II Peter 1:4
Within the scriptures we are able to find more than 10,000 promises from God.
In this message, I want to focus our attention on 4 of the promises of God.
What is so wonderful about the promises of God is that they are attainable if you will trust fully in God.
What promises do we have from God?
1. We have the promise of Peace within our Hearts and Minds.
There will never be true peace in this world especially since man is driven by the selfish desires of greed, directed by the lust for power, and living with a lack of true love for others.
Jesus promised the disciples that although He was leaving to return to the Father and to prepare a place for us, He would leave with them a peace unlike what the world gives. In John 14:27, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Jesus, of course, was promising them perfect peace, an eternal peace, not a temporal peace like the world gives.
This same understanding of God's perfect peace is shared by Isaiah in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah records, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." As you see, if God is the focus of our lives, we can obtain a peace that keeps us feeling safe and secure in Him.
Finally, Paul shared about this perfect peace with both the Romans and the Philippians. In Romans 5:1, Paul told the Romans, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul also shared with the Philippians in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." First, Paul shares with us the peace we obtain through a relationship with God as He instructed the Romans, and our ability to communicate all our problems and petitions will bring us peace in both heart and mind as Paul told the Philippians.
What a promise is ours, perfect peace which protects both our hearts and minds as we trust fully in Jesus Christ our Lord.
2. We have the promise of Tremendous Opportunities for Service.
Yes, you and I have the opportunity to serve the living God and reach the world with the gospel of Christ. No matter if you are well educated or not, one's heart desire to serve is enough for God to intervene and use you.
John wrote to the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:8 and he told them about this tremendous open door of opportunity that God has given to us for service, he wrote, "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Fellowship with God opens up doors that we cannot fathom. Rejecting Jesus Christ or denying Him will close doors of service.
Paul again shared with the Philippians in Philippians 4:13, 19, the resources that become ours when we choose to serve the Lord and allow Him to have control of our lives. First, Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Second, Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." As you see, God never calls you to do a job that He does not fully equip you to complete. God never calls us to failure, but success in our work of glorifying Christ. Therefore, when we choose to serve, we are given the strength to finish the task, and whatever we need to accomplish it, is ours just for the asking.
Do you desire to do more for the Lord than you have accomplished since becoming a born-again believer? Remember the reaction of Isaiah when given the opportunity to serve, he told God he would go, he would do it. Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8b, said, "Here am I; send me." Don't pray that God would perform His will through the service of others, but ask God to use you to accomplish His will.
Once again, what a promise, we can serve the God of the universe and do something to fulfill His will.
3. We have the promise that God's Mercy is there when we are in Need.
As grace is God giving us something we do not deserve and that is His acceptance into His family, so mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve and that is judgment and punishment.
Do you not see how loving and forgiving God is to us? When we fail God or when we let Him down, through His mercy He reinstates us and gives us another opportunity to do better. Remember Jonah? God called him to go to Nineveh, but he fled from God's presence, and yet in Jonah 3:1, it says, "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying..." Second time, which means that God did not give up on Jonah, He just had to instruct him and as with us, sometimes He has to whip us into shape for service.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that as believers we can approach the throne of God personally and obtain mercy. Hebrews 4:16, says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Because of Jesus Christ and our relationship with God, we can come before God, asking for His help, and He will give it to us.
This promise again tells us that Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. When I fail, I can be reinstated in God's service, when I sin, I can be given forgiveness all because of Jesus Christ my Lord.
4. We have the promise of Strength when we are Weak.
Although we are limited in our strength, we can have all the strength needed through the Lord. In Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah records, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." See God cares, and He will give us the strength to do all things for His glory.
Just prior to our last text, Isaiah records in Isaiah 40:29, "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Although we are weak, when we dedicate ourselves to His service, God is there to give us the strength needed to overcome any problem and to fulfill any task.
Right now, if you are struggling in this life, give your all to the Lord and He will give you strength and power to overcome all of your cares. Will you trust in Him?
Conclusion: Although there are many promises, I believe these 4 are very precious and will give us an understanding that our God cares about us and wants us to succeed in our service. Be thankful to God for these promises and search the scriptures, you will find many more.
