The God of Promise – Part 1

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

As a child, my parents sometimes read from a “Promise Box,” which contained tiny roles of paper with printed promises from the Bible. Invariably, many of these promises were quoted from Old Testament covenant promises to the nation of Israel. Sadly, many were torn out of context and wrongly applied. So, as we consider God’s promises, we acknowledge that any grace received through them is only through the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 1:2). Therefore, we shall take care to apply God’s promises appropriately.

We rightly cling to God’s promises because we know that He always fulfills them. Due to Israel’s frequent disobedience and idolatry, they needed reminding that God was not unfaithful as they were. Joshua 21:45 reminded them that not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. The God of Israel is trustworthy. He is our God, and today, as always, He remains absolutely trustworthy as the keeper of all promises.

By the way, this fact should especially affirm our Gentile faith in God. As we watch the nation of Israel today, we see Yahweh literally bringing to fruition His promises from thousands of years ago. Ethnic Israel is the guarantee of the church’s future security in Christ. Just as the LORD specifically continues to fulfill promises to Israel, so the LORD will literally fulfill every promise to His bride, the church.

2 Peter 1:3-4 explain how God’s promises are actuated in the believer’s life. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. As Christians, God’s power, which causes us to grow in God-like character and living, is administered to us through our knowledge of Him. Through our growing knowledge of God, we receive and understand His promises which are appropriate to New Testament believers. Through our obedient dependence upon God fulfilling His promises we increasingly become sharers and participants in God’s nature. The foremost result of this, is that we are increasingly liberated from the sinful desires that previously plagued us.

A growing knowledge of God’s Word is critical to this sanctifying process (John 17:17) as the Holy Spirit personalises our character development from His written Word. As this reality consumes more and more of our lives, we become more aware of the glory and excellence that God has graciously called us to. You see, there is a connection between the quality of our relationship with the LORD and our ability to recognise His fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled, promises. This reassures us, that if we fail to see His promises being fulfilled, it is not because of any failure on God’s part.

I hope to consider over the coming weeks, a few of God’s great and precious promises. As I do, we shall see repeatedly, that although we are faithless, He remains faithful… (2 Timothy 2:13). Familiarity with at least some of God’s promises is essential to our faith and our faithfulness. Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5). May we be rich in God’s promises.

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Steadfast in Christ

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Steadfast character is a wonderful quality that reaps many blessings, even though it is not often spoken of. The apostle James considered those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful (James 5:11). Certainly, Job suffered far more than most of us, yet his default belief always landed him back trusting the integrity of God to meet his needs. God was Job’s silent guest throughout his sufferings, and it was God who invisibly provided Job with a steadfast heart and a rock-solid hope in Christ’s future return. Job testified of Yahweh, you have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose (Job 10:12-13).

Job’s steadfast attachment to God’s truth empowered a towering hope in His Redeemer. Job 19:25-27 explains; For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! Weakened as he was from infectious boils, it was resurrection certainty of seeing Christ standing upon this earth that caused Job’s heart to quiver with hope (cf. Zechariah 14:3-4; Ezekiel 37:12-14).

James reiterates his point in the next verse saying, blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). The size or nature of the trial matters not. Rather, it’s the believer’s response which James says is of significance. While trials come in all shapes and sizes; some brief, some prolonged, some mild, and others brutal, it is the Lord who enables His children to persevere. From within our trials, believers are called and equipped for stubborn faithfulness to Christ. Provision for this comes as we take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm (Ephesians 6:13).

For some, the most challenging trials arrive wrapped in success, pleasure, and comfort. Craving worldly pleasures and recognition, some abandon Christ and His church, in exchange for worldly satisfaction (cf. Mark 4:18-19). For them, they forfeit the spiritual affirmation which flows out of steadfastness. It is the Christian’s faithfulness which produces the realisation of security in Christ which strengthens the desire never to abandon the Lord. In times of ease or pain, steadfast believers stand firm, having a proven testimony of the sufficiency of Christ and His Word through all that life throws at us.

I leave you with the reassuring words of the apostle Paul from Colossians 1:21-23; and you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard… May the Lord of all grace make this true in each of our lives.

