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Knowing a Changeless God

Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah

August 6, 2020

27:29

During this message Dr. Jeremiah explains the ways God never changes.

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Knowing a Changeless God

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Dr. David Jeremiah: Some saythat the greatest question
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in life is: "Does God exist?"
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I say the greatest question is:
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"Do I know the Godwho does exist?
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Do I know about him?
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Do I know him personally?"
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The study of God ashe reveals himself in Scripture
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is the supreme studyof a lifetime.
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It lifts our thoughts,steadies our nerves,
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purifies our motives,expands our confidence,
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and strengthens our influence.
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It's the greatest subjectwe could ever study,
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for God is the apexof all reality.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Dr. Jeremiah: Discover moreabout God than you know
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and become closer to himthan you are.
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♪♪♪
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male announcer: And now,here is your host,
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Dr. David Jeremiah.
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Dr. Jeremiah: God createdthe universe, the world,
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and each of uswith distinct purposes in mind.
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His plans were establishedfrom before the foundation
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of the world.
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His intentions and decreesdon't evolve
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with more knowledgefor he is all-knowing.
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He doesn't second-guess himselflike we do.
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The fact that God is changelessis a source of profound security
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for you and me.
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Because it's the oppositeof how we live,
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we can take hope in knowingthat when we are afflicted,
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overwhelmed, and encircledby our enemies,
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we can turn our eyes to himwho is always the same.
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In today's message titled,"Knowing a Changeless God,"
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I will share with youhow God's promises, purposes,
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and provisions cannotand will not ever change.
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So stay tuned for today'sedition of "Turning Point."
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♪♪♪
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announcer: Do you knowGod as well as you think?
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It may be time to takethe journey from knowing
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about God to deeply knowing him.
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In Dr. David Jeremiah'snew book,
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"The God You May Not Know,"Dr. Jeremiah shares
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the powerful characteristicsthat God himself
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wants you to understand.
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Dr. Jeremiah: I've spentmy life being overwhelmed
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with the wonderof the person of God
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and it's my greatest joyto share with you
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some eternal truthsabout the God you may not know.
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My prayer is that this book willenable you to know more about
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God than you do and for you togrow closer to him than you are.
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announcer: "The GodYou May Not Know"
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is yours for a giftof any amount
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in support of this program.
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Or with a generous gift of $60or more you'll receive the
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"God You May Not Know" setcontaining Dr. Jeremiah's
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book, study guide,online Leader's Guide,
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and the "Knowing God" bookmark,plus Dr. Jeremiah's
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current teaching serieson DVD,
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"The God You May Not Know"book or set,
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Contact Turning Point today.
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female announcer:In appreciation
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of your viewership today,Dr. Jeremiah would like
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to give you the "Knowing God"bookmark, a daily reminder
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of God's presence and powerin your life.
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Receive the "Knowing God"bookmark completely free
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when you contactTurning Point today.
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Now, here is Dr. Jeremiahwith his message,
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"Knowing a Changeless God."
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Dr. Jeremiah: Our planet isfacing an onslaught
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of global threats but there'sone menace that you and I face
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every day and we probablydon't even know it.
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We feel it but it's hard tograsp all of its implications.
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Experts call it ROC,"rate of change."
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That's an appropriate acronymbecause it's not just the change
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but it's the rate of changethat's rocking our world.
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We're in a world that changesevery single moment
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and we can't seem to keep upyet the consequences
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of not keeping upare very frightening.
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Now don't get me wrong.
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I'm all for the right changesat the right times.
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In fact, the greatest changewe'll ever experience
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in this world in which we liveis the change we experience
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when we place our faithin Jesus Christ.
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He forgives us, he pardons us,he gives us eternal life.
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And the Bible says when we putour trust in Jesus Christ
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he comes into our life andwe are different people:
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"Old things pass awayand all things become new."
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You talk about change.
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When we come to Christ we areredeemed from the inside out.
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We're made new in lightof the Word of God.
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We literally pass from deathto life when we are born again.
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The Bible says whenJesus comes again,
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we shall all be changed.
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One mortal moment andthen an immortal eternity.
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1 Corinthians 15 says:"In a moment,
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in the twinkling of an eye,at the last trumpet
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we shall be changed."
