told him that my family and I were planning to attend a wedding ceremony of a family who are related to us through my elder brother. And this brother, he called me and he told me how excited he was to see me after 15 years. We were very close friends in Eritrea. And when we arrived to Atlanta to attend the wedding ceremony, he came running to me, and the first thing that he said to me was, oh my, Zaki, you are aging. And he was pointing at, you know, some of my few gray hair, and it was not a compliment by all means, and my wife was not excited about it, but we started talking about all kinds of changes that has been taken in our life. It was even my turn to tell him how much he got older. So we were talking about changes and the one thing that I said to my friend was, I mean, what do you mean? I mean, people change. You know, we get older because that's the nature of human beings. But we kept on and talking about all kinds of changes that has taken in our life. You know, we change. People around us, we see them changing every day. Even now, you know, you sitting in the sanctuary, you are going through a decline physically. Every one of us, we go through all kinds of changes. So people change, circumstances change, but there is one who is a divine being. His name is God. His name is Lord, the Lord of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth, who does not change. Tonight we'll continue our study on the attributes of God, and we are looking into one of the attributes of God, the unchangeableness of God. God is unchangeable. In theology, we have a term for that. It's the doctrine of the immutability of God. God never changes, there is no change, any kind of change taking place in the nature of God, in the essence of God. And the one thing that I would like to remind you tonight is this, the God that you worship does not change. He is unchangeable. Remember when we started considering the attributes of God, we say the God that we worship is eternal God, and the God that we worship is spirit. He is a spiritual being. And tonight, I would like to show you that the God whom you worship is the God who doesn't change. And I will show you the fact that God never changes in three ways. One, God doesn't change in his characters. And God doesn't change in his in his characters, and God doesn't change in his mind, and God doesn't change in his covenant promises. So three important aspects or elements of God's attributes and the unchangeableness of God. So first, God does not change in his characters. Psalm 102. The psalm from where my sermon text comes tonight was a psalm that the psalmist sung at the time that he was suffering from sickness. And during his sickness, his sickness forced him to a sharp realization in his life. about the frailty of his life, his physical weakness, but also moral weakness. He was desperate, he was suffering from physical sickness. And in verse 11, the psalmist said this, my days are like an evening shadow. I wither away like grass. So the psalmist is saying, I change. I'm a temporal being. and he realized who he was as man, as a created being. He even compares himself with a grass. He said, I'm like grass. But then in his weakness, he turns to God, who is not weak. He turns to God, who is most importantly, who doesn't change. And he says to God, and I take refuge in you because you are eternal. You are everlasting. I wither. I disappear after a while. I'm like grass. But you endures forever. You are eternal. You never change. So I would rather take refuge in you because you are unchangeable. In verse 12, the psalmist said, but you oh lord are enthroned forever and you are remembered throughout all generations and how god is remembered throughout all generations as a god who enthroned on his throne forever from generation to generation god is eternal god rules forever so the psalmist is saying you don't start ruling but you have been ruling forever There was no time in God's time in eternity where God started to rule, but God has been ruling forever because He's eternal, He's unchanging. But notice verse 25, what the psalmist says in verse 25. Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. You see the psalmist is saying you were the cause of everything that exists. You caused things to come to being. And in verse 26, he said, they will perish, but you will remain. They all will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe and they will pass away. But you are the same and your years have no end. I would call your attention especially to take a very good notice of that phrase that says, you are the same. Which means you don't change. You remain the same forever. And for that reason, I take refuge in you. Especially verse 27, the psalmist says, but you are the same and your years have no end. My friends, the fabric of which this world is made is ever passing away like a stream of water. You see, everything around you is changing. You are changing, things around you are changing, but God does not change. God is perpetual and he never changes. He's always the same. And why is that? Or how? Because he is not a composite of any substance or any material. God is spirit. God is pure spirit. He is extremely pure light. There is no shadow in God. You see the shadow of the sun. You see your own shadow. Because there