In this sermon, the speaker marvels at the complexity and design of the human body, particularly the eyes and the brain. He questions how understanding is placed in the mind of man and acknowledges that it is a divine gift from God. The speaker then discusses the concept of love, emphasizing that it is not just a feeling but also practical actions of kindness and consideration towards others. He concludes by highlighting the wisdom of God in the creation of the earth and the natural world, using the example of seagulls and the challenge of converting saltwater into freshwater. Throughout the sermon, the speaker encourages wisdom in listening to godly counsel, accepting what cannot be changed, and finding peace in trusting God's design and plan for our lives.

Worthy is the land that was slain to receive power. Yesterday we were speaking about the omnipotence of the Lord. Question, how can he receive any more power than he already has? Don't tell me now. Worthy is the land that was slain to receive riches. Riches? He owns the cattle in a thousand hills. The universe is his. Tell me, how can he receive more riches than he already has? Worthy is the land that was slain to receive wisdom. He's the fountainhead of all wisdom. All the secrets of wisdom and knowledge are found in him. How could he possibly get any more wisdom than he already has? Worthy is the land that was slain to receive strength. There's a difference there between power and strength. One speaks of authority and the other would speak more of physical strength. But the question is still the same. How could the Lord have any more strength than he already has? Now, I can understand the last part, honor, glory, blessings. Yes, I can understand how he can receive more of them. But how can he receive more of those first things? Think it over. Talk it over among yourselves. And I'd be interested to hear what answer you come up with. Now, this morning, we want to take up another attribute of God, first of all. And that is known as the immutability of God. The immutability of God. And that says that God does not change in his being, his attributes, or his purposes. The Lord is the unchanging one. First of all, let us read some scriptures that deal with this. And first of all, I'd like to read from the book of Psalms, Psalm 102. Psalm 102 and verses 24 through 27. Incidentally, if you'd like to revel in the attributes of God, live deep in the book of Psalms. The book of Psalms is full of the study of the attributes of God. That's really what made David a worshipper. He meditated, I suppose, out there in the fields with the sheep. He was contemplating the Lord in all his greatness. And he began to sing and to praise and to worship. Psalm 102, verses 24 through 27. I said, oh my God, take me not away in the midst of my days. Actually, perhaps I should just stop here and explain. This is a dialogue between the Lord Jesus and God the Father at the cross. The Lord Jesus said, I said, oh my God, take me not away in the midst of my years. And God the Father answers, thy years are throughout all generations. There's a change in the speaker in the middle of that verse. Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure. Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment. As a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed. But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end. The immutability of our Lord. He does not change. Malachi chapter 3, verse 6. There we read these lovely words. I am the Lord. I change not. I am the Lord. I change not. And in James chapter 1, verse 17. Speaks of God as the Father of lights. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. And so when we think of the immutability of God, we're saying that he does not change in his being, his attributes, or his purposes. Now, he does change in his methods. In the history of mankind, there have been various dispensations. In which God tests men under various circumstances. Whether under promise, or conscience, or law, or grace, or whatever it might be. God's methods do change, but he himself does not change. And this is a wonderful thing for us to contemplate. Because we live in a world of change, don't we? It's really wonderful to have to cling to someone who doesn't change. Change and decay in all about I see. O thou who changes not, abide with me. We change, he changes not. His love can never die. His truth, not ours, the resting place. We on his truth rely. It's really surprising how many of our hymns and choruses deal with this. With the changelessness of our Lord. Now, a problem arises in connection with the immutability of God. And that problem has to do with verses in the scripture that says the Lord repents. The Lord repents. Genesis chapter 6, verse 6. You remember it says, it repented the Lord that he had made men. And in 1 Samuel 15, it says, it repented, it repented me that I have set up Saul to be king. Now, how can God be immutable and yet repent? Well, the repentance of God does not deny his immutability. When the Bible speaks of the repentance of God, it means there has been a change in his creatures and therefore a necessary change in his dealings with his creatures. Let me explain it this way. God by his very nature must reward obedience and he must punish sin and disobedience, right? That's his nature. He's righteous and he's holy and he's just and he's good. He must reward obedience and he must punish sin and disobedience, all right? When man is obedient to him, he rewards man. When man is disobedient, he punishes man. But he hasn't changed. He's still true to his own character. And that someone has put it this way. God is said to repent when a change in the character and conduct of those with whom he is dealing leads to a corresponding change in his plans and purposes toward them. His repentance is not to be understood as his regretting his action, nor is it a sign of changeableness. His promises and threats are often conditional. And that satisfies my mind when I read that it repented the Lord that he had made