Monday, February 2, 2026

Know God's more than three thousands Promises

List Of 3000 Promises In The Bible.


For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:19-20).


The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9).

When God makes promises to you, He will keep them. 

But you can’t have faith in His promises if you have never studied them. 

Besides Jesus’ promises of salvation (John 3:16), how many other promises do you know?


OLD TESTAMENT

GENESIS


God made man in his image, in his likeness, and gave him dominion over the earth and all its creatures (1:26-28).

God blessed the descendants of Abraham, and all peoples on earth have been blessed through them (12:2-3; 18:18).

When we believe the Lord, he credits it to us as righteousness (15:6).

God established his covenant with Abraham and greatly increased his numbers, so that he became a father of many nations (17:2, 5).

Nothing is too hard for the Lord (18:14).

God chose Abraham, “so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him” (18:19).

The Judge of all the earth will always do right (18:25).

God promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Through his offspring, all nations on earth would be blessed, because he obeyed God (22:17-18).

EXODUS

The Lord is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (3:6).

The Lord took the Israelites as his own people, became their God, and brought them out from under the yoke of the Egyptians (6:7).

The Lord raised up Pharaoh to show him his power and to cause his name to be proclaimed in all the earth (9:16).

The Lord is faithful to his covenant promises and delivers his people through his powerful right hand (14-15).

“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (15:11).

God brought his people in and planted them on the mountain of his inheritance (15:17).

The Lord is our Banner (17:15).

God promised that if his people would obey him fully and keep his covenant, than out of all nations they would be his treasured possession. Although the whole earth is his, they would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (19:5-6).

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (33:14).

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, is slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (34:6-7).


LEVITICUS

Among those who approach God he will show himself holy, and in the sight of all the people God will be honored (10:3).

“I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (11:44).

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (17:11).

“Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (18:5).

“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (20:7-8).

“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own” (20:26).

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high” (26:12-13).

NUMBERS

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (6:24-26).

“The Lord answered Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you’” (11:23).

The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion (14:17).

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God” (15:41).

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (23:19).


DEUTERONOMY

“The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!” (1:10-11).

“The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (1:30-31).

“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (2:7).

“Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you” (3:22).

“O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?” (3:24).

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (4:7).

“If . . . you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul” (4:29).

“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath” (4:31).

The Lord is God; besides him there is no other (4:35, 39).

The Lord is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands (7:9).

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him” (18:17-18).

“The Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory” (20:4).

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (29:29).

JOSHUA

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (1:8).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (1:9).

The Lord our God is God in heaven above and on the earth below (2:11).

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (21:43-45).

“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (23:14).


JUDGES

Sin is not only destructive, but its cycles are monotonous; by contrast, God’s righteousness and saving acts are always life-giving and creative (3-16).

When spiritual, moral, and sexual impurity abound, the only hope for a people is repentance and return to the ways of the Lord (3-16).

False gods cannot deliver in save us when we are in trouble; it is only the Lord who can rescue us from the hands of our enemies on every side (8:34; 10:14).

God’s name and ways are beyond understanding (13:18).


RUTH

Personal commitment to following the Lord always leads to redemption and life (1:16-17).

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2:12).

“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer” (4:14).


FIRST SAMUEL

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (2:2).

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” (2:6-8).

The Lord will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness (2:9).

“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained” (2:30).

If we return to the Lord with all our hearts and rid ourselves of idolatry and commit ourselves to the Lord and serve him only, he will deliver us out of bondage (7:3).

It is God alone who saves us out of all our calamities and distresses (10:19).

“Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own” (12:21-22).

“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few” (14:6).

“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind” (15:29).

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (16:7).

“It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (17:47).

“The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness” (26:23).


SECOND SAMUEL

“The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son” (7:11-14).

“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (7:16).

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears” (7:22).

“You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O Lord, have become their God” (7:24).

“O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have given this good promise to your servant” (7:28).

“Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight” (10:12).

God devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him (14:14).

“I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies” (22:4).

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect” (22:31-33).


FIRST KINGS

“So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (2:2-3).

“O Lord, God if Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way” (8:23).

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave or forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers” (8:56-58).


SECOND KINGS

There is no God in all the world except in Israel (5:15).

Those who are with us are more than those who are with them (6:16).

“For the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever” (8:19).

“But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence” (13:23).

“Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies” (17:39).

“Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass” (19:25).

“Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above” (19:30).


FIRST CHRONICLES

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request” (4:10).

“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” (16:10-12).

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place” (16:25-27).

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (16:34).

“I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you. When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house fore me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever” (17:10-14).

“There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O Lord, have become their God” (17:20, 22).

“But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever” (22:9-10).

The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (28:9).

“Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (29:14).


SECOND CHRONICLES

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today” (6:14-15).

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (7:14-16).

“Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you’” (14:11).

“The Lord is with you when your are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (15:2).

“In their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them” (15:4).

“As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (15:7).

“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (16:9).

“Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery” (19:7).

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15).

“Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful” (20:20).

“The Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him” (30:9).

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (32:7-8).


EZRA AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (7:10).

“The good hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him” (8:22).

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem” (9:8-9).

NEHEMIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel” (1:5-6).

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name” (1:8-9).

“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding” (2:20).

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (4:14).

“This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10).

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (9:5-6).

“You have kept your promise because you are righteous” (9:8).


ESTHER AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (4:13-14).

“For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor” (8:16).


JOB AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (1:21).

“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10).

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty” (5:17).

“What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?” (7:17-18).

“How can a mortal be righteous before God? Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand. His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” (9:2-4).

“You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (10:12).

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man he imprisons cannot be released” (12:13-14).

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15).

“If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come” (14:14).

“Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high” (16:19).

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (19:25-27).

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (23:10).

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (28:28).

“The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?” (37:23-24).

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted” (42:2).


PSALMS AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (1:1-3).

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (2:12).

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him” (4:3).

“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (5:12).

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (9:9-10).

“The Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face” (11:7).

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (18:30).

“Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him” (25:12).

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (32:8).

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him” (32:10).

“The Lord redeems his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned” (34:22).

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (37:4).

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (55:22).

“The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (84:11-12).

“As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (103:11-12).

“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (121:8).

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy” (145:17-20).


PROVERBS AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (1:7).

“The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones” (2:6-8).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (3:5-6).

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (3:11-12).

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death” (8:17, 35-36).

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (9:10).

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death” (14:27).

“The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (15:33).

