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Promises


           When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
         People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:13-20)
 
         Just as a reminder. Abraham waited eleven years after God promised him a son before he agreed to try to help God out, and he waited another fourteen years before Isaac was born. God not only promised Abraham, God gave him a formal promise, which the author of Hebrews calls swearing (as in, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth….) If you look in Genesis 17, you’ll see that God makes a covenant with Abraham. It’s a formal, legal contract, which is a type of oath.
          In Jeremiah 31, God told Jeremiah that the days were coming when He would establish a new covenant with His people. During the last supper, Jesus told His disciples that the cup was the cup of a new covenant in His blood. We are like Abraham. God has bound Himself to us with a covenant and promises. What promises do you need to remember today?
            If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)
          “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
          Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)
           I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
          However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
          I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)
         I will not let you miss your “exit.” (KAK paraphrase of Psalm 32:8)
           And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)

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