Hebrews: Jesus is the Same, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Hebrews 13:7-8 - He is the Alpha and Omega and the Rock on which we stand!
“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:7-8 NASB1995
There are two seemingly unrelated verses in this passage. In verse 7, the author of Hebrews is telling the believers to remember those who led them, who spoke the word of God to them, and to imitate them (considering the result of their conduct). But let’s think about this verse for a moment - the leaders of a church who also model obedience and holiness, have a faith that has been handed down to them through the centuries from Jesus Himself and He never changes! This is not true in many cases in many churches, but those who cling to God’s Word are following through on a path that was set in motion when He who is the Creator became this universe (this sounds strange, but think about it!).
Here’s what Enduring Word has to say about those who are our leaders in the faith:
a. Remember those who rule over you: We are told to recognize and follow godly leadership in the body of Christ, leadership shown to be legitimate by faithfulness to the word of God and by godly conduct.
i. Paul advised Timothy along the same lines: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:16)
b. Whose faith follow: Such leaders should be recognized (remember those) and followed. Just as much as a church needs godly leaders, it also needs godly followers.
c. Considering the outcome of their conduct: Leaders don’t need to be perfect, but they should be able to show with their life that the power of Jesus is real as it impacts and transforms the individual life. That demonstrates a faith that can actually be followed.
I especially agree with that comment that we need godly leaders in the church but we also need godly followers!
I found something that was rather eye-opening doing this research. It was a list of the results of surveys on evangelical leaders (this was found in Precept Austin ). The timeline of the survey was about 20 years ago (approximately), with a previous survey in the 1980s but it is probably not all that different now:
Given the fact that many Christians observe their pastors as those they might seek to imitate, it is worth surveying what it is they are imitating. And as you read the list remember that you are looking in the mirror? Would you want others to imitate you (even in those times when you know no one is watching or listening)?
Here is research that we distilled from Barna, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminary, all of which backed up our findings, and additional information from reviewing others’ research:
Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
Fifty percent of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
Eighty percent of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor.
Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.
Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.
Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons (This is Key).
From our recent research we did to retest our data, 1050 pastors were surveyed from two pastor’s conferences held in Orange County and Pasadena, Ca-416 in 2005, and 634 in 2006 (I conducted a similar study for the Fuller Institute in the late 80s with a much greater sampling).
Of the one thousand fifty (1,050 or 100%) pastors we surveyed, every one of them had a close associate or seminary buddy who had left the ministry because of burnout, conflict in their church, or from a moral failure.
Nine hundred forty-eight (948 or 90%) of pastors stated they are frequently fatigued, and worn out on a weekly and even daily basis (did not say burned out).
Nine hundred thirty-five, (935 or 89%) of the pastors we surveyed also considered leaving the ministry at one time. Five hundred ninety, (590 or 57%) said they would leave if they had a better place to go-including secular work.
Eighty- one percent (81%) of the pastors said there was no regular discipleship program or effective effort of mentoring their people or teaching them to deepen their Christian formation at their church (remember these are the Reformed and Evangelical-not the mainline pastors!). (This is Key)
Eight hundred eight (808 or 77%) of the pastors we surveyed felt they did not have a good marriage!
Seven hundred ninety (790 or 75%) of the pastors we surveyed felt they were unqualified and/or poorly trained by their seminaries to lead and manage the church or to counsel others. This left them disheartened in their ability to pastor.
Seven hundred fifty-six (756 or 72%) of the pastors we surveyed stated that they only studied the Bible when they were preparing for sermons or lessons. This left only 38% who read the Bible for devotions and personal study.
Eight hundred two (802 or 71%) of pastors stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even a daily basis.
Three hundred ninety-nine (399 or 38%) of pastors said they were divorced or currently in a divorce process.
Three hundred fifteen (315 or 30%) said they had either been in an ongoing affair or a one-time sexual encounter with a parishioner.
Two hundred seventy (270 or 26%) of pastors said they regularly had personal devotions and felt they were adequately fed spirituality. (This is Key).
Two hundred forty-one (241 or 23%) of the pastors we surveyed said they felt happy and content on a regular basis with who they are in Christ, in their church, and in their home!