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (16:3).

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (18:10).

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (19:21).

“The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (19:23).

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (21:30).

“Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (22:4).


ECCLESIASTES AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (2:24-26).

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:11).

“I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it, so men will revere him” (3:14).

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God” (5:18-19).

“Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God” (8:12).

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:13-14).


SONG OF SONGS AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love” (2:4).

“My lover is mine and I am his” (2:16).

“I am my lover’s and my lover is mine” (6:3).

“I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me” (7:10).

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal over your arm; for love is as strong as death . . . . Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned” (8:6-7).


ISAIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (1:18).

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (2:4).

“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel” (4:2).

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (7:14).

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he 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. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (9:6-7).

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (11:1-3).

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (11:6-9).

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (12:2).

“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (14:27).

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (26:3).

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (30:15).

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (30:18).

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (40:31).

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (41:10).

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go” (48:17).

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53:4-6).

“I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (57:15).

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (65:17).


JEREMIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (1:5).

“At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (3:17).

“If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever” (7:5-7).

“Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you” (7:23).

“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight” (9:23-24).

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for men to direct his steps” (10:23).

“After I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country” (12:15).

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” (17:5, 7).

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (17:10).

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness” (23:5-6).

“‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (23:23-24).

“My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (24:6-7).

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’” (29:11-13).

“‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more’” (31:33-34).

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (33:3).


LAMENTATIONS AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The Lord has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago” (2:17).

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (3:21-23).

“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (3:24-26).

“Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (3:32-33).

“Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (3:37-38).


EZEKIEL AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God” (11:19-20).

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (18:32).

“I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your fathers. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel” (20:41-42, 44).

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (33:11).

“I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice” (34:11-16).

“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them” (34:23-24).

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you ; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God” (36:26-28).

“Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land” (37:13-14).

“I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord” (39:29).


DANIEL AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him” (2:20-22).

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (2:44).

“The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men” (4:17).

“Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (4:34-35).

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (4:37).

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth” (6:26-27).

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (7:14).

“The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (7:18).

“Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (7:27).

The Lord is “the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands” (9:4).

“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (12:2-3).


HOSEA AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God” (1:7).

“The Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land” (1:10-11).

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord” (2:19-20).

“I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God’” (2:23).

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (6:6).

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them” (11:4).

“I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you” (11:9).

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (13:14).

“Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (14:9).


JOEL AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? ‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (2:11-13).

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed” (2:25-27).

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (2:28-32).

“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias” (3:16-18).


AMOS AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?” (3:7-8).

“He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name” (4:13).

“He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—the Lord is his name” (5:8).

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (5:21-24).

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the Lord your God” (9:13-15).


OBADIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head” (15).

“But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it” (17-18).

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s” (21).


JONAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (2:2).

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (2:7-9).

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (4:2).


MICAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Do not my words do good to him who is upright?” (2:7).

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (4:1-2).

“He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (4:3).

“Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (4:4-5).

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2).

“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace” (5:4-5).

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

“But as for me, I keep watch for the Lord, I wait in hope for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (7:7).

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (7:18-19)


NAHUM AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; he will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet” (1:2-3).

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (1:7).

“Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time” (1:9).

“Although they are unscathed and numerous, they will be cut down and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away” (1:12-13).


HABAKKUK AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong” (1:13).

“See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4).

“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14).

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (2:20).

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (3:2).

“I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (3:18-19).


ZEPHANIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (1:14-15).

“The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger” (3:8)

“I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of Lord” (3:12).

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).


HAGGAI AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“This is what I covenanted with you when you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear” (2:5).

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (2:6-9).


ZECHARIAH AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:3).

“This is what the Lord says, ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (1:16).

“‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within’” (2:4-5).

“Whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye” (2:8).

“‘Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling’” (2:10-13).

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (4:6).

“This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called The Holy Mountain’” (8:3).

“I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God” (8:7).

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. . . . He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (9:9-10).

“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (12:10).

“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west. . . . Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (14:4-5).

“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name” (14:9).


MALACHI AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

“‘My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty” (1:11).

“‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver” (3:1-3).

“I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed” (3:6).

“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty” (3:7).

“For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall” (4:2).


New Testament

MATTHEW

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28-30).

Because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (16:16), he is bigger than our problems and worthy of our supreme trust and obedience.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and he has empowered each believer to manifest and share the good news of new life in him (28:18-20).


MARK


God has identified with us in our humanity through the humility and servanthood of the incarnation. Christ experienced the conditions of human limitations including his encounters with the temptations we face (1:12; 14:32-41).

Jesus offers the glorious gift of the forgiveness of sins (2:1-12) so that we can be cleansed and lifted up into a relationship with him.

When we lose our lives for Christ’s sake, we find our lives for the first time (8:34-37).

By God’s grace, we have the inestimable privilege of knowing true greatness by following our Lord in the path of servanthood to others (10:42-45).


LUKE

The Lord God will give his Son the throne of David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end (1:32-33).

Just as Jesus showed compassion by laying his hands on lepers and delivering people from their afflictions, so he is personally concerned for each of us and ready to meet our needs (4-5; 12:22-34).

When we hear Christ’s words and act on them, we are building on a foundation that well never be shaken (7:47-49).

As children of God, we can rejoice that our names are written in heaven (10:20).

We serve a seeking God who values each person and rejoices when we return to him (15).


JOHN

Whoever receives Christ becomes a child of God, is given eternal life, is no longer under condemnation, and has crossed over from death to life (1:12; 3:16; 5:24).

Jesus came as the good shepherd to offer his sheep rich pasture and fullness of life (10:9-10).

He who believes in Jesus Christ will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in him will never die (11:25-26).

When we abide in Christ, we are given the power to bear lasting spiritual fruit that will glorify the Father (15:1-8).

When we come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we are given the gift of life in his name (20:30-31).


ACTS

God has given us the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable us to be witnesses of the good news of forgiveness and life in Christ(1:8; 10:40-43).

It is through the resurrected Son of God that we are recipients of God’s abundant grace and power (4:12, 33).

God has fulfilled his promise to his people by raising up Jesus and by granting through him the forgiveness of sins. “Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses” (13:32-39; 16:30).

God is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being (17:27-28).


ROMANS

The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ; the gift of righteousness comes through faith in him and not through human effort (1:16-17).

As believers in Christ, we are justified (declared righteous) by his grace through the redemption that was made possible through his blood (3:23-25).

