New Testament Promises

 

I’d like to read to you some of the promises that God has made to us in the new testament.

First, there’s this promise from  Romans 8, verse 28.   And I think this is the favorite verse of a lot of people, because it’s such a great promise.  Here it is..  “And we know, that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”   How do we know that God will make all things work together for good?  Because that’s what He promised, and when God makes a promise, there’s nothing left to say about it.  It’s a good as done!  

The prophet Isaiah said, in  Isaiah 14:27;  “For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it?  And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”   

The bible says in  Numbers 23, verse 19;  “God is not a man, that He should lie.  Nor a son of man, that He should repent.”  (in other words, God is not going to change His mind, when He’s made a promise!)  “Has He said, and will He not do it?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”   Yes, God will make it good!

Here’s another great promise,  1 John 1, verse 7;  “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”   All we’ve got to do is obey the simple words that God has given us, and thus “walk in the light” and the promise is ours.

Of course  verse 9  is just as great a promise;  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   Just humble yourself, and ask for forgiveness, and God forgives.  That’s His promise.  You know that song..  “Count Your Many Blessings”?   Well, we need to be counting these promises, as some of the greatest blessings we have!

How about  1 Corinthians 10, verse 13..  This is another great promise;  “No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man;  And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, will provide the way of escape also, so that you may be able to endure it.”   Temptations are tough, but with this promise from God, we have the confidence, that we can handle anything that confronts us.  God’s promise, gives us the confidence and strength to endure.  

And speaking of enduring temptation, listen to this promise, from  James 1, verse 12;  “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation;  For when he is tried, (in other words, when he has faced the trial, and has endured it)  he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath PROMISED, to them that love Him.”  Let me read the last part of that verse again;  “..he shall receive, the CROWN OF LIFE, which the Lord hath PROMISED, to them that love Him.”  

 

The Greatest Promise

 

That’s the promise that I would really like to focus on today;  The “promise” of the “crown of life”.  God has made many promises to us as Christians.  We could continue through the bible, and see promise, after promise, after promise, but there is one promise, that transcends all other promises.  And that is “The Promise” of  “The Crown of Life”.

Jesus makes this statement, in  Revelation 2, verse 10;  “..Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.”   That’s “the promise” that we’re talking about.  In  verse 7,  Jesus said;  “..To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”  That’s the very same promise.  A “crown of Life..  in the paradise of God”, is eternal life in heaven.

The promise to be able to “eat of the tree of life”, is the same thing, as the promise of the “crown of life”.  And the promise of the “crown of life”, is the same things as the promise of “eternal life”, in heaven.  And that’s the greatest promise that God has ever made!

 

It’s the promise that was first made to Abraham, in  Genesis 12, verse 3,  when the Lord said;  “..and in you, (In Abraham) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”   Some versions say;  “all the families of the earth”.  The meaning, is that not only will the nation and family of Israel be able to receive this blessing, by virtue of being the physical “seed” of Abraham, and thus being “in Abraham”, but God promises, that somehow, every nation and family of people on the earth, will be able to receive this same blessing, because somehow, they will all have the opportunity , to be considered, “the seed of Abraham”.  

And here’s the new testament scripture that tells us how this “somehow” all comes about.  It tells us how all other nations, and all other families of people, who are not physically descended from Abraham, can still come to be “in Abraham”.

The scripture I’m referring to, is  Galatians 3, verses 27 thru 29;  And here it is..  “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.”  (You have covered yourself with Christ)  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, (in other words, the differences, between families, and nations of people, are being dissolved, by Christ, and they’re all being “blended together” you might say)   “..There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female;  For you are all one (you are all one family) in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, THEN you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to PROMISE.”  

And do you know WHY, you become Abrahams’s seed, if you belong to Christ?  Why is that?  Why does “belonging to Christ” automatically make you “Abraham’s seed”?   The scripture tells us why, in  verse 16,  of this same chapter,  Galatians chapter 3.   Here’s what it says;  “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his SEED.  God does not say, “And to seeds,” as if referring to many..”   