is darkness in us. But God is the source of all light. God is light himself. There is no darkness in God. So there is no shadow in God. There is no variation in God. God never changes. He remains the same. And that's the God whom you worship. God is spirit. You see, God sees ages pass, but with Him, it is ever now. It is not even tomorrow or yesterday. With God, it is always now. because He is eternal. He's unchanging God. Revelation 1.8, I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Remember when our Lord Jesus Christ second person of Trinity who is also God himself. When Christ became man, his essence never changed. He gird tie himself with humanity, but his divinity never merged with his humanity. God did not become man by real actual change of his essence. Our Lord Jesus Christ, God himself, he was the same. He was God even when he was in the manger. His essence was the same. He was God himself, God in the flesh. No change. took place in him as God. But the Godhead was the same. He always remains the same, eternally the same. You see, the writer of the Hebrews reminds us about this in Hebrews 13, 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Our God never changes. All God's attributes never change. His power remains the same. The same power who created the universe. The same power who changed your life. The same power who created light and everything that you see around you remains the same. His wisdom never changes. God is not learning anything new. He knows everything. He created everything. He planned everything. You know, nowadays you are watching the debates by the candidates for presidential election in America. And the reason why you watch those debates is because you want to learn about the candidates. You sit and learn about them. You sit and learn what their plans are so that you would make up your mind and decide to elect one of them. You think God watched that debate so that he would learn anything new about them? No. He's not learning anything new. In fact, God knows who will be the next president of the United States of America. It's settled in heaven. That's our God. He's not learning anything. He's not improving in his essence, in his being. He remains the same. His truth never changes. That was one of the things that God revealed to Prophet Isaiah, especially when the Israelites were doubting about the unchangeableness of God. Isaiah 4, 6, 9. Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is no like me. Declaring the end from the ancient times, things not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I will purpose I will purpose and accomplish all my purposes. I have spoken and I will bring it to pass. You see, God predestined, God planned everything that comes to pass. But God said to Isaiah, you see, I planned everything. from the beginning to the end. I'm in the beginning, I'm at the end, I'm in the middle, I control and I rule everything that comes to pass. There was a lawyer in Eritrea, a Christian lawyer who studied constitutional law. And one day he was reading the book of Isaiah and he arrived to this verse Isaiah 4, 6 and 9. And he saw the truth, the fact that God's word, God's plan, God's being and essence never changes. And he read this verse at the time that he was struggling with his profession as a lawyer, because the government kept changing the constitution. And he said to himself, I'm here serving this constitution that changes every day. And that was the day that called the brother to the gospel ministry. When he became a pastor, his first testimony was, now I am serving the God who never changes. I'm a spokesman for God's Constitution, God's Word, God's essence that never changes. His holiness never changes. His justice never changes. You know why? Because God never changes and human nature never changes. God is angry towards sin and there is still sin in this world. God is holy and men and women are sinful. That's why we need the gospel. That's why people need a savior. His holiness and His justice never changes. His goodness never changes. Malachi 3, 6, I the Lord, I do not change, including His love, His goodness. God told Jeremiah and the other prophets, I called you with my everlasting love. And God's love never changes. And I want you to think about that humbly and very seriously tonight. Imagine you come into the church to worship God, but you worship a God who changes. So he's laughing yesterday and he comes to church and he's angry. That's not the God that you want to worship, but your God never changes. He loved you with everlasting love. He predestined you with electing love and mercy. And he remains the same. Even when you sin, God never changes. Your sin doesn't change his essence and his attributes. And all the attributes of God never changes. They remain the same. God is his own attributes. There is no a character of God. There is no a quality of God that changes. God remains the same. And secondly, God does not change his mind. He doesn't change his will. I'm sure you have heard this before. Or you have experienced this with skeptics, with unbelievers. when they hear or read verses like Genesis 6, 6 where the Bible says, and the Lord regretted that he made man on the earth and it grieved him to the heart. People hear this verse of first Samuel 15, 11. I regret that I