Jesus is the Answer to the Question – Will God Keep all His Promises?
A Question – Will God Keep All His Promises.
“All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding Yes! And through Christ, our ‘Amen’ ascends to God to bring Him glory. Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen. God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting His Yes within us. By His Spirit, He has stamped us with His eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete. For it is through Jesus that we answer ‘Amen!’” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
YES: the wholehearted answer in the affirmative. “The word can be understood in its richness only in relation to God. The church knows God is the One who says Yes to us, who establishes and makes our being and firm and secure” (Eugene Peterson).
AMEN: (Hebrew, related to the root word for truth), which means: Yes! That’s right! We agree; This is absolutely true; This is certain; This is trustworthy and assured; So be it; Let this be true; We heartily approve; We believe this with all our heart and soul. St. Paul states in the above passage that Amen is actually our reply of human faithfulness to God’s faithfulness in Jesus.
Jesus is Yes! If there is one word that could summarize Jesus Christ, what would it be? St. Paul seems to think that word would be Yes! Christ doesn’t just say Yes in agreement with God’s promises. He doesn’t merely preach Yes to confirm that God’s promises are true. Christ is literally Yes!, Yes-in-the-flesh. Christ embodies Yes in His Person. Christ is Yes!, fulfilling everything that God has promised down through the ages. Christ is Yes!, confirming God’s faithfulness in staying true to His divine assurances. Christ is Yes!, ending any doubts anyone might have about what God has promised in the past. Christ is Yes!, accomplishing every promise that make up God’s purpose and will. Christ is the ultimate Yes!, answering any questions there may be about God’s character. Christ is Yes!, personally embodying the truth of the true God. Christ is Yes!, testifying to the truth of God’s promises. Christ is Yes!, personally demonstrating the promises that God has given.
Christ the Amen. Jesus gave himself this descriptive divine title in Revelation 3:14. For one thing, it is a fulfillment of the prophetic title given to the Lord in Isaiah 65:16, “The God of Amen.” (translated widely as “The God of truth”). Also, by giving Himself that title, Jesus is declaring that, not only is He full of truth (John 1:14), and that He came into the world to testify to the truth (John 18:37), but also that He is The Truth, Truth incarnate, Truth-in-the-flesh; He is the final accomplishment of the promise of God; He is the most certain fact in the universe, the world’s sure thing; He is the fulfillment of God’s purpose and will; He is the ultimate Yes! to questions about truth; He is the concluding Word of God; He is the Blessed Assurance; He is the Last Word; He is the Great Amen to all the godly prayers ever spoken; He Himself is the word of approval that completes the Father’s plan.
The One Sure Thing. Christ is the certain evidence that God has and will continue to be faithful to His promises. The Father offers promises, the Son affirms and fulfills those promises, and we respond by saying, ‘That’s the truth!’ This all mingles together to bring glory to God. All the promises of God find their Yes! in Christ and are fulfilled in Christ.
Yes and Amen – Pat Barrett | Bethel Music & Housefires
What are some of God’s promises that are answered and fulfilled by Jesus?
(1.) God’s promise of the Holy Spirit. Yahweh God made an astounding promise through His prophet Joel, “I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your old people shall dream dreams, and your young people see visions. Even on the slaves, men and women, shall I pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-30; also in Acts 2:17-18). Similar to that promise was this one in Ezekiel 36:26-28, “I shall give you a new heart, and put a new Spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my Spirit in you, and make you to keep my teachings, and respect and practice my judgments.” Jesus himself confirmed this promise in Joel 2 before His ascension in Luke 24:49, “Behold, I send the Promise of my Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” And He also said the same thing in Acts 1:4, “And being assembled together with them, Jesus commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which you have heard from me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit…” St. Peter confirmed this promise in his first sermon to the gathered at Pentecost, “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.” (Acts 2:33).
