I don’t know about you, but I think of promises as good, happy, wonderful things to look forward to, don’t you? Whether pertaining to the secular world or to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible, aren’t all promises supposed to be pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, lovely, exciting, and thrillingly fulfilling? Honestly, in my years following Jesus so far, I can only recall hearing any discussion of promises as referring to things that are favorable and positive and worthy of great thanksgiving and praise. Oh, but did you know numerous promises in the Bible are not any of this? That they are anything but something to look forward to? There are truly hard promises in the Bible, friend, and they need to be seriously considered. But before you get too concerned, let me say this. God’s hard promises also come with an amazing blessing. They come with an escape plan. A way out. Intrigued? Curious? Let me explain. In fact, let me give you 3 examples
• God promises the end result of sin is death. In fact, go deeper in the Bible and discover the final stop of sin is forever in hell and the lake of fire in endless torment apart from God. Now that’s a promise. But, friend, there is an escape plan! All who turn from our sins, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, and in His death and resurrection, truly surrendering our lives to God and His ways, are promised His forgiveness and eternal life with Him!
• Jesus promises us that in our life on this earth we will definitely have tribulation. Trials, tribulations, struggles, and challenges are promised us in this life and are all the result of the sinfulness of mankind. But God provides a way out! Through repentance and faith in Him and our lives devoted to Jesus, we are promised the new heavens and the new earth where we will live forever with Jesus and where there will NEVER EVER be one ounce of struggle ever! And we are promised a forever relationship with Jesus right here on earth whereby we can receive utterly amazing love, peace, hope, joy, compassion, comfort, fellowship, direction, wisdom, and so much more from Jesus through an intimate relationship with Jesus!
• The Lord promises us anyone living a godly life on this earth, in other words living according to God’s righteous ways rather the world’s wicked ways, WILL FACE PERSECUTION. Now some will suffer it beyond human imagination such as being locked up in dungeons for proclaiming Christ and being tortured literally to death. Others will face it in indescribably small ways in comparison, but all those who are truly devoted to the Lord and His ways will face it to an extent. That’s a hard promise, isn’t it? But wait! There is an escape! In a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, Father, healer, master, redeemer, teacher, counselor, advocate, friend, leader, restorer, comforter, provider, helper, etc., we are promised a breathtakingly beautiful relationship with Him with countless spiritual blessings now and forevermore!
Oh, but for the beautiful, marvelous, magnificent, grace of the Lord God almighty! But for His grace! The Bible is filled with warnings against turning our backs against God and living in open rebellion toward Him, and the consequences promised us when we do so are unimaginably awful. But thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us and was raised from the dead, and to the Lord’s redemption plan to forgive those who repent and turn to Him and bring us into forever relationship with God, we have access to the Lord and His wondrous love and splendorous glory forevermore and all His phenomenal positive promises when we turn our lives over to Him and His lordship. AMEN!
Oh, Father, thank you for providing for us a way out of all the hard promises in your Word through the Lord Jesus Christ! For anyone reading this whose back is turned against you, draw them by your lovingkindness to your mercy seat, lead them to repentance, bring them through repentance and faith into forever relationship with you, teach them your ways, fill them with your Holy Spirit, and use them to bring glory to your name. For those of us already fully committed to you, Lord, give us by your Spirit the boldness, courage, and LOVE to tell others the Gospel message and to help people know and understand how to receive all the promises through you offered us thanks to your death and resurrection, dear Lord! Thank you, thank you Lord, AMEN!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12