Have you ever been let down by someone’s promise? You’re expecting something to be followed through, only to find out later it never happened. Unfortunately, it happens far more than it should. It could come from our elected officials, co-workers, friends, or even family. It can be disappointing and even frustrating. Sometimes, it can even come from ourselves. That’s right, we are guilty, at times, of committing the same acts that we accuse others of doing.
That’s because we live in a fallen world. We are all imperfect beings that could never hold up to the perfection of Jesus Christ. So no matter how great a system of government may seem or how much our family and friends care about us, we will be disappointed eventually. We will feel let down by broken promises.
I can only imagine how disappointed the Israelites felt when Jesus rode into town with everybody waving their palm branches, crying out “Hosanna!” After everything they had suffered at the hands of Rome, they thought Jesus Christ showed up on the scene to overthrow Rome and reestablish the Davidic kingdom right then and there. Rather than asserting His kingdom, however, He was arrested and sentenced to die on a cross for everyone to see. What a broken promise! Or so it seemed to them. The truth is, though, that was never the promise. His promise is clearly laid out in the some of the most popular verses in all of the Bible:
John 3:16-17 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
It was even prophesied in the Old Testament in Isaiah 53:
Isaiah 53:3-12 NKJV
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked– But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Here are some other places it is mentioned:
Galatians 3:13-14 NKJV
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Hebrews 9:15 NKJV
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
That’s it! That’s God’s plan! Jesus came into this world not to set up an earthly kingdom, but to usher in His heavenly one! He became the ultimate sacrifice for the entire human race and everyone who believes in Him and His work on that cross will spend eternity with Him. The Israelites were too centered on their current situation to realize it at the time. Unfortunately, the same can be said of us today. There are so many distractions around us that can dampen our spirits and cause us to lose sight of the big picture.
It’s true, we are seeing our nation and world erode before our very eyes. The situation may seem bleak and hopeless, but don’t lose hope. Everything is in God’s control and His plan is being carried out. We serve a mighty God! Put your total trust in Him and not in the people or systems of this world. Jesus fulfilled His promise then, is fulfilling His promises now, and will fulfill His promises for the future. How can we be sure? Because Jesus backed up His talk and even defeated death. His tomb is empty. He is risen! Now that’s a promise fulfilled! Let us all walk in that truth today and live out our lives preparing for His glorious return.
Happy Resurrection Day!
Wayne Errig