Characteristics of God's Promises

THE 5 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD'S PROMISES

1. His Promises are Grounded in Christ
II Corinthians 7:1-"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

If we expect to receive the promise's of God we are to stay clear of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. We must keep ourselves grounded in Christ.

2. His Promises Are Unfailing
I Kings 8:56-"Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant."

The awesome part of God's promises is that they will never fail and will not go broken. Not one word of God's promises have failed! That is great, because He has promised great things to come.

3. His Promises Are Assured by Divine Ability
Romans 4:20-21-"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."

The third characteristic is pretty cool. Not only are God's promises unfailing, but they are backed by a perfect effort...Divine Ability. God is able to do anything so why wouldn't we totally believe in His promises.

4. His Promises Are Of Infinite Value
II Peter 1:4-"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

God is so amazing! First He saves us from hell and damnation, and then he gives us blessings that we often don't deserve. But that isn't it. He doesn't stop at that. He gives us promises that have no bounds. There is nothing that can stop God from fulfilling a promise. Plain and simple, if He makes a promise then he will come through.

5. His Promises Shall Ripen in Everlasting Life
I John 2:23-25-"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even enternal life."

This is the best of all. God's promises shall reach their highest point in Everlasting Life. The fulfillment of God's promises in the life to come is more then any of us can imagine. It is beyond the comprehension of the human mind.

His promises are Christ centered, unfailing, divine, limitless, and eternal. Life just doesn't get any better then that.

Promises

Deuteronomy 1:11 - "The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!"

"The Promise" Chorus by Michael Card.
The Promise was love
and the Promise was life
The Promise meant light to the world
Living proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus

Promises can mean many things in our lives. A promise can stand on the foundation of relationships, marriages, and careers. But promises can also take place in our spiritual life just as well as ouphysicalal life. And if promises are assurances then what greater promise do we have than in Jesus.

Christianity is founded on a promise. Faith involves waiting on a promise. Our hope is based on a promise. Promises are made with words. ...that part of myself that goes with every promise is given to you through my words...Our God is the great maker of promises...His word, our Bible, is a collection of the promises...most of these concern Jesus, who came to be known as 'the Promised One'

Through all these promises, God was trying to give something of Himself to Adam, and to Israel, and finally to us. The Bible tells us that when the Promised One came, the Lord poured all of Himself into Him.

What a costly thing it can be to make a promise - it cost Jesus His life...

Man of War

Exodus 15:3 - "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His name."

I friend recently asked me how I felt about the congregation that keeps protesting the war and funerals of fallen soldiers. Apparently the Westboro Baptist Church, located in Wichita, Kansas, doesn't study, read, or preach out of the Old Testament. If they did then they would know it was Moses who said, "The Lord is a man of war."

I don't understand how any bible believing Christian can deny the fact that some times war is necessary. Moses, one of the renown men of the Bible, said that God is of war. If it is God's will then we must fight. There is a spiritual war going on right now. It has been waging since the beginning of time, and is now at its peak. So how is it that we can say God is against war?

It could be that God is against killing and the act of war, but some times war is necessary. I don't believe that God would want us to simply be slaughtered when we have a great work to do for Him. But that is my own belief, my own opinion. For some, my opinion won't matter.

However, if we look at the Bible we can see the facts. War is necessary, otherwise God would not have led his people into it. Let us take a look at the Old Testament.

There is the battle at Jericho. Joshua and his army marched around the city, kept silent, blew their horns, and watched as the walls crumbled. Then there is Gideon and God's select few. God kept dwindling down the number of Gideon's troops, but when it came time to go to war God led them through. Of course Joshaphat's army defeated three armies at once just by praising the Lord.

All of these, and many more, are sure signs that God is a God of war. These are all instances that the battles were won by divine nature. So for me it is hard to discredit God's presence in war. But perhaps my favorite example doesn't come from the past, but from the future.

Revelation 19:11 - "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."

In the revelation of Jesus Christ it is written that He will come back and make war. Why? Because some times war is necessary.

The Rock that is Higher

Psalm 61:1-4 - "Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah."

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

How many times do I not turn to that rock? How often do I try to rely on my own understanding? Too often.

If I could just learn to turn to the Rock that is HIGHER. I have an overwhelming force of protection if I could only allow it to take over. Many times I'm too busy trying to figure it out on my own, or too busy fighting when I need to retreat.

Retreat. Retreat could mean a number of things. Often it is viewed as an act of defeat, but not necessarily. Its true that a retreat is an act of withdrawing from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant. But in many cases retreating can be a way to save your life when against a force beyond your own.

But a retreat can be much more then that. It can be a period of individual or group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study. We all need that retreat. Stop relying on your own powers and trust in the powers of the Lord. Find a place that you can go to him in meditation and prayer. Do this daily, otherwise you cannot expect to find the strength to fight of the piercing blows of the enemy.

Remember even Jesus sought prayer and solitude. When He was in the garden Angels came and ministered unto Him. You too can find that place of refuge, and what better place to find refuge then in the arms of the Lord. He is our Rock that set Higher, above all things.

Storms of Life

I Kings 19:11-13a - "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, Behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it."

Today I realized something. Every day life takes us by storm. It's not just a blow by, gone in a few minutes kind of storm. It's the type of storm that shakes the foundations, scatters the leaves, and blows your children's toys across the yard.

By the time the storm has passed we are too busy assessing the damage, gathering up the toys, and mending whatever else needs mending. Unfortunately, it goes the same for the storms of life as it does for the storms of nature.

Often we are too busy caught in the storms that we miss what is truly special in life. We are too busy thinking about the storm that has past, when she should be thinking about the sun that is clearing from behind the clouds.

Too many times we are preoccupied by the storms. We're squeezing in a few more hours of overtime at work, cleaning the house, fixing dinner, going to the gym, washing clothes, and having it all finished (including the kids in bed) to catch our favorite primetime lineup-or our tivo'ed soaps.

It's something that I don't believe God is happy with. We need to stop and smell the roses as the saying goes. Stop and see the reward that He has placed in our lives. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 127:3 that children are "His reward."

Wait a second? Out of everything that God has ever created our children is His reward? Well that's what the Bible says.

So maybe we need to stop and cherish the things in life that God deems special. That is something that I experenced today. My wife and I put down everything. I left those possible overtime hours at work, we didn't worry about the messy house, the dirty dishes or the piles of lundry. We simply spent time as a family and had a fun day doing it.

Perhaps we need to search for God much like the way Elijah did. But before we can even search for the Lord we have to stop, rip up the hectic itenerary that we have scheduled, and listen for that still small voice.