Promises, Promises

Those Tricky Trials

Have you ever thought about what makes trials so difficult for us and what makes difficult trials ‘easier’ for some believers, to the point that they can even sing after a beating while in prison?

Our experiences are difficult on two levels:

(1) what they actually involve

(2) what they “say” to us or about us

The second difficulty is really the greater of the two.

This is a very important truth about living by faith in what God has promised us in Jesus:

“Judge not Christ's love by providences, but by promises.” (Puritan Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock)

This kind of thinking enables believers to respond to trials in amazing ways:

• The “Beating” of the Apostles (Acts 5:40-41; 16:23-25; Matthew 5:10-12)
• The “Seizure” of the Believer’s Property (Hebrews 10:34; 2 Corinthians 4:17)

We can either look at the “Providence Pile” or the “Promises Pile” in order to evaluate God’s love for us. Which pile we meditate on will determine how we respond to “beatings” and “seizures.”

“Faith in Jesus” means looking to Jesus for access to God and for all that God has promised to be for us, because of Jesus and His cross.

Ten Categories of Promises to Hold On To

It’s helpful to think of all that God has promised us as “categories” of promises.

Let me give you ten “categories” of promises of God to those trusting in Jesus that we find scattered throughout His Word, either explicitly or implicitly.

I will divide these 10 categories of promises into two categories that correspond to Romans 5:17 (“a righteousness that leads to life”) and the image of a house (“house” = the enjoyment of the dwelling place of God’s manifest glory [Psalm 36:7-9]; “door” = access into the house [John 10:7-10])

Righteousness Promises (Promises of the “Door” of Access to God’s “House”)

1. Pardon Promises

Like In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:14)

2. Perfection Promises

Like For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

3. Peace Promises

Like Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)

LIFE Promises (Promises of the “House” of Help and Happiness in God)

4. Presence Promises

Like ... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

5. Provision Promises

Like And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

6. Power Promises

Like I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

7. Protection Promises

Like The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul. (Psalm 121:7)

8. Purification (Pruning) Promises

Like "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

9. Pleasure (or Profit) Promises

Like You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

10. Permanence Promises

Like Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Holding On to Jesus in the Hurricane Force Winds of Life

When do you need to look to Jesus? All the time!

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)

How do you fix your eyes on Jesus?

You look at the cross of Jesus and see flowing from it all that God has promised in His Word and hold on to that good news with all that is in you!

On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston, Henry Dempsey, the pilot, heard an unusual noise near the rear of the small aircraft. He turned the controls over to his co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had not been properly latched prior to takeoff, and it flew open. He was instantly sucked out of the jet. The co-pilot, seeing the red light that indicated an open door, radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and he requested a helicopter search of that area of the ocean. After the plane landed, they found Henry Dempsey – holding onto the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the ladder, held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet and then, at landing, kept his head from hitting the runway, which was a mere twelve inches away. It took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey’s fingers from the ladder. (Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching)

Holding on to Jesus (with all 10 fingers or categories of Scriptural promises to us in Jesus) should be like the man who fell out of the plane and held on for dear life until he landed safely – we must do the same until we land safely in the immediate presence of God.

From the sermon preached on March 14, 2010: What Are You Trusting Jesus For? (Part 2) (Romans 3:26)