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Text: Jonah
Title: “Our Unchangeable God”
Subj: The unchangeableness of God
Intro: The Bible
says, “For I Am the Lord, I change not.”
It has been said that the only consistent thing in our lives is change.
Today is not yesterday. Tomorrow will not be today. When you look back,
even a few short months or years, all you see is change. I have changed.
You have changed. People around you have changed. And this world has
changed. These changes may be positive or negative, but they are
unrelenting. And as they are unrelenting, they push and pull at your person
as if in a tug-of-war for your soul. And so change at times soothes you and
at times buffets you. Yet God has ordained that men live in the constant
flux of change. Therefore, is it not strange, then, that mankind, in
general, does not like change? And the bigger the change, the less you like
it! Where, then, can you find finality, consistency, dependability,
continuity, stability and permanence?
The Bible says, “For I Am the
Lord, I change not.”
I would like to speak to you on the unchangeableness of God. In theological
terms this aspect of God’s essence is called immutability or
unchangeableness. Ps. 102:27 & Heb. 1:12 say, “Thou art the same.”
Or put another way:
“God remains eternally the same.
God has not changed; He is the same as He was.
God does not change; He was the same as He is.
God will not change; He shall be the same as He was and is.
God cannot change; He is the same as He was and shall be.” (Manley)
Who He is never changes. His essence is forever the same. His attributes
are immutable. His character never changes. God remains eternally the
same!
The Bible says, “For I Am the
Lord, I change not.”
Now I suspect that this topic might sound as if it is not relevant to your
life today. In fact, it might sound downright “theological,” which some
construe as “boring.” I promise you that it is relevant, and if you will
follow along in your Bible, in your mind, and in your heart, it should not
be boring. And to help you along, here are some of the practical benefits
of the unchangeableness of God in no particular order. You check, in your
own heart, if any of these would be beneficial to you.
1. It Provides Comfort and Hope
2. It Produces Purity and Holiness
3. It Provokes Courage and Faith
4. Presents Mercy and Grace
5. It Offers Safe Anchorage for the Storms of Life.
6. It Offers Perseverance for the Battles of Life.
7. It Provides Patience for the Cares of Life.
8. It Offers Strength for the Burdens of Life.
9. It Provides Light for the Shadows of Life.
10. It Extends Hope for the End of Life. (Manley)
The Bible says, “For I Am the
Lord, I change not.”
Jonah 3:5-10-- “Our
Unchangeable God” -- prayer
We are going to take our
sermon from the Book of Jonah, but we are not going to discuss Jonah, he is
disgusting enough! But Jonah, “This is your life.”
1. God
tells Jonah to go to Ninevah, the great heathen city, and cry against it.
2. Jonah
gets on a ship going to Tarshish
3. God
sends a terrible storm
4. Jonah
asks to be thrown overboard
5. God
sends a great fish to swallow Jonah
6. Jonah
spends 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the fish
7. God has
the fish spit Jonah up on dry land
8. Jonah
decides for Ninevah and goes there to preach
9. God
convicts the Ninevites and they believe God
10. Jonah gets
mad at God for being gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness
11. God
prepares a gourd to protect Jonah from the sun
12. Jonah
enjoys God’s shade
13. God
prepares a worm that eats the gourd, and an violent wind to buffet Jonah
14. Jonah gets
angry at the loss of the gourd.
15. God uses
the gourd to teach Jonah the value of a human soul.
I. The
Unchangeableness of God
A. As to God’s
Person (1:1-2)
1. Lord
(Jehovah: Self existing, ever-present One) (21 times in Jonah (48
verses))
Ex 3:14 “And God said
unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM…”
Gill: “This signifies
the real being of God, His self-existence. It includes all time, past,
present and future.” ISBE: “It is the personal name of God, and reflects
the O.T.’s insistence on the possible knowledge of God as a person; and
Jehovah is His name as a person.” As a Person Jehovah has and holds a
special relationship to His covenant people, both O.T. & N.T. The name
“Jehovah” signifies His redemptive purpose and plan (BTD).
Therefore, God as
Jehovah has always existed, He is a Person. (You can relate to a Person!)
God as Jehovah is always
present. (You can know a God who is always and everywhere present)
God as Jehovah has a
plan of deliverance for you. (You can put your faith in His purpose for
your life.)
2. God (Elohim:
the Creator. Used of God’s governance of the world and mankind in general.
It speaks to a plurality in the Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit) (13
times in Jonah)
Ge 1:1 “In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.”
a. There
was a time when nothing existed except God
Note: God as Elohim
created everything! Therefore, God as Elohim owns everything. (Now you
know Who you are responsible to, Who your entire life is a stewardship to,
and Who you will ultimately give an account to!)
Mt 12:36 “But I say unto you, That every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day
of judgment.”
God as Elohim is one God
revealed in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is one God
in essence (basic quality), but He has chosen to reveal Himself in 3 persons
so that we might know Him more fully and relate to Him more completely.
(You can learn much of the fullness of God and the many ways He relates to
His own.)
