Chapter 4: 14-25

The Certainty of God’s Promises 2

“¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 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; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’

“¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ ²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

Last week we began to look at the promises that we have from the Lord. Promises that keep us calm and centered in the midst of great stress and even tragedies. When a husband and wife make their vows to each other, they include that they will stay together in sickness and health, richer or poorer and until death alone parts them. This should provide a degree of security for most people that they will get through life and not be abandoned when things go bad. Jesus used marriage in the book of Ephesians to teach us about the relationship He has with His churches. One day we will be one united church, but for now we are churches in specific locations.

In the book of Revelation, we see letters to seven churches in specific locations; the epistles are written to churches in specific cities. And while the messages can be used in any church, the original cause for the writing was specific to that particular church. In Ephesians 5:25 we are commanded as men to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. In verse 27, the Lord will present us to Himself as a glorious church without blemish. The promise is that Jesus is always working on us to perfect us into His image so that we can be a good wife to Him. In Hebrew 13:5, we have the great promise from the Lord that He would never leave us nor forsake us.

This is a quote from Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

I have seen a lot of posts on FB about people feeling alone in this whole COVID-19 mess. But if you know the Lord Jesus as Savior, then there is a promise that you are never alone. Often, we let feelings direct our lives and not the truth. Feelings are dangerous things to lead your life by. Biblical truth should be the basis for our life. Once we have come to that understanding, then we are able to be more stable in our daily lives. Further, not only is Jesus with us in a companionway, He, through the Holy Spirit lives in us. In

1 Corinthians 6:19 we see this: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

“The Holy Spirit who is in you.” Paul tells us that we should flee sexual immorality because the Holy Spirit lives in us. So not only are we never alone but, further, we have the Holy Spirit living in us.

I had a discussion with a dear preacher friend yesterday about this idea of being in solitude with Jesus. So many of us cannot handle being quiet. We need to have constant noise all the time. I for one, like background noise when I study. But there are times when I like silence, and then I can talk to the Lord and have Him speak to me. Usually, He brings verses to mind or Bible stories to mind so that I can learn to change my thinking and actions. Jesus made a promise to us that He would supply all of our needs.

In Philippians 4:11-13, 19: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me… And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

In Jesus we have the ability to be content; this is a promise that we have from the Lord. We live in a world obsessed with tomorrow. But God promises to supply our daily needs. “Give us this day our daily bread” (Psalm 23).

We who live in North America, the US and Canada, live in the most affluent countries on earth. The poorest of us have much more than some of the rich in many places. Yet many, myself included at times, have a low level of contentment. We always want more and more things. We are called to seek the Lord and His righteousness, and then He will add these things to us. God will give you what you need; this is a guarantee. If the Lord allows you to have some of what you want, then blessed be the name of the Lord. You know we sing that song; many, if not all, church people have sung that song but many don’t know that it comes from the book of Job 1: 20-21. It was a response to suffering and loss:

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Just like Paul, brother Job had learned that God can be trusted in all situations to supply our needs even when we don’t have what we want. Further, we have this promise from God that He is in charge of everything.

In Psalm 27:1, David writes, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” 

Who shall I fear? What situation shall I be afraid of? What occasion will cause me to doubt the Lord? Why? The Lord is my stronghold.

Listen, I am not ignorant. I see even in the Bible that many of the Lord’s people deal with the despair of seeing what they saw. Abraham, Jacob, Elijah, Peter and Thomas and many others had doubts and fears. But they also had a vibrant and tangible relationship with the Lord. Sadly, many of us don’t. We have relationships in theory but we don’t have tangible relationships with the Lord. Thus, the Lord strips away all the things that distract us like jobs, going out, friends and even family to leave us alone with Him. Now we have the chance to grow closer to the Lord or to complain and create more distrust.

When we read the account of the Jews in the wilderness, beginning in Exodus 19 and going to when they entered the Promised Land, God had the people totally dependent on Him for food, light, leadership, protection and water.

Here is the summary of 40 years in the wilderness:

Deuteronomy 8:2-4 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.”

God put more than 2,000,000 people in the barren wilderness to prove to them that He was all they needed; and sadly, the vast majority of them just complained and complained. We need to learn not to be this way; I need to learn not to be this way. Those people, even in their rebellious state, never went without food, water, God’s protection or God’s presence. The Lord has not changed; all we will ever need is Him. He is enough. This is the promise that can sustain us in any situation: my God will supply your need. Look again at these verses. God can make your clothes last longer, your car run better, even the old clunker, your food supply keeps going and your health strong. God can do all that because He is God. He is not bound by the limitations of earth; He made the earth.

