September 21, 2008
Evening service
Text: Joshua 21:43-45
Subject: The Promises of God
Title: Receiving What God has Promised
Do you remember the days when a man’s (or woman’s) word was as good as a contract? I wonder how many business transactions have been sealed with a handshake instead of a legal document? Today it is a different world though. Today, instead of standing upon an agreement made in word much of the business world and society in general looks for the fine print and a way to sidestep the commitment that was made.
Booker T. Washington describes meeting an ex-slave from Virginia in his book Up From Slavery : "I found that this man had made a contract with his master, two or three years previous to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the effect that the slave was to be permitted to buy himself, by paying so much per year for his body; and while he was paying for himself, he was to be permitted to labor where and for whom he pleased.
"Finding that he could secure better wages in Ohio, he went there. When freedom came, he was still in debt to his master some three hundred dollars. Notwithstanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed him from any obligation to his master, this black man walked the greater portion of the distance back to where his old master lived in Virginia, and placed the last dollar, with interest, in his hands.
In talking to me about this, the man told me that he knew that he did not have to pay his debt, but that he had given his word to his master, and his word he had never broken. He felt that he could not enjoy his freedom till he had fulfilled his promise."
That is a great story of integrity from a human standpoint. But I want to talk to you tonight about the integrity of God and how if He has said something, His word is good.
1 Samuel 15:29, He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
What God has written in His word is true and I want to show you some steps to receive God’s promises for your life.
43So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. 45Not one of all the LORD’S good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
I. THE LORD GAVE LAND. 43So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers … I want you to notice something about this. The land that God was giving the nation of Israel began with a covenant with Abraham. It really had nothing to do with the righteousness of those who were about to receive the land. Even though they were not part of the original covenant, God is still faithful to do what He said He would do. The word sworn in the original Hebrew has a stronger meaning than the English translation gives it. It means, to seven oneself, that is, swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times. The number seven is the number of perfection in the Bible so we see that when God makes an oath of swears to something it is a perfect declaration of what He is going to do – in this case He gave to Israel the land He had promised their forefathers. Now, you would think that would be good enough wouldn’t you? I mean if God has promised us something and has even gone the next step and given it to us what else do we need? A couple of years ago after we had sent Christmas presents to our daughter in Denver we noticed that we forgot to send a package. That gift was hers. We purchased it for her. It had her name on it. It was intended for her to use as she saw fit. But as long as it was here it wasn’t doing her any good. Look at what has to happen before God’s promise has any value to you. 43So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. Let me help you understand this a little better. Over two thousand years ago Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead for our salvation. It was already yours before you ever confessed your sins and asked Jesus to come into your heart. The price was already paid. It was nicely bundled up as a free gift for you. As a matter of fact in my case God tried to give it to me many times. It was already mine but it was no good to me until I took possession of it. Jesus said in John 10:16, I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen… He was talking about those who would later accept His offer of salvation. He spoke like it was a done deal – because it was. The word that is translated “take possession” has as its primary meaning, to occupy by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place. So since God had given Israel the land all that was left was for them to take possession of it. That is what we have to make our minds up to do – to drive out the enemy – and take back what he has stolen from us
II. THE LORD GAVE REST. 44The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. God gave them rest so that everyone would know that it was not Israel who had conquered but God who had given. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 4, 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. When you make up your mind to receive what God has promised you no enemy can stand against you. Jesus has given you authority over the enemy. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 1 Corinthians 15 says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Until then you have authority over every principality, every power, every spiritual authority that satan has working on earth. When it says in verse 44 that the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand it literally means that He has given them all (every one) over to their authority. That authority is another thing that has been given to every believer but unless you accept it and do something with it the enemy still acts like he has authority over you. When Israel entered the Promised Land and faced their enemy they would pursue them as long as they had to in order to insure victory. Jesus said that the church is supposed to be on the attack against the very gates of hell and that even hell wouldn’t be able to stand against us. It isn’t because we can do it but it is because Jesus has already done it for us. The enemy called sickness is defeated. The enemy called poverty is overtaken. The enemy called sin has been brought to its knees. They have been handed over to you. What are you going to do with that authority?
III. THE LORD GAVE PROMISES. 45Not one of all the LORD’S good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. I want you to see the significance of that verse. God has made many promises to Israel. Some were fulfilled when they entered the Promised Land. Some came about when Israel became a nation again in 1948. Some won’t be fulfilled until the second coming of Christ. Yet in God’s economy every promise that has ever been made is done. How can that be since the time isn’t here yet? The answer doesn’t lie in the timing of the promise. It lies with the one who promised. Romans 4, 18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now turn over to Hebrews 11. 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. Does that make the promises of God any less real? 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Now obviously that is talking about the promise of eternal life. But even though Jesus had not died on the cross yet, even though He hadn’t risen from the dead, even though He hadn’t ascended back to heaven the promise of salvation was as real then as it is now. And even though we are not in His presence yet He has given us the Holy Spirit as the down payment of things yet to come. God’s promises are real. They never fail.
God promised the land. Israel had to do something to receive it. They had to possess the land. Does that have any value to us? Psalm 2:8, Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
The Lord promised rest and the enemy fell. Even though you are in a spiritual battle you aren’t fighting for the overall victory. That has already been accomplished. You are fighting against the enemy for the control of your surroundings. That is why we pray. One of you can put a thousand to flight. Two will put ten thousand to flight. That is why it is good to bind your hearts together in prayer. That is why we agree together. That is why we need to know what God has promised us in His word.
Because the Lord has given promises and they have never failed.
During his first pastorate, Dr. Reuben Torrey had a woman who attended his church often but was not a member. When Torrey asked her about this fact she replied that she was not a member simply become she did not believe the Bible. Torrey said, "Why don’t you believe the Bible?" She responded, "Because I have tried its promises and found them untrue."
Torrey asked her to give one promise that she had found to be untrue. She said, "The promise that says that whatever things you desire when you pray, believe that you shall receive them and you shall have them. Once I prayed for something very earnestly, but I did not receive it. Isn’t it true that his promise failed?"
Torrey said, "No, not at all."
"But doesn’t it say that you shall receive whatever you ask for if you believe it?" Torrey agreed that it said something like that. But he said, "You first have to ask yourself if you are one of the ’you’s.’" She looked puzzled, so he asked again, "Are you one of the people to whom the promise is made?"
"Isn’t it made to every professing Christian?" Torrey said, "Certainly not! God defines very clearly in his Word the ones to whom his promises to answer prayer are made." She said, "It does?" When she asked to see the verse, he took her to 1 John 3:22:We have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Torrey said, "The prayers that God answers are made by those believers in Jesus Christ who keep his commands and do those things that please him. Torrey said, "They are the ’you’s.’ Do you keep his commandments?"
The woman admitted that she did not. Eventually she came back to God and became one of the most active and useful members of his congregation.
Holwick’s Illustrations
Are you receiving God’s promises?
