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Ephesians 4:3 says to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  The Holy Spirit of God is the mother hen, urging the church to gather together in safety!  We’re never told to create unity but rather to keep the unity the Spirit provides.

Harmony is always an option, because the Spirit is always present.  Gone is the excuse, “I just can’t work alongside so-and-so.”  Maybe you can’t, but the Spirit within you can!  To say otherwise is to say that the Holy Spirit cannot do what he longs to do. “We were all given the one Spirit to drink,” the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:13-14…“even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”  The Holy Spirit unifies the church, the body.  Let the Holy Spirit do its unification work through you!  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope in him is unshakable!

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The Bible says, “If God were to withdraw his Spirit, all life would disappear and mankind would return again to dust” (Job 34:14-15). And Ephesians 1:13 says that the Holy Spirit enters the believer upon confession of faith. From that point forward the Christian has access to the very power and personality of God.  They begin to think the way God thinks, love the way God loves, and see the way God sees. And this power includes the gifts of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

As our relationship with God is secured and unmarred by rebellion, sin, or stubborn behavior, we can expect a harvest of fruit!  We need not force it, but we can expect it.  It simply falls to us to stay connected.  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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Ask a believer to answer the question, “Who is God the Father?” He has a reply. Or “Describe God the Son.” She will not hesitate. But ask, “Who is the Holy Spirit?” and they’re often at a loss for words. Many rely on the Father and the Son but overlook the Holy Spirit. Yet Jesus says more about the Holy Spirit than he does about the church or marriage.

On the eve of his death, as he prepared his followers to face the future without him, he made this great promise, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). He didn’t promise immediate success, or the absence of disease or struggles. He never guaranteed a level of income. But He promised the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came alongside the disciples, indwelled them, and gave the early church the push they needed to face the challenges ahead. Perhaps you could use a push as well.

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The greatest news in the world is not that God made the world but that God loves the world.  He loves you.  You did not earn this love.  His love for you will not end if you lose your temper.  His love for you will not fade if you lose your way, nor will His love diminish if your discipline does.

Someone told you that God loves good people. Wrong. There are no good people.  Someone told you that God loves you if you love him first. Wrong. He loves people who have never thought of him.  Someone told you that God is ticked off, cranky, and vindictive.  Wrong. We tend to be ticked off, cranky, and vindictive.  But God?  “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love” (Psalm 103:8).  God loves you!  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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God needs no name tag to jog his memory about you.  He has more thoughts about you than the Pacific coast has grains of sand!

I read a story about a man walking the shores of a lake in silence with his uncle.  The man noticed his uncle was smiling.  “Uncle,” he said, “you look very happy.”  “I am” his uncle agreed.  “How come?” the man asked.  “The Father of Jesus is very fond of me,” his uncle said.

He’s fond of you, too, dear friend.  What’s that?  Do you think I’m talking to someone who is holier, better, or nicer?  Someone who didn’t screw up his marriage or mess up her career.  I’m not.  I’m talking directly to you.  God loves you.  And His love for you will not end or fade if you lose your way.  You have never lived one unloved day.  This is God’s promise.  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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Self-help manuals might get you through a bad mood or a tough patch. But what about an abusive childhood or years of chronic pain? Does God have a word for the dark nights of the soul? He does.

God’s promise begins with this phrase: “Weeping may last through the night. . .” That part may not be news to you. But this part may be– “Joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).  Despair will not rule the day. Night might delay the dawn, but it cannot defeat it.  Morning comes.  Not always as quickly as we want.  Not as dramatically as we desire. But morning comes, and with it comes joy.

Do you need this promise?  Have you wept a river?  Have you forsaken hope?  Do you wonder if morning will ever bring this night to an end?  Hear this!  Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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It seems most people think death is to be avoided or postponed and ignored.  But God promises that death will be swallowed up in victory! (1 Corinthians15:54). Jesus rose from the dead, not just to show us his power, but also to lead us through the valley of death.

Recently I discovered it’s possible to record a message for my tombstone.  And if I do, this may be what you’ll hear:

Thanks for coming by.  Sorry you missed me, but I’m not here.  I’m home.  Finally home!  At some point my King will call, and this grave will be shown for the temporary tomb it is.  You might want to step to the side in case that happens while you are here.  Hope you’ve made plans for your own departure.  All the best, Max.

Yeah, I know it needs some work!  But while the wording might change, the promise never will.  “Death has been swallowed up in victory!”

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Is this as good as it gets?  Many people assume that it is! Many people think their deepest joy and most profound happiness happens somewhere between the delivery room and the funeral home.  Is that as good as it gets? For the Christian, this world is as bad as it gets.  Set your heart on this hope from the 2 Corinthians:

“Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.  We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles.  We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Because God’s promises are unbreakable, out hope is unshakable!

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Make 2 Peter 3:13 one of the building blocks in your foundation.  It reads, “In keeping with God’s promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” God has promised to reclaim his creation.  He is a God of restoration, not destruction. He is a God of renewal, redemption, regeneration, and resurrection.  God loves to redo and restore.

“I am making everything new!” he announced in Revelation 21:5. Everything new. The old will be gone. Gone with the hospital waiting rooms. Gone with cancer. God will lay hold of every atom, emotion, insect, animal, and galaxy. He will reclaim every diseased body and afflicted mind. I am making all things new!  This is God’s promise.  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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You’ve never seen yourself at your best. You’ve never known yourself as God intended.  But you will! Try to imagine a body with no pain, a mind with no wandering thoughts. Envision yourself as you were meant to be, completely whole. And envision this earth as it was intended to be…completely calm.

