Introduction: What has the Lord promised? Abraham possessed and accessed the promises of God. What insights can we gain from it?
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham…‘I swear by myself,…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you…” (Genesis 22:15-18 NIV).
“When God made his promise to Abraham…he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you…” (Hebrews 6:13,14 NIV).
It has been “…given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,…” (Second Peter 1:4 KJV).
Someone has stated that there are three to seven thousand different promises in the Bible. This question must then be asked, “How can we walk in and access those promises?”
1. Person Behind the Promises!
A.Jesus is the approval of all the promises of God.
“But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No…For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (Second Corinthians 1:18,20 NKJV).
The one who promises sets the terms to receive what is promised. God sets it! Jesus is the Amen.
In Jesus Christ, all the conditions and requirements to access the promises are met and fulfilled.
B. The strength of the promise given rest in the surety of the One who made or gave the promise.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, he swore by Himself, saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you” (Hebrews 6:13,14 NKJV).
The Lord tells Abraham & Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
C. Jesus has been given a better covenant with better promises.
“But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NKJV).
D. To Abraham’s Seed is the One the promises are given.
“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as f many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16 NKJV).
2. Purpose of the Promises!
A. That the supreme purpose of God’s promises will be establish and fully manifest in the earth. It’s all about Him. “…all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:16 KJV).
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 KJV).
The promises are given so we can serve Him and to manifest His kingdom in the earth.
B. That we might know God’s will for our lives here in the earth and for all of eternity!
C. That we will know what promises to hope and believe Him for!
D. That we might be partakers of the divine nature of God.
3. What Promises?
A. The promise that, if we seek Him, we would find Him.
“…And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:10-13 KJV).
B. The promise of Salvation the soul.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13 KJV).
C. The promise of the Holy Spirit.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13 KJV).
“…He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me;…but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days form now”” (Acts 1:4,5 NKJV).
D. The promise of the victory in all things.
“…For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:36,37 NIV).
E. The promise of healing of our bodies.
“…by whose stripes you were healed” (First Peter 2:24 NKJV).
F. The promise of the one-hundred-fold return.
“…Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or land, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time…” (Mark 10:29,30 NKJV).
G. The promise of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (St. John 14:3 NKJV).
H. The assurance that all of God’s Word is His promises! He cannot lie.
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 KJV).
4. Principles that Govern the Promises!
A. The promises work through a personal relationship with the One who promised them.
Promises and power are linked to a relationship of the one who promised. Jesus gives power and authority over evil spirits (Luke 10:19). Yet we read of the seven sons of Sceva attempting to cast out an evil spirit by using the name of Jesus. “…In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’…One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’” (Acts 19:13-15 NIV).
B. The truth that the Lord watches over His Word and His promises to complete them.
“…for I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12 KJV).
C. The insight that the promises of God have some conditions that must be met. Example, “Give, and it shall be given unto you...” (Luke 6:38 KJV). It did not say, “It will be given without you first giving.”
D. The understanding that obedience to the known will of God is vital to walking in the promises of God.
“…all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:…” (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 NKJV).
E. The goal of the promises is to bring us in alignment to His plan, purpose and will.
We are not attempting to move the hand of God. He is never out of place and always working things out for our good.
5. Possessing the Promises! (How do we access His promises?)
A. By the name of Jesus!
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;” (Mark 16:17 NKJV).
B. By faith! Faith is believing and trusting God.
“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14 KJV).
C. By faith and patience!
“that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises…after he had patiently endured,…” (Hebrews 6:12,15 NKJV). While we are patiently enduring, we serve Him and His creation.
D. By being a mature child of God!
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all” (Galatians 4:1 NKJV).
There are some things we are unable to walk into until we are mature in the things of the Lord. Father knows the season and timing for His promises to manifest. We must trust Him for it.
E. By calling and speaking God’s Word!
Words, speech, and the tongue greatly matters. Father calls those things that be not… Say to the mountain… Decree a thing… Speak what God Word says. Everything seen came into the earth through speech.
“…[The Lord] gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” (Romans 4:17 NKJV).
F. By the person and power of the Holy Spirit!
“…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV). When Zerubbabel was rebuilding the temple, the Lord spoke of its completion and its glory.
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the dep thing of God” (First Corinthians 2:9,10 NKJV).
G. By the power of agreement!
“Again I say unto you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19,20 NKJV).
Our agreement must be in accordance and consistent with the word.
Carol and I have witnessed that Word manifest through our agreement. There were times when we agreed for employment, children, and church. This is a powerful principal to implement.
Conclusion:
The One who promised is a greater reward than the things He promised. I have learned to delight more in Him than in the many blessings He has given.
“For all of God’s promises find their ‘yes’ of fulfillment in Him. And as his ‘yes’ and our ‘amen’ ascend to God, we bring him glory!” (Second Corinthians 1:20 Passion Translation)
