The Never-Changing Jesus

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this past week. It is always good to be able to step back from the hustle and bustle of life and give thanks for the many blessings that we have been given. The old hymn, “Count Your Blessings”, rings so true… It can be surprising just how much the Lord has done for us.

With all the many blessings that we can be thankful for, there is one that stands out to me in a special way. We live in a day and time when it seems that things change so quickly and often. Every time you look around, something that was brand new is outdated. The one thing that stands out to me that I am so thankful for is that in the midst of our ever-changing world, Jesus never changes.

This morning, I want to take a look at the “Never-Changing Jesus.” Look with me at .

Hebrews 13:8 CSB

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

Context

We have been looking at the New Testament letter called ‘Hebrews’ over the past few weeks. Today, we will finish our series on this wonderful letter by looking at this one verse.

The author of Hebrews had written this letter to Jewish Christians who were tempted to go back to the old ways of Judaism. They were undergoing great persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

In this letter, the author has gone great lengths to show how Jesus is better than anything else that is offered to us. He has shown how Jesus is greater than angels, the Law, Moses, Joshua and many other things. As the author brings this to a close, contains a number of commands or things that we should do. In the middle of all these commands, stands this one statement that serves as a purpose statement behind all of it: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

What does this mean?

Jesus is the same yesterday.

As mentioned earlier, the author of Hebrews has shown how Jesus is greater than anything in the past. One of the reasons for this is that Jesus has been present and at work before the beginning.

We can see the work of Christ in history as it is unfolded for us through the Bible.

Creation -

Colossians 1:16–17 CSB

For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament - appeared to Hagar (), Abraham (), Moses (), Gideon (), Samson’s mother (), and others

Through all these things, we see Jesus has been present and at work carrying out the Father’s plan since the very beginning. It is through the work of Jesus in the past that we are reminded of His faithfulness.

The author of Hebrews calls on Christians to remember the faithfulness of Jesus. He has always been right on time. He has never failed us once. There may be those that are in our lives that come up short at times and let us down, but Jesus will never do that.

Maybe the greatest work that Jesus did in the past was that He paid fully for our sins by going to the cross in our place. With His last words before tasting death, Jesus said, “It is finished” signifying that there was nothing more that needed to be done for the forgiveness of sins other than to trust in what He has done for us.

Jesus is the same today.

As the author speaks about Jesus, he reminds us that Jesus is at work not only in the past but even today.

Three things that Jesus is doing right now are…

Jesus is ruling creation with all power.

Since Jesus returned to the right hand of the Father, He holds all authority over everything in the universe. He is not unaware of our circumstances, nor is He uncertain of their outcomes. We can live with the full assurance that He is more powerful than anything that we may encounter.

Jesus is interceding for us.

reminds us that Jesus is intimately involved in our relationship with God and that He is praying on our behalf. There is a loud accuser, Satan, who wishes to bring things up against us all the time, but there is a greater defender on our side, Jesus. We may find ourselves in some weak spots in this life. We need to rest in the comfort that though we are weak, He is strong and standing on our behalf in those times.

Jesus is preparing a place for us.

Jesus reminded us before He left this world that He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would return and take us there at the appropriate time ().

There are times when the brokenness of this world can become unbearable. It is in these times that we need to remember that this world is not our home. Jesus is preparing something so much better… something that sin cannot touch, moth nor rust can destroy it.

We see that in the ways that Jesus is working today, it is about fellowship. Jesus is working to rebuild the fellowship between us and the Father. He is working to rebuild the fellowship between us and others as it should be.

Jesus is the same forever

The author states that the same Jesus that was all-powerful in the past and present will remain that way in the future for all time. There is coming a day when we will see the culmination of His work.

The Bible tells us that just as Jesus was there to bring everything into being, He will be there to bring it all to a close. The Bible tells us that He will return one day, and though many missed or didn’t recognize Him the first time, there will be no mistaking Him when He returns. He will rule over everything as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He will bring a final end to sin and usher in the New Jerusalem where God lives with those who have trusted in Christ forever and ever.

Conclusion

It seems that there is no slowing of the changes that we see in our world. Technology, medicine, and other things keep changing as the days pass by. There is one thing that never changes though… Jesus Christ.

You may think that Jesus Christ is “old fashioned” and “out of date,” but the truth is that when you are the best that was, is, and ever will be, there is no reason for you to change. I am so thankful that we have a never-changing Jesus that we can call on… that we can worship… that we can run to in times of need…

Jesus is faithful… Jesus is about building fellowship with us… Jesus is the forever King of Kings and Lord of Lords! May we run to Him… may we follow Him… may we worship Him… and one day we will be with Him forevermore.

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