I stand amazed at how many of us will trust the Lord for eternity, but not for today. I stand amazed at how easy it is for me to doubt God’s love because of a situation, but trust Him that He has a place for me in eternity. It almost sounds crazy, but a lot of us are like that.

I do not know how long this situation will go on or if it will get way worse before it gets better. But I do know that God is in control of all things. He has everything under His management, and nothing is outside of His care.

I have been working a secular job almost all of my life in ministry. I began driving school buses as a helper in our local church and then working in the church office. I did the school bus thing for 19 years. Currently I am selling cars; and for now, that has been deemed a non-essential service. I have to ask the Lord if He wants me to go back to the car business or is there another place for me? My concern is the care for my family. I, like most of you, have a mortgage, bills and expenditures. But God is awesome. In the midst of all this, He has given my wife a new job, one that she applied for before Christmas, and it cuts her driving down by 90% and pays better. You see, God has already supplied our needs. Will things get tight? They may. Will we have a few nail-biting days? We may. But God is still good all the time.

God’s promises are secure, they are true, and God cannot lie. My family and I are secure in the Lord for today, tomorrow and for eternity. I am His and He is mine, He cannot deny me, and He lives in me and cannot deny Himself. If He lives in you, He cannot deny you either. God has a plan; specifically, He has a plan for you.

Lord, what do you want me to learn about you, about me and about our relationship?

Anyone who has been married for any amount of time will know that pressure reveals the cracks or the foundation of your marriage. The same is true of the relationship with the Lord. Pressure, trials and testing reveal where we need to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Every situation is either correcting behavior or enhancing behavior, Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:4-6:

“In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The work that Christ began in you at the day of your salvation is being worked on every day to present you ready to meet Christ on the day of His return. The salvation that we have in Jesus, the one that Romans 4 talks about, is just the beginning. Salvation begins this amazing journey that allows us to see the truth in every situation for the very first time, if we want to. It helps us to understand and live compassionately with each other, if we want to. God’s job is to help us to want to, and then to help us when we want to. God’s promises are secure, they are our foundation, and our peace. Jesus gave us this illustration to help us see:

Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.”

If your spiritual house is falling, then it is built on the wrong foundation. Jesus is the ROCK!!!

God bless you,

Pastor Sean Gooding

Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Chapter 4: 14-25 (NKJV)
The Certainty of God’s Promises

“¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 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; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’

“¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ ²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.“

I pray that you are well and that you and your families are safe from this virus that is circumventing the globe. Personally, I have been laid off my secular job for 2 weeks, to begin with, and I am at home with my family. My wife is in the Nursing Home business, and there is always work there.

Our study through Romans is not necessarily a prophetic one; and at a time like this, many are asking if we are looking at the end. I am going to spend a bit of time talking about what we have before us right now. And, then we will look at the idea of God’s promises and the security that we have in them.

I have a dear friend who works with me in prophecy stuff quite a bit, and a lot of the secular markers have been silent for some time. But this pandemic is the perfect tool for the New World Order (NWO) to advance their agenda. The NWO has been in work since Genesis 11: 1-4, 

“Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.‘ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.‘”

The people who came out of the flood, 8 of them, had populated the earth; and in a short time, here we have rebellious man seeking to worship someone other than the God of Heaven. Some of these, if not all of these persons involved in the building of the Tower of Babel, would have either seen firsthand or been the children of persons who saw firsthand the Ark that survived the Great Flood. Yet in total defiance of the Lord, they built this tower to worship the stars of Heaven. We are still seeing the effects of this today in the Horoscope that is in our daily newspapers.

In 2020, we have the modern tower of Babel in the European Union parliament building that is deliberately designed to look like the unfinished tower of Genesis 11. Like the Kingdom of Light, the kingdom of darkness is progressing along, awaiting the arrival of their messiah, the Man of Sin as the Bible calls him. We, the Kingdom of Light, are awaiting the arrival of the true Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Over the years the NWO has looked for ways to advance their control over the masses, in particular tearing down the boundaries and trying to create the global entity that they need to be able to control all who are living on the planet once the Rapture takes place and the world is in need of a leader.

The Mainstream Media and they can shut down the world in a matter of weeks if they need to. No airplane flying, no commerce, no paper money and no work. We had a bit of this back in 9-11 when they shut down all of North America for commercial air travel for about a week. In 2013 at the Boston Marathon bombing, those in authority invented a new phrase ‘shelter in place,’ to replace the idea of martial law. The entire city of Boston shut down as they looked for the two young men that did the bombing. In November of 2015 in Paris France, after the mass shooting in Paris, the authorities were able to shut down the entire country of France with the same phrase ‘shelter in place.’ Now we have Italy and Spain shut down, the state of California and Michigan in the US, and many other places being shut down.

