Standing On The Promises
STANDING ON THE PROMISES
HEBREWS 6:13-20
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
William Penn, the founder of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was well liked by the Indians. Once they told him, he could have as much of their land as he could encompass on foot in a single day. So, early the next morning he started out and walked until late that night. When he finally went to claim his land, the Indians were greatly surprised, for they really did not think he would take them seriously. However, they kept their promise and gave him a large area, which today is part of the city of Philadelphia. William Penn simply believed what they said. Should we do less with God!
In our world today we are taught, “Promises are made to be broken” The power of a person’s word is not that which it used to be. Today we have to have legalized contracts for absolutely everything; it was not that way years ago, in those days a man’s word was his bond, nothing more was needed. Eventually everyone experiences the hurt of a promise broken, or the guilt of a commitment of a commitment not kept, the situations may vary but the experience is common. This morning we are taken back to the days of Abraham, more importantly to the time when God made the promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, even though at this point he is childless. This morning we will look at the promises of God and how those promises apply to us today.
I. GOD’S PROMISES ARE A SURE THING
A. When God makes a promise we can count on it
1. God guaranteed his promise that he made to Abraham (vs.18)
2.God did this by “two unchangeable things”
3. The first of these being the oath that God made
4. The second of these things is merely implied here and that being God’s character
5. God’s promises are grounded into his very nature and with uncompromising integrity, He will fulfill them
B. Abraham was an heir to God’s promises
1.Who are the other “heirs” that Paul speaks of - We are heirs of the promises God made to Abraham about the coming Messiah
2. We have a claim to that promise God made to Abraham
We have seen that beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s promises are sure things, the next thing that we need to realize is that God’s promises…
II. GOD’S PROMISES ARE ALL ENCOMPASSING
A. As we saw, God’s promises were not simply for Abraham, but for all his offspring
B. I want us to look at some of the characteristics of God’s great promises
1.They are unfailing (I Kings 8:56)
2. They are assured by divine authority (Romans 4:21)
3. They are grounded in Christ (II Corinthians 1:20)
4. They are of infinite value (II Peter 1:4)
5. They culminate in everlasting life (I John 2:25)
C. One of the most noticeable times when we see the work of God’s promises is during times of affliction; when we face affliction God promises…
1. Brighter days ahead (Psalm 30:5)
2. Deliverance (Psalm 34:19)
3. The Comfort of God’s presence (Isaiah 43:2)
4. All things will work out for the good (Romans 8:28)
5. Final deliverance from suffering and pain (Revelation 21:4)
D. Besides times of affliction there are some promises that we as believers can look forward to
1. Physical sustenance (Psalm 37:3)
2. Unlimited blessings (Mark 9:23)
3. Answered prayer (Mark 11:24)
4. Removal of obstacles (Luke 17:6)
5. Divine heirship (John 1:12)
6. Power for service (John 14:12)
7. Help with temptation (Hebrews 2:8)
8. A way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13)
9. Salvation (Romans 1:16)
10. Final victory (James 4:7)
E. God’s promises can be summed up with 4 words Strength, Sustenance, Serenity, and Salvation
Transition: We can see how wonderful God’s promises to each of us are, but one thing that often gets overlooked when we think about the promises of God is the fact that God’s promises…
III. GOD’S PROMISES ARE CONDITIONAL
A. Paul in his letter to the Hebrews repeatedly warned that not all of God’s children will inherit what has been promised
1. This is not do to any failure or change of mind on the part of God
2. It is due to man’s failure
B. Attached to God’s promises to man are some expectations of man, if we do not meet those expectations, we miss the promises
1. Abraham’s decedents learned that one the hard way; they turned their back on God and lost the Promised Land
2. For Abraham to have a child he had to be patient
3. For Noah to be saved from the flood he had to be obedient
4. For us we have to have both patience, obedience, and we cannot forget faith
5. If we do not believe God will do what He says He will do then it will not come to pass
6. Faith is a non-negotiable essential to the promises of God
7. What God asks in return for his promises is not a drop in the bucket compared to what He offers us
8. All we have to do is look for Jesus and come to him as we are and we will find Him and most importantly, He will find us