Allen Jackson - Such Wonderful Promises - Part 1
I want to continue the theme we started over the weekend. We’ve been talking about God’s plan, God’s promises, and God’s people. They go together. God has a plan for your life beyond just being born again, converted, saved. Those are important things, but God has a plan for you. Before you draw your first breath, before you utter your first sound, the Bible says that Jesus is the author and the completer of your story. And if you haven’t awakened to that yet, I want to give you that invitation tonight. Begin to say to the Lord, «God, I want to live your plan. More than I wanna live my plan, more than I want you to make my plan a reality, God, I wanna live your plan».
And God’s promises are the key to fulfilling his purpose for your life. And the highest honor of my life is being included in God’s people. More than I want to belong to any group, I wanna be acknowledged with any whatever, I want to be included in the people of God. There is no greater honor. I couldn’t always say that in my life. Even after, as I was a Christ follower, I didn’t recognize that. Christians got on my nerves. And there were settings and times and places when I was embarrassed of them. That says far more about my heart than it does about any of theirs. But God was gracious to me and by his Spirit has enabled me to change, and I can tell you: the greatest honor of my life is being included with the people of God.
So we’re doing this little series, really centered around those themes. We could spend a year on this. I think I could take a year and pursue this topic, but this session, I want to talk about the wonderful promises of God for you and me. The big word in the Bible for God’s promises to us is covenant. The most binding commitment presented in all of scripture is summed up in that word «covenant». It requires the shedding of blood. But God’s covenants are understood as expressions of his promises. We think of promise as kind of a, I think a slight word. It’s almost, it’s a word we use to add emphasis. If we give our word and our word’s not enough, we go, «Well, I promise».
That’s not the connotation in scripture at all. God’s promises, I would submit to you, are an expression of his will. They provide a revelation of his character. By looking at, considering, contemplating the promises of God, you can understand his character and his intent for us. It enables us to understand what his purposes are in our lives. I can give you a simple example that’s a bit removed from us. God intended for the Jewish people to have a specific piece of territory on planet Earth. He made a promise to them about a geographic location. And he said that geographic location is a part of my plan for that specific people group, I promise. He made a covenant around it.
And that commitment has persisted for more than 3 millennia, with the rising and falling of multiple empires, with the blessing and the cursing of august bodies like the United Nations. And yet God has watched over that promise and has gathered the Jewish people from more than 100 nations after 2000 years of being dispersed amongst the nations. He’s regathered them and established them on this tiny island, less than 2% of the land mass of the Middle East, surrounded by hundreds of millions of people who are sworn to their destruction. And tiny Israel flourishes. Whatever your attitude about the Jewish people or the modern state of Israel, I don’t think it could be understood as anything other than a expression of the power of God.
It’s a miracle. God’s keeping his word. Makes many people angry. I assure you that it annoys the kingdom of darkness. But God’s promises are no less real for you and me, not for a geographical location, but as an expression of his intent and his purposes for our lives. If we’re going to experience God’s best, if we’re going to inherit the promises that he has given to us, it will require expressions of faith from us. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not occupy the Promised Land by accident.
In fact, the language that theologians use, the biblical scholars use, is they call it the conquest. They had to actually take a military plan and conquer their inheritance. God’s promises for you and me will not fill our lives easily. They will not attribute to your existence by accident. It’s a very purposeful accumulation of God’s will for your life and that’s what I wanna look at. We’re just gonna… this is a fun lesson to me. We’re gonna have a little fun with it. We’re gonna take a handful of promises and see if we can understand what it would look like to begin to orient our lives so what God has said he would like us to have could actually become a part of our journey.
It won’t happen by accident. God won’t force it upon you. He won’t force anybody to be born again. God loves every human being. But not everybody will be a part of his eternal kingdom. Their choice, not his. And the same is true with God’s other promises. We have to believe them. We have to appropriate them. Not all of the people who left Egypt through the supernatural intervention of God and the plagues upon Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, not all the people who ate manna in the wilderness, not all the people who followed the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire went into the Promised Land. In fact, the overwhelming majority of them did not. They said what? «It’s too difficult. The people that live in the land, they’re bigger than we are. They’re stronger, their cities are well fortified. We feel inadequate, we feel incomplete. We’ll just stay here in the desert and eat manna».