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And we're gonna be changedto be like Christ.
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We're gonna get a bodylike his Resurrection body.
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Change is at the very heartof redemption.
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And that's very encouragingbecause if you're like me,
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you've noticed you could use alittle changing here and there,
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amen?
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Amen.
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Even in human civilizationmany of our changes are good.
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I mean, who wants to go back tothe days before indoor plumbing?
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Do we need to vote on that one?
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We all love the benefits ofelectricity and medical advances
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and instant communicationswith people that we love.
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But some changes are not good.
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Some change is for the worse.
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In the midst of allof this change, enter God.
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Unchanging, unchangeable,immutable, forever,
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and unalterably steadfast.
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Our God never changes.
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So in light of that, thatwe have this unchanging God,
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I would like to give youfive things that
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this means to us and howit affects our lives today.
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Yes, God is unchanging.
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What does it mean?
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First of all, it means thathis promises are unchangeable.
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The terms "unchangeable" and"immutable" are hard to grasp.
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You've probably heard the word"immutability."
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Maybe you wonderwhat in the world that is.
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Well, I'll help you understandthat word
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and you'll never forgetwhat it means.
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If you've studiedscience at all,
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you've heard about mutations.
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Mutations are changes.
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Immutability means no change.
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It's changes with the "imu"on the front of it so
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there's no change.
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The word "immutability"is about change
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and the Bible saysGod does not do that.
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He does not change.
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The promises of the Bibleare just as sure
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as the character of God.
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Because God does not change,his promises do not change.
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I remember whenI was growing up,
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we had this little traditionin my house.
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I don't know if this was my momor my dad,
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but I rather suspectit was my mom.
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She brought home one dayand what she called
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the promise box andstacked together in this box
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were promises.
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And she put thison the kitchen table
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and every time us kids wouldget ready to come to dinner,
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we would sit downfor the prayer and,
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before we would pray,she would get this box out
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and she'd hand out one of theseto everybody around the table
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and we would read a promisefrom God before we prayed.
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And then we'd gather them all upand put them at the back
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of the box so they didn'tcirculate too quickly
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and we'd go through that box.
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And over the yearsthat I grew up,
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one of my memorieswas constantly
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being exposed tothe promises of God.
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And here are some of thecards from our kitchen table.
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I'd like you to help meremember them.
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Maybe some of them arewhat you need for today.
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So as I put 'em upon the screen,
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let's read 'emout loud together.
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Shall we do that?Let's go.
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"Have I not commanded you?
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Be strong and of a good courage;do not be afraid,
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nor be dismayed,for the Lord your God is
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with you wherever you go."
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"Call upon me in the dayof trouble; I will deliver you."
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"Fear not, for I am with you;be not dismayed,
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for I am your God.
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I will strengthen you, yes,I will help you,
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I will uphold you withmy righteous right hand."
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"If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask of God,
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who gives to all liberallyand without reproach,
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and it will be given to him."
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"If we confess our sins,he is faithful and just
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to forgive us our sinsand to cleanse us
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from all unrighteousness."
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To grow stronger in our faith wemust focus our mental energy on
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the unfailing promises of God,on the unchangeable God
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who is behind those promises.
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I love what the Apostle Petersaid about these promises.
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He called them "exceedinglygreat and precious,"
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and they are.
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They're exceedinglygreat and precious.
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There was a man who owneda company and he was
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a Christian man and he hada young laborer
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who worked for himwho was also a Christian.
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And this owner began to noticethat this young man who was
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a Christian was handling lifea whole lot better than he was.
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They went through some troubleand some difficulty
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and it was tearing apartthe owner,
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but the young manwho came to work
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just came every daywith a smile on his face
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and never seemed to be movedat all by what was happening.
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And one day the ownercouldn't take it any longer
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and he went to his youngemployee and he said,
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"What is it with you, sir?"
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He said, "You don't seem to bebothered by anything."
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He said, "Well, the secret isthe promises of God."
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He said, "Well, I have them too.
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I stand on the promises of God."
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He said, "That's your problem."
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He said, "You can't standon 'em.
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You've got to lay down on 'emand hold on to 'em with both
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hands and embrace them."
