Good Morning!

Are you ready to continue our study on the Promises of God? We started out Friday with the first one I’m sure few saw coming – the promise of death. Every single person ever born or to be born will experience this promise fulfilled in full with the only exception being Jesus Christ. From there, I have a simple outline that I may take the liberty to change on the fly. For now, this is what it will look like:

Promise of Death from Sin
Promise of Salvation
Promise of Jesus’ Return
Promise of Companionship (We Have Not Been Left Alone)
Promise of Well-Being
Promise of Our Eternal Home

Or something like that.

You and I are all in the same boat. Well, maybe or maybe not. Let me re-phrase that. We all STARTED out in the same boat. For the majority of people, that boat will be their only ride. For others, there is another boat. Maybe you’ll recognize a change of metaphor in what Jesus preached at the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Few. As. In. Few. That’s how many will switch boats. Like it or not, few people will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will not. What shore will their boat eventually land? The lake of fire. Like it or not, the bible is very, very clear about this. Of course, few like to talk about it. Should anyone be surprised at that? Of course not. My friends, take my advice and switch boats. Go through the narrow gate. Please.

How does one do that? That brings us to the next promise, the Promise of Salvation. To lead this off, I’m going to use my life verse:

Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This is no simple promise just tossed out the one time. Let me just share the verses that I have written in the margin of my bible next to this verse:

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

1 Chronicles 28:9 And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 15:2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Psalm 107:6 (see also v. 13, 19, 28) Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Isaiah 55:6-9 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him when he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Psalm 138:3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

It’s there, folks. Salvation. The narrow gate. Everyone knows it. From the middle of the bible belt to the most remote jungle village. Everyone knows that it is there. There are none who are ignorant to this. See Romans 1:18-32 for more on this.

The good news is that God does promise salvation to all who call upon his name. He is faithful and trustworthy. He never goes back on a promise. Our death becomes life with the simple decision to call upon his name.

It’s a game-changer. Like none other.

Father, I cannot express my gratitude in any meaningful way for what you have done for me. Let me simply say, “Thank you.” Amen.

Copyright © 2018 Scott Powers