Scripture says, “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” (Isaiah 11:6).  The removal of the curse will return God’s people and the universe to their intended states. Satan, the tempter, will be thrown “into the eternal fire.” In that moment “Death is swallowed up in victory” (I Corinthians 15:54). This is God’s promise. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable.

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What will happen when you die?  Scripture reveals some intriguing assurances! Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). “Today,” Christ promised. No delay. No pause.

The thief closed his eyes on earth and awoke in paradise. The soul of the believer journeys home while the body of the believer awaits the resurrection. Paradise is the first stage of heaven. But it’s not the final version of heaven.  The final age will begin when Christ returns on the final day. He who created us will collect us. Scripture says “The LORD who scattered his people, will gather them!” (Jeremiah 31:10). Just as a seed becomes a plant, our fleshly body will become a spiritual body. This is God’s promise to you. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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A cynic asked an elderly woman about the security of her salvation. He said, “How can you be so sure that after all these years God won’t let you sink into hell?” Her answer: “He would lose more than I would. All I would lose would be my own soul, but He would lose his good name.”

What a gift God has given to you! You’ve won the greatest lottery in the history of humanity, and you didn’t even pay for the ticket. Your soul is secure, your salvation guaranteed. You name is written in the only book that matters. This is the message of God, the promise of grace. The Bible says “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1). This is a promise from God. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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Salvation, from beginning to end, is a work of our Father. God does not stand on a mountain and tell us to climb it and find him.  He comes down into our dark valley and finds us. God does not offer to pay all the debt minus a dollar if we’ll pay the dollar. He pays every penny! He doesn’t bargain with us, telling us to clean up our lives so he can help.  He washes our sins without our help.

The message of God is the message of grace. Grace that is entirely God’s. God loving. God offering. God caring and God carrying! As you consider the insurmountable debt you owe, the debt you can never pay, let this promise be declared: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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When Christ died on the Cross, “He carried our sins in his body so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right” (1 Peter 2:24). Heaven’s work of redemption was finished.  Whatever barrier that had separated us, or might ever separate us from God was gone. The nagging questions are gone:  Am I good enough?  Will I achieve enough?

The legalist finds rest. The atheist finds hope. God is not a god of burdens but a God of rest. He knows we cannot achieve perfection.  Jesus invites, “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” (Matthew 11:28-30).  What a promise! And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakeable!

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If you want to be utterly distraught, spend a few moments in the presence of the U.S. National Debt Clock in New York City. It uses 306 light bulbs to endlessly declare the U.S. debt and each family’s share. As I pondered the clock this question came to me. What if heaven had one of these?  A marquee that measured our spiritual debt?  Does it click at each infraction?  We lie…click.  We gossip…click. We demand our way…click.

A financial liability is one matter, but a spiritual one?  The debt of sin has a serious consequence.  It separates us from God.  What do we do? The apostle Paul said, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  Paul knew that because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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When Tyler Sullivan was 11-years-old he skipped school so he could meet the president of the United States. Barack Obama was visiting Tyler’s hometown of Golden Valley, Minnesota, and Tyler’s father had introduced the president at an event.  When Tyler met him, President Obama realized Tyler was missing school. The president asked an aide to bring him a card with presidential letterhead. He then wrote a note to Tyler’s teacher. It said,  Please excuse Tyler. He was with me. (signed) Barack Obama, the president.

It’s not every day the president speaks up on behalf of a kid. But every day Jesus speaks up for you. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He always lives to intercede for us.” Jesus is praying. He is praying for you! This is a promise from God.  And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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Have you ever have anyone stand up for you?  The answer is yes.  Jesus stands at this very moment, offering intercession on your behalf! Jesus says to you what he said to Peter. Knowing the apostle was about to be severely tested by Satan, Jesus assured him, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).

Jesus promises to pray and stand up for you. When we forget to pray, he remembers to pray. When we are full of doubt, he is full of faith. Where we are unworthy to be heard, he is ever worthy to be heard. We’d prefer to have every question answered, but Jesus has instead chosen to tell us this much: “I will pray you through the storm.” Are the prayers of Jesus answered? Of course they are! And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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Jesus was undiluted deity. No wonder no one argued when he declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He has authority over everything. And he has it forever! Yet in spite of this lofty position, Jesus was willing for a time to forgo the privileges of divinity and enter humanity.

Are you troubled in spirit?  He was too. (John 12:27)

Are you so anxious you could die?  He was too. (Matthew 26:38)

Are you overwhelmed with grief?  He was too. (John 11:35)

So human he could touch people. So mighty he could heal people. So heavenly he spoke with authority. So human he could blend in unnoticed for thirty years. So mighty he could change history and be unforgotten for two thousand years. Because Jesus was human, He understands you. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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You and I have stumbled in life.  We’ve done our best, only to trip and fall.  The distance between where we are and where we want to be is impassable. Where do we turn? I suggest we look to one of God’s sweetest promises:

“For our high priest [Jesus] is able to understand our weaknesses.  He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin.  Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace.  There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it”  (Hebrews 4:15-16).

When we stumble we aren’t abandoned. The stunning idea is simply this: God, for a time, became one of us.  God became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ.  Neither his humanity nor deity were compromised.  Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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I’m wondering if you’d be willing to join me in a prayer of repentance—repentance from arrogance.  What have we done that God did not first do?  What do we have that God didn’t first give us?  Have any of us ever built anything that God could not destroy? Have we created any monument that the Master of the stars can’t reduce to dust? God asks this question through the prophet Isaiah:

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?  says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing”  (Isaiah 40:25-26).

Let’s humble ourselves before the hand of God. Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

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