Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Promises, Promises Pt.3

Hallelujah. We do serve a faithful God, amen? Scripture makes it real clear to us that-that aspect is really the foundation, the cornerstone of all of our hope. It becomes the anchor of our soul because He is immutable, He doesn’t change. Every promise of God in Christ Jesus, as we’ve been studying, is yea and amen to the glory of God.

And so, we want to continue our study on the promises of God. And as we look at Hebrews 6 again, a passage that we’re all familiar with, verse twelve chapter six of Hebrews. "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patient inherit the promises." Have you made that part of your determination-to find as an example contemporaries today that we can say, ‘you know, those people are following Jesus, I want to get to know what makes them tick, I want to be able to follow in their footsteps and to really receive the admonition that Paul gave those that were around him that said, ‘follow me as I follow Christ’? And then let’s take it one step further really: how many of you want to become that kind of example where you can turn to people around you and say, ‘follow me and you’ll make it; follow me as I follow Christ,’? A lot of people would seem to think ‘well, that’s arrogance.’ No, it’s confidence. It’s being able to partake of the promises of God. If no one else hears us speak those words we should be able to speak them to our family. Men, I want to talk to you. I want to talk about being a husband and being a father and understanding that your first responsibility is to be a partaker of the promises of God so that your children will have confidence in the integrity of His word and be able to say, ‘I’m going to follow Dad, man; I’m going to make sure that in this particular question I can ask one question, ‘what would Dad do here’ and know that you’re on the right track. Wouldn’t it be great to know that your children are able to make that kind of judgment and have that kind of discernment? "Be followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Not only the contemporaries, the people who are around us, but the Scripture tells us as we look here into the epistle of Hebrews that there’s a great cloud of witnesses that has gone on before us that we study and we learn from these folks. Not so much about their lives, but about God’s faithfulness in their lives.

When you study Abraham you’re not learning about Abraham, you’re learning about God. When we study Moses we’re not looking to get an understanding of who this guy is and someday, you know, see him in the A&E biography and be able to have the history of the man, Moses. When you’re talking about Moses you’re talking about how God dealt with humanity at that time. When we look at the Apostle Paul or John, we’re not looking at individual personalities we’re seeing how God is moving in that generation. That great cloud of witnesses that have gone on-because we can learn from them exactly what God is going to do in our lives because the Scripture says, "He [Jesus] is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow." [Hebrews 13:8] "I am the LORD [the Scripture says] and I change not." [Malachi 3:6] And so the good news is: what He did for Abraham He’s going to do for us and what He did in Moses life and in the lives of the Nation of Israel we can expect Him to do for us His covenant people. And the God that moved in the lives of Paul, and Peter, and John-it’s the same Jesus that dwells in us that they walked with and God is no respecter of persons. We look at these men and we realized that not all of us are going to be a Paul, a Peter, a John, but we all are partakers of the promises and God is no respecter of persons.

And so as we look at this passage in Hebrews, chapter 6, there are people around us that are obtaining these promises. The one thing that we need to understand very clearly though is, we can’t be followers of those who are prospering. We can’t be followers of those who are apparently successful in life unless Jesus is the source, unless the Word of God is the foundation on which they’ve built. We all realize that you can be successful in this life with out God, people do it all the time. But "It’s the blessings of the LORD that make rich and add no sorrow with them." And so when we understand the promises we can’t get our eyes off on just the consequences of the promises, but the purpose of the promises. You see, the promises have purpose and consequence, the promises of God. The purpose is that God would be glorified, that we would be edified, and then in the process there are natural benefits. It might be prosperity, it could be health in our bodies, but that’s not all it’s about, the consequences. And so there are purposes to manifest themselves.

We’re talking about the fact that as we’re inheriting the promises of God it’s to be done by faith and patience the Scripture says. Now patience really-all patience is, is the ability to rest while God perfect the promise. Patience is the ability to rest, or to cease from our own works, or to stop trusting in ourselves and trying to figure out some better way to accomplish a personal agenda or to fulfill natural expectations, but to be able to rest and to cease from our own labors and realize that God is ordering our steps. That’s what patience is all about and that’s where we left off Sunday then as we were looking into the Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. We saw that verse 15 says concerning Abraham, that God had made a covenant with him, verse 13 of the 6th chapter, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swear by himself. Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." We need to see then that the promises of God though they’re to be expected momentarily, instantaneously, you’ll find that most of the time the promises of God require patient endurance. And hopefully in the next couple of studies we’re going to be able to see-how do we reconcile being able to pray with faith and expect an instantaneous miracle and at the same time realize that many times the promises manifest themselves progressively, and that the promises of God are not necessarily isolated to specific incidents but the promises of God diffuse into our lives so many times and touch areas that we didn’t know we needed ministry in. ‘I thought I needed healing but God knew that I needed to be dealt with in an area of pride, in an area of patience, in an area of diligence and so this promise, whether it be the manifestation of the healing or whatever it is, diffuses itself throughout me and makes me whole.’ Hence the term iaomai in the Greek when it talks about healing. Therapeuo in the Greek means a physical healing, but most of the time when Jesus healed people it was iaomai, or a total wholeness, spirit, soul, and body. And most of us when we’re hurting and we need healing all we’re looking for is therapeuo, man, ‘just get rid of the pain, get rid of the symptoms,’ and God is saying, ‘what you need right now is to be like Jesus.’

