|
Let us begin our study of the promises of God with an excerpt from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. When Christian and Hopeful
lay helpless prisoners in Doubting Castle, the property of Giant Despair, Christian said, "What a fool I am, thus to be in a stinking
dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty!I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting
Castle." Then he pulled it out of his bosom and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave. The door flew
open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that led into the castle yard, and with his
key he opened that door also. After that he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too. Although it was desperately hard, the
key did open it.
The key to many blessings is unquestionably the promises of God. A promise is defined as a declaration made by one person to another
to do or to refrain from doing a thing, a declaration which gives the person receiving it the right to expect the performance of the thing
or its non-performance, according to the nature of the declaration. The Bible is filled with the promises of God to man, the greatest of
which is the promise of salvation. Many are familiar with the saying that "promises are made to be broken," but it is evident that Satan,
not God, is the author of such a lie. God says, "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools:
pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay" (Ecc. 5:4,5). God
demands that we keep our solemn promises, because He is a God who keeps His promises to us.
In the Bible the promises of God fall basically into three groups. The first group is promises or prophecies concerning Christ. These
promises are called Messianic Prophecies, and the first such promise to be found in the Bible is in Gen. 3:15, "And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Another and
perhaps a more familiar promise of Christ is found in Is. 9:6; "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace." Additional promises for your consideration are found in Is. 7:14 and the entire chapter of Isaiah 53. All such promises assured
the people of that day of the coming Messiah and declared the magnitude of His work.
The second group is God's promises to individuals. These can be found throughout the Scriptures since they were made to a variety
of individuals who are Bible characters. A promise that God made to Noah is found in Gen. 8:21~22:"And the Lord smelled a sweet
savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil
from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest,
and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." God made a promise to Abraham when He said, "And
I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant
between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee" (Gen. 17:6~7).To David God promised, "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy
seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels...and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12~13).While
these promises were more far-reaching than to the individuals to whom they were spoken, God was able to perform everything He promised
to every person involved.
Third are God's promises to groups. The promises under consideration here are those made to a variety of individuals who are marked
by a common characteristic and therefore are grouped together from a biblical point of view. With regard to each group mentioned,
additional Scripture references are given so that you may enjoy the blessings promised.
To the afflicted God promised, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34: 19).
Also read Ps. 30:5, Is. 43:2, John 14:1, Rom. 8:28, and 2 Cor. 12:9. Jesus said to the believer, "...If thou canst believe, all things are possible
to him that believeth" (Mk. 9:23). Read Mark 11:24, John 3:14-15, John 12:46, and John 14:12. God's promise to the humble said, "But
he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" James 4:6). Now read Luke 14:11
and I Peter 5:5. To the liberal giver He said, "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself' (Prov.
11:25). Read Ps. 41:1, Provo 3:9-10, Luke 6:38, and 2 Cor. 9:7. To the obedient this promise was given: "If ye be willing and obedient,
ye shall eat the good of the land" (Is. 1:19). Also read Ex. 20:6, Deut. 11:26-27, Luke 11:28, and James 1:25. To the penitent He said, "Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord"
(Acts 3:19). Read Jer. 3:22, Joel 2:13, Micah 7:18, and Acts 2:38. Of the poor and to the poor He declared, "Hearken my beloved brethren,
Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
James 2:5). Read Ps. 12:5, Is. 25:4, and Is. 41:17. The seekers were promised, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search
for me with all your heart" Jer. 29:13). Read Deut. 4:29, 2 Chron. 7: 14, Luke 11:9, and Acts 17:27. To the tempted God promised,
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (l Cor. 10:13). Also read Luke 22:31,
Heb. 2:18, and Heb. 4:15-16. Finally to religious workers God made this promise, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
Now read Mk. 9:41, Gal. 6:9, Titus 3:8, and James 1:25. Certainly all these promises fall into the category of exceeding great and precious
promises.
While all these promises are different, there are some characteristics which are true of all God's promises. (1) "For all the promises of God
in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20). (2) "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his
people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand
of Moses his servant:" (1 Kings 8:56). (3) "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:21).
(4) "Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4). All the above are true with regard to God's promises, because all His
promises are consistent with His perfect nature and sovereign power.
The worth of any promise, can be determined by three conditions. (1) The value of the thing promised must be considered, (2) the
character of the one who promised must be taken into consideration, and (3) the conditions which are attached to the promise must be
understood. All this should be considered whether the promise is made by God or man. In the Scripture, that which is promised is often invaluable
since only God can supply it; the One who made the promise has never once failed to do as He said, for His character is flawless;
and the conditions which He requires to be met are often so simple that the feeblest can fulfill them. Marvelous indeed are the promises
of God.
In conclusion let me say without fear of contradiction that by far the greatest and most precious promise of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. It is eternally significant and therefore far too important to be left to man and dependant upon his actions. It is
the work of grace and the free gift of God (Rom. 6:23). Of this monumental promise Paul wrote, "In hope of eternal life, which God,
that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2).Because He promised it, He will perform it (Ps. 119:106).Do you treasure this
precious hope of eternal life?What about the others that have been mentioned? I hope that by faith you will claim them all, rejoice in
His sure word of promise, and be true to God in all that you promise to Him.
|
