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God's Promises are Sure! (Part III)
I. LIFE NEED / REVIEW
A. God's Promises Are Sure!
1. That's what we've been talking about the past few
weeks. I realize men are not always dependable. I realize lawyers love "legalese," and are quite
content to find loop holes and to fight over every letter of a contract. I realize children sometimes
think it's okay to lie if they cross their fingers behind their back. I realize politicians are often known to
say one thing and mean another. But God's promises are sure. They are certain.
2. At the same time I realize some people have
seemingly good reason to doubt God, to mistrust his promises. In fact this is why some are not in the
church. This is why some are no longer in the church. This is why some go through the motions of
church, but aren't really in it.
3. It is crucial that we have a good handle on the
promises of God. Where there is misunderstanding of the terms, the recipients, or the timing of God's
promises, there will be invalid expectations. Where there are invalid expectations, there will be
dissatisfaction and stress in the relationship with God. Where there is dissatisfaction and stress in
the relationship there will be a decreasing ability to represent God in the world, and an increasing
tendency to fall away yourself. (Repeat) This is why we're spending several weeks on the promises
of God.
B. We've already emphasized that God's promises are either conditional or unconditional.
1. Most of the time when God makes a promise, he
requires something of his people first. God promised Abram land, seed, and blessing, but first Abram had
to leave his people, family, and country. He always makes it very clear what he expects.
2. Now sometimes he makes an unconditional
promise. This is when he makes a promise and there's nothing we might do or not do that will affect
it. The fulfillment of unconditional promises is not affected by the unfaithfulness of men, but is rather
dependent on the faithfulness of God. An example is God's promise in Genesis to never again flood the
earth with water to destroy all life. That is an unconditional promise. There is no way God will
ever go back on his word.
C. This morning we'll emphasize the importance of understanding for whom particular promises were
intended. We have to guard against the assumption that all God's promises are for all God's people.
1. Alice and I began dating shortly before
Christmas when I was a sophomore at the Bible college. We had exchanged gifts before Christmas break. She
was then going to Virginia on a gospel team, and I was going to my grandma's in South Carolina. One
day at grandma's she was reading the mail and said she really didn't understand this letter she had
received. It was from some woman she had never heard of, thanking her for the perfume and teddy
bear. When she said that it started sounding awfully familiar to me. Grandma was reading my mail. It was
an honest mistake. My grandfather's name was John A. Railton, and he had died, but she was used to
getting mail to Mrs. John Railton. Alice had addressed my letter to Mr. John Railton, and
grandma assumed it was for her. I guess you couldn't really call it a love letter at that point in our
relationship, but it was embarrassing having Grandma read my mail.
2. It's easy to read someone else's mail. We've probably
all done it at one time or another. But let's not make the mistake of assuming someone else's promises.
When we find promises in the Bible, some of which were written as much as 3500 years ago, it's critical
that we understand for whom they were intended.
II. BIBLE LEARNING
A. Some Promises Are For All The Earth.
1. Psalm 145:9,13 tell us, "The Lord is good to all; he
has compassion on all he has made. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he
has made."
2. We read last week from Genesis 9. It was after the
flood. Noah and the animals had left the ark. God made a covenant. It was unconditional, and for all
mankind. He said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every
living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come." Then he proceeded to
promise he would never again flood all the earth with water to bring judgment upon mankind.
3. There's another worldwide promise in Genesis 8:22,
"As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day
and night will never cease."
4. James 1:17 isn't exactly a promise, but it's a truth
about God's character that's declared to all the earth. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning." I Sam. 15:29 reinforces the faithfulness, the dependability of God, "He who is the glory of
Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."
5. Certainly the greatest promise to all people is found
in John 3:16. Let's quote it together. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
a. Whosoever is all inclusive. It includes absolutely
everyone!
b. Notice this is a conditional promise. It will
definitely not be fulfilled in everyone, only those who believe in Jesus. While we're here I
should mention that to believe in Jesus is more than to believe that there was a Jesus who lived
long ago.
1. It is to believe him, that he is the Christ, the son of God, to believe his teachings, his
gospel, his commandments, to make him Lord of your life.
2. In a nutshell, this is what we must do to have everlasting life:
a. Believe the gospel of the kingdom of God, and that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
b. Repent of your sin. That means admitting it, feeling badly about it, desiring to be done with
it.
c. Be immersed in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, symbolizing the death, burial,
resurrection of Jesus.
d. Make Jesus your Lord. Obey him. That's not to say we'll never sin again, but it's to let
Jesus take control, to yield to him, to become more and more like him.
c. This promise is for all who will believe.
B. Some Promises Were Intended For Israel
1. God promised land, seed, blessing to Abraham, his
descendants.
2. In Exodus 23 God promises, "Worship the Lord
your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among
you , and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." I've heard this
applied to people who will send in money to religious TV and radio, but if you read the whole
chapter it's clearly a promise to Israel and Israel alone. By the way, this is a conditional promise and
Israel didn't meet the conditions.
3. Leviticus 26.
4. In numerous passages a messiah is promised to
Israel.
C. Some Promises Are For Baptized Believers.
1. In Acts 2:38 Peter addresses new believers, "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This is an extra measure of the Holy Spirit, the holy power and
presence of God. It is the means by which the Lord lives within us, enabling us to live a Christian life,
equipping us for ministry. It's as a down payment, assuring us the rest of the promises will be fulfilled.
This is not a promise to the world at large, but it is for all baptized believers. The next verse clarifies
that, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -" (Gentiles) "for all whom the
Lord our God will call."
2. I John 1:9 is another example of a promise for
baptized believers. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins..." I've heard
this applied to anyone and everyone. It's as though all you have to do is confess your sins and be saved,
but that is not the case. The book of I John is clearly written to believers who already have a relationship
with the Lord. It is very misleading to apply this promise to anyone else.
3. I Corinthians 10:13 is an often quoted promise. "No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that
you can stand up under it." That's a beautiful promise, but it's part of the Apostle Paul's letter to
the church at Corinth. I think we're safe to apply it to the church at large, but certainly not to the world
at large. I would hesitate to apply any promise beyond what is explicitly stated, or at least implied.
4. Turn with me to Ephesians 1. There is a rich promise
here that has an interesting twist. Ephesians 1:3-6. We'll just read the first part.
a. Many would infer from this passage that perhaps
God chose us in particular to be in his kingdom, to the exclusion of others. These promises are
then thought to apply specifically to these individuals. The word predestined is even here
in the text and thought to give support to the idea that God has predetermined who will be
saved, and who won't.
b. The key phrase is in verse 4. For he chose "us in
him" before the creation of the world. I think the best explanation is that before the creation of
the world God predestined that all who are in Christ would enjoy these blessings. He didn't
predestinate who in particular would be in Christ, but that all who are would be redeemed,
forgiven, etc.
5. Now let's turn to Galatians 3. Here's just one more
promise for believers I want to look at. Galatians 3:26-29. Comments.
a. Remember God promised land, seed, and
blessing to Abraham and his descendants. It was a specific promise to them.
b. Here in Gal. that promise is opened up to
everyone in Christ. It is through Christ that we are now Abraham's seed, or descendants. It
would be wrong to apply it to the church without passages such as this, but here is the
authorization.
c. This then opens up to Christians the promises
we glanced at last week.
1. The land promised to Abram and his descendants forever.
2. The seed promised to Abram - ultimately Jesus, and that he would rule on the throne
of David forever.
3. The blessing.
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