The Promises of God Part II: The Promises (01/17/19)

God's promises are personal. God isn't standing in front of us as a crowd of people and saying to the general gathering "I promise you guys…". He is standing in front of you, face to face and giving you his personal oath that he will keep his promises.

 

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

If we believe that God kept his promise to send his son Jesus to die for our sins and we also believe the Jesus kept his promise and did die for our sins and in accepting him into our hearts he has also kept his promise to forgive us of those sins then we must also believe that God/Jesus will keep his promise to…

 

  1. Give you peace

    1. Psalm 85:8 - I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.

    2. What is peace? Peace is freedom! Freedom from what?

      1. Worry

      2. Anxiety

      3. Contention or conflict both inner and external

      4. Fear

      5. Despair and hopelessness

      6. Depression

    3. Peace is like being at the center of a hurricane. The chaos and destruction is all around us but it does not affect us. We are surrounded by the things of this world but it doesn't take away our calm and tranquility in Christ.

  2. Bless you

    1. Psalm 67:6-7 6 The land yields its harvest: God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

    2. God's blessings are ongoing. He has blessed you, is blessing you and will bless you still. Each blessing comes at its perfect time.

    3. God's blessings come in many forms. It is more than a roof over your head and food on your plate. His blessings are specific to each person. Start to think of specific ways God has blessed you.

  3. Lead you

    1. Psalm 23:1-6 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

    2. What is the role of a shepherd?

      1. Leader. A shepherd leads his flock and doesn't just point the way. He keeps his sheep from straying off the safe path.

      2. Protector day and night. Even as the sheep sleep the shepherd keeps watch and defends the sheep from predators.

      3. Search and rescue! A shepherd will risk his life to rescue his sheep from danger.

  4. Answer your prayers

    1. 1 John 5:14-15 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

    2. God answers our prayers but what is the condition? We cannot ask for things that are in opposition to God's nature. If it is not in alignment with God's heart he will not hear us.

    3. See also: John 14:13-14

  5. Help you overcome temptation

    1. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

    2. Remember that God allows you to be tempted so that you will go to him for strength and endurance!

  6. Protect you

    1. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

    2. This promise takes a lot of faith to believe in. Most often we aren't going to see what God is protecting us from so we don't see God actively keeping his promise. Instead we see a flat tire not knowing it kept us from danger down the road.

  7. Give you eternal life

    1. 1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

    2. What other popular scripture promises us eternal life? John 3:16

    3. Eternal life is based not just on your belief but your action. Acknowledging Jesus as the son of God and asking God for forgiveness and asking him to enter your heart is necessary for God to keep his promises to you. If you haven't done this then you will not be able to receive eternal life or any of the other promises! Don't wait another second!

  8. Give you the kingdom

    1. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

    2. What does it mean to inherit the kingdom of God? Heaven will be our home! We will live together in perfection side by side with God. We will no longer be separated from him here on earth!

  9. Make you his heir

    1. Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

    2. We talked about Abraham's seed last week in Galatians 3:16. Jesus Christ was Abraham’s great descendant. They were family and when we belong to Christ we become family too. We are family to Christ and to each other. We belong to him even if we don't feel like we belong anywhere else!

 

Promises are not just something that happens to you behind the scenes. Seeing God keep his promises is an amazing faith building experience. The moments when you see God work and you are in awe of what he has done for you. These realizations give you the opportunity to be thankful and they give you solid personal experiences to share. When someone asks you how you know God is real you can say "because I have seen him work and experienced his presence first hand". Don't be afraid to share your "That was my God!" experiences with other people.

 

APPLY

 1. What are some ways God has already kept his promise to bless you?

2. When life doesn't go as planned how can this be a way God is keeping his promises to you?

3. In what ways does knowing God's promises to you encourage you and bring you hope?

4. Write down a prayer that God will reveal to you when he has kept his promises and that you will be shown what promises he has kept so you can say "That was my God!" and be thankful and have those stories to witness to others.

Christin Cordova