God’s Enduring Promise
(Part I)
Galatians 3:15-25
Douglas E. Moore shares the following illustration: - 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."
There was a time (not so long ago) when a man’s word and a handshake was as good as a written contract? Sadly in our day, some people will look you in the eye, make you a promise with no intentions of honoring their obligations. Even those who are honorable and possess integrity may still let you down. There have been times in my life (as a result of certain circumstances) where I have failed to follow through on promises that I have made.
Sometimes we let people down, maybe not on purpose, but we fail them nonetheless. But I am thankful as we read the Word of God that we find some promises that will endure! Not one time has God ever made a promise that He did not …or will not keep! When God promises you that He will answer you prayers…THEY WILL BE ANSWERED! When God promises that He will never leave you…HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE! When God promises you Eternal life….HE IS NOT GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY! When God promises a home in Heaven… YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT IT WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU! ….GOD’S PROMISES WILL ENDURE!!
God made Abraham some promises, and each and every one of them has been or will be fulfilled. I would like to look at that fact today and preach on the subject “God’s Enduring Promise”
* Background:
In Galatians chapter 3, Paul has confronted the foolish actions of the Galatian believers. He has declared that they have been “bewitched” or deceived by the Judaizers. In verses 6-13 Paul revealed the fact that we are justified by faith alone. And that the “just shall live by faith” v11. - Then in verse 14 he states that “God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessings that He promised to Abraham”
Simply stated, because of our faith in Christ, we are heirs to the promises of God. And you can rest assured that those promises will endure! For us to fully comprehend the privilege of being “heirs to the promise” we must take some time and examine at those things that God promised Abraham so long ago. By doing this, we will see several things about this promise. In Part I of this sermon we will see “The Origination and the Illustration of God’s Promise”
* I invite you to go with me back to Genesis 12. It is here that we will see:
I. God’s Enduring Promise: The Origination - Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed……….. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land…
In these verses (as well as the following chapters of Genesis) we find that God made several promises to Abraham.
1) He promised him that he would become a great nation.
2) The Lord would make Abraham’s name great.
3) God would bless those that bless him.
4) God would curse those that curse him.
5) In Abraham ALL the nations of the world would be blessed.
6) God promised Abraham children.
7) In fact God stated that Abraham’s seed would be innumerable - Genesis 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
8) God goes on to tell Abraham and his seed would inherit the land of Israel forever
You may ask “why is this relevant to us?” - The answer to your question is found in verse 8 - “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” -------- This is relevant because we are “justified by faith” and as a result “heirs to the promise”. Paul describes this promise as “The Gospel” This is also seen in his response to his imprisonment Acts 26: 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
Paul stated that he was being condemned “because of his hope in the promises to the Fathers of Israel” We have talked a great deal in recent weeks about the “finished work of Jesus Christ”. There is much more to Christ’s work than just sacrifice and salvation. Remember what Jesus said in - Matthew 5:17 think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. - It was part of the Father’s plan for the Son to fulfill His promise to Abraham! If God would go to such lengths to fulfill His promise to Abraham, shouldn’t that give us more than enough reason to trust in the promises He has made to us.
It is a blessing to be a recipient of this promise. But this promise does not apply to everyone here! This is a promise only to those who are born again. We see this in great detail down in verse 26 “for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
If you are not a child of God the Word describes you as “strangers and aliens” --- Ephesians 2:12 (states that) … ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.
Those who are not “in Christ” are excluded from this promise. You are living a life without God…. You are living without hope! But because of Grace that can be changed! You can be saved and become an heir to the covenant promises that God has made. Then you can live WITH GOD! You can live WITH HOPE! You have the opportunity to live with ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PROMISES!
How is this possible?It is possible because of one of God’s enduring promises! Look back up at verse 13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
The word Paul used in verse 13 is “redeemed”. Redeem - means to “buy up”, to “purchase” …to “ransom”. The picture that is painted is of someone who purchases a slave in order to give them their freedom. If you are lost you are a slave to sin, but Jesus has paid the price to redeem you and SET YOU FREE! It is because of God’s enduring promise; you have the opportunity to experience that redemption today!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Friend, there are severe consequences involved when you reject salvation through Jesus. We are told of a place of never ending torments and eternal separation for those who die lost in their sins. But you can escape… YOU CAN BE DELIVERED FROM THIS FATE! God has made a promise that will endure, if you will turn to Jesus in faith, you can be justified today!
This goes back to the heart of what Paul was trying to get the Galatian believers to comprehend. They had turned to Jesus by faith, and they needed to be reminded that “because of God’s promises”, they were justified by that faith. Now that we have seen “The Foundation Of God’s Enduring Promise” let’s return back to Galatians Chapter 3.