So the promises then are bigger than our understanding many times. This example that’s being spoken of in Hebrews, and as we’re going to look back at Romans chapter 4, and Hebrews chapter 4, when God gave Abraham this promise did he understand the full picture? Did Abraham understand that what was being spoken of was not just Isaac but it was Christ? Did Abraham expect an instantaneous miracle and for a baby to be born momentarily? Did he have any idea that it was going to go through this whole spectrum of an Ishmael, and his own body now being found dead as well as the deadness of Sarah’s womb. Did he understand all that was going to be worked in his life when God gave him a promise? No, he responded just like you and I, ‘God made a promise, sure thing praise God, wake up the next morning expecting a baby.’ How many of you know babies don’t come the next morning?

And so when we begin to understand the promises of God, the first thing I want us to see is that we have to pray with expectation. You have to pray in faith believing for the momentary deliverance, healing, miracle. If in fact, especially if it’s something that has to occur momentarily for our preservation and our deliverance, such as the three Hebrew children that we saw Sunday night. Discern the circumstances. Is in fact what you’re believing God for, expecting, and drawing on His promise for-is it something that must happen instantaneously? ‘If it doesn’t happen I’m going to die.’ If it’s not, you’re going to find out that many times God will use these circumstances to work many other things in your life while the promise is manifesting. Hence verse 15 ".... after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." We want them instantaneous, don’t we? I know I do, I want to see a quick work, I want it yesterday. But we see then that God is working in us a more eternal, a far and eternal weight of glory through these trials and tribulations and endurance that we’re involved in. And so we saw-and this will be the last little bit of our review for tonight-we saw then that the promise that was made verse 18 says [was confirmed by] "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie." Two immutable things found in one statement: God can’t lie. Let’s say it another way, ‘His word is [what] truth.’ Let’s say it another way, ‘I am the Lord, I change not.’ His immutability and the integrity of His righteousness is seen in this oath. And we saw then that there were promises made and we equated that to the Word of God and there was an oath that was made and we said that was then dependant upon the character of God.

Go back a couple of chapters and I want to make a comment on this. I think this is real important for us, the oath based upon the character of God. The third chapter of Hebrews verse 10 says, that those who had fallen in the wilderness, those that were under the judgment of God, those that he swore would not enter in because of their unbelief, who after ten times said God brought us out here to kill us, God said if that’s what you think of me, then die. I’d encourage you to go back and spend a little bit of time reading throughout Numbers there, and read in that 14th chapter some of the later time and begin to see what’s going on and understand the indictment that was being made by the children of Israel against God. God made a promise; He said I’m going to take you into a land that flows with milk and honey. He said I’m going to be an enemy to your enemies. He said those that are for you I’ll be for them, those that are against you, I’ll be against them. He said I’ve gone to prepare a place. He said my glory will be your rear guard. And the first time they experience adversity they begin to murmur and complain. ‘God’s forsaken us, God doesn’t care.’ And every time that you and I fail to expect the favorable promise of God we’re questioning God’s love for us. We’re questioning whether or not the judge of the earth does do right. And that’s the issue.

Look what he says here in this third chapter verse 12; He says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." Now this departure has it’s root in verse ten, look at it: "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said, They do always err in their heart: [say it with me] and they have not known my ways." Let’s say it another way, really what God is saying is this: ‘They don’t know me, they don’t know who I am, they don’t have a clue what I want to do for them.’ What an indictment of God against this generation. ‘They do always err.’ Where do they err, where does the Scripture say they err-in their heads, in their doctrine? Where do they err? In their hearts. How many of us have right doctrine about God and wrong hearts toward God? We can quote all the scriptures of the promises but we don’t really believe He’s for us. Somehow we think that God’s putting us on the short end of the stick, that He’s going to bring us out here and somehow leave us hanging and our enemies are going to triumph over us. And we’re sitting here and questioning whether or not God at this particular time or not is going to manifest His grace. We doubt whether these circumstances are really best for us, or best for the kingdom. As long as there’s no pressure on us we can speak proper doctrine, but the moment the trials, the pressures of life begin to come on us God becomes the object of suspect. We wonder really if this word is sure and true and if God really cares.

