Our text tonight will be taken
from the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, just one verse. The subject this evening, seven
fateful promises. Big, glorious, tremendous, indescribable. promises of God to the elect. Seven faithful promises of God
to the elect. Let's read 2 Corinthians chapter
1 verse 20. For all the promises of God,
now these are His promises, these are not promises of the prophets,
these are not promises of the preachers, These are his promises. All of them. All of the promises
of God. And they're innumerable, really.
I'm going to talk about seven, but all the promises of God. In him. They're all in Christ. Like I said this morning, I read
to you from Matthew 11, all things are delivered unto me of my Father.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his
hand." Christ is the fountain of grace and the fountain of
life. Come to me, he said, and drink. All the promises of God
in him are yes. They're sure, they're certain,
they're amen, so be it. Even so, Father, it seemed good
in thy sight, so be it. And all of these promises of
God in Christ, yes, amen, are unto the glory of God. They bring
him the glory. Titus 1, verse 1. Paul said, I'm a servant
of God, I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith
of God's elect. and the acknowledging of the
truth, which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life, that's
my hope, which God, who cannot lie, God cannot lie, promised
in Christ before the world began. He promised eternal life in Christ
before the world began, but he hath in due times In due time, God sent his son
into the world. In due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. In due time, God manifested his
word through preaching, which is committed unto me according
to the commandment of God my Savior. These promises in Christ
are yes, amen, faithful, sure, certain to the glory of God. and they are to the elect. If
you turn to Romans chapter 4, this was the basis of Abraham's
confidence. This is the basis of Abraham's
faith. In Romans chapter 4, beginning
with verse 18, it says of Abraham who against hope, that is human
hope, natural hope, he was 100 years old, his wife was over
90, past the age of barren children, and God had promised him that
he would have a son by Sarah. And through that son, that his
seed would number the stars of the sky, the sands of the seashore. And Abraham, against all natural
reason, hope, expectation, he believed in hope. He believed
in God. He believed the promise of God.
that he might become the father of many nations according to
that which was spoken, according to that which was said, according
to that which God said to him. So shall thy seed be, God had
said, who cannot lie. And being not weak in faith,
this man Abraham, this believer, he considered not his own body
now dead, when he was a hundred years old. He didn't even take
that into consideration. Circumstances? Nor yet the deadness of Saviour's
womb. This promise of God didn't stagger
him. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but he was strong in faith, giving
glory to God as the King. All the promises of God in Christ
are yes and amen. to the glory of God, giving glory
to God, listen, and being fully persuaded, absolutely confident
that what God had promised, not what he felt ought to be done,
or he heard somebody say would be done, what God had promised,
specifically what God had promised, not something else, what God
had promised. We don't have any assurance that anything is going
to happen that God didn't promise. But Abraham was fully persuaded
that what God had promised, he was able to perform. What are
these seven faithful promises with which our posture is so
taken and enthused about? and feels impressed to deliver
to us tonight. Well, here they are. Huge promises. Much like that
made Abraham impossible to come to Paris except by the power
of God. Impossible to be possessed and
enjoyed and experienced except by the power of God. promises of God. The first one
is this, the promise of justification, the forgiveness of sin. The forgiveness
of sin. Turn with me to Isaiah 45. Let's see what God says about
this. Now, Abraham believed that what God had promised, he was
able to perform. And let's see what God promises
about the forgiveness of sin. In Isaiah 45, verse 25, in the
Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, not guilty, forgiven,
all the seed of Israel, all the people of God, all the Church,
and shall glory. Now, Isaiah 53. In Isaiah 53,
verse 10, and I want you to notice as I read this, The shalls, and
no maybe or perhaps, here it is shall. Verse 10 of Isaiah
53, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Christ. He had put him
to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.
