God is self-existent, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable (immutable)

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,

Malachi 3:6

where it describes God is unchanging in his character.

We'll just read that again.

Malachi 3, verse 6,

Malachi 3:6

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.

God is eternal.

Please turn with me

to Psalm 90,

Psalms 90:1–2

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,

Psalms 90:2

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

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

we

again

thank you

for

who you

are

and

your

unchangeableness

your

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