As Christmas approaches once again, I’m going to lay down my pen for a rest. I pray you all have a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Christ our Saviour and a restful New Year. Unless the Lord’s Catching Up occurs, I shall return in February 2023.

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God of hope

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Hope, that inner yearning for something or someone outside of ourselves to reach into our lives with a beneficial effect. For Christians, we hope in God. Faith enables us to confess our inability to control the things which God says only He can control and change. And it is hope which motivates believers to lean into God, trusting Him to fulfill His promises in our lives both now and for eternity. Christian hope is not foolish or wishful thinking in airy fairy aspirations for the impossible. It’s not blind dreams rising from our sense of desperation. No, biblical hope is in a person with proven holy character and a spotless record of meeting needs and fulfilling promises.

Jeremiah, who most likely wrote the book of Lamentations, not only new the ugly pains of life, but also the despair and pessimism those pains often cause. In Lamentations 3:22-24, Jeremiah shares some of the inner qualities which enable hope in God. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” When nothing goes according to human desire or plans, God remains the one constant with unchanging consistency. Notice that Yahweh, the LORD, is central to Jeremiah’s confession of belief.

Jeremiah was not digging deep into himself, he was not trusting other people to perfectly respond to his problems, and he was not relying upon luck, whatever that is? No, Jeremiah focused squarely upon the steadfast love of the LORD. Only God can express love without hypocrisy or hidden and suspicious intent. Only Yahweh, who is in essence holy and loving, has the capacity for selfless affection that reaches out and never diminishes in its consistency. Such perfect love motivates the LORD to deliver mercy to people who don’t deserve it. And His mercies never come to an end, they are inexhaustible, without human limitations, and without questionable motives. God’s mercy is pure, refreshing, and rejuvenating as He enables believers to rise above the crushing effects of living in a world dominated by darkness. Such an infinite reservoir of mercy awaits everyone of His children each morning as they awake to the realities of a new day, irrespective of circumstances.

One of the advantages that comes with age, is that of recounting the many ways God has proven Himself to be loving, to be merciful, and to be faithful. However, these supreme qualities are usually proven best through the dark and lonely events of life that take us past our limits. When all others fail us, when the world abandons or injures us, and when self proves grossly deficient, it is the LORD who is discovered to be invisibly and silently present. That is how Jeremiah could so confidently say, the LORD is my portion. When this life delivers despair and emptiness, the LORD is there to meet your needs, to speak to the inner recesses of a bruised heart, and to enable perseverance for His purposes.

The upshot of Jeremiahs confession is that he instructs his soul, he authoritatively directs self to hope in God. You see, God authored hope, which is biblical hope, is more interested in God than in achieving an outcome we consider best. This hope rises from the proven character of our Saviour and Lord, it looks past the here and now, and it leans towards the heavenly. Once this hope has it’s focus on Christ, who constantly intercedes for us, it is content to let God be God, as He administers sufficient mercy for the present day, ready to be refreshed in the next morning.

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God of unimaginable grace

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Grace is a quality spoken of little by the world, yet we depend upon it for everything in life. I’m thankful for the Bible’s record of Job, who suffered unimaginably, yet he never lost sight of God’s grace in the nightmares of his life. It’s a peculiar human trait, we thank God for the pleasant things, and blame Him for the unpleasant. Into our human struggles of life, Job offers a refreshing perspective on God and His grace.

Job, having lost all his children, everything he owned, all his riches, all but four friendly messengers, his good health, and his public reputation, is left with a complaining wife who advised him to “curse God and die” (Job 1-2). As if that wasn’t enough, he had to endure three so-called friends who tormented him with false allegations of sin which they claimed were the cause of all his problems. His life had been hijacked by the miseries inflicted by Satan, leaving him with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head (Job 2:7). Isolated from society, Job lived at the local rubbish dump, scraping his sores with pieces of broken pottery.

Job 3:1 shows us the raw wound of suffering as he cursed the day of his birth. Job spoke honestly with God saying, my complaint is bitter (Job 23:2), and God listened to his openhearted lament. In times of greatest need, Job knew abandonment; my relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me (Job 19:14), all my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me (Job 19:19). At this point, Job looked up with resurrection hope; I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God (Job 19:25-26).

