Standing on the Promises of God

STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD PART 1 

1. Goal

We will learn how to stand on the promises of God without losing our footing.

2. Introduction

What can we do when the promises of God’s Word don’t seem to come true? Our God is a covenant-making God. He gives us many promises. For example, Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” A look at the reality of life in this world seems to indicate that God’s promises do not always come true. There are two types of promises found in the Bible – general promises and specific promises. Some promises are conditional upon our fulfilling certain acts of obedience before we will see God’s fulfillment. All promises require faith for their fulfillment. John 3:16 and Philippians 4:19 are examples of general promises. Specific promises are given to certain individuals for a unique situation at a certain time. These special passages of Scripture are impressed upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We can hear God’s voice speaking to our heart concerning our current circumstances.

3. Questions

Please give examples of God’s promises in Scripture.

4. Content

A. Claiming God’s Promises Carefully Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? How can we be sure it is God leading us when we claim His promise, and not we leading ourselves? After all, we are capable, with our deceitful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), of reading into a certain passage of Scripture what we want to see. The

Copyright © 1999 by New Hope International Church, Seattle Standing On The Promises Of God Part 1, CG Corr specific promises we claim must be used in conjunction with the other means that God uses to guide us: clear commands and principles from His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), inner conviction from the Holy Spirit when we pray (Romans 8:14; Acts 16:6-7), counsel from mature believers (Proverbs 1:5; 12:15), and providential circumstances. Two men may claim a promise from God’s Word that they will marry a certain woman. Unfortunately, both men want to propose to the same woman! And she is not a believer. Their claim definitely does not come from God.

B. Daniel’s Example Daniel gives us helpful insights into how to claim God’s promises. Having been in captivity in Babylon for approximately 50 years, he came across the promise to Jeremiah that the captivity would only last 70 years. Daniel 9:1-19 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans-- 2in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5"we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6"Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 "O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day--to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 8 "O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 "We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 "Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 "And He has confirmed His words,

2 which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 "As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 "Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 "And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day--we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 16 "O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 "Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 "O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name." Confession This led him to turn to God in prayer. Daniel began his prayer with confession (verses 4-6). This is the first step in praying over a promise. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that the Lord will honor our request if there is unconfessed sin in our lives or if we are living in a condition of disobedience to His revealed will. Bring before the Lord our concerns Next, Daniel reviewed with God the situation he and his fellow Jews found themselves in (verses 7-14). He also reminded the Lord of His character – His mercy, forgiveness, and justice. We, too, should bring before the Lord our concerns – not that the omniscient God needs more information, but because in so doing, our thoughts become clearer and the Lord can help us better understand our situation (Philippians 4:6-7). Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

3 Daniel made know his request based on what God had promised (verses 15-19). He asked specifically that the Lord would turn away His anger and look with favor on Jerusalem. He did not dictate to God how He was to answer the request. Rather, he pleaded for God to answer in response to His promise of restoration, based on His mercy. Like Daniel, we can ask God – even plead with Him – to fulfill His promises, but we should not demand that He perform according to our wishes. God will not jump through our hoops like some trained circus animal, no matter how advantageous we may think the answers are for the advance of His kingdom. He will not be forced by us into acting a certain way. He is God; we are not. Our attitude in claiming God’s promises should mirror Daniel’s – an attitude of humility, reverence, and awe.

5. Discussion Questions

A. What attitudes should we have when we present our requests to the Lord in prayer? B. Please give examples of God’s promises found in Scripture. C. Please share your experience of how God reveals His will to you when you seek counsel from a spiritually mature brother or sister?

6. Memorized Scripture

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,