The "I Will's" Of The Great I AM
1. When God Says, "I Will", He Will!
There have been times when I said, "I will bring it with me when I come" and I simply forgot to put it in the car. There have also been nights when I decided, "I will do that tomorrow" and something came up and I didn't get it done. We like to make our plans and our "I will's", but we can't always follow through. But, when God tells us in His Word, "I will", we can be sure that He will always keep His Word. Pastor Jack Tripp had a great sermon titled, "The 'I Will's' Of The Great I AM" and I want to use the verses for these amazing promises.
2. "For I Will Set Mine Eyes Upon Them For Good"
Our first "I will" of the Lord is from Jeremiah 24:6. "For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up." Our God has His eyes on His children for good. When I was a young girl my Dad asked me to go get something from the car for him because he had already taken his boots off. It was dark and I was afraid to walk out in the dark. He turned on the porch light and told me that he would stand and watch me. And knowing that he was watching out for me took away all my fear. There are times when we have to do things and we are afraid. When we remember that God our Father is watching out for us, it takes away our fears! The last time I had to have surgery I kept repeating Psalm 23 in my mind as I was waiting, and it brought a calmness to my soul. God is looking out for us, for good! There is a lot going on in this world right now that is against us, but our God is for us! "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
3. "I Will Bring Them Again To This Land"
We are still in Jeremiah 24:6 and our second "I will" of the great I AM is "I will bring them again to this land." God told Israel that He would put them where they belonged. God has a way of getting us where we belong. Sometimes people comment that they were lucky to be at the right place at the right time. I don't believe in luck, but there have been many times in my life when God put me just where I needed to be at that moment. There have been times when I was tired and really didn't feel like going to church, but I went and God blessed me and encouraged me through the singing and the sermon. God put me where I needed to be. Have you ever noticed how many times in the 23rd Psalm David mentions God leading him? As you read it notice all the places where the Lord placed David... ending "in the house of the LORD for ever."
"1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalm 23)
4. "I Will Build Them, And Not Pull Them Down"
We have come to our next "I will" in Jeremiah 24:6. "For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up." Today we see, "I will build them, and not pull them down." Isn't it good to be around people that build us up, instead of tear us down? We read in Hebrews 3:13, "But exhort one another daily..." And Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:11, "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." We are told to build up one another. God also builds us up. Sin destroys us and brings us down, but God will always build us up. He lifted us up out of sin when He saved us by His marvelous grace. "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." (Psalm 40:2)
5. "I Will Plant Them, And Not Pluck Them Up"
We have come to the last segment of Jeremiah 24:6, "I will plant them, and not pluck them up." God wants to plant us and let us live for Him. I really enjoy getting the ground ready, and getting my seeds together so I can plant my garden. Working in my garden brings me so much joy, exercise, time in the sunshine watching the honey bees, plus all the goodness of having and sharing fresh vegetables. But, there have been a few times that I had to "pluck up" some of the plants. The first year I planted zucchini, the leaves were huge and the plants were about as high as my waist. One time I reached down to pick a zucchini and I saw a copperhead hiding under the shade of the leaves. I carefully backed away, and we decided we had had enough zucchini that year, and went back later and pulled up the plants. The rest of the summer I would not go in the garden when I could smell the snake. The first few years were very prosperous. But, we didn't gather much the last couple of years, and since this is the seventh year, I am going to let the ground rest, as God instructed the Israelites to do. It will be hard for me not to plant anything, so I am considering putting a few plants in a large wooden box and trying a container garden closer to the house. God tells us we can be like a tree that is planted by the waters. "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:2-3) As we live for the Lord and serve Him we will bear fruit.
