The Day After Christmas(Hebrews 13:8)

By Franklin L. Kirksey, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort, Alabama, and author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice.

These expositions by Dr. Kirksey are offered to suggest sermon or Bible study ideas for pastors and other church leaders, both from the exposition and from the illustrative material, or simply for personal devotion.

Introduction

Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986) shares the following,

The day after Christmas
Is a day of broken toys, opened boxes,
Torn packages, threads of ribbon galore,
The surprises all over, thank yous all said.
A long time coming and so soon gone!
But, when Jesus Christ is born in your hearts,
There are no sad days after,
No waiting a year,
No putting away the thank yous
For another twelve months.
Every day is Christmas
When the Savior lives within,
The same today as yesterday.
Each day brings fresh gifts from above,
Not a holiday but a holy day.
And we are not merely the recipients,
We give because He gave,
We love because He loved,
And we want to share Him with everybody.
Once-a-year Christmas
On the calendar is precious,
But there is no ‘day after’
When we cannot say, ‘Christ dwelleth in me.’

Eugenia Price (1916-1996), a prolific writer featured in Dr. V. Raymond Edman’s (1900-1967) book titled They Found the Secret: Twenty Lives That Reveal a Touch of Eternity, explains, “Men and women everywhere sigh on December 26 and say they’re glad Christmas is all over for another year. But it isn’t over ‘unto you is born . . . a Savior.’ It’s just beginning! And it will go on forever.”[1]

From Hebrews 13:8 we read, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Dr. J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) confesses, “I feel inadequate to deal with this very marvelous verse, but I want to say that it has probably been misapplied as much as any verse in the Word of God.”[2] On the day after Christmas it is our purpose to attempt to unpack the meaning of this majestic verse.

I. First, we encounter His identity.

The writer to the Hebrews begins our passage with the name “Jesus Christ. . .” (Hebrews 13:8a). This speaks of His identity.

There is an economy of words in the Bible. God does not employ needless words in His Holy Word. He communicates with precision. Therefore, the designations “Jesus” and “Christ” are there for a reason. The name “Jesus” identifies Him with humanity.

An unknown writer expresses the following poetic verse:

Jesus, Name of sweetness,
Jesus, sound of love;
Cheering exiles onward
To their rest above. Jesus, oh the magic
Of the soft love sound;
How it thrills and trembles
To creation’s bound.

Lela B. Long (1896-1951) penned these words and put them to music in 1927,

Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely Name,
And that’s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

Dr. Luke writes in Luke 1:31, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.” In addition he writes in Luke 2:21, “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

Matthew writes in Matthew 1:21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Dr. Luke writes in Acts 1:11, “[Two in white] also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’” Additionally, he writes in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Paul the Apostle writes in Philippians 2:9-11,

⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

John closes the book of Revelation with these words, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21).

While the name “Jesus” refers to His manhood, the designation “Christ” refers to His identity as the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the Anointed One. He is God manifested in the flesh. Paul writes in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The angels refer to Jesus as “Christ the Lord” in Luke 2:11. Later Andrew says, “We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ)” in John 1:41.

Matthew records the exchange between Jesus and Simon Peter. Simon Peter answers Jesus’ question, “. . . who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15), with the swift reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Dr. Luke records in Acts 9:20-22,

²⁰ Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
²¹ Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ

Dr. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) states, “The Son of God became the Son of Man, that we might become the sons of God.”

John writes of Jesus Christ,

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:11-13).

II. Furthermore, we encounter His immutability.

The writer to the Hebrews continues to add the following that Jesus Christ “. . . is the same . . .” (Hebrews 13:8b). This speaks of His immutability. When we say something is “mutable” it is capable of or subject to change. Hence, immutability speaks of unchangeableness. The doctrine of immutability of Jesus Christ is critically important. Dr. A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) clarifies this teaching in his book titled The Knowledge of the Holy. Dr. Tozer writes,

To say that God is immutable is to say that He never differs from Himself. The concept of a growing or developing God is not found in the Scriptures. . . . God cannot change for the better. Since He is perfectly holy, He has never been less holy than He is now and can never be holier than He is and has always been. Neither can God change for the worse. Any deterioration within the unspeakably holy nature of God is impossible. Indeed I believe it impossible even to think of such a thing, for the moment we attempt to do so, the object about which we are thinking is no longer God but something else and someone less than He. . . . The immutability of God appears in its most perfect beauty when viewed against the mutability of men. In God no change is possible; in men change is impossible to escape. Neither the man is fixed nor his world, but he and it are in constant flux.[3]

We find scriptural support for this doctrine of the unchanging nature of God in the following passages. In James 1:17 we read, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” From Numbers 23:19 we learn, “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? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Moses also begins Psalm 90 with the following, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, / Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, / Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:1-2). The prophet Malachi writes, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; / Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (Malachi 3:6). In the Book of Hebrews we read,

¹⁰ And:
“You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
¹¹ They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
¹² Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail” (Hebrews 1:10-12).