Since we have been united with Christ in his death, we will also be united with him in his resurrection; thus we can count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (6:5-11).

Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (8:18).

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose, which is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (8:28-29).

God’s will for us is always good, pleasing, and perfect (12:2).


1st CORINTHIANS


We have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and have been made holy (1:2).

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1:18).

The things that God has prepared for those who love him are beyond human comprehension and imagination but he has revealed them to us by his spirit that dwells in us (2:9).

As God’s children, all things—whether the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are ours, and we are of Christ, and Christ is of God (3:22-23).

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have received from God, and we are not our own; we were bought at a price (6:19-20).

As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive; because we will be resurrected, we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (15:22, 58).

If You Were To Spend One Day With One Bible Character, Who Would It Be?


2nd CORINTHIANS


God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from him (1:3-4).

God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him (2:14).

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (3:18).

We have the treasure of Christ in us, and this all-surpassing indwelling power is from God and not from us (4:7).

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (5:17).

God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (5:21).

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously; we should not give under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work (9:6-8).


GALATIANS

Christ Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age (1:3-4).

As believers in Christ, we have been crucified with him, and it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us. The life we live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us (2:20).

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (3:13).

We who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (3:27-29).

When we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Since we live by the Spirit, we are called to keep in step with the Spirit (5:16, 25).

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (5:22-23).

These Comforting Bible Verses Will Be Of Great Help To You When You Feel Weak


EPHESIANS

We have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3).

God has chosen us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (1:4).

It is by grace we have been saved through God’s gift of faith (2:8).

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (2:10).

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (3:20).

Our new identity in Christ was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (4:24).

We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord (5:8).


PHILIPPIANS

He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6).

The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God (1:9-11).

For those who know him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (1:21).

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (2:10-11).

God works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose (2:13).

When we offer everything to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving, and present our requests to him, our anxieties are replaced by the peace of God which transcends all understanding (4:6-7).

God will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (4:19).


COLOSSIANS

The Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (1:12)

God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:13).

We have been reconciled to God through Christ’s death so that we can be presented as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (1:22).

The riches of God’s mystery are Christ in us, the hope of glory (1:27).

In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and we have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority (2:10).

When we were dead in our sins, God made us alive with Christ and forgave us all our sins (2:13).

We have been raised with Christ; we died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with him in glory (3:1-4).

As God’s chosen people, we are holy and dearly loved (3:12).


1st THESSALONIANS


As brothers in Christ, we are loved by God who has chosen us (1:4).

We are waiting for God’s Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath (1:10).

Our hope, our joy, and the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes are the people whom we have loved and served in his name (2:19-20).

Our God and Father has called us to be blameless and holy in his presence when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (3:13).

The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (4:16-17).

God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him (5:9-10).

The God of peace desires to sanctify us completely, so that our whole spirit, soul, and body will be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (5:23).


2nd THESSALONIANS


God will ultimately reward all believers who suffer for the sake of the gospel (1:5-10).

God’s purpose for us is that we glorify the name of our Lord Jesus (1:11-12).

The Father has chosen those who hope in Christ to be saved through the sanctifying work of the

Spirit and through belief in the truth. He has called us to this through the gospel, so that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2:13-14).

The Lord desires to direct our hearts into his love and Christ’s perseverance (3:5).


I TIMOTHY

The goal of God’s commands is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (1:5).

The grace of our Lord was poured out on us abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1:14).

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, so that those who believe on him will receive eternal life (1:15-16).

The Lord is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, who deserves honor and glory for ever and ever (1:17).

God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (2:4).

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men (2:5).

Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (4:8).

Godliness with contentment is great gain (6:6).

We are not to put our hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (6:17).


II TIMOTHY

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (1:7).

God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace (1:9).

The grace of God has been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (1:10).

God is able to guard what we have entrusted to him for the day when we see him (1:12).

If we died with Christ, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2:11-13).

The Lord will award the crown of righteousness to all who have longed for his appearing (4:8).

The Lord will rescue us from every evil attack and will bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom (4:18).


TITUS

A faith and knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness rests on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (1:1-2).

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (2:11).

We wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (2:13-14).

When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (3:4-7).


PHILEMON

We have received grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (3).

God wants us to grow into a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (6).

Just as we have received God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, he now empowers us to offer the same to others (17-21).

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirits (25).


HEBREWS

Jesus was made a little lower than Elohim and is now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (2:9).

Because Christ himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (2:18).

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (4:15).

We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (4:16).

Our hope in Christ is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (6:19).

Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (7:25).

Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance (9:15).

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (11:1, 6).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8).


JAMES

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (1:17).

The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does (1:25).

Mercy triumphs over judgment (2:13).

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (3:17).

When we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us (4:7).

When we come near to God, he will come near to us (4:8).

Whoever turns a sinner away from his error will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins (5:20).


I PETER

We have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood (1:2).

In God’s great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade (1:3-4).

It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life we previously knew, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1:18-19).

We have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1:23).

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (2:9).

Christ bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed (2:24).

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (3:18).

We can cast all our anxiety on God because he cares for us (5:7).

The God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ, after we have suffered a little while, will himself restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast (5:10).


II PETER

God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (1:3).

We have received God’s great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (1:4).

As we grow in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, we will make our calling and election sure and will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1:5-11).

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (3:8-9).

We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness (3:13).


I JOHN

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1:5).

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin” (1:7).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1:9).

If we sin, “we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (2:1-2).

“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (2:17).

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (3:1).

“Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (3:2).

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (4:9-10).

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love” (4:18).

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well” (5:1).

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (5:11-12).

“This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (5:14-15).


II JOHN

The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ “lives in us and will be with us forever” (v. 2).

As those who know Christ, we have received grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son (v. 3).

When we walk in obedience to God’s commands, we are walking in the truth and in love (v. 6).

Whoever abides in the true teaching of the incarnate Christ has both the Father and the Son (v. 9).


III JOHN

Faithfulness to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a great source of joy to other believers (vv. 3-4).

When we serve and support those who are ambassadors of the truth of Jesus Christ , we become colaborers with them and participants in their ministry (vv. 5-8).


JUDE

Those who have been called are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ (v. 1).

God offers believers the abundance of his mercy, peace, and love (v. 2).

The Lord gives us the power to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and to pray in the Holy Spirit (v. 20).

As we keep ourselves in God’s love, we can wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life (v. 21).

The Lord is able to keep us from falling and to present us before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy (v. 24).

