We're turning in the Word this evening to Hebrews chapter 1. The book of Hebrews, the chapter number 1, we're delighted to see you here, the house of God, and we trust the Lord will bless us now. It is a brief Word tonight, and we're getting down to prayer, and so we'll seek the Lord soon. But we want to read the Word here, the book of Hebrews, and the chapter number 1. And we'll read this chapter in its entirety. Hebrews chapter 1, beginning at the verse number 1. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. who being the brightness of his glory and the expressed image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down in the right hand of the majesty and high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him, And of the angels, he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the sun, he saith, thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy kingdom. Thou has loved righteousness and hid it iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail. But to which of the angels saith he at any time, Sit thou in my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Amen. And we'll end at the natural break at the conclusion of the chapter number one. Truth acts like an anchor for the soul. It steadies the vessel of life during the storms of adversity and trouble. But where is such truth to be found in these days of fake news and falsehoods? Is it to be found in the newspaper columns of the Fleet Street tabloids and the airways of radio broadcasts written down on some standing order paper of some parliamentary body. No truth. The truth we need to anchor our souls as God's people is to be found alone in the scriptures of truth placed there on the pages by the God of truth. In recent times, I've found myself reading through and studying through the book of Hebrews and have been impressed by the many nuggets of truth that are found within its verses. But there are some precious gems, nuggets of truth that we find therein. And one such truth that the Lord impressed upon my heart and upon my mind is found there in the words of the verse number 11. There we read, they, speaking of the heavens, they shall perish. But thou remainest, and they shall all wax old as doth a garment. As I read the verse, the Lord specifically impressed upon my mind and my heart the words, but thou remainest, but thou remainest. Speaking of God, inspired Penman, he says, but thou remainest. These words set in the context of the inspired penman's presentation of the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who has written this book will do that throughout his whole epistle. And there we are brought to consider the Lord Jesus Christ as being superior to Moses, being superior to Aaron. being superior to Melchizedek, being superior to the Levitical priesthood, being superior to Joshua, being superior to even the tabernacle. However, in this opening chapter, the Lord Jesus Christ is presented to us as being superior to the angels. But in the closing part of the chapter, it seems that the inspired pen man gets a little sidetracked, a little diverted in his train of thought with regard to Christ's superiority to the angels, and he makes a contrast between Christ and creation. And he reminds us that whilst creation changes, while there are changes happening in the created universe, while the created universe is waxing old as doth a garment and will soon be folded up like a vesture, verse number 12, he reminds his readership that God is one who is who changes not. He reminds his readership that God is the only constant, the only one who does not change and who remains forever the same. The heavens and the earth, as we know them, will be dissolved and a new heaven and a new earth will be created. God will, throughout all that upheaval and all of that great transition, will remain as He has always been. Thus the penman writes the words, but thou remainest, but thou remainest. John Brown in his commentary on the book of Hebrews, he said the following about this particular phrase. He says, amid all the changes which take place among the works he has made, he remains unchanged and unchangeable. In His nature, He says there is no change. In His duration, no circle to run, no space to be measured, no time to be reckoned. All is eternity, infinite and onward. He remaineth. He remaineth. And He remaineth the same. And it's really that truth that I believe the Spirit of God needs to impress upon our hearts in this final midweek prayer meeting of 2022. The wall around us changes. The wall that we know is transitional. There is one who remains. one who is always present with his people, one who is always near us, and that is the Lord. And what a sublime and what a glorious and what a reassuring that is for us in a world that seems to change every single day. In a world that is so transitional, in a world that it seems to be that nothing is fixed and nothing is certain, and it seems to be that there are so many changes abroad within society, whether it be economically, politically, morally, even in church circles, there seems to be so much change, yet there is one who remains forever the same. It is a reassuring thought, I believe, amidst all of the changing scenes of time, the truth that although the world and the heavens and the earth would even suddenly disappear, or that they should gradually wear out and become extinct as we have it here in these particular verses, there is one infinite eternal being who remains unaffected and unchanged, and that is our eternal God. While changes happen in nations, changes happen in families, changes happen in churches, no change, Jehovah knows. While loved ones can be taken from us by death or by immigration, while ministers may take up new charges, While friends desert us, while companions and family members may immigrate, it's comforting to know that God remains. He remains. Friends may die. Fortunes may fly. But God endures on changing on. Thou remainest the same. That is a comfort for each and every one of us, whatever station we find ourselves particularly in tonight. For the widow, though husband goes and is taken in death, God remaineth. And for the widower as well. And well, parents will maybe have to, as it were, release their children flying the nest, maybe through marriage, and they leave the family home, and there you are, you're left without one of the children in the home, yet you can be assured of this, thou remainest, God remains, maybe you're forgotten by family or friends, but God remains, he remains a friend that sticketh closer. than any brother. You might be taken into hospital or nursing care and taken away from family and loved ones and friends and companions and your church family, but God will remain the same wherever you're found. Dr. John Gill, he said this about the phrase, but thou remainest. He said, God remainest without any change or alteration, neither in his natures. divine or human, as God or man, nor in his offices as mediator, as priest. He is an unchangeable priesthood and ever lives to make intercession. As king, his kingdom is an everlasting one, and there will be no end. And as prophet, he will be the everlasting light of his people. Whatever may alter folks in our lives, our family ties, or circle of friends, or health, or wealth, there's one thing that remainest, and he remains the same, and that is our God, but thou remainest. And so whatever changes will come our way in 2023 in the will of God, if we see it, yet we can anchor the soul upon this truth, God remains. He remains as he has always remained, and he has always been. Eternal, glorious, majestic God that he is. All-powerful, all-present, all-knowing. He is forever the same, and he will remain while we will find ourselves at some point taken off this mortal coin, as Shakespeare put it, will be removed from this scene of time by death. God will remain forever as King and as Lord and as God. And so we go forward into an unknown future with the truth anchoring our soul. God remains, unchanging on. And so let this truth anchor you. Let this truth settle you. Let it calm you. Let it ground you. The truth that God remains, though everything else doesn't. And everything else will not remain. It'll all decay. It'll die. It'll be taken from us. But God will never be. He remainest. Oh, may God be pleased to bless his word. Thank God he remains. He remaineth. And because he remaineth, his covenant remaineth. His covenant of peace towards us. And because he remaineth, his love remaineth. And because he remaineth, his kindness remaineth. And because he remaineth, his purposes for us remaineth. And so tonight we can rest our heads upon this great pillow. Thou remainest. Thou remainest. May God be pleased to strengthen our hearts as we think upon that very truth. May we meditate upon it. Only three words, but thou remainest. but may it thrill our souls and may it help us through whatever changes come in all of our lives as we make our way into, God willing, a new year in the will of God. May God be pleased to bless His word. Let's bow briefly in prayer together. Our gracious Father, our loving God, we thank thee for thy word. and the reminder to our souls that thou remainest. We recognize that many, many things change. There is flux, there is change, decline in many things around us, and yet thou remainest. Thou remainest as God. Thou remainest in that thou wilt never die. Thou remainest in the fact that thou dost never change. There is no alteration with God. There is no increase with Him. There is no decrease with Him. He is forever the unchangeable and unchanging God. And therefore, Lord, we bless Thee that, Lord, in a world of so much change, we can look to our God, the one who remaineth. Remaineth upon the throne. and is ruling and reigning, and will do so forever and forever. Bless, O God, as we come to pray. We thank thee, O God, that thou remainest the same. Whenever thou didst say, call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. And therefore, Lord, we look to thee, help in prayer, and Lord, help us as we bring these thoughts and these Announcements to the hearts of God's people, may we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, we offer prayer in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.