Outline God Keeps His Promises based on Jeremiah 31:31-34

V. God keeps His covenant promises of Jeremiah 31:33-34. While we were working on breaking our promises, God has been at work keeping His promises. Jeremiah 31:33-34 points us to our God who keeps His covenant promises over and over again: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

VI. Usual story of North Carolina man and his rare cigars. I recently read the following unusual story: [A Charlotte, North Carolina man, having purchased a case of rare, very expensive cigars, insured them against—get this—FIRE! Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of fabulous cigars, and having yet to make a single payment on the policy, the man filed a claim against the insurance company.

In his claim, the man stated that he lost his cigars “in a series of small fires.” The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had smoked the cigars in normal fashion. The man sued and won!

When delivering his ruling, the judge stated that since the man held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that cigars were insurable, and also guaranteed that it would insure the cigars against fire, without defining what it considered “unacceptable fire,” it was obligated to compensate the man for his loss. Rather than endure a lengthy appeals process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he lost in “the fires.”

After the man cashed the check, however, the insurance company had him arrested on twenty-four counts of arson! With testimony from the previous case being used against him, the man was convicted of intentionally burning rare cigars and sentenced to twenty-four consecutive one-year terms.]

VII. Unlike earthly contracts, God’s covenant is different in the sending of Jesus.

VIII. Jesus faithfully kept His promises every single time and Mark 10:42-45. Jesus knew that He would suffer in keeping His promises. Jesus knew that He would be killed because He keeps His promises. Jesus taught His closest student/disciples about true greatness in the Gospel lesson for today in Mark 10:42–45, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

IX. Jesus is the Best Promise Keeper. Our promises are our Christian witness to the unbelievers of the world. Our promises point others to Jesus, the Best Promise Keeper of all time. We sometimes forget our promises. As we repent of those times, we are forgiven by Jesus our Promise Keeper. We sometimes break our promises to God and others. As we repent in sorrow and sadness, we are shown mercy because of Jesus our Promise Keeper. With the help of God’s Spirit, we strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus our Promise Keeper and keep our promises to God and to others. God will lead you to this altar again and again. You will receive bread and wine and, attached to them, the very words of Jesus our Promise Keeper: “This is my body. I promise. This is my blood. I promise. You are forgiven. I promise.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Related Media

Related Sermons