man as a change in his creature that necessitates a consequent change in himself. What seems to be repentance to us is God adapting himself to change conditions in his creatures. And so there's no conflict with a verse like Numbers 23, 19, that says God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent that has to do with his own innate changelessness. But if you and I change, then his dealings with us have to change as well. Well, the immutability of God is a great comfort to the child of God. In fact, you and I as believers here today don't realize how much we pillow our heads in his immutability. For instance, we say his love in times past forbids me to think he'll leave me at last in darkness to think he's unchangeable and faithful to us. And I was thinking of that yesterday. We were talking about how God influenced the enemies of Israel so that when the men of Israel went up to worship at Jerusalem, God so influenced their desires that they didn't even want to pounce upon the property of the Israelites. You know, God's just the same today. A brother came up to me after the meeting and gave me an illustration from today. And I said, of course, God's immutable. He's the same today. And he's just as faithful to his promise today. He's still the God of Daniel. The immutability of God also is not only a comfort, but it teaches me that I should be true to my word, even if it costs me something. I often think of that verse in Psalm 15, 4. It says that the man that pleases God, among other things, is the man who swears to his own hurt and changes none. Swears to his own hurt and changes. What does that mean? Well, it means he gives a verbal agreement to sell his house for $50,000, and somebody comes along later and offers him $60,000, and he sells it for $50,000 because he made the verbal agreement. You say, but it wasn't written in the contract. It doesn't make any difference. He swore to his own hurt, and he changes none. Means when you accept an invitation to supper, and then someone comes along with a better menu, you go to the first place. He swears to his own hurt and changes not. And God wants these characteristics to be found in his people. What a wonderful thing to contemplate, the immutability of God. In a scene like ours, where even our own earthen vessels break and the world itself grows old. Wonderful to know the Lord who changes none. Now, another subject that's very closely related to his immutability is his faithfulness. And his faithfulness tells us, or this is also called, in the study of the attributes of God, it's called his truth. His faithfulness or his truth. He's absolutely trustworthy in every way. Absolutely true to his word. No promise of his can ever fail. Well, I don't have to remind you that the Bible is filled with verses that speak of the faithfulness of God. Just let me give you a few. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 9, I'll read it. Know, therefore, that the Lord, thy God, he is God, the faithful God. Isn't that beautiful? The faithful God. Psalm 119, 90, thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Lamentations, chapter three, verses 22 and 23, his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. And you have that expression in the New Testament so often. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able. It's a refrain in the word of God. He is absolutely trustworthy in every way. Absolutely true to his word. No promise of his can ever fail. What confidence this gives us today in the word of God. I go to the word of God. I find a promise there to my heart. I accept the promise and I'm absolutely sure. There is no risk involved in believing God. I don't remember who it was that said that faith is like a leap in the dark. You take the leap in the dark and you find the solid rock underneath. I don't believe that's true at all. Faith demands the surest evidence and finds it in the word of God. The word of God is the surest thing in all the universe. That's why faith is not a meritorious work. No merit attaches to me for believing in the Lord. I'd be a fool not to believe in the Lord. If I can't believe the Lord, whom can I believe? God's word is true. It's wonderfully true, living and vital, eternal and pure. We have tremendous confidence when we come to the word of God, knowing that his word can never fail and that God will do as he has promised. That's why those who have the brand mark of redemption upon them are as sure of heaven as if they were already there. That's why we can sing more happy, but not more secure, the souls of the blessed in heaven. No question about it, those who have already arrived are happier than we are, but they're not more sure of heaven than we are. Because God has said it and we believe it and that settles it. The Lord Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. So it's a wonderful thing to have the word of God, to know the faithful God, to have utter assurance of salvation today. Do you have utter assurance of salvation? How do you know you're saved? Well, I know I'm saved first and foremost through the word of God. I went through an awful time of testing in my life on this whole subject. For many years I fought against the Lord and fought against the idea of being saved, but when I finally yielded, I expected something very dramatic and emotional and sensational to happen and it didn't happen. I trusted the Lord but the bells didn't ring, the lights didn't go on and I didn't feel any tingling in my nervous system. And so I was plunged into the deepest despair. I said I've done all I can do and I'm still not saved. And I went on for months and months and months longing for assurance of salvation and expecting to find assurance through my feelings, but I couldn't find it. And then I read George Cutting's book, Light for Anxious Souls, and he showed very clearly that assurance of salvation comes through the word of God and not through your feelings. And when I saw that, the clouds drifted away and they've never come back since because the word of God is the same today