This verse is saying that God made a promise to Abraham, and that this promise was to be fulfilled through one specific descendant, or through one “seed” of Abraham.  The promise would not be fulfilled through several, or through many different descendants of Abraham, but only through one descendant, one “seed”.

Now let me go back to that verse of scripture;  “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.  He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your SEED,” which is Christ.”   The one and only “seed” through whom “the promise” of God would be realized, is Jesus Christ, the “seed” of Abraham.

So now we can see exactly how belonging to Christ, makes us to be Abraham’s “seed”, and how we become  “heirs according to promise”.   We become “heirs” of the promise given to Abraham, by virtue, of belonging to Jesus Christ.  And do you remember HOW you come to belong to Christ?   The scripture says;  “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.”  

And so if you have put on Christ, you then belong to Christ.  And the scripture says;  “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to PROMISE.”  What promise are you an heir of?  The promise given to Abraham, that “in him”, “in Abraham”, all the nations of the world would be blessed.  

 

What Is The Blessing ?

 

But what IS the blessing, that was promised to Abraham, and that is realized through Christ?  Well, what is the one, ultimate blessing, that is ours, through Jesus Christ?  What was the very purpose of Jesus Christ?

Christ’s purpose, was to give us, that ultimate blessing.  And God tells us what that blessing is, in  John 3, verse 16;  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting  life.”  In other words, “eternal life”.  

The purpose of Christ, is so that every person, from every nation, and from every family on earth, might have the ultimate blessing, of eternal life.  That’s it, eternal life.  Eternal life is the ultimate blessing, which transcends every other blessing ever given.  And the promise of eternal life, is the promise, which transcends every other promise ever made.  God has given us many promises, but none can compare with the ultimate promise.

1 John 2, verse 25  says it like this;  “And this is the promise, that He has promised us, even eternal life.”  The promise of eternal life, is “The Promise”, which the entire bible is based upon.  “The Promise” of eternal life, is what the gospel of Christ is all about.

Eternal life, and eternal salvation;  That’s the purpose of the gospel, and the goal of every Christian!  And that is “The Promise” that God gives to every Christian, who will remain faithful to Him.   Salvation from our sins, and eternal life in heaven.  And according to the bible, those blessings are called “the gift of God”.  The bible says, in  Ephesians 2, verse 8;  “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”   

The gift of God, the promise of God, the purpose of Jesus Christ, and the very heart of the gospel..   The resurrection unto eternal life.  That’s “The Promise” from God, and that’s “The Gift” from God.

And that is exactly what the bible says, in  Acts 2, verses 38 & 39;  “Repent, and let each of you be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you SHALL receive, (that’s a promise) the GIFT of the Holy Spirit.  (you’ll receive the gift of God)  “For THE PROMISE,  is for you, and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”

The gift, of the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ, is given to us, by the Holy Spirit of God, upon our baptism into Christ.  Often times, people fail to recognize the greatness, of this “greatest promise”, that God has ever made.  And again, God has given many gifts, and He has made many promises, but none can compare to “The Promise” and “The Gift”, of eternal life.

 

Summary, According to the Bible

 

According to the bible, every one who has ever been baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of their sins, has “put on Christ”.  (Galatians 3:27)   And according to the bible, baptism is the ONLY way to put on Christ, because the bible never speaks of another way!  And according to the bible, when one has “put on Christ”, they then “belong to Christ”.  And when they “belong to Christ”, they have become “the seed of Abraham”.  And when they become “the seed of Abraham”, they have also become an “heir”, to “the promise”, of eternal life.

And after you live your life, faithful to God, and when the judgment day arrives, you will receive, what you have been promised, and you WILL live with God, eternally.  That is God’s ultimate, and greatest promise.

 

“The Promise” of eternal life, is truly a gift to cherish, and it’s a gift to protect, through remaining faithful.  And it’s a gift to trust in, and it’s a gift to give our life purpose, and to give our life fulfillment, and to give us immeasurable joy, and hope, and happiness;  And it’s all available to each and every one of us, “in Christ”.  And that, is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The “good news” of the “Greatest Promise” ever made!