God Keeps His Promises

This sermon was preached at Evergreen Church on Sunday morning October 27, 2002 by Pastor Scotty L Killingsworth

S102702 The Lord keeps His promises 2 Corinthians 9:6-11/1 Kings

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

From California comes one of the strangest of railroad stories. A train actually runs over treetops. In the building of the rail road a huge ravine was encountered. The sides and bottom of the ravine were heavily wooded. Towering over all other growth were two giant redwood monarchs. They stood in the way of the railroad. The big redwoods were sawed off seventy-five feet from the ground, the exact height from the level of the ravine. So the trains roll over the living trees.

God’s promises upon which the Christian rests are not dead stumps, but living trees that are vital with the life of God.

When we stand on God’s promises we are not standing on dusty or dead things that may get lost in some archive in heaven. They are living promises and they will never be forgotten.

If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully you will reap a bountiful harvest. That is a God-promise.

I want you to meet a man who learned that God never forgets his promises

1 Kings 19:19

My name is Elisha. I came from a family of big-thinking and progressive farmers. When I took my crew out to plough we put 12 ox teams to work at the same time.

We cut an impressive swath through the field each time we passed.

One day the dust was blowing and the sweet smell of newly ploughed dirt filled our noses with the smell of promise. In a few months this dirt would yield a bountiful crop and bless our family and everyone around us. Farming was hard work but rewarding.

After a while on a repetitive job your mind wanders and mine was in a time long ago and a galaxy far, far away, when a man came up behind me and threw a garment of hair on me. I jumped and cried out to the oxen to stop. I turned and saw a man there named Elijah. He invited me to become his associate prophet, and the idea of it so intrigued me I just walked off from the farming project leaving my hired hands and my oxen without leadership.

Elijah realized I needed to go back and get some things in order before I left so he sent me back. But, I was so committed to learning about the Lord and following Elijah I went back and slaughtered my ox team and burned my farming equipment and roasted the meat on the fire. We had a huge party and I left to help Elijah.

*Preaching point- Sometimes we leave the farming equipment in the shed in case we want to go back. The most successful in the spiritual journey of faith cook their cows and follow Jesus.

I had a lot to learn about the craft of being a prophet. Elijah started teaching me about God and prophecy from his past.

Elijah told me about the times God had been faithful to him and kept his word.

#1.He told me about being kept alive by crows after he preached against the horrible Ahab king of Israel who participated in child sacrifice and pagan religion among God’s covenant people. 1 Kings 16:30-34

#2.Later God sent him to Zarephath where he suffered the extreme humiliation of being cared for by a widow woman. But God kept His word and repaid the widow with enough resources to get her and her son through a terrible famine. (He also blessed the woman by restoring her son back to life when he died prematurely 17:17

#3.On Mt Carmel God kept his promise and sent fire from heaven 1 Kings 18:16

#4.God kept Elijah safe from Queen Jezebel after her prophets were killed 1 Kings 19:1-2

#5.God saved him from depression and suicide 1 Kings 19:3-4