as it was then. God's word is the same. My feelings are up and down, but God's word never changes. I've often quoted Dr. Ironside in that regard. He said, I don't know I'm saved because I feel happy, but I feel happy because I know I'm saved. And somebody said to Martin Luther, Mr. Luther, do you feel that your sins have been forgiven? And he said, no, but I'm as sure of it as that there's a God in heaven. For feelings come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the word of God, not else is worth believing. But that's where we stand today. Just think of the blessing we have, assurance of salvation, eternal security and the provision of all our needs. My God shall supply. Do you believe that? Do you take seriously this verse of scripture, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Promise of the word of God. You know, God would have to come off his throne in heaven before that verse could ever fall to the ground. Wonderful thing to just take God at his word. Well, we should also want to be conformed to the Lord in this matter of faithfulness. We should be faithful. We should be faithful in our dealings with one another. We should be dependable, for instance, in keeping appointments. We should not be given to lies or exaggeration. Faithful in keeping promises, faithful in keeping promises. To marriage vows, faithful in the local assembly. Tell me, can the Lord depend on you? He wants us to be faithful in all our ways. Another wonderful attribute of God is his wisdom, the wisdom of God, and the wisdom of God teaches us that God always produces the best result by the best possible means. That's wonderful, isn't it? Just to think about that. God always produces the best possible results by the best possible means. First of all, let us go to some scriptures to back this up. Let's speak of the wisdom of God. Psalm 104, verse 24. I'll read it to you. Psalm 104, verse 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all. The earth is full of thy riches. Job chapter 12, verses 13 and 16. Job 12, 13 and 16. With him is wisdom and strength. He hath counsel and understanding. With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his. And one more reference. Proverbs chapter 3, verses 19 and 20. Proverbs 3, verses 19 and 20. Says the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth. By understanding hath he established the heaven. My, you could talk the rest of the day in the wisdom of God and you'd never have exhausted the subject. First morning I was here, I went down by the lake and I watched two seagulls. What do you have seagulls in Minnesota for? Would you please tell me? But I watched two seagulls flying over Corona. You know, I was reminded of something very wonderful. Think of the wisdom of God. One of the great problems that man has to face today is how to take salt water and make fresh water out of it. And really, if we could do that on the West Coast now, we wouldn't be bothered by the drought because we got plenty of salt water, but we can't do a thing with it. In other words, to convert it, we can convert it to fresh water, but it's too expensive. Use too much power and power is scared. But there are those seagulls, if you cross the Atlantic or the Pacific, you'll find the seagulls way out in the middle. Please tell me, what do they drink? They drink that salt water? It's enough to kill a seagull. Well, one of our brothers out there on the West Coast is in the membrane business. His business is to make membranes for industry, filter membranes and all the rest. And I was traveling with him one day and he was telling me about the seagull. He's telling me the seagull drinks salt water, takes salt water into its system. That salt water goes through a membrane. After it passes through the membrane, it goes down into its gullet as fresh water and the salt comes out as a teardrop from the seagull's eyes. The wisdom of God. If you can believe that happened by evolution, you're welcome to believe it. Frankly, I'd rather get down on my knees and worship the God of the seagull. We take so much for granted. We take the human body for granted. What a wonderful thing the human body is. How do we see? The light comes through our eyes, but where's the projection machine? And where is the screen on which the image... I don't even know how to express it. How does that work? And tell me who has put understanding in the mind of man? How did he do that? Supposing I could create a brain, which I can't do, of course, but supposing I could with all the component parts, how could I put understanding in it? Think of the wisdom of God in designing the human hand. Think of all the things you can do with the human hand. You know, I believe that if you were to feed that information into a computer and say, now that we want a device that'll do all of these things and then push the button and say, what would it be like? They come out just like that. The wisdom of God. This whole universe that we're living in has to be filled with evidences of God's wisdom. And we see it in his providence with us as well. Now, this is a tremendous comfort to our hearts. The wisdom of God. The wisdom of God, first of all, teaches me this. He's too wise to make a mistake. You know, there are things that happen in life. Have you ever had this happen? And I don't mean to be irreverent, but something happens in your life sometimes in an ephetic depression. You say, well, God has made his first mistake. But you wait 10 years and you say, Lord, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The wisdom of God, he's too wise to make a mistake. The wisdom of God, he's too wise to make a mistake. Comfort. Not only comfort, but confidence. What confidence this should give us in the Lord. When I think of the wisdom of the Lord, and I think of my own ignorance, I say this to myself, McDonald, you can trust his leading. He knows what's best. I don't even know what's best for me. Oh, Lord, I know that the way of man is not in him. