WHAT a text for leaders— and all of you gathered in this hall tonight are leaders. You have read Paul's words many times. Read them again with me tonight:
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." 1
Several sermons are in the apostle's words. Here is a message on leadership that would be a blessing to every one of us. "Them which have the rule," Paul says. Dr. Phillips translates these words: "Never forget your leaders, who first spoke to you the Word of God." 2 In verse seven the leader's faith, the leader's loyalty, his preaching, his example, all are alluded to as he refers to God's worthy leaders mentioned in Hebrews 11.
The apostle, however, moves quickly on to another great thought and another great Leader—the unchangeable Christ. Man's leadership changes. You and I pass off the stage of action. Someone takes our place. The work of God moves on uninterrupted. Christ Jesus' leadership of the church lasts forever!
"Jesus Christ, the Messiah, [is always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes,] and for ever." Heb 13:8, Amplified.3
This mighty Leader was very man. He experienced the everyday vicissitudes of life just as other men of His day did—and as men still experience them. He worked hard, He became physically worn and in need of rest. He wept for people in their sorrows, and was pained when they misunderstood His love.
The same Jesus, who was man among men, was also very God—His divine Son! He healed incurables, stilled the raging sea, transformed the wicked into saints, and restored life to the dead. He spoke words of truth such as no other teacher, orator, or philosopher has ever uttered. He now rules a spiritual empire that en circles the world. What a leader! He is human, the son of man. He is divine, the Son of God. He is the One who is the same today. What a privilege to serve under His leadership!
Change With a Capital C
We live in an age of change—peaceful change, violent change, change with a capital C! Nothing appears to be constant anymore. Our whole world has suddenly broken loose from its traditional moorings and is drifting we know not whither. Politically the nations are in ferment; in recent years many fledgling countries, either violently or peaceably, have left the nest of the mother country and are flexing their independent wings.
After a decade of breathless technological advance four men have walked on the moon. Horizons have been rolled back millions of miles. New vistas challenge the explorer. The world of science will never be the same again.
The world of religion is undergoing strange and far-reaching changes. The faith of their fathers is no longer adequate for the young generation or for many questing theologians with a penchant for shock. Morally our generation is experiencing revolution. Time-honored standards or propriety, modesty, honesty, are falling like dominoes.
Senator Frank Carlson, of Kansas, "tells it as it is": "Today there is widespread devotion to the idea that nothing, absolutely nothing, can be allowed to remain the same. All things must change, and there is practically no consideration given as to whether the change is good or bad—right or wrong—easy or difficult—necessary or unnecessary." 4
The Lord's messenger was shown the days of change in which we live, and she wrote, "Peculiar and rapid changes will soon take place." 5
Changes in the Religious World
Some of these changes in the religious world open the floodgates of unbelief and spiritual suicide. Here are a few samples of religious trends in today's faithless world:
"I no longer hear questions that used to be routinely expected: virgin birth, trinity, original sin, etc. Rather, the concerns, phrased in various ways, come down to these: Hasn't the supernatural super structure collapsed? What logical or factual basis is there for Christianity's claiming unique ultimacy of truth? In any case, why the institutional Church?" 6
Dr. Clark H. Pinnock, professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, recently stated at a Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference: "There is a 'conspiracy of silence,' almost an amnesia regarding traditionally conservative theology [among Southern Baptists]." 7
"Conspiracy of silence"—ominous words when applied to the basics of the gospel as the Baptists have known and accepted them through the years. Loss by default, not by opposition.
We should not be surprised that 800 American Protestant ministers polled by a religious journal did not score heavily on the side of faith and orthodoxy: 13 percent rejected the Trinity, 33 percent did not believe the plenary inspiration of the Bible, 48 percent rejected the Bible account of Creation, 24 percent did not believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord, and 43 percent rejected the atonement of Jesus Christ.
In a world of change we need the Christ who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Little wonder a journalist questioned the place of religion in the modern world: "Among Protestants, radical theologies are causing many to wonder whether religion any longer has a worth-while mission of its own to the world at large." 8
Situation Should Not Surprise Us!
What is taking place before our eyes should not surprise us. Years ago the Lord through His Word and through His chosen messenger foretold the loss of faith in the evil days immediately before the end.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." 9
Speaking of physical signs of the Lord's return, Ellen G. White wrote: "We are not to be surprised at this time by events both great and decisive; for the angel of mercy cannot remain much longer to shelter the impenitent." 10 Surely this is applicable to what is occurring in the spiritual world, as well.
