A GREAT PROMISE

WHAT IS PROMISE?

Promise as we had seen earlier in a “God’s forever promise” is God’s pledge for the future or a covenant. And today we will be seeing what a great promise is. Here His great promise is His Spirit and His Word. And His forever promise is His only begotten Son Jesus Christ our redeemer.

A GREAT PROMISE

(Isaiah 59; 21) says, “As for Me, “says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”  The Scriptures preceding this verse deal with the practical situation that the prophet’s nation faced in his days. In the words that follow, the vision soars to a lofty future. Verse 21 serves as a bridge between the two periods. In it God gives a covenant promise that His Spirit and His Word will never be lost to His people. The covenant which He now makes with them affirms that the Word is firm and unshakable. It may not be performed immediately, but the hearers could be assured of its truth. Then He goes a step further in promising the Spirit also. He would always be present with His people through the Spirit, and the Spirit would be present with the Word. Without the power of the Spirit, the Word would be ineffective; the preaching of the gospel would be unfruitful. But the believer would never be deprived of this blessing. They will be guided by the Spirit and sustained by His Word.  Joel’s promising prophesy of the Holy Spirit, we see it being fulfilled at Pentecost when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit at a place where Jesus had told them not to depart and they patiently await Him assembled together (Joel 2:28) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”  See (Acts 2:14-21).  

THE GREATER BAPTISM

In the Old Testament there are promises of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, such as in (Isaiah 32:15) “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest.”  And also in the book of Joel which we have seen in the prior paragraph. Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4) John tells us that the New Testament gift of the Holy Spirit to believers could come after the glorification of Jesus (John7:39) “But these He spoke concerning the Holy Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  The water baptism of John the Baptist was a baptism for the forgiveness of sins, anticipating the Messiah’s Spirit baptism. The former baptism performed an outward cleansing; the baptism of the Holy Spirit accomplished an inward purification. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the result of the victory of Christ who had been exalted  to the right hand of God (Acts 2:33) “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”  In believing the truth, Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13) “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  All Christians are baptized into one body and are made to drink of one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) “For by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”  For we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal.3:26, 27). When Jesus had been baptized, He came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him (Matt.3:16).

GOD’S PROMISES NEVER FAILS

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with joy in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”  (1 Cor. 1:20-22) Solomon blessed the Lord of his Father David for fulfilling His promises to him and the entire congregation of Israel (1Kgs 8:56) “Blessed be the Lord, who had given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has never failed one word of all His good promises, which He promised through His servant Moses.”

GOD PROMISES HIS WORD NOT TO RETURN TO HIM EMPTY

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1: 1-3). The word of God is powerful, and it did exist from the beginning.  For by it God created all things and by it He still cares for His creation. God’s word is fruitful and it does not go forth without fulfilling or producing powerful results. His word is reliable and true.  It has been written down as Scripture, God inspired Word. More important it has become to us in human flesh, in Jesus Christ, the Word of life; whoever listens to Him receives eternal life (Isa. 55:11) “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, it shall prosper in the things in which I sent it.”

NEW BIRTH THRUOGH THE WORD AND THE SPIRIT

A Valley of Dry Bones - Eze. 37:1-28

“The word of God came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over, but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy son of man, and say to the breath, thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds O breath, and breathe on this slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” Therefore prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God; “Behold.  O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord. (And v 15- 28). This passage summarizes a number of Old Testament prophetic themes. God’s promise to raise up a descendant of David as prince refers to Jesus, who took the throne of his father David (Luke 1:32-33) First, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Secondly Jesus calls Himself a good shepherd who knows and cares about God’s sheep (John 10:11, 14) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep; I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and am known by My own.” Thirdly, the everlasting covenant of peace God promises refers to the New Covenant established through the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20) “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”; (1Cor.  11:25) “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”; (Heb.8:6-13; v. 10) “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach their neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Thank You Holy Father for Your promises which are Yes and Amen.

“Grace to you and Favor from our God and Father and Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”