HOW TO USE THE PROMISES OF GOD

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PREFACE

One of the important areas of Scripture regarding this subject is found in the Book of Hebrews chapters three and four. The writer compares the ministry of two messengers, Christ and Moses. Christ is the greater for He is the builder of the house of God. Moses was a servant in the house. Moses' ministry was to go to Egypt and gain the release of the Jewish people from the Egyptians, then lead the people to the Promised Land. This land would be called "the Promise Land" (Hebrews 11:9 "the land of promise"). All through Israel's history this expression "the promise land" would be a beacon of hope to the Jews as their national sovereignty would be threatened and during her repeated captivities and dispersions. This is like the war cry of Sam Houston's army "Remember the Alamo".

This is the background from which this study emerges. The comparisons are simple. Moses administrated a promise from God to the Jewish people. The promise was a land flowing with milk and honey. It promised not only a permanent place for all Jews, but freedom, rest from their horrible slavery. Christ is the administrator of a new covenant. This contains many promises which are different than Israel's; such as, our promised land is heavenly and not earthly (John 14:1-3).

The point of this introduction is to demonstrate that the theme of this context is about the promises of God. The writer was warning the Church of a grave and immanent danger. They were in danger of becoming like the Exodus generation in Israel. What were the similarities? God gave Israel promises. God has given the Church promises. This is the first similarity. The second likeness was in the process of occurring. Israel did not believe the promises of God. So the Church of Jesus Christ through ignorance and even unbelief were failing to lean on the promises of God.

The writer is challenging the Church not to make the same mistake "The Peril of Unbelief - Hebrews 4:1-3".

Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Hebrews 4:1-2.

The analysis of the first two verses reveals some important principles. First, who is this addressed to? When the writer says "let us" he includes in the plural all believers of the Church Age. This means believers today not just First Century Christians. Like Israel God has promised us rest. For Israel that promise was freedom from Egyptian bondage. Her rest was physical and geographical while ours is spiritual. We are promised a moment by moment rest, a place of inner peace and joy in times of adversity (Philippians 4:6,7; John 16:33). Two different kind of rests, but make no mistake they are both based upon promises which God has given to believers.

Lastly, the Exodus generation failed to believe the promise and did not enter the promised rest:

And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:17-19

PROBLEMS (related to the promises of God)

Ignorance

There are several hindrances to the full utilization of the promises of God. The first to be avoided is ignorance. You cannot apply to your circumstances what you do not know exists. Peter says that we are the recipients of "exceedingly great and precious promises" but we must know the promises before we can employ them. Some people say that "What you don't know won't hurt you." This is untrue in the Christian way of life. Ignorance cuts us off from God's resources and blessing. WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW DOES HURT YOU!

Unbelief

God may extend mercy when there is ignorance, but He deals severely with unbelief. The Exodus generation is the bad example which should not be followed:

They proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan." Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it." But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us." Numbers 13:26-31

Certainly there were difficulties, but with God nothing is impossible. Did he not deliver them out of the hand of Pharaoh? They were the recipients of great and precious promises:

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 'These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel. " Exodus 19:5,6

Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you will truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. Exodus 23:20-22

The promise's were not received because they did not believe them. They had no faith in God and therefore they were doomed to wander in the wilderness. They never enjoyed the promised rest or entered the promised land. Thank God the promised rest has not been rescinded. It is still being offered although different in nature. The danger is that we might fall short of obtaining the promised rest if we do not trust in the promises of God. Might this illustrate the principle:

A warehouse may have 7000 sacks of cement in storage, but they are useless until they become concrete. They must be mixed with water and sand in the right proportions. Thus, before the promises of God contained in the Word can become concrete, they must be mixed with faith. Verse two indicates that we have the same advantages as the Exodus generation. We have the promises of God. Also, we have the same dangers, ignorance and unbelief.

