THE PROMISES OF GOD: Taking GOD At HIS Word (GOD'S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS PROMISES -#1)

In human terms, promises are easily broken; but in GOD's terms, they are sure thing. Knowing what GOD has promised us and how HE keeps HIS promises gives us assurance, hope, and peace. This series guides us through a study of what the Bible says about the promises of GOD; and use it as a starting point for your own discovery of the vast wealth of promises our faithful GOD gives to us. But my question is this: Has GOD ever let you down? 

Before you answer, let's put it another way. Have you ever felt that GOD didn't keep HIS Word?

Have you wondered; even complained, that HE didn't come through in the way you thought HE should? 

We know that GOD has promised to protect and car for HIS children; and HE has promised to make us strong, to fill our hearts with joy, and to give us peace. GOD has promised to answer our prayers; yet at times those promises seem empty, and our prayers for a rebellious child seem to go unanswered. Inflation and bills gnaw away at our paycheck; and someone close to us dies of cancer. The neighborhood crime gets worse, and terrorists plague the world; but the Bible tells us in Psalm 145:13; "The LORD is trustworthy in all HE promises and faithful in all HE does." What happened to all the promises GOD has made?

Perhaps we've misunderstood, or maybe we're just expecting too much! The way some people use the term, a promise is nothing more than a good intention easily discarded; and like the proverbial rule, promises are made to be broken! But when GOD makes a promise, it's backed with more than just good intentions and wishful thinking; because HE is giving us HIS absolute trustworthy word! Although the promises of GOD are the heart of the Bible, Hebrew; the original language of the Old Testament, doesn't have a specific word for promise. Yet, we clearly see the concept throughout its pages; and when anyone spoke of what they would do in the future, the word promise fit well. The speaker's word, honor, and integrity were at stake when making a verbal commitment: 1 Kings 6:56; "Praise be to the LORD who has given rest to HIS people Israel just as HE promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises HE gave through HIS servant Moses." The words "amar" and "dabar" translated into the English word promise mean "to say" or "to speak." The New Testament idea of promise follows the same pattern; but GOD stands behind what HE says, and the term comes from the Greek word angelia, which means "announcement" or "message." Everything GOD has spoken, every announcement, every message, is a promise based of GOD's perfect, good, and trustworthy character. We may have a problem keeping our promises, but GOD is different; and HE has all the power and wisdom in the universe at HIS disposal.

He will never have to make an excuse for failing to fulfill what HE promised, and we have no excuse for not believing HIM. Yet this doesn't mean we can manipulate or demand of GOD; but HE never advertises more than HE can deliver, and HE's not out to deceive us. HE offers what HE wants us to have, and HE wants us to have the best HE has to offer; the joy of a close relationship with HIM now, and eternity with HIM and those who love HIM. The Creator continues to be the LORD over all of life; and by HIS nature GOD is good, merciful, and true to HIS word. The Bible tells us how GOD's promises reflect those qualities; because HE is all of those things, we don't have to fear when we hear that GOD keeps HIS promises on HIS terms. GOD's terms for keeping HIS promises are clearly stated; but what HE promises, HE will deliver, and some promises even come with an unconditional guarantee; HE will hold up HIS end of the agreement no matter what we do. Then there are promises that carry with them directions (conditions) we must follow if we are to enjoy all that HE offers, and these conditional promises depend on our fulfilling certain requirements. An unconditional promise is simply one in which GOD says HE will do something, and nothing we can do will stop it from happening; but the fulfillment of unconditional promises doesn't depend on the actions of people; only on GOD. Even if we are unfaithful; and GOD can't be anything but faithful to HIS word. After the great flood destroyed everything, GOD gave Noah (and the world) an unconditional promise that HE would never again send a global flood to destroy the earth: Genesis: 9:8-17; "Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Many years later; GOD unconditionally promised King David that his royal line would last forever: 2 Samuel 32-33; "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” Because David was an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:1,6) and Jesus's kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:32-33), GOD was faithful in this promise despite David's repeated shortcomings and failures. When Jesus was on earth HE promised that after HE ascended to Heaven HE would send the Holy Spirit: John 16:5-15; “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

