The Foundation of Unwavering Faith - Part 2

Does it seem like God is far away? Maybe that's because you're assessing God's activity by the wrong criteria.

Here's the wrap-up of the series on unshakable faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is a changeless Christ. Now, the truth is this.

That one simple statement is the foundation of everything you and I believe. If you believe that something He said is now changed, the way He operated, He doesn't operate that way anymore. And that the things that He acted out in His life is not the way He acts anymore. That is, He's not the same person. He doesn't say the same thing. He doesn't carry on the same kind of work. Then let me ask a question.

What certainty, what assurance do you have about life? Because if He is not the same yesterday, today, and forever, we are all in big eternal trouble. But the truth is He is.

He is the same. In fact, if you turn all the way back to Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, and look at this third chapter, he makes a very simple statement here about many things, but he says, For I the Lord do not change. Now, a lot of people have difficulty with that because they look at their circumstances and they think, well, certainly if God is God, and if He will do what He says He will do, then I shouldn't be in the mess that I'm in.

This storm would not have come into my life. That's not always true. And so I want us to think about this simple truth. Because when you and I go through difficult and hardship and troubles and trials in life, we need somewhere to go.

We need someone to turn to. But it can't just be anyone. And it can't be something that's changing all the time, because there's no security in that.

You don't have any assurance whatsoever about anything in life. Listen, if Jesus Christ is in the business of changing His person in His personhood, or His works or His words, listen what He said, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, nor can he enter the kingdom of heaven. Did He say that? Yes, He did. Was it true then? Yes, it was. Is it true today?

Yes, it is. It doesn't make any difference what you think. It doesn't make any difference what you believe or do not believe.

Jesus, who is the unchanging Son of the living God, He and the Father want, who is deity, He said, except you're born again, you'll never get to heaven. That's what He said. And so if He said it, somebody says, He said it, I believe it, that settles it. No, He said it, that settles it.

Whether you believe it or not, it's not even the issue. The issue is His words are very true. He said, for example, He said, I am the way, the truth and the life.

No man comes to the Father but by me. That's what He said. Did He say it then? Yes. Is He saying it today?

Yes. Has God changed the means of salvation? You would think according to some people He has. He says, not by works of righteousness which we've done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Except a man be born again, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Not work your way into salvation. And there are people today who proclaim, who say, well, if you're good enough, then you're going to get to heaven.

You know what they're implying? What they're implying is that Jesus changed His mind. Because back yonder He said, except a man be born again, except you place your faith and trust in Him and His work at Calvary, you can't be saved. Now, if somebody's out preaching that you can be saved by being good, being your good works, then you're going to be saved. What they're implying is Jesus changed His mind.

Now think about this. If back yonder somewhere when He lived, you only could be saved by being born again, and now today, 2,000 years later, you can be saved by good works, then how are you going to get saved in the future? You can't answer that question. Listen carefully. All you do is create confusion to yourself and to others because He is absolutely unchanging in His Word. He said, believe me, trust me. He's still saying the same thing today. Believe me, trust me.

And sometimes when we struggle, what does God say to us? Just trust me. Just trust me, trust me, trust me. What was He saying to Peter, James, and John, those disciples and those men? Believe me, trust me. Put your trust in me. Has His words changed?

They've not changed. For example, He said, we're to forgive those who wrong us. How many times?

Seven times seven. Does that mean 490? No, that means just keep on forgiving. He said, we're to forgive those who mistreat us.

He said, who persecute us, say all manner of evil against us, for Christ's sake. He said, you're to forgive them. What is He saying today?

The same thing. Has He changed His mind today and said now? You're to forgive them up until, but after three times, forget it. No, He didn't say that. Aren't you glad He didn't say that? Because suppose He just said, I'm going to forgive you three times for the same sin, and then it's all over. Thank God He didn't say that to me or to you.

You know what He said? He said, if we confess our sins, faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How many times? Once, twice, 490, 491, 492.

No. As children of God, we are the forgiven children of God. The blood of Jesus Christ has forgiven us of our sin. And you see what He says He means.

He hasn't changed it. If I'm wronged by someone, I forgive them. How many times? I can answer that question for you. You want me to tell you how many times? Say amen. Oh, you don't think I know the answer to it. That's why I'm saying it. I'll tell you how I can tell you exactly how many times you're to forgive your enemies. As many times as Jesus will forgive them. That's all.

It's just that simple. Has He changed His mind about that? No, He has not. He says, for example, that you and I are the light of the world. Well, we say, well, now, didn't He say He was the light of the world?

Yes, He did. But He also said we are. He's seated at the Father's right hand. We are what's left down here. So what does He do? He lives His life in us and through us. That is, He expresses Himself through our hands and our feet and our eyes and our ears.