He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. The
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the
travail of his soul, that's his sheep, his people, and shall
be satisfied, and by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify,
forgive, redeem many, for he shall bear their iniquities. We were dead in trespasses and
sins. guilty before God under the sentence
of death. But God, who commended his love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. And being therefore justified
by his blood, we shall be redeemed in him." Justify. Sin is put
away. There are two branches of the
promise of justification. And here they are. The first
one is the forgiveness of sin. Turn to Romans 4 again. Romans
4, verse 6. Listen to what David says about
this forgiveness of sin. I'm talking about, I'm not just
talking about pardoning. You can pardon a person, he's
still guilty. I'm not talking just about forgiving. You can
forgive a person, he's still guilty. I'm talking about justifying.
Being justified. In other words, being so cleansed
of all of our transgressions, past, present, and future, that
we are in this state just as if we had never sinned. Just
as if we had never sinned. And that's what David sang here
in Romans 4 verse 6. Even as David also described
the blessedness, the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness, holiness without works, saying, Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed
indeed is the man to whom the Lord himself will not charge
sin." There is no judgment for the believer because the believer
has no sins. They are forgiven. Turn to Romans
10. This is the promise of God. Or
rather, Hebrews 10. Turn to Hebrews 10. And listen
to this. Hebrews 10, verse 16. This is the promise, this is
the covenant, that I will make with them after those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my law in their hearts, in their minds
while I write them, and their sins and iniquities. Well, I remember no more. The
preacher, I remember my sins, of course you do. I remember
mine. David remembered his. He said,
my sins are ever before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. I remember sins of
my past, my present, and I rule the sins of the future. But God
sees no sin when he sees the believer. The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth us from all sin. This is the promise of God.
Forgiveness of sin. Their sins will I, God said,
remember no more. He separated them from us as
far as east is from the west. That's scripture. He cast them
into the depths of the sea. He covered them with the blood.
And God does not see them. And there's two branches of forgiveness. One is the putting away of all
sin, and two is acceptance of our persons. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 1 and read this with me. Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter
1, verse 5. Ephesians 1, verse 5. unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ, to himself according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made
us accepted." We are accepted, our persons are accepted. God
is unspeakably holy. God is holy. We by nature are
unholy. But Christ has so cleansed us
and redeemed us and put away our sins that we are ourselves
accepted, accepted of God in Christ. So look at verse 7. In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of his grace. That's a promise
in Christ. Total forgiveness. of all sin. We have no sin. He has put away
our sin. And our persons are accepted
in Christ Jesus. What a promise. But it sure is
to be believed. And the second promise is the
promise of sonship. Now, Hosea wrote this. Hosea,
don't turn to it. I'll read it. Take your moment
to find that little book. But Hosea wrote this in chapter
2. I will say unto them which were not my people." That was us. At one time we Gentiles
were without Christ, without hope, and without God in this
world. And God says through, this is a promise, I will say
unto them which were not my people, thou art my people, and they
shall say thou art my God. Thou art my people, and they
shall say, Thou art my God. I rejoice to be a servant of
God. I rejoice to be free from sin. I rejoice to be accepted and
God to say, I'm your God and you're my people. I rejoice to
be a part of the kingdom of Christ. But this is talking about more
than that. This is talking about sonship. Sonship, sons of God. Turn to Galatians 4, and listen
to Paul here. Galatians chapter 4. In Galatians
4, he says in verse 4, When the fulness of time was come, God
sent forth his Son into this world, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. Behold what manner of love God
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons of God. It doth not yet appear what
we shall be, but we know when he shall appear we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. Sons of God. Forgiven,
accepted, but not as a servant, rather as a son. A servant's fine, a friend is
fine, but to be one's son. Friends are precious, but sons
are an extension of ourselves, an extension of ourselves. You
see what I'm saying? In Romans 8, turn over there
a moment, Romans chapter 8, a son, that's what we are, sons of God,
this is a promise, we're forgiven. All sin, cleansed, purged, put
away, accepted. But not just accepted as a friend
or a servant, but embraced as a son. A son of God. My son. Romans chapter 8, verse
15, verse 14. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And I mean daughters
of God. Sons of God and daughters of God. They are sons of God.
We have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, we've
received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Father. Christ
said, I go to my Father and your Father. We cry, Father, Father, the Spirit
himself beareth witness with our spirits with children of
God. I'm more than just a church member.