The only God our Savior will receive glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now, and forevermore (v. 25).


REVELATION

Those who read the words of this prophecy and who hear it and take to heart what is written in it will be blessed (1:3).

Jesus Christ loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father (1:5-6).

Christ is the Living One who was dead, but is alive for ever and ever, and holds the keys of death and Hades (1:18).

“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as

I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:20-21).

Christ was slain, and with his blood he purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (5:9).

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (11:15).

“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (20:6).

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (21:4).

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (21:6-7).

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (22:17).

1 Chronicles 17: Lessons from God’s Eternal Covenant with David About Jesus and His Blessings

 1 Chronicles 17: Lessons from God’s Eternal Covenant with David About Jesus and His Blessings.

Introduction

In this chapter 17, God established a covenant with David for a kingship that would never end. 

This was a direct foreshadow of Jesus and one of the greatest covenants of the Old Testament. 

From God’s covenant with David, He reveals seven lessons about Jesus’ blessings.

First, David offered to build God a temple when God had never asked for this. David’s disobedience had just resulted in Uzzah’s death while transporting the ark. From David’s mistakes, God reveals that Jesus wants your obedience more than your sacrifice.

 Second, God rebuked David for presuming that He needed David to build him a temple to find His fellowship. Through His Word, He promised the Jews that they could find His fellowship in a temporary structure called the Tabernacle. David should have trusted in God’s promise that the Tabernacle was sufficient to find God’s fellowship. Jesus also offers His fellowship through His Word. You do not need to go to an ornate building or travel to a certain place to find His fellowship. If you trust in His Word and seek Him in prayer, you will find Him wherever you are. 

Third, God reminded David that He picked David as a lowly shepherd and protected him from his enemies to prepare him for service. Jesus has also called you when you were no one special. He has also provided for you and protected you. Like David, Jesus wants to empower you through humility to serve His Kingdom. 

Fourth, God promised to create an eternal kingdom through David’s descendants. Jesus would later be born into the line of David and become the King of Kings. Jesus wants to be your King of Kings. Like David did, Jesus wants you to submit to Him to receive His blessings. 

Fifth, David acted with great humility after realizing that he did not deserve God’s blessings. From his example, Jesus also wants you to be humble when He blesses you. 

Sixth, David praised God with great gratitude for His blessings. Like David, Jesus wants you to be grateful for His blessings in your life. 

Finally, David prayed for God to confirm his blessings for His kingdom and not David’s. Jesus has also offered you great powers through the Spirit to help others. Like David, Jesus wants you to accept and use His blessings to help others.


1. Jesus Wants Your Obedience More than Your Sacrifice. 1 Chr. 17:1-2.

David plans to build a temple

After bringing the ark to Jerusalem, David instructed the prophet Nathan to build a temple for the ark: “ ¹And it came about, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.’ ² Then Nathan said to David, ‘Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.’” (1 Chronicles 17:1-2; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). 

The King of Tyre in modern day Lebanon built a house for David out of cedar trees as an act of tribute (2 Samuel 5:11). 

  David assumed that he needed to build a house for God in a similar act of tribute. He even collected the materials to build the Temple (see, 1 Chronicles  29:2-9). 

David showed great wisdom in turning to a spiritual counselor named Nathan. 

Many of David’s prior mistakes came when he lacked the accountability of Spirit-led men. Nathan would later provide great wisdom to both David and Solomon. (e.g., 2 Samuel 12; 1 Kings 1:10, 12, 34, 38). 

Yet, in this case, neither David nor Nathan prayed to seek God’s will. 

David acted with the same presumption in transporting the ark. 

He presumed to know God’s will without ever asking for God’s guidance. 

God would need to rebuke David a second time for his acts.


God’s prior command to build a Tabernacle for Him

God never told the Jews to place Him in a permanent structure. 

Instead, He told Moses to build a traveling Tabernacle so that He could dwell with His glory amongst His people. “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.” (Exodus 26:1; Hebrews 9:2). 

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89; 9:15-16). 

He sacrificed having His Temple on Earth until His promise to deliver the Promised Land from oppression was fulfilled through David. 

Uriah later prophetically proclaimed that he (like God) would dwell in a temporary structure while the battle for control of Israel continued: “Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.’” (2 Samuel 11:11). 

God would eventually dwell in a Temple. 

But it was not David’s role to assume that God needed his help.


God desires obedience more than sacrifice

David had just allowed his people to act presumptuously in transporting the ark to the Tabernacle. 

His errors resulted in Uzzah’s death (2 Samuel 6:7). 

God wanted David’s obedience more than his sacrifice. “Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22). 

David’s fancy cedar home likely made him feel important before God. 

But when David offered to sacrifice out of a prideful heart, God did not want what David offered: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17). 

If you offer to sacrifice after seeking God’s will and with a humble heart, He will gladly bless your offerings to Him.


2. Jesus Offers His Fellowship Through His Word, Not Through a Building. 1 Chronicles 17:3-6.

God rebuffs David through a vision to the prophet Nathan. 

Before David could build the Temple, God came to him in a vision and rebuffed David’s failure to consult His will: “³ It came about the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ ‘Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; ⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. ⁶ In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’’” (1 Chronicles 17:3-6; 2 Samuel 7:4-7). 

God was not someone whom David needed to pity or take care of. 

His real throne is in heaven, not on Earth. 

Thus, He did not need David to build Him a home. “Thus says the LORD, ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?’” (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:48-49). 

God cared more about selecting David and his descendants to rule over Israel than building His Temple on Earth: ‘“Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’” (1 Kings 8:16). 

David did not need to build an ornate temple to find God’s fellowship. 

Instead, David could find fellowship if he faithfully read God’s Word and prayed for guidance in humility.


God’s Word is sufficient for mankind to enjoy fellowship with Him

God promised to dwell with His people through His Tabernacle. “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8). 

“I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:45-46). 

‘“Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.’” (Leviticus 26:11-12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). 

Thus, the Jews did not need to do anything more than build the Tabernacle to have God dwell with them. 

They could find fellowship by trusting in His Word. 

Believers also don’t need to go to a particular building to find fellowship with Jesus Christ. 

Believers instead can find real fellowship by reading His Word in faith, repenting of sin, praying for the Spirit’s guidance, and opening their hearts to Him (Revelation 3:20).


God gave Solomon the right to build the Temple after the Jews defeated their enemies

God’s Temple was meant to be a place of peace. 

He would not let David build the Temple because of the amount of blood on his hands. 