In Acts 2,we read exactly how that happened; but HE also promised that Satan's forces would never overcome the Body of Christ: Matthew 16:18; "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." And although much evil has been directed against the Body of Christ through the centuries, it still flourishes; but another promise that HE would return to earth to judge the living and the dead and fully settle HIS Kingdom has yet to occur, but because this is an unconditional promise, no one and nothing can stop it from happening: Matthew 16:27, 25:31-46; "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works: 25:31-46; “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Some promises are like product warranties, because they will be fulfilled only if the customer meets the stipulations set up by the manufacturer; and that was the case in the Garden of Eden. GOD promised that Adam and Eve would enjoy life in the Garden on the single condition that they didn't eat the fruit of a certain tree; and not keeping that condition would result in death: Genesis 2:16-17; "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The covenant GOD mad with Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai contained many conditions; and prior to giving the Ten Commandments, GOD told Israel that if they kept the conditions of the covenant agreement with HIM, HE would care for them as HIS special treasure: Exodus 19:3-6; "And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and howI bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Several of the Ten Commandments state the results of missing or meeting GOD's conditions; and the LORD said HE would punish all who worshiped idols but He would show love to those who loved HIM: Exodus 20:4-6; “You shall not make for yourself a carved image; any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

HE promised to declare guilty anyone who spoke HIS name in a disrespectful or contemptuous was: Exodus 20:7; “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." HE promised long life in the Promised Land to those who honored their parents: Exodus 20:12; “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

In Exodus 23:20-33; “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn theirbacks to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

GOD told Israel HE would wipe out their enemies when they entered Canaan; and HE would take away sickness, and give long life and no miscarriages; however, the conditions included paying attention to and obeying the angel of GOD, worshiping GOD, and not making a covenant with their enemies or allowing them to live in the Promised Land. Later GOD promised success, prosperity, and protection if the people obeyed the Law of Moses: Joshua 1:7-9; "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Unfortunately, the Israelites didn't hold up their end of their agreement and these blessings were forfeited; because these promises, while giving us an indication of GOD's nature, are not intended to be applied universally; they were specifically given to the nation of Israel. After the Israelites settled in the land GOD promised them, they became dissatisfied with judges as their rulers; they wanted a king like other nations. Even though GOD's original plan didn't include a king; HE provided one, promising the people good things if they honored and obeyed GOD. Yet HE warned of judgment if the king or the people rebelled: 1 Samuel 12:13-15; “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the Lord has set a king over you. If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers."

Their first king, Saul, didn't last long before disobeying GOD; and because Saul failed to keep GOD's commands, he forfeited the throne: 1 Samuel 13:13-14; "And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Many of us cling to the promise if you"Take delight in the LORD," then "HE will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). This fits well with the promise in the New Testament: if we seek what has eternal value, GOD will take care of our temporal needs: Matthew 6:25-34; “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

But if we expect this to mean a large bank account, huge retirement plan, or big vacation home, we're probably going to be disappointed. Those are our desires when we pursue the values of the world; but if we pursue what GOD delights will be significantly different. The prophet Jonah gave GOD's conditional promise to the wicked people of Nineveh; but he announced that the city would be overthrown within forty days if its citizens didn't repent: Jonah:3:4; "And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 

Much to Jonah's surprise, the people did turn to GOD and the city was spared; but it didn't last because the Ninevites eventually returned to their old ways, and GOD held to HIS promise; and 100 years after Jonah prophesied, the prophet Nahum warned Ninevah; "The LORD is slow to anger" but also "the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished" (Nahum 1:3) Invading forces comprised of Babylonians, Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians turned Ninevah into a ruin that would not be discovered until the 19th century. Perhaps the most familiar and arguably the most important conditional promise is found in the New Testament: GOD will forgive if we confess: 1 John 1:9; "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Forgiveness is free and waiting for us, the only condition to receiving it is that we must confess that we need forgiveness; and we must admit that we are sinful people who need a Savior. This confession doesn't earn GOD's forgiveness; but recognizing our need is simply saying to GOD, "I want the forgiveness you are offering." In our "civilized" world, we consider ourselves independent, strong, capable, intelligent and overall, pretty good; certainly not sinful. Our perception makes it difficult to realize the importance of this necessary first step to receive the free gift of eternal life.

FOR GOD I'LL LIVE & FOR GOD I'LL DIE!!

"I Would Rather Be Uncomfortable IN CHRIST...Than Comfortable WITH SATAN!!"

"If You're Not Winning Souls For Christ...You Don't Work For GOD...You're SELF-EMPLOYED!!"