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He said, "If you stand on 'em,the wind can blow you off of 'em
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but if you hang on withboth hands and you hug it
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with all your--you've got to hugyour promises," he said.
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And that's not a bad truth.
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It's not just read it onceand say, "Well, there it is."
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And take that promise to heart.
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Put your arms around it,hug it to your soul,
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and God will meet your need.
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His promises are unchangeable.
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His purposes are unchangeable.
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That's the second thing.
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Not only are God's promisesunchanging, so are his purposes.
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Did you know thatwhen God created you,
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he already knew what you weregonna be like because he saw you
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before the foundation ofthe world and his purpose
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for you was already in his mind.
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There's no one here thatdoesn't have a purpose from God.
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You may not feelvery purposeful,
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you may not feelvery close to God,
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but if you're a Christian,if you know Jesus Christ,
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if you've accepted Christ,Almighty God has
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a purpose for your life.
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And it's your responsibilityto find out what that is.
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He's not gonna send youan email.
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You have to get that.
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You have to get inthe Word of God and find out
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what God is up toin your life.
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It's part of the growththat you go through.
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As humans, we have a hard timeunderstanding this because
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let me tell you what we are.
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We're not immutable.
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We're improvisers.
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We improvise.
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I mean, we start cooking supperand we don't have
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all the ingredients,and so, we improvise.
00:12:20.289 --> 00:12:23.025
How's that turn out?
00:12:23.058 --> 00:12:24.393
We create a business plan butwe forget there's some obstacles
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out there that we didn't see,so we improvise.
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We form a game plan forour team but the opponents
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call an audible and runa trick play, so we improvise.
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But God never improvises.
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He already knows all thecontingencies and his providence
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marches toward his goalsand his immutable decrees.
00:12:48.217 --> 00:12:52.521
Perhaps you're saying,"Well, I've read the Bible,
00:12:52.555 --> 00:12:54.957
Dr. Jeremiah,and I've read some verses
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and I got some questions."
00:12:56.792 --> 00:12:59.228
If you ever hangaround young people,
00:12:59.261 --> 00:13:00.563
especially college-age kids,they know
00:13:00.596 --> 00:13:01.964
where all these places are.
00:13:01.997 --> 00:13:03.732
Somebody told 'em.
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They didn't read itin their devotional time.
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They heard it fromsome ungodly professor
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in a school they go to.
00:13:08.537 --> 00:13:10.072
But here are some of the thingsthat you hear
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when you talk aboutthe changeless nature of God.
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"Does not the Bible tell usthat God changes his mind?
00:13:15.211 --> 00:13:20.616
For instance, when God saw thewickedness of the world before
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the flood he was "sorry thathe had made man on the earth."
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Or this one is the onewe're gonna talk about.
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The prophet Jonahdelivered his message
00:13:32.027 --> 00:13:36.098
to the people of Nineveh.
00:13:36.131 --> 00:13:38.367
Here was his message:"Yet 40 days and Nineveh
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shall be overthrown," and yetwhen you read Jonah chapter 3,
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God spared Nineveh.
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What do you say whenpeople say to you,
00:13:49.912 --> 00:13:52.248
"Well, God told the peopleof Nineveh that he was gonna
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destroy them and then we foundout that he didn't do that.
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Did God change his mind?"
00:14:00.522 --> 00:14:02.892
And I answer it like this.
00:14:02.925 --> 00:14:05.160
God's threat to wicked Ninevehwas not unqualified
00:14:05.194 --> 00:14:08.464
and unconditional.
00:14:08.497 --> 00:14:10.566
God did not go to the kingon the throne of Nineveh,
00:14:10.599 --> 00:14:13.469
hearing Jonah's message and theparliament as it met to discuss
00:14:13.502 --> 00:14:17.239
what might happen and the womenas they wept at the well
00:14:17.273 --> 00:14:19.875
and the beggars as theywondered what to do.
00:14:19.909 --> 00:14:22.611
He did not go to them and say,"It doesn't matter
00:14:22.645 --> 00:14:24.980
how you change your ways,you repent deeply
00:14:25.014 --> 00:14:28.250
or cry for mercy and destroyyour idols and trust in me,
00:14:28.284 --> 00:14:31.687
I am still gonna nuke you."
00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:35.324
God did not say that.
