GOD S BEST PROMISE (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

GOD S BEST PROMISE (Jeremiah 33:14-16) INTRODUCTION Christmas is a time of making promises. I recall when I was a kid that when I really wanted something badly for Christmas I would try to get my parents to promise to get it for me. Sometimes they would. Sometimes they couldn t. Sometimes they have something else in mind. I would never know for sure if their promises would come true. Well, we all have had experiences when we don t know if what someone has promised will come true. Did you know that God is a God who makes promises? And with God, all his promises come true. The evangelist D.L. Moody said, God never made a promise that was too good to be true. This morning we hear one of these promises, which is a good promise. (Jer 33:14-16 NKJV) 'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: {15} 'In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. {16} In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she [he] will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' We can count on God s promises. God gave this promise to Jeremiah twice. In Jeremiah 23:5-6 the promise is the same except it calls the righteous Branch of David a King and it says that He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. God calls this promise that good thing which I have promised in 33:14. In other translations it is called God s gracious promise (NIV 1984). I like to call it God s best promise.. This best promise has to do with God sending an offspring of David to be King, to execute judgment, and to be called the Lord Our Righteousness. Why is this God s best promise to us? IT IS FULFILLED BY THE BEST PERSON OF ALL December 4, 2016 Corntassel CP Church Page 1

First we see that this is God s best promise because the person who fulfills this promise is the righteous descendent of David, who will be a King. God said that He would cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness. A branch is a descendant on the family tree. God had promised to David a righteous descendant would sit upon his throne forever. This promise is recorded in 2 Sam 7:16 (2 Sam 7:16 NKJV) "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."' Now David died and he was followed by Solomon. Solomon died and he was followed by Rehoboam, who was followed by another and another, and so on. All these descendants had two things in common. None of them sat on David s throne forever, they died, and none of them was a branch of righteousness. They all failed God at one point or other. Some more than others. They were all sinners. But God promised David one that would sit on his throne forever and who would be perfectly righteous. He would always do what was right in God s eyes. This righteous branch was born at Christmas time, as the son of David. We know Him as Jesus. Jesus lived his life on earth a perfect life (Heb. 4:15). He was righteous because He always did the Father s will. He was righteous because he never sinned. He always did that which was right. Now He lives forever. Although He died, it was not for his sins. And He was raised and now is seated at the right hand of the Father, on the throne of David forever. This good promise is God s best promise because it is fulfilled by the best Person of all, the perfect descendant of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you believe this best promise of God? Can you claim by faith Jesus as your perfect King? Do you want to follow Him? IT IS FULFILLED AT THE BEST TIME OF ALL This is the best promise of God because this branch of righteousness came at the best time of all. It was at a time when the nation of Israel needed a righteous King because they were living under the oppression of Rome politically and the burden of the Pharisees religiously. Paul spoke of this right timing in Galatians 4: (Gal 4:4-5 NKJV) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, {5} to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. December 4, 2016 Corntassel CP Church Page 2

Jesus came to redeem those who were under the law. The Pharisees had turned God s law and promises into a system of selfrighteous works. They had made all kinds of extra stipulations on how to keep the law to keep the people under their control while they themselves just wanted the praise of men for their outward piety. They so interpreted God s law in a way that put heavy burdens on the serious and faithful. Jesus spoke of this problem during his public ministry. For example look at Matthew 23:4: (Mat 23:4 NKJV) "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Jesus came as the righteous Son of God to lift men s burdens and to bring salvation to Israel and to all peoples. Jesus came not just to lift the burden of Rome and the burden of the Pharisees off mankind but the burden of sin. He came at just the right time and He did just the right things to bring salvation and safety to all who will receive Him as their Savior and King. He invites all to Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. He came at the right time to lift our heavy burdens. This promise is the best one of all because Jesus came at the right time, a time when all God s people needed Him. Can you believe this promise of God? Can you claim that Jesus has come to lift all your heavy burdens? IT HAS ONE OF THE BEST PURPOSES OF ALL This promise of Jeremiah is the best one of all also because it fulfills one of the best purposes of all. Verse 15b says: [This righteous Branch] shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. When Jesus came he executed judgment and righteousness. When we first read about Jesus executing judgment we think of Jesus second coming, then he will execute judgment on all evil and evil doers. The scripture does say that a day of judgment is coming where every person will be judged on the basis of their works. (Rev 20:12) The scriptures speak of all judgment as being committed to the Son (John 5:22). But when Jesus walked this earth he told us that he came to execute another kind of judgment -- a judgment, not on mankind, but on Satan and the works of the devil. this: In John s Gospel Jesus says when referring to His death on the cross said December 4, 2016 Corntassel CP Church Page 3