(2.) God’s promise that believers will participate in His divine nature. “Because of His glory and goodness, God has given us magnificent promises that are beyond price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4). The Greek word here for ‘partnership’ is koinonos, which means to participate in; to share with; to be a partner with; to partake of; to be a companion with; to have fellowship with. “God is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son, a life of communion and participation in His life. God has called you to co-share the very life of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9). To share in God’s holiness is to be set apart from sin and its consequences; to grow in those aspects of divine nature that God shares with believers; to be partners with Christ in His divinity because of His partnership with us in humanity; to cultivate divine characteristics because of intimate fellowship with God; to be in the process of God’s image being restored in us because of our union with Him; to acquire God’s spiritual DNA; to be in communion with God through our intimate relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(3.) God’s promise to be a Father to His children. “I shall be Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me,’ says the Lord Almighty. Since these promises have been made to us, my dear friends, we should wash ourselves clean of everything that pollutes either body or spirit, bringing our sanctification to completion in the fear of God”. (2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1). In Romans 8:15, the Father is referred to as “Abba,” which is an Aramaic word that is a child’s affectionate term for father; a title that directly addresses the father in a family setting, much like ‘Dad’ or ‘Papa’; a word that assumes a profound personal relationship between child and father; a believer’s term of honor and intimacy that refers to God as Beloved Father. “All who are guided by the Spirit of God are indeed children of God. The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. You have received the Spirit of adoption, of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God. You received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as his own children. You will never feel orphaned, for as He rises up within us our spirits join Him in crying out ‘Abba! Father!’ In the bliss of our adoption we say ‘Beloved Father!’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being, ‘You are God’s beloved child.’ We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children.” (Romans 8:14-16. )
(4.) God’s promise of salvation. “May your faithful lovingkindness overwhelm me, O Lord, your salvation and deliverance, as you have promised.” (Psalm 119:41). God had promised salvation before the foundation of the world. He had planned on the world’s need for a Savior before the world was even created (1 Peter 1:20). God was fully aware, of course, of what He was getting into when He created the heavens and the earth. Because He is a God of astounding love, always reaching out to express His mercy, He knew the people He created in His image would sooner or later disobey Him. He knew that mankind’s sin would taint His image, alienate mankind from Creator God, and lead to spiritual death. God knew He would need to provide a way to rescue mankind and deliver them from the grip of sin. God knew this back before the Garden, and He promised in the Garden that a descendant of Eve would bruise Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15). God promised salvation to Adam and Eve, and God kept His promise through Jesus Christ. In His divine plan, His promise of salvation, God knew that He had to choose a race of people who would eventually produce a Savior. God knew He would have to provide a blood sacrifice, and only His Son would be able to cleanse the world.
(5.) God’s promise of resurrection. “We have come here to tell you the good news that the promise made to your ancestors has come about! God has fulfilled it to their children by raising Jesus from the dead!” (Paul preaching to a Jewish audience in Acts 13:32-33). God’s first promise about the Resurrection was way back in the Garden of Eden, when God promised Satan that he would be defeated by a descendant of Eve. “He will crush your head, and you will bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15). To crush the head was certain death. God is giving us an early hint that a man would defeat Satan by a powerful act, which turned out to be the Resurrection. Here we have a foreshadowing of Christ’s Resurrection, a promise that the Evil One would eventually be destroyed, and salvation would come to the world through this one special Man. Bruising His heel refers to Satan’s repeated attempts to hamper Christ’s ministry on earth, Satan’s nibbling away at his life and actions. It also refers to the Cross, in which Satan may have injured Christ, but it was not an injury that leads to ultimate death. Satan’s injury to Christ on the Cross wea not fatal. The Resurrection overcame Christ’s injury and defeated Satan’s strongest weapon, which is death. Jesus died, but then defeated death through His Resurrection. The empty tomb was the crushing blow to Satan’s head, to Satan’s powers, now a doomed foe. That portion of Genesis is called “the first Gospel,” because it was the first time God prophesied a Savior that would come and destroy Satan and His works. There was only one way to defeat Satan, and that is by destroying death itself, by overcoming death through life. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8).
(6.) God’s promise of eternal life. “And this is the promise that He has promised us – Eternal life.” (1 John 2:25). The Father was not shy about promising Eternal Life. Scripture has made it clear that God desires that we have eternal life, and that what God wants He will get. In fact, St. Paul told Titus that God has promised eternal life “before the beginning of time.” (Titus 1:2). Creator God had desired eternal life for mankind when He made them in His image, but sin entered the world and derailed those plans. Sin brings death, and that was the end of eternal life for humanity. But God brought forth a Savior, His very own Son, who would bring eternal life to those who believed in Him. This Savior changed the destiny of mankind. And so now, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). God’s desire for mankind to have eternal life is so strong that out of love, He gave the world His Son, so that instead of perishing in sin, mankind would have the hope of eternal life (John 3:16). “For the wages which sin pay us is death, but the lavish gift of God is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
(7.) God’s promise to be faithful to us. “Acknowledge with all your heart and soul that of all the promises made by the Lord your God, not one has failed; all have been fulfilled – not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14). The Hebrew word for faithfulness and truth are interchangeable. The literal meaning is, True to His word; steadfast loyalty; trustworthy; truthful about promises; reliable; constant and dependable; act in good faith; certain in commitment; His word is His bond. “I shall sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever, with my mouth proclaim your faithfulness to all generations; because I have said, Mercy is built to last forever; in the heavens themselves you established your faithfulness… Lord, God of the Angel Armies, who is as mighty as you? Your faithfulness surrounds you!” (Psalm 89:1-2,8). The faithfulness of God’s character even extends to His creation, a universe that is unchangeable, perpetual, constant. God has His faithfulness surrounding Him, circling Him in truth, so that from any angle, He remains certain, an immovable Rock. No matter how you look at God, His word is His bond, keeping His promises from one generation to the next till the end of time. His Son Jesus is the most certain sign of God’s faithfulness we could ever ask for.
