Holdfast onto the Unchanging

Introduction - the Changing World

We are living in a changing wolrd! and this is a fact.

- Mesoputanian culture ruled the world,

- Assyria ruled the world,

- Barbylonian ruled the worldPersian ruled the world,

- Greek ruled the world,

- Rome ruled the world,

- France ruled the world,

- Britain ruled the world,

- American ruled the world

Changing world: political, technology, cultures, girls top is shortened every year, guys pants is lowered every year too.

and Corona-virus.

Corona-Virus made everyone’s life different, lots of changes.

- Changes in hours one may stay outside, curfuse,

- Changes in life, all must ware a mask, wash your hands 20 seconds, sanitizer.

- Changes in how you work,

- Changes in student classes: online class, hyber-classes

All these things are relevant to each one of us, and they are all changing at all times. In short, they are relevant but changing. It means that they are not the ones we could hold onto.

What can we really holdfast on? It is the Unchanging One. It is God.

God’s Word Unchangable

Matthew 24:35 (NASB95)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Isaiah 40:8 (NASB95)

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

1 Peter 1:25 (NASB95)

But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

Isaiah was written about 700BC, and 1 Peter was written about 60 AD, the time span is about 760 years. Peter proclaims the His words is the same and endures forever. what prophets preached 760 year ago, is the same Peter was preach then. The Saviour promised from 7 and half centruy ago, is the the Saviour Peter was preaching now. Peter confidantly and joyfully said that “and this si the word which was preached to you.

Psalm 102:25–27 NASB95

25 “Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 “Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. 27 “But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.

God endures forever and ever. The climate is changing, the weather is predictabel to some degree, and mostly unpredictable; the fashion is changing, the laanguage is changing, your house address is changing, your job is changing, your surname could be changing, your body, your personality, enmotion, and physical condition is surely changing every day.

But the Word of God is unchanging at all, and at all times.

Why does God’s Word unchange? The answer is straight: becasue God is unchanging.

Malachi 3:6 NASB95

6 “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Among all changes in the world, God is unchangeable.

Transition: Becasue God’s Word is unchangable, so that His promise is un changable.

God’s Promise Unchangable

Man’s promise are changeable. Has anyone borrowed a pen from you and said wil bring it back to you? but it never happened. New year resolution brought many people to sign up gym membership.But how many still go to gym after 8 weeks? How many of you made the decision to read the Bible everyday but only read the Bible one day a year? Many people promised to do something, but things did not happen. How long could you keep a promise or decision or a commitment? A day? A week? A month? A year? 50 yes? 70 year? 80 years? I do no think anyone could keep a promise that long.

People like to use diamond ring to present unbreakable marriage, becasue diamond is very strong. But, in fact diamond is not un-burnable, meaning it is burnable. At the heat of 900 degree, 1000 degree, diamond, the chemical is carbon, will be released in the air, and you won’t see it at all.

On the wedding day, one may promise no matter health or sickness, rich or poor, I will never leave you. After the reality in their life, they decided to devorice....

So, man, at best could keep his promise for some time, but one could not sya keep the promise forever. Man’s promise has a time limit, space limit, our promises are under condition of our physical restriction. We have good wish, but we could not keep our promises forever.

Psalm 33:11–12 NASB95

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

Joshua 21:45 (NASB95)

45 Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

The histroy context of Joshua 21 is the distribution of the land to Levites.

Hebrews 11:8–10 NASB95

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

The faith hero, father Abraham emmigrated from Ur to Cannaan, where Moses led Hebrews out of Egypt for, Joshua led them step over the river of the Jordan for.

Abraham did not move from Somali to Jo’burg, but from Jo’burg to Somali.

He did not emmigrate for wealth on earth, but in heaven;

He did not leave for the home country for a better life, but he left the home country for the country whose builder is God;

He did not stay for the promise of the worldly success in his home town Ur, but pursued the visinon God gave him.

Bible did not recored, but we could imagine that Abraham encoutered differrnt cultures, languages, dangers, beats, hunger, and thirst from Ur to Cannaan, Abraham did not give up, but he continued, he pressed on.

Isaiah 55:10–11 NASB95

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

God’s Word has power, purpose and they are a promise we can count on.

Abraham was not a hiker, tourist, nor an immigranant, but believed in God’s promise and became a misisonary living by faith.

Becasue he knows God’s promise is unchangeable.

Among all changes in the world, God is unchangeable.

Transition: becasue God is unchangeable so that His love is unchnageable.

God’s Love is Unchangeable.

Lamentations 3:22 (NASB95)

22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

Do you know what circumstances Jeremiah was under when he wrote this?

Lamentations 3:1–4 NASB95

1 I am the man who has seen affliction Because of the rod of His wrath. 2 He has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3 Surely against me He has turned His hand Repeatedly all the day. 4 He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones.

Jeremiah saw and experienced Israel had left God, and they were then suffering from the consequences of turning away from God after uncountable times God’s prophets had rebuked them. Jeremiah was not emotinally crying without hope, but rather he was having a great and certianed hope that Israel would look for the restoration of their relationship with their God.

Beacsue Jeremaih knows God’s character, and that is His loving kindness indeed never cease.

Psalm 136:26 NASB95

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Romans 8:39 NASB95

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16 NASB95

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

God’s love does not based on our deeds, but God loves us becasue He is love. Your salvation is not cheap. Your salvation is the cost of God the Son, Saviour Jesus who died on the Cross on behalf of you, it is for you and me He was nailed on the cross. He burial was well documented histry event, and His resurrection gives is the hope of life.

God’s love remains the same from before the creation till today, God’s love never changes, becasue God is unchangeable.

Among all changes in the world, God is unchangeable.

Transition into relevance: Becasue God is unchangeable, so His Word, Promise, and Love are unchangeable.

What does it mean to you and me? It means we can believer, trust, rely, holdfast onto this unchanging God.

It means that this unchanging God knows us before ever we are formed;

It means that God know what will happen to us in the future,

It means that God knows each one of us’ circumstances , he knows how we feel:happy or sad; He knows how we are doing in our own circumstances: struggling or press on.

Remember Moses. when he was facing the rebelling Hebrews, he hold on the God unchangeable.

Remember Joshua. When he was facing the strong men of Canaan, he holdfast onto the God unchangeale.

Rememebr Abraham. When he was not knowing where he was going to, he holdfast onto the God unchangeable.

Rememeb Jeremiah. When he saw the nation of Israel was suffering, he cried, but he holdfast on the the God unchanging.

Remember Jesus. When he was nailed on the cross, he said

Luke 23:46 NASB95

46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

In the last moment of Jesus life, He heldfast onto the unchanging God the Father.

Among all changes in the world, God is unchangeable.

The God who created the heavens and the earth is the same God

who called Abram to Abraham,

who saved baby Moses out of water to be the leader for Israel,

who led David killed Galiath,

who caused Hannah giving birth to Sameul

who died for our sins, buried and resurrected on the third day.

Call to Action

My brothers and sisters, the world is change all the time, but God is unchangeable.

Read His Word,

pray to Him,

Serve Him the best you could

Love Him out of your heart

Love your neighber as God loved you

Do not be led by the world but by the Word of God.

Among all changes in the world, God is unchangeable.

Hebrews 13:8 NASB95

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Let’s pray.

Jesus you are our Christ. Please help us to holdfast onto you, not be disctracted by the world. All successes and failuers, riches, and poverty will be passed, You are the only one endures forever and ever.

Please help us to believe in you firmly, holdfast onto you the Unchaging God.

In the name of Jesus, we pray.

Every believer says, AMEN!