As we approach the text and the message this morning, if you have seen the outline, I am trying to do my best. Each week, the same problem is for this evening as well, staying on one page. And you'll notice today I have violated that principle. goes on to a second page and there's a reason for that is because some of the things that are going to be presented to you in the message this morning, I wanted to make sure you had it down, communicated to you word for word so that if you want to go back and look at it and you get a little bit confused or lost by a few things, that you will be able to read it and sit and contemplate upon some of those things being said. So it's just done this way so to make sure that the information of the message is communicated to you in the best way. If you would please turn to 1 Corinthians. I would like to read a small portion from that passage. from 1 Corinthians 6, from that epistle, excuse me, verses nine through 11. 1 Corinthians 6, nine through 11. Please take note of the infallible word which the Spirit laid upon Paul's heart. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Now back to our text in Malachi, just reading one verse this morning. The very famous Malachi 3.6. For I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore, you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, when we think about it, your faithfulness is overwhelming. We ask, O God, that we would be a people that would not forget how thou art with us each day through each situation. and that Thou dost preserve us in Your grace and Your mercy. We thank Thee so much that this has become explicit to us in the fulfillment of the coming of our Savior. In Jesus' name, amen. In the spring of 1992, I attended the lectures of one of the foremost theologians known in the world at that time. His name was Wiffhart Pannenberg. He was the professor of systematic theology at the University of Munich in Germany. Pannenberg was on a lecture tour in the United States, and one of his stops was Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, which is the seminary of the Reformed Church of America. Pannenberg had studied under the champion of Neo-Orthodox theology, Karl Barth, but elected to go in his own direction in his criticism of historic Christian orthodoxy. What I would like to bring, or what I wish to bring to your attention this morning about Pottenberg's lectures were two items that he viewed dominant in American critical and liberal theology on that scene in that day. The first item was the church's obsession with the discipline of psychology to the point that the revelation in the scriptures was being overcome with experimental emotional introspection into the self. Simply in Ponenberg's eyes, Christianity and religion was being reduced to a struggle of self-authentication in which the whole world evolves around me, giving less attention to the religion established in the New Testament, as he put it, interestingly, as a critical scholar, between the father and the son. Ponenberg's concern was not only directed towards American critical and liberal churches in their theology, but he also had in mind, as he saw the literature of evangelical churches, also evangelical Christians in this country. In my judgment, Ponenberg's concern was well placed, but that's for another time. However, my main concern for bringing Ponenberg's lectures to your attention this morning was the second item of his criticism of American theology. He was very concerned about liberal theologians in seminaries and colleges who were becoming fascinated with what was called at the time process theology. At the time, The two principal figures of process theology were teaching at the School of Theology at Claremont, California. Their names was John Cobb, Jr. and David Griffin. And as I researched this week, to my knowledge, they are still alive. Their position was this. Now this is where it gets a little bit complicated and this is why I've written and placed it before you in your notes complete. Their position was this, is that God is in the process of becoming. He's always becoming something. God is the collective experience of cosmic enjoyment of consciousness in the process of becoming towards the future. Now essentially what this means is that God is pantheistic, meaning everything is God that survives the human experience of the self, creating itself out of material in the evolution of time towards the future. Hannenberg, even as a critical theologian himself, was amazed, was amazed that American theologians thought that such a God was represented in any way in the Christian scriptures. Now let me try to make this simple for you. You might be completely lost in terms of those definitions as it's before you. The way I've presented it to in my classrooms over the years is simply this. God is not the same person or being that he was yesterday, an hour ago, a minute ago, a second ago. And God does not know who he is tomorrow. An hour from now. A minute from now. A second from now. God is always evolving since he is the collective experience of the culture moving in time. He is always being redefined by each moment and event that takes place in the cosmos. To bring this home to our text in Malachi, what process theology says is that God is always changing. Contrary to what the Word of God is saying in Malachi 3.6. One of the cardinal attributes of God that process theology absolutely despises when they write. The main reason I have brought this to your attention this morning is what the scriptures teach about the immutability of God in Malachi 3.6. What does it mean that God is immutable? We speak about that. You will see that. In theology books, of course, in terms of reformed orthodoxy. It means that God in his essence and being does not change with respect to his eternal decrees, his perfection, his knowledge, and the counsel of his will. or as our shorter catechism states, in which we are being what you have instructed with your children. Here it is. God is unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Shorter catechism question and answer number four. Although God does not change, obviously finite creation and humans do change. As the great reformed Dutch theologian, Herman Bovink put it, although God is immutable, nevertheless, in this interesting quote, he lives the life of his creatures and participates in all their changing states. All you have to do is in terms of thinking about that, I bet you your prayers a month ago are different than your prayers right now. Your life has changed. Yet Christ is still with you. He's still the same priest that's making intercession for you. So although there is much being said today, even within Reformed circles on the attributes of God, it seems that the immutability of God has really come under a critical microscope as process theology pressed the discussion on American soil. The mood now is this. God's being, God's person must be changing to match the changes that are going on in my world, the culture, the understanding of the universe. My view of God has to change, you see. In terms of the times, think 19th century. Once Darwinian evolution comes on the scene, God must change now. Big bang theory, turns of the universe. My understanding of God must now change. Turns of the universe. After all, can I assume that all of us this morning has heard this? The God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament. I bet almost everybody in this room this morning has heard that stated to them by someone in your lifetime. In most cases, most cases, this line of thought is this. The essence of God's being in the Old Testament is wrath, whereas the essence of God's being in the New Testament is love. See? Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the being, the essence of God has changed. It's changed from wrath to love. This is maintained in spite of the fact that our Savior, Jesus Christ, speaks more about hell than any other figure in the entire Bible. Did you know that? Does that fit in to your view of Jesus? Furthermore, if you think you are removed from this false teaching, let me just inform you that I know as fact that people are teaching in reformed evangelical and liberal Christian institutions in this country who strongly challenge and question the biblical and classic Christian orthodox view of God being unchangeable. Does your child come home from college? and say, well, I just don't hold that anymore. After all, mom and dad, you don't have a PhD over there behind your name. Always had a statement I would make in the classroom every single semester to the students, don't ever believe anybody with a PhD after their name. Except me, no. Because I would then follow with this line, we only have one master and teacher, and his name is Jesus. So let me put this before you. You may be saying that you do not care one bit about process theology. It does not affect you at all. Well, that is most likely true about the technical formulation, even as you look at the definition here presented to you in the message. But there are many principles which are embedded in that theology which having their roots in Western secular culture may be affecting your view of God. Let me ask you, do you struggle with God being the supreme lawgiver and judge over human action? Do you question whether God whether God's being is the sovereign who is in control of every detail and present order of the world. I recall very vividly during Hurricane Sandy moving up the eastern coast in the fall of 2012 of an interview on TV with Billy Graham's daughter, and she was asked, Does God bring a hurricane? This is Billy Graham's daughter. You know what her answer was? No. God doesn't bring anything that destroys people's lives. Then who brought it? Who's in control? Do you question The revelation of God's persons are given in scripture with male pronouns. You see, these are further objections that process theology has against the biblical and orthodox view of God. These are pretty common problems of address. not only in non-Christian culture, but also in so-called Christian cultures, and they are even discussed and addressed in reform circles. How many of you are in tune with Christians interpreting the events of the last nine months? What is the Christian or your view of God before the COVID? What is the Christian or your view of God now during the COVID? Don't sit back, put yourself in this discussion. What was the Christian or your view of God before the next narrative arose on social justice in May? What is the Christian or your view of God since May on social justice? What was the Christian or your view of God prior to the election on November 3rd? What is the Christian or your view of God after the election on November 3rd? What is your view of God? in the changing, evolving, finite world of events? Is your view of God bowing to the changing culture? God's being is constantly conforming and adjusting to the culture? After all, shouldn't we view God and the Scriptures like those who read the Constitution of the United States as a breathing document? God and the Bible must be a living, breathing document that changes with every activity of human progression. After all, is it not rational to think that God's being and attributes are adjusting to our world, that God himself is adjusting to my world? Isn't this exactly how the priests and the Israelites thought before God and Malachi? God's being has changed. He allows those who do evil to be good. He delights in those who do evil. Where is his justice? 