The Simplicity of God's Promises.
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“For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory.” - 2 Corinthians 1:20
The theme for our 2021 Inscribe the Word Series is THE PROMISES OF GOD, and I cannot be more thrilled to journey the Scriptures with you discovering, inscribing, claiming, and seeing God's promises come to fulfillment.
In the Introductory Post of this series, I told you about a book in my library by Dr. Herbert Lockyer called All the Promises of God. It is a bit of a daunting read, but the treasure inside is invaluable. In this Promises Of God Blog Series, I will attempt to bring out the treasures inside Dr. Lockyer's work in an easy-to-understand way.
If you would like to get a copy of his book All the Promises of God, CLICK HERE.
Part One: THE SIMPLICITY of GOD's PROMISES.
A few years ago, Steven bought our first home. As we sat with our lawyers to sign the paperwork, we were shocked at the vast amount of paperwork. Eight hundred and fifty plus pages sat in front of us, waiting to be signed and discussed.
Our lawyers painstakingly went through each page as we signed for our first home. We understood the enormity before us. We were promising to buy and pay for this house. We were promising, with our signature, that we would not renege on the agreement.
To be honest, I have no idea what those papers said! They were complicated and tedious, but I trusted our agents and lawyers that they were doing right by us.
THE COMPLEXITY OF HUMAN PROMISES.
When did promises become so complicated? Back in the day, a handshake was as good as eight hundred and fifty plus pages to sign and file with the lawyers.
When my son was a toddler, he promised to eat his vegetables or not stand too close to the television. Now that Asher is eleven, the promises have become more complicated. Now, he promises to do his homework, read for an hour, and not watch shows that I would disapprove of.
I guess as an adult, the promises grow as the responsibility to carry them outgrows.
As we change, the promises change.
BUT GOD . . .
THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD'S PROMISES.
His promises are simple for anyone to understand, and because He changes not, what He promised yesterday is still true for today. Because He is a God who does not lie; we can rest assured that He will fulfill His promises.
1. The Promises of God are simply stated.
"The fact that all God's promises are stated in clear, simple terminology adds to their value. They are no expressed in general or ambiguous terms, but with the greatest clarity and perspicuity." - Dr. Herbert Lockyer, All the Promises of God, page 16.
1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us that God is not a God of confusion but peace. God does not desire His people to be confused. He is a God of order, so His promises are not expressed in some chaotic or disorderly way.
The words of our Lord as simple.
They are not wordy.
They are not complicated.
His promises cannot be mistaken.
The promises of God are meant for us to understand, receive, and claim as ours.
2. The Promises of God aren't idle words.
"The child of faith can give the assuring confession that 'heavenly promises' are no idle dreams, no 'perhaps.' [The child of faith] rests upon divine promise that cannot fail." - Dr. Herbert Lockyer, All the Promises of God, page 16.
God was crystal clear when He gave His promises, causing those to who the promise was given to understand completely.
There was no question about God's promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17:15-16. "Then God said to Abraham, 'Regarding Sarai, your wife-her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.'"
Even though it was seemingly impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a child, God's promise was fulfilled when she gave birth to Isaac. (Genesis 18)
God's promise to Mary in Luke 1:30-32 could not be denied as unbelievable as it was. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David."
Mary claimed this unbelievable promise and said, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (Luke 1:38) Nine months later, Emmanuel was born, and God was with us.
When humans make a promise, for some, the words are often idol because we often make promises with no intention of keeping them. For others with even the best intentions, we often fail to keep our promises because our flesh is weak.
Friends, we can rest in the fact that when God makes a promise, by His character, He is obligated to fulfill His promise.
He is faithful. ". . . Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." (Psalm 57:10)
He cannot change. "For I the Lord do not change . . . ". (Malachi 3:6)
He cannot lie. "So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie." (Hebrews 6:18)
Because of who He is, we can trust that God's promises will come to pass. His words are not idle words or falsehoods.
3 . The Things God Cannot Promise.
"Certainly, He cannot promise to do anything involving the contradiction of His will or incompatible with the perfection of His moral nature. But all He has so explicitly promised, He has the power to realize." - Dr. Herbert Lockyer, All the Promises of God, page 17.
Numbers 23:19 tells us that God cannot lie. He cannot go against His character, His will, His plan, or His providences.
Friends, what simplicity there is in the promises of God.
His promises are simply stated for all of us to understand.
God's promises are not idle words. What He says, He will do.
God's promises will be fulfilled because we serve a God who cannot lie.