have made Saul my king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments. Oh people hear Jonah 3 10 where God said when God saw when where Jonah said when God saw what they did how they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster that he said he would do to them and he did not do it. I had people in my ministry came to me, you know, with these verses and they say to me, you see, your God changes. He changes his mind. He changes his decision. He changes his plan. You know, he's not a stable God. He does something here, and then he sees what he already did going wrong, and then he changes his mind. But these all characters, these all attributes of God, or all these verses that I just read for you, if you examine them very, very carefully, they don't suggest that God is capable of changes. And we need to come to the scriptures in order to understand that. You see, in the original language in Hebrew, the word that is translated as repent, A relent is the Hebrew expression to be sorry for. If you are a manager, and one of your workers violates the rule in the company, the rule that would expel him from work. So you fire him. You expel him from work. And he goes to his office, and he packs all his belongings, and he is leaving the office, and you say to him, as a manager, you say to him, I'm very sorry. Are you changing your mind? No. He's fired. You stand with your decision. But the fact that he's expelled brings grief to your heart. And with what God did with the flood, did God do anything that is inconsistent with his character? No, because the wage of sin is death. There was sin on earth. And because of sin, God punished man with the flood. But did God change his mind about the existence of man? Did God change his mind about the fact that he created man? No, because through Noah, you see, man continued to exist. The fact that you are here tonight, the fact that you are breathing, it's because God willed your existence. God never changed his mind. God never does anything that is inconsistent with his nature. What he did with the flood was according to his nature, according to his character. But he didn't change his mind. Exodus 34 verse six. This is the nature, the character of God, not only justice, but also his love. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. And that's the result of, you see, this love of God that we all exist today. And in 1 John 1, 9, the word of God says, if we confess our sins and is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You see, what he did was consistent with his character. The same with King Saul. God was not surprised with how Saul turned. Same with Jonah. Jonah knew it. You see, Jonah complained to God saying, God, I knew it. I knew you are merciful. I knew if they repent, you will be merciful them. Of course if we repent, that's his nature, that's his character, God will be merciful on us. But God does that because it's his nature, it's consistent with his nature, it's not because he changes his mind. God knew that they will repent and they will have mercy on them. But Jonah thought God was changing his mind. And many people think God would change his mind, but God never changes his mind. And the reason is because he's omniscient, he's omnipotent. He doesn't learn any new things about his people. He planned everything. He knows everything. His foreknowledge, you see, shows him everything that he planned and everything that comes to pass. Our God remains the same. He doesn't change in his characters and he doesn't change his mind. And thirdly, God does not change in his covenant promises. You have already seen, you have already observed man change his mind, including what he promises to do for you. Man breaks his word all the time. But God never breaks or change his covenant promises. Psalm 102 verse 27 and 28. But you are the same and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure. Their offspring shall be established before you. And now the psalmist is talking about the offspring of God. And this offspring of God, the children of God, they will live, they will endure forever. In the book of Psalms 89, God said, I will never lie to David. And you, the children of Jacob, you will endure forever. Now we need to ask why Jacob? Because Jacob was chosen by God. Why Jacob? Because Jacob was the man who said to God, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And the children of Jacob are the chosen ones they elect and they will endure forever because of God's covenant promise. that will never change because God never changes. In Numbers 23 verse 19, the Bible says God is not a man that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? God is not like man. My brothers and sisters in Christ, our God never changes in his covenant promises. Psalm 2 at 12, blessed are all who take refuge in Him. And 2 Corinthians 1 20, and you need to hear this very carefully, for all the promises of God find their yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our amen to God for His glory. So where is the covenant promise of God? Finds it's yes in Christ Jesus. You see the Lord of the covenant, the mediator between God and man, God established his covenant promise in and through his son Jesus Christ with his people. and what he promised to us through his son Jesus Christ will