Five Truths That Change Everything
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Hebrews 13:8"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."
Psalm 90:2"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit."
Psalm 147:5 (NIV)Who is this God we say we believe in? That is the most important question you will ever ask. There are many ideas in the world about what God is like - and a lot of them are wrong. Some of those wrong ideas can even hurt you or pull you away from the truth. So before we can love God, trust God, or follow God, we need to know who He really is.
This week, we are going to learn five true things about God that come straight from the Bible. These are not just facts to know in your head. They are truths that can change how you live every single day. Let's begin.
Here's something amazing we need to understand first. When we talk about God being eternal (no beginning or end), all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere at once, and never-changing - we're talking about ALL of God.
You see, God is one God. But He is also three Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. This is called the Trinity. It's not three Gods - it's one God who has always existed as three Persons.
Think about it this way: All three Persons share the same "God qualities." The Father is all-powerful. Jesus is all-powerful. The Holy Spirit is all-powerful. None of them has more power than the others. They are equal because they are all fully God.
So when you read in the Bible about Jesus doing things only God can do - like knowing people's thoughts or having power over death (we'll see this in Mark chapter 5) - that's proof that Jesus IS God. He has these qualities because He's not just a good teacher or a prophet. He's God the Son.
Later in this study, we'll spend whole weeks getting to know the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each on their own. But right now, we're starting with what's true about God Himself - the qualities that make God, God.
One more amazing thing before we begin: these three Persons have loved each other perfectly forever. Before God made a single star, the Father loved the Son, the Son loved the Father, and the Holy Spirit shared in that love. God has never been alone, and God has always been love (1 John 4:8).
And here's the best news of all: God didn't create you to stand outside and just watch that love from far away. He made you so you could be part of it - known by Him, loved by Him, and welcomed in like a child coming home to the most loving family there has ever been.
God has always existed and will always exist. He never started, and He will never stop. He lives outside of time. While we are stuck living one moment at a time, God sees all of time at once - the past, the present, and the future - all at the same time.
This means something powerful for you: whatever hard thing you are going through right now, it is temporary. It feels like it might last forever, but it won't. God is eternal - your problem is not.
Imagine you are standing on the ground watching a parade go by. You can only see the part that is right in front of you. But now imagine you climb to the top of a tall building and look down. Suddenly you can see the whole parade at once - the beginning, the middle, and the end. That's how God sees time. We only see the moment we're in. God sees the whole thing all at once.
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."
Psalm 90:2"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Hebrews 13:8
Here's something incredible. God didn't just create the stars, the oceans, and you. He also created time and space themselves. Before God made anything, there was no "yesterday" or "tomorrow," and there was no "here" or "there." God made all of it.
That means God is not stuck inside time and space the way we are. We can only be in one place at one time, moving forward one second at a time. But God is outside of time and space, looking in - because He made them.
Think about an author writing a story. The author isn't trapped inside the book. He can see page one and the last page at the same time. He can be "present" on every page at once, because he's outside the story he created. In a way, that's how God relates to His creation. He made the "book" of time and space, so He's not trapped inside it like a character. He sees every moment and every place at once.
This is why God can be eternal (He's not stuck moving through time like we are) AND everywhere at once (He's not stuck in one spot like we are). Both are true because God is bigger than the time and space He created.
The eternal God stepped into time as Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again - so that we, who only live for a short time, could receive eternal life through faith in Him. The God who lives forever wants you to live forever with Him. That's not just a fact to learn. That's a rescue.
God knows everything there is to know. He knows every star in the sky and every hair on your head. He knows what you did yesterday, what you're thinking right now, and what you will do tomorrow. Nothing surprises God. Nothing catches Him off guard.
Best of all, God knows YOU completely. He knows your fears, your hopes, your secrets, and your struggles - and He still loves you. You never have to explain yourself to God or hide from Him. He already knows, and He stays.
A mom comes home and finds marker drawings all over the white wall. She doesn't even have to ask who did it - she knows it was her little one, because she knows her child completely. God knows you even better than that - more completely than anyone ever could. And He loves you anyway.
"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar."
Psalm 139:1–2"Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered."
Matthew 10:30
Jesus knows every wrong thing you have ever done and every thought you have ever had - and He still chose to die on the cross for you. He knew your worst and still gave His life to save you. That kind of love, from Someone who knows everything about you, is the heart of the good news.
Psalm 147:4 says God "determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names." Astronomers estimate the universe contains hundreds of billions of galaxies, each holding hundreds of billions of stars - by some estimates, more stars than grains of sand on every beach on Earth. And God has a name for every single one of them.