00:14:35.357 --> 00:14:37.893
If God had treated them aftertheir repentance in the same way
00:14:37.927 --> 00:14:41.497
as he was going to treat themin their cruelty and contempt,
00:14:41.530 --> 00:14:45.467
then God would have beenan implacable and unjust God.
00:14:45.501 --> 00:14:49.605
I mean, why had he bothered togo to such lengths to get Jonah
00:14:49.638 --> 00:14:52.808
by hook or by crook,by storm or by whale,
00:14:52.841 --> 00:14:55.611
to come and preach to them if heintended just to destroy them?
00:14:55.644 --> 00:14:59.481
Why not simply killthe lot of them?
00:14:59.515 --> 00:15:02.351
The unchangeable nature of Godmeans that God is
00:15:02.384 --> 00:15:05.487
always consistent,that he is always the same,
00:15:05.521 --> 00:15:09.191
that whatever happens in life,it is not God who is
00:15:09.224 --> 00:15:12.962
on the changing end of it.
00:15:12.995 --> 00:15:14.563
It is man.
00:15:14.596 --> 00:15:15.998
It is like the sun thathardens clay and melts butter.
00:15:16.031 --> 00:15:19.501
Is it the sun's faultthat that happens?
00:15:19.535 --> 00:15:22.104
No, it's the characterand quality of the object.
00:15:22.137 --> 00:15:24.873
He is changeless.
00:15:24.907 --> 00:15:26.241
He is always the same.
00:15:26.275 --> 00:15:27.710
He will always dothe right thing.
00:15:27.743 --> 00:15:30.112
That is the consistencyof the God that we serve.
00:15:30.145 --> 00:15:33.515
So don't let any would-beskeptic blow you off course
00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:38.554
because the Bible is trueand if you just take
00:15:38.587 --> 00:15:41.423
a little extra timeyou can figure it out.
00:15:41.457 --> 00:15:44.626
1 Samuel 15:29 puts it this way:"The Strength of Israel
00:15:44.660 --> 00:15:48.097
will not lie nor relent.
00:15:48.130 --> 00:15:51.200
For he is not a man,that he should relent."
00:15:51.233 --> 00:15:55.637
The unchangeableness of Godmeans that God always does
00:15:55.671 --> 00:15:58.374
what's right always.
00:15:58.407 --> 00:15:59.742
In other words,God's immutability
00:15:59.775 --> 00:16:02.244
is God's absolute consistency.
00:16:02.277 --> 00:16:05.014
You can depend on God,you can trust in him,
00:16:05.047 --> 00:16:07.082
he will always do what is right.
00:16:07.116 --> 00:16:09.785
And then his provisions areunchangeable and I like this one
00:16:11.353 --> 00:16:14.056
best of all because I have needslike you do and we like to know
00:16:14.089 --> 00:16:18.627
that we have a God up therewho cares about all that.
00:16:18.660 --> 00:16:21.764
Here's what the Bible saysin James 1:17:
00:16:21.797 --> 00:16:25.034
"Every good endowmentthat we possess
00:16:25.067 --> 00:16:27.069
and every complete giftthat we have received
00:16:27.102 --> 00:16:29.471
comes from above,from the Father of all lights,
00:16:29.505 --> 00:16:32.841
with whom there is neverthe slightest variation
00:16:32.875 --> 00:16:35.244
or shadow of inconsistency."
00:16:35.277 --> 00:16:39.148
God is unchangeable andhis grace never diminishes.
00:16:39.181 --> 00:16:42.885
From his hand comesone blessing after another.
00:16:42.918 --> 00:16:45.287
Are we blessed orare we blessed?
00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:48.457
The same God who provideda spring of water for Hagar
00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:51.360
created streams in the desertfor the Israelites,
00:16:51.393 --> 00:16:55.230
brought bread by ravensfor Elijah, delivered fish
00:16:55.264 --> 00:17:00.803
on the Galilean hillsideand food for the widows
00:17:00.836 --> 00:17:03.572
in the book of Acts.
00:17:03.605 --> 00:17:05.674
He's the God who will providefor you.
00:17:05.707 --> 00:17:07.876
He's the father of lightsand the maker of stars.
