveness of sin
is extended to you
this morning.
Dear friend,
whoever you are,
trust in Christ,
for he is your only hope
both in life
and death.
And what's so amazing
and wonderful
is that when you put
your faith and trust
in Jesus,
you have the privilege
of being in a personal
relationship with God.
And in this relationship,
you discover,
you discover that his mercies
are new every morning.
They never come to an end.
And with confidence,
you can come boldly
before the throne of grace
and receive mercy
and find grace
to help in time of need.
And because God
is unchanging
in his justice
and mercy,
once again,
you have a sure
and solid foundation
for your faith.
God is unchanging
in his character.
We've only just begun.
Secondly,
God is eternal.
Please turn with me
to Psalm 90,
verses 1 to 2.
It reads,
Lord,
you have been
our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains
were brought forth,
wherever you have formed
the earth and the world,
from everlasting
to everlasting,
you are God.
Notice,
in verse 1,
the psalmist declares
that the Lord
is a dwelling place.
In other words,
he's a home,
he's a refuge
for his people
in all generations.
God is a home
and refuge
for his people.
Why?
Because he's
from everlasting
to everlasting.
He's eternal.
God has
no beginning
or end.
And God's eternity
answers that age-old question,
if everything
has a cause,
then what caused God?
Well,
nothing caused God.
God doesn't need a cause.
As one commentator put it,
there's nothing
that stands over God
or outside of him
to cause him
to come into being.
God is totally
independent in himself
and he causes
all things
to depend on him
for their existence.
Again,
Psalm 90,
verse 2 reads,
Before the mountains
were brought forth,
wherever you had formed
the earth and the world
from everlasting
to everlasting,
you are God.
Now,
I was saying
in the 8 a.m. service,
you can't truly experience
the beauty of Alberta
without visiting
the Rocky Mountains.
Now,
I confess
that having grown up
in Alberta,
being so close
to the Rockies,
pretty much right
in our backyard,
I took all of God's
good creation
for granted.
But now that we've been
away for several years,
I've really come
to miss the Rockies.
And those of you
who have been there
will know what I'm
talking about.
The beauty is breathtaking
as you can see
in this picture.
Now,
take a few moments
and imagine
you're in the Rockies.
You might be sitting
on that log there.
You see the soaring peaks,
the towering mountains
amid the vast blue skies.
Now,
just pause for a moment
and consider
the incomprehensible
greatness
of the eternal God
who created them.
That before the mountains
were brought forth,
before God
ever formed
the earth
and the world,
God was
and always existed.
And in contrast
to God's eternity,
human life
is so brief.
And I don't think
there has been
a day
that has gone by
where we're not
reminded
of the brevity
of life.
Psalm 39.4
says,
Show me,
O Lord,
my life's end
and the number
of my days.
Let me know
how fleeting
is my life.
Psalm 102.11
My days are like
an evening shadow.
I wither away
like grass.
James 4.14
reminds us
that life
is like a vapor,
a mist
that appears
for a little time
and then vanishes.
On this side
of eternity,
our days
are number
from the moment
we take
our first breath.
But the number
of God's years
are unsearchable,
Job tells us
in chapter 36.26.
Humans are finite
and limited,
living in fleeting time,
but God is eternal,
not bound by time,
though He works
within time.
In the words
of J.I. Packer,
what God does
in time,
He planned
from eternity
and all
that He planned
from eternity,
He carries
out in time.
God
is eternal
and there is
no limits
to His greatness.
God stands
over and above
His creation.
So,
as we have said
in the past weeks,
it is beyond
our ability
to fully describe
or comprehend God.
We've only scratched
the surface.
But the good news
is
that
God can be
truly known
personally.
Did you know
that God
is personal?
God
is personal
and it is
in the person
of Jesus Christ
that He is
most fully known.
when the fullness
of time
had come,
God
sent forth
His Son.
Jesus,
the eternal God,
became flesh
and dwelt
among us.
He lived
the life
that you and I
should have lived.
He died
the death
that we deserved
and was raised
on the third day
so He can rescue us,
free us
from the grip
of sin
and give us
a new heart
and grant us
eternal life.
He made a way
for us
to know God
and to enjoy
Him forever.
No longer
under the grip
of sin
but now gripped
by God's
eternal love
and amazing grace.