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. That's a good lesson for us all to learn. Too often, you and I take matters in our own hands. We say, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do it. This is the thing that I want to do. Really, if we were wise, we'd get down before the Lord and say, Lord, I don't know. I don't even know how to come in out of the rain, really. And I just want to turn my life over to you. I want an exchange of wills to take place every morning in my life and turn my will over to you and accept your will in my life because you are absolutely wise. You never make a mistake and you just plot the course for me, then all will be well. I've had this experience in life where you're tempted to take action by yourself and then you think, no, I won't do it. I'll just leave it with the Lord. I tell you, the Lord comes through every time. Comfort, confidence. Third thing is conformity. We should be wise too. We should be wise too. We should be wise in obeying the word of God. The path of wisdom is to bow to the authority of the Holy Scriptures. I was speaking to some of the young people the other night and on that verse, a wise man will hear. The difference between a wise man and a fool in the book of Proverbs is that the wise man is teachable and the fool isn't. You can't tell a fool anything. You're going to get scorned if you try. Now that isn't true in the book of Psalms. The fool in the book of Psalms is the man who says there is no God. But the fool in the book of Proverbs is the man who is unteachable. He's going to make, he's going to learn by his own stupid errors. He won't listen to the Lord. God wants us to be wise in listening to the godly counsel of elder brothers and sisters, knowing that there's safety in the multitude of counselors. And God also wants us to be wise in accepting what he has made us physically and mentally and what he allows to come into our life. I think that's one of the greatest lessons that you learn in life. And that's this, there's peace in accepting what can't be changed. I'm sure in everybody's life here today, there's something that comes into your life you wish in a way you wish you could have it differently. But what a wonderful thing to know that God has planned the ingredients of our lives. And he has planned them in absolute and perfect wisdom. Whether it's your appearance, whether it's your height, whatever it might be, God had a purpose in it all. His way is best. And he wants us to accept. The Lord Jesus did that. He said, even so, father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. He accepted what couldn't be changed. Paul accepted what couldn't be changed. He had some physical thorn and cried to the Lord three times to have it removed. And the Lord said, my grace is sufficient for thee. Paul rose to the height of spiritual maturity. He said, most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ might rest upon me. As brother Dan was saying yesterday, you take these things and you dedicate them to the Lord. And thank him for them too. Thank him for them too. So God wants us to be wise in these ways and obeying and listening to advice and in accepting what cannot be changed. That brings us to the next attribute of God. And that is the love of God. This is very difficult, incidentally, to define the love of God. God has strong and tender affection for us. And he gives freely, actively and sacrificially. The love of God, God has strong and tender affection for us and he gives freely, actively and sacrificially. Well, we hardly have to read verses on the love of God, but here are a few. Jeremiah 31, 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. John 3, 16. God so loved the world that he gave. Romans 5, 8. God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The verse that Ted quoted last night, Ephesians 2, 4, 5. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved. When we say, when it says in the Bible that God is love, that's not a definition of God. We don't worship love. We worship God, who is love. But I don't think I have to labor the point of the love of God because every Christian here today, every person today is a recipient of the love of God. But it's a subject that really can't be exhausted. What has the poet said? Know that if the whole ocean were ink, and the sky were just one enormous parchment, and every blade of grass were a pen, and every man was a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry. With the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky. The love of God is a boundless deep that can't be filled. No human mind in time or eternity will ever be able to fathom or comprehend. And the love of God should inspire great thoughts of worship in our hearts. How thou canst love me as thou dost, and be the God thou art, is darkness to my intellect, but sunshine to my heart. I don't know anything that should provoke more worship from my heart to God than his wonderful love to me. And not only so, but love to all the brethren. And really, this is something else, isn't it? This is something of love to all the brethren. Dear friends, do we love all the brethren? God wants his love to be manifest in our hearts. And I really believe that the Lord would speak to us during these days that in our holding of the truth of God, we must not neglect to love those who disagree with us. Let me give an example. Our Pentecostal brethren, do we really love them? Or are we harsh and judgmental upon them? It's good for us to remember that every true believer is a member of the body of Christ, and there's no believer that I can't learn something from. I might not agree with them. I might not be able to do the things they do, but I can love them just the same. If they belong to Christ, I tell you, I have a deep and abiding obligation to love them. Some of us can get very excited about the whole subject of tongues. I've never spoken in tongues. I've never heard anybody speak in tongues. But I want to tell you this, there's something worse than the so-called unknown tongues. That's a backbiting and a gossiping tongue. It really is. And