Fully Convinced of God’s Promises
Notes
Transcript
If there is one constant in the world of politics that voter’s can count on - it is this: promises made during a campaign will likely be broken. We have seen it time and again. It does not matter which candidate or which party we are talking about - it seems that most promises are made to win the vote - not to actually make a needed change.
There has only been one President in modern times that did not break his campaign promises - do you know who that was?
President Gerald Ford - because he did not have to campaign, therefore he did not make promises. Due to Nixon’s resignation, Ford was able to do what no other could - avoid making promises.
Now to be fair, a President is not able to make something happen just because they want it to - they have to persuade Congress to get on board. However, there have been plenty of big promises made that never came close to being fulfilled.
There was an opinion piece in the North Texas Daily written by Jayln Smoot that I think sums up the current environment in the view of many voters:
“From the local to federal levels, politicians all profess to have a plan to improve the lives of their voters. Scarcely does a politician admit to running for office with monetary gain in mind. Instead, those campaigning repeatedly make lofty promises about the progressive changes they will make if elected.
This happy-go-lucky method of campaigning has led to an abundance of empty promises. As a result, the trust between the public and the government has been severely ruptured. Government officials are expected to be amongst the brightest minds and are looked to for leadership in tough situations. When they come up short on that expectation — especially on the back of an empty promise, it leaves those that had faith in them deflated and unsure of what to expect moving forward.
This trend has been going on for decades. Even more troubling, lying is still very commonplace among government officials. One could argue that being lied to by a politician has become normalized and is occurring more frequently.”
It is no surprise that trust in our government is very low. According to Pew Research in an article released in June 2022 stated, “Only two-in-ten Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right.”
Of course, broken promises are not just found in our elected officials. Companies make promises all the time - commonly referred to as “Marketing” - that are made to persuade a buyer, not deliver a result.
And of course, in everyday relationships promises are broken. There are the promises that newly weds make - for better or for worse. With around 50% of first marriages ending in divorce - broken promises have become the norm.
I would venture to say that each of us has, at some point, made promises that we did not keep.
Such an environment can make us very cynical - believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
Our faith in people and the institutions they form have eroded significantly.
This general lack of trust has implications when it comes to the commission of the Church...
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
How do we make disciples in an environment where people don’t trust what is being said?
One more article and poll to share, this one from Gallup released in July of 2022, “A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of "fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man." This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God.”
Which means that if the Bible cannot be trusted, neither can the promises found within.
Now, I realize I have painted a pretty dismal picture here. “Thanks alot pastor, you’ve really cheered me up this morning.”
However, it is with this sober picture of today’s environment, I would argue, that makes this an opportune time to be the true Church. We live in the perfect time for presenting the promises of God and the power of the gospel.
People are yearning for something true - something real - something they can believe in - but there are barriers that first need to be overcome.
One of the biggest barriers - limited attention span. We are a culture of sound bites - tell it to me quickly so I can make a snap judgment to accept or deny what you are saying.
If we can break through the sound bites, by developing relationships with people and earning the right to be heard - we have an amazing story to tell.
The story of a loving God who keeps his Word and has made wonderful promises for each and everyone of us.
Consider our passage out of Genesis this morning. God calls Abraham (Abram before God changes his name) to leave everything: his land, his people, his father’s household - which means, among other things, his stability, his standing, his comfort. He is to leave it all and in faith, walk into God’s promises.
And what does God promise?
To make him a great nation
To make his name great
To bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse Abraham
To bless all peoples on earth through him
Genesis (The Promise and Response)
“The gifts of the promise are worth reflecting on. They are an index of what we crave: well-being, security, prosperity, prominence.” Intepretation, Walter Brueggemann.
The same God who, 12 chapters earlier, called the world and the cosmos into being now calls Abraham and his family out of the fallen world order where sin prevails into a new community of faith marked by obedience to God. To this family God provides a blessing - a blessing that will eventually redeem all of humanity.
When Abraham arrives in Canaan, we read t...
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Another promise...God promises Abraham land.
Well, it’s been almost 4000 years since Abraham and Sarah lived and the promises of God were received. So did the promises come true?
Absolutely. In making disciples, we can show that God’s promises always comes true and history proves it.
Abraham is considered the Father of the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. My purpose today is not to critique the three religions, but to show that his name is indeed great.
Abraham has inspired the faith of countless people throughout time. The author of Hebrews exemplifies Abraham as model of faithfulness and obedience:
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Did God fulfill his promise to make a great nation?
Consider the Jewish people and the most hotly contested property in all the world. God did indeed bring forth a mighty nation out of Abraham’s heirs. The fact that the Jewish people are still a people and still occupy the land of Canaan is enough evidence to demonstrate the power of God’s promises. A long history of persecution, of exile, of being dispersed throughout the world…and yet still keeping their identity and flourishing is a miracle.
No other tribe of people have ever been the focus of so much hatred, driven from their land, dispersed for centuries, killed in great number, and yet retained their identity and regained their land. We do not have Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Assyrians, Babylonians, walking around today - they went extinct. Israel still stands.
And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.
In 1948, after 1900 years of living as a people with no homeland, the U.N. led in the rebirth of Israel following WW2 and the Holocaust.
And then in June of 1967, a coalition of Arab states - completely surrounding Israel - vowed to push the Jews into the sea. Outnumbered 100-1, they attacked and the world thought for sure that this was it for the new nation.
Six days later, Israel won the victory and expanded their territory.
From my perspective: God blesses those who bless Abraham, and curses those who curse Abraham.
And it is not just those who can trace their lineage back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that make up this great nation.
Speaking to a crowd of Jews who were turning on him, Jesus said...
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
All who turn to Jesus and adopted into God’s family and become children of Abraham.
Which leads to the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham when God said He would bless all people on earth through him.
From Abraham’s lineage, which Matthew succinctly outlines for us in the first chapter of his gospel, came the Savior of the world.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
on down the line...
and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
continuing down...
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
God’s promises fulfilled in the arrival of His Son. The One who came so that whoever would believe in Him would receive forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life.
God’s promises always come true.
The promises to Abraham are not the only promises of course. Scripture is full of His promises - there are hundreds of them - but there are a few I want to highlight before I close.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God promises to forgive you of your sins if you confess and put your faith in Jesus. Remember, God made promises to Abraham, but Abraham had to act in faith in order to activate those promises - he had to go where God said to go.
God is saying to you - go! Go into the land I am sending you. Enter into my Kingdom, by way of my son, and do what He commands you to do.
Another promise...
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God promises to bring you peace and protect you. Who is this promises for?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
It is for those who, in faith, are part of God’s family and who, in faith, keep to what is true, honorable, just, pure, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy.
And one more promise that you can trust.
Matthew 28:20 (ESV)
... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is arguably the greatest promise to get you through each day…the promise the Jesus is with you always. And he will be until the end of the age when He will bodily return and we will see him face to face.
There is nothing you will go through in this life apart from Christ. He is with you. He will comfort you, strengthen you, guide you, console you, embolden you, protect you and lift you up though His Spirit.
All that He requires is that, by faith, you turn to Him, trust in Him, and walk in His ways.
God is good. All the time.
And all the time, God is good.
His promises are true…you can count on them.
Amen.