God's Unchanging Love
God's love is the one unchangeable thing in this world, and it will never depart from those who cry out to Him in repentance and faith.
Octavius Winslow emphasizes the unchanging nature of God's love in his sermon 'God's Unchanging Love,' drawing from Isaiah 54:10. He contrasts the transient nature of earthly things, like mountains and hills, with the everlasting kindness and covenant of peace that God offers to His people. Winslow reassures believers that despite their sins and failures, God's love remains constant and unyielding, providing a refuge in Christ. He urges the unconverted to seek shelter in the cross of Jesus, the only true refuge from judgment. The sermon highlights the profound kindness of God in every aspect of life, encouraging a deep trust in His eternal promises.
Text
"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you."--Isaiah 54:10
There is nothing true but heaven--none unchangeable but God. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed"--the lofty and the beautiful, the strong and the attractive of created good shall decay and vanish--the earthquake of time's revolution and of human instability shaking them to the center; but God's covenant of love, and God's love of the covenant, abides forever--for God has spoken it, and it is impossible for Him to lie. Sit down, my soul, and meditate awhile upon this heart-cheering, soul-satisfying truth--the unchangeable love of your covenant God and Father. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you."
"My kindness." Oh what touching and impressive words are these! Human kindness is sweet and grateful--the kindness and love of the creature; what, then, must be divine kindness--the kindness and love of God? Oh how kind is Jesus! There is kindness in all He does and in all He says--kindness in His promises, kindness in His rebukes, kindness in what He gives, kindness in what He withholds, and kindness in what He recalls; kindness in every stroke of His rod, and kindness in every smile of His love. O! my Savior, how great Your kindness in bearing my sins, in calling me by Your effectual grace, in keeping me from falling by Your power, and in giving me a name and a place among Your saints.
"Shall not depart from you." My soul, consider the love of God for you, as everlasting love. It never did, it never will, depart. Notwithstanding your fall in Adam--your depraved nature--your constant sins and departures, the love of God continues. He may veil for a little moment the light of His countenance, may chastise and afflict you for your revoltings and backslidings; still, having loved you once, He loves you to the end. Whatever else departs, His love never will. Wealth may leave you, health may fail you, friends may forsake you, and life itself expire; but God's paternal love, and Christ's fraternal sympathy, will never, never change.
"Neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed." The covenant of peace made with Christ, on your behalf, O my soul, sealed with His blood, even the "blood of the everlasting covenant," which procured peace, speaks peace, and bequeaths peace, even "the peace of God which passes all understanding," shall never be removed. The mountains of human strength, lofty and sun-gilded--the hills of creature good, clad with verdure, and smiling with fruit--shall be removed--the strongest, the loveliest, and the dearest the first to die--but, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Amid the vicissitudes and changes of the present--the dying friends and revolving landscapes of life--cling, O my soul, to Him whose covenant never alters, whose kindness never changes; who, having loved you before all time, and loved you in all time, will love you to the end of all time--yes, when time shall be no longer. The Lord that has mercy upon you has said it.
Unconverted soul! the day will come when, if found out of Christ, you will cry to the mountains and to the rocks to cover you--but will cry in vain! Before His face of glory the heavens and the earth will flee away, and your soul will stand without a shelter or a hiding place. Escape for your life! There is one mountain, and one only, where you can find shelter from the wrath that is to come--it is Mount Calvary. Hidden there, the "Avenger of Blood" cannot reach you. No refuge but the cross--no fountain but the blood--no righteousness but Christ's--no Savior but Jesus--will meet your case. "Him that comes unto Me I will in no way cast out.''
"Just as I am! without one plea,
But that the Savior died for me,
And that You bid me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!"
Sermon Outline
- God's Unchanging Love points: - The mountains and hills of created good will depart, but God's kindness and covenant of peace will remain - Isaiah 54:10
- The Unchangeable Nature of God points: - God's love is the only unchangeable thing in this world - Hebrews 13:8
- The Kindness of God points: - God's kindness is seen in His promises, rebukes, gifts, and withholdings - Psalm 103:8
- The Covenant of Peace points: - The covenant of peace made with Christ will never be removed - Hebrews 13:20
- The Importance of Crying Out to God points: - Unconverted souls must cry out to God for salvation - Romans 10:13
Key Quotes
“The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you.” — Octavius Winslow
“Oh what touching and impressive words are these! Human kindness is sweet and grateful--the kindness and love of the creature; what, then, must be divine kindness--the kindness and love of God?” — Octavius Winslow
“Whatever else departs, His love never will. Wealth may leave you, health may fail you, friends may forsake you, and life itself expire; but God's paternal love, and Christ's fraternal sympathy, will never, never change.” — Octavius Winslow
Application Points
- Recognize the unchangeable nature of God's love and cling to it in the midst of life's changes.
- Cry out to God in repentance and faith, acknowledging Jesus as your Savior.
- Find shelter from God's wrath on Mount Calvary, where Christ's blood and righteousness provide refuge.