we can be so clear doctrinally on the subject of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, we can be very careless about the other. Sometimes the English tongue can be worse than an unknown tongue. And you know, it's a sad thing to me that we draw the line so harsh. A person can be a backbiter and a gossip and be accepted in full fellowship in an assembly. But if he disagrees with me on the baptism of the spirit, he's out just like that. I'm not saying that we should allow men to come in and divide the assembly. I don't think we should. Because division is not of the Lord. But I feel that we all need a fresh baptism of the love of God in our lives and the day in which we live a revolution of love. We really need it. And not only love for our brethren, but love for the world as well. Poets have let me look on the crowd as my savior did till my eyes with tears grow dim. Let me, let me love with pity the wandering ones and love them for love of him. Let's think about the love of God. God's love had no beginning and it can have no end. God's love had no beginning and it can have no end. And God's love has no limit. Boundless. God's love is like an ocean without any shores. God's love is absolutely pure. No human love is absolutely pure. Everything we do, including our love, is stained with sin. The selfishness in it and all the rest. But think of the love of the Lord. It's absolutely pure. God's love is sacrificial, never minding the cost. That was never more manifest than at the cross of Calvary when he gave himself the Lord Jesus gave himself for us. Love manifests itself in giving. God's love manifests itself in giving. God so loved the world that he gave. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. And you get that refrain all through the scriptures as well. Love, God's love seeks the welfare of others. But what makes it truly unique to me is God's love goes out to the unlovely as well as to the lovely. And it goes out to his enemies as well as to his friends. God's love is not drawn out by any virtue in its objects. But only by the goodness of the donor. Why did God ever love me? Well, the only explanation I've ever found is in the book of Isaiah. It says, I've loved thee because I've loved thee. Well, that's good enough. That's plenty adequate. Not drawn out by any virtue in me, but only by the goodness of the donor. God's love is unselfish, not looking for anything in return. God's love doesn't keep a count of wrongs. And it repays every discourtesy with a kindness. But that's the way he wants us to be. I like to give some illustrations, especially when I'm talking to young people about what love really is, because people have such sickly sentimental ideas of love today. And Hollywood has accounted for most of that. But when we speak of love in this sense, it's not the love of sexual passion. It's not the love of friendship. It's not the love of affection. It's a divine love, the love of God. What is love like today in a practical way with you and me? Well, the plate is passed and it has bananas on it, and one of the bananas has a bad spot. Love takes that banana, so nobody else will get it. And when love goes in the washroom and the paper towels are all exhausted, love sees that they're replaced before love leaves. You say, do you have to be so practical? Well, that's the way love is. Love puts out the lights when they're not in use. You know, sometimes I go into places today and people talk about love. They go into a church, let's say, and the people hug one another and kiss one another. They say, boy, that place is full of love. Really? Look, there was a crumpled Kleenex in the lobby and they all walked over it. Love would have picked up the Kleenex. Love empties the garbage without being asked. It replaces gas and oil in a car that has been borrowed when the car is returned. Love doesn't keep people waiting. It serves others before so. Love speaks loudly for the deaf to hear. How we try to drill that into our fellows in the discipleship intern training program. They might as well be speaking in tongues if they don't speak loud. They should have an interpretive president in such a case. Love speaks loudly so that the deaf can hear. And in Ephesians four, we find out that love works in order to have to give to those who are in any need. That's revolutionary. Most of us think working to provide for our own needs, but Christianity goes beyond that and says love works. Let him that stole steel no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to anyone that has need. That's love in the New Testament sense. Love is supernatural. The love that the Lord wants to see manifest in our lives is a supernatural love. It's impossible for an unbeliever to do it at all. It's impossible for a believer to do it except as energized by the spirit of God. But after all, if our lives aren't different from the lives of people around us, what good are they? If we can't be living supernatural lives in the midst of a rubbing earthly world, what impact are we ever going to have? So God wants his love to be manifest in our hearts today. The love that is strong and tender affection for us, which he gives freely, actively, and sacrificially. Shall we look to him in prayer? Father, once again, we come to you and we thank you for your word. We thank you for how it speaks to us even here in the 20th century. We thank you how it convicts us, how it exposes us to ourselves, how as we stand before the mirror of the word, we see ourselves as we actually are. And Father, we would confess to you our sin and our failure this morning. Lord, how we must grieve your heart over and over. We wander from you and yet your faithful love constraining abideth with us still. We just bless and praise you for all your glorious attributes today. Lord, if men and women seeing us and meeting us might just see more of the Lord Jesus in us, if when we go from Coronus, we might be better testimonies for him, living epistles known and read of all men. We ask that it might be so for your glory in Jesus name.