Of the pastors surveyed, they stated that a mean (average) of only 25% of their church’s membership attended a Bible Study or small group at least twice a month. The range was 11% to a max of 40%, a median (the center figure of the table) of 18% and a mode (most frequent number) of 20%. This means over 75% of the people who are at a “good” evangelical church do not go to a Bible Study or small group (that is not just a book or curriculum study, but where the Bible is opened and read, as well as studied), (This is Key). (I suspect these numbers are actually lower in most evangelical and Reformed churches because the pastors that come to conferences tend to be more interested in the teaching and care of their flock than those who usually do not attend.) (Statistics on Pastors from “Into Thy Word”)
The key observations from this are as follows (these are evangelical or reformed churches, not mainstream churches, as a reminder):
70% of pastors only spend time in the Word when they are preparing their sermons.
81% of pastors said that there was no regular discipleship program at their churches.
Only 26% felt that they were adequately fed spiritually.
Over 75% of attendees at these churches do not attend Bible studies or small groups.
The numbers of churches that have disturbing statistics like this is probably much more than this survey discloses because these were the “involved’ pastors who cared enough to complete those surveys.
Our church is deeply focused on small groups and Bible studies and they have regular sessions where they talk about those options that are available to worshippers. They also have many small group service mission trips. But I’m sure the response to those opportunities probably follows the 25% rule. Pray for your pastors and church staff!
Now we look at verse 8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. If your Bible is like mine, this verse is highlighted because of its beauty and simplicity. Jesus is immutable. This verse is between passages that talk about good Christian leaders and those who have varied and strange (wrong) teachings. The AI image at the top shows Jesus being the same from Creation through the second coming and New Earth. Here are two short commentaries from Precept Austin about immutability and the eternal character of Christ:
Immutable describes that which does not change. Everything around us changes—leaders rise and fall, emotions fluctuate, seasons end, bodies weaken, cultures shift—but Jesus Christ remains gloriously, perfectly the same. In a world of constant change, He is the anchor of our souls that holds us fast (Heb 6:18) when everything around us is changing. He is the unchanging King of an unshakeable kingdom (Heb 12:28+). The Christ Who sustained the spiritual leaders (Heb 13:7) is the Christ Who sustains us now and will sustain every generation to come. That is immutability!
So that we do not “yank” this verse out of context (which is easy to do), as we remember the faith of those who led us and consider their lives and legacy (Heb. 13:7), we are reminded that even the greatest spiritual leaders come and go. Their seasons end. Their voices fall silent. Their footsteps fade. But the writer of Hebrews lifts our eyes from passing human examples to the unchanging, immutable Christ who stands above every generation. In a world of shifting leaders, changing cultures, and uncertain futures, we are anchored by One who is forever the same. The constancy of Jesus Christ—“yesterday and today and forever”—is the bedrock of our faith, the source of our hope, and the ultimate model we imitate. Our leaders may inspire us, but Christ sustains us. Our mentors may change, but our Master never does. And this same unchanging nature of Jesus Christ guards us against changing doctrine in Hebrews 13:9.
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Jesus Christ is "Alpha and Omega" (Rev 1:11+), the beginning and the end. Jesus Created all things in the past (Col 1:16+), is now continually "upholding all things" today (Heb 1:3+), and will one day "make all things new" in the future (Rev 21:5+). Praise and glory and honor to Jesus Christ, the eternal Creator, the living Lord, and our soon coming King of kings (Rev 19:16+).
What a wonderful, steadfast truth that we can cling to! He was there at the beginning of all things, He was there with mortal men and suffered and died for our sins, He was there walking out of the empty tomb, He was there at the formation of His church, He is there now watching and hoping for as many disciples as possible, and He will be there for eternity (and believers will be with Him).
My next devotional examines Hebrews 13:9-14 - Beware of strange teachings and cling to grace.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - All things pass away except for the constancy of You, Lord Jesus, from the beginning of all things to eternity! I’m so grateful for my salvation! Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 03/01/2026 to review commentary for Hebrews 13:7-8.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com.
I think we need to get rid of church buildings. Then nobody is "standing up front", nobody is ganging up on the big, important leaders, etc. Think about it.