Knowing God VI

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Knowing God (VI)

• The Immutability of God

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His Word is Reliable
Nu 2319-20 God is not a man, that He should
lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent Has
He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken,
and will He not make it good? Behold, I have
received a command to bless When He has
blessed, then I cannot revoke it.
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His Word is Reliable

• Psa 11989
• Forever, O LORD,
• Your word is settled in heaven.

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His Word is Reliable
Mt 518 For truly I say to you, until heaven and
earth pass away, not the smallest letter or
stroke shall pass from the Law until all is
accomplished.
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His Word is Reliable
1 Pet 124-25 For ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND
ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS
WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD
OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER. And this is the
word which was preached to you.
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His Purpose is Unalterable
Psa 3311 The counsel of the LORD stands
forever, The plans of His heart from generation
to generation.
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His Purpose is Unalterable
Heb 617-18 In the same way God, desiring even
more to show to the heirs of the promise the
unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with
an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we who
have taken refuge would have strong encouragement
to take hold of the hope set before us.
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His Purpose is Unalterable
Isa 469-10 Remember the former things long
past, For I am God, and there is no other I am
God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the
end from the beginning, And from ancient times
things which have not been done, Saying, My
purpose will be established, And I will
accomplish all My good pleasure
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His Purpose is Unalterable
Prov 1921 Many plans are in a man's heart, But
the counsel of the LORD will stand.
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His Purpose is Unalterable
Jas 117 Every good thing given and every
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation
or shifting shadow.
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His Judgments Are Irrevocable
1 Sam 1528-29 So Samuel said to him, The LORD
has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and
has given it to your neighbor, who is better than
you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or
change His mind for He is not a man that He
should change His mind.
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His Love is Unbreakable

• Psa 1005
• For the LORD is good
• His lovingkindness is everlasting
• And His faithfulness to all generations.

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His Love is Unbreakable

• Lam 320-23
• The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
• For His compassions never fail.
• They are new every morning
• Great is Your faithfulness.

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His Love is Unbreakable

• Mal 35-6
• Then I will draw near to you for judgment and I
  will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and
  against the adulterers and against those who
  swear falsely, and against those who oppress the
  wage earner in his wages, the widow and the
  orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do
  not fear Me, says the LORD of hosts. For I, the
  LORD, do not change therefore you, O sons of
  Jacob, are not consumed.

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His Character is Unchangeable

• Does God ever repent or change his mind?

Gen 65-7 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness
of man was great on the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made
man on the earth, and He was grieved in His
heart. The LORD said, I will blot out man whom I
have created from the face of the land, from man
to animals to creeping things and to birds of the
sky for I am sorry that I have made them.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Does God ever repent or change his mind?

1 Sam 1511 I regret that I have made Saul king,
for he has turned back from following Me and has
not carried out My commands.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Does God ever repent or change his mind?
• A declaration might be conditional

Jer 187-8 At one moment I might speak
concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to
uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it if that
nation against which I have spoken turns from its
evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I
planned to bring on it.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Does God ever repent or change his mind?
• A declaration might be conditional

Jonah 42 He prayed to the LORD and said,
Please LORD, was not this what I said while I
was still in my own country? Therefore in order
to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew
that You are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and
one who relents concerning calamity.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Does God ever repent or change his mind?
• A declaration might be conditional
• Some things he does are meant to be temporary

Heb 712 For when the priesthood is changed, of
necessity there takes place a change of law also.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Did Moses change Gods mind?

Ex 329-14 I have seen this people, and behold,
they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me
alone, that My anger may burn against them and
that I may destroy them and I will make of you a
great nation. Then Moses entreated the LORD his
God, and said, O LORD, why does Your anger burn
against Your people whom You have brought out
from the land of Egypt with great power and with
a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak,
saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to
kill them in the mountains and to destroy them
from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your
burning anger and change Your mind about doing
harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by
Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your
descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all
this land of which I have spoken I will give to
your descendants, and they shall inherit it
forever.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Did Moses change Gods mind?

Vs.14 So the LORD changed His mind about the
harm which He said He would do to His people.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Did Moses change Gods mind?
• God chose Moses as the mediator between him and
  Israel.
• God invited Moses to mediate on Israels behalf

Vs.10 I have seen this people, and behold, they
are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone,
that My anger may burn against them and that I
may destroy them.
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His Character is Unchangeable

• Did Moses change Gods mind?
• God chose Moses as the mediator between him and
  Israel.
• God invited Moses to mediate on Israels behalf
• Gods change was based on a condition vs.29
• The unrepentant were punished -- vs.30-35
• Heb. for change mind Lit. breath deeply
  to be sorry, to console, to show mercy, have
  compassion

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His Character is Unchangeable

• Answering prayer is part of his unchangeable
  character Mt 77-11 Jas 42

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The Immutability of God

• His Word is Reliable
• His Purpose is Unalterable
• His Judgments Are Irrevocable
• His Love is Unbreakable
• His Character is Unchangeable

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What It Means For Us
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What It Means For Us

• Assurance and stability in times of change and
  uncertainty

Heb 13.8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and
today and forever.
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What It Means For Us

• Assurance and stability in times of change and
  uncertainty.
• We can truly know God.
• We can have confidence in prayer.
• We have moral absolutes to live by.
• No distance between 1st Century Christians and us.

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The Immutability of God

• His Word is Reliable
• His Purpose is Unalterable
• His Judgments Are Irrevocable
• His Love is Unbreakable
• His Character is Unchangeable

Photo taken by Dan Bush, missouriskies.org
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The Immutability of God
Photo taken by Dan Bush, missouriskies.org