Here in Ontario, we have everything shut down except for essential services like groceries and the like. The government is spending billions of dollars to prop up the economy and keep companies afloat. In the USA, the President is about to sign a 2 Trillion-dollar spending bill to keep that economy afloat. The Bible says that the borrower is a slave to the lender, Proverbs 22:7, but a very famous banker put it this way, “Give me control of a nation’s money and I care not who makes the laws.” ~ Mayer Amschel Rothschild. Right now, the central banks of the world are about to put the largest economies of the world into greater slavery.

As we speak, the world is simply at the mercy of her leaders. They speak in closed sessions on encrypted phones, and they make decisions that affect us, and we trust them. There is an end game. In Canada, the Prime Minister and his party tried to sneak in legislation that would have given them greater powers. The Democrats in the House and Senate tried to hold the US public as hostages until they were able to sneak in huge socialist steps that would have altered the US economy for a long time. Freethinkers like Trump in the US and Boris Johnston in the UK are understanding that if you allow the country to languish for too long, the economy may never recover. The hole will be so big that you could never fill it.

This is the goal for the NWO, to create a hole so big that the government will become the saviour of the world.

One more thing: I had my dear friend tell me to look at the website ID2020. This is a site for the Digital Identity Alliance; the site marvels that 1.1 billion people have no digital identity, and they are seeking to get them all on board. Well, here in Ontario many companies have little signs that they would prefer if you use debit or credit cards to pay for items as the Coronavirus can sit on surfaces and live for days. This is forcing more and more people to go to a digital footprint. The government that will be in place after the Rapture will need everyone to have a digital footprint to track them and bring in the numbers that are needed to buy and sell.

Revelation 13:16-17, “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

When I first began to hear about the Mark of the Beast, we had a hard time wondering how the government of the Man of Sin would control the world. But we can see it playing out before us. The Chinese government used cellphones to track those that had to self-quarantine. According to Fox Business news, the Chinese government used an App to track persons who should have been quarantined. Anyone who watches FBI shows or CSI shows knows that anyone with a phone can be tracked. By forcing the non-digital world to get into the digital age, they can get more and more people registered. This makes the job of the NWO easier once the trouble hits after the Rapture.

I cannot tell you if the virus was deliberate, but I can tell you that the agenda is advanced for the NWO and that the time of our redemption draws near. Those of us that are Christians can see the end, and the rejoicing that we have inside of us, and the horror we have for those we love but they don’t know Jesus as Savior. If they think this is hard, they have not seen anything yet.

The Promises of the Lord God, Romans 4:19-20

God made Abraham a promise that he would have a son. In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham was about 75 years old when this promise was made, and Sarah, his wife, about 65 years old. In Genesis 21, some 25 years later, Isaac is born. Later in Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and we are told that Abraham (Hebrews 11:17-19) believed God could raise Isaac from the dead since he had been born in his old age when he was not to be having children. Abraham was secure in the Lord’s promises and trusted Him. He knew that the Lord was faithful. We too have promises from the Lord; we have the promise of the rapture from the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The Bible teaches that before the Tribulation begins, Daniel’s 70th week, we will be taken out by the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says that we are not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation – you see, we have this promise from the Lord. Those of us who are saved, those like Abraham who had faith in the Promise of God and that He trusted in God. We who trust in the Lord, that He would save us if we put our faith in Jesus and His death, burial and resurrection, are promised that we will be taken out of the world before the time of Jacob’s trouble, Jeremiah 30:7. The end of the church age will begin the return to God returning to working with the Jewish nation.

These promises keep us going in times of trouble. In Luke 12: 22-26 we are reminded not to worry about anything; God has everything under control, and He has promised to supply all of our needs. The Lord will take care of His own, and He is able to take care of His own, Psalm 50:10. You see, we can take a look at the life of Abraham and see that God is faithful and able to keep us and to fulfill all of His promises. Let us not lose heart in these times, but let us grow confident as we see the truths of the scriptures play out before us. God is in control.

The NWO may think that they are advancing their agenda, but in truth, they are advancing God’s agenda. They think they are in control, but God is in charge; and in Psalm 2:4 we are told that He will laugh at them. They think they can throw off God and remove him from office, but they are fools, idiots and simple pawns in the hand of the Almighty. We will take a longer look at the promises of the Lord next week.

Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

God bless you,

Pastor Sean Gooding

Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca