The Wobbling World and the Unchanging Christ
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do you feel the world wobble? The earth turns on its axis and tilts, giving us seasons—for good or ill. In the same way, the world around us wobbles. “The times, they are a-changin’.”
There was a time when we sat in public and simply watched: people passing by, a bird fluttering down, maybe even a chat with a stranger. Now we sit with AirPods in, scrolling Facebook. Social conventions have radically shifted in the last fifteen years.
Politically, many of us grew up in a world that felt stable. I was eight when the Berlin Wall fell, and it seemed we had reached “the end of history”—peace and prosperity forever. Then the Twin Towers fell while I was in college. Today wars rage in Ukraine, the Middle East, between nuclear powers. War is nothing new—1914 to 1945 was far worse—but the ground feels unsteady again.
Yet through every tilt and turn, one truth remains: there is nothing new under the sun, and we can take courage because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The Heart of Hebrews: Jesus Is Better
As we come to the penultimate sermon in Hebrews, one message has rung clear through the whole book: no matter the suffering, no matter the trouble you face, Jesus Christ is able to overcome. Jesus is better.
For the original readers, the temptation was to add Old-Testament sacrifices and priesthood back onto the gospel. For us, the world pulls us in a thousand directions. But we must stay rooted in this single fact: no matter how the world spins, Jesus never turns His gaze from you. He never fails. He never changes. The grace that saved our forefathers is the grace that saves us and our children and our children’s children.
A Rapid-Fire Finish: Final Commands Rooted in Grace
Hebrews 13 ends with a flurry of urgent commands—almost like a wife leaving her husband in charge of the kids: “Remember this, and this, and don’t forget that!” But God never commands what He does not empower. Every imperative is rooted in the unchanging power and presence of Jesus Christ.
Here is the road map:
We must be established in the grace of our unchanging Savior so that we can
- Not be led astray by strange teachings
- Gladly bear the reproach of Christ
- Live a sacrifice of praise
- Obey our leaders
1. Do Not Be Led Astray by Strange Teachings (v. 9–10)
“Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.”
“Foods” here means ceremonial food laws. The false teachers insisted, “You’re saved by grace, but to be really spiritual you need these extra rules.” Satan loves to take God’s good gifts—marriage, food, Sabbath—and twist them to divide and distract from Christ.
We have an altar—the cross—from which the old priesthood has no right to eat. Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice is enough. Growth in the Christian life is not grace plus something; it is grace upon grace from the same throne (Heb. 4:16).
Jesus is the beginning of faith (yesterday), the daily strength of faith (today), and the finisher of faith (forever). Don’t chase the new and shiny; keep returning to the same Jesus.
Three Quick Tests for Strange Teaching
- Is it biblical—truly rooted in reverent handling of Scripture, or just ear-tickling with proof-texts?
- Is it in harmony with the historic faith handed down by the saints, or is it recycled ancient heresy dressed up as fresh insight?
- Does it glorify Jesus Christ or distract from Him onto politics, diets, trends, or peripheral rules?
You do not need something more than Jesus. You need more of Jesus—who never changes.
2. Gladly Bear the Reproach of Christ (v. 11–14)
Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify us by His blood. Therefore, “let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
On 24 February AD 303, Emperor Diocletian issued an empire-wide edict: destroy churches, burn Bibles, strip Christians of legal rights, imprison clergy. Later that year every believer faced the choice: sacrifice to the gods or die. Thousands chose death. In less than a decade the empire that persecuted the church bowed to Christ.
This year over 7,000 Christians have already been killed for their faith—many in Nigeria. Leah Sharibu, taken at 14 by Boko Haram, is still captive in her early twenties because she will not deny Jesus.
We do not know what tomorrow’s tools—AI, surveillance, shifting laws—may bring. But the Jesus who stood with the martyrs under Diocletian, who stands with persecuted believers today, is the same Jesus who will stand with us tomorrow. Gladly bear His reproach; our city is coming.
3. Live a Sacrifice of Praise (v. 15–16)
“Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
The altar is now in heaven. The only sacrifices God wants are thankful lips and loving hands. Praise Him here on Sunday; love your neighbour Monday through Saturday. That is worship in spirit and truth.
4. Obey Your Leaders (v. 17)
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Notice “leaders,” plural—not a pope, not a lone celebrity pastor, but a team of elders accountable to Christ and to one another. Obey God rather than men when the two conflict, but let your default posture be trust, not suspicion. Rebellion is easy; shepherding is hard.
Conclusion: Look Again to Jesus
Hebrews was written to a wavering people—and to wavering hearts like mine and yours. When the edict comes, when the knock is at the door, will we stand? My heart wobbles. The world wobbles. Human institutions wobble.
But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Take joy, O fickle heart! He bore the ultimate reproach on the cross. He is worthy of all praise. He is the Leader we ultimately follow. AI may change the world; hell itself will not prevail against Him.
So let us fix our eyes on Jesus—the same yesterday when He saved us, today as He keeps us, forever when He brings us home. Amen.
Closing Prayer
O Lord God, all we have to look to is You—and that is far more than enough. You are our Savior, our Friend, our Comforter in every need. You never change. As the world wobbles, fix our gaze on You anew. We don’t need something new, Lord; we need more of You. Draw our hearts, strengthen us to go outside the gate if need be, and bring us at last to the city whose Builder and Maker is God. In the name of Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever—Amen.