God Promising an Everlasting Kingdom

And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever . . . And now, O LORD God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. (2Sa_7:16, 2Sa_7:28)


These opening words are promises from the Lord to David. They made certain an everlasting kingdom for David's line. These closing words are David's response to God's promises. They make clear how we should respond to the promises of God.
The kingdoms of man come and go. The kingdom that God establishes for His people is forever. This kingdom is made available to man by the promises of God. The Lord ordained that King David would have a key role in this plan. "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." It would be through David that the promised Messiah would come. This divine King would sit upon David's throne in a rule that would have no end. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isa_9:6-7).

When the angel was announcing to Mary the conception of the Messiah, these promises were reiterated. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luk_1:31-33). These promises will be eternally fulfilled some day. "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' " (Rev_11:15).

Ultimately, this is the kingdom Jesus offered when He walked upon this earth. "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' " (Mat_4:17). For all who would respond in faith like David ("Your words are true"), a place would be given in that everlasting kingdom!

God's Promise to Fight for His People

The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes . . . No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deu_1:30 and Jos_1:5)


God's promises had guaranteed that Israel would be delivered from bondage in Egypt. Here, God promises to fight for His people, assuring them of victory in battle as they entered the Promised Land.

There would be many battles as God's people went into the land. Ungodly nations would persistently oppose them. Moses, as God's spokesperson, expresses the Lord's commitment to do battle for Israel. "The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you." The Lord had done mighty things for Israel in bringing them out of Egypt. Now, Moses assures them that God will act again on their behalf "according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes."
Later, the Lord Himself reassured Joshua of similar truth. "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life." Many would try to come against the people of God under Joshua's leadership. Yet, God pledged the same faithfulness to Joshua that Moses had enjoyed. "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." Then, the Lord added the ultimate words of reassurance. "I will not leave you nor forsake you." When facing the certainty of battles, there is nothing greater than having God committed to always be present to fight against the enemy. The battle report in one region of the Promised Land gave testimony to God's faithful promises. "All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel" (Jos_10:42).

We are also engaged in warfare, spiritual warfare. "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2Ti_2:3). As spiritual soldiers, we must use spiritual weapons. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2Co_10:3-4). The promises of God are part of our spiritual weaponry. Paul stood victorious in battle by the promises of God. "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you . . . And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them" (Act_18:9-11).

Promises Concerning the Flood

Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. (Gen_9:11)

The history of the great flood in Genesis is a striking illustration that our God is a God of promises. The cause for the flood was the exceeding sinfulness of man. "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen_6:5). God set forth His plan to deal with this problem by a promise of judgment. "So the LORD said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth' " (Gen_6:7). Thus, through promise, judgment by floodwaters became a certainty.

Along with a promise of judgment, God made a promise of deliverance, a promise of grace. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen_6:8). This grace was available through the promised ark of protection. "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark" (Gen_6:18). Noah trusted in the Lord's plan and provision and was thereby preserved from judgment. "Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did" (Gen_6:22). Then, the Lord promised Noah (and all humanity) that a judgment of floodwaters would never again destroy mankind. "Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." Additionally, God established by promise a sign for this covenant. "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth" (Gen_9:12-13).

These promises concerning the flood (and God's "ark of salvation") are a picture of Jesus being our "ark of eternal salvation." Peter wrote of the flood and the ark: "The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water" (1Pe_3:20). Then, he likened Noah's rescue through the ark and the floodwaters to our rescue through Christ and the waters of baptism. "There is also an antitype [a prefiguring] which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1Pe_3:21). When we identified by faith with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (which is the significance of water baptism), Jesus became our "ark of salvation," whereby we are brought to God (rescued from the judgment due our sins).


Now, every rainbow can remind us of God's faithfulness to keep His promises of salvation.

 

Come Join us This Sunday @ The King's Grace Church

Hi Guys

Please come join us Sunday the 28th June 2015 @ The King's Grace Church for two awesome services by Pastor Frik Esterhuyzen  9 AM & Prophetess Ilze Esterhuyzen 5PM don't miss out on this Grace anointing hope to see ya there

DJ AvG

 

Our God of Promises

 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Gen_3:15)

Although the scriptures do not command us to make promises to God, we who believe in the Lord have the liberty to make various kinds of promises. It is permissible to express our devotion to God through promises, if they are in dependence upon His character and capacities. "I will love You, O LORD, my strength" (Psa_18:1). It is also acceptable to make godly confessions through promises that are based on His promises to us. "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.' " (Heb_13:5-6)

We are even allowed to make predictive promises concerning the details of our lives, if they are subject to God's will. "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (Jam_4:15). Still, the work of God in lives hinges upon His promises to us. In fact, our God is characteristically a God of promises.