We listen. You see, we are the light of the world. That is, every single believer is like another candle or like a lantern. And what He wants us to do is to keep our life clean so that the light can shine through the covering of the lantern. We are the light of the world.

What they need most of all is a living, walking example. And that's what all of us are to be. The truth is we're reflectors. It's Christ living on the inside of us, reflecting His life through us. It is our countenance and our conduct and our behavior and our attitudes and our faith and our trust and our good works that say this person certainly must be a Christian.

But let me ask you this. If somebody said about you, is he a Christian? They're talking about you. What would you want them to say? What would you expect them to say in affirming that you're a child of God? What is it about your life that you know is Christ-like? What is it that you would hope they see and hope they hear?

You want to be like Him. You see, the truth is we are the light of the world. And sometimes if our glass is dirty, we send the wrong message. If our life is clean and pure and if there's happiness and peace and joy and contentment, even in the midst of difficulty and hardship and troubles and trials, what are we doing? We're sending the most awesome message of light and truth that the one we believe in is the real God, that Jesus Christ is man's hope and He's man's helper. And we can see it in our life and they can see it in our life.

If they don't see it, there's something missing somewhere along the way. When I think about the things He said, I think about what He said to His disciples. He said, as you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things that I've commanded you.

I'm going to be with you all the way. Is He still saying that? Yes, He is. And people who do not believe that are those whom He calls who rebels against the call. Listen, churches that do not have a missionary thrust have decided that Jesus has changed His mind. Jesus has not changed His mind. Listen, He has one plan. That plan is that we, His believers, share the truth of who He is to the entire world, to the last single person's hurting, the last day that this world exists. Has He changed His mind about that?

No. Then if He is still in the process and desires to disciple the world, somebody's got to do it. And so what is He doing? He's calling upon every single one of us to be a part of that. So He said, go. Did He mean go? Yes.

When He said to the church, He said, you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and then you shall be my witnesses. Did He mean it? Yes. He said it in the past. Is it true today?

Yes. Will it be true till tomorrow? It will be true till Jesus comes back for His church. Hasn't changed because this is what He said. This is what He meant. For example, He said, give and it shall be given to you.

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together. That's what He said. Is He still saying that?

Yes, He is. Has the Lord ever said, now, don't give any more. Don't give anybody anything else to change my mind?

No. You see, Jesus operates by principle. His own principles, and here's one of His principles. You're in need, you give. Give a little bit, you may not have hardly anything to give.

Give something. What will He do? He will be sure that you're given in return. That's the way He operates. That's what He said, because listen, not only is He a God of love and mercy and goodness, but He's a God who is omnipotent. He knows how to take five loaves and two fishes and feed 5,000. He knows how to take a little bit and turn it into a whole lot. He knows how to radically change your circumstance and your situations in life so that, what?

Your little bit becomes a great deal. He said, give and it shall be given to you. He said, love your enemies.

We don't like that one. Love your enemies. That's what He said. You say, well, but you don't know who my enemy is. You know how I've been treated.

And I'm to love them? Yes. Is it easy?

Sometimes it's very difficult to love those who mistreat us. Is it still the same word of God? Yes. Has He changed His mind?

No. Does He hold us accountable for doing just that, loving our enemies? Yes, He does. He hasn't changed. And you see, on the one hand, we wish He'd changed some things.

On the other hand, oh, don't touch that part. We'd like to pick and choose what He's going to change. He's not going to change in His being. He's not going to change in His works. And He's not going to change in His words. For example, He said, you want eternal life? Trust Me. Put your faith in Me.

He said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and I shall be saved. Has that changed? No. It's just that simple. It has not changed. Every single thing He said, He said it, it has not changed. He said, for example, one of these days, I'm going to return and I'm going to come in judgment with holy angels and I'm going to destroy everything on this earth that is not holy and righteous and good. Somebody says, well, is He, that's what He said. That's right. Well, He hasn't done it yet.

Right. You know why? Thank God He hasn't yet. Because if He did, there'd be such an awesome, awesome devastation.

Our responsibility is to get the gospel out there before that happens. Somebody says, well, but now, all these other things you can prove. Here's what He said. Here's what He did. But what about this one?

Let me ask a question. If He's God and all the other things He is, He still is, and all the other things He said and still says, all the things He did and is still doing, why would you want to believe that's not true? It's interesting that people read the Bible and say, well, I believe it from cover to cover.

I believe it from Genesis to Jude. Revelation, I can't handle it. Just somehow, I don't believe all that stuff's true.

On what basis? Because Jesus changed His mind. The book of the Revelation, listen, is the revelation, is the message God gave to the beloved Apostle John to show us about future things. Why not believe it? Jesus said it to him. This isn't something He came up with. Jesus said it to him.