But He promised that David’s son Solomon could build the Temple: “⁸ But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. ⁹ Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’” (1 Chronicles 22:8-9). 

‘“You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’”’ (1 Kings 5:3-5). 

Solomon later confirmed his right to build God’s Temple: “Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’” (1 Kings 8:18-19; 1 Chronicles. 22:7). 

Even when we think we are following God’s will, we must never act presumptuously. 

The will of God will be confirmed in His time, not our own.


God still blessed David for his offer to serve Him

Even though David did not seek God’s will in building a house, God blessed David by building David’s house instead. 

As one commentator observes: “David wanted to build God a temple. God said, ‘Thank you David, but no thanks. Let Me build you a house instead.’ 

This was a greater promise than David’s offer to God, because David’s “house” (dynasty) would last longer and be more glorious than the temple David wanted to build. 

God honoured what David gave Him, even though he only gave it to God in his sincere intention. 

There are some things that we want to give God but are prevented from giving. 

In these cases God receives the intention as the gift.” (David Guzik on 2 Samuel 7). 

There is a lesson for all believers from David’s well-intentioned yet misguided service attempt. 

God will bless your misguided attempts to serve Him. 

Refusing to serve Him at all is a far bigger sin.


3. Jesus Wants to Empower You Through Humility to Serve His Kingdom. 1 Chr. 17:7-10.

God selected David to be King and provided for him

After humbling David, God revealed that He elevated David from a lowly sheepherder to be King over Israel and protected him from his enemies so that he could bless all of Israel: “⁷ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. ⁹ I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be moved again; and the wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly, ¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.” (1 Chronicles 17:7-10; 2 Samuel 7:8-11). 

God previously told Samuel to pick the youngest member of Jessie’s family, a lowly shepherd, and anoint him as Israel’s King (1 Samuel 16:11-12). 

God reminded David of these things so that David would trust Him in faith. 

Like David, God also wants to empower you through faith to serve His Kingdom.


God built David’s reputation by defeating his enemies

Here, God promised “I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.” (1 Chronicles. 17:8). 

When Saul was king, God built up David’s reputation during his battles: “Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed.” (1 Samuel 18:30). 

After making David king, God continued to faithfully build his reputation: “So David made a name for himself when he returned from killing 18,000 Arameans in the Valley of Salt.” (2 Samuel 8:13). 

“I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed.” (Psalm 18:37; 144:10). 

But, God built David’s reputation for His glory, not David’s. 

If God has blessed you, are you using those blessings for His Kingdom or your own?


God empowered David so that God’s promises to Israel could be fulfilled

God explained that He built David up so that He fulfilled His promise to deliver the Promised Land to His people: “¹⁰ I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly,” (1 Samuel 7:10). 

God made His promise to deliver Israel to the Jews hundreds of years earlier to Abraham: “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’” (Genesis 12:17(a); 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 24:7). 

Hundreds of years later, God repeated this promise to Moses: “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.” (Exodus 15:17; 23:20, 23). 

God has also empowered you with gifts. 

He wants you to use them to help others to make it to God’s eternal Promised Land.


David received his training to be Israel’s king through his work as a shepherd

All of the great patriarchs were shepherds before they became leaders. 

David’s training as a shepherd gave him all of the skills that he would need to be a great king. 

“He also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.” (Psalm 78:70-72). 

Jesus also came as the Good Shepherd to find His sheep who are lost to sin. “But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matthew 15:24). 

His leaders were also called upon to love His sheep. “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.” (Ezekiel 34:12). 

Do you have a love in your heart for those who are lost to sin and suffering in spiritual blindness?


God trained David as lowly shepherd to care for His people.


As the shepherd for God’s people, David put their needs before his needs

A true shepherd puts the needs of the sheep before his or her needs. 

David later showed his shepherd heart by asking God not to punish God’s sheep for his sins. “Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, ‘Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”’ (2 Samuel 24:17). 

“David said to God, ‘Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”’ (1 Chronicles 21:17). 

Like David, will you place the needs of others before your own and repent of your sins?


God is sovereign over all creation and every government

These events also show that God is sovereign and has control over kings, nations, and all time. 

Daniel explained: “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.” (Daniel 2:21). 

“He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.” (Job 12:23). 

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.” (Isaiah 40:15). 

“All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.” (Isaiah 40:17). 

“The LORD is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land.” (Psalm 10:16). 

“You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; . . .” (Isaiah 9:3(a)). 

“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:35). 

Even in hard times, do you trust that God is fully in control?


4. Jesus Wants You to Submit to Him as Your King of Kings

1 Chr. 17:11-15.

God’s eternal covenant through David

In a foreshadow of Jesus, God also promised to create an eternal kingdom through David’s descendants: “¹¹ When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’’’ ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.” (1 Chronicles 17:11-15; 2 Samuel 7:12-17). 

In the Old Testament, God promised five great covenants with His people. 

His Covenant with David was His last covenant to be fulfilled before Jesus. 

He promised His five great covenants (the number of grace) through: 

(1) Noah (Genesis 9:11); 

(2) Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3); 

(3) Moses (Exodus 19:5-6); 

(4) David (1 Chronicles 17:11-15; 2 Samuel 7:12-17); 

and (5) Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). 

His promise to Jeremiah was for a New Covenant, which Jesus later fulfilled (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:7-8; 9:15; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6).


Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s covenant of an eternal Kingship through David

On many occasions, God repeated His promise of an eternal kingship through David: ‘“I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.’ Selah.” (Psalm 89:4). 

“So I will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven.” (Psalm 89:29). 

“He gives great deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.” (Psalm 18:50). 

“I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” (Psalm 89:27). 

“For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;”’ (Jeremiah 33:17). 

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7). 

“A throne will even be established in lovingkindness, and a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent of David; moreover, he will seek justice and be prompt in righteousness.” (Isaiah 16:5). 

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, ‘When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’”’ (Jeremiah 23:5-6). 

Jesus was born into the line of David (Matthew 1:1). 

He came to fulfill God’s covenant with David as the eternal King of Kings: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:32-33). 

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.’” (Revelation 19:16). 

You may declare Jesus to be your Lord. But is He Lord over every aspect of your life?


Jesus came to fulfill the Davidic covenant as our King of Kings


God would discipline the descendants of David out of love

Jesus cannot sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

But David’s other descendants would sin. God warned that the eternal kingship would not exempt them from discipline, just as a loving father disciplines a wayward son. 

