The Unchangeable Christ Hebrews 13:1-8

Introduction-1 This letter was written to encourage the Hebrew Christians who were suffering persecution and were near turning back to Judaism It sets forth the greatness of Jesus It shows His superiority to Moses amd the superiority of His covenant to the law of given by Moses One statement that shows Christ’s greatness is found in v. 8- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Introduction-2 To say that we live in a changing world is an understatement We can identify changes that are good and those that are bad Not only is technology and communication changing, but the morality of people is changing as well Things that were recognized as evil by many religious people now are embraced by the same religious groups But the Hebrew writer assures us that Jesus has not changed in the past and He will not change in the future

Reasons Why Jesus Is Unchangeable-1 He is Deity and eternal God told His people who had returned from captivity, “For I am the LORD, I do not change: therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”- Mal. 3:3 Paul said, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”.- Col. 2:9 Many who claim to be Christians today do not believe the truth that the Hebrew writer states here

Reasons Why Christ Is Unchangeable-2 He is perfect He is sinless and without any flaw- I Pet. 2:22 Therefore, He has no need to change Any change in Christ would take away from His perfection Our salvation depends on His being unchangeable If He changed the terms of forgiveness or decided not to keep His promises, we would be confused now and lost in eternity Let us notice some ways in which Jesus is unchangeable

His Attitude toward Sin-1 Jesus has the same attitude toward sin as the Father They both hate sin- Prov. 6:16 Reasons for hating sin It corrupts the character of the sinner Makes the sinner less like God and more like the Devil- Jn. 8:44 It causes sorrow and suffering for the sinner and those around him/her

His Attitude toward Sin-2 3. Because it separates the sinner from God in time and eternity- Rom. 6:23 Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for 38 years and later told him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you.”- Jn. 5:14 No matter how popular a sin may become, Jesus’ hatred of sin will not change Those who love Him will also hate of sin- Psa. 97:10

His Desire to Save Sinners-1 Jesus said, “For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”- Lk. 19:10 Paul said, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”- I Tim. 1:15 The self-righteous Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners- Mt. 9:11 Jesus gave His life for every sinner when He died on the cross- Heb. 2:9

His Desire to Save Sinners-2 Even while Jesus was dying on the cross, He promised paradise to the penitent thief- Lk. 23:43 His last words to His disciples after His resurrection were, “Go, into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.”- Mk. 16:15-16 Jesus expects His disciples to share His desire to save those who are lost in sin today- Acts 8:4

His Love for His Disciples-1 Jesus’ disciples are those who follow His example and keep His commandments- Jn. 14:15 Christians who comprise His church for which He died- Eph 5:25 Jesus compared Himself to a good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep- Jn. 10:11 After Jesus’ resurrection, His instruction to Simon Peter was, “Feed My sheep.”- Jn. 21:17 Jesus claims His disciples as His family- Mt. 12:49-50

His Love for His Disciples-2 He is our High priest who sympathizes with us in our troubles, our trials and our sorrows- Heb. 4:15 He will continue to make intercession for His disciples- Heb. 7:25 We must be unchangeable in following Him We must Love His church and other Christians who comprise it- Jn. 13:34-35 He will give a crown of life to those who love Him- Jas. 1:15

His Conditions of Discipleship Faith in Him as the Son of God- Mk. 16:16 Repentance of past sins- Acts 17:30 Confession of one’s faith in Christ- Rom. 10:10 Baptism for the remission of sins- Acts 2:38 Continued faithfulness- Gal. 6:9 Are you following Jesus’ this morning?