In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

It's easy to make promises. Often, it is hard to keep them. Politicians have the reputation of making promises and not keeping them. Employers have that reputation too. Promises of jobs, raises, or promotions often do fall short. Confirmation students all too often fail to keep their promises to remain faithful to the Lord by regularly receiving the gospel in Word and Sacrament. How well do husbands and wives keep the promises that they made before God and witnesses in their weddings? Do they love and cherish each other, as long as they both shall live? Parents often fail to keep their promises too. There are few things that afflict a father's conscience more than remembering how many promises he has failed to keep. We mean well. We want to. But we fail. Something always seems to get in the way. While sins are forgiven, damage can remain. Children learn that promises are not kept, and they don't believe Dad's big promises anymore. They might even begin to think that God is the same way. God makes great promises in the Bible. But unlike sinful fathers who fail again and again, God never fails. He always keeps his promises.

1. WITH A CONSISTENT MESSAGE IN CHRIST. (vv. 18-20)

What if God would change his mind about the way to heaven? What if God started to attach all sorts of conditions to the gospel? What if he said, "You have to worship every Sunday, give 10% of your income, and pray at least five times a day, or you can't go to heaven"? Would you be certain that you would enter heaven? What if he added still more? What if God made us pass a test on the Bible before we could enter heaven. What if he made the test really, really hard? What if it contained questions that are not answered in Scripture? How confident would you feel about your chances of making it into heaven?

If God changed like the breeze, we might have to wonder if any of us would be going to heaven. We could never be really sure about the final judgment, because God could change his mind at any moment. Many years ago, people knew what it was like to live under fickle kings. A fickle king could be friendly to you on Tuesday, and have you beheaded on Wednesday. That is not a comfortable situation to be in. In a limited way, some coaches of professional sports teams know what that is like. One day, they get a vote of confidence. The next day, they are fired. That kind of fickle administration makes people edgy. You can never be sure what the boss will do next.

God is not like that! God is faithful. He doesn't say, "Yes" one day, and "No" the next. He doesn't waver around. He doesn't talk out of both sides of his mouth. His message is always clear and consistent. When he says something, he means it. He doesn't send one preacher to say, "The way to heaven is by good works," and another one to say, "The way to heaven is by faith in Jesus." The gospel does not and will not change. We can be sure that God is going to hold to his Word on how we get to heaven. He isn't going to change his mind. The same gospel has been in force for all of history. God has always been faithful, with a consistent message in Christ. The whole Bible is Christ-centered and points to Jesus. The Old Testament pointed forward to Christ, and Old Testament believers were saved by believing in the coming Savior. The New Testament points back to Christ, and we are saved by believing in the Savior who came, Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, God revealed many promises about the coming Savior. When the right time came, God fulfilled every one of those promises in Jesus. Not one promise missed. Verse 20 says, "no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." It's kind of like watching basketball on television. When the ball goes in the basket, that TV announcer shouts, "Yes!" When Jesus came, all of God's promises were being fulfilled, one after another... Born of a virgin... "Yes!" Born in Bethlehem... "Yes!" The LORD our Righteousness... "Yes!" Despised and rejected by men... "Yes!" The promises about the coming Savior were fulfilled in Jesus. He obeyed all of God's commandments. Then, he died on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. God raised him from the dead, in accordance with the Scriptures. And so, you are forgiven through Christ! Look to Jesus. He is the one and only Savior. Old Testament believers looked forward to him and were saved. We look back to him in faith and are saved. Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved in God's judgment. You can be sure of that. God is not going to change his mind. God is faithful...

2. WITH CONTINUING CARE IN OUR HEARTS. (vv. 21-22)

God is the one who gives us faith. God is the one who keeps us in saving faith. That is made clear in many places of the Bible, and certainly here, in verses 21 and 22: "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." Let's consider these words, one phrase at a time.

{21a} "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ." It is good to stand firm in faith. It is good to have a rock-solid faith that doesn't waver every time a test comes along. But if you have that firm faith, don't take credit for it. It is God who gave you that faith, and makes you stand firm. God gets all the credit and all the glory for our standing firm in faith.

Of course, sometimes we think we are more firm than we really are. Then a real test comes along and reveals our weakness. Do you face every health problem with calm faith, or do you waver? Can you face death without fear, or does it really get to you, when the doctor is talking to you, or your spouse, or your parent, or your child? When your loved one dies, does your ship really shake and sway? Are you able to defeat the rationalizing arguments of a clever false teacher? Do you really fight off the temptations to sin? Sometimes we may seem strong, and sometimes we may seem weak. But know this: God's Word is our power source. Look to the Lord's Word for strength and help. And trust God to keep you faithful. Stay with him by staying with his Word, and know that "it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ."

{21b} "He anointed us." When God brought us to faith, he anointed us, or set us apart, to be his servants. In the Old Testament, men were anointed with oil to serve as priests. When God brought us to faith, he anointed us all to be priests. We are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). God anointed us to pray, praise, serve and thank him all our days.

{22a} "[God] set his seal of ownership on us." God owns us. "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body!" (1 Cor 6) God's seal tells the devil, "This one is mine. Hands off!" The devil does not like it at all that you belong to God. Stay with the Lord who makes you safe. Jesus said of his believers (Jn 10:28?29), "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans (8:38?39), "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." And that's not all!

{22b} "[God] put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." We have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts right now as a down payment or guarantee of what is coming! One day, we believers will all be in heaven. Then, we will give God all the glory for saving us! He kept his promises. He sent a Savior to live for us and die for us. He forgave our sins. He brought us to faith. He kept us in faith.

There is really only one more word to say. It means, "Yes, that is so. It is true." It is spoken to the glory of God. God says, "You are saved. You are forgiven. You are mine." Then, by God's grace, we nod and say (v.20), "Yes, that is true. I believe it." Or, we simply say that one word to the glory of God, "Amen."