The Promise Keeper
Hilda Ross, 10.30am, 19th August 2025
Pr 30:5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Some of you may have heard of the Promise Keepers conferences for Christian men. These are held every year in Auckland. They are to encourage men in their character, personal lives and perhaps their manhood to align them with Christian values. I think the name means that the men will make promises to God and their families to keep these values. And they come together every year to renew them at the conferences.
But I have never been to a Promise Keepers men’s conference. I’m afraid the name puts me off, though I know many godly men go along to them and are blessed and encouraged. But personally speaking, I feel it’s just setting me up to fail. I know all too well that there are promises I haven’t kept - frankly, if am honest, I know in my inner being that I am not a good promise keeper.
But I know there is one Promise Keeper who will never fail, who will always keep his promises - THE Promise Keeper, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we rejoice in his promises. Pr 30:5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
My personal favourite promise is: “I will never fail you nor forsake you,” which for some reason I often have buzzing around my head a lot. It sounds as though it should be found in John’s Gospel but in fact it comes from the end of the Letter to the Hebrews. One of the themes of that letter is the utter reliability of God’s promises in Christ, as the readers suffered persecution for persevering in their Christian faith in a hostile world. I am sure each one of you has favourite promises you stand on and perhaps have done for a whole lifetime of Christian faith.
I worked at Eastwest College for 25 years and during that time I saw nearly 500 students graduate of whom over 250 have been or still are working in 44 different countries around the world. Every one of those missionaries is going out on nothing but the promises of the Promise-Keeping God to supply their material needs and the command to preach the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. It is exciting to see the faithfulness of God as these missionaries are provided for and protected and used by God to bring the gospel to people who have never heard it before – as they have stood on his promises.
But the greatest promises are the ones every Christian enjoys and stands on. And they are not Bible verses for blessings and riches and perfect health, which we often hold on to, sometimes even using them out of context, misinterpreting the Bible, but the promises of the gospel itself, grounded on the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel really is good news, perhaps we might even call it the good promise.
The gospel is a covenant, a promise made by God to all who believe the gospel, the good news, that Jesus’ death on the cross is a sufficient price and atonement for all our sins: past, present and future. And that having forgiven our sins he will grant us eternal life. So we have peace with God. This is the greatest promise.
On our deathbeds we don’t have to worry if we have done enough to please God, done enough to get into heaven; been loving enough; given enough; prayed enough … In fact, none of us have done enough of these things. If we need to do enough things to please God, the gospel wouldn’t be good news but bad news. We could never do enough. The gospel is a free gift.
This is why we have the communion service, because we forget the promises of God. It is to remember the Lord’s death.
So I thought that this morning I would conclude this brief devotion with some of the promises which might be a fresh reminder and blessing for you in our current lives - made by the Great Promise Keeper in his book of promise - the Holy Bible. I quote them in the Bible order
Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Jn 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life
Jn 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Jn 15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Rom 9:10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.