We Need "the Same Jesus"
In a world of change we need the Christ who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." We need to read again and again the prophet's word: "I am the Lord, I change not."11
God sent Christ into the world as a revelation of His own character to a world with a distorted understanding of God. "God was in Christ."12
"By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God—God's thoughts made audible." 13
When men saw Jesus healing the sick, comforting the brokenhearted, raising the dead, they beheld a revelation of God the Father. When they saw Him comfort little children, feed hungry men and women, they understood the love of God, for "God was in Christ."
When Christ spoke of the doctrines of the law, the Sabbath, tithing, the signs of the times, His second advent, the resurrection, the millennium, the home of the saved, He was passing on to us the truth about God. Each doctrine reveals to us something of the nature and the character of the Father. Christ through these teachings passed along to us God's estimate of doctrine.
"Jesus Christ, the Messiah, [is always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes,] and forever" (Amplified). Today in a world of change that is fast forgetting God, we need the same Christ to remind us, "I am the Lord, I change not."
He Has Not Changed
Christ is still the divine Son of God. He has not changed. Man may deny His Sonship, may scoff at His humble origin. Jesus Christ is still the same. "You are always the same" (Goodspeed)."14 The very impress of His substance." 15 "The divine nature was his from the first" (N.E.B.).16 "From the be ginning He had the nature of God." 17 In a faithless generation I am glad I belong to a people who still believe in the divinity of Christ.
Christ, as the Saviour of the world, has not changed. Man's heart is still "desperately wicked." He still needs salvation. God has not changed His attitude toward sin, nor has He changed His method of saving sinners. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." 18
The Christ of the commandments has not changed. "The law of the Lord is perfect" 19 today as it was in the psalmist's day. Christ declares now as He did then, "Thy law is within my heart." 20 The law in the heart of Christ comes into the heart of one who receives Him in 1970 as was true centuries before the incarnation.
Jesus reminds us, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." 21 Christ is trying to tell us something about His character and about His law. God is a God of law and justice as well as a God of love and light. In a world that has thrown over both God's law and man's laws, He reminds us that there are still some absolutes. Everything is not open end—merely situational. God's law still stands. Christ and His command ments are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The Christ of the Sabbath has not changed. God, not uniformitarianism, still accounts for the existence of our present world. God is our Creator. He is also our Re-Creator. The Sabbath is still the seventh day of the week from sunset to sunset. God's Sabbath is still a holy day, not a holiday. The Christ of the Sabbath is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
The Christ of the sanctuary has not changed. "The hour of his judgment is come." 22 This is still present truth. The judgment message is as valid today as it was a century ago—perhaps even more urgent because the hour is later. Christ is our high priest, our glorious intercessor. We need Him today. Thank God, He has not changed!
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, is "this same Jesus" of whom the two angels at the ascension spoke when they promised that He "shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." 23 Although the hour is long over due, and although the faith and hope of many are growing dim, the hope that has made us a people is still the blessed hope. It will not become the blasted hope. John's prayer on Patmos, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus," 24 will be fulfilled—soon, very soon!
The risen Christ, the Christ of the resurrection morning, is still our glorious Life-giver. Despite the fact that man can trans plant hearts and kidneys and has probed deeply into the mysteries of life itself, he is still mortal. Despite the fact that he has landed four men on the moon, mortal man is still very much earthbound. Only through Christ can he hope for immortality. Soon, very soon, "this mortal must put on immortality." 25
Old Landmarks Emphasized
The Lord's messenger reminds us these basic truths that have made us a people are of special significance and in a world of change they remain constant. At Minneapolis the Lord's messenger warned His people about the danger of rejecting light, and at the same time pointed out certain truths that were not to be tampered with.
The Lord's messenger was speaking of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14 when she said, "One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God's law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark." 26
In these words the Lord emphasizes the fact that there are some truths of the Ad vent message that are not to be tampered with. Some areas are not negotiable.
Satan After the Remnant
Satan is hard on the trail of every child of God. He would like to bring ruin to the whole church of the remnant if he could. "Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts to overthrow them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation, whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks."27
In a world of change, in a permissive society, in a Christian world notorious for its lack of faith and power, it would be too much to hope that the evil one would spare the church of the remnant.
In a generation that makes little or no "difference between the holy and profane," "between the unclean and the clean," that has disregarded God's law and His Sabbath,28 we must expect that Satan will focus attention on God's last church. "This spirit will not always be manifested in an open defiance of the messages that God sends, but a settled unbelief is expressed in many ways. Every false statement that is made feeds and strengthens this unbelief, and through this means many souls will be balanced in the wrong direction.