That's why we sing
with John Newton,
I was once lost
but now I'm found.
Was blind
but now I see.
Dear friends,
to trust in Jesus
for eternal life
is to trust
in the unchanging
eternal God
who is the same
yesterday
and today
and forever.
To trust
in Jesus
is to trust
in the one
who declared
before Abraham
was,
I am.
To trust
in Jesus
is to trust
in the Alpha
and the Omega
who was
and who is
to come,
the Almighty.
The first
and the last.
The beginning
and the end.
Jesus
is from everlasting
to everlasting.
And some of you
might be going
through a difficult
season
in your life
and if this is you
this morning,
I want to encourage
you to talk
to somebody.
Speak with
Reverend George
or Daniel
or one of the
church leaders
or a trusted
Christian
or mature
friend
who can support
you and pray
for you.
And even if
you're not going
through hardships
now,
trust me,
be assured
they will come.
And we may
not always
know
why we go
through what
we go through.
But my point
is this,
that no matter
what you face,
always remember
and never forget
that Jesus,
the eternal
God
in the flesh,
Emmanuel,
God with us,
promises to be
with you
always,
even to the
end of the
age.
Jesus is
eternally
trustworthy
and when you
trust in him
you can know
peace and
rest and
comfort no
matter what
you may be
facing.
And as you
trust in him
you can be
sure that
God will
accomplish
his purposes
in your life.
Your faith
and hope
does not
rest on
sinking sand.
but it
rests on
a sure
and solid
foundation.
So
where does
this leave
us?
What is the
appropriate
response
to a God
who is
unchanging
in his
character
and eternal?
Well first,
knowing God's
character
calls us
to worship.
worship.
Are we
half-hearted
and lukewarm
in our
worship to
God?
Do we
live our
lives in
such a way
that magnifies
Jesus?
I want to
invite you
to take
some time
to contemplate
God's
unchanging
character
and internal
nature
and let us
come before
the throne
of grace
and ask
God to
revive our
hearts with
a renewed
sense of
awe and
wonder
that we
may treasure
him above
all else
that the
triune God
would be
the only
object of
our worship
that whatever
we do we
would do it
all to the
glory of
God.
And secondly
and lastly
knowing God's
character
calls us
to recognize
our daily
need of
him.
In the
words of
Alec
Moyder
do we
live our
lives in
such a
way
that keeps
God for
Sunday
but looks
on Monday
to Saturday
as ours?
We may
not
consciously
think that
way
but our
words
and our
actions
may reveal
otherwise.
See the
Lord wants
us to
depend on
him for
everything
and if
you haven't
started one
I want to
encourage
you to
find a
good Bible
reading plan.
If any
of you are
interested I
have some
with me
today you
can come
and see
me after
the service
and as
you read
through the
Bible
take
special note
of God's
characteristics
and attributes
because the
more we
know God
the more
we truly
understand our
need of
him every
hour
the more
we know
God's
attributes
the more
our faith
deepens
to whom
else
shall we
go to
than to
the one
who has
the words
of eternal
life
to whom
else can
we daily
depend on
than a
God who
is unchanging
and is a
character
and eternal
can we
find a
friend
so faithful
who will
all our
sorrows
share
and as
we reflect
on God's
character
in this
knowing
God series
may we
respond
with the
words
of that
timeless
hymn
I need
thee
every
hour
most
gracious
Lord
no
tender
voice
like
thine
can
peace
afford
I
need
thee
oh
I
need
thee
every
hour
I
need
thee
oh
bless
me
now
my
savior
I
come
to
thee
God
is
unchanging
and
eternal
so our
faith and
hope
rests
on a
solid
foundation
dear
gracious
and
heavenly
father
um
how
Lord
we
again
thank you
for
who you
are
and
your
unchangeableness
your
eternity
we
pray that
you would
help us
to reflect
and to
meditate
on it
and that
we would
be a
people who
would
live to
your
glory
that we
would
point
others
to
Jesus
father
I
just
pray
that
you
would
be
with
those
today
who
are
going
through
a
difficult
season
may
they
recall
and
remember
your
unchangeableness
of who
you are
and may
it comfort
and strengthen
them
father
we give
you thanks
again
and we
ask all
of these
things
in Jesus
name
amen