Second 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.”
In life, God gives us many necessary things, but His choicest blessings are held in reserve for a time to come. The grace He supplies is like spending money while we are traveling on the Christian journey towards our heavenly home. We live in a world where earthly treasures may rust or be stolen, but we have been given a promise from God about a land where all our treasures are secure. God has been so gracious to us in providing promises that allow us to enjoy our rewards that are waiting for us when we go home to Heaven.
Speaking the Truth in Love
by Pastor Tommy Hill
The promises we have been given are enjoyed twice. We enjoy them first through the faith we have in Jesus. John 8:56 says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Abraham did not see the Lord physically, he saw Him spiritually through the eyes of faith. He saw His birth in Bethlehem, His crucifixion at Calvary, and His glorious ascension as He returned home to Heaven. Abraham was able to receive a foretaste of glory from what his faith revealed to him. May we meditate upon Hebrews 11: 8-11, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
The promises of God create in the Christian great anticipation of what is to come. This makes our promises a present blessing to us. Our faith makes future promises a present enjoyment. We’ve not yet entered Heaven nor walked upon the streets of gold, but we know the day is coming. Today we walk by faith, on that day we will walk by sight, thus receiving the promises of God twice.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Hebrews 11:1 proclaims, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
In this earthly life, we climb the mountain, look over into the Promised Land, like Moses, by faith, and see the land that flows with milk and honey. May we daily enjoy the pictures we have been given, in the Bible, of Heaven as we await the day when our faith becomes sight. The fulfillment of our faith is the fruition of our promises.
As Christians, our days are to be filled with joy and excitement because of what is before us. The Bible even commands us to tell others, when asked, why we are so happy. 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
Finally, God’s promises excite us to pray. We learn of all that God will do for us in our times of trouble, testing, and temptations. There is always a promise from God’s Word that helps us through these circumstances and fulfills our needs. By faith, we believe these promises and we pray, asking God to meet the needs in our lives. We pray by necessity, but through knowledge of the promises, let us also pray because of our expectations of the promises given.
Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Let us visit God’s throne room and plead our case to the One who has promised to meet our needs. Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring, Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.
Pastor Tommy Hill is the pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Hamlet. He is a Richmond County native. He can be reached at firstfwbchurchhamlet@gmail.com
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