HEBREWS 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Can a person really change? Can the failures of the past really be redeemed? Are we destined to be defined by the mistakes we have made?

Change is something that is talked about but seldom agreed upon. The world proclaims the need for change, but then it denies the reality of change. When a person changes, if they do not agree with the conventional wisdom of the moment, they are forever defined by the failures of their past. We all want to be defined by our present, be we even find it hard to forget our past.

What does that have to do with Hebrews 13:8? Everything! In order for change to be a real possibility, there has to be a constant that never changes. If everything was always changing, there would be no center for change to be directed towards. And, in here lies the problem with our current culture. It has no center. Therefore, change is subjective. Even change – changes!

Jesus is the center that never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He is the way, the truth, and the life!. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of truth and reality. And, it is because of this certainty that we have the hope that change is real. We can be transformed and changed – because He never changes!

• “From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 CSB

We can become New Creations in Christ Jesus – because He never changes. Therefore, we do not look at people from a worldly perspective. The world may say – “A leopard can’t change his spots.” Yet, the believer says – “Jesus Christ can make a new animal out of the leopard!” God is in the heart and life changing business!

The world does not understand this. In fact, we did not understand this until it happened to us. Yet, when we believed in Jesus Christ, when we surrendered our life to His Lordship, He transformed our heart and life. We became a new creation in Christ Jesus! This does not mean that we became perfect. It means that we were given a new heart, a new potential, and a new promise! The power of the past was broken. We were fully forgiven, fully pardoned, and endowed with the grace of God to begin the journey of transformation.

This journey lasts a lifetime. In fact we will continue walking progressively in this journey until we step from this life into the next. Along the way we all fail. Yet, He never changes. The same grace that saved us, picks us up, cleanses and forgives us, and places us with renewed strength back onto the pathway of restoration and righteousness. And, because He never changes, because He is the center, we can confidently press on toward a sure and unchanging goal!

• “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 CSB

The world may not understand our hope and they might not understand our journey. Yet, our journey is filled with promise and blessed assurance because – “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever!” We can boldly reach forward and pursue as our goal – the prize promised by God’s heavenly and unchanging call in Christ Jesus! And, this promise and assurance is not for us alone – but for everyone who will believe!

• “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 CSB

In Jesus Name!