GUARANTEED PROMISES

• Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2).

1: ANCHOR YOUR HOPES IN GOD'S WORD

The Scripture above is one of Jesus‘ conversations with His disciples before He was crucified. We can describe it as a “death bed conversation“ --- last words. I strongly believe Jesus had this conversation because He detected worry and fear in the hearts of His disciples. They have walked with Him, experienced a ministry filled with miracles, power and words of hope.

They have left everything to follow Jesus and suddenly He started talking about His death. Fear is now setting in. Their heart is getting troubled. But one phrase stands out in Jesus‘ statement which needs much emphasis: “If it were not so I would have told you“. The statement reveals the nature of Jesus. He speaks truth. His words are a guarantee. They are a ‘surety‘. In words of simplicity, let me say Jesus doesn't lie: If He can't do it, He won't promise it. His promises are grounded in His unchanging words and nature .

• Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us“ (Hebrews 6:17-18).

As you go through life, let your hopes, aspirations, dreams and visions be grounded in the word of God. Whatever promises of God you have, hold on in faith, He will accomplish them. His promises are guaranteed.

2: JESUS' SECOND COMING IS ASSURED

The second coming of Jesus: Is it a myth or an event waiting to happen? Fanatical or fables? What to believe is really an individual decision with an individual consequence, however, His second coming is clear from the Scriptures above: “...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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also“. Now that is a guaranteed promise: “I will come again, and receive you unto myself“. The Apostle Paul captured this in another interesting way: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable“ (1 Corinthians 15:19). Our hope as Christians is not earthly. If all we hope for is all what we see here, then there's a big problem with the basis of our faith.

Beyond this material world; beyond our hope for a better life here, it will be good to remind ourselves once in a while that “this is not all there's to life“. We are on a pilgrimage. We look forward to a blessed hope. We anticipate and earnastly wait for the soon coming of the King of Kings: The Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour and Redeemer. We wait on a guaranteed promise: “I will come again“

“Beloved, now are we the [Children] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.“ (1 John 3:2)