The Power of God (part 10) – His Promises 2
Introduction. Contracts, covenants, and treaties are created to give confidence to those entering binding agreements: “I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.” (Gal. 3:15). When people, businesses, and nations seek to work together, making mutual sacrifices for mutual rewards and they make a covenant, peace and prosperity will continue as long as “no one annuls or adds to it.” The power of all covenants is based on the promises that are kept.
Before making a contract, based on promises and signatures, businesses seek assurance. For example, most job applications require at least a work history and credit score. The longer the employment and higher the score the easier to trust. In order for our written promise to have power, we must prove our integrity.
This is exactly what God has done for us. God has left a history of all His promises, covenants and outcomes so we can study and learn about Him. The more we learn, the more powerful God’s promises become and the more strength and courage they instill. His integrity is absolute. He cannot lie and has never failed or forsaken anyone who trusted Him. He never made a promise He did not have the power and intention to keep!
The promises God has made in the gospel are actually ancient promises, older even than the material creation: “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began”. There is incomprehensible power in these words. Our God who inhabits eternity and cannot lie, made this promise before time as we know it began. Since it is not of this creation, it is fixed, eternal and absolute! It cannot and never will be broken. Through uncounted generations, God has made this promise of everlasting life to all men. One of the most familiar today is: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16). Made in eternity and paid for by the death of His son, the promise of everlasting life still exists and always will until the end of this age.
Just as we use our credit score and work history, God used “the great cloud of witnesses.” These witnesses began long before the flood with Abel, Enoch, and Noah. They have testified of God’s integrity and power within their lives and have enjoyed the fruits of this trust for thousands of years (Heb. 11:13-16). One of the most powerful of these witnesses was Abraham. God used him to give each new generation two opportunities: first, to become his heirs, and second to be empowered through God’s promises just as he was.
God first called Abraham out of Ur with a covenant of promise. God asked him to leave the nation of his birth and come to Canaan, promising to make him a great nation, to bless all nations through his seed, and ultimately give eternal life to all his heirs (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham was seventy-five years old when he entered Canaan and served God faithfully until he was “about a hundred years old.” For those 25 years, Abraham waited, never doubting, honoring and serving God. His unwavering trust in God’s promises was all he needed to remain faithful. When God finally set the time, Sarah was 90 years old and it was too late for her to conceive a child for him. Here, at the pivotal moment where human reasoning and wisdom failed, the true power of God’s promises began to work. Abraham knew it was impossible to have a child through Sarah. Yet the power of God’s promise bridged the gap and left him fully convinced he would have a son with her.
Abraham revealed the true power God’s promise because he NEVER WAVERED! Once he heard: “My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year” (Gen. 17:21), his heart was fixed and all doubt evaporated. He did not minimize the obstacles, but God’s promise removed them all! He “trusted in the Lord with all his heart” and had no need to “lean on his own understanding.” (Pr. 3:5). God felt glorified and honored in this because Abraham was complete with only God’s promise. By being “strengthened in that promise” and needing nothing more, he so fully pleased God that He “accounted him righteous.” Thus, the strength and power of God’s promise brought such deep faithfulness that it brought eternal life, not only to Abraham, but also to us: “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him.” (Rom. 4:23-24).
God was not finished with Abraham. He knew that these events had not exhausted Abraham’s strength. He could do even more with the power of a promise. That’s why God asked Abraham to give up Isaac. The full impact of this command is far greater than simply a father giving up his son. That would have been hard enough, but Isaac was the key to the promise: “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,” (Gen. 17:19). By offering Isaac as God commanded, God’s promise would fail and all Abraham’s years of service would become vain.
Yet once again, Abraham did not even consider the possibility that God’s promise could fail. He knew God could not lie and that nothing was impossible for Him. So, without question, he simply obeyed God’s command. He set all human reasoning aside, “concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.” (Heb. 11:17-19). Thus, even when stretched to the absolute limit, Abraham once again gave God the glory. He did not waver even with an impossible command. At that moment “having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Heb. 6:15). This was Abraham’s crowning moment and it was recorded as a testimony to the power of God’s promise. Thus, Abraham entered the great cloud of witnesses and gives us strong encouragement!
This is the highest glory anyone can give to God - absolute trust that makes light of every hindrance. God was so pleased with Abraham’s intense and unwavering faith and trust in Him and His promises, that He further strengthened the promise - not just for Abraham, but for all his heirs:
Abraham only needed ONE immutable thing: God’s promise! But because God wanted “to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise,” He gave us TWO immutable things! Since the promise was strong enough for Abraham, the oath added to that promise can give “strengthening courage” to his heirs. Because we are Abraham’s seed and heirs, we have double the strengthening power of Abraham’s faith and courage. As Paul told the Galatians and is still true today, we become Abraham’s seed and heirs in baptism. Immediately after you “were baptized into Christ,” “you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26-29, 4:28). From that moment until the end of time: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.”
Conclusion. God gave us to Abraham as spiritual children and He gave Abraham to us as our example. We are like Isaac to Abraham and Abraham is a beacon of faith and courage to us. We have two immutable things. By watching Abraham’s faith strengthened by God’s promise we have the first immutable thing. When we see God swear with an oath after Abraham showed this courage, we have the second immutable thing. Since God can’t lie about either of these two unbendable and unbreakable things, we have the power to show the same courage as our father Abraham. The oath and the promise have become the basis of our “hope” and “the anchor of our soul:”
Before making a contract, based on promises and signatures, businesses seek assurance. For example, most job applications require at least a work history and credit score. The longer the employment and higher the score the easier to trust. In order for our written promise to have power, we must prove our integrity.