B. As To God’s
Word (1:1) (4 times in Jonah)
1. The
unchangeable God has determined to revealed Himself to mankind through His
unchangeable Word. (It can’t be any other way!)
Ps. 199:89 “Forever O
Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven”
FBN: “Settled in heaven;
established in God's presence beyond the possibility of change.”
TOD: “Man's teachings
change so often that there is never time for them to be settled; but the
Lord's word is from of old the same, and will remain unchanged eternally.”
Ps 119:160 “Thy word
is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments
endureth for ever."
Isa 40:8 "The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."
1Pe 1:23 “Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God
which liveth and abideth forever."
1 Peter 1:25 “But
the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you.”
Note: We do not judge
the Word of God by the events of earth, but rather, we are to judge the
things of earth according to the Word of God.
2. Though
unchangeable God’s Word causes great change
a. It
speaks to the needs of saved man (1:1; 3:1,6)
1) To
obey God
a)
Arise (get up, “come on the scene”)
b)
Go (“proceed”, get moving)
c)
Cry/preach (“proclaim, invite”)
b. It
speaks to the needs of lost man (3:5-8)
Ecc. 12:13 “Let us
hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
1) To
receive God
a)
To believe in (“stand firm, trust in”) God
b)
Everyday folks (3:5)
(1) Proclaimed a fast
Note: “In all ages, and
among all nations, fasting has been practiced in times of sorrow, and
affliction”
(2) Put on sackcloth
Note: “Sackcloth is a
very coarse stuff, often of hair, Re 6:12. In great calamities, in
penitence, in trouble, the Jews, etc., wore sackcloth about their bodies.”
c)
Special folks (3:6)
(1) Arose from his throne (“place of royal dignity &
authority”)
(2) Laid aside his royal robe (“emblem of glory,
splendor, magnificence”)
(3) Put on sackcloth
(4) Sat in ashes
ISBE: “Among the ancient
Hebrews and other Orientals, to sprinkle with or sit in ashes was a mark or
token of grief, humiliation, or penitence. It was often used to signify
worthlessness or insignificance.”
Gill: “The ashes were
either strewed under him, or put upon his head; and this, with the other,
were done to afflict the body, and affect the mind with a sense of sin,
and the misery threatened for sin, and to show deep humiliation for it.”
C. As to His
Unchangeable Purpose
1. For His
people to cry against mens’ wickedness (1:2)
2. For His
people to live in obedience
3. For His
people to remember their God in the midst of their circumstances (2:7)
4. For His
people to express themselves to Him in prayer in the midst of their
circumstances (2:7)
5. For His
people to take the Gospel to every creature (3:4)
6. For His
people to trust in a gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind God (4:2)
7. For His
people, in their anger, to see the purpose of God (4:9-11)
D. As to His
Goodness (3:1)
1. The God of
the second chance
Note: But the second
chance is based on the first chance! (1:2)
E. The
Repentance of God (3:10)
1. It is not
the repentance (“change of mind”) required of man
Ac 20:21 “Testifying
both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. It is not
an emotional response from God toward man
2 Pe 3:9 “The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.”
3. It is a
change in God’s dealing with man based on man’s new dealings with God,
explained in human terms.
ISBE: “God is not an
unfeeling machine; he responds to man’s actions.”
Heb 4:15 “We have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities”
JFB: “But when they
repented, the position in which they stood towards God's righteousness was
altered. So God's mode of dealing with them must alter accordingly, if God
is not to be inconsistent with His own immutable character of dealing with
men according to their works and state of heart, taking vengeance at last on
the hardened impenitent, and delighting to show mercy on the penitent. What
was really a change in them and in God's corresponding dealings is, in
condescension to human conceptions, represented as a change in God (compare
Ex 32:14), who, in His essential righteousness and mercy, changeth not.”
MHWBC: “When they repent
of the evil of sin committed by them He repents of the evil of judgment
pronounced against them.”
Though God’s nature and
purpose remain unchangeable, God’s outward dealings with men do change based
on man’s obedience or disobedience. This is not God changing, but God now
dealing with men as men have changed in their relationship to Him. God
always remains eternally the same
a. Notice Ninevah
1. Secure in their surroundings (1:2)
2. Ripe for judgment (1:2)
3. Ready to believe (3:5)
4. Willing to change their minds (3:8)
Conclusion: God is
unchangeable—that is my conclusion. You and I are always changing—that is
my experience. God gave Nineveh 40 days to repent—I can’t promise you 40
seconds!
Perhaps you are here as
a “Ninevite.” By that I mean you are one who has never repented of your
sins and placed your trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. You don’t
know where you will spend eternity, but I can tell you that without Jesus
Christ as your Saviour, you will spend eternity in Hell! You don’t have to,
for today you can get accounts settled with God, and receive His Son. Will
you do it?
Christian, how about the
changes in your life? Are they drawing you closer to the likeness of Jesus
Christ, or are you being transformed, step by step, into the likeness of the
world. Are you moving forward, or coasting backward?
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