Hold Fast to the 'NEVER' of Jesus.

When you become a born-again Christian, your life belongs to Jesus. You have willingly submitted yourself to His authority over everything you do and speak. You have become a new creation because you recognise that you are a sinner, you have repented of your sin and because Jesus paid the price for your sin by dying on the Cross you now have the right to become a child of God! And because Jesus redeemed you by dying for your sin you receive eternal life in Him – He is your Lord and Saviour.

In this article I am going to talk to you about the power, peace and protection we receive when we hold fast to the promises He makes us through the word ‘never!’

Now, before we go into the ‘never promises’ let me just remind you of these few Biblical truths.

Jesus is the Bible, and He has always been in existence, everything was made through Him and in Him we have life!

John 1:1-4 & 14 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus never changes, the Bible, His Name is as relevant today and tomorrow as it was at the beginning of creation.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

All scripture, Old and New Testament, comes from God and is relevant to us in different things and at all times.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (AMP)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Corinthians 10:11 (NIV) brackets in text are mine

These things happened to them (Old Testament) as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

So, it is my personal view that all scripture is as relevant today as it was at any other time in history. Jesus never changes!

With this in mind let’s now have a look at just how important the ‘nevers’ of Jesus are to our lives today and for the rest of our futures as born again Christians!

Let’s examine what Jesus tells through the scriptures about His ‘never’.

Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8 (NIV)

6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

8The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

In the above verses is Moses is addressing Israel and Joshua and is telling them not to be afraid of what lies ahead of them because the Lord is with them and will go them and ahead of them.

This also applies to each one of us today! In whatever the Lord tells you to do, He will always go ahead of you and with you and He will never leave or forsake you no matter how difficult and fearsome the task appears to you. Hold on to His never in whatever He tells you to do. Be brave and courageous as you step out in faith and obedience to do what He has told you to do. He has a ‘promised land’ for each and every one of His children.

Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

In Psalm 9:10 the writer tells us that the Lord will never forsake those who seek Him. But we have an action part in this, we have to know Him (be born-again) and trust Him – have complete faith in Him alone and we must actively seek Him – know the Word and actively pursue a relationship with Him.

Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let

the righteous be shaken.

In Psalm 55:22 the writer tells us that the Lord will never let the righteous be shaken.

Who are the righteous? We are, the true Church, those of us that are born-again and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The Lord will keep us and sustain through all things no matter how difficult, no matter how dire and heart-breaking things may seem, we need not worry. The Apostle Peter puts it this way:

1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)

casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

God knows everything about us, He cares about us. Nothing in our lives will take us further than what we can handle if we remain in Him!

Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

In Matthew 24:35 we are told that the Bible will never pass away it will be with us always – Jesus is the Word! We will get a new heaven and a new earth as the old will ‘be burned!’ But the Word will remain the same.

2 Peter 3:7 & 10 (NIV)

7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Revelation 21:1-2 (NIV)

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

On Judgement Day those in Christ Jesus will go to heaven for eternity to dwell with God in eternal life but those outside of Christ Jesus will go to hell for eternity, separated from God forever – eternal death!

John 4:14 (AMP)

But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.”

Jesus in John 4:14 above tells us that when we are in Him (born-again) our souls will be satisfied by drinking in His Word. The Holy Spirit will fill us and we too, like Jesus, will become rivers of living water to eternal life! This is also echoed in the book of Revelation!

Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV)

16 ‘Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat down on them,’[Is 49:10]

nor any scorching heat.

17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne

will be their shepherd;

‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[Is49:10]

‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[Is 25:8]”

The promises in the above two verses were also foretold in the Book of Isaiah!

John 11:25-26 (NIV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

In John 11:25-26 Jesus tells us that He alone is the resurrection and the life and those that believe in Him (born-again believers) will be resurrected and will receive eternal life. We will dwell in the presence of God forever where there will be no more tears and no more sickness.

Revelation 21:3-4 (NIV)

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Make sure you are truly born-again and that your heart is completely sold out to Jesus or the promise in the above verse will not apply to you!

Romans 10:11 (AMP)

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”

The Apostle Paul in Romans 10:11 tells us that when we believe, rely on and trust in Jesus for all things we will never be disappointed in our Godly expectations!

2 Peter 1:10-11 (AMP)

10 Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]; 11 for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you.

The Apostle Peter in the above verses tells us that we will NEVER STUMBLE when we ensure, this is action on our part, that we lead a lifestyle that confirms our relationship with Jesus, a lifestyle that complies with his Word and is accompanied by putting His Word into action. This lifestyle will ensure that we become imitators of Christ and that we will grow spiritually as this is our only way to eternal life!

Hebrews 13:5,-6 (NIV)

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.”[Dt 31:6]

6 So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?”[Ps 118:6-7]

The writer of Hebrews in the above verses has a double ‘never’ for us, “NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU” is a quote taken from Dt 31:6. This not only reinforces the relevance of the Old Testament for today, but also the fact that Jesus never changes. The verse also commands us to keep ourselves from the love of money and to be content with God’s provision for us!

Revelation 3:5 (AMP)

He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess and openly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels [saying that he is one of Mine].

Jesus, in the verse above, promises us that He “WILL NEVER BLOT OUT OUR NAMES FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE” if we stand firm to the end and overcome the world by believing in Him as our Lord and Saviour – by being born-again. He will also acknowledge us as being His own before the father and His angels.

Dear readers

Hold on to the ‘nevers’ of Jesus as all his promises are Yes and Amen! God's promises will lead you on the path of righteousness in Christ Jesus and will lead you to Christian maturity in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Our Lord has promised us that if we remain in Him and remain true and obedient to His Word:

• NEVER WIIL I leave you nor forsake you.

• NEVER WILL I let you be shaken.

• NEVER WILL MY words pass away.

• NEVER WILL you be hungry or thirsty – you will be filled with God for eternity.

• WE WILL NEVER STUMBLE in our spiritual growth and walk to maturity.

• I WILL NEVER BLOT OUT YOUR NAME FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would help me to hold fast to your promises and to never forsake you and your Word. Help me, I ask, to be obedient to your Word in every way and keep on filling me with your Holy Spirit that I may glorify the name of Jesus. Amen.

All glory, honour and praise belongs to Jesus!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!