The fact that our God typically works through promises is seen as early as the third chapter of the Bible. There, God made a very strategic set of promises. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." These prophetic promises were addressed to Satan, but they were given in the hearing of Adam and Eve. Of course, they were recorded in the scriptures for everyone else to consider thereafter.

These promises revealed some of the consequences of spiritual rebellion, as well as announcing God's remedy for the sin of man. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed." These words declare the inevitability of spiritual warfare, as well as the certainty of the cross of Christ.
The inevitability of spiritual warfare is a major theme in scripture. This warfare is documented throughout the word of God. "Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel . . . Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? . . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (1Ch_21:1; Act_5:3; and Rev_12:9). Nevertheless, the cross of Christ would provide victory over the enemy and escape from this sinful world, for all who would embrace it: "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age" (Gal_1:3-4).

Work Hard

 My grandparents had a sign on their kitchen wall for years. It read, “I like work. It fascinates me. I could sit and look at it for hours.” The sign was a joke--they both came from immigrant stock and were hard workers all their lives. But it expresses the inner longing of the lazy sinner in each of us.

God made us to work. He himself labored mightily to create our beautiful world, and he works every minute of every day sustaining the working of stars and planets, rainfall and evaporation, seeds and fertility, gravity and friction. His first words to his first man, Adam, were instructions to carry out an inventory of the Garden of Eden.

The Christian faith is good for business because it teaches a powerful work ethic: “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:11,12). A company that has a culture where work is disrespected and avoided wherever possible will not last long.

A successful company has leaders who are not afraid of long hours and intense effort, who work hard to improve their products and services, stay lean and efficient, recruit and promote the best possible talent, and inspire their workers to produce the best possible quality.

Am I describing your company?

Serve Your Customers

It is one of the paradoxes of the Christian faith that our Savior Jesus, divine and all-powerful from eternity, came to this earth as a humble human being. He came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for us all. He demonstrated true leadership to his disciples on the night before he died by kneeling and washing their feet. He invited them to find satisfaction in that posture as they in turn served others. They discovered that he was right--joy comes from acting like Jesus.

A serving mentality is good for business. Customers will come back to a company that makes them feel important, listens to them carefully, takes their needs seriously, keeps its promises, admits and fixes its mistakes, and works hard to earn their trust and confidence. Among all his other daily activities, God watches business transactions carefully to see how we treat other people. “Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?” (Micah 6:11).

If our Christian faith informs our sales practices, we would no more rip off a customer than our own mothers. Our company won’t try to sell people things they don’t need, won’t take advantage of unsophisticated buyers, won’t push damaged or flawed goods, and won’t bait and switch. Our company’s goal will be to make our customers’ lives better.

We succeed when they succeed.

Tell The Truth

Just as some people believe there should be a separation of church and state, others believe that church and business are equally incompatible. I would like to take the contrarian view. I think our Christian faith is good for business. I think Christians make the best bosses, Christians make the best workers, and Christian values make the best company philosophy.

One reason: because we know that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. God wants us to tell the truth at home, at school, and at work: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Psalm 34:13). Lying to the IRS or SEC or OSHA will catch up with you eventually. Your company’s brand is a priceless asset--it represents the promises that you say you will keep.

Salespeople will build better relationships with customers when they won’t lie about their products and services to make a quick sale. Telling the truth consistently will build a reputation that people come to trust. There’s an old sales slogan that it is better to have one customer one hundred times than one hundred customers once. I think God would agree.

Executives need their reports to tell them the truth about how the business is really doing, not hide inconvenient bad news. Shareholders depend on financial information that is accurate, not doctored. Companies that don’t punish whistle-blowers will be healthier than those where employees are afraid of reprisals if they speak up.

Backward and Forward

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

During the week of Thanksgiving, our nation pauses. Most businesses and schools close. Kids come home from school with Pilgrim artwork, black buckled hats, and stories of Squanto. There will be much turkey, pumpkin pie, and football. There may even be some giving of thanks.

I don’t mean just being “thankful,” i.e., a generic, warm and fuzzy, slightly guilty awareness that we live pretty well. This day provides a great opportunity to ponder a direct object for the transitive verb to thank. Thanking Somebody who makes good things happen is learned behavior, like telling the truth, like honoring a promise, like staying faithful to a flawed spouse even when it’s hard, like sticking to a job and finishing it.

The Bible helps us with deep insights into cause and effect in our lives. Are our treasures the result of our hard labor? . . . of blind, random luck? . . . of destiny or kismet or accumulated karma? No, actually not. Everything good in our lives comes as a result of direct intervention by a loving Creator and by a Redeemer who loves to do good things for his children. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (i.e., the stars)” (James 1:17).

Do you have time this week to take inventory of the treasures in your life? As you look backward and thank your Benefactor, has it occurred to you that you can look forward with the same gratitude and joyful anticipation? The One who made your past better is already planting gifts in your future.