This is exactly what God has done for us. God has left a history of all His promises, covenants and outcomes so we can study and learn about Him. The more we learn, the more powerful God’s promises become and the more strength and courage they instill. His integrity is absolute. He cannot lie and has never failed or forsaken anyone who trusted Him. He never made a promise He did not have the power and intention to keep!
The promises God has made in the gospel are actually ancient promises, older even than the material creation: “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began”. There is incomprehensible power in these words. Our God who inhabits eternity and cannot lie, made this promise before time as we know it began. Since it is not of this creation, it is fixed, eternal and absolute! It cannot and never will be broken. Through uncounted generations, God has made this promise of everlasting life to all men. One of the most familiar today is: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16). Made in eternity and paid for by the death of His son, the promise of everlasting life still exists and always will until the end of this age.
Just as we use our credit score and work history, God used “the great cloud of witnesses.” These witnesses began long before the flood with Abel, Enoch, and Noah. They have testified of God’s integrity and power within their lives and have enjoyed the fruits of this trust for thousands of years (Heb. 11:13-16). One of the most powerful of these witnesses was Abraham. God used him to give each new generation two opportunities: first, to become his heirs, and second to be empowered through God’s promises just as he was.
God first called Abraham out of Ur with a covenant of promise. God asked him to leave the nation of his birth and come to Canaan, promising to make him a great nation, to bless all nations through his seed, and ultimately give eternal life to all his heirs (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham was seventy-five years old when he entered Canaan and served God faithfully until he was “about a hundred years old.” For those 25 years, Abraham waited, never doubting, honoring and serving God. His unwavering trust in God’s promises was all he needed to remain faithful. When God finally set the time, Sarah was 90 years old and it was too late for her to conceive a child for him. Here, at the pivotal moment where human reasoning and wisdom failed, the true power of God’s promises began to work. Abraham knew it was impossible to have a child through Sarah. Yet the power of God’s promise bridged the gap and left him fully convinced he would have a son with her.
- “without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom. 4:20-22).
Abraham revealed the true power God’s promise because he NEVER WAVERED! Once he heard: “My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year” (Gen. 17:21), his heart was fixed and all doubt evaporated. He did not minimize the obstacles, but God’s promise removed them all! He “trusted in the Lord with all his heart” and had no need to “lean on his own understanding.” (Pr. 3:5). God felt glorified and honored in this because Abraham was complete with only God’s promise. By being “strengthened in that promise” and needing nothing more, he so fully pleased God that He “accounted him righteous.” Thus, the strength and power of God’s promise brought such deep faithfulness that it brought eternal life, not only to Abraham, but also to us: “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him.” (Rom. 4:23-24).
God was not finished with Abraham. He knew that these events had not exhausted Abraham’s strength. He could do even more with the power of a promise. That’s why God asked Abraham to give up Isaac. The full impact of this command is far greater than simply a father giving up his son. That would have been hard enough, but Isaac was the key to the promise: “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,” (Gen. 17:19). By offering Isaac as God commanded, God’s promise would fail and all Abraham’s years of service would become vain.
Yet once again, Abraham did not even consider the possibility that God’s promise could fail. He knew God could not lie and that nothing was impossible for Him. So, without question, he simply obeyed God’s command. He set all human reasoning aside, “concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.” (Heb. 11:17-19). Thus, even when stretched to the absolute limit, Abraham once again gave God the glory. He did not waver even with an impossible command. At that moment “having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Heb. 6:15). This was Abraham’s crowning moment and it was recorded as a testimony to the power of God’s promise. Thus, Abraham entered the great cloud of witnesses and gives us strong encouragement!
This is the highest glory anyone can give to God - absolute trust that makes light of every hindrance. God was so pleased with Abraham’s intense and unwavering faith and trust in Him and His promises, that He further strengthened the promise - not just for Abraham, but for all his heirs:
- “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (Heb. 6:17-18).
Abraham only needed ONE immutable thing: God’s promise! But because God wanted “to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise,” He gave us TWO immutable things! Since the promise was strong enough for Abraham, the oath added to that promise can give “strengthening courage” to his heirs. Because we are Abraham’s seed and heirs, we have double the strengthening power of Abraham’s faith and courage. As Paul told the Galatians and is still true today, we become Abraham’s seed and heirs in baptism. Immediately after you “were baptized into Christ,” “you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26-29, 4:28). From that moment until the end of time: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.”
Conclusion. God gave us to Abraham as spiritual children and He gave Abraham to us as our example. We are like Isaac to Abraham and Abraham is a beacon of faith and courage to us. We have two immutable things. By watching Abraham’s faith strengthened by God’s promise we have the first immutable thing. When we see God swear with an oath after Abraham showed this courage, we have the second immutable thing. Since God can’t lie about either of these two unbendable and unbreakable things, we have the power to show the same courage as our father Abraham. The oath and the promise have become the basis of our “hope” and “the anchor of our soul:”
- “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.” (Heb. 6:19-20).
- Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their winds of strife?
- When the strong tides life and the cables strain will you anchor drift or firm remain?