I'm more than just a religious person. I'm more than just a
number on a church wall. I'm a son of God. The daughter
of the king, the king's daughter. That's what it says here. And
if we're children, verse 17, we're heirs. We're heirs of God. What does that mean? That means
everything that God has is ours. Everything that God is, is ours. Christ is the heir. If children,
then heirs. We'll join heirs with Christ.
If so be that we suffer with him, we'll be glorified with
him. Listen to this. I'm already there. Let me just
read it to you. Christ said in John 17, And the glory which you gave
me, I've given them, that they may be one as we are one. That's
what a son and a father is. A son's an extension of that
father. He's a part of that father and
mother. You mothers bear a son. Why is
a son so dear to a mother? He's a part. He came out of her
bowels. He's a part of her. When he hurts, she hurts. When
he's happy, she's happy, or the father's happy. What happens
to them happens to you. That's a son, that's more than
a friend, that's more than a professing believer, that's a son. I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, that
the world may know you have sent me, listen, and you've loved
them just like you love me. That's what I'm talking about.
You're talking about a promise. You talk about a promise that
we might receive adoption as sons. Well, my grandson and I were
talking at noon today about something I wanted him to have, and he
said, Do you want me to have this? I said, What's mine yours? And that's the way God is with
his sons. an extension of himself. You see what I'm saying? What
a promise! Nothing good will God withhold from them. If you
being evil know how to give things to your children, how much more
shall your Father give good things to His children? It's sinful
for us to doubt Him, isn't it? It's wicked for us to doubt our
Father. So, that's the promise that's so powerful, so vast in
Christ. But it's as sure as God is on
the throne. Your sins are put away. And you
believers are sons and daughters of God. And God feels for you
as deeply as he feels for his own beloved son. He loves you
as he loves Christ. And the glory of Christ is your
glory. Now I want to further the promise
of sanctification. Sanctification. Turn to Ezekiel
11. Let me read this promise here
in Ezekiel 11. You follow along. Ezekiel 11,
verse 19. Ezekiel 11. He says in verse
19, I will give them one heart, I will put a new spirit within
you, I'll take that stony heart out of your flesh, and I'll give
you a heart of flesh." Now we're talking about something going
on inside. "...that they may walk in my
statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them, and they shall be
my people, and I'll be their God." Now, Thomas Boston wrote this. When we sinned, we lost the image
of God. Our whole faculties were so depraved
that we couldn't think, we couldn't do, we couldn't speak anything
acceptable, anything truly good or acceptable to God. By nature, the fleshly sinful
nature, we were altogether unclean and unholy and loathsome in the
sight of God. in our nature, in our heart,
in our lives, from the sole of our feet to the top of our heads,
the scripture said, there was no soundness in this natural
soul and body, this nature I received from Adam. It was beyond our
power or the power of anyone else to make us holy again. The curse of the law lay upon
us, and our sins separated us from our God. That's why Paul
said we were without Christ, without hope, and without God
in this world. And there we would have stayed
had not our Lord Jesus Christ undertaken our cause as our surety,
as our Redeemer, as our Savior. then a covenant of mercy, he
declared. Turn to Hebrews 10 and listen
to what he said. In Hebrews chapter 10. He taketh away the first, the
first Adam, the first nature, the first covenant, that he may
establish a second. By the rich will we are sanctified,
made holy, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all. And every priest in Old Testament
days stood daily ministering, offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices, which could never take away sin. But this man,
after he'd offered one sacrifice, himself, his body, his soul,
on that cross, his blood, his obedience, one sacrifice, forever, forever. There remaineth no more sacrifices,
no more sin offerings, forever, forever. One sacrifice for sins,
forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool, while by
one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. And now, listen, by the righteousness
and blood of Jesus Christ, we are perfectly holy, perfectly
holy in that new nature, in the nature of God, which he has put
within us in the new birth. We have no sin and can do no
sin. When we talk about the robe of
righteousness, it just might leave the wrong impression. Because sometimes when somebody
knocks at the door, and you ladies or men have just gotten up from
bed, and you don't look like much, but you grab a robe, a
coverall, and you put it over you. That's right, just put the
robe over you. From the neck clear down to your
toes, and you come to the door, and nobody knows what's underneath. And you wouldn't dare let them
see. But that's not the kind of righteousness
Christ gave us. That's not the kind of righteousness.
His righteousness is a holy nature, a sinless nature, a divine nature
that's put within every believer that cannot see. We're holy. Turn to Colossians, let me show
you that. That's a tremendous promise,
isn't it? But that's a faithful promise in Christ. Sanctification,
holiness. Colossians 1, listen. Colossians
1, verse 1. It pleased the Father that in
Christ should all fulness dwell, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things to himself,
By him I say whether they be things in earth or things in
heaven. And you that were sometime, at one time alienated from God,
enemies in our minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you how holy,
how unblameable, how unreprovable, In whose sight? In his sight.
Not even in our own sight. And certainly not in the sight
of others who can find plenty of fault with us. We're not what
we ought to be. We're not what we want to be.
We're not what we expect to be. But thank God, we're not what
we used to be. Dead to God. Without Christ,
hope, and without God in this world. We're sons of God. And
in Christ, we're perfectly holy, perfectly holy, sanctified in
Christ Jesus. Now we still have this old nature,
and the conflict is there. Turn to Romans 7, and listen
to Paul. Romans chapter 7, but the believer
is a man and woman of two natures. One can't do right, one can't
do wrong. In Romans chapter 7, verse 22, I delight in the law of God after
the inward man, love God's law. But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man, by
nature, by birth that I am, who shall deliver me from the body
of this death? more harsher times maybe, in
Roman days, that if a man killed another man, that to take the
body of his victim and tie it to him, just bring it right to
him, face to face, body to body, and strap it to him, and make
him go around dragging that old carcass as if rotted, putrid,
corrupted, and that body of death clinging to it. And that's more
or less what Paul may be referring to here. Who's going to deliver
me from this body of death, this flesh, this that I hate and despise? Who's going to take it away and
bury it in the ground? And that body of death clinging
to it. And that's more or less what
Paul may be referring to here. Who's going to deliver me from
this body of death, this flesh, this that I hate and despise? Who's going to take it away and
bury it in the ground that I might, in a perfect, sinless, holy nature,
worship my God? O rescued man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through
Jesus Christ our Lord, I have been delivered, have been and
will be. So then, with the mind, I serve
the law of God, and love the law of God, and delight in the
law of God. But with the flesh, it's that constant agitation
of this law of sin. You see that? promise of God,
forgiveness of sin, put away, sons of God, my Father, thirdly,
sanctification, in his sight perfectly holy. One old writer
put it this way, with his spotless garments on, I'm as holy as God's
own Son. Near, so near to God, I cannot
be. For in his Son, I am as near
as he." Isn't that something? So near to God, nearer I cannot
be. In his Son, I'm as near as he. Seated with Christ. Fourthly, the promise of perseverance
and continuing in this state. Now, the promise of life in Christ,
justification in Christ, and sanctification in Christ would
guarantee our preservation, wouldn't it, and guarantee our perseverance? Whom he foreknew, he predestinated
to be conformed to his image. And whom he predestinated to
be conformed to his image, he called. And whom he called, he
justified, and whom he justified, he glorified. Let's turn to John
10 and listen to what our Lord says. I'm talking about two things
here now. I'm talking about the guarantee
of preservation. He will keep me till the river
rolls its waters at my feet. And then he'll bear me safely
over where my Savior I will meet. I'm kept by the power of God. That's preservation. But I'm
kept by the power of God through faith. That's perseverance. Look
at John chapter 10, verse 14. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep. I'm known of my sheep. They know
me. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And
they're the sheep I have, which are not of this foe, these disciples,
Jewish people. Them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice, and they shall be one fold and one shepherd."
