Standing On The Promises 6-14-28 AM

I.            God’s promises are based on His character.

a.      God who never lies.

b.      Paul did not say:

            i.      God usually tells the truth.

            ii.      God tries His best to keep His word.

            iii.      God’s track record is good so far.

c.       Paul was inspired to write that God never lies.

d.      The promise of eternal life does not rest on my strength, my mood, my consistency, or my worthiness.

e.      It rests on the nature of God Himself.

f.        The value of a promise to be believed is based on three things.

           i.      The integrity of the one who promises – surely God has shown Himself to be trustworthy (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Th. 5:24; 2 Th. 3:3).

           ii.      The ability of the one who promises – surely God has shown Himself able to fulfill promises (Jer. 32:17; Lu. 1:37; Ac. 17:31).

           iii.      The past record of the one who promises – surely God has shown a spotless record in keeping promises (De. 7:9; how many times is God called a rock in the Psalms, - all because of His record of faithfulness).

g.      When it comes to the integrity of God, He measures up perfectly (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Ti. 1:2).

h.      God does not simply make the choice not to lie.

i.        God cannot lie because lying would contradict His own nature.

j.        This means when God speaks, faith has somewhere solid to stand.

           i.      When God promises forgiveness, you don’t have to wonder if He really means it.

           ii.      When God promises judgment, you should not assume He is bluffing.

           iii.      When God promises eternal life in Christ, you do not have to wonder if death gets the final word.

k.      Because God cannot lie, His promises are more reliable than our fears.

II.            God’s promises are bound to Christ.

a.      The Bible is not a random collection of disconnected promises.

b.      It is one great story of God keeping His word.

c.       When you look at the promises of God, they form a thread throughout scripture that all point to Jesus.

           i.      The seed of woman promise (Gen. 3:15).

           ii.      The promise of Abraham to make of him a great nation, have a great land, and all the earth be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).

           iii.      The promise to David to continue his lineage (2 Sam. 7).

           iv.      The promise of a restoration of a remnant of Israel after captivity.

           v.      The promise of a coming Messiah.

           vi.      The promise of a new and everlasting kingdom.

           vii.      The promise of a new covenant.

d.      When you come to the New Testament, these promises are all fulfilled in or by Christ.

            i.      Those who are His are spoken of as partakers of the promise (Eph. 3:6).

            ii.      The promise of the Savior of the seed of David is fulfilled in Christ (Acts 13:23, 32; 26:6).

            iii.      Paul says by inspiration that the promise to Abraham is not just for Israel but for all who will be children of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:16, 19, 29).

            iv.      The Hebrews writer goes back to the original promises, giving them spiritual significance in a better covenant that is “based on better promises” (Heb. 8:6).

e.      This is really what Paul states in 2 Cor. 1:20.

f.       Jesus is God’s great Yes.

g.      Jesus is not plan B – He is the fulfillment of every promise God has made.

h.      This means we don’t interpret God’s promises apart from Jesus.

           i.      We don’t use God’s promises as slogans for selfish ambitions.

           ii.      We come to Jesus and ask, “Lord, what have you promised, and how do I live in faithfulness to you?”

i.        Some promises in scripture were physical and specific to certain people in a certain time and place.

           i.      Some were conditional.

           ii.      Some were covenant promises.

           iii.      The greatest promises are spiritual and eternal, fulfilled in Christ: forgiveness, reconciliation with God, resurrection, eternal life, and a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

j.        Because Jesus is God’s Yes, every promise is bound to Jesus.

III.            God’s promises are backed by His power.

a.      A person can have integrity and still be unable to keep a promise.

          i.      A father may promise to take his child fishing and mean it, but a storm comes.

          ii.      A friend may promise to do something for us and mean it, but an illness hits.

b.     Human beings are limited.

c.     God is not.

d.     When God reaffirmed the seed promise to Abraham, He said, “I am God almighty” (Gen. 17:1).

          i.      The promise was not resting on Abraham’s age, Sarah’s womb, or human probability.

          ii.      It rested on the power of Almighty God.

e.      Jer. 32:17.

f.        Luke 18:27.

g.      God is not hampered in any way when it comes to fulfilling His promises because God is omnipotent.

h.      In reality, the promises of the New Testament were confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus.

           i.      Acts 17:32.

           ii.      The resurrection is God’s receipt that the promise has been paid for.

i.        If God raised Jesus from the dead, then God has the power to raise us.

j.        If God conquered the grave, then God can forgive our sins.

k.      If God kept His promise at the cross and the empty tomb, then God can keep His promise all the way to eternity.

l.       We have to stop measuring God’s promises by our limitations.

          i.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can forgive me.”

          ii.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can use me.”

          iii.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can get me through this.”

m.    The promise does not depend on what we can see – it depends on what God can do.

n.      Because God is almighty, no promise of God is too hard for Him.

IV.            God’s promises beg for a faithful response.

a.      Notice the logic in this passage (Heb. 10:19-23).

           i.      Because Jesus opened the way, draw near.

           ii.      Because God is faithful, hold fast.

           iii.      Because God promised, do not waver.

b.      God’s promises are not meant to be admired from a distance.

c.      They are meant to be obeyed, trusted, and stood upon.

d.      Hebrews 11:11.

           i.      Sarah’s faith was not in herself.

           ii.      Sarah’s faith was in the One who promised.

e.      Our faith in God’s forgiveness is not tied to how remorseful we are, but to the fact God is faithful to forgive when sin is repented of (1 Jn. 1:9).

f.        Our faith in any promise of God has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with the God who made the promise.

g.      What promise do you need to act on today?

           i.      Maybe you need to confess sin because God has promised forgiveness.

           ii.      Maybe you need to obey the gospel because God has promised salvation in Christ.

           iii.      Maybe you need to stop wavering because God has been faithful longer than you have been afraid.

h.      Faith does not mean life will be easy.

i.        Faith makes living this life much easier.

j.        Because God is faithful, His people can hold fast.