(John 12:31 NKJV) "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Jesus came to execute judgment on the evil one. How did He execute judgment on Satan and cast him out the ruler of this world? It is through the cross. Paul brings this out clearly to the Colossian Christians: (Col 2:14-15 NKJV) and He has taken it [all the accusations of the law that we have broken] out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. {15} Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. When Jesus went to the cross He brought judgment on the works of Santa. John tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil in: (1 John 3:8 NKJV).. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. He came to execute judgment on Satan. The work of the Cross has robbed Satan of his power in a person s life. What does this mean for you? It means that you are not at the mercy of Satan or his devices. He cannot harm you. He cannot overcome you. James tells us, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (4:7 NKJV). Satan is still active, but through the work of Christ on our behalf, we can resist the devil and he will flee. Do it! Isn t this a great promise? Can you believe that Jesus has defeated Satan on the Cross? Can you claim that Jesus has destroyed all the works of Satan in your life? IT IS THE BEST BECAUSE IT BRINGS US WHAT WE NEED THE MOST: RIGHTEOUSNESS But there is one more reason that this promise in Jeremiah is God s best promise. It is even greater that destroying the works of the devil, if that can possible. The greatest accomplishment Jesus did in his coming was to become our righteousness. He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. I love that title of Christ THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Not only is Jesus the righteous One, He is our righteousness. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. What does this mean? And how can that happen? It means that God has given to us the righteousness of Christ by faith so that we can stand before Him as holy and acceptable. It means that God sees us, not as guilty sinners, but as December 4, 2016 Corntassel CP Church Page 4

ones declared righteous by Him. The Bible calls this action of God, justification by faith. The book of Romans explains this in detail. The one thing that all of us need most desperately is righteousness. We need to be righteous before God to be counted as His own people. We need to be righteous before God to be saved. We need to be righteous before God to spend eternity in the presence of a Holy God. We cannot create this righteousness by our works. By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, says Romans 3:20. We are only justified by faith in Christ. We can only receive Christ s righteousness by faith. Christ s righteousness is a gift of God s grace. Jesus is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is why we can sing, My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. Because Jesus is MY RIGHTEOUSNESS I have peace with God, my hope of sharing in the glory of God is assured, my hostility toward God has been removed, my sins have been forgiven and I am reconciled with God; all because Jesus is MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. Can you believe the promise that Jesus came to be your Righteousness? Can you claim Jesus as your righteousness by faith? CONCLUSION These are some reasons why this promise in Jeremiah is God s best promise in the Bible. It is because the one who sits on the throne of David is the Righteous One, He is the One who came at the right time to deliver us from the burden of the law and our guilt, He is the One who destroys the works of Satan, He is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS that we can live in the presence of God for all eternity. God has fulfilled his best promise. Now it is your turn. Do you believe this promise? Have you received what this promise holds? Have you received God s best gift to you, THE LORD YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS? How do you receive Christ s righteousness? It is by faith in Jesus as the One who died for you, it is by faith in the One who lived the perfect life, it is by faith in the One whom God will give to you His righteousness. Put your faith in Jesus and this promise will be yours forever. Amen? Amen! As we prepare ourselves to observe Holy Communion let us renew our faith in Jesus as our Righteousness. December 4, 2016 Corntassel CP Church Page 5