Down at verse 26, 27. My sheep hear my voice. I know
them. They follow me. And I give them
eternal life. And they'll never perish. And
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which
gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand." Our preservation, kept by Christ,
in the hand of Christ, in the heart of Christ, is sure and
secure in our preservation and our perseverance. Now, look at
Jeremiah. Turn to the book of Jeremiah
for a moment. I'm saying that we can no more
perish than Christ can perish. We're in him. He's the head,
we're the body. He's the vine, we're the branches.
He's the husband, we're the bride. We can no more perish than Christ
can perish. We're accepted in the Beloved.
In Jeremiah 32, the Lord powerfully states this in verse 40, 39. Well, let's go back to verse
38, Jeremiah 32, verse 38. And they shall be my people and
I'll be their God. I'll give them one heart and
one way. They may fear me forever for the good of them and of their
children after them. This is the work God does. I'll do this,
he says. I'll make an everlasting covenant
with them. It's not a temporary covenant,
it's an everlasting covenant. I will not turn away from them
to do them good. I'll put my fear in their hearts,
and they shall not depart from me." That is assurance. You see,
perseverance involves four things. Preservation and perseverance
involve four things. The Father's choice. The Father's
choice. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causeth to approach unto thee. that he may dwell
in thy house. It's the Father's choice. Secondly,
the Savior's priestly work is involved in this. Like he said,
they're my sheep. They're in my hands. The high
priest went into the holy place to make the atonement, and he
had on his breastplate the names of the children of Israel. And
Christ bears our names before the Father. I know my sheep.
I know their names. Thirdly, the regenerating work
of the Holy Spirit. You hath be quickened who were
dead. Now, to perish, I'll have to die again. You hath be quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sin. The Son quickeneth whom he will.
He gives us life. He gives us life. He that hath
the Son hath life. Now, in order to perish, the
Spirit of God has to leave me. The Lord Jesus Christ has to
leave me. The Father has to leave me. I
have to leave him. It's impossible, because I live
by Christ who lives in us. The life which I now live, I
live by the faith of the Son of God. And the fourth thing
is the believer's willingness. You follow me? This is preservation
and perseverance. The Father made the choice. The
Son redeemed them and took upon himself our redemption. The Holy
Spirit gave us life. Christ in you. And then the Spirit
of God made us willing. He's not willing to leave me
and I'm not willing to leave him. That's what Peter said to the
Lord Jesus. He said, Do you love me, Lord? You know I love you.
That's what Peter replied when the Lord said, Will you go away?
He said, To whom? I'm not just kept as an unwilling
servant. I'm a willing servant. God doesn't
keep us against our will. He made us willing. I wouldn't
be anywhere else but in him. I'd die if I was anywhere else
but in him. I couldn't survive. So that's
the promise of perseverance. The Father's choice, the Son's
priestly work, the Spirit's life-giving, regenerating work, and the Believer's
willingness. God makes us willing. Now, people
get religion and they get fads and they get fashions and they
make professions and join churches and all that, but that's not
salvation. Salvation is when God comes in
to dwell. That's salvation. When God gives
you a new heart, a new nature, a new life, the Word becomes
life, the love of God shed upon your heart, you wouldn't leave. You wouldn't stop loving Him. How could you? He's more than life to you. Nobody
could buy your relationship with God. Moses esteemed the reproach
of Christ Offense of Christ, greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt. He had a good look at the treasures
of Egypt. He said, Boy, I wouldn't swap
my Lord for that. You can have that joke. What do you take not to be a
Christian? How many worlds you got? That's a joke. Here's a fifth one, quickly.
The promise of earthly benefits. You know, David said this, he
said, I'm old, I've been young, but I have never, I have never
seen the righteous forsaken or God's seed begging bread. And
you haven't either. You haven't either, and you never
will. God's children are cared for
by God. Turn to Matthew 6. See, this
is not the promise. Matthew chapter 6 is the promise
of earthly benefits and earthly blessings. Matthew chapter 6,
verse 25. Therefore I say to you, take
no thought, anxious thought, stop worrying for your life,
what you shall eat, what you shall drink, your body, what
you shall put on it. Isn't your life more than meat?