In the parallel account of these events, the prophet Samuel recorded: “¹⁴ I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,” (2 Samuel 7:14). 

In a similar way, God disciplines His people out of love: “Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.” (Deuteronomy 8:5). 

“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:7). 

“But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:32). 

If God has disciplined you, have you changed your ways for Him?


God will not forsake you when He disciplines you

God removed the kingship from Saul’s line because of his rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23). 

But even though God would discipline David’s descendants, He promised never to forsake them and remove their right to the kingship: “I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.” (1 Chronicles 17:14; 2 Samuel 7:15). 

Sin would, however, limit the extent of their blessing to the land of Judah: ‘“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”’ (1 Kings 11:13). 

“So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.” (2 Kings 17:18). 

“But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.” (Psalm 89:33). 

God also promised that He will never leave or forsake His people. 

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy. 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). 

Yet, like David’s descendants, sins may prevent you from experiencing the fullness of God’s blessings. 

If you have sinned, repent and never lose hope. 

Moreover, don’t engage in open rebellion and squander the fullness of His blessings.


5. Jesus Wants You to Be Humble and Avoid Pride When He Blesses You

1 Chr. 17:16-18.

David’s humility when presented with God’s blessings

David showed that he was a Spirit-led king by accepting God’s blessings in humility: “¹⁶ Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Lord God. ¹⁸ What more can David still say to You concerning the honor bestowed on Your servant? For You know Your servant.” (1 Chronicles 17:16-18; 2 Samuel 7:18-21). 

David knew that God did not select him out of merit. 

Instead, He picked David out of grace and to keep His Word.


Allow God to humble you so that He can also exalt you without pride

God had to humble David as a servant before He could exalt him. 

God did this so that David would serve without pride. 

God also wants you to allow Him to humble you through your suffering so that He can exalt you either in heaven or on Earth without any pride. 

“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14). 

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble.” (Luke 1:52). 

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10). 

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,” (1 Peter 5:6). 

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5). 

Your suffering is one way for God to humble you. 

Are you staying humble so that He can later exalt you without pride?


Give thanks for God’s great and unique character

David celebrated that there was no one like God who could see into the future (1 Chronicles 17:17). 

We should also celebrate that our God is outside of time and can tell us the future with both knowledge and authority: “The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, ‘Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,”’ (Isaiah 14:24). 

“to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” (Acts 4:28). 

“Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). 

“He said, ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,’” (1 Kings 8:23). 

‘“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor 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.” (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

When God makes promises to you, He will keep them. 

But you can’t have faith in His promises if you have never studied them. 

Besides Jesus’ promises of salvation (John 3:16), how many other promises do you know?


6. Jesus Wants You to be Grateful For His Blessings in Your Life. 1 Chr. 17:19-22.

David’s praise for God the redeemer

After recognizing God’s blessings, David praised God as redeemer of His people: “¹⁹ O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰ O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt? ²² For Your people Israel You made Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, became their God.” (1 Chronicles. 17:19-22; 2 Samuel 7:22-24). 

As a role model to all believers, David constantly praised God for His mercy and grace.

David praised God for His blessings.

God is a living God who redeems His people. Part of David’s prayer recognized that God picked David as part of His long plan of redemption, dating back to Egypt (1 Sam. 7:23). “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” (Dt. 15:15). “And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Ps. 130:8). Like David, you should celebrate Jesus as your redeemer: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,” (Luke 1:68). “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14). Have you praised Jesus your redeemer?


Praise Jesus for all your undeserved blessings. Like David did, God wants you to praise Him for His mercy and grace: “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,” (2 Sam. 22:47). “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence.” (2 Sam. 22:3). “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” (Dt. 32:4). “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalms 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14). Are you praising Jesus for all that He has done for you?


7. Jesus Wants You to Use His Blessings to Bless Others. 1 Chr. 17:23-27.

David’s request that God confirm His blessing for God’s glory. 

Finally, David confirmed God’s covenant by repeating it and requesting that God bless him and his descendants as God promised: “23 ‘Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken. 24 Let Your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your servant is established before You.’ 25 For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build for him a house; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. 26 Now, O Lord, You are God, and have promised this good thing to Your servant. 27 And now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.” (1 Chr. 17:23-27; 2 Sam. 7:25-29). 

David showed his humility by repeating the words “your servant” ten times. He also did not ask to confirm God’s blessings out of a lack of faith. 

Instead, David prayed for God’s Word to be confirmed for God’s glory.

• Pray for God to confirm His blessings for His glory to be magnified. Like David, God wants you to pray for God’s blessings to be confirmed so that God will be glorified: “Establish Your word to Your servant, as that which produces reverence for You.” (Ps. 119:38). “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock.”’ (Ez. 36:37). Like David, believers are given great power to confirm God’s blessings. For those believers who pray in faith, Jesus has given us the legal equivalent of a power of attorney to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (Jo. 14:13-14). “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (Jo. 15:16). “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” (Jo. 16:23). The name is so powerful that the archangel Michael was able to drive Satan away merely by rebuking him in Jesus’ name (Jude 1:9). The blessings that come from your prayers may draw others to God. They may also heal the sick or comfort the brokenhearted. Are you using the powers that Jesus has given you to bless others in need? If not, you are like the servant who buried his God-given talents (Matt. 25:18).


• Prayer in Jesus’ name while doubting or mindless repetition may not be answered. But if you pray with doubt about the power of Jesus’ name, your prayers are worthless and will not be answered: “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8). 

Likewise, mindlessly invoking Jesus’ name in prayer will be meaningless to God (Matthew 6:7). 

Do you believe in the power of prayer?

Christianity Denominations : Introduction To Protestantism

 Denominations: Introduction To Protestantism

1. The Early Christian Church , C. 33 .


2. Roman Catholic Church .

2a. Vatican I (Papal Infallibility) → Old Catholic   Churches1870.


PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS

Protestantism

3a. Martin Luther, 1517.

3ai. LutheranismMartin Luther, 1521. (Diet of Worms)

3b. Anglicanism / Church of England (Henry VIII,1534)  (Act of Supremacy), 'Via Media'   (Disputed), (Full Communion, 1931, with 2a. Vatican I, Old Catholic Churches)

3c. Reformed; Ulrich Zwingli, 1520's; John Calvin, 1536.

3d. Anabaptist; Conrad Grebel, 1525 ; Thomas Muntzer, 1525.

3di. Mennonite, (branched from Anabaptist) Menno Simons, 1537. 

