The Promises of God Southampton University 21 st July 2008.

The Promises of God

Southampton University21st July 2008

PROMISE

• An assurance given

• Affords hopes or expectations

• A binding commitment

God makes promises to everyone – (only) in the Bible

EXAMPLE OF GOD’S PROMISE

Promise:

“He [Jesus] gave them [the Apostles] this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem , but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will baptised with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 1:4-5 NIV)

Fulfilment:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1,4 NIV)

IMPORTANT QUALITIES OF THE PROMISER

1. Willingness to make a promise

2. Ability to accomplish what is promised

GOD’S WILLINGNESS

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)

This willingness was confirmed with an oath. “Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.” (Hebrews 6:16 NIV)

“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29 NKJV). He will not change his mind.

GOD’S ABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH

Resurrection from the dead and eternal life

The Kingdom of God on earth

Choice to participate in these Promises

The substance of God’s Promises:-

Promise to (against) the city of Tyre

“And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.” (Ezekiel 26:4 NKJV)

“And they will plunder your riches, and pillage your merchandise: and they will break down your walls, and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.And I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken.” (vv.12, 14)

Tyre – equivalent to any modern wealthy trading and cultural centre

“Behold, you are wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that be hidden from you. With your wisdom and your understanding, you have gained riches for yourself and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries. By your great wisdom in trade, you have increased your riches.” (Ezekiel 28:3-5 NKJV)

Tyre could not escape God’s “Promise”

Detailed fulfilment (2 stages)

1 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captured and destroyed the mainland city in 574 BC. The inhabitants fled and set up a fortified city on a nearby island offshore, which Nebuchadnezzar was unable to capture.

2 Alexander the Great used the remains of the old city to build a causeway to allow his army to capture and destroy the off-shore city, in 333 BC. The mainland city was left as clear as the “top of a rock”. It was not rebuilt there.

Tyre today

The area outlined in yellow is the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve, with.....

...traces of houses...

...and old city fortifications

Lebanese Law No 708 established the Nature Reserve, which cannot be built on

God’s “Promise” to Babylon

“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them... And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation.” (Isaiah 13:17-20 NKJV)

Fulfilled, 539 BC. Recorded in Daniel 5:30-31 (NKJV): “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom.”

So in the 20th century one man’s attempt to rebuild Babylon failed.

Rebuilding began

But was not completed

The Promise of the Kingdom of God on earth - a timeline from Daniel, chapter 2

28: But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29: As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.


31: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.32: This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,33: His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.


34: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.35: Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.


36: This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.37: Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.38: And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.39: And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.40: And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.


41: And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.42: And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.43: And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.


606-539 BC

539-331 BC

331-164 BC

164 BC – 1453 AD

Present....


This is not mere foreknowledge – it is power to control events.

“In order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men.” (Daniel 4:17 NKJV)

GOD’S ABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH – ABRAHAM AND SARAH

“I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” (To Abraham, Genesis 17:6)

Fulfilled – both the Arab and the Jewish peoples and their historic kings trace their descent back to Abraham.

“Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed.” (Genesis 17:16, Abraham would be 100 years old and Sarah 99.)

Fulfilled – “Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:2)

GOD’S ABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH – JESUS

“And though they found no cause for death in him, they asked Pilate that he [Jesus] should be put to death. But God raised him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.” (Acts13:28,30,31 NKJV)

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

“THE” PROMISES – (1)

“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:8, to Abraham)

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)

“And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (v.29)


“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.” (John 3:16)

“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1 John 2:25)

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12 NIV)


“This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

“Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:” (Jeremiah 32:37-38)

“His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east… And the LORD shall be king over all the earth.” (Zechariah 14:4,9)

“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn “ (Zechariah 12:10)


To David, King of Israel: “I will set us your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be my son.” (2 Samuel 7:12-14 NKJV)

“[You, Mary] shall call his name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33 NKJV)

“The city of the great King” (Matthew 5:35)


Summary:

• The Lord Jesus Christ returns

• The Kingdom of God on earth

• Eternal Life


They are fulfilled in the “latter” or “last” days

“But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” (Daniel 2:28 NKJV)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40 NKJV)

“He who rejects me, and does not receive my words, has one that which judges him – the word that I have spoken, will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48 NKJV)

PROMISES IN PROGRESS – JERUSALEM

“What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 NKJV)

“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

PROMISES IN PROGRESS – ISRAEL

“Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all” (Ezekiel 37:21-22)

PROMISES – FOR US

“The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4 NKJV)

OR

“He who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24 NKJV)

HOW THE PROMISE WORKS

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39 NKJV)

Acknowledgements for use of illustrations:

The Testimony Magazine

Digital Globe, 2003, distributed by Eurimage

The Bible Magazine

Further Information

Contact

www.ukchristadelphians.com

[email protected]

Copy slides available on request

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The Promises of God Southampton University 21 st July 2008.

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