00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:11.513
He knows how to meet our needsand he always is faithful
00:17:11.547 --> 00:17:14.750
when we trust him.
00:17:14.783 --> 00:17:16.452
And here's the good news,men and women.
00:17:17.786 --> 00:17:20.422
The same God who providedfor the heroes of the Bible
00:17:20.456 --> 00:17:23.392
is caring for you.
00:17:23.425 --> 00:17:25.961
I love to think that the Godwho hears my cries for help
00:17:25.994 --> 00:17:28.730
is the same God who heard Danieland David and Peter and Paul
00:17:28.764 --> 00:17:33.035
and all the rest of the peoplethat I love to study
00:17:33.068 --> 00:17:36.205
in my Bible.
00:17:36.238 --> 00:17:38.373
The same God.
00:17:38.407 --> 00:17:40.843
His promises are unchangeable,his purposes are unchangeable,
00:17:40.876 --> 00:17:46.715
his provisions are unchangeable,and his personality
00:17:46.748 --> 00:17:49.918
is unchangeable.
00:17:49.952 --> 00:17:52.321
Let me just say thisright up front.
00:17:52.354 --> 00:17:54.123
This is one of my favoritethings about this point.
00:17:54.156 --> 00:17:56.024
God is never in a bad mood.
00:17:56.058 --> 00:18:00.062
Do you know anybody like that?
00:18:00.095 --> 00:18:02.798
You're not married to one.
00:18:02.831 --> 00:18:04.133
I know that for sure.
00:18:04.166 --> 00:18:06.435
God never has a bad day.
00:18:06.468 --> 00:18:08.604
There's never a place whereyou need to stop and say,
00:18:08.637 --> 00:18:10.639
"Well, let's waituntil next week.
00:18:10.672 --> 00:18:11.974
Maybe God will be doingbetter by then."
00:18:12.007 --> 00:18:16.111
Our Lord possessesthe same wisdom,
00:18:16.145 --> 00:18:19.114
grace, benevolence,compassion, power, glory,
00:18:19.148 --> 00:18:22.384
and attitude as he didwhen he walked on this earth.
00:18:22.417 --> 00:18:25.287
You know how I know that?
00:18:25.320 --> 00:18:26.622
Because Hebrews 13:8 says:"Jesus Christ is the same
00:18:26.655 --> 00:18:30.659
yesterday, today, and forever."
00:18:30.692 --> 00:18:34.997
We change but Goddoes not change.
00:18:35.030 --> 00:18:37.699
When we are afflicted andoverwhelmed and complaining,
00:18:38.467 --> 00:18:41.036
when we can't sleep andwe're encircled by our enemies,
00:18:41.069 --> 00:18:44.339
we have to turn our eyes tohim who is always the same,
00:18:44.373 --> 00:18:47.809
whose years have no end.
00:18:47.843 --> 00:18:50.979
Let me just add one littlethought for all of us
00:18:51.013 --> 00:18:54.016
who are believers today.
00:18:54.049 --> 00:18:56.018
I hope you will grab holdof this.
00:18:56.051 --> 00:18:59.054
The Christian knows no changein regard to God.
00:18:59.087 --> 00:19:04.159
Listen to me.
00:19:04.193 --> 00:19:05.661
You may be rich todayand poor tomorrow.
00:19:05.694 --> 00:19:07.763
You may be sick todayand well tomorrow.
00:19:07.796 --> 00:19:10.332
You may be happy todayand distressed tomorrow.
00:19:10.365 --> 00:19:12.968
But there is no changewith regard
00:19:13.001 --> 00:19:15.470
to your relationship with God.
00:19:15.504 --> 00:19:17.706
God is not affectedby riches or poverty,
00:19:17.739 --> 00:19:21.410
by sickness or wellness.
00:19:21.443 --> 00:19:23.378
If you are God's childyou are with him.
00:19:23.412 --> 00:19:26.815
If he loved you yesterday,he loves you today.
00:19:26.848 --> 00:19:29.451
You are neither better nor worsein God than you ever were.