3ci. Presbyterianism, ( branched from Reformed) John Knox,1560's.

3cii. Church of Scotland , ( branched from Presbyterianism) John Knox,1560's.

3e. Congregationalism, Robert Browne, 1582

3f. Episcopal Church(USA)1607, ( branched from Church of England). 

3g. Baptist, John Smyth, Disputed, 1609

3h. Quakerism (branched from Church of England)(Society of Friends), George Fox, 1648.

3dii. Amish, (branched from Mennonite ) Jakob Amman, 1693.

3i. Methodism, (branched from Church of England) John Wesley & Charles Wesley, 1738. 

3gi. Adventist, (branched from Baptist, Disputed)  William Miller, 1840's.

3gii. Seventh Day Adventist, (branched from Adventist) 1844 onwards.

3giii. Southern Baptist Convention ,1845.

3ii. Salvation Army , (branched from Methodism) William Booth, 1878.

3iii. United Methodist Church , 1968, (branched from Methodism)

3iiii. Holiness Churches, (branched from Methodism)19th Century.

3i iv. Pentecostalism, ( branched from Holiness Churches)  Early 20th Century

3i v. Charismatic / Non-Denominational Churches, ( branched from Pentecostalism ), 1960's onwards.


4. Full Communion, 1931 ( Anglicanism / Church of England with Old Catholic Churches )


3aii. Evangelical Lutheran (USA), (branched from Lutherism), 1988.

5. Full Communion, 1999 ( Episcopal Church,(USA) with Evangelical Lutheran (USA) )

6. Joint Covenant, 2003. ( Church of England with Methodism)


7. What is an ecumenical church?

The idea of ecumenicalism is associated with unity and universality. The word, ecumenical, (in Greek, OIKOUMENE) is used 15 times in the New Testament as a reference to the "whole world," primarily in a geographical sense, as in Matthew 24:14, And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.


In the post-apostolic times, various branches of the church associated with the term ecumenical in the corporate sense. The Eastern church had its ecumenical synods and theologians. The Roman church called its councils ecumenical. The creeds of the Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian and others were called ecumenical.

Today, various churches are associated with the modern ecumenical movement, primarily though affiliation with the World Council of Churches. This is a theologically liberal, leftist organization devoted to the world unification of churches and religious entities. Most theologically conservative, evangelical churches reject any association with the ecumenical movement or the World Council of Churches, as these groups are identified with compromised, pseudo-Christian philosophy, and the goal of forming a one world religion. Authorities on the subject of prophecy cite that the Antichrist will arise amid a reprobate, one world religion.

A spirit of unity between all Christian churhes, across denominational boundaries, is a noble ambition that should be pursued. The body of Christ needs to be united in their love, their prayers, and their evangelistic efforts to the world. But not at the compromise of basic Christian ideals, as is embraced by modern ecumenicalism.

The Ecumenical Movement is one of the most controversial subjects in this present hour.

The word 'ecumenical' comes from the Greek word 'oikoumene' which basically means 'this inhabited world'.

At present, there are two great bodies -- the World Council of Churches (W.C.C.) and the National Council of Churches (N.C.C.). The main aim of the Ecumenical Movement is to bring churches of all denominations and cults, and ultimately, all other religious organisations together as One Ecumenical Church or World Church. At the first Ecumenical Assembly held in Amsterdam in 1948, the motto 'ONE WORLD -- ONE CHURCH' was adopted. It is agreed that one of the major issues for the WCC to tackle is the relations between the churches and the organisations of all the other religions and ideologies. With regards to this issue, dialogues are being held among the different religions of the world. The Bible Prophecy of a Super Church is now being fulfilled.

THE COURTSHIP BETWEEN THE WCC AND THE ROMAN CATHOLICS

For years now, there is much courtship between the WCC and the Roman Catholics. "Roman Catholic bishops from around the world met in an Ecumenical Council at the Vatican from 1962-1965. They revised the Catholic liturgy, and have updated the church in several areas in an effort to bring the Protestants back into the fold. In the higher echelons of Catholicism, Protestants are no longer called 'heretics' but are referred to as 'separated brethren'. It should be noted that this procedure has not reached the grass roots level in some areas. Booklets are being distributed to Catholic laymen on 'ecumenical etiquette'. Each year million of leaflets, 'Week of Prayer for Christian Unity' are distributed. Catholics and Protestants are having joint communion services. They undertake joint projects for social activities, and even have joint folk-singing programmes. One of the biggest drives toward unity is the amalgamation of Catholic and Protestant seminaries. For the first time in history Roman Catholic churches are joining city church council... The leaders of World Council and the leaders of Rome are working together for a union of these two bodies. No fewer than 39 representatives of Protestant churches have been received by the Pope. The Archbishop of Canterbury was the first Anglican primate to visit a Pope in 400 years. Official Roman Catholic documents are beginning to use the term 'church' to describe Protestant churches. A Lutheran professor has urged all Protest- ants to reunite with Roman Catholicism, which he described as their 'ecclesiastical homeland'." (Quoted from The Ecumenical Movement by H.Duncan).


POPE -- HEAD OF THE SUPER-CHURCH

There is no doubt that the irresistible effort of the Ecumenical Movement to form a World Church will culminate in the acceptance of the Pope -- that man of sin, the son of perdition -- as its head. In 1972, Michael Ramsey, who "made ecclesiastical history by preaching in Manhattan's Roman Catholic St.Patrick's Cathedral at a service attended by Terence Cardinal Cooke and Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Church of North and South America" (TIME Feb.,7), said, "I can foresee the day when all Christians might accept the Pope as Presiding Bishop. Perspectives change, and we must give the bag a good shake and see what happens."


Even notable and influential churchmen speak of it with great favour. The Evangelist Billy Graham was quoted in a German newspaper as saying, "that it would be a great tragedy if the ecumenical policies of the late Pope John were reversed. 'Pope John brought an entirely new era to the world. It would be a great tragedy if the cardinals elect a pope who would react against the policies of Pope John and bring back the walls between the Christian faiths'." With such assurance, we are going to see (or have already seen) an endless procession of sincere people, their minds befogged with the spirit of delusion, join the wedding procession to union with Rome. The only ones who will escape this delusion will be those in whom is the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ -- The Word of God.



