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Possessing the Promises
Pastor Jerry C. Vargo
I. Introduction.
A. Promises—what are they? Think about that for a minute. What is a promise?
B. Well…
1. Promises are the seeds implanted in our inner man that give us hope!
2. Promises (in a good sense) declare something good is about to happen!
3. Promises (in a bad sense) declare that something bad is about to happen!
4. Promises are written or spoken words that inform us of an intention toward us.
C. Now, let me ask you another question. What does the word "possess" mean?
D. To possess is to have, hold, own, and enjoy! In the Hebrew, it means to be "entrusted" with something. If God gives you something—you do not earn it or necessarily deserve it.
E. In the Greek, for instance, in 1 Thessalonians 4:4, it speaks of how to "possess" for ourselves sanctification and honor…the word means: To acquire, get or procure a thing for oneself!
F. It gives us the idea of being entrusted with something, but also a need to go after it.
G. Therefore, we see that a promise is something that is offered…possession is something that is entrusted and something we go after to acquire or get for ourselves.
H. Today, I want to talk to you about Possessing the Promises!
II. Body.
A. One of the most fundamental things that you and I must understand as blood-washed, born-again believers is this:
EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR THROUGH THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS AT CALVARY!
B. In other words, we do not have to work to purchase something that has already been bought for us.
C. Yet, we do not always seem to possess the promises do we?
1. Bills need to be paid—Where is the promise of Provision?
2. Sicknesses need to be healed—Where is the promise of Healing?
3. Life seems depressing—Where is the promise of Joy?
4. Relationships break down—Where is the promise of Unity?
D. Why is that promises do not seem to manifest in our lives?
E. Well, there are many reasons. We might be ignorant of them. The enemy may have stolen our promises. We don’t get excited about the promises, etc.
E. Listen to 2 Peter 1:3
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
NIV
F. Before I launch into HOW to possess the promises, let me just encourage your faith by reminding you what God’s Word says about promises…
Joshua 21:45
"Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass."
2 Corinthians 1:20
"For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us."
NASB
2 Corinthians 7:1
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
NASB
Hebrews 8:6
"(Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises."
NASB
OK, let me move on now—How do we receive the promises?
1. Patiently Acknowledging That They Already Belong To Us!
A. We won’t take the time to read it, but remember that God was constantly saying to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua something like this...
"Go up and possess the land which I have ALREADY given you…"
B. Now, possession takes time often. We must be patient with the promises.
Promises are like a baby in the womb—they need time to grow and mature before they come forth.
C. Turn to Hebrews 6:10-15.
"For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you." And thus, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
NASB
Transition: We receive the promises by…
2. Entering into the Promises and Rejecting Fear!
A. Turn with me to Numbers 13: 1, 17-20.
Note two very important things…
1. In verse one God told Moses that He was going to give to the sons of Israel the land of Caanan.
2. Moses believed the fruit would cast vision for possessing the land.
B. Numbers 13: 25-33.
1. The fruit was brought back—earnest fruit.
2. Beware of the word: NEVERTHELESS! It can instill FEAR.
3. Do NOT fear GIANTS.
C. I love the response of Caleb in verse 30…read it.
D. We know the rest of the story. They didn’t possess what God had promised because of a refusal to enter in and reject FEAR.
E. Look at Numbers 14:24. Caleb had a DIFFERENT SPIRIT.
F. Don’t let those who bring you a bad report place FEAR in your heart. The promises are yours…you just have to go after them.
Transition: The third way we receive the promises has already been hinted at…
3. We Possess the Promises by Faith!
A. Faith IS the assurance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen!
B. God liked the Faith of Caleb and Joshua—and through their Faith promised them that they would Possess the Promise of the land flowing with milk and honey.
C. As a matter of fact, if you look at Numbers 14:36-37, God caused a plague to fall on all the men who came back with a BAD report.
D. Time will not allow it…but just read Hebrews 11 and you will see that possessing promises happen when we walk in FAITH.
E. Do not let a negative report about your sickness or finances, or depression, or your marriage, drag you down.
G. Rise up IN FAITH and Possess what is already yours. But listen, you will need to be strong. You will need courage.
H. When Joshua took on the mantle of Moses, God told him something that all of us need to grab hold of…
Joshua 1:9
"I command you — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid (fear) or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
NLT (Italics mine)
I. God knew Joshua would face things that he never faced. So, he prepared him. I hear a resounding: "TRUST ME" in this passage. Walk in Faith.
Transition: Lastly, and I’ll just mention it briefly…we possess the promises by…
4. We Possess the Promises by Walking as Sons—Not Slaves!
A. Remember what I said in the beginning of this message…
EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR THROUGH THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS AT CALVARY!
B. This is critical for us to understand. As Sons and Daughters we have an inheritance.
C. Sons inherit—Slaves try to earn it.
D. A son/daughter has every right to enter into their father’s presence and ask for the fulfillment of a promise.
E. A slave has no rights of his own.
F. Why is this so important to this subject? Well, because somehow we have been duped into believing that if we…
1. Work hard enough
2. Pray hard enough
3. Study hard enough
4. Perform good enough
5. Witness good and often enough
6. Fast long enough
7. Come to church faithfully
8. Have the right doctrines
9. Etc. Ad Nauseam
Then we will somehow have enough brownie points to possess the promises…NO, NO, NO…that is NOT how it works!
G. You do not possess the promises by obeying rules and regulations. We possess them by…
III. Conclusion.
Patiently Acknowledging That They Already Belong To Us!
Entering into the Promises and Rejecting Fear!
We Possess the Promises by Faith!
We Possess the Promises by Walking as Sons—Not Slaves!
Altar Call