Thanksgiving Means Thanking One Another Too

Romans 16:3-4  Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

We are born, all of us, with GDD--Gratitude Deficit Disorder. The notion that everything good in our lives was given by a gracious God has to be revealed to us. Without that critically important information from the Bible, we would live in the delusion that we made everything ourselves, or worse, that we were at the mercy of the gods of luck.

Learning to say thank you to other people is also learned behavior. We see ingratitude in our children and work hard to teach them how to show appreciation. We make them write thank-you notes to their grandparents for birthday gifts. But let’s not assume that we grown-ups are totally healed. We can be terrible takers too.

St. Paul’s letters are masterpieces and models of GDD therapy. The opening words of each are full of praises and thanks to God. But the final verses usually carry his heartfelt words of appreciation to the people whose sacrifices, hard work, and passion made possible a community of faith (Romans 16:3-4).

How many people have you thanked this week? Does your church have a thanking culture? Does your spouse feel appreciated? Do the people you work with ever hear praise from you?

Give God Your Best

God shaped you for a purpose and he expects you to make the most of what you've been given. He doesn't want you to worry about or covet abilities that you don't have. Instead he wants you to focus on talents he has given you to use.

When you attempt to serve God in ways that you're not shaped to serve, it feels like forcing a square peg into a round hole. It's frustrating and produces limited results. It also wastes your time, talent, and energy.

The best use of your life is to serve God out of your shape (the gifts and abilities God has given you). To do this you must discover your shape, learn to accept and enjoy it, and then develop it to its fullest potential.

The Bible says, "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." (Ephesians 5:17 NLT) Don't let another day go by. Start finding out and clarifying what God intends for you to be and do.

Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities. Take a long, honest look at what you are good at and what you're not good at.

Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Tell them you're searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment.

Ask questions like these: Where have I seen fruit in my life that other people confirmed? Where have I already been successful?

An Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

“I’ll be happy when I get _____” is a triple trap. For one, it keeps you miserable as you wait impatiently to be fulfilled. Second, wanting more never satisfies, even if you get your first wish, because you then want still more. Third, it cheats you out of the happiness with the wealth that you already possess.

Cultivating a thankful heart and thankful spirit are learned behaviors. You have to choose to be like that, because the attitude you’re born with is one of selfishness, greed, and discontent. By nature we feel cheated, envious of others, and sullen at our lot in life.

Jesus calls us to a better way. He opens our eyes to the gospel of our free and full forgiveness, given to us at the cost of his death. He opens our eyes to our new and wonderful relationship with our heavenly Father, source of all good gifts. He opens our eyes to the great wealth we already have--treasures of possessions, friends, and family. Best of all, he promises that we are not only forgiven but immortal.

The gospel makes us optimists. It also invites us to overhaul our attitudes daily to be in line with our new status in heaven.

Pushing You In The Direction Of Your Fullest Potential

In the days in which you find yourself today I am taking your gifts and talents and developing them within you.

I'm giving you space and opportunity to be able to practice and gain experience.

I'm putting you in the middle of circumstances in which you will be able to exercise your talents, and develop your potential.

Thanksgiving

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

There is a reason why our culture has so enthusiastically embraced annual birthday and wedding remembrances. Time slides by, and we tend to take one another for granted. Birthdays and anniversaries are helpful reminders about the importance of the dear people whom God has sent into our lives.

An annual call to national thanksgiving is just as urgent and helpful. President Lincoln knew that America badly needed God’s help, and even in a time of terrible war, he wanted Americans to pause and express their gratitude for all the divine interventions and blessings that made their lives better.

Sinners like us need periodic wake-up calls to notice God’s working in our lives. Our instincts are either to take his gifts without noticing or thinking or to suppose that everything good in our lives comes from our own achievement.

St. Paul knew how engaged our Lord is in the lives of each believer, and he urged a Greek congregation and he. urges us to pause, notice, understand cause and effect, and make a joyful noise of thanksgiving. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

What three treasures in your life can you trace back to God’s kindly giving?

Don't Give Temptation Power

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Have you ever watched a food advertisement on television and suddenly felt you were hungry? Have you ever heard someone cough and immediately felt the need to clear your throat? Ever watched someone release a big yawn and felt the urge to yawn yourself?

This is the power of suggestion working within your mind. We naturally move toward whatever our attention is focused on. The more you think about something, the stronger it takes hold of you.

This is why repeating, "I must stop eating too much or stop smoking or stop lusting" is a self-defeating strategy. It keeps you focused on what you don't want. It's like announcing, "I'm never going to do what my mom did." You are setting yourself up to repeat it.

Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you feel. The more you focus on "I don't want to do this," the stronger temptation draws you into its web.

Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don't argue with it, just hang up!

Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation. This is one time it is okay to run away. Get up and turn off the television set. Walk away from a group that is gossiping. Leave the theater in the middle of the movie.

To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees!