What’s Greater Than the Promise?

What’s Greater Than the Promise?

Love is the force that moves us forward. As Christians, as a church, and as the global church moves forward we do so with, and in love.

Love is the most incredible theological principle in the Bible. It is so simple, yet it covers every single law from the OT, and all the writings of the NT. Love God, Love your neighbor. With all your heart that embodies the entire Bible. Are there lessons to be learned, principles to embrace. Sins to repent from and prayers to pray. Of course, and love for God and man drives them all.

The Apostle Paul shared this with the Corinthians.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” #wewill #inHisname

Early in the Bible God gave Moses a promise to share with His children in Egypt.

Exodus 3:16-17

16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

17 So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

They began their journey with spoils from the Egyptians, and a promise from God.

This is not much different from the way our journey with Christ began. Not tangible in nature, but God has endowed us with spiritual gifts. Victory over sin, and His promise is to never leave us. He will see us through to the promise of eternal life.

Let’s take a look at the children of Israel.

Numbers 13:1-2

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying,

2 “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”

Numbers 13:21-24

21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath.

22 When they had gone up into the Negev, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23 Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs.

24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut down from there.

Here they are, looking at the promise of God. After all this time, standing in the promised land.

Numbers 13:25-27

25 When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days,

26 they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

So God said He would give it to them, and what they saw was exactly how God said it would be.

Numbers 13:28-29

28 Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

29 Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

Caleb tried to encourage the people. Then this.

Numbers 13:31

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.

They could not embrace victory by the promise. Their eyes deceived them. Their thoughts crippled them. They could not see God in the process.

Sometimes it is difficult to see God in our surroundings. “Who remembers Hagar the horrible?”

In one strip we find Hagar kneeling in prayer. “It’s not easy to believe in you God. We never see you. How come you never show yourself? How do we know you even exist…” Next we see

• a flower springing into life beside Hagar,
• a volcano erupting in the distance,
• an eclipse of sun turning the sky black,
• a star shooting across the stratosphere;
• a tidal wave rushing over Hagar,
• lightning flashing,
• a bush beginning to burn,
• a stone rolling away from the entrance to a tomb.

Hagar pulls himself from the mud, dripping wet, surrounded by darkness. “OK, OK. I give up! Every time I bring up this subject, all we get is interruptions.”

All too often the answer is right in front of your eyes. In your heart or mind.

Many times the answer or the promise just doesn’t come like we want it. Most often it requires us to take it. To believe it before we receive it.

“Father, I accept your promise. Give it to me. What? Go get it.”

What about today?

Acts 2:21

And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Acts 2:38-39

38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

“Is Anything Greater Than the Promise?”