Beloved He cared enough to condescend and come among us and take upon Himself this body-‘a body thou hast prepared for me.’ And He came, and He dwelt among us, and was tempted in all ways such as we are the Scripture says, and yet without sin. He became a high priest confirmed of God who ever lives to make intercession. And part of His intercession is made up of absolute compassion, knowing our members, and the fact that we’re just dust. He’s touched with our feelings because He was tempted in every way that we have. But He didn’t sin. He was obedient and because of that was able to put judgment upon death, and through His death brought death to death. And was raised victorious so that we could have the hope of that resurrection power and to righteousness. ‘Why would you doubt My love for you when I became one of you? How could you ask the question whether I’m concerned with you? I condescended to be made sin with your sin, to take your disease and your pain upon myself.’ How can you doubt the love of Father when it says it pleased Him, it pleased Father to bruise Him on our behalf? You see, that becomes the real issue here beloved; when we find these adversities and we begin to look at the promises of God. Look at verse 10, I’d like you to see it in another light if you would. "They do alway err in the heart for they have not known my ways." Can I encourage you this evening not to be concerned with the specific promise of God as you are more concerned with coming to understand the heart of God, the purpose of God? Let’s not get caught up in the promise let’s get caught up in the purpose. What is the purpose of God for me? His purpose is to do us good all the days of our lives. His purpose was He took upon Himself this flesh so that He could redeem us from the curse of the law, so that He could be the object of life and victory to us. God’s eternal purpose is our eternal victory. And so that’s exciting, and we begin to say, ‘well this is what it’s all about, God wants me to triumph. He’s declared the victory already on my behalf.

What is this then that’s causing me concern unless it’s not knowing His ways?’ Maybe the eternal treasure isn’t real, maybe it’s not worth this momentary suffering and endurance. "Take heed [verse 12 says] brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from [knowledge of] the living God." An evil heart of unbelief in moving away from-and listen very clearly-moving away from the biblical revelation of God to your own personal image of God. You know, we’ve talked about it a lot of times, how many times have we heard people say, ‘well my Jesus wouldn’t do that.’ No, your Jesus wouldn’t, but the Jesus of the Bible would. Those who have created God in their own image, you know, the-yesterday was Super Tuesday-and there was a lot of hoopla over the California proposition on same sex marriage. And different ones took their particular stand, and if-I didn’t spend any time, I just heard one or two phrases on the news last night, and Bush wasn’t going to comment or commit one way or the other toward the proposition, and Janet said, ‘why wouldn’t he, why wouldn’t he make a commitment?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know all the details about it, I-he may just not want to commit to the proposition-I would say that he’s against same sex marriage,’ but I said, ‘what people have to understand is that this guy is not a Christian.’ I heard him make his comment, I heard him out of his own mouth say that he does not believe in the infallibility of the Scriptures. So if you don’t believe in the infallibility of the Scriptures who cares if you believe in a God you created? We have nothing in common. There’s nothing that you and I can have as a reference point to believing in the same thing. His morality, whatever it might be, beloved, is subjective.

You and I are working off a book that is infallible, that is absolutely true in every area, that when the promises of God are made they are sure to a thousand generations. Heaven and earth will pass away but His word will not pass away. The promises are not just what He stated, it’s who He is. We didn’t create Him, He exists and has revealed Himself to us. And so as God is revealing Himself to us His promises then begin to unfold and in this eternal being we become more and more aware of His purposes, but you can’t even begin to know them, they’re past finding out. So why would you limit Him to some favorite verse you have, or some promise that you’re standing on when He may have a greater revelation of Himself to you at this particular moment. I don’t mean extra-biblical, I’m meaning a greater understanding that you have of who He is through the Scriptures-great promises that are made to us.

We want to go back and make this so simple. Three verses quoted, the addendum of ‘in the name of Jesus,’ and it’s done. It’s not that simple, okay? That’s not what this is all about. What it’s all about is an assurance, because of relationship that Jesus had, that we can speak just like He did and say, ‘Father, I know that when I pray you hear me.’ How many of you want that kind of assurance in your prayer life? Do you? ‘Father, I know that when I pray you hear me. I know that I have access, we have a relationship. I know that what I’m praying is according to the will of God because I’ve not come to do my own will, but the will of He that sent me. I haven’t come to speak my own words but the words of He that sent me.’ And so the Apostle writing here in Hebrews as he’s going back historically and saying ‘you’ve come forth to check these guys out, learn something from them, they erred in their hearts, they didn’t know the way, and you take heed brethren lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.’ "Exhort one another daily [verse 13 says] while it’s called today: lest any of you be hardened through the [what?] deceitfulness of sin." Now the sin that he’s speaking of here is a departing from God’s purpose for us as a people. His purpose for these that this is speaking of was to bring them out of the bondage of Egypt into a land that flowed with milk and honey. It was His promise. The interesting thing was that as you study the Scriptures, you see that it was purposed from before the foundations of the world and yet because of their unbelief they weren’t able to partake of it. What are we learning? The promises are sure but not everyone is going to partake. There’s going to be a people that die in the wilderness. It doesn’t change the promises of God, they’re sure.

Paul speaks toward that in Timothy. We’ll study it in a little greater depth as we go on. Verse 14 says, "For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. While it is said, today if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts." If you will hear His voice don’t harden your hearts. We’re talking about how to appropriate the promises of God. When you hear Him speak don’t harden your heart. What does it mean to harden your heart? ‘I don’t believe the Bible, I don’t believe that that’s’-somebody quotes a verse to you-‘I don’t believe that’s true, I don’t believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God.’ None of us are saying that. The hardening of the heart here is this: ‘I just don’t think God is going to do it for me. He brought us out here to kill us. I’m not denying God, I’m denying His goodness.’ And that’s what it comes down to. And it grieves His heart. You can see it, you can read it here as the Holy Spirit is speaking in these passages in Hebrews, you can feel the heartache of God for these people and for their rejection of His loving kindness. "For some, [verse 16 says] when they had heard did provoke; howbeit, not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of [what?] unbelief." They could not. It was impossible for them to obtain this promise because they didn’t understand the eternal purpose, the ultimate purpose of God.

Let me bring it down and condense it so that we can go on to the next aspect. I want you to hear what I’m saying. Don’t spend so much time trying to find promises in the Bible that will get you what you want, but spend some time getting to know what God’s purpose is for you, what He really wants from an eternal perspective to be working in your life. Understand that He is the father of lights, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Understand that it’s your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Understand that He’s given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, already ours, working in us in Christ Jesus. It’s not something we have to wrestle from Him to get some kind of new revelation. Everything I need to be like Jesus is already alive and working in me and God wants me to represent Him in power, and authority and in victory and ultimately to cause me to be raised up and seated with Him in the heavenlies as an overcomer to be seated with Him even as He has overcome, the Scripture says, and is seated at Father’s right hand. They couldn’t enter in because of unbelief. "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it." We have a promise, the promise is the ability of rest, or the patience of God to work in us the grace of God. He said, ‘you’d better come to grips with the fact that there’s a responsibility that you and I have to obtain these promises.’ "For unto us was the good news preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith."

Now we’re going to talk about faith for just a minute. The word preached, the word is sure, the word is sure. Turn with me to Psalms for just a second and let’s look at a couple of passages here, and just edify our spirits for a moment in understanding that the Word is sure. Psalm 119, verse 89: "For ever, O LORD thy word is settled in heaven." Do you believe that tonight? "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." It’s a done deal. Where we get in trouble beloved is this, we’re talking about the specific promises. How many of you know that you cannot, any time you want, stand up in a boat in the midst of a storm and say, ‘peace be still’ and the elements will respond to your words? How many of you know that you can’t do that anytime you want? How many of you have ever tried it and got wet? I’ve spoken and seen it happen, and I’ve spoken and seen it not happen. On a couple of occasions I’ve been able to speak and see supernaturally the elements obey the command. I won’t go into the stories now, some of them are pretty neat. I’ve shared with you before the one where it absolutely-we spoke in the name of Jesus and commanded that storm to cease and not to affect our area, our property, and I’m telling you, that we could walk up to the fence man, and it rained on the other side of the fence and not on our property. That’s exciting stuff, man. I’ve seen some stuff. I’ve seem the miracle power of God in ways that just absolutely-I don’t even-you know, I don’t think about this stuff but when I get talking about it I get excited. If you really stop and think about it it’s so exciting, but at the same time it’s-it comes to the place where you have to be careful what you say because well a couple of things-first of all people think you’re lying a lot of times, secondly, if they don’t think you’re lying they think you’re bragging and if they don’t think you’re bragging then they think you’re rambling. And to be able to see these miracles but you can’t just get out of the boat any time you want.

