PROMISES OF GOD

 

THEME: PROMISES OF GOD

Promise - A declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.

It has two parts, the part of one promising and one being promised to. (God and human being)

Call to worship: Isaiah 41:10 (NIV):  "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

First Reading: Joshua 1: 1 – 10 after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

¹⁰ So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:

Second Reading: Joshua 4: 1 – 7 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, ³ and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

 

 

 

Components of Promise

v  Intent: - Determined to do (something).

§  Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

§  1 John 4:19 - "We love because he first loved us."

v  Statement or Agreement:

§  Psalm 145:13 - "The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does."

§  Romans 10:9 - "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

v  Trust:

§  Psalm 9:10 - "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."

v  Obligation: ­ the condition of being morally or legally bound to do something.(Samson story, Hannah Story)

§  Hebrews 10:23 - "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

v  Follow-through: do what needs to be done to complete something

§  Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

v  Accountability:

§  Romans 14:12 - "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."

Instances where God is making a promise

v  Promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3): God promised Abraham that He would make him into a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. The reason for this promise was to fulfill God's plan of bringing forth a people through whom He would bless the entire world (Genesis 18:18).

v  Promise to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16): God promised David that his descendants would establish an everlasting kingdom. This promise was made as part of God's plan to establish the lineage of the Messiah, who would come from the house of David and bring salvation to all (Isaiah 9:7).

v  Promise of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34): God promised a new covenant to the people of Israel, one that would be different from the old covenant given through Moses. This promise was made to bring forgiveness of sins and a closer relationship with God through the coming of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:6-13).

v  Promise to the Israelites in the Wilderness (Exodus 6:7): God promised to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, bring them into the Promised Land, and be their God. This promise was made to fulfill God's covenant with Abraham and demonstrate His faithfulness to His chosen people (Exodus 2:24).

v  Promise of Salvation through Jesus (John 3:16): God promised eternal life to all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. The reason for this promise was to offer salvation and reconciliation to humanity, providing a way for people to be forgiven of their sins and have a restored relationship with God (Romans 5:8).

v  Promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39): God promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers. This promise was given to empower and equip the early disciples for the work of spreading the Gospel and to guide and indwell all believers throughout history (Acts 1:8, John 14:16-17).

 

Importance to wait on God promises

v  Building Trust and Faith:

o   Psalm 27:14 (NIV): "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

o   Isaiah 40:31 (NIV): "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

v  Character Development:

o   Romans 5:3-4 (NIV): "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

o   James 1:3-4 (NIV): "Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

v  Strengthening Relationship with God:

o   Psalm 37:7 (NIV): "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."

o   Psalm 130:5 (NIV): "I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word, I put my hope."

v  Spiritual Growth:

o   2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV): "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

o   1 Peter 5:10 (NIV): "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

v  Testimony to Others:

o   Psalm 40:1 (NIV): "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."

o   Hebrews 11:1 (NIV): "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

v  Fulfillment of God's Perfect Timing:

o   Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV): "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

o   Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV): "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

v  Alignment with God's Will:

o   Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

o   Romans 12:2 (NIV): "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."