NEVER LEFT OUT OR BEHIND
“…God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
We can be sure God will never leave us because He said He would not - and God cannot lie. So if God said ‘never’ then it is clearly at no time. To ‘leave’, literally means to desert, desist from or discontinue. But many people, who are wrong, believe God either has, or eventually will leave them because they have sinned or they are sinful. But God knows this and yet He still says never. This is because our sins do not negate the promises of God.
“…In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you.” Joshua 1:5
This promise was for Joshua, but it applies to all ages and all of God’s people. To ‘not’ forsake means God will never leave his people in the hands of their enemies, turn from them in their distress, or withhold good when they are in need. The truth is, no-one deserves this grace and goodness. We are totally unworthy in His presence and of His promises. Yet, because of His faithfulness, God won’t leave us or give up on us. Although it’s undeserved, we are that:
IMPORTANT TO HIM…
“For the sake of His great name the Lord will not reject His people, because the Lord was pleased to make you His own.” I Samuel 12:22
We are very important to God because we are created in His image and He is above all things. There is nothing higher or greater than God. Being made in His image is an honor beyond belief. For the sake of His great name, God will never reject us - we are His. Also, because we are formed in His image, He is pleased to call us His own.
…AND INTEGRATED IN HIM.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
God not only wants us to be with Him, but a part of Him - to be united, assimilated, included and involved in his life. As the branches are integrated to the vine, so are we joined with God, through Jesus. God can not leave us because He said He wouldn’t and we are connected to Him. It is this connection to God through Christ that bears fruit in our lives - the life changing fruit of love, joy and peace…
“I in them and you in me…” John 17:23
from sermon notes 9/18/2022
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