Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
6/22/97 am
In Celebration of God’s Great & Precious Promises
Reading 2 Peter 1.3-11
Psalm 36.8 in the NIV has David saying, speaking of God; We feast in the abundance of your house; you give us drink from your river of delights. God is so good to us, providing everything we need. This morning we noted the precious promises Jesus gave us in John chapter 14. Tonight, I want us to celebrate these promises and others. Church, its one thing for us to participate in a sermon on God’s promises by just listening. It’s another thing altogether, for us to participate by listening and praising God in song. So, tonight access a song book and let us Celebrate God’s Great And Precious Promises.
The first thing I want us to notice is, that our God is a covenant making, a covenant keeping God.
- God made a covenant with Noah concerning the ark and the saving of Noah and his family.
- God made a covenant with Noah about a rainbow, a promise that He still keeps today.
- He made a covenant with Abraham which we are benefactresses of today, that through Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
- God has promised us that, if we will respond to His grace by faith, we will be saved.
- In Romans 8, God promises us that He will work out all things to our benefit, if we will love and serve Him.
We cannot always count on the covenant promises of men, but we can ALWAYS, ALWAYS count on the promises of God. Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word, My promises will never pass away.
Let’s sing #452 — Standing On The Promises.
WE CELEBRATE THE PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS OF ALL OUR SINS
I don’t know what an atheist does with his sins, do you? But I know what God does with mine and yours as believers.
- He removes them as far as the East is from the West.
- He covers them and remembers them no more.
- He forgets our sins, as if they never happened.
Listen to these verses from Scripture:
- Ephesians 1.7, In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
- Colossians 1.13-14, For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
God promises us forgiveness, made possible by the blood of Christ shed on the cross.
Well, how do we access this blood? I believe the Bible to teach two ways.
1. Through the act of New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of our sins. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2. In the act of walking in the light. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, continues to cleanse us from all sin.
Let’s sing about this great and precious promise together... Song #381
GOD PROMISES FELLOWSHIP
- When Jesus gave the great commission, He promised to be with us always, listen: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
- In John 14 Jesus says, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode, our home with him.
- The Hebrew writer says, God will never leave us, that He will never forsake us.
Let’s sing together number 601... “My God and I.”
THEN WE HAVE THE PROMISE OF ANSWERED PRAYER
Let’s read again the scripture from Matthew 7, a promise from the lips of Jesus. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Listen to Hebrews 4.16, Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Let’s sing number 827, “Sweet Hour Of Prayer.”
GOD ALSO PROMISES DELIVERANCE FROM TEMPTATION
- Paul wrote to the church at Corinth saying, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
- Peter echoes this thought when he writes, The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment.
There is something noteworthy about temptation that I want to mention. Deliverance from temptation REQUIRES a participation with God on our part.
There is something we must do.
- Jesus says we ought to pray asking God, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
- James tells us to, resist the devil and he will flee from us.
- Paul tells timothy and us to, flee youthful lust.
You see, God has provided us with the sword of the Spirit with which we can battle the fiery darts of Satan, and then promises us that He will give us the victory. What a great and precious promise.
Let’s sing number 905, “Yield Not To Temptation.”
GOD PROMISES HELP WITH LIFE TUMBLES IN
Listen to Jesus from Matthew 6. 25-33, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Indeed! Indeed! God will take care of us... Turn to song #461
PERHAPS THE GREATEST PROMISE OF ALL IS A HOME IN THE FATHERS HOUSE
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.
Let’s sing some songs about heaven.
GOD’S GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES ARE FOR THOSE WHO WILL OBEY HIM
I would be dishonest with you if I told you that God’s promises are unconditional. You see, a convent is between two parties. God has made all these blessing available to us by His grace, but we must respond to His grace in obedience to His commands.
- Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
- Adam and Eve disobeyed, the covenant was broken, and they lost the presence of God and their residence in the garden of Eden.
- Scripture tell us that because of the lack of faith, Cain offered an unacceptable sacrifice, bringing about God’s curse upon him.
- The love of things caused Esau to sell his birthright for a bowel of soup.
- Pride caused Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the church.
- A love of preeminence caused Diotrephes to gossip and act maliciously, bringing a rebuke in Scripture for all the world to read.
Audience, the Bible tells us that all spiritual blessings are in Christ. The question is, are we in Christ? How do we get “In Christ”? The Bible tells us. Listen to Galatians 3.26-27, For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, have been clothed with Christ.
Perhaps you have made a covenant with God, but have failed to keep your end of the commitment. Ask for forgiveness and pledge your faith in a new commitment.
Do what you need to do to become what God want you to be and enjoy His blessings, celebrate His great and precious promises?