Take a look at the fowls of the air, the birds. They sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather in the barns. Your Heavenly Father
feedeth them. Aren't you better than they?
Which of you, by taking thought, can add one year to your life?
So why do you take thought for clothes? Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow. They tall not, neither do they
spin. And yet, I say to you, Solomon, even Solomon in all
his glory, was never dressed up like one of those lilies.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today
is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more
clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying,
Well, what are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? How
shall we be clothed? After all these things do the
heathen, pagans, seek. Your heavenly Father knows you
have need of all these things. So you seek first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and I guarantee you, I promise
you, all these things will be added to you. And his promise of protection
from evil powers, he'll give his angels charge over thee,
lest thou darest thy foot against a stone. Turn to Isaiah 43. This is a great scripture. I
read this quite frequently. I write a lot of letters. I send
this to people who are in trouble and facing great trials, Isaiah
43, verses 1 and 2. But now thus saith the Lord,
Isaiah 43, verses 1 and 2. Now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob, he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not,
I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name,
you are mine, you are my son, my daughter. When you pass through
the waters, I'll be with you. And through the rivers, they'll
not overflow you. When thou walkest through the
fire, you'll not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. I'm the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel. I'm your
Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia, and Seba for you. You're precious in my sight.
You've been all over. I've loved you. He's not going
to let you do without. He just won't do it. His honor
is at stake. And then the sixth promise is
victory in death. All of us are coming down to
this, to this, to this appointment. It's appointed unto men what's
to die. Sooner or later than we expect.
But we've got to leave this earth. We've got to experience death. And he says in Isaiah 25, verse
8, he'll swallow up death in victory. It'll be a time of sorrow for
those who leave. It will be a time of sorrow for
those who will miss you. It will be a time of sorrow for
those whom you have to leave. But it won't be sorrow for you,
it will be victory. You swallow up death in victory.
The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, yours and theirs. And the rebuke of his people
shall he take away from all the earth. The Lord has spoken it. The Lord has spoken, the Lord
has promised it. This man I quoted a while ago
said this, when sin entered this world, death followed. Sin entered, death followed,
bashed upon its heels. And sin gave death a poisonous
sting. The sting of death is sin. gave
death a poisonous sting wherewith to kill the sinner, body and
soul. The holy law of God, with its
curse, put that sting in the hands of death and pointed it
at the sinner's soul and heart so that it couldn't miss his
certain execution. The holy law of God put in the
hands of death a sting, a poisonous sting to destroy us. But our
Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam, came down to this earth,
having undertaken our cause to bear our curse, to die in our
womb and stay in it, and he stepped in front of that sting and took
it in his soul. He made his soul an offering
for our sins. He took the sting of sin, the
poisonous sting of death into himself and set me aside and
delivered me from its power, and he disarmed death. I don't
need to be afraid of death. He has delivered those who all
their lifetime were subject to the fear of death. Why? Because
he took the sting. He took the poison. He took the
curse. He took the penalty. He took
the sting in his soul and body. And we have a promise of victory
over death, over sin, and over the grave. The grave cannot hold
you. Because he died, and he was buried,
and he walked out. Because he lives, I live. That's
the promise. That's the promise of God in
Christ. And that's an amen and a so bigot
and a yay to the glory of God. And number seven, the promise
of eternal life in heaven. He said to his disciples, let
not your heart be troubled. Do you believe in God? Of course you do. Fool said in
his heart, no God. That man's a fool. You believe
in God, you believe in me, he said. You believe in me. In my
father's and your father's house are many dwelling places. If
it were not so, I would have told you. And I go to the cross
and to the grave and to the throne to prepare for you a place. He undertook to prepare it himself
through his blood and his righteousness. I'll prepare for your place.
And if I go and prepare your place, I promise you, I'll come
again. And I'll receive you to myself.
And I'll take you to glory and present you before his presence
with exceeding joy, holy without blame, unreprovable. That's a
promise.