Pastor Railton would consider it a privilege to talk with anyone about the church, living the Christian life, how to become a Christian or any problem or discouragement you may be experiencing. Let him know and he will be glad to either come to your home or meet in the office.
God's Promises are Sure! (Part IV)
I. LIFE NEED
A. Several years ago when Amy was still a little girl, she got
home from school one day, checked the mail, and then called me at work all excited about winning lots of
money. There was a window on the sweepstakes envelope and you could see it said something like, "Mr.
John A. Railton, you are the winner of $10,000,000..." She was all excited. I told her to go ahead and open it
up, which she did, and it went on to say, in fine print, "if your numbers match those selected by the sweepstakes
computer." You've probably all gotten mail like that. The promise of $10,000,000 applies only to the one
person who had the right numbers. These mailings are intentionally misleading, to get you to open the
envelope, and to read on.
B. We've been talking about the promises of God, and I want you to know that God is never intentionally
misleading. However some of his promises may seem to be misleading, if we don't read all the information, or if
we're reading someone else's promises.
C. If the church is to represent God to the world, we must carefully study God's word, and rightly apply it. God is
faithful and will fulfill every promise he's made. But let's remember that while some of God's promises are
unconditional, most are conditional. Some of them are for us, but let's not assume that all God's promises are
for us. If you've ever been disappointed with God, thinking he's not done what he's promised, I'd encourage
you to take a closer look.
II. REVIEW - Always Check, To Whom Did God Make The Promise?
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." He promises faithfulness, love.
2. God promised all the earth in Genesis 9 he would
never again flood all the earth with water to destroy all life.
3. In Genesis 8:22 the LORD stated, "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 Samuel 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 again 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. If you have not responded in belief, I would
encourage you to do so soon.
B. Some Promises were Only For Israel
1. God promised land, seed, blessing to Abraham, his
descendants. Now that would be limited to the Israelites, the Jewish people. However, in Galatians
3, baptized believers in Jesus also become heirs of those promises given to Abram. Here's an example
where it would be wrong to assume those promises for the church, were it not for Galatians 3 where
they are extended to the church.
2. Leviticus 26 is another example we've considered
before. Now, that promise is clearly for Israel. I do think we can draw perhaps a principle for us today,
but it would be wrong to appropriate that as a promise for the church or for an individual today.
C. Some Promises Are For Baptized Believers
1. In Acts 2:38,39 Peter promised the Holy Spirit to all
baptized believers.
2. I John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins..." A casual reading of scripture might make one think that
promise is for everyone under the sun, that all we have to do is confess our sins and we'll be saved. But
this promise is part of a letter from the Apostle John, to baptized believers, people who have already
believed the gospel, been repentant, been baptized, but who have then sinned again. It's for us in the
church. When we sin, we can confess our sin and be forgiven. It's misleading to apply this to people who
are not already in the Lord.
III. BIBLE LEARNING
A. Some Promises Were Only For Individuals.
1. I Kings 17:1-16.
a. This promise was specifically for that widow
woman.
b. It was a conditional promise. She was to first
see to Elijah's needs. He promised that then neither the flour nor oil would run out.
c. It would be wrong to assume that promise for us
today.
d. Now, there may be some principle to learn from
this.
1. Elijah, in behalf of the LORD, told her to take care of his needs first, with what little
she had. She had to first do as she was asked, before the Lord blessed her with what she wanted and needed.
2. We see this principle repeated over and over in scripture.
a. The lepers had to make their way to the temple before they were healed.
b. The lame man had to struggle up to his feet, before he could walk.
c. Why should the LORD do what we want, or answer our prayers, or meet our needs, until we have first been
obedient to his commands?
2.There are many examples of promises for specific
individuals.
a. Isaac was promised a wife.
b. God promised Moses he could do miraculous
signs.
c. Joshua was promised victory every place he
set his foot.
d. Gideon was promised victory in battle.
e. Saul was promised the ability to rule as king.
f. In the New Testament Mary was promised a
miraculous conception.
g. At the cross Jesus promised one thief a place in
the kingdom.
3. It would be wrong to assume that all thieves are
promised a place in the kingdom. It would be wrong to think God promised all men a wife. God hasn't
promised everyone miraculous signs, or victory in battle, or a miraculous conception.
4. We simply cannot apply all promises to us today.
We have to read the context, in other words the surrounding verses, to determine just what is it that
God promises, to whom, and is it conditional or unconditional?
B. Here's An Example Of Some Promises That Take Some Study
1. Matt. 7:7-12.
2. Matt. 18:19,20.
3. Matt. 21:18-22.
4. I John 3:21,22.
5. I John 5:14,15.
a. To tell you the truth I'm not sure what to do with
promises like this. They're usually applied to the church at large, but that may be presumptuous on
our part. Might these promises be for that early church period when we read of numerous
miraculous signs and answers to prayer?
b. This may be where much disappointment with God
originates. I'm not sure we've interpreted these passages accurately. We certainly see the fulfillment
of these promises in the lives and ministries of the Apostles. On the other hand, I do not see the
fulfillment of these promises in the church today - anywhere, in any denomination, even those who
claim to do miracles!
c. Granted, the promises may be conditional and we
may not be meeting the conditions. In fact, the further we get away from the birth of the church, the
further we seem to get away from true doctrine, from an obedient spirit, and from the signs and
wonders that were evident in the age of Jesus and the apostles. I'm inclined to suspect these strong
prayer promises were for the Apostles, and the early church age, but I'm not sure.
d. This is not at all to say there is no sense in praying.
To the contrary, there is more need for prayer now. It would appear the disciples prayed, and the prayer
was granted. Period. Miracles were numerous. I believe miraculous intervention from God is more
the exception today. I still see it, but not as a general rule. I don't doubt at all God's ability to perform
miracles. I'm just not so sure that's a major ingredient in his plan for this age.
e. I want to go on record as still studying, and still
learning, but this understanding makes a lot of sense to me. I think it's also important to remember, that
since we're reading other people's mail, it's essential we read it all, that we base our conclusions on the
whole of scripture, and not on bits and pieces that we find here and there.
IV. BIBLE APPLICATION / LIFE RESPONSE
A. I want you to know that God is never intentionally misleading. However some of his promises may seem to
be misleading, if we don't read all the information, if we're reading someone else's promise, or if we don't
understand the terms.
B. Let me encourage you to carefully study God's word, and to rightly apply it. God is faithful and will fulfill
every promise he's made. Let's remember some of God's promises are unconditional, most are conditional. Some
are for us, but let's not assume all God's promises are for all people. If you've been disappointed with God, I'd
encourage you to carefully consider again his word, and see that you understand it. If this is an area of frustration
for you, I'd be glad to meet with you and try to talk it out together.