ROMANISM, DENOMINATIONALISM, ECUMENISM, CHARISMATICISM


What has God said about this One World Church System? Plenty, and much of which is recorded in the Book of Revelation. Bible-believing Christians will agree with me that we are living in the last of the Seven Church Ages mentioned in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation. We are living in the Laodicean Age -- a period when the Church and its works are totally lukewarm being neither hot nor cold. Revelation chapter 17 mentions a mysterious woman called "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS of THE EARTH". She is none other than the SYSTEM of the Roman Catholic Church which has been handed down through each and every Church Age to every denominational church and which is now magnified as the One World Church. Yes, Mama Rome, the Great Mother Harlot, and her harlot 'daughters' (organized denominational churches) are now joined together in an unholy union. No doubt, it is a Super Church which is rich in material wealth but poor in spiritual Truth, and dying spiritually. God said that she is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked (Rev.3:14-18), and she doesn't even know it!


Ecumenism (together with Charismaticism) is Satan's master-plan of deception through which He is trying to deceive the whole world in this climatic period (Rev.12:9).




BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT SUPPORT THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT


There are reasons why True Believers of Christ should not support the Ecumenical Movement or be associated with it in any way.


The Ecumenical Movement is built on the wrong premise which misleads sincere Christians into a counterfeit 'unity'. Emphatically, this is certainly not the unity of the Spirit. It is not the spiritual oneness of the Body of Christ which our Saviour had prayed for. The Ecumenical Movement is an unholy organisational union of a bunch of ignoramuses! The True Church is composed of only the born-again, Blood- washed Christians whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.




INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD REJECTED


For the sake of charity and unity the Ecumenical Movement rejected THE HOLY BIBLE as the Infallible Word of God and has published its own edition of THE BIBLE which is sanctioned by Rome. It has four parallel columns showing the reader the similarities and differences in the interpretations of the four major denominations of the Ecumenical Movement -- Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox (Eastern Christian) and Jewish. The edition has grossly distorted the Truth by taking away from, and adding to, the Inspired Word of God. As Martin Luther had said, "Cursed be that love and unity for whose sake the Word of God must be put to stake!" Bishop Latimer, who died at the stake for his faith in Christ, said, "Unity must be according to God's Holy Word, or else it were better war than peace. We ought never to regard unity so much that we forsake God's Word for her sake." But, even then, we still find many Bible-believing Christians in, or associating with, the Movement.



APOSTASY!


The Ecumenical Movement and many Christians have a wrong concept of the Church. They are confused about the Church of God and the Kingdom of God. They believe that we should strive to set up the Kingdom of God on the earth. The Bible does not teach this. Rather, it has revealed to us that this age will end in apostasy (2 Thess.2:3). The Apostle Peter tells us that in the last days there will be false teachers who will bring in damnable heresies. Peter says that many will follow the pernicious ways of these false teachers. In other words he is not referring to the false doctrines or teachings of Christian cults, or churches, who may attract their tens of thousands, but rather to the apostates who go about deceiving millions of people. These false teachers are not only guilty of teaching wrong doctrines but are also guilty of denying the Lord Jesus Whom they claim to believe. They are so theologically unsound that they even deny the Virgin Birth of Christ, His Vicarious Death and Atonement, His Resurrection and Ascension, His Second Coming and almost all the fundamental truths that are taught in the Bible. It is deplorable that many sincere Christians do not realise the extent to which these false teachers have infiltrated and control their own denominations (2 Pet.2:1,2).


Today, in most of the churches, we see plenty of form and ceremony -- religiously pompous -- singing, shouting, dancing, speaking in tongues, etc., but none of the Apostolic teachings and the power of the Truth. The Bible does not encourage the Believer to stay and try to improve such situation in his church, but It warns him in no uncertain terms to turn away from it (2 Tim.3:1-5).



UNHOLY ALLIANCE


We often hear people say that it does not matter what we believe as long as we are sincere in what we believe. What folly! What we believe makes us what we are! And the Ecumenical Movement is exactly what it is -- "the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird"! It tolerates those who encourage immorality! Many ministers of the WCC defend homosexuality and encourage pre-marital sex as was manifested at Uppsala, Sweden in 1968. Beside this carnal sin, their unholy alliance with the Roman Catholic church, which promulgates countless erroneous doctrines, is enough to make one sick! Even the evangelicals has compromised and fellowshipped with that which God has cursed!


The Ecumenical Movement opposes and condemns missionary activities as outmoded ideas of evangelism. It is also soft on Communism. This has been confirmed many times by investigating agencies of the United States government.



WARNING! CHECK YOURSELF AND YOUR CHURCH!


Dear Christian friend, if you believe that Jesus Christ was God incarnate, born of a virgin, died a vicarious death on the Cross for you and that you are cleansed and pardoned through His shed Blood, that He arose on the third day, ascended to Heaven, and is coming again as He promised, and that you are "saved by grace through faith....the gift of God, not of work", then "COME OUT OF HER...." and have no dealing whatsoever in an organization (even your denomination) which denies these fundamental truths!


We are now in the final hours of the age of grace. This is no time for ecumenical association in unholy compromise! Compromise dulls the spiritual vision. Compromise is an affront to a Holy and Righteous Saviour. THIS IS A TIME FOR TOTAL SEPARATION FROM UNBELIEF!!!


Find out for yourself whether your church -- your denomination -- is affiliated with the NCC and/or the WCC. If so, the leaders are blind and apostate! God does not revive apostasy; He judges it! And0 if you knowingly and wilfully remain in apostasy, you would never make it in the 'Rapture' of the saints! Return to the Word! Back to the Faith of the Apostolic Fathers!


These are strong words, yes, but God's Word is even stronger. He calls for TOTAL SEPARATION from Mystery, Babylon the Great, and all that she represents -- "COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM and be ye SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING" -- 2 Cor.6:17. "COME OUT OF HER, My People, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" -- Rev.18:4. Yes, contend for the Faith that was once delivered unto the saints of God!


[Read Revelation 17 & 18; 2 John 9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Timothy 3:13-14; 1 Timothy 6:3-5.]


Revelation 17-18 King James Version (KJV)

Chapter 17:

1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:


2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.


3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.


4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:


5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.


6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.


7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.


8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.


9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.


10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.


11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.


12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.


13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.


14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.


15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.


16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.


Chapter 18:

1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.


5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, ad double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.


7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.


9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.


11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.


15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.


2 John 9-11 King James Version (KJV)

9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.


2 Corinthians 6:14-18 King James Version (KJV)

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.


2 Timothy 3:13-14 King James Version (KJV)

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

1 Timothy 6:3-5 King James Version (KJV)

3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.