OceanSide church of Christ

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WE NEED THE TRUTH

about the Promises of God (2)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   We began a lesson last week about the promises of God.  We looked at two things about God’s promises.

1.     God’s promises are precious.

2.     God’s promises are propelling.

 

B.    We want to continue our study tonight.  Remember, a promise is an expressed assurance upon which an expectation is to be based.

 

C.   Remember, too, that we are living under a Covenant with better promises, promises

that are described as exceeding great and precious.

 

I.           GOD’S PROMISES ARE POWERFUL

 

A.   God promises are powerful in the life of the child of God if he will use them to his advantage.

 

B.    The promises of God protect the child of God from sin.

1.     Sin is the violation of God’s law (I John 3:4).

2.     Sin separates man from God (Isa. 59:1-2).

3.     The child of God has been set free from sin (Rom. 6:17-18).

4.     Satan, however, seeks to get men to sin through three different avenues (I John 2:15-17).

5.     Can Christians overcome sin?  Yes, if we will remember and take heed to one of the promises of God (I Cor. 10:13).

 

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 of escape that ye may be able to bear it.

 

a.     Every temptation comes with an escape hatch.

b.    Example:  Joseph was tempted by Potipher’s wife.  His escape hatch was the exit door (Gen. 39:12).

 

C.   The promises of God help to make man become a partaker of the divine nature.

1.     II Peter 1:4

 

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 

2.     God promises that we can be free from sin (Rom. 6:18, 20, 22).  We have the promise of a home in heaven (I Pet. 1:3-5).  We also have the promise of eternal life (John 3:15-16). 

3.     All of these things, if embraced, will make us like God.  He is free from sin.  He resides in the heaven.  And, he is an eternal being. 

4.     In essence, the promises of God will make us like God.  We become partakers of the divine nature.

 

D.   There is the promise of becoming a new creature in Christ with all of the old things behind us (II Cor. 5:17).

 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

1.     This promise is very powerful for many.  Their lives are filled with evil, wickedness, heartache, and grief.  All of this can be put behind them.  They can become new creatures.

2.     The promise should make one ask:  “How do I get into Christ?”

3.     Two passages in the New Testament tell us.

a.     Romans 6:3

 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

 

b.    Galatians 3:26-27

 

For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

 

4.     The example of Naaman and his promise of being cleansed from leprosy.

a.     He was told to dip seven times in the river Jordan.

b.    He rebelled at first.

c.    The promise of healing was powerful.

d.    II King 5:14

 

Then he went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God:  and he flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

 

II.         THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE PRECISE

 

A.   The promises of God are true; they will come to pass.

 

B.    We know they are true because of the nature of God.

1.     God is faithful (I Cor. 1:9).

2.     God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2).

 

C.   We know that God’s promises are true because of his track record.

1.     In Genesis 3:15, he promised that the seed of woman would bruise the head of Satan.  When Jesus rose from the dead, He delivered this blow to the tempter (I Cor. 15:20-22).

 

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection from the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 

2.     In Genesis 12, God gave Abraham three promises:  the land promise, the nation promise, and the seed promise.

a.     At Mount Sinai, God gave the law the Israel making them a nation (Exo. 19:3-6).

b.    At the end of the wilderness wanderings, Israel entered the land of Canaan (Josh. 21:43-45; I King 8:56).

c.    Jesus fulfilled the seed promise (Gal. 3:16).

 

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.  For he saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

 

3.     God people had a right to Canaan only if they remained faithful the Law of Moses.

a.     Curses were promised if they did not obey (Deut. 28:15ff).

1)     Deuteronomy 28:15

 

But is shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.

 

2)     Two curses:  The Jews would “be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth” (v. 25), and they would become “an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word, among the nations” (v. 37).

3)     NOTE:  Most believe that this only pertained to the Babylonian captivity.  They point to the restoration of Israel to the land of Palestine as proof.

b.    After being restored, the Jews look forward to the fulfillment of two major prophecies:  the coming of the Messiah and the coming of the kingdom. 

1)     They rejected both.

2)     Because of this rejection, God rejected Israel.

a)     Matthew 23:37-38

 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

 

b)     The Old Covenant was taken away (Heb. 8:8).  Note:  The fault was with the Jews.

 

For finding fault with them, he saith…

c)     The Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem.  The temple was demolished and the Jewish genealogies were destroyed.

3)     Two verses:

a)     Romans 9:6

 

For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel…

 

b)     Romans 2:28-29

 

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh:  but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and the circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is of God.

 

D.   Other precise promises:

1.     Jesus will come again (John 14:3).

2.     All the dead will hear His voice and come forth from the graves (John 5:28-29).

3.     All nations will be gathered before Him in judgment (Matt. 25:31-32).

4.     The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous shall enter into life eternal (Matt. 25:46).

 

III.       GOD’S PROMISES ARE PROBLEMATIC

 

A.   God’s promises are a joy unto His people.  On the other hand, they are problematic for the enemies of God and for all who are disobedient to His will (II Thess. 1:7-9).

 

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:  who shall be punished with everlast-ing destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

 

B.    These promises definitely have their scoffers.  We are prepared for scoffers in II Peter 3:3-14.

1.     Denunciation of God’s Promise (II Pet. 3:3-4):  Where is the promise of his coming?

2.     Disregard of the Facts (II Pet. 3:5-7):  For this they willingly are ignorant of…

3.     Definiteness of God’s Promise (I Pet. 3:8-10)

a.     The passing of time means nothing (II Pet. 3:8).

b.    The patience of God is being demonstrated (II Pet. 3:9).

c.    The perfecting of the promise will come to pass (II Pet. 3:10).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   God’s promises are

1.     Precious

2.     Propelling

3.     Powerful

4.     Precise

5.     Problematic

 

B.    Let’s go back to II Peter 3.  In verse 11-14, we find the propelling nature of the promise of the Lord’s coming for His children (vs. 11, 14).

 

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness?...Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye be found of him, without spot, and blameless.

 

1.     We need to live in anticipation of the end of the world.

2.     Holy and godly lives should be our concern.

3.     Is this how you are conducting your life?

4.     If not, you still have time to repent.  God’s longsuffering is still being manifested.  But, remember:  “The day of the Lord will come!”