Jesus Reassures His Followers #2432

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. 3 I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know (John 14:1–4, NKJV).”

Jesus encouraged His apostles at a moment when He could have crumbled under discouraging anxiety and fearful anticipation of the cross. His apostles had quarreled (again) over who was the greatest among them (Luke 22:24). Judas’ betrayal was in motion (John 13:26-30). Jesus had just addressed His apostles’ imminent scattering and Peter’s denial (Mark 14:27; John 13:36-38). Now, amazingly, we see Him consoling them. Meditate with me on Christ’s exhortations to them. (1) Jesus gives calming assurance (v. 1). Faith in Christ and His word strengthens us in every trial and turmoil of life. Patient faith in Jesus replaces anxious care (Phil. 4:6-8). (2) Jesus gives comforting promises (v. 2-3). Christ promises a heavenly dwelling place to all who trust and follow Him. Soon He would go into heaven itself as our great High Priest to present Himself as the offering for the sins of the world (Heb. 2:17; 4:14; 9:26; 10:10-14). Hallelujah, what a Savior! (3) Jesus gives confident knowledge (v. 4). We know where Jesus went (heaven, now exalted at God’s right hand, Acts 2:32-36). We know the way to the Father is only through Him (John 14:5-6). Pondering these tremendous spiritual blessings persuades us to endure in faith through the storms of life, trust our Savior’s promise of eternal rest, and secure our hope in the knowledge of the gospel of the Son of God.

“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled” #2057

1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 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. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know. (John 14:1–4, NKJV)

A spiritual song we sing says, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear.” How do we prevent our hearts from being troubled? Today’s familiar passage from the lips of Jesus teaches us how to soothe the anxious soul. 1)  By the calming assurance of faith (v. 1). Solomon said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Focusing our attention on the Lord instead of ourselves is essential to avoid heart disturbance. 2) By the comforting promises of Christ (v. 2-3). Jesus promised to prepare a dwelling place for His followers. His death, resurrection, and exaltation at God’s right hand announce the success of His redemptive work, assuring us He will return to receive His saints in glory (1 Thess. 4:16-18; Col. 3:4). Comfort your heart with His promises. 3) By the confident knowledge of truth (v. 4). When Thomas expressed doubt and uncertainty, Jesus replaced it with confidence-building truth. He was going to the Father, and He is “the way, the truth, and the life” by whom we also go to the Father (Jno. 14:6). Firm assurance replaces doubt when we learn the truth that is in Jesus (Eph. 4:20-21). Live by faith, be comforted by the promises of God, and walk in truth to keep your heart from being troubled in troublesome times.

“The Times of Restoration of All Things” #2009

20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:20–21, NKJV)

Jesus Christ is in heaven, ruling at God’s right hand (Acts 2:32-36). While there, “the times of restoration of all things” occurs. God spoke about the “times of restoration of all things” through His prophets. Let us hear God’s definition of this restoration. Peter begins with Moses, who told of a Prophet God would raise up and to whom every soul must listen or be destroyed (Acts 3:22-23; Deut. 18:15, 18-19). Peter applied this prophecy to Jesus. Next, he points out that “all the prophets from Samuel” onward “foretold of these days,” when the Prophet came bringing restoration. Peter and his contemporaries lived in “these days” and were witnessing “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:24). Thirdly, God sent His Servant Jesus to the Jews to begin the restoration of all things that He promised to their fathers (Acts 3:25). What was this blessing of restoration? It was redemption from sin (“in turning away every one of you from your iniquities,” Acts 3:26). Soon, Gentiles would be brought into this redemption, since “all the families of the earth” are blessed in Abraham’s Seed (Christ) (Acts 3:25; Rom. 1:16-17; Gal. 3:16). The “restoration of all things” God foretold is now summed up in Jesus Christ. The gospel age is the “fullness of the times” when God sums up all things in Christ and administers redemption from sin with the eternal inheritance “according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:10-11). The “restoration” is the spiritual renewal of sinners in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:11-12).

