“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:19-21).
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
How many promises come to us from God?
Anyone know?
Some of us may guess a few, others may guess a few more, actually there are 7,487 promises in the Bible from God to man, and many of them are directed to us. Sadly, through ignorance, we live far below what God has in mind for us. We are the children of the promise (Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28) and the heirs of promise (Hebrews 6:12, 17). It is our inheritance. God has many good things in mind for us.
Today’s Scripture gives us some pictures.
- Paul writes of Abraham as a man who did not “stagger” at the promises of God. This word stagger means “oppose, hesitate or withdraw.” Abraham did not oppose/hesitate/withdraw at the promises of God!
- Balaam tells Balak, “Hasn’t God Said, and what He says He will do… He’s not a man…”
Promises can be placed in all kinds of categories, but are essentially they are either: conditional or unconditional.
Most promises are conditional. God says, “I’ll do this if you do that!” The condition(s) must be met in order for the promise to be fulfilled. God waits on us to do our part, so He can do His.
- “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Unconditional promises are without conditions. God will do it no matter what we do or don’t do. Nothing can stop it.
- “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11, NIV).
- “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17).
Some promises combine both.
- “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
The unconditional part of this promise is that the Holy Spirit was to be sent. The condition was they had to wait in Jerusalem to receive it.
God is a Promise Keeper!
“Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely wipe you out from this good land he has given you” (Joshua 23:14-16, NLT).
Last Sunday I preached about Questions. And we are full of Questions!
Last Wednesday I taught about Answers. And we know He has all the Answers!
The Questions we have come from our life and situation… The Answers He has comes mainly from His Word.
His promises are affirmed in our being here today. When we open His Word, the promises are available to us, we just need to put ourselves into the scripture as a personal recipient of the promise. Here are a few of His promises that you can find in the Word.
- Hear our prayers. Isaiah 65:24
- Preserve the church in the midst of persecution. Matthew 16:18
- Reward us for being faithful. Matthew 16:27
- Never to withdraw His presence. Matthew 28:20
- Receive and help those who come to Him. John 6:37
- Send his son, Jesus Christ, back to earth some day. John 14:3
- Never leave us comfortless. John 14:18
- Turn our tragedies into triumphs. Romans 8:28
- Never to allow our sufferings and heartaches to become unbearable. I Corinthians 10:13
- Never to give up on us when we make mistakes. Philippians 1:6
- Give us qualities and abilities to accomplish his will. Philippians 2:13
- Provide for all our physical and spiritual needs. Philippians 4:18
- Give wisdom and guidance to those who seek them. James 1:5
- Forgive us our sins when we confess them. I John 1:9
- Someday put an end to all evil and death. Revelations 21:4
As we read them, we all have a feeling of comfort and security. We all have a feeling that God is good and in control. With all those marvelous promises in God’s word, “Are you living with your Questions not being Answered by the Promises in the Word?”