“Whoever lives by believing in Me will never die.” John 11:26 NIV
“If you will not believe God’s Word and it turns out to be true, you will have lost everything!”
My thoughts and comments today are about “a promise kept.”
Many have believed a person or advertisement that made grand promises only to discover they were empty of truth. Eventually, you are not sure who or what to believe. People are cautious about anyone that promises too much. We’ve all heard it said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” That’s pretty good advice most of the time, but there is one exception. Easter is that exception!
Easter sounds too good to be true; God Himself, a sinless Savior dying on a cross for undeniably sinful men and a Conqueror over death that assures life eternal to anyone who confesses faith. Too good to be true? Easter is absolutely true and a risen Christ is the evidence.
You live in a skeptical world, often disappointed by empty, meaningless promises. The tragedy is that people toss aside a wonderful promise, simply because they don’t understand how it could be possible. The literal, bodily Resurrection of Jesus is the best example of such a wonderful promise. The natural mind cannot conceive of how God would exchange all that He promises to give for as little as we are able to give back to Him.
People stand stunned and grieving at a graveside and hope there is something more beyond that false finality, yet will not dare to believe there is a higher reality. People hear from a friend or church the promise of salvation and eternal life but are too skeptical to believe. The promise seems too good to be true, but still they cannot quiet the nagging question of their soul, “What if this is true?” I heard the options explained this way, “If you believe God’s Word and it turns out to be untrue, you have lost nothing; if you do not believe God’s Word and it turns out to be true, you will have lost everything!”
Be very clear about this: God never made a promise that was too good to be true. Here is the Apostle Paul’s reasoning, “True, some . . were unfaithful; but just because they broke their promises, does that mean that God will break His promises? Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say, ‘He will be proven right in what He says; He will win His case in court.’” Romans 3:3-4 NLT. Be assured, “There has not failed one good word of all His promises . .” See 1 Kings 8:55-57 NKJV.
Easter is about an empty cross, an empty tomb, and empty grave clothes. Easter is filled with God’s promises and each is marked by something empty. The Resurrection of Jesus assures you that God’s promises are real. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter courageously preached, “God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” Acts 2:25. The cross, the tomb, and the grave clothes could not hold Jesus; they are each empty as proof of God’s power and promises for your life.
(1)The empty cross holds God’s promise of forgiven sin. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. The crowd ridiculed while the Savior died on the cross for their sins; Jesus embraced the cross so you could be forgiven of sin. “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith: Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2-3.
(2)The empty tomb holds God’s promise of eternal life in Heaven. When the Christ-followers believed that truth, they chose to die rather than to deny it. This is a promise so good it has to be true! Jesus said to His disciples, and to you, “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3. People of every generation have lived and died with the firm conviction that Heaven is real, and life there will be glorious and forever. Read Revelation 21:3-5.
(3)The empty grave clothes hold God’s promise of a living Savior. See Luke 24:9-12 NKJV. As the angels said to the wondering women who came before that first Easter dawn, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here; for He is risen!” Luke 24:5-6 NKJV. He is risen indeed!
My prayer for you today is that you trust the promises because you know the One who promised.