A message of hope, inspiration and challenge.
America’s only hope for restoration is for the hearts of men, women and children to turn their hearts toward God. This Sunday message is one that is good for every day of the week.
*** Dr. Don Brentro ***
Do you ever get tired of hearing God’s promises? The promises, themselves are great, but what we want is to see their fulfillment. Why so little results? One reason is God’s promises are conditional.
Often there is an “if” clause, such as in John 15:7, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” The necessary condition is that of abiding in Jesus.
Another reason God’s promises are not fulfilled is that every promise of God gets tested. There is spiritual warfare that attempts to keep us from entering into God’s promises. The Biblical word regarding this warfare is temptation.
Every great man and woman in the Bible went through temptation or a time of testing before coming into that which was promised. Abraham was promised a son. When it didn’t materialize Abraham and his wife tried to make it happen. Sarah offered her servant Hagar, and Ishmael was born, compounding their problems, for the promises of God can not be fulfilled in our own strength.
It wasn’t until Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah’s womb was dead that Isaac was born. Later, when Isaac was grown, God told him to sacrifice his only son (Genesis 22). At the last moment the Angel of the Lord stopped him saying, “Now I know that you fear God.” Abraham became the Father of faith. “He concluded God was able to raise Him up even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19).
The land of Canaan was Israel’s Promised Land. From Egypt it was but a two week journey by foot, but it took them 40 years. Ten times in the wilderness they were tested and each time they failed the test. They murmured and complained, failing to trust God. Because of unbelief they were not able to enter. It took a new generation to be raised up with the faith to enter in.
In Luke 4 the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted, for forty days, by the devil. Prior to this, when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the heavens had opened, and God spoke, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Satan began his tempting saying, “If you are the Son of God command this stone to become bread. Jesus responded, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.”
There is a pattern that emerges in the Bible. Bob Mumford in His Book “Temptation” gives us 4 P’s for coming into the promises of God. First comes the Promise. After the promise comes God’s Principles or conditions for over-coming. Next comes the Problem or temptation, or wilderness wandering. Lastly comes God’s Provision or the fulfillment of His promise or promises as we stand upon God’s word.
God’s promise in I Corinthians 10:13 is, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Jesus conquered over temptation on our behalf. “All the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are yes and in Him amen to the glory of God through us” (II Corinthians 1:20). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The call of God always includes God’s empowerment for the task.
