"Our God of promise PaRT 1"

Our God Of Promise – Part 1

Our entire Christian life is built on promises, including those for eternal life and resurrection. These promises are either unconditional or conditional. God will fulfill certain promises regardless of the circumstances. Other times, He will do something only if we meet certain conditions.

The only reasons a conditional promise might not be fulfilled is because our requests aren’t in the will of God or sin has gotten in the way. For these promises, God only requires two things from us: obedience and faith. If we follow the Lord and trust Him to keep His word, we will experience the great blessings of His fulfilled promises.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  20  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,  21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  22  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  23  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 

A promise is only as reliable as the one who makes it. Because of circumstances beyond our control, we can’t always keep our promises, but the sovereign Lord of the universe has never failed to fulfill His word.

In order to understand how important the Lord’s faithfulness is, we must recognize that the Christian life is totally dependent upon His promises. For example, the only reason we’re certain we have eternal life, a home in heaven, and resurrection bodies awaiting us is because Jesus guaranteed these things to His followers. The Bible is filled with God’s promises. But the most important thing to remember is not how many there are, but the fact that He keeps every single one.

Two Types of Promises

A promise is a spoken or written commitment to perform a certain act or to refrain from doing something. Therefore, a divine promise is God’s assurance that He will do what He says. In the Bible, the Lord makes two types of promises:

Unconditional. This is a commitment made without exceptions. The Lord’s covenant with Abraham is a great example of this Genesis 12:1-3.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

 That is one unconditional promise after another

 There is not one time God said “except, but, or if” God committed to make him a great nation and bless all the families of earth through him. As his descendent, Jesus Christ fulfilled this blessing because salvation is available to everyone who believes in Him.

Conditional. This type of promise is subject to certain mandates. For example, the offer of salvation in Romans 10:9 is conditioned upon faith in Christ. 

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 When someone says “I know I’ve been saved” I asked them how they know… and being good all your life is not the right answer. Not what God says

 God said your salvation is conditioned upon your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior

1 John 1:9 (NIV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Although God makes both kinds in Scripture, we can only make conditional ones because we can’t control every circumstance.

 We make them with all of our heart

 We say “this is what I will do; you can count on me”

 But anything could happen (sick, accident, children)

 We make conditional promises and our believability is based on our character and our ability to do what we said

 God makes unconditional and conditional promises

 We can only make conditional promises

 Only God can make promises that nothing can alter Our Misunderstandings

Sometimes we become disappointed in God because we think He’s failed to keep His word to us. But the problem is our understanding, not His faithfulness. There are several reasons why we don’t always receive what we expect.

For example, desiring something and believing God will do it doesn’t mean He’s promised it to us. Sometimes we misunderstand His will. Also, the hindrance could be the result of unconfessed sins that create barriers in our relationships with the Lord. Finally, because God’s Word needs to be considered in its entirety—all the way from Genesis to Revelation—we can’t “cherry pick” certain verses and claim promises outside their context. Many of His promises are conditional, and we may not meet the requirements.

God’s Trustworthiness

The validity of a promise is dependent on the character and ability of the one who makes it. People can always fall short, but thankfully, the Lord has both the willingness and the power to do everything He says. We must fully understand His character and the attributes that prove He is trustworthy. For example, He is:

Truthful – Since truth is the very essence of His nature, it’s impossible for Him to lie. Therefore, we can believe in His promises because He will always tell the truth.

Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Faithful – If the Lord ever breaks a promise, our Christian theology falls apart because He would cease to be who He says He is. But since God has never failed to keep His word in the past, we can trust Him for the future.

However, we must remember that He might not do so according to our schedules, in the ways we desire, or through the people or situations we expect.

1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.

 Every single trial, temptation, difficulty we go through, we have this awesome promise from God

 His promise is that He will not allow you and me to be tried or tempted by anything more than we can bear with His help, His guidance and His ability to see us through it

 He is a God full of truth and full of faithfulness

Immutable – This means He never changes. Therefore, we don’t have to worry that He will alter a promise. If conditions are attached, it may seem like He’s had a change of heart, but the truth is we just haven’t met the requirements set before us.

Malachi 3:6 (NIV)

“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

 Certain things happen that are conditional and unconditional

 If God say “this is what I’m going to do” if this or that happens; you can count on it

 If you violate the condition, don’t count on it happening and don’t “feel some type of way” either

 God makes these promises based on conditions that are for our good

Love – His promises are always based on our best interests. The cross is the ultimate proof of His love for us. Jesus said He would die for our sins, and He did. If He loved us enough to keep that promise, we have no reason to doubt Him.

1 John 4:7-10; 16 (NIV)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  9  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  10  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

16  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

 One of the reasons you and I should believe in Him as far as His character is concerned is the price He paid on Calvary

 If anyone ask me how do I know that God loves me, all I do is point to the cross (arms spread out)

 The cross is all the proof I need that He loves me

 If He is willing to do that for me, I don’t have any reason to doubt that He will do all those things less than that

 The cross is His ultimate expression of love

 He kept that promise; He said “I’m going to the cross and I’m going to die for your sins and transgressions”

 Did He do what He promised to do…YES!

 Do I have a reason to doubt Him… No, I do not!

 He is a God who is ABSOULTELY faithful, truthful, never changing and full of agape love…