Too many people that attend church, that have Bibles, that have some facade, some form, some attachment to faith, live far below the promises of God. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want you to do that. We’re on a journey. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, you have it. It says: «His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. And through these he’s given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires».
Simple language, God’s given us everything we need. It’s in the past tense. It’s already been accomplished. Everything we need for life and godliness. He’s not going to do it. He’s made that provision. And secondly, his provision is in his promises. So we can say it this way: God’s promises are our inheritance. And the outcome of those promises when they’re believed and applied in our lives is they enable us to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil. So if you’re interested in that, I can show you a pathway that’s different than just attending church or being moral or good or kind or polite or sweet. Not opposed to those things, but there’s a better way to go.
I think the word «promises» sometimes we get hung up on. I think it’s a fascinating conversation. I don’t want to get sidetracked, but I think you could evaluate the quality of your life based on the degree to which promises have been kept by yourself and the significant people in your life. They define our lives and I assure you God’s promises define your eternity. Numbers 23 says: «God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill»?
The last two are rhetorical questions and the answer is obviously no. The statement that is made is, «God is not a man, that he should lie»; men lie. Our hearts are deceitful until they’re transformed by the power of a living God. And so learning God’s promises changes our existence and I’ll start with what I suppose is obvious: that not all of God’s promises are simply preferential. Some of the promises we’ll look at, you could say, «Well, you know, I’m not gonna invest the effort to make that a part of my journey». But not all of God’s promises are presented to you and me as if we can go, «No, I’ll pass on that».
They’re not intended to be a menu. The Ten Commandments, not promises, but those ten statements towards human behavior from the designer were not presented to us as options on a menu. It’s not like a cafeteria plan where I’ll take 1, 3, and 8. 2, 4, and 6, may want to lean into those a little bit. Well, there are some promises that are presented to us which are intended to be guidelines for our lives. I can give you an example. In John chapter 3, Jesus is talking to a religious leader, a very educated man, and Jesus said to him, «You should not be surprised at my saying that 'you must be born again.'»
The man is completely shocked. And Jesus is chastising him. He said, «You shouldn’t be shocked by this. You’re a leader of my people. You should be teaching the people this». That tension still exists in the world. The notion of conversion, salvation, the new birth, seems to be a surprise. In Romans 10, we’re told how we can participate. Says: «If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord, ' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you’ll be saved. For it’s with your heart that you believe and you’re justified, and it’s with your mouth that you confess and you’re saved».
Verse 9 is the promise: you can be saved, but you have to meet the conditions. There’s that little preposition «if» at the beginning of those two verses. If you confess with your mouth and if you believe in your heart, you can be saved. If you don’t confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, you won’t be. There’s only two categories of human beings, those that are saved and those who aren’t, there’s no third rail. There’s no Plan B. Jesus said, «No one comes to the Father except by me. I’m the way, the truth, and the life». All roads don’t lead to the same place. There’s a promise extended to humanity. «Every human being,» in Romans chapter 1, it says, «Every human being is given a revelation of God».
It’s true we’ll be evaluated by the opportunities we’ve been given, «To whom much is given, much is required». But every human being, the scripture says, has a revelation of God by what has been created. So we’re all given the opportunity to choose Jesus. If you’ll do that, you receive the promise. It’s a transformational promise. But it doesn’t come by sitting in church or being moral or generous. There will be moral, generous people in hell.
Isn’t that awkward? It’s why I hope you’re willing to talk to people about your relationship with Jesus, not to preach a sermon to them, not to tell them all the things they’re doing wrong, let them feel your enthusiasm for what has happened to you. The promise of God has changed my life. I was without a hope. I had no future. I was desperate. I thought my strength and my resources were the only things available to me. And then I met Jesus. And he’s changed my existence. He’s written a new future for me and brought a new hope to my life and given me a new perspective on current events. I can understand my world beyond just the talking heads that I see on the screens that I have access to.