6. "And I Will Give Them An Heart To Know Me, That I Am The Lord"
We are going to the next verse. "And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." (Jeremiah 24:7) Our next "I will" is "And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD." I am so thankful that the Lord gave me a heart to know Him! If you don't know that Jesus is The Lord, and that He is Your Lord, please ask Him to speak to your heart and show you. Over and over again in the Old Testament it says that "they shall know that I am the Lord." Many of these verses speak of the judgment that God will send which will show them He is God. But I think this verse in Jeremiah speaks of God's love. When the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and showed me that Jesus died for me because He loved me, I asked Him to save me, and from that moment, I knew that He is Lord. Just as we saw in Romans 10:9-10. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." God gives us a longing for Him. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1) The longer we know the Lord, the more we want to know Him. Paul prayed, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (Philippians 3:10)
7. "I Will Be Their God"
We are looking at the last part of Jeremiah 24:7 today. "... and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." Isn't it amazing that such a great almighty God would want us to be His people? In the very beginning, God created Adam and Eve and wanted to walk with them in the garden. "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:8-9) God still wants to walk with His people. "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Leviticus 26:12) In the Old Testament God dwelt among His people, the children of Israel. But in Zechariah 2:11 we see that we can be His people. "And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee." The most familiar promise of God to His people is found in II Chronicles 7:14, and it is one we all need to hear and heed today. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." God loves us and wants to be our God and desires us to be His people.
8. The First "I Will"
I have heard that in doing a Bible study, it is good to look at the first mention of your subject in the Bible. So, that is what we are doing today. Do you know what the first "I will" is that is found in the Bible? We don't have to go very far in the scriptures until we come to it. "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18) After each day of creation in the first chapter of Genesis, God "saw that it was good." But, in our verse today "the LORD God said, It is not good..." It was not good for the man to be alone, and God had a solution, so He made a woman for the man. That is God's plan and design for us to live. I am thankful that God put Michael and me together in marriage. I am thankful that I have family to love and spend time with. I am thankful for the friends that God has let me meet and enjoy good times together with. I even have friends through these devotionals that I have not met. God cares for us and He doesn't want us to have to go through life alone. The New Testament tells us to edify one another, forgive one another, and comfort one another. But, most of all it tells us to love one another. It is so hard when the ones we love don't return our love, but you can be sure that God will always love you. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
"7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (I John 4:7-11)
9. "I Will Be Exalted"
Our verse today is Psalm 46:10. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." God will be exalted on high! "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 14:11) "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" (Philippians 2:10) I really believe that we won't be here much longer before the Lord calls us to our heavenly home. We can look around and see the perilous times of the last days that Paul warned Timothy of in his second letter. Many in the world don't want to have anything to do with God. They curse His name and deny His existence. But, our Lord will take His place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
"1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (II Timothy 3:1-5)
10. "I Will Give You Rest"
It is so good that Michael is still improving and we were able to sing at church Sunday. We sang an old song that we learned many years ago. The chorus comes from Matthew 11:28-29. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Our prayer lists have been long for those who are burdened under heavy loads. The past year has been hard and many have suffered. But, I can see the Lord answering prayers for many of His children. I am thankful that I have a loving God that I can go to and He will lift my burdens and give me rest.
"Hear Jesus calling, 'Come unto me
Come and I'll give you rest,
Bring every burden, I'll set you free,
Bring your burdens, and come to me'."
11. "I Will Come Again, And Receive You Unto Myself"
One of our most comforting selections of verses is found in John 14:1-6.
"1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Oh, what a promise we have! After His resurrection, Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for us! And He is coming again to take us to heaven to be with Him forever! There is only one way to go to heaven, and that is through Jesus. Our good works won't save us. Having Christian parents and grandparents won't take us to heaven. Going to church doesn't mean we are going to heaven. We must understand that we have sinned and believe that Jesus died to pay the punishment for our sin. Trusting in Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. He is coming again! Are you ready?
12. "I Will Pray The Father, And He Shall Give You Another Comforter"
Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, knowing that He would be crucified. Jesus washed the disciples' feet, as a servant would do. After Judas Iscariot left to go betray Jesus, He was left with His dear followers and He tried to prepare them for His death. We saw how He tried to comfort them in the first few verses of John 14. Today we are in the same chapter, and what I think is so very special here is that Jesus knows that Judas went to betray Him. He knows that the people will cry, "Crucify Him!" He knows all that is going to unfold, and yet He was trying to bring comfort to the disciples. He was concerned for them. There are several "I Wills" in these few verses. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter... I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you... he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Each one of these I will statements from Jesus can bring us comfort and hope as we wait for His appearing. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit dwells in me and comforts me.