00:19:29.484 --> 00:19:32.754
Let all your prospectsbe blighted,
00:19:32.788 --> 00:19:34.856
let all your hopes be blasted,let all your joy be withered,
00:19:34.890 --> 00:19:37.960
you haven't lost anythingwith what you have in God
00:19:37.993 --> 00:19:40.862
because your relationshipwith God is above
00:19:40.896 --> 00:19:44.499
and beyond all of thatother stuff that I mentioned.
00:19:44.533 --> 00:19:49.204
When our world spins too fastand changes too much,
00:19:49.238 --> 00:19:52.641
we need to contemplatethe immutability of our God,
00:19:52.674 --> 00:19:55.811
his promises, his purposes,his provision,
00:19:55.844 --> 00:19:58.113
his personality cannot change.
00:19:58.146 --> 00:20:01.350
And there's one last thought:
00:20:01.383 --> 00:20:03.652
his propheciescannot change either.
00:20:03.685 --> 00:20:07.089
And I'm not talking aboutthe promises that I mentioned
00:20:07.122 --> 00:20:09.324
at the early partof this message.
00:20:09.358 --> 00:20:11.460
I wish I could tell youthat there is no dark side
00:20:11.493 --> 00:20:14.763
to the immutability of God.
00:20:14.796 --> 00:20:17.866
But there is.
00:20:17.899 --> 00:20:20.469
I would be less than faithfulif I didn't tell you about it.
00:20:20.502 --> 00:20:23.472
Just as God does not changeone word of his promise,
00:20:23.505 --> 00:20:26.708
you need to knowthat if you reject him,
00:20:26.742 --> 00:20:28.677
you will go to a Christlesseternity when you die.
00:20:28.710 --> 00:20:32.514
His justice and judgmentare unchanging.
00:20:32.547 --> 00:20:35.317
His warnings are consistentthroughout the Scripture.
00:20:35.350 --> 00:20:37.986
At the beginning of the Biblehe told Adam and Eve that
00:20:38.020 --> 00:20:40.289
if they disobeyed him,"You shall surely die."
00:20:40.322 --> 00:20:43.992
In the middle of the Biblewe read:
00:20:44.026 --> 00:20:45.427
"The soul who sinnethshall die."
00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:47.863
Jesus warned in John 8:24that if you reject him
00:20:47.896 --> 00:20:50.899
"you will die in your sins."
00:20:50.932 --> 00:20:52.934
In Romans 6:23 Paul wrote:"The wages of sin is death."
00:20:52.968 --> 00:20:57.172
Near the end of the BibleJames describes how sin
00:20:57.205 --> 00:20:59.675
"when it is finished,brings forth death."
00:20:59.708 --> 00:21:03.111
At the final pagesof Revelation,
00:21:03.145 --> 00:21:07.416
at the judgment beforeGod's Great White Throne,
00:21:07.449 --> 00:21:10.185
we read: "Anyone not foundwritten in the Book of Life
00:21:10.218 --> 00:21:15.123
was cast into the lake of fire."
00:21:15.157 --> 00:21:19.328
Now listen to me carefullyand hear my heart.
00:21:19.361 --> 00:21:21.697
I am so excited to tell youabout the promises of God
00:21:21.997 --> 00:21:25.300
that never fail.
00:21:25.334 --> 00:21:26.968
But I am also frightened thatif you do not listen to me,
00:21:27.002 --> 00:21:31.540
you will think that it's onlythe good promises of God
00:21:31.573 --> 00:21:34.109
that do not fail.
00:21:34.142 --> 00:21:35.644
When God tells us what happenswhen we reject him,
00:21:35.677 --> 00:21:38.380
he keeps his word at the samerate as keeping his word
00:21:38.413 --> 00:21:41.650
with his positive promises.
00:21:41.683 --> 00:21:43.585
He never can lie.
00:21:43.618 --> 00:21:44.953
God could not tell you thesethings will happen to you
00:21:44.986 --> 00:21:46.988
if you reject him andthen not do them.
00:21:47.022 --> 00:21:49.524
The whole message of Scriptureis bound up in God's
00:21:50.192 --> 00:21:52.327
wonderful plan: to reconcilehumanity with himself.
00:21:52.361 --> 00:21:56.698
He wants all of us to bein heaven with him.
00:21:56.732 --> 00:21:59.534
It is his desire that we becomea part of his forever family
00:21:59.568 --> 00:22:05.040
and spend eternity in heavenwith our Creator.