Despite how we may feel towards God when suffering, He never uses His position of authority to become disinterested or disengaged. Job asked, would he (God) contend (debate) with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me (Job 23:6). Too often, grace is thought of as soft, or even weak, yet Job testifies to the opposite. Gracious God met Job during the nightmare providing inner faith resources while waiting for physical relief to be dispensed. Mistakenly, suffering people sometimes think that God isn’t interested, or, that He is so offended that He turns His back on us. But the opposite is true, when damaged and suffering sinners call to the Almighty, He gives attention.

Job acknowledges in chapter 23:13-14, he (God) is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. Like Job, we can take assurance from the Lord’s willingness to listen and to invisibly work out His plans in His timing, for His glory, and our blessing. But none of this happens in an instant, although we may wish it would. Suffering is often the path required to expose grace, patience, and faithfulness. In God’s unchangeable nature, he never turns His back on His children, even during times when we fail to recognise His presence. His purposes are always fulfilled, even though we may hate, or resist, His choice of tools used to accomplish them.

God’s grace gifts the suffering believer with the required faith to enable perseverance. Grace is by no means cowardly or rebellious. Rather, grace perseveres while reaching out in desperation for divine resources to endure. God’s grace enables even the feeblest person to stand on solid ground because they know the Lord’s presence and His eternal purposes are infinitely higher than ours.

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Joy of the heart

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Joy can be a powerful experience, lived out in different ways and with various levels of intensity. I doubt anyone dislikes feeling joy. Joy is by nature pleasurable, it enriches relationships, it gives birth to peace, it affirms being loved, and joy builds hope that desires more joy. Such a simple thing, yet so profound; joy manifests gladness, appreciation, contentment, and happiness. What’s not to like about joy.

Solomon, having exhausted himself in the exploration of happiness, concluded that apart from him (God) who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases Him, God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy… (Ecclesiastes 2:25-26). The experience of joy is a gift of common grace which equally applies to everyone. But for those seeking the highest levels of joy, regardless of circumstances, it can only be found by first of all being a God pleaser. The bonus of being a God pleaser first and foremost, is that God gifts you with wisdom and knowledge first, and from these comes joy.

For believers in Jesus Christ, joy is far more than an emotion than may, or may not, be achievable. Joy is an intrinsic component of life designed into us as image bearers of our Creator. Joy is the second facet of a life controlled by God the Holy Spirit; the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy… (Galatians 5:22). Some may mock at the idea that although you do not now see him (Jesus Christ), you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). This is at the very heart of what it is to be a Christian. We exercise faith, valuing God’s gift of salvation above worldly pleasure. Consequently, we experience joy that’s not dependent upon fleshly pleasures. And when we experience the physical and emotional highs of life, we celebrate them with gladness and energy.

Obviously, because we do not live in ‘Lala land,’ we Christians confess being touched by the struggles and pains of life, and sometimes often. And yes, there are chapters in life when pain works powerfully to impair our Christian joy. It would be false for us to deny this. However, for the children of God who maintain a Christ-centred focus during those painful chapters, there is a deep joy which may not be able to jump or dance with excitement, but inwardly rejoices with thanks for the faithfulness of God. Then, as life changes, and we are enabled, we express our joy more outwardly for others to share. Especially during the difficult seasons, Solomon’s words ring true; the hope of the righteous brings joy… (Proverbs 10:28). Regardless of whether our earthly pains are brief or life-long, hope in God for eternal life brings joy. Being convinced of your soul’s security in Christ, He produces a joy beyond compare, especially when we are physically or emotionally unable to show it outwardly. This inner rest is in Christ and cannot be touched by people or circumstances (Heb 4:3).

So, we have joy in Christ, sometimes quiet and calm, other times loud and exuberant. It’s a joy that lives for the day when because of being imputed with Christ’s righteousness, we hear His welcoming words as we enter heaven. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’ (Matthew 25:21). Then, to our fullest ability, the joy of Jesus Christ will infiltrate and overwhelm us for His glory.

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