I’ve shared with you the miracle of the airplane that we were on and how God multiplied the fuel. The computer said-every time we calculated it on the computer the computer said you’re going to crash and die. All of the instruments said, you won’t make it, you’re going to crash in the Sierra Nevadas, you will not make it to San Jose, California-there’s not enough fuel. ‘Let’s calculate it again,’ there’s still not enough fuel. ‘Let’s calculate it again,’ there’s less fuel. The pilot looks at me and says, ‘what do you want to do?’ I said, ‘keep flying.’ He took-if you’ve ever seen these pilots, they have their big bags with all of the maps and all of the different things and he took this stuff and just laid it up over all the instruments so he couldn’t see them. And we kept flying, and we kept flying and we kept flying. We landed in San Jose and it was 2:30 in the morning. We rushed immediately to the hospital as my father was lying there dying. They gave him no chance to live. The greatest heart surgeons in the country at that time were in Houston and in Stanford and they were there and they said the heart was dead there was no hope of any bypasses. There was no live tissue to attach itself to as the live tissue was the size of a walnut. And I walked into my father’s beside-and I’ve shared with you what kind of guy he is. He’s not a believer, his interest-he was an interesting character. I walked beside my father’s bed and I said, ‘Dad, I want you to understand something, I’m not here as your son, I’m here as a prophet of God and I’m going to lay hands on you and He’s going to heal you.’ I reached out and touched him and the anointing of God went into his body and the next day these surgeons from Stanford said, ‘we’ve never seen anything like this.’ They said, ‘look at this,’ and they were showing me all of these x-rays and stuff and I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at and they said, ‘look, the heart tissue is alive again, it can’t do that.’ We rejoice in the miracle power of God and yet I’ve prayed for people and we’ve not seen those same results.

I want you to understand, we can stand and say, ‘peace be still,’ and it will be still. I want you to know that when the Lord calls us and says, ‘come,’ we can step out of the boat and walk on the water but you can’t do it any time you want. I want you to know something: we can go against the giants of this world with five smooth stones. I want you to know that when everyone else is cowering on the mountainside we can walk down into the valley and say, ‘my God is going to deliver you into my hand,’ and one shot and the enemy drops. So what do we do tonight then, say, ‘okay, since David did it I can do it,’ and we go out looking for every giant in town to kill him, praise God, because the word is revealed to us? That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that there is no weapon formed against us. Do we go out an initiate these things? Beloved, all of these promises are there to reveal God’s character, His purposes, His ability, but they’re not all there for us to pick and choose when we want to apply them. That’s where people get into trouble. I can’t say it any clearer than this: don’t get out of the boat unless He said, ‘come.’ Amen? Because if you do, you’re going down.

Some of us are so inept we can’t even walk on a puddle. Come in here in crutches trying to walk on a puddle, thinking we can walk on water because Peter did it. Is that a promise? I see his victory walking on water as a promise. I see it as something God declared in His word, it’s something that we could expect at a time like that. I was in that position one time. I’ve shared the story, I won’t go into all the details-up in Canada, and it entered my mind, I thought, ‘Lord, what is going on here, are we going to have to walk back?’ Because everything around me indicated that this boat that we were in was sinking and that Kimberly at-she was like Haley’s age right now-three and a half years old, almost four, Star about two. These two babies, hypothermia would have hit like that in that lake up there in Canada in no time. And it came to my mind, I thought, ‘Lord, surely you’re not through with us yet, surely we’re not gong to die out here. What are you going to do, how are you going to preserve us?’ It crossed my mind, ‘are we going to walk back?’ But I wasn’t ready to die, I was not convinced that God was through with us. But we patiently endured, we just sat and waited. It wasn’t time to walk and God miraculously-I’ve shared the story with you-sent someone out onto that huge lake at sunset, couldn’t even see us, they were driving dead into the sunset. The guy in the boat told us-I was standing there waving at this guy, I thought he saw us, he was coming dead at us. They were getting so close I thought they were going to run over us and he said they were just about to turn and go back when they finally saw us at I would say probably fifty yards. They couldn’t see us because they were looking directly into the sun. In that boat in that lake that guy piloting that boat said, ‘we’re out of time, we’re going to have to get off of this lake.’ He said, ‘let’s take one more run.’ And they just took a course just turned and headed out into the middle of this lake and came exactly to us.

Where is that promise? I’ve got a promise for walking on the water. But where is that other promise? You want me to tell you? ‘It will not come nigh thee.’ And so we look at the Scriptures here and he says, "forever oh LORD, your word is settled in heaven." [Psalm 119:89]. Look at Isaiah, chapter 40 for just a second. Verse 8. This is a blessing: "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever." ‘They do err, not knowing my ways or knowing me.’ I’ll tell you what His purpose is for you tonight, to be the head and not the tail. To be above and not beneath. To be blessed going in and coming out. To have your enemy come against you one way and flee from you in seven. You want the promises of God? Those are God’s promises. You want His promises? You’ll lay hands on the sick and they’ll recover, what things soever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them, praise God. Be anxious for nothing, everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God; and that peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. That’s His will for you tonight that you be at perfect peace. Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. God wants us at peace. That’s His word to us. Forever his word is settled in heaven. The grass will wither, the natural things around us will fade but the word of our God stands sure forever. I am the Lord I change not.