They came to the gates of Canaan, But they never entered in. They came to the land of promise, But they perished in their sin. And so we are ever coming, To the place where two ways part: One leads to the land of promise, And one to a hardened heart.

PROCEDURES (How to use the promises of God)

By looking up the promises of God

The promises in this [directory] are topically arranged. Look through the table of contents and locate a promise that corresponds to your need. If you are worried about something, then look at the promises listed in the section "When I am tired and tense or When I lack peace of mind."

By learning the promises of God

After we define our need and find an appropriate promise we must memorize and meditate on them. The promises of God do not benefit us if they are locked up in Scripture. We must locked them up in our hearts and minds. Psalm 119:11.

By leaning on the promises of God

William Barclay writes:

A word, however great and noble and precious, is of no avail unless it becomes integrated into the person who hears it by faith. There are many different kinds of hearing in this world. There is indifferent hearing; there is disinterested hearing; there is cynical hearing and mocking hearing. The hearing that matters is the hearing that listens eagerly, and then acts. The promises of God are not merely beautiful; piece of literature; they are not merely sweet saying which mean nothing; they are promises on which a man is meant to stake his life and by which he is meant to dominate his action.

Define your need. Find an appropriate promise. Claim that promise through prayer.

PATIENCE (Waiting on the Lord) When the answer to our prayers are delayed and the circumstances resist all our efforts to be changed, we need patience and endurance. Waiting on the Lord is a great principle. We are not good long distant runners. We live in a fast food, instant, readi-mix society. We hate to wait for anything and when we are confronted with lines and slowdowns we want to scream. We must learn to wait on the Lord by: First, HOLD UP (Give the problem to the Lord) Follow the advice of 1 Peter 5:7 by "Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you." Secondly, HOLD OFF (Do nothing!) This is important. God helps the hopeless. He will not do for you what you can do for yourself, but he will always do for you what you cannot do for yourself. There are two extremes to beware of when we are faced with a persistent problem. One is to sing the blues, to become depressed or worried, to fall apart or just give up. We throw up our hands in discuss and quit. We quit caring. We quit praying. We quit trusting. Another reaction is to try to solve the problem in your own strength. If you are like this then listen carefully. Do you believe that "Doing something is better than doing nothing?" Have you ever been asked, What are you going to do about that and you said "I don't know, but I have to do something!" Here is the principle: DO NOTHING. Doing nothing is doing something. What is it you are doing? You are doing nothing and that is the something that you are doing. Actually, you are waiting on the Lord, that is what you are doing. Thirdly, HOLD ON (Take a promise which fits the need you have and cling to it.You pray without ceasing and you cling to the promise without ceasing. Every day that the problem exists you pray and hold on to that promise. You continue to walk by faith. You continue to trust the Lord and depend upon Him. Isaiah says that our experience should be this: He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Isaiah 40:20. This is a great promise. God helps the helpless. The faint are those who recognize their helplessness. He gives them power or strength. If He does not remove the problem, then as we wait on the Lord there will be strength to endure it. God sustains us while the problem exists. We give the problem to the Lord and the Lord gives us His strength. While we wait on the Lord for deliverance we rest in His promises: But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Some have reversed this verse. They fight the problem while the Lord waits. He waits to bless them, but He can't get their attention. They are too busy delivering themselves. PERSONAL CHALLENGE The directory only contains a very small number of promises. It is meant to illustrate a wonderful resource that God has given to His people. He wants us to be strong in faith and by understanding the promises and applying them to our lives we will be much more conquerors in Him who gives us the victory. As you study the Scripture and discover more promises add them to your list. However, this study is for believers. If you have never personally accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then the issue is not mixing your faith with the promises of God, but believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and He took your place on the cross as your substitute. He was your sin-bearer: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3 He was your substitute: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 God's blessing in your life begins the moment you acknowledge your indebtedness to Jesus Christ. When you pray "Father, I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and took my place on that cross," then God saves. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16