God is Faithful #1916

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9, NKJV)

The faithfulness of God is the Christian’s ground of confidence. He will do what He has promised. 1) God is faithful to call us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel calls us into salvation as new creatures in Christ (1 Cor. 1:18, 24; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:26-27; 2 Thess. 2:13-14). We are confident in the promised fellowship we have with the Father and the Son when we love Christ and keep His word (John 14:23). 2) God is faithful to shield us and give us a way of escape when we are tempted to sin (1 Cor. 10:13). We are confident that, though tempted, we can endure it successfully. 3) God is faithful to preserve us blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23-24). Christians are saints, set apart to the holy service of God (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). We are confident that when we walk in the light, we will be blameless at the Lord’s return (1 Jno. 1:5-9). God faithfully accomplishes what He promises. Our confidence is in Him (Rom. 8:35-37). Let us be ever faithful and true to Him (Rev. 17:14).

God’s promises to Abraham #1283

1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1–3, NKJV)

This three-fold promise God made to Abram (Abraham) forms the thesis statement of the rest of the Bible. Its pages show God keeping His promise to make a great nation of Abraham’s offspring when He brought out the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, and established Israel as a holy nation (Genesis 12:2; Exodus 19:4-6). The Scriptures show God keeping His promise to give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham (“To your descendants I will give this land,” Genesis 12:7, 1). God kept His word as He promised, and gave Israel “all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers” (Joshua 21:43-45; Nehemiah 9:7-8). The Scriptures show God keeping His promise to bless all nations through the Seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). In Jesus Christ, “the blessing of Abraham” (redemption from sin) is available to all flesh (Galatians 3:14, 16, 22-29; 4:4-6). Let us praise God for His matchless wisdom, glory, power, love, mercy and grace! Salvation is only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). The Bible teaches us how to be saved in Him (Acts 2:36-41; 10:34-35). The Bible is truly remarkable, and invaluable (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Having these Promises #895

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1, NKJV)

The blessed promises that God will receive us as His children and be a Father to us move us with expectant faith to “cleanse ourselves” of every defilement that sin has introduced into our minds and our bodies. The fruit of repentance is the ceasing of the sins we previously committed. Christians do not continue living in sin; we deliberately, sometimes painstakingly, refuse to continue in sin. This process of eliminating sin enables us to mature in making holy choices in life, because we hold God in reverence and seek to always do what pleases Him. We must devote ourselves to purity of heart and life because of the great promises of familial fellowship God gives us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

God Keeps His Promises #754

42  For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. 43  He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. 44  He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations, 45  That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 105:42–45, NKJV)

God made a promise to Abraham to make a great nation of his descendants (Gen. 12:2). God kept His word when He brought Israel out of Egyptian bondage, making them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo. 19:6; Deut. 10:22). God also promised the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:7; Acts 7:5). God fulfilled that promise under the leadership of Joshua (Josh. 21:43; 23:14). There will not be a future claiming of the land of promise by the fleshly descendants of Abraham. The lesson for us today is that God fulfilled His promises to Abraham so that Israel would obey His laws and praise His great name. God is trustworthy. He demands and deserves the faithfulness of His people. He will not break His word to us. The crucial question is, will we choose to break God’s word by disobeying Him?

God Keeps His Promises #398

42  For He remembered His holy promise, And Abraham His servant. 43  He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. 44  He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations, 45  that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 105:42-45)

God keeps His promises. He promised to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance”, and He did (Gen. 15:18; Psa. 105:11, 44). Joshua confirmed God’s fidelity in keeping His land promise (Josh. 21:43). The fact that God keeps His word should compel us to “observe His statutes and keep His laws” He has given us in Christ. Jesus said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say” (Lk. 6:46)? Christ promises to eternally save those who believe and obey Him (Heb. 5:8-9). He also promises to eternally punish “those who do not know God” and “those who do not obey the gospel” (2 Thess. 1:8). Yes, God keeps His promises. Which one of these promises will He keep in your case? That, my friend, depends on what you choose to believe and do.