(8.) God’s promise of peace. “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints – but let them not return to folly.” (Psalm 85:8). Shalom is the ancient Hebrew word translated as peace and means much more than absence of war. Shalom means completeness or wholeness, as in the joining together of opposites; integrity, as in the effective holding together of separate pieces; to give/restore harmony; fulfillment; health; security; abundant well-being; tranquility; freedom from disquiet and disorder; reconciliation; resolution of conflict; healing of division; to flourish; prosperity. Shalom (peace) ranks the highest of all values in the Hebrew Bible, according to Jewish scholars. Shalom is the most important goal in all of life. “Rabbinic teaching describes it as the only vessel through which God’s blessings can flow into this world.” (Rabbi Arthur Green, These are the words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life). Shalom is a full banquet of peace, but we are given by God a taste of that peace now, an hors ‘doeruve before the full meal. Peace is something promised to us this side of the wedding banquet. God offers to give us a measure of peace now, a foretaste of our life in the New Jerusalem. This earthly peace is all a taste of the soul-satisfying peace awaiting us, a nibble of the eternal fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is the peace that goes so deep it is beyond human understanding. (Phil. 4:7). “I leave the gift of peace with you – My peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.” (John 14:27). “Everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you, and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must cheer up and be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33, TPT). In heaven, there will be peace in the valley, a valley no longer in the shadow of death, but shining in the light of life.
(9.) God promises the ultimate salvation of Israel. “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promise which I have proclaimed for the house of Israel and the house of Judah. When those days come, at that time I will cause to spring up for David a Branch of Righteousness. He will do what is just and right in the land. When those days come, Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety, and the name given to her will be ‘The Lord our Righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 33:14-16). It’s clear in Scripture that the Lord promised a restoration of all His chosen people to the Land promised to them (Ezekiel 34:13, 37:21). Not only that, but God has promised a future salvation for Israel and its people: “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:29). God is forever faithful to His promises, including His eternal Covenant with His chosen People. It is unthinkable that the Father of all faithfulness would ever finally repudiate His people, or revoke His sacred and everlasting covenant with them. Yahweh God is forever the “Guardian of Israel.” (Ps. 121:4). Israel’s future redemption is promised through Messiah Jesus, and that’s why this promise of God finds its Yes! in Jesus Christ. As it stands now, Jewish and Gentile believers together are bound together in Christ, forming the band of God’s chosen people. In no way are Christians replacing Jews in any way, as if God will remove His eternal covenant with them. Gentile believers are extensions of the chosen people, a wild branch grafted onto the cultivated olive tree of Israel which has Messiah Jesus as its root. In Romans 11:17-24, Paul says that the Gentile believers do not replace Israel, but instead were grafted onto the Jews through Jesus. Israel remains God’s cultivated tree, His Chosen People even now, and through the Messiah is the source of salvation for all Gentile believers. Christians are branches growing from the Jewish tree, from the root of Christ. Both Israel and the Christian Church are a part of one cultivated olive tree and are given life through Jesus Messiah. If we know anything about God, we know that He is faithful to keep His promises, including His covenant with His people Israel.
The Person of Christ, the divine Yes!, assures us that God is going to keep all his promises: His promise of the Holy Spirit; His promise that we will participate in His divine nature; His promise that God will be an intimate Father for His children; His promise of a believer’s salvation, resurrection, and eternal life; His promise of faithfulness to His followers; His promise of shalom, the fullness of peace; His promise to restore and spiritually provide salvation for Israel. It looks like through His promises, God wrote all the major headlines in the human story before the creation of the world, from being created in God’s image, to the Fall, to all His promises seen throughout Scripture. God planned ahead, wrote the outline for a true story before it happened, and fulfilled all His promises. God promised all we could possibly hope for and more in His basic outline of human life. And now it’s up to us to trust in His promises through Jesus and cooperate with His plans as we live into His outline of the world.
God’s promises are fulfilled in Jesus! Amen and Amen. That’s the truth!
VaShawn Mitchell Presents – Amen (feat. Ntokozo Mbambo & Joe Mettle) (Live)