Additionally, we read in Hebrews 6:17-18,

¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

Dr. Thoralf Gilbrant (1919-2006) and Tor Inge Gilbrant share the following in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary,

[God] is distinct from our changing world because of His characteristic of immutability. To say that God is immutable does not mean, as in Greek philosophy, that God cannot be moved (e.g., by prayer) or is static; instead, immutability denotes God’s steadfastness to His people.[4]

Dr. Herbert Lockyer, Sr., (1886-1985) explains,

We are creatures of change. We live in a constantly changing world. Circumstances, friends, health, and desires change amid the changing seasons of each new year, and we are in dire need of the Friend who changes not. ‘Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.’[5]

Dr. Harold Lindsell (1913-1998), author of The Battle for the Bible, writes,

Of all the things which man desires I think that security is the greatest single end toward which he strives. Man wants financial security; he wants personal security; he wants spiritual security. Man craves certainty. Change, turmoil, and disruptions are not the desire of the average heart. Man wants something solid on which to erect a permanent structure. The believer in Jesus Christ, however, has the answer to the need. Jesus is the answer. For He is the unchanging one in whom there is the absolute certainty for every heart ‘Before thou wast I am’ comes to us sharply and with such force. God always was; God is, and always will be. In Him there is that certainty which dispels fear. Christ answers the need for financial, personal and spiritual security. Are you resting in this answer?[6]

On the one hand we see the ever changing creation and on the other hand we see the never changing Creator, Jesus Christ. Here we contemplate His constancy and His consistency. “Jesus Christ is the same. . .” (Hebrews 13:8).

III. Finally, we encounter His infinity.

The writer to the Hebrews concludes the words of our text, “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8c). This speaks of His infinity. Someone said, “The Infinite became an infant!” Theologians refer to this as “The Paradox of Christmas”. Isaiah prophesies,

“For unto us a Child is born, / Unto us a Son is given; / And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called / Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace / There will be no end, / Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, / To order it and establish it with judgment and justice / From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The designation “Everlasting Father” literally means “father of eternity”. Isaiah further shares, “Indeed before the day was, I am He; / And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; / I work, and who will reverse it? (Isaiah 43:13) . . . Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; / From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit / Have sent Me” (Isaiah 48:16). “Jesus said to them. . .” in John 8:58, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” This reminds us of the call of Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). Jesus prays in John 17:5 and 24,

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Paul the Apostle writes in Colossians 1:17, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” In Hebrews 1:1-3 we read,

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

We read the following in Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:16-17,

^1:4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,

^1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
. . . . .
^4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
. . . . .
^11:16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”

How expressive are the lines of Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925):

My yesterday was Christ upon the tree, who bore the condemnation due to me. Today I journey on and He shall lead, He knows my pathway, and He knows the need. Tomorrow is not, but His wisdom plans, I leave my future in His loving hands. Full well I know those hands all worlds upbear, The hands that hold the Stars shall hold my care.[7]

From the pages of Day by Day with Billy Graham we read,

All other things may change, but Christ remains unchangeable. In the restless sea of human passions, Christ stands steadfast and calm, ready to welcome all who will turn to Him and accept the blessings of safety and peace. For we are living in an age of grace, in which God promises that ‘whosoever will’ may come and receive His Son. But this period of grace will not go on indefinitely. We are now living on borrowed time.[8]

Someone called in the following comment featured in the SoundOff column of the Mobile Press-Register, “I’m 75 and live alone. Whether it’s bright or white, I won’t have a blue Christmas. Jesus Christ is born! Hallelujah!”[9]

Dr. Stephen Brown shares the following in his book titled When Your Rope Breaks,

I love Ron Dunn’s [1936-2001] comment: “People are always saying, ‘Jesus is all I need.’ You will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you’ve got. And when Jesus is all you’ve got, then and only then, will you know that Jesus is all you need.” [10]

Paul the Apostle writes the following about the preeminence of Jesus Christ,

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:9-18).

May we remember this every day and especially the day after Christmas.

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