Oh beloved, get to know Him and not just the promises. The promises which we said were the Word give us an understanding of His purpose, but His oath, his character reveals His love and His mercy and His grace and His purpose for us. It’s just like the child that says-you know, you’ve got this rich dad and you’re all the time saying father, what are you going to give me? ‘Don’t worry son, I’ll take care of you, man, I’m going to bless you. How much, when? In our minds we have this set amount. There’s something that we want to get. You know, we may have some, you know, we want this-you know, this little place, you know, little $4,000,000 or $5,000, 000 place in Pebble Beach. And we want a little place over in Europe, and we’d like a Lear jet, and McClarin to fool around in. You know, just some of the toys and you know, father, give me an amount commit something to me. Give me a commitment, Dad. What’s it going to be? Forty, fifty, sixty million? What are you going to give me? I need to know, because see, I need to make some plans. Don’t worry son, I’m going to take care of you, man, it’s going to be all right. Yeah, but Dad, I need to understand. I-you don’t understand, I want a commitment from you. How many of you know that begins to grieve the heart of Father? Why would you settle for a piddley fifty million that He will commit himself to and limit yourself to that when He’s given us carte blanche to just come and ask and have confidence in His character that he’s going to provide exceeding abundant above anything that we could ask or even think. That’s what He’s trying to bring us to understand in this oath that was made in Jesus.

The Scripture speaks concerning the promises of God, and I love these passages on the integrity of the Word of God. Matthew 5:18 we’ve already made reference to: "... Till heaven and earth pass, on jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." I was hoping to get there tonight, but we’re not going to make it. When I talk about the law of God and how so many of us want to go to the law, and we almost by limiting ourselves to declared or revealed promises, we almost move into the law instead of into grace. If we can’t see chapter and verse on it then we get a little concerned and we want to somehow hold God legally and have a clear understanding so that we can somehow administrate this properly in our works rather than resting in the oath that was made of God. And we start getting into works and we start getting into law instead of faith and grace. And so we have to come to that realization again that the law was the schoolmaster to do what? Lead us to Christ. All of the legal declarations that were made-I want you to understand something, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant that was made, the Davidic covenant and promises that were made, all of those were fulfilled already in Jesus. You don’t have to go back and find an Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic covenant, all you have to do is know Jesus and love Him and realize that He’s working in you for good. Well give us something to quote, man, something that will give us some authority that will cause us to have confidence and know that demons will cease, that sickness will bow, that the heavens will open. Okay, here’s a good one: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. You can get some miles out of that. Well, that’s immature, that’s a baby song. Jesus loves me. You can sing it anyway you want. Jesus loves me this I know. It doesn’t matter. The thing is-is that you just have to know that Jesus loves you, man. And so the Scripture is speaking to us here, talking about the promises of God. Matthew 24: 35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." God and His word, the Scripture says, are one. I Peter 1:25, "But the word of the LORD endureth for ever." And so we go, and we understand that these are some of the great promises and that helps us-go back to Hebrews-that helps us understand that when He’s speaking to us about their inability to believe and to enter in because of unbelief, because they didn’t really know the purpose of God. He said, ‘you need to-chapter 4 again, verse 1 of Hebrews. He said, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." How did they do that? "But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with ..." [verse 2]. Without faith, the Scripture says, it’s impossible to do what? Please God. It wasn’t mixed with faith. It wasn’t mixed-the word. The promise was not mixed with a relationship with God, a belief, a trust, a reliance. That’s what faith is in God. The word preached-the promise-will never, never work without the relationship-the trust, the reliance, the assurance of our sonship of what’s been imputed to us.

Turn to Romans 4 for just a second. Romans chapter 4, we’re very familiar with chapters 3 and 4 talking about our righteousness. It’s established in faith that we’re justified by faith and not by works. We’re justified freely by His grace through the redemption that’s in Christ Jesus the Scripture tells us. "... by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified...." [Romans 3:20] "....23 conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." You don’t need the law. You don’t need it is written, it is written, it is written, it is written, because it is written is living in you. The fulfillment of it is written is living in you. Heaven and earth will not pass until it all be fulfilled. Jesus has fulfilled it in His obedience. He did not come to destroy the law, He came and fulfilled the law. It’s done. And because of that we begin to understand then through Abraham He gives us an example, and he says, look, you won’t ever be able to understand these promises working on your behalf; you’re going to still keep trying to earn them and somehow by knowledge, and somehow by works and effort, try to appropriate these things, and you need to understand that it’s a free gift, that it’s already yours, it’s working in you.