Now hold that next to Matthew 10:30: "even the hairs of your head are all numbered." The God who names every star in the universe also counts the hairs on your head. That's how big He is - and that's how much He pays attention to you.
God has unlimited power. He spoke the entire universe into existence just by saying the word. There is nothing too hard for God. No problem is too big. No situation is impossible. The same God who made billions of stars knows your name and cares about what you're facing.
Imagine trying to scoop up the whole ocean with a tiny sewing thimble. Impossible, right? Now think about your biggest problem - the thing that feels way too big for you to handle. Compared to God's power, your "ocean-sized" problem is smaller than a thimble of water. What feels impossible to you is easy for God.
"Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you."
Jeremiah 32:17"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Job 42:2
Here is something amazing: the all-powerful God chose to lay down His power. When Jesus died on the cross, the One with all the power in the universe willingly became weak so that you could be saved. Then He rose from the dead by that same power, proving He has won the victory over sin and death forever.
Psalm 139:14 says you are "fearfully and wonderfully made." How wonderfully? Biologists at the Weizmann Institute of Science calculated that your body replaces about 330 billion cells every single day - that's roughly 4 million brand-new cells every second. While you read this sentence, your body just built millions of new cells.
You are not a finished statue sitting on a shelf. You are a living masterpiece that God's design is actively rebuilding every moment of your life. His power isn't just out there in the galaxies - it's at work in you, right now.
God is everywhere at the same time. There is no place you can go where God is not already there. He is with you in your happiest moments and your loneliest ones. Even when you feel completely alone, you are not - God is right there with you.
Remember what we learned earlier - God made space itself, so He's not stuck in one spot the way we are. That's exactly why He can be fully present everywhere at once.
A fish is completely surrounded by water all the time. The water is in front of it, behind it, above it, below it - everywhere. The fish is so surrounded by water that it might not even notice it's there. That's how God's presence is with you. He surrounds you completely, every moment, even when you forget He's there.
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!"
Psalm 139:7–8"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20
When Jesus hung on the cross, He took on the punishment for our sin - and for a moment, He experienced being separated from the Father in a way we cannot fully understand. He went through that so that you would never have to be separated from God. Because of Jesus, you are never truly alone.
God never changes. His character stays the same. His promises stay the same. His love for you stays the same. People in your life might change how they feel about you depending on your behavior or their mood. God doesn't work that way. He doesn't love you more on your good days or less on your bad days. He is perfectly, completely consistent - forever.
Think about how hard it is to trust someone who is different every day - happy one minute, angry the next, kind today, mean tomorrow. You never know what you're going to get. God is the opposite. He is exactly the same every single day. That's what makes Him so safe to trust completely. You always know what you're going to get with God: faithfulness, truth, and love.
"For I the Lord do not change."
Malachi 3:6"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
James 1:17
Jesus shows us a God who finishes what He starts. His love never changes. His commitment to you never wavers. His promises never fail.
But how can you be sure His love won't change? Here's how: God already proved it once and for all. He didn't wait until you were good enough to love you. The Bible says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He loved you at your absolute worst - when you weren't even looking for Him. So if His love didn't depend on you being good back then, it can't depend on you being good now. The cross settled it forever. On your best days and your worst days, God's love for you is exactly the same - because it was never about how good you are. It was always about how good He is.
The God who made the entire universe knows your name. The God who lives outside of time stepped into your story. The God who needs nothing chose to love you. The God who is everywhere is right here with you now. The God who never changes will never change His mind about you.
This is not wishful thinking. This is who God really is.
Now let's watch all five of these truths come to life in one amazing story. In Mark chapter 5, Jesus is on His way to heal a dying girl when a sick woman touches His robe in a crowd. Read Mark 5:21-43 slowly, and watch how Jesus shows us exactly who God is.
Remember our framework from the beginning: Jesus does these things because He is God the Son. Watch the proof:
Did you notice what Jesus called the sick woman? He called her "Daughter" (Mark 5:34). And the little girl He called "Little girl." These are tender, loving names. This is the heart of God - powerful enough to raise the dead, and gentle enough to call a frightened, outcast woman "Daughter."
And don't miss the last verse of the story. After Jesus raised the girl from the dead - the greatest display of power imaginable - the very next thing He said was, "Give her something to eat" (Mark 5:43). Think about that. The same God who had just conquered death noticed that a little girl was hungry. He raised her from the dead, and then He made sure she got dinner. That is how big AND how personal our God is - in the very same breath.
The Mark 5 story shows us something we need to get exactly right, because a lot of people get it wrong. When God the Son came to earth as Jesus, He didn't stop being God. And He wasn't just God pretending to be a man, like wearing a costume. And He wasn't a regular man who later got "upgraded" into God.
