Promises Made, Promises Kept

*Introduction of advent: what does advent mean? simply means “coming” or “arrival” and this time of year as believers in the Lord we celebrate that which has already happened. Jesus has come. Thats Christmas. Christmas is many things and this western world wants to make much of Christmas but Christmas is simply that: the celebration of the incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Advent themes list:

Joy

Peace

Miracles

.. a Promised HOPE (Which is today)

If you have your bibles, i want to invite you to turn to Malachi4

Malachi 4:5–6 ESV

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

….

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Introduction:

The Christian life is one of paradigms. of things that are present, and things that are to come. I mean think about it. We are to be in the moment, alert and present to what God is doing and leading and inviting us into in every season.. but we are also to wait. Be ready… But also wait. Are you an impatient person>? I think to a degree and in some way its our human nature to want what we want NOW and NOT WAIT. but i wonder if waiting is better? I mean we all know how amazing the moment is when the waiting is over

when the result is in

When it takes place

when the wait is… finally over.

There are amazing paradigms in our life as believers”: on the one haPresent & Alert.. But also resolute… called to a confident wait. a HOPE.

The distance between Malachi Chapter 4… and Matthew 1 is about 400 Years. I mean we just turn the pages of our bibles but what that poage turning represents is 400 YEARS….Its what we could call the INTERMISSION of Gods great PLAY: and the bible is like a 2 part play. with this intermission smack bang in the middle…. if you join in at the end after the intermission - You will miss all the ground work that was laid (the OT calling, miracles, deliverance, inheritance, law, prophecy, wisdom etc) and the prelude to the great crescendo finish which is the second part… and if you stay for the first part of the play and leave at the middle, you will miss the great finish. You wont know how it ends…. In other words - you have to see the whole play.

But what we find here at the beginning of Matthews Gospel is a genealogy. Kind of strange isnt it? when i studied the beginning of the gospel accounts they all have similar but different beginnings:

Mark - begins with John the Baptist’s ministry straight into the baptism of Jesus.

Luke - Begins with a dedication and tribute to a man, the reader & then begins with the story of the incarnation itself. Which is where many are preacher will locate the Christmas messages from - because of the detail found in the writer Lukes account.

John - “in the beginning” much like genesis & the linkage to Jesus

….

but Matthews Gospel: just a genealogy. 16 Verses, a whole passage and half page of my bible dedicated to names. ever wondered why? are you like me and have skipped over it hundreds of times?

Here is the point: Matthew is making something explicitly clear for anyone who reads their bible: God has kept the promise that he made all the way back in Genesis: God is unhurried in fulfiling his promises to His people. But the genealogy proves that our God is a promise keeper.

Did you know that we serve a promise keeping God?

What is the true meaning of Christmas? its that God has kept his word. God has veen faithful to his word. God has not given up on his people. God has come to HIS PEOPLE… just as he said… just as he promised that HE WOULD.

Hebrews 10:23 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

1.GOD HAS MADE PROMISES.

thats the truth today: and that is what ADVENT, Christmas

so what is our responsibility - If God has made the promise, what is our duty? our obedience, our job in the process of getting these promises for our own life?

Well its our job first of all to KNOW them.

Do you know what it is all that God has promised you in his word? Do you know what God has promised to those that love, seek and desire to live for him.

You see the bible is a treasure trove of promises that you and i can KNOW for ourselves:

*when i first came to know Christ - I had no idea there were promises. It was like a whole new deal for me. and thankfully i went to a bible believing and bible preaching church. We were taught every sunday about the promises of God. what they were and how we should hold onto them, believe them… and wait for them. When i first entered into a life of i had experienced alot of loss. heartbreak. grief. I was lost. I was directionless. I was without HOPE. waivering

and then i learned that in the word

That God would give me a brand new life in Christ

wanted to give me joy

that he had a promise of eternal hope

that in this life he would carefully and wilffuly restore things into my life that the enemy had taken

and i could go on and on and on and tell you the stories of Gods faithfulness to me.

But … what about you?

So what are the promises of God? There are thousands of them. But begin with the covenants. We are in the new covenant.

He has promised to be with you / He is immanuel “God with us” which is the story of christmas. A story of God coming. remember this Christmas season the promise of proximity. God WITH YOU.

He has promised life to you / 2 Timothy 1:1 “1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,”

not just an earthly existence, but a real life. what is a real life? one that has the spiritual as the lead

He has promised eternity with you

What God has NOT promised you? Here are a few that i wrote down…..

That you will be rich - He has promised to bless you and keep you - not make you rich necessarily. Seek gods blessing not being rich. IF you think somehow church or following Jesus is the path to tempral riches then you are wrong. There is plenty in the bible about growing weathly and blessed. But not becoming rich. God hasnt promised to make you rich. He has promised he will bless you. You will find the difference in the word.

(maybe the reason this is standing out to me today is that: i find that some people, because they dont get rich as a christian, think that its Gods fault that they havent experienced a certain amount of material kick back. Listen God isn’t to blame. You may be tho? maybe its a faithfulness issues, maybe its a obedience issue, maybe its a trust issue?

Maybe the reason you arent rich yet is because you haven’t learned a valuable lesson yet?

That you will always have an easy life (eternal life, not an easy life). There is no EASY Street in Christianity. When you locate that street on your spiritual GPS will you let me know?

Our feelings and emotions wants things to be easy, restful and comfortable. God has not promises you earthly comfort - but rather he has promised you eternal comfort from the penalty of sin through Jesus.

That everything will make sense to you - You are not God, He is God and his workings and ways while perfect and also often mysterious and often only make sense in the rearview mirror of our lives. If you are person who needs everything fully explained in life you will have a hard time without the holy spirits help trying to work it all out and figure it all out. this is childlike faith and submission and trust.

(just admit you dont know everything and start there)

2.GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES.

Promises Made, But Promises KEPT

This time of YEAR is a time to remember that what we see in the story of Christmas, the great coming of God to dwell among his people is that GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES. He is unhurried in fulfilling his purposes here on earth.

“let earth recieve her king” is a story of a HOPEFUL PEOPLE Recieveing their PROMISED HOPE

…..

Its an example now for us to follow in our own lives: What has God promised you, that you are waiting for him to fulful?

Stand on them, Be convinced and wait for them.

Did you know you can be CERTAIN about the PROMISES OF GOD.

You will never find God UNWILLING, INSUFFUCIENT… or UNABLE

So its one thing to KNOW that there are promises, but its another thing to believe in the power of the one who has MADE THE PROMISE. Do you believe that He is ABLE to fulfil that with which He has promised?

Have you maybe grown a little weary, dissapointed… unsure or doubtful today / Let Christmas, Let advent be a reminder to your soul and a boost to your spirit today that our God is a PROMISE MAKING GOD… BUT HE IS A PROMISE KEEPING GOD!

In Jesus name

We are to KNOW the romises

and Believe that GOD CAN FULFILL them in our lives?

The greatest example outside of our lord is to consider the way Abraham believed: It wasnt an easy road for Abraham - but God blessed his faith.

Paul says it this way in Romans

Romans 4:20–21 ESV

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

I wrote it down this way: “the longer you go on believing, the stronger your faith becomes”…. and the more Glory God gets for your life.

Hebrews 6:12–20 (ESV)

12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

3.GODS PROMISES ARE FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST

2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Every questions finds its answer in Jesus

and All of Fathers promises are found in the Son.

Thats why your trust in Jesus is so important. He will never leave you nor forsake you

Thats why

verses

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Ephesians 2:12 ESV

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

2 Timothy 1:1 (ESV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,