“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” Acts 2:39
Dear Ones:
The Bible has a great deal to say about promises. At the very outset of considering this matter, we must make the distinction between the promises of men and those of God. Putting it very simply, God is the only one in the entire universe who can keep His promises perfectly. They are what the Bible calls “immutable,” unchanging in God’s declared wisdom, and confirmed by His ability and commitment to bring their effect to fruition. Simply put, God will DO what He has declared, in His way, His time, for His glory…but He WILL accomplish His purposes. How does this affect us? In Hebrews 6:17, we discover that “…it was impossible for God to lie.” Not only does God present His promises as being born out of unchanging Wisdom and Counsel, but also due to the fact that He cannot tell a falsehood. It is not in His nature to lie. He only tells that which is true, for He IS truth. In revealing this to us, God puts before us solid ground upon which to stake our lives, and hopes. He speaks of believers having a “strong consolation,” and the ability to “lay hold upon the hope set before us.” He goes on to say that this hope is as “…an anchor of the soul, both SURE and STEADFAST, and which enters into that within the veil.” (v.19) What is God saying here? He speaks of a communion with God that is SURE…and it is all based upon the promises of His word that we are called to believe. Indeed, the exceeding greatness of His promises has its realization in this: God has provided a means by which we can be SURE to have fellowship with Him, a way and place of certain communion with the Eternal Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 24, David creates a picture of what it means to meet God. He writes: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” (v.3-4) If having clean hands and a pure heart are prerequisite to having fellowship with God, then how can we KNOW that we have them? We always must defer to the word of God for the objective declaration of the truth, and the promises associated with that truth. For example, in Psalm 51, we see that David believed that it was possible to be cleansed from sin, even praying: “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (v.7) The Apostle John writes in his first letter, “If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and JUST to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” (1:9) The promise of clean hands, with regard to what we may have done, is very clear and certain. Cleansing and forgiveness are most certain realities when there is true confession and repentance. What about the matter of the “pure heart?” Again, David comes to our rescue, for in Psalm 51 he writes: “…Create in me a clean heart O God, and RENEW a right spirit within me.” (v.10) Here we have the desired and certain effect of the promise of our “heart” being made pure, as the attitude of it is made right with God. It is in this frame of mind and heart, that David can write with great assurance that one can rise up, and with certainty, have and know, true fellowship with God.
Dear Father, give us to see and to grasp the reality that we can truly have fellowship with Thee, according to Your immutable promises. The unchanging and unalterable, “new and living way,” is now open for us to know fellowship with Thee. Strengthen us to lay hold upon Thee according to the promises, believing in their realization today, and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad