The Ways of God Part 2: He Keeps His Word

Supporting Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:1-2; Genesis 2:16-17; 6:7-8, 18; 7:1, 5, 21-24; 12:1-3; 17:15-17; Exodus 3:10-12, 4:12, 21; 6;1; 12:30-32; Joshua 1:1-5; 6:1-2; Matthew 16:13-23; Revelation 22:3-5; Psalm 103:1-7


Who is this God whom you and I serve and worship? He is a God who loves us, and has saved us. Could you give a good description of Him, if you were asked?

Many people lack the understanding of who He is.To understand Him, it is necessary to know His ways. How does He think? What does He do in this world? We cannot know much about the God of creation until we begin to learn about His awesome ways. Psalm 103 lists some of them. It tells us that “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel” (v. 7).


Scriptural Principles:

1 The promises of God are either absolute or conditional.
It is important to begin with the understanding that God makes two kinds of declarations. First, there are absolute declarations of the actions He will take.This means that whatever we may do or not do, God will still act as He has promised.Then there are conditional declarations, such as the one in Deuteronomy 28:1-2, that are promises which are conditional upon our behavior.

2 The promises of God are always kept.
Whether a promise of God is an absolute statement or a conditional offer, one matter is consistent: He always keeps His promises. Many people today read or hear the promises of God, but fail to realize their seriousness. He plays no games, and He never changes His ways.When He says,“I will,” you and I have a promise upon which to build our future.Throughout the Bible there are countless examples of how God’s promises are kept.

3 The promises of God are always clear.
Not only are God’s promises absolutely dependable, but they are always clear enough for every one to understand. In Genesis 2:16-17, God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from any tree in the garden except one. He said that in the day they ate from it, they would surely die. Disobedience meant death for Adam and Eve.There was no “if,” no “maybe,” nor any other qualification. God makes every promise clear enough for us to decide whether we will be obedient or disobedient.

4 The promises of God always involve consequences.
While God’s promises are clear and certain, they also carry dire and significant consequences. In the case of Adam and Eve, who ate from the tree God forbade, we see what happens when we refuse to follow God’s path. First, there was separation as Adam and Eve hid from God. Second, there was shame in the guilty knowledge of sin.Third,Adam and Eve expressed pride.The final consequence, of course, was death.

5 The promises of God are always complete.
God’s absolute declarations carry no conditions, but are complete in every way. In Genesis 12:1-3, God offered such a promise to Abraham. He said, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great” (v. 2). He declared that all the families of the earth would be blessed by the name of Abraham.This same covenant would also include Abraham’s son Isaac.

6 The promises of God defy the impossible.
Many times we fail to believe the promises of God because they seem unlikely. God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would become the parents of a child, even though they were far too old by human standards.“Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” (Genesis 17:17) We need to remember that nothing is impossible for Him.

7 The promises of God don’t divulge all the details.
God requires our absolute obedience to His absolute promises, but He expects us to obey without knowing all the details.We must walk in faith and watch Him work, leaving the details to Him. At the Red Sea, God promised Moses and the Israelites that He would handle the chariots of Egypt. He does not owe us all the information, but we owe Him simple obedience because we know that He always keeps His promises.

8 The promises of God are independent of human logic.
Many people fail to take God’s promises seriously because they depend upon what makes sense from a human point of view. Joshua could have doubted God when he was given his instructions to attack Jericho by simply marching around the walls and blowing trumpets. After following the leadership of Moses, Joshua knew to trust God and watch Him work, leaving the circumstances to His power and wisdom.

9 The promises of God offer hope for the world.
When we follow His declarations, we find they lead to hope for the world. When Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of the living God, Jesus offered the promise that He would build His church upon that truth of His Sonship. (Matthew 16:13-23) The Great Commission also offers hope for the world, because Jesus has promised us that we would carry the hope of the Gospel to every corner of the globe.

10 The promises of God extend to every facet of daily life.
It is clear that God’s promises can be seen from Genesis through the Gospels, but how do they relate to our daily lives? First, we can act upon His promise that if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.Then we can claim the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Finally, He promised to send His Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us.

11 The promises of God demand our faithful obedience.
He always blesses us through His promises.Are we wise enough to trust Him, walk in faith, and live in obedience? If we know that when He says, “I will,” we can obey Him and look forward to the day when He raises us and brings us to heaven.Then we will see His face, and finally reign with the Son of God, as promised in Revelation 22:3-5.


Conclusion:

I wonder whether you are willing to believe that He keeps His promises? If I asked you whether you believed it, you might quickly say yes. If I asked you to show it in complete obedience and submission to Christ, however,would you hesitate?

God has offered us so many promises through His Word and in our daily lives, if only we will listen. Every single promise is given for His glory and for our blessing. Every single one will bring us joy, fulfillment, and the adventure of walking in faith.