Great and Precious (7)

But asGod isfaithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him areYes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1.18-20

A single focus
Frequently in Scripture, when God is referring to the promise relationship He has with His people, He summarizes all the benefits and blessings of that relationship with the phrase, “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” This, in essence, is what He promised to Abraham, as well as to Israel in captivity in Babylon.

This covenant motto captures the essence of the life of divine promises that we may enjoy by the grace of God. He binds Himself to us as our God, establishes us firmly in His peace and joy, and causes us to cling to and live for Him as His people.

Nothing, no other way of life, could be more fulfilling, more satisfying, more filled with righteousness, peace, and joy than the life we may have with God. He is all we need, the fullness of joy and pleasures forever more (Ps. 16.11).

And in Jesus Christ, therefore, God has brought into a single focus all His exceedingly great and precious promises, and He invites us to enter them, enjoy them, live them out, and pass them on to others. Paul says that Jesus Christ is the “Yes!” of God’s promises. If we have Jesus, if He is in us and increasing, all the precious and very great promises of God will be ours, and to the “Yes!” of Jesus we will resoundingly and joyously declare our “Amen!”

Life in God’s promises
It’s difficult to describe or explain just how completely satisfying life in God’s covenant promises can be. Through Jesus Christ we know the blessing of an intimate relationship with the living God. We say, with the young child, misquoting his memory verse: “The Lord is my Shepherd; He’s all I want.” Knowing Jesus and living in Him is so completely satisfying and fulfilling, that not even the most untoward of circumstances can rob us of the peace and joy of His presence. He is with us always, and we are seated with Him in the heavenly places (Matt. 28.20; Eph. 2.6). What could possibly separate us from Him?

By Jesus, and in His power, we are commissioned to extend that blessed life to the whole world. We are part of a great company of like-minded people who are on a mission for Christ to further His Kingdom and increase His glory. We are His witnesses, ambassadors in His Kingdom, bearers of the Good News of the Lord’s forgiveness and life. Each of us has a Personal Mission Field where we have been sent as joy-bringers to the world. As we live toward Him, and the promises of God that we know in Him, we find the orientation and power we need to fulfill our calling to the world, and to fill our corner of the world with the presence of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1.15-23; 4.8).

We know the power of His Name at work within us, leading us to persuade others of their need for salvation, and we rejoice to be able, by His Spirit, to wield His Word with powerful effects (cf. Ps. 149; Heb. 4.12). He is with us always, and we are seated in heavenly places with Him; so we know He will provide our every need and guard us against those who would do us harm.

And even if we do suffer, it is never in vain, for affliction for the Name of Jesus brings comfort, strength, and increased assurance of His presence and love.

A legacy of praise
Thus, as we live toward and into the great and precious promises of God, we are able to leave a legacy of praise to God that extends from us to all the people we touch by His grace, and to all the people they touch, for generations to come (Ps. 45.17).

By His glorious saving work Jesus of Nazareth has been declared to be the Son of God with power, the Savior and Lord of all men, the focal point of God’s promises, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To know Him is to know God. To be filled with Him is to be filled with God, and to overflow with His righteousness, peace, and joy. To live for Him is to take up the life of great and precious promises, every day, in every situation, so that grace and truth, beauty and goodness, excellence and love pervade all we are and do.

In Jesus Christ the promises made to Abraham, and hoped for by Israel in Babylon – incredible and great as they are – are made even better, exceedingly great and precious, because in Jesus we partake of God Himself in ways Abraham or Israel were never able to know.

You’re going to live by promises, for promises, in the hope of promises. And no promises are greater or more sure than those held out to us through Jesus Christ. Why not organize your life and prosecute your days in the direction of Jesus and His promises?

Why not make those exceedingly great and precious covenant promises your own?

For reflection
1.  How do you expect to know more of the great and precious promises of God in your own life? In your Personal Mission Field?

2.  How can believers help one another to keep focused on the great and precious promises of God?

3.  How should we expect living toward the promises of God to bring the shalom and blessing of God to the people around us?

Next steps – Conversation: Talk with a non-Christian friend about the promises he lives for, the hopes to which he clings. Use that conversation as an opportunity to share the promise of Jesus Christ.

T. M. Moore

This is part 2 of a 5-part series, Living toward the Promises. You can download this week’s study as a free PDF, suitable for personal or group use, by clicking here. You can learn more about living toward the promises of God by ordering a copy of the book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store (click here).

We invite you to register for the free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview. In this course T. M. Moore provides a sweeping panorama of how life in the Kingdom of God unfolds in an age in flight from God such as ours. Set your own schedule and study at your own pace. Learn more, and register for One in Twelve, by clicking here.

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.