A Promise Driven Life

A Promise Driven Life by Pastor Tim  

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ 19 - Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 - Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,” (Romans 4:18-20). 

“Hudson Taylor, the pioneer missionary to Inland China wrote: “In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, God has never failed me: the financial balance for the entire China Inland Mission yesterday was twenty-five cents. Praise the Lord! Twenty-five cents…plus all the promises of God.”

There is great value to living a purpose driven life for Jesus but what does a promise driven life in Jesus look like? Well, in Genesis Moses devoted more than a dozen chapters to Abraham. In part, because the way the LORD dealt with Abraham is the way he deals with every sinner. God, in his grace, deals with us not in terms of demand but primarily in terms of promise.

The Savior God graciously invited first Abram and then Abraham to trust in him as the One who makes the impossible possible. Never perfectly but eventually faithfully, against all hope, Abraham learned to declare in life: “Praise the LORD! Twenty-five cents…plus the promises of God.” Paul punches for us aspects of how God led Abraham to lean hard on the promises of God in Romans 4:18-20.

HE RELIED ON GOD’S WORD: Think of how desperately we want to be able to take people at their word. If someone, anyone, is true to their word and they give you a promise, they offer an island of certainty in a future sea of uncertainty. For example, let’s say you promise to send me a $20 check by mail for this blog post (Pastor Timothy Soukup 212 Briar Croft Lane Killeen, TX 76542 - for those who want to make the illustration come alive!).

A lot can happen from now until I receive your $20 check that I cannot count on. However, this I know for sure if I rely on your word. Come rain, sleet, snow, another pandemic, another, hurricane, another Chicago Bear Super Bowl victory, an end to the Russian/Ukraine conflict, and or I lose 15 pounds - one day because you kept your word a $20 dollar check from you will be mine. There is a word for what that gives me. “Hope!”

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations” (Romans 4:18).  Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah, his wife, ninety. She was as fruitful as a pitted prune and Abraham’s virility is described this way in the book of Hebrews: “And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” (Hebrews 11:12). Death on a cracker. Yet Abraham relied on God’s Word and Sarah and friends had a baby shower. 

In what area of life are you struggling in simply because you are not relying on a Word from God to help you? Find a promise from God that fits your struggle and live in the good of it. After all, all of God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ. 

FINALLY, HE DREW STRENGTH FROM GOD: 19 - Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 - Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,” (Romans 4:19-20).  

God taught Abraham that he needed confidence not just in the promises but in the Promisor! Remember? He even tested him to see if he loved his Isaac more than him. And after God provided the ram in place of his boy Abraham named the mountain Jehovah-Jireh - meaning “the LORD sees to it just right.” 

Abraham learned that to rely on God he couldn’t look at the facts, or his own fortitude but the faithfulness of God who had promised to send a Messiah and make him the father of all believers. Having been strengthened then from God in his life he gave him the glory. 

Go through the dozen chapters on Abraham in Genesis some time. You will notice that when Abraham is building his altar to the LORD or fresh from it he is humbly bold and courageous. But when he neglects God, as we so often do, he is anything but a model of faith from a fibbing tongue that dishonors God and endangers his wife to a relational disaster he creates with his handmaiden Hagar. 

Are you strengthening your faith through the means of grace? Brush up against the body and blood of the Lord often in Holy Communion for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of your faith. Hear good gospel preaching that puts God’s truth in your head and heart. For as David declared, “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

Mark Twain said, “Better a broken promise than none at all.” With mankind sarcasm like that sings true but not with “God who is not a man that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19).  No my friend, no matter what your station in life in Christ you can say with Hudson Taylor, “Praise the Lord! Twenty-five cents…plus all the promises of God.”