Maybe you can understand it, the apostle says, ‘through Abraham.’ And so he tells us a story and in chapter 4, verse 13 he says, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham or his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." The assurance that Jesus has already done it. The promise to Abraham was realized in Jesus. "For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect." [verse 14] "Therefore [verse 16] it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." Now watch-".... before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were. [He] who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nation; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God, through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded [we’re talking about the promises of God] that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness." That last phrase is so important, and we’re not going to have time to unravel all of this here tonight, we’re going to deal with this fourth chapter again in our next session. Get this word. It was "imputed", not "imparted". It was imputed, not imparted. There’s imputed righteousness, there’s imparted righteousness. It must be imputed before it can be imparted. Imputed just means to be put to our account. I have it in my account. Imparted is when you write the check and get whatever you’re wanting. I impute to you a hundred dollars. I impart a hundred dollars and I receive the benefit of the impartation of my hundred dollar faith. And where we get into trouble so many times beloved, is wanting to impart and partake without the realization of our relationship needing to be sure and established and that in this process there has to become, on our parts, an illumination of an eternal purpose and not the temporal. Isaac isn’t the end of this thing. Your healing isn’t the end of it; the deliverance from the fiery furnace was not the end of this thing.

And so he goes on in the next verse, in verse 23 and says, "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" [pronouncing us righteous]. The legal rights and benefits that we have as the children of God.

Last one for tonight, the promises of God is what we’re talking about. Be followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. When we begin to follow the great cloud of witnesses, and we look at Abraham’s life, what is it that we’re really looking to follow here? What about Abraham stands out to you? When you really begin to analyze this guy’s life, you say, ‘okay, what is it about Abraham that I want to emulate?’ Okay, so you think for just a moment and you say, ‘well, okay, Ishmael is out.’ How many of you think Ishmael should be out? Okay, so we don’t want to emulate him in Ishmael. This tells us right here that the people that we’re following aren’t always going to be perfect, are they? Be followers of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises of God. This great cloud of witnesses that is set before us, whose lives we can follow. Abraham.

Look at chapter 11 of Hebrews, look what it says about Abraham here in Hebrews 11-all of the great faith heroes. Verse 8 of the 11th chapter of Hebrews, "By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance [you want to know what you should follow about this man, look at it] he obeyed; and he went out, not knowing wither he went." He obeyed without any explanations, without a full understanding. He didn’t cloud the eternal as he embarked on this journey. Now the one thing that is interesting to me is this, that as God begins to deal with us in obtaining His promises, the faith and the grace that comes to us, that allows us to step out, being the gift of God, we start off with a clear understanding of obedience, and we say, ‘praise God, the Lord’s spoken, here I go.’ It’s later that we get confused. Because you see, it doesn’t always manifest, and we’re waiting patiently, enduring, and waiting for this and so in the midst of this were are having to make determinations. ‘Well, what am I supposed to do now? Surely it should have manifested by now. Did I miss God somewhere? What’s the Lord trying to tell me? I need to pray, I need wisdom, I need understanding, I, I have to do something, we can’t just walk around, we have to do something.’ And His promise to us was a child so I know how I can get one of those.’ That came later. It says, "... he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; And he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He obeyed. He went not knowing. He had a spiritual vision instead of an earthly one and God was the source. Who are you going to follow-people who are building earthly kingdoms or heavenly kingdoms? What kind of kingdom are you trying to build? So we learn a little bit about this man Abraham, the father of our faith, and we’ll learn some more in Romans 4 next session.

Father, we thank you for the Word of God. Help us to understand tonight that through all of this study and the rhetoric and the verses your promise is sure to a thousand generations. Though heaven and earth pass your word will not pass. We rejoice in that and we thank you for the illumination of them, but until we know You it’s just philosophy, ideology, it’s theology, it’s the study of God, but not the knowing of You. The word did not profit them because it wasn’t mixed with trust, reliance, assurance. That which comes from the promises being understood as intentions and purposes, a heart of our Father being revealed, that You will do us good all the days of our life, that You’ll never leave us nor forsake us. You will not leave us comfortless, that it’s Your good pleasure to give us the kingdom. I don’t have to have a contract, a guarantee, a set amount. I know that you care. I know that you know. My heavenly father knows that I have need of these things. And with that assurance I rest, I just absolutely am able to cease from my own works and now the word works. The power of faith begins to invade the spiritual realm and the spiritual weapons that are mighty through God begin to change hearts and circumstances. Now greater revelation begins to manifest and words begin to be more specified than genera, and we hear the words, ‘step in and the Jordan will stand in a heap. Lift your rod the Red Sea will divide. Step out of the boat and come to me.’ But none of those specifics are spoken until the integrity of the oath giver is known and we rest in You. The provision follows the understanding of the purpose of our God. Make it real Father, in Jesus name. Amen.

