GOD'S PROMISES - "Supersize me, please!"

This is the introduction to our series of four studies on the part that God's promises play in our life (and existence).

Our four studies will look into Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large promises! We will look at them in this order:

Study 1: Large Promises – Rescued by Jesus

Study 2: Medium Promises – Life Direction

Study 3: Small Promises – Day to Day Assistance

Study 4: Extra Large Promises – God’s Big Plan

Of course, no promises of God are ‘small’; all of them are extremely desirable and we should take hold of them at all costs. But the needs and purposes that God’s promises answer do vary in magnitude – and that is why the headings for these studies introduce the idea of small, medium and large, etc. (Certainly if there is one thing in life to which you should say “Supersize me”, it is God’s promises!)

You might wonder why we don’t study the promises from small through to extra large! We will look at them in a different order, because we first need to receive the promise of redemption (i.e. be rescued by God) – [large promise] - before we can participate in the rest of the good things he has planned. We next need to understand the direction and aim of our lives now that we are followers of his Son [medium promises]. Then we will notice how in every detail of our lives God is working for our good [small promises]. And finally we need to understand how each of our lives fits into the meta-plan that God has for the universe [extra large promises].

At every level of God’s promises we are only authorised to participate in them through faith Jesus Christ. There is no uncertainty in them – no maybe – they are all available in Jesus. Every person committed to Jesus can access the promises.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who, we proclaimed among you was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in him it is always ‘Yes’. For all the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our ‘Amen’ to God for his glory.
2 Corinthians 1.19-21.

A promise is a commitment based on goodwill to provide something good. God’s promises are his grace specified; that is, they are his favour made explicit to us. In his promises he says exactly what he is going to do for us. We need to find and know God’s promises to us so we can understand what is up ahead of us – what we can expect – and how we can expect Jesus to deal with it.

All God’s promises find their ‘Yes’ in Jesus Christ. That means that they do not depend on our personal will or effort to bring them about but they are available to us because Jesus is approved by his Father. God approves the promises for us – we get the green light – the YES - when we look in faith to Jesus to prepare us for the promises and action them for us and in us.

Imagine a father says to his 4 year old son who sees his father going far out to sea in the fishing boat each week : I’m going to take you out fishing from the boat one day. There’s the promise. It depends entirely on the father to teach the boy to swim, to show him how to operate the boat and how to bait the hooks. It takes the father’s experience and wisdom as to when the boy is sufficiently prepared to go out onto the ocean. So it is with God. His promises are not isolated from him. He prepares us for his promises and opens them out to us wisely and for our good. His promises are not booty – fun or treasure to be had separate from him – his promises are further opportunities for us to experience his love in close relationship with him.