It is here, in verse 6 that Paul asserts that Abraham was justified by faith alone. As we arrive at verses 15-18 it seems that Paul was expecting some objection to his declaration that Abraham was justified by faith alone. When you begin to contradict what people believe they will often take that opportunity to argue with you. Many times in the church you will find someone who will vigorously argue their beliefs even when scripture directly contradicts them.
During my time in the ministry I have encountered people who had good intentions but they based their beliefs on traditions (often legalistic traditions) instead of scripture. One year around Christmas time I had a conversation with a man during a Sunday school class. I mentioned the fact that when the wise men came and offered their gifts to the Savior, that it was not at the inn in Bethlehem. In fact it most likely occurred when Jesus was near 2 years old. This man became angry and was adamant that this happened at the same time that the shepherds came to worship. I asked him why he believed that. He stated that he knew it to be a fact because every Christmas play he had ever seen had Angels’ Shepards and Wise men on the stage together! It was at that point that I knew there was no point in arguing with this man because his mind was not going to be changed. But the problem was that he based his theology on traditions instead of scripture.
Many churches today take great pride in being “old fashioned”. And they base many of their actions and beliefs on traditions instead of scripture. I am not concerned with whether we are “old fashioned” or “modern”. My focus is not on whether we are “traditional” or “contemporary”… I WANT TO BE BIBLICAL!
But I have seen first hand that when you attempt to question or contradict someone’s beliefs there will be a confrontation. When you speak in opposition to ideas and traditions that people have been taught their whole lives, there will be TROUBLE! No doubt Paul was expecting some to attempt to contradict the truths that were laid out in his Epistle to the Galatians. In verses 15-18 Paul declares the superiority of the Abrahamic Covenant. In verses 19-22 He reveals the inferiority of the Law
Through these verses we are given a clear illustration of God’s promise. Let’s look to this portion of scripture and see:
II. God’s Enduring Promise: An Illustration - v15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
Again I remind you that Paul is speaking to believers. (He calls them brethren). These were believers who had made some foolish decisions… Though they had been deceived by the Judaizers they were still his brothers and sisters. When you look at the context of these verses it is apparent that this was a bold confrontation. But in the midst of this stern rebuke we can see that Paul still loved them. In fact, I believe that his love and compassion for them was the motivation for this moment of correction.
In verse 15 Paul gives his readers an example from every day life: Here is the illustration that he shared: If a contract or agreement had been signed and sealed in the presence of a witness, then it was legally binding. A covenant is more than just an agreement, it is an unbreakable contract. It was protected by civil law and no man could legally modify that contract.
I read a story a while back about a man who was a multi-millionaire. His first wife had passed away and some years later he remarried. After his second marriage he went to his attorney and changed his “Last Will and Testament” and designated his new wife as the sole beneficiary. This did not go over very well with his children, but it was his decision to make. After a few years problems arose in the marriage and it was discovered that the wife had been unfaithful. The millionaire called his lawyer and told him to remove his wife as sole beneficiary. He then decided it best to give his entire estate to his two children. The attorney drew up the paperwork but before the millionaire could get to the office to sign them, he died. And even though it was in direct opposition to his wishes, his estranged wife received the entire estate. Obviously his children were outraged. But the original will was a binding legal agreement and it could not be changed.
This is the picture that Paul was painting for the Galatian believers. His point was that if a covenant between two men was irrevocable, how much more sure is a covenant made by God. - The Lord doesn’t change and neither do His promises! - Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;
The covenant that God made with Abraham was not to ever be broken… only fulfilled. Nothing or no one could change the promises given to Abraham by the Heavenly Father. The Law could not change the promise! No Jew or Gentile could change the promise! No Judaizer could change the promise! Not even God’s covenant with Moses changed God’s promises to Abraham. Simply stated… GOD’S PROMISES WILL ENDURE!
The promises that the Galatians needed to grasp are the same promises that we must comprehend as well. When God says through His Word that “no man is justified by the Law” and that “the just shall live by faith” you can take that to the bank! There are not many things that we can be 100% certain of. Though there is much uncertainty in this life.
There are 3 things that you can count on:
1) You Will Die! (Barring the rapture)
2) You Will Face Judgment!
3) You Will Confess That Jesus Is Lord!
4) You will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell.
I have no doubt that there are some here today who are trusting in the wrong things to get you to Heaven. No matter what you “believe”… no matter what you have been taught ….Regardless of any traditions, rules or rituals that you observe, if you die without a personal relationship with Jesus, A LAKE OF FIRE WILL BE YOUR FINAL DESTINATION!
But God has made a promise that if you will put your faith, hope and trust in His only begotten Son: You can be delivered! You can be redeemed! You can be freed from the chains of sin that you are bound in today!
I beg you to make the choice today to trust in “God’s Enduring Promise”