"We cannot be too watchful against every form of error, for Satan is constantly seeking to draw men from the truth."29
"Be not carried about," 30 Paul says. In other words, Don't permit anyone to lure I you away from your everlasting Christ.
Areas for Discussion
In the study of the Word there is ample room for healthy, prayerful discussion. There is room for difference of opinion. Earnest, deep study is strongly encouraged. New light will be shed upon our pathway. "It is a fact that we have the truth, and we must hold with tenacity to the positions that cannot be shaken; but we must not look with suspicion upon any new light which God may send." 31
In our study we need to keep ever in mind that God "does not give one man new light contrary to the established faith of the body." 32 Christ does not contradict Himself.
One prominent Adventist theologian among us wrote to me recently: "I am always troubled by the fear that those who speak so much of the quest for truth may either think or convey the impression that they think that the great body of truth is still undiscovered and unknown. Perhaps in its broadest sense, where truth is taken to include all factual knowledge, this viewpoint might be valid. But in the area of spiritual and doctrinal truth, I would wish to convey the impression that the great body of truth has already been given to us in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, and that they will continue to be the major portion of total truth that we will receive this side of the kingdom."
Doctrines Must Come Alive
Many of the youth today cry, "We have enough doctrine. Give us Christ!" The youth are right when they say that we need Christ. We need both Christ and doctrine. That doctrine must be Bible-based and Christ-centered. What is more, it must come alive and be a part of our daily lives. The Second Advent must add hope, anticipation, and urgency to our living and serving. The Sabbath truth must sharpen our perceptions of re-creation, as well as of Creation. The nature of man, immortality only through Christ, must be come a resurrection experience in our spiritual life. The doctrine of stewardship must expel covetousness and selfishness. These distinctive doctrines of the living Christ must come alive in our experience.
"I Sought for a Man"
In a time of faithless change, God calls for men who will stand for the Christ who does not change! Our age demands some standing, as well as moving! "I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it." 33
What a challenge for God's leaders to day! In a world that is falling apart God seeks for leaders who will stand for right though the heavens fall! While those about them hesitate and retreat, they stand their ground.
"The yielding temperaments, who have not courage to condemn wrong, but keep silent when their influence is needed to stand in the defense of right against any pressure, may avoid many heartaches, and escape many perplexities, and lose a very rich reward, if not their own souls." 34
"We are not to cringe, and beg pardon of the world for telling them the truth. We should scorn concealment. Unfurl your true colors to the gaze of men and angels. Let it be understood that Seventh-day Adventists can make no compromise. In our opinions and faith there must not be the least appearance of wavering." 35
These words, spoken regarding religious liberty, when mixed with much Christian love may well guide us in dealing with other problems facing the church today. While others rock and reel and retreat, while change after change keeps the world about us in a constant religious ebb and flow, the Word of God points to One who changes not, who is to be our example.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, He is our only hope.
REFERENCES
1.Heb. 13:7, 8, 9 (first part).
2. The New Testament in Modern English, © J. B. Phillips 1958. Used by permission of The Macmillan Company.
3. Excerpts credited to Amplified are from The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1965 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506.
4. Senator Frank Carlson, "Wanted — A Man Who Will Stand." U.S. News and World Report, July 1, 1968.
5. Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 436.
6. Tames A. Pike, "Why I'm Leaving the Church," Look, April 29, 1969.
7. Reported in Relgious News Service, June 5, 1968.
8. U.S. News & World Report, April 14 1969.
9. 2 Thess. 2:3, 7. 11, 15.
10. Prophets and Kings p. 278.
11.Mal. 3:6.
12. 2 Cor. 5:19.
13. The Desire of Ages, p. 19.
14. Heb. 1 : 12, Smith and Goodspeed, The Complete Bible: An American Translation. Copyright 1939 by the University of Chicago.
15. Verse 3, A.R.V. margin.
16. Phil. 2:5. The New English Bible. © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1970. Reprinted by permission.
17. Verses 5, 6, Weymouth.
18. Acts 4:12.
19.Ps. 19:7.
20. Chap. 40:8.
21. John 14:15.
22. Rev. 14:7.
23. Acts 1:11.
24. Rev. 22:23.
25. 1 Cor. 15:53.
26. Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 30.
27. Ibid., p. 49.
28. See Eze. 22:26.
29. Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 295, 296.
30. Heb. 13:9.
31. Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 33.
32. Ibid., p. 45.
33. Eze.. 22:30..
34. My Life Today, p. 320.
35. Review and Herald, January 31, 1893, p. 66.