2.17. He is no longer the God of the 10 commandments, plus the stipulations of the word coming out of Egypt and going into the promised land are no longer relevant. He is a different God now. Oh yeah? The Lord responds in 3.5. We looked at this intensely last week. Judgment in the courtroom is always the same. God is against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, oppressors of the hired worker, widow, orphans, and strangers among you. These judgments from the Lord have been very apparent since the days of the Exodus until the present context in Malachi. the holiness and righteousness of God's being has not changed. And going forward in time into the fulfillment of the Lord's eschatological revelation of his kingdom in the coming of the Christ and the Christ himself, in terms of the Baptist and Christ, the holiness and righteousness of God's being will Not change. You can definitely see this in Colossians chapter three, verses five through 11, which I read for you last Lord's Day. You may want to check that out again this week. And also, in 1 Corinthians 6, nine through 11, which I read today, and interestingly, interesting, you can find the same rebuke of unrighteousness in the exact context of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 through 24. There is no doubt, there is no mistake, God's holy, righteous and perfect being views his justice towards the sinful activity of humans as the same from the creation through the entire history of Old Testament Israel and throughout the coming of the kingdom of God until Christ returns again. Now, there is another dimension of God's unchangeable being in our text. His faithfulness to his own covenant oath to his people. The children of Judah, if you notice there in verse six, will not be consumed. We have looked closely at verse 6 this morning in the context of the flow of the disobedience of Israel connecting what has gone before verse 6, but now let us look at the verse itself. There is an interesting structure to verse 6 if you place your eyes upon it. There is an interesting correspondence going on concerning the two main phrases. Notice the I in the first phrase corresponds to the you in the second phrase. The Lord in the first phrase corresponds to the children of Jacob in the second phrase. And the do not change in the first phrase corresponds to are not consumed in the second phrase. Not only does God's nature not change from exercising his just judgment against those who violate his holy statutes, but God's changelessness is the foundation of Jacob's hope that the Lord will not default on the promise of redeeming his elect children. What a verse! Allow verse 6 to be tremendous meditation to your soul. What a tremendous verse of assurance and hope in the midst of a rebellious people. The I, the Lord, verse 6 here, points back to the you and Jacob in chapter 1, 2, at verse 2 and 3. It points back to the patriarch Jacob in the election of love by the Lord over against Esau. And the Lord's love covenant with Jacob does not change. It is still intact here in Malachi and it will find its center It's center in the future coming of the Lion of Judah. Jesus Christ who cleanses, sanctifies, and justifies his people. 1 Corinthians 6, 11. Remember the context which we read. And for those who belong to Jesus, let me ask you, do you belong to Jesus? For those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. That's in the context of the fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5.24. Indeed, for the remnant in Judah, those whom the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ makes delightful temples through his refining and purifying sacrifice, satisfying God's justice for sinners, those objects of redemption will not perish. be consumed. In fact, Christ comes to purify the sons of Levi, which we have noted in previous message, will have now its fulfillment in the church. Christ's priesthood after the order of Melchizedek makes those who are his precious possession royal priests. Now, What do those priests who belong to Jesus, you, priests in Christ's kingdom, what do you, who belong to Jesus, what do you offer as sacrifices of good that is pleasing to the Lord? Hebrews 13, 16. After you have read the whole book of Hebrews, you come to this fantastic chapter in verse 13, which tells you how you live as priests. how the church lives a royal priesthood. So we do not want to fail. to note the interesting context in Hebrews 13, where this priestly instruction is given to us. The imperative of priestly activity for the church will remind all of us of Malachi. Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13. How are you a priest? In Christ's kingdom, in his church, brotherly love continues. And notice how the imperative continues there in that chapter. Don't neglect hospitality to strangers. Wow. That sounds familiar. Isn't that Malachi 3.5? Remember those in prison for mistreatment, honor marriage. Wow. Once again, Malachi. Keep free from the love of money. Share and be content with what you have. Hebrews 13, two through five. Again, Malachi, right? We're going to be just in terms of our brotherly love, in terms of our wages to the worker. Care for the widows and for the orphans. Get ready, because in my study this week, this blew me away. You've got to see this. It is in this context there in Hebrews 13. that we have from the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, the comment that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13.8. Christ, as the servant of our redemption, never changes. He is the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. What an assuring and triumphant message for all of us this morning. From Genesis 3.15 until Christ's second coming, the Lord's promise of the covenant of grace and love. His love is changeless. Our triune God. never does change. Will you, will you this morning not be encouraged to embrace by faith this changeless message of the gospel and good news that is anchored, anchored in the one who is, The same yesterday, today, and forever. That's your Jesus. That's your Jesus given to you, pledged to you. Let your heart rejoice. Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, we are so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and his changelessness. The promise was made by oath by the Father, And Christ himself did not deviate on our behalf. What a blessing. We ask, O Lord, that we would know the continual real joy of his promises unto us. that will always be secured in us through his death and resurrection. In Christ's name, amen.