00:22:05.073 --> 00:22:08.577
In Malachi chapter 3, we readthese words: "For I am the Lord,
00:22:08.610 --> 00:22:13.749
I do not change;therefore you are not consumed,
00:22:13.782 --> 00:22:16.718
O sons of Jacob."
00:22:16.752 --> 00:22:18.620
Change and decay all around usbut we have a changeless God.
00:22:18.653 --> 00:22:24.326
If you're a Christian todayand you know him,
00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.429
put your arms around him todayin your time of devotion.
00:22:27.462 --> 00:22:30.966
Read his Word and rejoiceand give him thanks that he is
00:22:30.999 --> 00:22:34.202
the one on whom you count.
00:22:34.236 --> 00:22:36.571
If you're not a Christian,take this moment
00:22:36.605 --> 00:22:40.075
to think seriouslyabout your life.
00:22:40.108 --> 00:22:42.611
God loves you.
00:22:42.644 --> 00:22:44.112
He sent his Son, Jesus Christ,to die for you on the cross
00:22:44.146 --> 00:22:46.815
so that you could be forgivenof your sin and get out from
00:22:46.848 --> 00:22:50.118
under those negative thingsthat God said and
00:22:50.152 --> 00:22:55.023
get over on the side of God'sgood promise for your life.
00:22:55.056 --> 00:23:00.862
One thing for sure, everythingis going to change and the
00:23:00.896 --> 00:23:04.199
change is gonna come faster andfaster and some of these changes
00:23:04.232 --> 00:23:07.736
are gonna shock us and some willencourage us but if you know
00:23:07.769 --> 00:23:10.639
the unchanging God you areready for whatever happens.
00:23:10.672 --> 00:23:18.847
Lloyd Douglas was the author of,"The Robe."
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:24.586
And when he wasa university student,
00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:26.254
he lived in a boarding house.
00:23:26.288 --> 00:23:28.623
Downstairs on the first floorof that boarding house
00:23:28.657 --> 00:23:31.893
was an elderly retiredmusic teacher.
00:23:31.927 --> 00:23:35.263
He was very infirm andcould not leave his apartment.
00:23:35.297 --> 00:23:39.534
Douglas took a liking tothis man and every morning
00:23:39.568 --> 00:23:43.238
they had a ritual theywould go through together.
00:23:43.271 --> 00:23:47.409
Lloyd Douglas would comedownstairs and he would open
00:23:47.442 --> 00:23:50.045
the man's door and ask him,"Well, sir,
00:23:50.078 --> 00:23:52.347
what's the good news today?"
00:23:52.380 --> 00:23:55.116
And the old man would pick uphis tuning fork and tap it
00:23:55.150 --> 00:23:58.353
on the side of his wheelchairand hold it up and say,
00:23:58.386 --> 00:24:01.523
"That's middle C.
00:24:01.556 --> 00:24:03.625
It was middle C yesterday,it will be middle C tomorrow,
00:24:03.658 --> 00:24:07.062
and it will be middle C1000 years from now.
00:24:07.095 --> 00:24:10.832
The tenor upstairs sings flat,the piano across the hall is
00:24:10.866 --> 00:24:14.402
out of tune but, my friend,this is middle C
00:24:14.436 --> 00:24:17.606
and that's the good newsfor today."
00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:20.642
And I wanna tell youJesus Christ is my middle C.
00:24:22.477 --> 00:24:29.117
He is the same yesterday,today, and forever.
00:24:29.150 --> 00:24:33.922
The world in which I liveis out of tune.
00:24:33.955 --> 00:24:36.992
The prognosticatorsgot it all wrong.
00:24:37.025 --> 00:24:40.529
Everything I look at seemsmessed up but I take
00:24:40.562 --> 00:24:43.498
my tuning fork and I thrust itagainst the hard surface
00:24:43.532 --> 00:24:47.602
and I remind myself,"My God is my middle C."
00:24:47.636 --> 00:24:53.108
And he's yours, too.
00:24:53.141 --> 00:24:54.876
We serve and lovean unchanging God.
00:24:54.910 --> 00:25:00.749
male announcer: Dr. Jeremiahwill return to close
00:25:02.951 --> 00:25:04.653
today's programright after this.
