The Promise of the Father

Dearly beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ said that he would send the promise of the Father, which would be power from on high. He said that John had baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the holy spirit.

Jesus Christ gave his life to make the gift of holy spirit available to us. God resurrected Jesus from the dead, and He lifted him up into heaven to sit at His right hand.

Thousands were present on the Feast of Pentecost to witness the original outpouring of the spirit. They all heard the twelve apostles speak in their tongues the wonderful works of God. They asked them, “What does this mean?”

The Lord Jesus Christ received the promise of the holy spirit from the Father, and he poured it out for any and all who confessed him as Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead. It was the proof that God had raised His Son from the dead. The promise of the Father had come.

The people present then asked Peter, “What shall we do?” He replied, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of [from] the Holy Spirit [God]. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Three thousand people gladly received his word that day and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ receiving forgiveness and the gift of the holy spirit.

The ministry of the spirit began that day and it will be in force until the Lord Jesus Christ returns and gathers the members of his body, the church, into the air to be with him. We are sealed with the promised spirit to this end. It is the promise of life, spirit life, in Christ Jesus.

Beloved, the law of the spirit, that is to say, the life in Christ Jesus, has made us free from the law of death dealing sin that Adam brought upon us. In Christ we received a new nature; a spirit nature. “The last Adam [Jesus Christ] became a life-giving spirit.”

“You are not in the flesh but in the spirit, since the spirit from God dwells in you. If anyone does not have the spirit, that is to say, Christ, then he does not belong to him, but since Christ dwells in you, then the body [the old nature] is indeed dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of justness.”

Dearly beloved, we have the spirit from Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us! We have the spirit of sonship. When Christ returns, he will transform our mortal bodies to be like his glorious body, whether we have died, or we are alive. We will not only be with him, we will be like him! Yes, beloved, we have the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus and we are sealed with it for the day of redemption. Rejoice!

On that day, we will be changed from the glory of the new birth spirit into the glory of the measure of the stature of Christ unto a perfect man.

On the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, only Judeans received the promise, but since that time the mystery has been revealed. The Gentiles [those from all nations] are joint heirs with them, joint members of the same body [the body of Christ], and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus when they believe the gospel.

If one believes the good news that God reveals to us in His Word, the reality of the promise is undeniable.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse on our behalf (for it has been written, “accursed is everyone who hangs on a wood post”), so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise [what was promised] regarding the spirit through the [right way of] believing.”

Beloved, if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness should have been by the law; but the law could not give life, it made all men guilty before God. But, the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by believing concerning Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Thank God for His great grace and mercy that He has showed us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The spirit of sonship that God promised us in Christ has come, and for each one who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead, that person is saved, sealed, filled with all in all, and will be gathered by Christ when he returns for the members of his body, to be a joint heir with him for God will freely give us all things with Christ!

Rejoice forevermore, dearly beloved of the Lord, we have received the promise of the Father.