Why it Will Always be All About Him

Tomorrow Jesus

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 ESV)

Forever is much longer than simply tomorrow. Forever is all our tomorrows; all the future of eternity. Here is where immutability (the unchanging nature of God) is most helpful to us. The fact that he never changes means ultimately that he is dependable. Trustworthy. Our trust in him is based on who he was in the past and because he never changes, I can rest on the fact that he will be my Savior, Lord, and friend forever.

Maybe you’ve always thought this but have you perhaps just assumed it? What if everything the gospel promises was the same except this one characteristic of Jesus was removed? Do you see how devastating it would be? Yes, he’s true to his promises today but there’s no guarantee about tomorrow. Sure he’s loving and caring toward a sinner like me today but who knows about tomorrow? The gospel has tremendous blessings for today as I live in relationship with God through Christ but if that was subject to possible change in the future I would have no security at all.

My wife Jennifer has an old friend whose husband some years ago fell off a roof. His brain took such a blow that it altered his personality. He is a very different person and now the wife endures a very difficult change. He is different now. But that cannot happen with Jesus. All the prophecies about the future will happen exactly as they say because Jesus cannot change. All the promises about the return of Jesus, resurrected glorified bodies, eternal life, new heaven and earth, no more death or sin or guilt forever will happen because Jesus cannot change.

He was a willing Savior when he died on the cross yesterday and today he is still willing to save any who call on his name. He was tender to the brokenhearted yesterday and today his heart still fills with compassion for you if you are hurting today. Christian, today he loves you and his love will last a billion trillion of your tomorrows. He never changes. He is always the same perfect Savior and friend of sinners.

Human history marches on through these days. Today is tomorrow’s yesterday. Tomorrow will be a yesterday soon enough. Leaders come and leaders go. Empires rise and empires fall. The Assyrians came and went. The Babylonians came and went. The Romans came and went. And with them their great leaders came and went. They are just footnotes in history at best. The United States is another empire that will come and go and its leaders, including whoever wins this election, just obscure footnotes in the story of history. (Adapted from John Piper quote in “I Want to Turn Your Dreams Back On,” Desiringgod.org/articles, December 28,2013) But Jesus, is the same glorious Savior yesterday, today, and forever!

Church leaders are great and the church has known many of them. The apostles. Polycarp. Irenaeus. Athanasius. Augustine. Luther. Hus. Tyndale. Zwingli. Knox. Carey. Bunyan. Wycliffe. Whitefield. Wesley. Edwards. Wilberforce. Livingstone. Moody. Tubman. Lewis. And many, many others. Consider them. Imitate their faith.

But there is only one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His name is Jesus. If we lived a thousand years and could do a thousand more All About Him Sundays, the styles and approaches would change but the message would not because he cannot change.

All About Him. Same message. Same truth. It doesn’t change because he doesn’t change. The yesterday Jesus is the same as the today Jesus. The today Jesus is the same as the tomorrow Jesus. He is the God “who was and is and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8) He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” the beginning and the end. (Revelation 1:8) “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Amen.

©2016 Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s website address (www.bethelweb.org) on the copied resource.

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