II Peter 1:4 – Whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Know how to recognize a promise. There are promises about any and
everything any person will ever need a promise about. Remember: God does
not lie. He is not a liar.
Points:
Promises to the lost.
Promises to the saved.
Do you ever pray, Lord be with me today? Why? Heb. 13:5 - "…I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Don’t we believe the
promises of God? The believers in Acts didn’t ask that God be with them, but
that He give them grace and strength to stand and be true to Him, Acts 4:29,
30. Do we pray, "God lead me today, or lead me in a particular
thing"? Do not pray like that. Instead pray that we may understand the
leadership of God and that we will use the grace he gives to us that we will
follow where he leading us to go.
To the lost.
Luke 3:3 - And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; The reason John came
preaching was to tell people about the promises of God for salvation. People
need to know.
John 3:14-16 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.
Matt. 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
John 4:10 - Jesus must needs go through Samaria so He would tell the woman
at the well about His promise of everlasting life. Jesus answered and said
unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee,
Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given
thee living water.
Luke 19:10 - Jesus gave this promise to all who are lost: For the Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Zacchaeus was saved,
but there were other people present who weren’t saved.
The promise of eternal life.
John 6 beginning in verse 35 and continuing to the end of the chapter
(marked in my Bible) – believe and come – eating and drinking is
participating which explains the coming. It is not a superficial coming, but a
complete coming of the entire life, which causes us to be a partaker of the
sufferings of Christ.
John 10:27-30 – Jesus gives eternal life, and the true believer will
never perish.
Promises to the saved.
Luke 11:9 - And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Oftentimes we are afraid to ask for a miracle. Well, ask, seek and knock, and
it shall be opened unto you. Why are we afraid - because we are
stepping out into the unknown. We are giving our control to another.
Matthew 6:33 – If we truly seek the kingdom of God before we seek the
things of this life, God will see to it that we have everything we need in
this life. We might not have everything we want, but we will have everything
we need. And there is a difference!
Acts 2:38-41 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying,
Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls.
Acts 3:19 - Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord;
Joel 2:13 - And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto
the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.