All the Promises of God

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Jesus fulfills all the promises of God... but He does so in a way that no one expected. What God’s people seem to have expected was a human Messiah who would establish an earthly kingdom. They expected Him to be a great warrior who would defeat Rome and return Israel to power. And they, no doubt, thought he would establish a great dynasty and that His descendants would reign after him in a never-ending succession. That’s what God’s people seem to have expected... but that’s not what they got. That’s not what Jesus was.

Jesus was born in a stable. He was laid in a manger. His birth was attended by shepherds. And He was almost killed by Rome before He even reached adolescence. His family fled to Egypt for a time. Then when Jesus did return, He didn't live in Jerusalem or even Bethlehem where David was raised. No, He lived in the small and insignificant town of Nazareth. Jesus wasn’t noble or highly educated; He was a carpenter’s son. And for 30 years, as best we can tell, that’s all Jesus was… was a carpenter from Nazareth. For 30 years of Jesus’ life, the biblical story didn’t really move forward in any significant way.

Then, when Jesus did start His ministry in earnest, He didn’t raise an army, or ascend the throne. He became a homeless, itinerant preacher. And when He began calling disciples, they weren’t the kinds of disciples God’s people expected. Jesus didn’t call any of the Pharisees or religious leaders to be His disciples. No, He called fisherman and a political zealot and a tax collector… common folks to be His disciples. And the message that He preached was often spoken in parables and riddles. And He seemed to reserve His harshest judgment not for tax collectors or prostitutes but for the religious leaders. Indeed, Jesus was said to be a friend of sinners!

But He did have special power, didn't He? Jesus performed many mighty miracles. He healed the sick and gave sight to the blind. He made the lame walk and raised the dead! But even this was mostly met with disapproval from the religious leaders because Jesus often healed on the Sabbath day which was unexpected.

Jesus lived and ministered in this way for about three and a half years. He wasn’t the Messiah God’s people had expected. He was a king... but not in an earthly sense. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom not a physical one. He never sat on a throne on earth. Nor did He defeat Israel’s enemies. In fact, He never fought at all. Instead, He willingly suffered!

And that was perhaps the most surprising development of all. After about three and a half years, the religious leaders conspired to kill Jesus. They arrested Him and put Him on trial and begged the Romans to crucify Him. None of this was what God’s people were expecting… and yet, it is what God had promised! 

Understand that Jesus did all of this for you. He was the surprising answer to all our problems, to all our needs, and to all the promises of God. The entire biblical story leads up to Him. And if you don’t know Him, if your life isn’t fully and completely centered around Him… then you are missing the point of the story.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. It’s all about Him! And without Him, you will never be what you ought to be.

Have You Wearied the Lord?

You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 2:17

Have you ever been wearied by someone’s words? Maybe you have a friend or a spouse who is a talker and it just wears you out? In these verses, Malachi tells God's people that God feels that way about them! Only, it wasn’t that they were talking too much. It was what they were saying that wearied the Lord. 

God's people were attacking the very character of God! They said “God is pleased with those who do evil.” They asked “Where is the God of justice?" They wanted God to make the wicked pay. They wanted Him to punish their enemies and bless them.

Can you relate? Do you ever feel like the wicked are prospering? Does it seem to you that God either doesn’t care or doesn’t see what the wicked are doing? If so, then maybe you too have questioned God’s justice.

Judah would soon learn the error of their ways. They would soon learn that wickedness wasn’t just a problem out there… among the pagan nations. It was also a serious problem within their own hearts. But they couldn’t see it because they had grown blind to their own sin. That’s how Judah ended up calling for judgment, when it desperately needed mercy.

There are lessons we can learn here. First, never attack God’s character or question His justice. Who are you to sit in judgment of the Almighty God?! Your perspective is far too limited to evaluate His justice. You barely see your own sin, you have no right to tell Him how to judge the sins of others.

And second, before you cry out for God’s judgment to fall on the wicked, you better make sure you aren’t counted among them. Often, you and I would be better off begging God for mercy and a changed heart, than calling for judgment.

Cleanse Me With Hyssop (W.o.W. Rewind)

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7

Hyssop was a type of plant that God’s people used for ceremonial cleansing. We think it grew in leafy or spriggy bunches allowing Israel to use it almost like a paintbrush. This is the plant they used to paint the blood on their doorposts in Egypt when God struck down the firstborn. But, more to the point, they also used hyssop in purification ceremonies. You can read about this in Numbers 19 or Leviticus 14. But basically, if a person had an infectious skin disease or if they had touched a dead body, then they were declared unclean. They were cut off from the people and the sanctuary of God. And before they could return, they had to be cleansed. The cleansing ceremony involved dipping a bunch of hyssop into water mixed with either sacrificial blood or ashes and then sprinkling it on the person.

Most of us read right over “cleanse me with hyssop” in Psalm 51:7 without giving it a second thought. But when you know this background, you realize that this is a powerful image. David is saying, “I feel unclean. I’m unworthy to come before you, Lord. I’m as polluted as someone who has touched a dead body or who has leprosy. Make me clean again, Father, so I can enter Your presence!”

This is a powerful reminder that sin has consequences. It threatens your intimacy with God. David understood this. In verse 11 he asks God, “Don’t cast me out of your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” This is a reference to King Saul, whose sin resulted in him being rejected as king and losing the Spirit’s anointing. David doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him, but he fears it will... because of his sin. 

Even after you are saved, your sin matters! Your spot in heaven may be secure but your intimacy with God must be maintained. Sin separates you from God. It stuffs cotton in your ears and makes it difficult for you to hear His voice. It smears mud on your eyes and makes it hard for you to see His glory. It turns your heart of flesh into a heart of stone so that you are no longer drawn to love the things of God. And it offends God and makes Him want to move away from you. 

Some of you are like David today. You know that you have rebelled against God's commands and sinned against the Lord. You are unclean; and your relationship with God has been affected. Pray the words of David from Psalm 51:7 today. ASk God to cleanse you with hyssop, then you will be whiter than snow.

For further reading...

• Psalm 51- Read all of this confession psalm to learn more about sin and forgiveness.

God is Still Calling

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1–3

When God first began to call a people for His name, He didn’t start with an existing nation or people group. No. He began with one man (likely a pagan) named Abram. God called Abram to leave his country, his people, and his extended family to go to a land God would show him. Why? Because God had a special plan for his life. 

To that end God makes Abram certain promises in the passage above:

1. God will make Abram into a great nation.

2. God will make Abram’s name great.

3. God will bless those who bless Abram and curse those who curse him.

4. All peoples on earth will be blessed through Abram.

Those are some pretty big promises! And a little later in verse seven of the same chapter God adds another. "The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7)

5. God will give the Land of Canaan to Abram’s offspring.

God gave all these promises to Abram and his wife Sarai. And He called them to step out in faith, follow Him and trust Him to keep His Word.

Do you know that God works the same way today? Even now, He’s calling people to step out in faith, to believe His promises, and to obey Him. Is the Lord calling you? 

Have you heard Him calling you to salvation? Have you heard Him calling you to ministry or some other great faith adventure? If so, step out in faith like Abram did. Obey God and see what He will do.