THE GOD WHO MAKES PROMISES (PART 1)

The God Who Keeps His WordINTRODUCTION:“17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17 NKJV).Every one of us lives by promises.When you board a plane, you trust its promise to fly you safely where you want to land. When you deposit your paycheck, you trust the bank's promise that your money will be there tomorrow. When a parent tucks a child in at night and says, "I'll see you in the morning," that child drifts to sleep inside the safety of a promise.Life is held together by promises – and life is shattered by broken ones.That is why Paul writes that Abraham believed "in the presence of Him whom he believed." Literally, Abraham set his faith before the face of God. And then Paul tells us why God is worthy of such faith and trust: this is the God "who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17).Before we talk about Abraham's faith, Sarah's faith, or your faith, we have to talk about God's faithfulness – because faith is only as strong as the object it rests upon. Our faith must rest on God’s character. The foundational question: What kind of God is making these promises?1. GOD'S PROMISES PRECEDE OUR PERFORMANCEPaul anchors everything in a quotation:"(as it is written, 'I have made you a father of many nations')" (Romans 4:17).Paul quotes Genesis 17:5, where God changes Abram's name to Abraham – "father of a multitude" – when, as far as anyone could see, he was father of nobody. However, the Heavenly Father saw beyond what people could see.In Genesis 12, God comes to a seventy-five-year-old man in Ur and says,"I will make you a great nation … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:2–3).Notice the sequence. God speaks before Abraham produces anything. God commits before Abraham accomplishes anything. The promise is not a reward for Abram's résumé; it is the sheer gift of God's grace.In Genesis 15, Abraham is still childless, and he takes his honest confusion to God:"Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless …?” (Genesis 15:2).God answers not with a rebuke but with a covenant – and Abraham …"believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).The gospel itself is announced right there: righteousness comes by believing a promise, not by performing a work.Here is the first principle of this series: God's promises rest on His faithfulness, not on who we are and what we have done for Him. Paul says it plainly elsewhere:"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20).The “yes” and the “amen” belong to God. He will keep His promises. It requires us to receive the spoken promises and believe that the Heavenly Father will fulfil them.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

赐应许的神（一)

信守诺言的神引言“17 亚伯拉罕所信的，是那叫死人复活、使无变为有的神，他在主面前作我们世人的父。如经上所记：‘我已经立你作多国的父。’”（罗马书4:17）我们每一个人，都是靠应许活着。你登上飞机，因为你相信机组的承诺，他们会把你平安送达。你把薪水存入银行，因为你相信银行的承诺，你的钱明天还在那里。当父母夜里安顿好孩子，说“明早再见”，孩子就在这份承诺的稳妥中安然入睡。人生是由各样的承诺维系 —— 也会因承诺落空而破碎。这就是为什么保罗写亚伯拉罕 “在他所信的神面前”选择相信神。这句话的字面意思是，亚伯拉罕将自己的信心摆在神的面前。随后保罗告诉我们，为什么神配得上这样的信心与倚靠：这是一位“叫死人复活，使无变为有”的神（罗马书 4:17）。在谈论亚伯拉罕的信心、撒拉的信心，或是你的信心前，我们必须先谈论神的信实 —— 因为信心的力量取决于它所倚靠的对象。我们的信心必须建立在神的本性之上。最根本的问题是：立下这些应许的，是一位怎样的神？1. 神的应许先于我们的表现保罗以一句经文作为全部论述的根基： “如经上所记：‘我已经立你作多国的父。’”（罗马书4:17）保罗引用的是创世记17章5节，那时神把亚伯兰的名字改为亚伯拉罕，意思是“多国之父”。在人看来，他那个时候谁的父亲都不是。但天父的眼光超越人所看见的。在创世记第12章，神在吾珥呼召七十五岁的亚伯兰，对他说：“我必叫你成为大国…… 地上的万族都要因你得福。”（创世记12:2–3）注意个次序。在亚伯兰还没有生出任何后裔之前，神就说话了。在亚伯兰还没有成就任何事之前，神就许下了诺言。这个应许不是亚伯兰用什么丰功伟绩换来的奖赏，而是神白白赐下的恩典。到创世记第15章，亚伯拉罕仍然没有儿子。他向神坦诚自己的困惑：“主耶和华啊，你既赐我无子，还赐我什么呢？”（创世记15:2）神没有责备他，反而与他立了一个约 —— 亚伯拉罕 “信耶和华，耶和华就以此为他的义。”（创世记15:6）福音的奥秘就在这里显明：称义是因相信应许，不是靠人的行为。这是本系列讲章的第一个原则：神的应许立足于祂的信实，不在于我们是谁，也不在于我们为祂做了什么。保罗在别处清楚地说： “神的应许，不论有多少，在基督都是是的，所以借着他也都是实在的。”（哥林多后书1:20）“是的”与“实在的”都是出于神。祂必守祂的应许。我们所要做的，就是领受祂口中的应许，相信天父必要成就。张耀光牧师 新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less