never change because God doesn't change. Remember what Jesus said in Malachi chapter 3 verse 6, I the Lord, I do not change. And I want you to think about that verse. and why God made that statement about himself in the book of Malachi. You all know the book of Malachi is the end of the book in the Old Testament. When you come to Malachi, you're about to enter to the Gospel of Matthew, to the New Testament. You go from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. And before that, you see, things start to change. You come to the New Testament and you see this Savior, Redeemer being born in Bethlehem. And that was the end of ceremonial law. And that was the end of all sacrificial law in Israel. And His coming also dissolved the priesthood in Israel. Christ became the high priest of His people and we became the priesthood of God. Because we have access to God the Father through his son, Jesus Christ. So you see, all these changes taking place. But before all these changes take place, God said, you see, I, the Lord, do not change. He was preparing his people. You will see changes in the administration of my covenant, the new covenant. Things will change. Things will be better and you will understand them in a better way because Jesus will be Emmanuel, God with you, but I will remain the same. I will never change. that the reason is why God made that statement. God preached it about himself in Malachi 3, 6. He preached it about his own attribute, the immutability of God. And the reason is because he was preparing his people for all the changes, the administration, the changes that will take in the administration of the covenant promise of our God. What is the implication of God's unchangeableness? It should impact your worship. It should shape your worship. It should remind you that the God whom you worship never changes. Every time you come to church to worship God, you come to worship unchanging God who remains the same forever. This should encourage you for worship. This should bring more desire to your worship. But also you see, this also impacts our preaching. This impacts what we believe about the Word of God. Today, you hear people saying, things are changing, circumstances are changing, technology is changing, so we need to change our method, and entertainment is driving the agenda of the Church of Jesus Christ, even in America. We need to change our method. No. God is the same. God never changes. His word endures forever. God told us in his word, everything will pass away. But the word of the Lord will endure forever. And this should impact your Christian life. This should impact, you see, your understanding of who God is and your understanding of the word of God. And you need to pray that God would enlarge your knowledge of him, the God who never changes. But also, this should impact your commitment Your love and your appreciation to the ordinary means of grace. When I hear Christians say to me, every Sunday I come to church, everything is the same. Everything is the same. What's new? God is the same. And his ordinary means of grace, you see, comes from God who doesn't change. His word is new every day. His word is powerful. The ordinary means of grace, you see, the word of God, the sacrament and prayer. They never change. And their effectiveness remains the same in you as Christians. You need to love the ordinary means of grace. You should be thankful to the Lord for planting you in a church, the church that believes in the ordinary means of grace. Among them, the prime means of grace being the preaching of the word of God. That word that remains and endures forever because it comes from the mouth of God. It's eternal, it's life-changing, it's powerful. So tonight, I would like to encourage you to take this home with you. Keep loving God, because He's unchangeable. Keep loving and trusting the Word of God, because it comes from the mouth of God. You don't need to be afraid about any change that is taking place around you, including the voice that tells you you need to change about your thinking of God, because your God remain the same. He is unchangeable. Let's pray. Our Father and our God, If there is one thing that we as your people would like to give praise and thanks to you, our God, it's your nature, your being, your essence, the fact that you never change. Tonight we rejoice because we belong to you, the God who never changes. the God who remained the same, who endures forever. Our worship goes up to heaven, to you, our God, who do not change. We rejoice on who you are and what you have reminded us tonight about your own identity, your own nature, and your own being. Indeed, you does not change in your characters, and you doesn't change your mind. And your covenant promise remains the same for us, your people, in your son, Jesus Christ. And because we are in Christ, all your promises, including your word, is yes and amen in Christ Jesus. We thank you for this marvelous revelation that you have given us through the preaching of your word and help us to cherish who you are, especially the means of grace that you have provided to us individually and at the Church of Jesus Christ. Help us to be mindful of your ordinary minutes of grace being unchangeable because you does not change. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.