00:25:04.686 --> 00:25:07.022
announcer: Todayon "Turning Point,"
00:25:09.524 --> 00:25:11.393
Dr. Jeremiah would liketo offer you,
00:25:11.426 --> 00:25:13.194
"The God You May Not Know:Take the Journey From Knowing
00:25:13.228 --> 00:25:16.698
About God to Knowing God,"inside which Dr. Jeremiah shares
00:25:16.731 --> 00:25:21.069
the powerful characteristicsthat God himself wants you
00:25:21.102 --> 00:25:24.372
to understand.
00:25:24.406 --> 00:25:25.774
Dr. Jeremiah's book will besent to you as a thank you
00:25:25.807 --> 00:25:29.010
for a gift of any amountin support of this program.
00:25:29.044 --> 00:25:32.013
Or with a generous gift of $60or more you'll receive the
00:25:32.047 --> 00:25:36.518
"God You May Not Know" setcontaining
00:25:36.551 --> 00:25:38.553
Dr. Jeremiah's book,study guide,
00:25:38.587 --> 00:25:41.456
online Leader's Guide,and the "Knowing God" bookmark,
00:25:41.489 --> 00:25:44.859
plus Dr. Jeremiah'scurrent teaching series on DVD,
00:25:44.893 --> 00:25:48.730
Order "The God You May Not Know"book or set,
00:25:48.763 --> 00:25:51.299
when you support the ministryof "Turning Point" today.
00:25:51.333 --> 00:25:53.768
announcer: And now,with one last word
00:25:57.205 --> 00:25:58.807
for today's program,here is Dr. Jeremiah.
00:25:58.840 --> 00:26:01.343
Dr. Jeremiah: Some peoplethrive on change
00:26:02.811 --> 00:26:04.946
while others don't.
00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:06.915
And all of us wishwe could go back in time
00:26:06.948 --> 00:26:09.451
and do a few things differentlybut we can't.
00:26:09.484 --> 00:26:13.321
But change is a foreign ideato God because
00:26:13.355 --> 00:26:16.791
he sees everything all at once.
00:26:16.825 --> 00:26:19.628
He sees past,present, and future.
00:26:19.661 --> 00:26:22.664
In fact, the death of his Sonwasn't a surprise to God.
00:26:22.697 --> 00:26:26.801
It was his plan to offer youthe blessings of forgiveness
00:26:26.835 --> 00:26:30.105
and eternal life.
00:26:30.138 --> 00:26:32.574
You can discoverthat perfect plan for yourself
00:26:32.607 --> 00:26:34.976
with two free giftsfrom Turning Point.
00:26:35.010 --> 00:26:37.345
One is a booklet called,"Your Greatest Turning Point,"
00:26:38.346 --> 00:26:41.182
and the other is our monthlydevotional magazine called,
00:26:41.216 --> 00:26:44.586
"Turning Points."
00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:46.054
Both will guide you to faithin the God who is unchanging
00:26:46.087 --> 00:26:49.324
and we'll send them to youfree of charge
00:26:49.357 --> 00:26:51.493
if you will contact us hereat "Turning Point" today.
00:26:51.526 --> 00:26:55.530
male announcer: Next time on,"Turning Point."
00:26:57.032 --> 00:26:59.234
Dr. Jeremiah: We are remindingourselves of the greatness
00:26:59.267 --> 00:27:02.570
of Almighty God, the omnipotentGod of the universe,
00:27:02.604 --> 00:27:05.907
the Creator of heaven and earth,the sustainer of heaven
00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:09.444
and earth, the sourceof the Resurrection,
00:27:09.477 --> 00:27:11.980
and the reason why you and Iare on our way to heaven,
00:27:12.013 --> 00:27:14.983
hallelujah.
00:27:15.016 --> 00:27:16.317
announcer: Thank youfor being with us today.
00:27:16.351 --> 00:27:18.787
Join us next time forDr. Jeremiah message,
00:27:18.820 --> 00:27:21.256
"Knowing a Powerful God,"here on "Turning Point."
00:27:21.289 --> 00:27:25.360

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Knowing a Changeless God

Knowing a Changeless God

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Knowing a Changeless God

Knowing a Changeless God

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