Focus Pt 7 The Promises

Once again we are looking at focusing on the things of God. There is more confusion than ever about what’s going on and I’m not just talking about the pandemic. So it is time for us to purposely focus on what God’s word says. How do we know God is for us? Through His word. What should we base our future on? The fact that only God knows what is happening and what will happen. In other words, let’s focus on the right thing. God! Throughout the Bible, God makes promises to His people. In the Old Testament that was the Israelites, today, God’s people are those that have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. So for the Church, that means we focus on His promises to us. So let’s begin.

The Christian life is like running a long distance race. Nothing happens quickly. Everything happens when we combine faith and patience. If we think about it, everything that matters comes when we exercise faith and patience.

A great family is not made quickly. A great marriage takes time to create. An awesome business takes time and effort. Why is it that we understand that in different areas of our lives but when it comes to God, we want it immediately. It doesn’t work that way. We inherit God’s promises when we imitate those who received the promises through walking by faith, that is having the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1) and having patience. Being able to not be anxious and frustrated but full of peace no matter how long it takes to see His promise.

2 Peter 1:3–4 The Message

3 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 4 We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

1. God has given us terrific promises!

This is great news for us. We are heirs to terrific promises from God. Those promises come when we become true followers of Jesus. They are part of our inheritance, our gift from God that we have to live lives that are pleasing to God. Now that’s good news.

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 1

Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

2. Not only are His promises terrific, they are guaranteed!

Hebrews 4:1–3 The Message

1 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. 2 We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. 3 If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.” God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world.

3. By faith, trusting God, we receive rest in Him!

In the book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 we see that without faith it is impossible to please God. In order to believe that what God promises is true, we really have to trust Him. When we do this, the promise is that we enter into His rest. That is a peaceful place to be knowing that no matter what we face, there’s perfect peace in Jesus. Do you see why it is so important to enter into His rest especially in these crazy times. So are you helping people trust God or are you causing anxiety and stress by taking the focus away from trusting God and instead trusting man? This is what happens when all we have to share is bad news. We must remember that the Gospel means Good News. We need to bearers o Good News not bad news.

There is no rest without knowing what the Word of God says and what His promises are.

2 Peter 3:9 AMP

9 The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

4. God wants all to receive His promises!

God is actually not slack concerning His promises. He seems to be slow to us but that is because He wants everyone to be saved. He wants all to come to repentance. That way many will be able to inherit His promises. Next week we will take a look at some of those promises that God has made for us.