"16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:16-21)
13. "I Will Never Leave Thee, Nor Forsake Thee"
The Feast Of The Passover ended, and Jesus and the disciples went to Gethsame where Jesus prayed in the garden. And when the chief priests came to take Jesus "all the disciples forsook him, and fled." (The thought for this devotional was part of Pastor Tripp's sermon on Sunday.)
"55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled." (Matthew 26:55-57)
As Jesus hung on the cross, we read, "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) Jesus was forsaken in His darkest hour... but, this same Jesus said, "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:55) We may be forsaken by our friends and family. But, remember that Jesus went through all we have to suffer on the cross. He was forsaken. But He tells us, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." What a wonderful Lord and Savior we serve! Praise His Holy Name!
14. "Him That Cometh To Me I Will In No Wise Cast Out"
Maybe you have heard the gospel message that Jesus came to die for you to save you from your sin. And maybe you feel like you have sinned too much for Jesus to forgive you. Don't lose hope. If you are sorry for your sin and you ask Jesus to save you, He will not turn you away. He died for you! He died to pay the penalty for your sin. You may already know that you have sinned and cannot do anything to work your way into heaven. Jesus is the only way and He promised, "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." That is why He came down from heaven. Believe in Jesus. Confess your sin to Him and ask Him to save you. And He will raise you up to heaven and everlasting life.
"37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:37-40)
15. "If Any Man Hear My Voice, And Open The Door, I Will Come In To Him"
When my children were small they used to sing a little song that went like this...
"Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock.
Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock.
If any girl hear my voice, If any boy hear my voice,
I will open, open, open, the door and will come in."
That song was taken from Revelation 3:20. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." After we looked at the "I Will" statements of the great "I AM" we saw some of Jesus as He walked on this earth. Many times over the last few days we have focused on the gospel message that Jesus came to save lost sinners. This is His invitation. He is standing at your heart's door, knocking, and waiting for you to invite Him in, As with many other verses in the Bible we can see another meaning to the verse. This verse was written after the seven letters to the seven churches. It follows the letter to the church of Laodicia which says in part..."
"15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:15-20)
What a sad state for the church. But Jesus is waiting for us to invite Him in. He wants to fellowship with us. We need the Lord. Let's invite Him in!
16. "I Will Give Unto Him That Is Athirst Of The Fountain Of The Water Of Life Freely"
We are approaching Easter and I want to look at a verse that reminds us of the sayings of Jesus on the cross. "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21:6) First we see, "It is done." This reminds us of John 19:30. "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." He completed His sin offering to face the judgment of God to give us salvation. We need to back up a little to see what was done in Revelation 21:6. Through the book of Revelation we read of God's judgment on earth and when we come to chapter 21, we see that "It is done."
"1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 21:6 also reminds us of the words of Jesus on the cross in John 19:28. "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." As Jesus spoke to the woman at the well He said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14) But, as He hung on the cross, He was tormented and only asked for something to drink. Just like the rich man in Luke 16:24, "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." Are you thirsting for a better life? Come to Jesus. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)
17. "I Will Be His God, And He Shall Be My Son"
We saw the first "I will" in the Bible in Genesis 2:18, and we are closing with the last two "I will" statements from Revelation 21:7-11. We had reason to rejoice with the previous "I will's" and today we can rejoice even more. Easter reminds us of the death of our Lord and Savior on the cruel cross, but it also reminds us of the blessed resurrection. Because He lives, we can live also. And because Jesus, God's only begotten Son, died for our sins, we can become children of God.
"4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7)
Here are our last two "I will's", in verses 7 and 9. "...I will be his God, and he shall be my son." "Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." We are not only now children of God, but we are the bride of Christ! Hallelujah! Rejoice in the Lord and have a blessed Easter!
"7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;" (Revelation 21:7-11)