The truth is harder to imagine but easy to say: Jesus is fully God AND fully man, at the very same time, in one Person.
Jesus was always God - He didn't become God. But there was a moment when God the Son became a man too. He added a human nature to who He already was, without ever stopping being God.
You can see both in the Mark 5 story. Jesus got tired and walked through a crowd - that's the man part, because God never gets tired. But then He raised a dead girl back to life with three words - that's the God part, because only God has power over death. Same Person. Both at once.
This wasn't random. There are real reasons Jesus had to be fully God and fully man. Once you see them, you'll understand it couldn't have worked any other way.
Reason 1: A real man had to pay, because people are the ones who sinned. People broke God's law, so a real human had to take the punishment for human sin. An angel couldn't do it. God staying up in heaven wouldn't be taking our place. The one who pays has to be one of us. So the Son of God had to become truly man. (See Hebrews 2:14–17)
Reason 2: Only God could live the perfect life we couldn't. To save us, Jesus had to do what no human ever managed - live a completely perfect life, never sinning even once. No regular person can do that. Only God is that perfect. So Jesus had to be truly God. (See Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
Reason 3: The payment had to be big enough. Our sin is against a perfect, infinite God, so the payment for it had to be worth more than any ordinary person could ever give. One regular human dying could only pay for himself - and not even fully. But because Jesus is God, His one sacrifice was valuable enough to pay for the sins of the whole world. So Jesus had to be God. (See 1 Peter 1:18–19; Hebrews 9:14)
Reason 4: Death couldn't hold Him. A regular man would die and stay dead. But Jesus had to defeat death, not just experience it. Because He is God, the grave couldn't keep Him - He rose again, proving He won. So Jesus had to be God. (See Acts 2:24)
Reason 5: We needed Someone who truly understands us. Because Jesus became a real man, He knows what it's like to be tired, hungry, sad, tempted, and hurt. He's not a faraway God who doesn't get it. He's been here. He understands. So it's a gift to us that Jesus became truly man. (See Hebrews 4:15–16)
Put it all together: If Jesus were ONLY God, He couldn't take our place and die for us, and He wouldn't understand our struggles. If Jesus were ONLY a man, He couldn't live perfectly, His payment wouldn't be big enough, and death would keep Him. He had to be BOTH. There was no other way to save us. When you see all the reasons lined up, you realize - this is the only thing that could have worked.
So if someone ever tells you "Jesus was just a good teacher" or "Jesus was just a prophet," now you know the truth - and you can explain it. Jesus is fully God and fully man, the only One who could ever save us.
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." — 1 Peter 3:15
"If God is so big and runs the whole universe,
why would He even care about someone like me?"
This isn't only a question skeptics ask. It's the quiet ache many people carry - a lonely student, a discouraged parent, someone who feels small and overlooked. Sometimes the first person who needs this answer is the one looking back at you in the mirror.
The same God who counts the stars and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4) also numbers the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). And in Mark 5, you just watched the Lord of all power stop everything - for one sick, ashamed, overlooked woman - and call her "Daughter." God's greatness doesn't make Him too busy for you. His greatness is exactly what makes His care for you possible.
"A God big enough to make the whole universe is also big enough to love every single person in it - personally, all at once. His size isn't the reason He'd ignore you. His size is the reason He CAN know you and love you completely."
When a friend asks this - or quietly admits they feel it - don't rush to fix them. Listen first. This question usually comes from a hurting place. Then gently share the truth: the God who made them has never once overlooked them. Point them to the woman in Mark 5. Be kind. Plant a seed. God does the growing.
Practice saying the answer out loud, in your own words, like you're talking to a friend. If you can say it kindly at the kitchen table, you'll be ready when it really matters - whether the person who needs it is a friend, or you.
When something feels like it's been going on too long —
Remember God is eternal. Your hard season is temporary. He sees the end of your story, not just the middle.
When you feel like no one understands you —
Remember God knows you completely - every thought, every fear - and loves you anyway. You never have to hide.
When you face a problem that feels impossible —
Remember God is all-powerful. Your biggest "ocean" is a thimble to Him. Bring it to Him.
When you feel alone —
Remember God is everywhere. He is with you right now, even when you can't feel it.
When you wonder if God still loves you —
Remember God never changes. His love for you today is the same as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
Pick the one truth about God you need most right now. Thank God for that truth. Then ask Him to help you really believe it - not just in your head, but deep in your heart - as you go through this week. If you know someone else who needs this truth, pray for them too.