Jesus promised…

And so, next Jesus promised to give us everything we need to make it through this world of troubled times, a world growing worse and worse…

In the Second Letter of Peter, we read:

“His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

And…

“Thus He has given us, through these things, His precious and very great PROMISES…”  

Advocate, faithful Friend, Forgiver of sins…and the means to always be forgiven…to live a righteous and godly life in Him…

Yes, these indeed are some of the promises of Jesus!

Do you remember way back in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, chapter 29, where God promised the plans He has for our life? He said:

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

We make promises, don’t we? Yet how many times have we broken a promise? We don’t mean to, but life happens; things get in the way; we forget.

There was a man, who during his elementary school years had a mother who was sick with a heart ailment. One day he prayed to the Lord and asked that if the Lord God would make his mom better, he would become a missionary to Africa. Trouble was he didn’t like snakes and spiders and such, and despite his promise, his mother live to be 96, and he became a school teacher!

What are some of the promises you made but didn’t keep?

But guess what? God knows your heart and the plans He has for you. Nothing gets in the way of God; nothing can break the promises He has given us in Christ Jesus…nothing!

Paul said it best in the 8th chapter of Romans:

“For I an convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.”

This is His promise: His love and His very being will always be with us no matter what!

For in Hebrews, chapter 13, it is written:

“Let your conversation be  without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”  

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me.”

Jesus promised.

Now, what if I were to tell you some incredible, fantastic things that are going to take place in your life in the near future that are hardly talked about let alone believed in the Church, would you believe me?

Things unimaginable that Jesus promised to those who are His, those who believe and love Him?

That one day (perhaps soon?) He’s going to come for us and take us to Heaven to His Father’s house, so as to keep us from the wrath of God which is to come over all the earth?

That we will be with Him in Heaven in brand new immortal, glorified bodies like His?

Would you believe His promises? Would you?

Then let me shed some light with a little background  Scripture:

Let’s go back in time. The year is 33 A.D.  The place is the Upper Room in the city of Jerusalem of Judea, where Jesus and His disciples have gathered for the Passover.

In the Gospel According to John, in chapter 13, Jesus had just dropped a verbal bombshell in their midst, when He said to them that this very night, one of them would betray Him, and one would deny Him three times!

You can just picture the confusion  and uproar among them when they heard this!

But Jesus calmed them down and gave them (and us) His eternal promise…

For right there in John, chapter 14 was the very first time in all the history of the world that the “Rapture” is mentioned, because Jesus said:

“Let not your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions. 

If it were not so I would have told you.

I Go To Prepare A Place For You; And If I Go To Prepare A Place For You,

I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF,

SO THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY BE ALSO.”

Jesus Promised.

Furthermore, He said:

“You know the way to the place where I am going.

Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?

Jesus answered, “I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.  NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”

Jesus Promised. And Jesus keeps His promises, all His promises no matter what!

One day He will come to take us home.

In the sixth chapter of John, Jesus talked about eternal life. He said:

“I Am the Bread of Life.  Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and who ever believes in Me will never thirst.”

Everyone the Father gives to Jesus will be satisfied…He will keep us forever and never lose one!

“This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in Him may have eternal life; AND I WILL RAISE THEM UP ON THE LAST DAY.”

“NO ONE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS DRAWN BY THE FATHER WHO SENT ME; AND I WILL RAISE THAT PERSON UP ON THE LAST DAY.”

Jesus talks about the resurrection of believers and eternal life with Him…FOREVER!

He is the BREAD OF LIFE, the Bread that came down from Heaven.

Many did not want to hear it or believe it!  They were not interested in what Jesus Promised!

But we believe now, don’t we?

He said:

“I am the Bread of Life…this is the Bread that comes down from Heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

Whoever eats of this Bread will live forever: and the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

Listen then to the words of two hymns that capture the essence of what has been said here.  First, “Blessed Assurance.” by Fanny Crosby:

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine.

Heir of salvation, purchase of God.  Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.”

Secondly, “Standing on the Promises,” by R. Kelso Carter:

“Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let His praises ring;

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, 

By the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior,

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God.”

May you believe and stand firm on the promises of God…

Jesus Promised.

May these be a blessed assurance for life and joy and peace in your life through Jesus Christ, the “Promise Keeper.”

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen.