If you go to Wikipedia there is a list of over 215 different people that have published their thoughts on one single topic. It’s not a topic that has already happened; one they have observed and are commenting on, but an event set into their future. What is the immensely popular topic? The end of the world. The only problem? All 215 were wrong.
Mankind has always been in deep fascination and obsession with the future. The idea that if we could just know enough about our future, we could change it to better suit our needs. But if you learned anything from Back to the Future, you know that if you change your past you will ultimately end up changing your present. That is unless like in part 2, you end up changing your past which changed the present and also created a crazy parallel universe in which Biff had a casino. You know what, never mind, I think all Back to the Future did was confuse me.
But what if I were to give you some information today and I guaranteed it to be true? I gave you not a 30 day guarantee. Not a 90 day guarantee. Not even a 1 year guarantee on parts and labor, but an eternal guarantee. What if I could give you some info that is guaranteed by the author to be 100% true, accurate and trustworthy for all of eternity? Well folks, let me introduce you to the eternal guarantee of God’s Word.
God’s Word is in essence, just that, one big guarantee. A collection of prophecies that have either come true, are coming true, or are yet to come true. A collection of guarantees. God told us countless times in the Old Testament about the coming of Jesus Christ, a messiah that would save the world from its sin. And when Jesus was born and placed into a feeding trough in Bethlehem and then ultimately died and was resurrected 33 years later, He fulfilled over 300 individual messianic prophecies…not one error. In fact, did you know that there are approximately 2,500 prophecies that appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter…with no errors. You see, that’s one of the most important parts about a guarantee. If you, the issuer of the guarantee fail on even one account, it affects the rest of your guarantees. A guarantee is only as good as the person that gives it.
Today we will experience the very last chapter in the book of 1 Samuel. And within it we will see a clear division. A very clear event that will separate the 2 books of Samuel. The death of Saul and his sons. The book of Samuel is a book of chaos. People rejecting God and demanding their own king. God giving them “the king they deserve” breeds a kingdom of chaos. As God delivers a king “after His own heart” in David, we see the rest of the chapter play out in a chase scene that reached epic proportions. But in chapter 31 it ends. Saul’s chasing is over. David’s running is over. And we see the guarantee of God’s Word, yet again, ring out in truth and accuracy.
What if you knew the date of your death? I think this would be one the worst burdens you could ever place upon a person. The knowledge of the future is something we were never meant to deal with. But I can make this observation. I think if someone were made known of the date of their own mortal event, you would see a glimpse into the very depths of their heart. Would they repent and cry out God, seeking to make amends for their upcoming trip into eternity? Or would they speed along with what’s left of their life, a heart that is so hard, God just bounces off of it? We see the latter heart in chapter 31 of 1 Samuel.
Recall this conversation between the spirit of Samuel and Saul as Saul employed a necromancer to contact a God that would not respond to him.
“And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 28:16-19
God showed Saul his death. Tomorrow you and your sons shall die. A guarantee from God. And just how did Saul respond? He and his sons went into battle. The most dangerous place He could have gone. I wonder if he even informed his sons of God's message? Saul had a hard heart that either did not believe in the guarantee of God or simply, in his rebellion, was yet once again challenging God to be the king of his own life. Saul’s heart was hardened to the Lord until the day those enemy arrows pierced it.
As you encounter the Word of God today, do you fully comprehend the power that you are holding? Within those thin frail pages, lies the single biggest guarantee that has ever been issued. Printed right there in black ink before your eyes, lies an eternal guarantee. A guarantee that cannot be changed, reversed, or nullified. It cannot be altered, modified, or improved upon. It is etched in concrete, carved in stone, and written among the stars. It is forever, eternal and for all time. Folks, that guarantee is Salvation through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you are living a life in bondage to sin today, you can be as free as a bird resting upon the western breeze. If you are living a life with no purpose today, you can instead enjoy laser focused purpose that comes directly from God. If you are harboring anger, resentment, bitterness and hate in your heart, Jesus can melt it all away like sugar in hot water. And in the beauty of God’s Word, these are not maybes. These are not kindas. If you call upon Jesus to save you from your life of sin, He is faithful to rain down His mercy and grace upon you, saving your soul into the far reaches of eternity. And folks, that is a guarantee directly from Almighty God.
As you walk this Earth your physical future is uncertain. But one day you will shed your fleshly body and move beyond the mere physical. You will move out into eternity. And God did not leave that unspoken. He did not leave that to chance. God secured your eternity. He secured it through His only Son Jesus Christ. And in the single biggest eternal guarantee ever issued, He offers you Jesus today.
Don’t live another day without claiming the eternal promise of God. Jesus is calling to you today, heed His call, ask Him to save you…and watch your eternity become guaranteed.
Thank you Jesus for the way you love our souls.
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