The Surety of God's Promises.
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And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.”
Hebrews 7:20-22
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.
In Part One of the Promises Series, we spoke about the Simplicity of God’s Promises. The divine promises are simply stated for all of us to understand. God's promises are not idle words. We can be confident that what He says, He will do. We read that God's promises will be fulfilled because we serve a God who cannot lie.
In Part Two of the Promises Series, I shared with you the Conditions of God’s Promises. We learned to read the Promises of God in the context with which they were written. If we aren't careful, we can fall into the trap of seeing the divine promises apart from The Giver of the Promise and apart from His Word.
In Part Three of the Promises Series, we are going to discuss The Surety of God’s Promises.
Part THREE: THE Surety of GOD's PROMISES.
All of God's promises are backed by His Word and His oath. Take a moment and read Hebrews 6:16-19.
"Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.
God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."
1. God’s Promises are backed by His Word and His oath.
Humans often swear by someone greater than themselves. For example, In courts of law, we promise to tell the truth and then add, "so help me, God." We appeal to God for confirmation that what we are going to say is true. I've heard people say, "I swear on my mother's grave." Or maybe you've heard folks say, "I swear by the science or I swear by the data." Humans tend to swear by something greater than themselves.
Our oath, then, confirms our promise. When the person on the stand says, "I promise to tell the truth, so help me God." It is understood that the promise will be kept, and they will tell the truth.
But by whom does God swear? He is the highest there is!
If God has given us great and precious promises, who does He make an oath to secure that He is telling the truth? You may think that is a silly question, but the writers of the Scriptures did not. They wrote in Genesis 22 and Hebrews 10:17 that God has sworn by Himself that He will keep the promises He makes.
What a God we serve! He has given us TWO unchangeable things that we can rely on: His promises or His word and His oath. He bound Himself with an oath so that we would be absolutely assured that what He promised would come to pass.
The writer of the Hebrews is writing to a people who are being persecuted. They are undergoing great trials and he wants them to have an assurance that all God’s promises will come true and that their future is firmly in His hand for our good.
In our persecution and trials, we can hold onto the promises of God. We can rest in the oath that He has given and we can find peace in His faithfulness. During the trial and the tribulation, we hold onto HOPE.
2 . Divine Promises are sure because they are promises of deity.
In 2020, our Inscribe the Word theme was “The Attributes of God”. This theme ties in beautifully with The Promises of God. We can be sure that all of God's promises will come to pass because they are backed by His attributes, His character, and His deity.
“Because of all He is, in Himself as God, He was, and is, bound to fulfill every word of His. As ‘all Scripture is given by inspiration of God’ (2 Tim. 3:16), its divine promises must be God-breathed, and therefore impossible of non-fulfillment.” - All the Promises of the Bible, 23.
He is FAITHFUL.
Therefore, God's promises are backed by His faithfulness. "Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands." - Deuteronomy 7:9
"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:24
He is LOVE.
Therefore, "behind all God's promises, there is the love-beat of a Father's heart, seeking the highest and best for those He loves." - H. Lockyer.
"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." - 1 John 4:16
He is OMNIPOTENT.
Therefore, His power ensures the ability that He can accomplish all that He has promised.
"Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises." - Romans 4:20-21
He is HOLY.
Therefore, all of His promises encourage us to strive to be Holy as He is Holy.
"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." - 2 Corinthians 7:1
He is GOOD.
Therefore, "through them, God seeks the highest good for all those who love Him." - H. Lockyer.
"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:12
We could continue because His Attributes are so vast and so wide! We can be sure, Friends, that His Attributes are tied up in His promises. It will be wonderful to look at the promises of God throughout Scripture and see the beauty of who He is inside of them.
3 . The very names of God guarantee His promises.
Another guarantee of God's promises coming to fulfillment are the very names of God. I listed a few of God’s names on this chart along with the meaning/promise of the name and a few verses to study. CLICK HERE to download a PDF of this chart for your notes.
CLICK HERE to download this chart for your notes.
As we look to inscribing the Promises of God in 2021, we can rest on the fact that His promises are sure.
They are backed by God’s Word and God’s oath. The promises of God are promises of deity and will be fulfilled because He cannot lie; His attributes secure His promises. The promises of God are sure in the fact that the very names of God back His promises!