I’ll give you another promise of God. And this one isn’t presented as optional, really, either. Not necessary conversion in the same way of salvation was. But when Jesus first presented this opportunity, this promise, he gave it with the word of a command. It’s in Acts chapter 1, it said, «While he was eating with his disciples,» this is post resurrection, «he gave them this command». You should circle that word «command». He said, «Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift that my Father promised». He’s telling them about a promise. He’s had a lengthy discourse with them about the promised gift of the Spirit of God.
In John’s Gospel, it’s spelled out over, it’s a long conversation he has with the disciples about this topic and it’s confusing and they’re a bit frustrated by it because he tells them he’s going away and where he’s going, they can’t come and that’s not the bargain they think they’ve struck. And so post resurrection now, he’s had a 40-day seminar with them on the kingdom of God and then he’s wrapping it up. He’s about to ascend back to heaven and he gives them a commandment. He says, «Don’t leave Jerusalem until you receive the gift that my Father promised». He’s talking to them about a promise. «You’ve heard me speak about. John baptized with water, but in a few days you’ll be baptized with the Holy Spirit».
It’s a gift. It’s a fulfillment of a promise and it’s available today. And the benefit of that promise is verse 8: «You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth». That description of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth, those are expanding concentric circles. You’ll start at home, you’ll go into the region immediately around us. You’ll extend beyond that until it’s covered the whole earth and in the millennia since then, that’s precisely what’s happened. And the Spirit of God is still doing that in the earth. The promise is that «you’ll receive power to be my witnesses».
How will you do that? The Holy Spirit will come on you. That promise is as available today as it was in the first century. I think it’s worth noting that it was presented as a commandment. I think we’re way too casual. I think we’re way too casual. Do you happen to remember who wrote the book of Acts? It’s not a trick question. Luke, the same author that wrote the Gospel that bears his name, wrote the book of Acts. He wrote the Gospel to tell us the story of Jesus up through his crucifixion and his resurrection, and he wrote the book of Acts to tell us what happened after Jesus’s ascension with his closest friends.
So I wanna borrow a couple of passages from Luke’s Gospel that give you a bit of the backstory on Acts chapter 1, Luke chapter 10: Jesus told his disciples, «The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. Don’t take a purse or a bag or sandals; and don’t greet anyone on the road». I know that’s Jesus and he’s talking to his friends, but that’s a really harsh thing. He said, «I’m sending you out. You can’t just keep hanging around on my coattails. You’ve got to go». And he says, «Now I’m sending you out like lambs amongst wolves».
I came out of the house the other morning to go work out and they’ve baled hay in my front yard. They’re those big round bales. And it was just, the sun was just coming up and visibility wasn’t great, but there was something on top of that hay bale. I thought maybe it’s a hawk. Sometimes they’ll sit there and I thought, that’s a pretty big bird. And I was curious enough, I started to pull out into the field and it was a coyote sitting up on top of that hay bale. Couple of days later, I was working outside and I saw a doe, mama deer, come across the field and right behind it was a new fawn, thank you.
And about 15 seconds behind the doe and the fawn was a coyote. And I thought, «Oh, mama, I hope you’re watching. I hope you’re paying attention». Well, Jesus said he sent us out like sheep amongst wolves. Worse than a coyote. And then he said, «Don’t take anything with you. Don’t take a purse. Don’t take an extra pair of shoes. You’re on assignment». Now that’s Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 22, Jesus is just about to leave. These are kind of his last instructions for his friends and he said to them, «Now if you have a purse, take it, and if you have a bag, better take that too. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one».
And then Luke slips in this little prophetic statement about Jesus. «It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment». He’s about to say to them, «I’m gonna be identified as a criminal». «And the disciples said, 'Lord, here are two swords.' And he said, 'That’s enough.'»