Because you don't understand it doesn't mean you should dispense with it. It is the Word of the Living God. In fact, this whole Bible is the Word of the Living God that is written over hundreds of years by different people, what all led and governed and controlled by the Holy Spirit is not our Lord Jesus Christ, is not the Father and the Holy Spirit. Are they not equipped, are they not powerful enough to keep His Word absolutely pure down through centuries of time? He who controls time and the thoughts of men, He who governs every single thing has all things under His hand, rules and reigns over all things. Is it impossible for Him to put all this together?

No, it's not. He made promises, awesome promises. For example, He said, on that last day I'm going to raise up out of the grave the body of every single one of those who have placed their trust in Me. I'm not going to miss a one. I'm not going to lose a single one. That's what He said in John chapter 6, verse 38, 39.

I'm not going to lose a one. That's what He said. Do you remember what He said to those disciples? He said, I'm going to be killed, and I'm going to rise the third day. Was He killed? Yes. Did He rise the third day?

Yes. Do you have any reason to doubt that He's going to raise your body? Look who He was, God, and is. Look what He said. Here's what I'm going to do. Look what He did.

That's what He did. You and I have no reason whatsoever to doubt Him. He's the same Jesus yesterday, today, and forever. Now, with that in mind, I want you to think about something. Without Christ, you have absolutely nothing because you don't have anyone to turn to.

You have no anchor in your life. You know what's happening? Without Him, you just have to, you're being carried along with society and its fads and its change. Everything's in a state of change. Our body's in a state of change. Society's in a state of change. The world's in a state of change. Maps are in a state of change. Most of the things you buy today that are mechanical, they're outdated.

Almost as time you buy them. Everything is changing. Everything supposedly is new. Everything's supposed to be getting better.

In every aspect of society, every single thing is in a state of change. Without Christ, without the Son of God living on the inside of you, you live in response to uncontrollable change in your life. And you know what happens? You just get tossed to and fro and thrown off course.

You know why? Because you're not anchored to anything. Now, think about this. Every time you and I face any circumstance in life, difficulty or good times in life, what is it that anchors us? What is it that keeps us steady and steadfast? What is it that gives us security and certainty and assurance and boldness and confidence? One thing, and that's a person. That is because of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And you see, what makes us so sure is this. He's the same He was in eternity past. He is the same today and He's going to be the same tomorrow. You know why I don't have to worry about tomorrow? I don't have to be concerned about tomorrow and all the things that change and things that could happen, may happen. You know why I don't have to worry about that? All I have to do is look back and see what He was, what He did and what He said and think about what He's doing, what He's saying and who He is today.

And you know what I don't have to worry about? Because I know that whatever the need is, whatever the situation, circumstance, He's going to act exactly the way He's been acting all the time. Doing what? Loving us, devoting for us, protecting us, caring for us, upholding us, encouraging us, healing us on and on and on and on we could go of what He's going to do because what He has done, what He is doing and what He's promised to do. Why?

Because of who He was, who He is and what He will be. Always the same. Now what do you have? As an unbeliever, what do you have? You don't have an anchor. You don't have anything that can keep you steady and steadfast when all hell breaks through in your life and you only have a few weeks or few days to live or you've lost all your finances, lost your friends, all kinds of calamities hit your life, what do you have?

You don't have anything. But all of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the Son of God to anchor us, to care for us, listen, to join hand in hand with us and walk through the deepest, darkest, most painful valleys in life and come out on the other side saying, wow, what a Savior, what a Lord, what a Master. I look back and see what He's brought me through, what a God He is. He's always the same, believe me, He is. He will never disappoint you, never show up late, never end up failing to enable you, strengthen you and encourage you.

He's every bit the person He says He is. Son, if you don't have Him, you don't have anything, but you can have Him. You can acknowledge that in reality your life is empty, full of things, but empty of reality. And you ask Him to forgive you of your sins, the sin of rejecting Him or ignoring Him, rebelling against Him, and tell Him that you are willing to believe the testimony of Scripture. He went to the cross of Calvary and died a sacrificial, substitutionary death in your place to pay for your sin debt in mind, to pay for it in full. And that you're accepting His death as payment for your sin, and you're accepting Him as your personal Savior, beginning right here and now.

The moment you tell Him that with sincerity, you know what happens? You begin this wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ, and you're going to discover what we've discovered. He's the same yesterday, today, and will be forever. And you can rest in that because, you see, that is the anchor of our faith. That's the foundation of everything we believe, an unchanging Christ, unchanging God who does not waver, not in any single aspect of His life. And He offers Himself as a gift of love to you and to me if we'll simply trust Him and believe what He says and give Him our life. That's life at its very best, a life founded and anchored in the Son of God. Thank you for listening to Part 2 of The Foundation of Unwavering Faith. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.