Let’s stand before the Lord. Did you ever notice how sometimes children will try to use their parents words against them-‘you promised.’ And you know, sometimes dad’s broken promise is so that we can do something better. ‘No, you promised.’ It’s childish to approach a promise that way. It’s because the children have a limited understanding. They only know from their perspective what they think will make them happy and they want to hold you to that promise instead of saying, ‘hey, dad said we’re going to do that, but if we’re not going to do that it must be something better.’ That’s where He’s wanting to bring us beloved, and that’s when the heavens are opened and you can say, ‘I know that when I speak you hear me. I’m not coming to assault you or to insult you, I’m coming because you are for me. I’m coming to you Father as my source because you’ve given me free access by the blood of Jesus. I have no doubt that you know what things I have need of and that you’ll give me beyond my understanding exceeding abundant and I just want to worship You. I just want to praise you and I know that you word says that by the stripes of Jesus I am healed. I know that You want to bless me going in and coming out, and I don’t know how you want to apply it, I don’t know which one you want to put on me but I’m open to the promises and to the good deeds of my God. Father, I have need in Jesus’ Name. Let’s worship Him tonight, just praise Him tonight for His love for you and His purpose for you to be good, praise God. He knows what you have need of tonight. He wants to bless you beyond your expectations. He knows better than you do what your need is tonight. His timing is perfect. He’s never late. He lives in the eternal. He’s not dictated to by time and space. He has no limitations upon His ability. Oh Father, we thank you. Father, I declare tonight that I know that You know. I know that You know that I have need of these things. I’m hurting tonight Father. I’m afraid tonight, Father. I need deliverance Father. I’m anxious tonight, Father. I know that you know, and I ask you just to begin to manifest your presence in my life right now. Bring peace, bring healing, bring deliverance, Father, in the name of Jesus. We come with absolute confidence. This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us, and if we know that He hears us what things whatsoever we desire we have of Him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We know that we have the petitions that we desire of You in the name of Jesus.

Just open your hearts right now, and as we begin to worship the Lord again it’s going to go beyond the healing. It’s going to go beyond the peace that takes care of the anxiousness, because you need iaomai tonight. You need refreshing in your spirit tonight. You need new thinking in your soul tonight. You need new strength in your body tonight. Jesus is here to give you the whole package, not the limited asking that you were going to bring to Him. You were going to limit Him tonight. You were just going to say, ‘Lord, take away the anxiousness.’ He not only wants to bring you peace, He wants to bring you boldness. He wants to give you an illumination of what’s causing the fear in your life. Hallelujah. Don’t limit the promises tonight. Just allow Him to begin to speak to you in the name of Jesus and to manifest Himself to you. Just ask Him, ‘Father, give me the whole picture, show me yourself tonight, make yourself big in my life, in my heart.’ There are needs that are here tonight and what I want you to do, some of you right now, and these are not the only needs, but these are some that come to my mind right now, some of you that are around Bill Heglund, I want you to begin to lay hands on him. He’s going in for surgery and we’re just believing God to restore the hearing and for a complete work done in his ear in the name of Jesus. Those of you who are around Becky I want you to lay hands on her right now. We’re going to begin to pray and we’re not going to limit this to just the healing. Father, show yourself in our lives right now. Make yourself big. Receive the glory. Those that are around Neil lay hands on him in the name of Jesus. Others that are around and you know the needs from the prayer list begin to pray for those right now in the name of Jesus and just ask Him to show Himself mighty in our midst tonight. The promises of God are this: our faith is the victory, praise God. Our faith is the victory. Whatever you can believe Him for He’ll do exceeding abundant. Glory to you Jesus. Father, we thank you right now that you would show yourself mighty. Lord, we thank you right now. We will not limit you to our perspective of promises, but we’ll receive right now the abundance of the promised land. Hallelujah. You didn’t bring us out to let us die, you brought us out to bring us in, praise God. The daily water from the rock, the daily manna, that’s not what it’s all about, it’s a land that flows with milk and honey, it’s wells to drink from that we didn’t dig, vines that we didn’t plant. Hallelujah. Oh thank you Lord, you’re bigger than any of our understanding of You. Every promise, every miracle, is just a little glimpse into who You are and your purpose for us. We won’t limit you to any one visitation. We believe in the general purpose of the ultimate victory of our possession of the promised land. Finish the work, Father, in Jesus name. Before you go turn to somebody and say, ‘exceeding abundant.’ Praise God. Amen, go in peace, God’s love go with you.

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