Do you understand Jesus was telling them they needed to go armed? I’m not telling you to get your carry permit. Don’t start a new rumor on me. But I do want to point out that the change, what’s emerging between Luke chapter 10 and Luke chapter 22, the season has changed. In Luke 10, Jesus is still there. They’re gonna report back. It’s a temporary assignment. He said, «You can go out in a hurry. You don’t need to take provisions. It’s a day trip. You come back, I want to hear the report».
In Luke chapter 22, he said, «No, this isn’t a day trip. You’re not gonna be reporting back physically to me. You’re gonna be on your own. You’ll need a purse, you’re gonna need a change of clothes, and you’re gonna need to be able to defend yourselves. Because your boss,» he said, «I’m gonna be labeled a transgressor. I’m gonna be labeled a criminal. And if they label me a criminal they’re gonna think you’re criminals». Now that’s Luke 22. Acts chapter 1 comes after that chronologically, comes after that in your Bible too, but it’s kind of the rest of the story.
So it’s some days after Luke 22 when Jesus is with his disciples just prior to leaving, and he gave him this command, «Don’t leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised». What’s the purpose of the gift? It’s verse 8: «You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem». He’s giving them, they’re being empowered to fulfill the promise he gave them in Luke 10 and Luke 22. Folks, Jesus is still commissioning men and women to do that. But you and I will have to be willing to receive the promise of the Spirit. We’ll have to cooperate. Suppose you said about conversion, «Well, if God wants me to be saved, he’ll get me saved».
You go to hell that way. He’s told us how we can be saved: we have to believe with our heart and confess with our mouth. But we have to choose, we have to believe, we have to respond, and we have to respond to God to appropriate his promises. Almost all of us know how to lose 5 pounds. We just don’t want to. I don’t wanna eat less and move more. I wanna eat more and move less. Eat clean, eat clean what? Eat clean Oreos. Don’t eat them out of the dirt. Open the package, eat them fresh, right? We have the same challenge with the promises of God. We have this rather smug, self-righteous attitude. «Well, I’ve done my significant God business. Everything else is kind of inconsequential».
I don’t believe that. The promises matter. Let me give you a third promise. Jesus gave us a statement of intent, what he intends to do in the earth. I think this is important. That we should know what our King intends to do. You know, we’re under authority. It’s the one encounter that Jesus had that caused him to stop in amazement at the faith of the individual he was dealing with. It was a Roman centurion, a pagan, a hated Roman, and Jesus has an encounter with him, and he marvels at his faith. And what the man said to Jesus is, «I’m a man under authority». He said, «I command soldiers, and I say to one 'Go' and he goes, and to a servant, 'You do this, ' and he does it». And he said, «I recognize that you’re a man of authority. And if you’ll say the word, my servant will be healed». He said, «I recognize you have authority over sickness and disease».
That Roman centurion understood more about Jesus than many, many people who fill churches today. So if there is a statement of intent from our Lord, I would submit to you, it would be in our best interest to understand it. If he is about something, I want to help. So look with me at your notes. It’s Matthew 16. This is Jesus speaking. He said, «I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it».
Now, he wouldn’t have had to put that second half of the sentence in there unless there was going to be some seasons and times and presentations when it looked like the gates of Hades might overcome it. We needed that rest of the message. «I will build my church,» he said. «I will give you the church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven». The promise, what’s the promise? Jesus will build his church, and hell will not be able to stop it.
Now, that makes me smile. And he went on to say there’ll be some keys for freedom available to the church. Well, if Jesus is in the business of establishing and expanding his church, watch me get involved. However, whatever. You know, people will say to me from time to time, do I think the church is too large? And I go, no, actually I’m a little embarrassed. I’ve been working in this harvest field for a good while and the city’s grown exponentially, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, and we’re losing ground every day.
Fewer church people in Rutherford County than any time in the history of this county. Am I grateful for what God’s done? Absolutely. But it doesn’t seem like something that we should be puffed up about. Jesus is in the business of building his church. And that’s not based on who’s in political power or what the IRS rules or what Congress says or what the ACLU does. Jesus is building his church. That makes me smile so much. We’re gonna see him one day.