There are times when our human reasoning deduces what Christ will or will not do. And left to our own thinking we are often mistaken.
There are times when we hear voices in the world trying to tell us what Christ will or will not do. But quite frankly, they don’t have a clue.
There are even instances when the devil and his demons plant suggestions in our minds as to what Christ will or will not do. But since Satan is a liar (John 8:44) and has our worst interest at heart, we know better than to trust him.
It is good to know the Bible gives us Christ’s own declarations about what He will and will not do. We need not guess. We need not be in doubt. We can have assurance. If we feed our faith our doubts will starve to death!
For that assurance let’s look at a few of the "I will" statements of Jesus.
1. If we come to Him for salvation He will receive us!
John 6:37 - "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I WILL never drive away."
Jesus doesn’t turn anyone away. Period.
No one who wants to come to Him will be turned away.
We will all experience rejection from people and from man-made organizations and that rejection is very hurtful. But no one will ever experience the pain of rejection from Jesus in this time of grace.
Our human reasoning conjures up the idea that a person can be such a notorious sinner that Christ won’t want him or her. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is because we are sinners that Christ wants us!
He said, "I didn’t come to call the rightesous, but sinners. People who are well don’t need a doctor but those who are sick."
When commerce had been reestablished with the converted cannibalistic people of the Fiji Islands, a merchant who was an atheist landed on the islands to do business. He was talking to the Fiji chief and noticed a Bible and some other religious paraphernalia around the chief’s house.
He chided the chief for listening to the foolishness of the Christian missionaries.
The chief replied, "Do you see that large white stone over there? That is the stone where just a few years ago we used to smash the heads of our victims to get at their brains. Do you see that large oven over there? That is the oven where just a few short years ago we used to bake the bodies of our victims before we feasted upon them. Had we not listened to what you call the nonsense of the Christian missionaries, I assure you that your head would already be smashed on that rock and your body would be baking in that oven!"
There is no record of that merchant’s response to that explanation, but the account wonderfully reminds us that Christ meant it when He said that He would not turn anyone away - even cannibals!
(Story taken from "Revolution in World Missions" by K. P. Yohannan.)
2. If we come to Him with our burdens He will give us rest.
Matthew 11:28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I WILL give you rest."
We all need rest. Not just physical, but also emotional and spiritual rest. Sometimes our spirits are in turmoil. The stresses of life make us weary.
What a wonderful promise of Jesus - "I WILL give you rest." But don’t miss the entire message.
In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright Brothers were finally successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine back home in Ohio. "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas."
Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas."
He totally missed the big news! Man had flown!
(Taken from "Our Daily Bread", Dec. 23, 1991)
When you seek Christ’s gift of rest don’t forget the big news. "COME TO ME all who are weary and burdened."
We have the privilege of coming to Christ! We have a God who wants a friendship relationship with us!
Don’t just come for the blessings - come for the Blessor! To come into His presence is to know rest for our weariness.
We’ve all been with our family and friends when we were weary and known how their companionship gave us rest. Christ activates that same principle to perfection!
3. If we follow Him, He will make us fishers of men.
Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I WILL make you fishers of men."
It stands to reason, that, if Christ will accept any one of us that comes to Him (as we established in our first point) then He can use any of us to make Him known to others.
The next time you feel like God can’t use you, consider the following people God used in spite of their inadequacies:
Noah got drunk.
Abraham was old.
Isaac was a daydreamer.
Jacob was a liar.
Leah wasn’t all that pretty.
Joseph was abused.
Moses couldn’t talk plainly.
Gideon was afraid.
Samson was a womanizer.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah was bi-polar.
David had an affair and conspired to murder.
Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked.
Jonah ran from God.
Ruth was a widow.
Job went bankrupt.
John the Baptist ate bugs.
Peter denied Christ with cursing.
The disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
Mary Magdalene was demon possessed.
The Samaritan woman was divorced (several times).
Zaccheus wasn’t very tall.
Paul was overly-religious.
Timothy had an ulcer.
And Lazarus was dead!
But God used every one of them to make Himself known to others!
"Come follow me", Jesus said. Not, "Be perfect first, and then come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
What a joy to have a part in sharing with others what Christ has done for us! Do not let yourself be deceived into thinking you are not qualified.
4. If we acknowledge Him to others He will acknowledge us to the Father.
Matthew 10:32 - "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I WILL acknowledge him before my Father in heaven."
When we come to Christ we are called to "go public" with that information. Being a Christ follower isn’t something to be ashamed about - on the contrary - it is something to be enthused about!
Some people try to compartmentalize their faith. They acknowledge Jesus on Sunday in church but not on the job on Monday.
Christianity is not just a part of our lives - it is our lives! Everything now centers around Jesus. (When it used to center around us - it got messed up didn’t it?)
God’s Word challenges us to answer the question, "Who is on the Lord’s side?" (Exodus 32:26) One of the attributes of a true Christ follower is not his perfection, because he doesn’t possess that - but it is being willing to identify with Christ.
We may have friends who mock our faith but we are willing to bear the teasing and testing. This doesn’t mean we should go around flaunting our faith like some sort of goody-two-shoes. But don’t forget, we are called to be salt and light in this world.
5. He will never leave us. He will come to us.
John 14:18 - "I WILL NOT leave you as orphans; I WILL come to you."
Many of us are familiar with the King James Version translation of this verse, "I will not leave you comfortless." That is a good translation, but the NIV we’re using is more literal in this instance. As a matter of fact, the Greek word is "orphanos", from which you can readily see we get our English word "orphan".
The word orphan is a very descriptive word. It depicts children who lose their parents through death or desertion, or perhaps the inability of the parent to care for the child.
Since Christ will never die or desert those of us who believe in Him - we will never be spiritual orphans!
There will never be a time when He doesn’t care about us! There will never be a time when He doesn’t love us and provide for us and watch over us!
It’s difficult to grasp what some children must go through when they lose their parents at a young age. The insecurity. The loss. The uncertainty about the future. Thank God for those surrogate parents who step in and adopt these children.
The scripture teaches that God will not abandon His children.
Psalm 27:10 NLT - "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close."
Are you letting the Lord hold you close right now?
Come to Him today just as you are. Bring Him your burdens and your weariness. He is willing and able to meet your needs!
