Please find my teaching notes below to Pt. 1 of the series, “Promises, Promises.”  For personal use only.  (c) 2014, Terry Broadwater.

Join me in believing that 2014 can be a year of PROMISE!  Specifically- What is God’s Promise for your life, family, GCC? In this 5-part series we’ll look at Joshua 1and how God MADE and KEPT his PROMISES to Joshua and Israel.

Regrettably, many of us process “promises” like what we experienced in the video above. We make them lightly or with good intentions but don’t follow through, etc.  We’ve all made promises and we’ve all had promises made to us. We’ve also all broken some promises and experienced broken promises from others. But when promises are kept they build lives, families, futures!!

So where can you find the kind of promises you can count on? You get them from God!  Before we get into Joshua 1, here’s 3 Key Reasons why you want to consider God’s Promises:

You Can BELIEVE in God’s Promises!

People and Products make all kinds of promises that you just can’t count on! We’ve all seen the INFOMERCIALS! EX. Scratch removal product for Tahoe- didn’t work! But at least I had “not one, not two, but three bottles” of the stuff!

Every time we experience something like that, we become more skeptical. Regardless if it’s a product or a person making the promise, we decide we’re just not going to believe it. It becomes a CREDIBILITY issue!  BUT, God’s Promises are based on His character which is what gives Him credibility!

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”

I love that question! “Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” You can count on God’s Promises because you can count on God’s character! The BIBLE is the most CREDIBLE book you can read and CLAIM for your life!!  So, start reading it and seeking God for some promises you can believe in for 2014!

God Never BREAKS His Promises!

We break our Promises because we don’t count the cost! Again, the video showed that! We don’t consider what we’re promising or who we’re making the promise too. When a promise is broken what is the result?

RELATIONSHIPS BREAK DOWN! More relationships, families, are broken apart by broken promises than anything else! EX. I’ve done a lot of weddings… some have wanted to take out the “I PROMISE to…”

Why is that? Because we don’t think we can pull it off, don’t want to make the commitment, want a way out, WE DON’T CONSIDER THEM A BINDING CONTRACT!  God keeps His Promises because He considers them a COVENANT!

Jer. 31:31-33 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

A COVENANT is a “binding contract, agreement between two parties.” The Bible is divided into two “covenants”- Old and New… Promises in OT are fulfilled in NT! GOD NEVER BREAKS HIS PROMISES!! He promises to unconditionally love us, save us, restore us, provide for us… etc. THATS WHY…

God’s Promises are “SO BE IT!”

Our Promises are often met with a “Wait and we’ll see” attitude! Again, we’ve all been on both sides of that. It’s because we LACK CONSISTENCY, there’s no follow through, our GUARANTEE is NOT VALID. EX. My Vortex binos- “replace them no matter what” and they did!!

God’s Promises are guaranteed because God follows through on what he says! And there’s no greater proof of that than what He’s showed us in Jesus Christ!

2 Cor. 1:20 (Amplified Bible) “For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.”

JESUS is the greatest PROOF that God’s PROMISES are YES and AMEN! Best WARRANTY of all!!!

So, