Today, we continue exploring The Christmas Promise by answering the last two questions I raised in last week’s blog. https://www.cosdavis.com/the-christmas-promise/.
One of the many good qualities of my parents was their dependability. I could trust them to be honest with me and tell me the truth, even if I didn’t appreciate it at the time. This, of course, implied that I could expect to get a pony if they promised to fulfill my fantasy. I never got the pony, but I was never disappointed by them making a promise they couldn’t keep.
What’s my point? A promise is only as good as the person who makes it. This brings us to the third question about the Christmas Promise.
Who made the Christmas Promise?
Sadly, we live in a world where many political leaders, news organizations, and talk show hosts make promises and develop narratives to further their destructive agendas. They are like the fickle and immature parent who promises their child whatever they want to accomplish their goal. Many who make promises do not have the intention or power to fulfill the hope their words have stirred in the hearts of their believers. The result is empty promises and loss of hope and trust. The character of the promise-maker determines whether the promise is fulfilled.
It’s bad when people have become so skeptical of institutions and services we used to trust to tell us the truth. How does this skepticism affect the way we deal with God and His promises?
Can the Eternal God, Creator, and Lord be trusted to keep his promise to send a savior, a messiah, into the world to redeem us from the curse of sin that began in the Garden of Eden?
Can we be forgiven and restored from being the enemy of God and become the children of God?
Is there hope for us, or are we doomed to an earthly existence without the presence of God and an endless eternity separated from him?
The biblical answer is clear: God can be trusted. He has kept every promise he has ever made to us. Search the scriptures. Begin in Genesis with characters like Enoch, Noah, Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Keep reading about Moses, Joshua, Caleb, the judges, King David, and the prophets. God made promises to all these people. What do you think they would say if you asked the question: “Can I trust God to keep his word, his promises?”
Has the Promise Been Kept?
The promise of a redeemer made long ago was fulfilled in the birth of a baby born to a teenage Jewish girl named Mary in a stable in Bethlehem over two millennia ago. He was given the name Jesus, according to the instructions of the angel who visited Mary to tell her of God’s plan for her. 
His birth was the beginning of the final step the Promise Maker would take to complete the redemption plan he spoke about to Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Eternal God became flesh and lived among us and went to the cross, giving his life to pay for the sin each of us has committed.
Promise made. Promise kept in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Hallelujah, what a savior! What a promise! What a wonderful God we celebrate at Christmas.
Here’s another promise God makes to you. If you put your trust in Him, He will forgive your sin of unbelief and give you eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
The record is clear and unmistakable. God has always kept His promises, and He promises all who put their trust in him the gift of eternal life! You don’t have to wait until you die to receive this gift; eternal life begins for you the moment you trust Jesus to save you.
God, through His Son, Jesus, offers this Christmas gift to you. Have you received Jesus into your life? If not, will you right now?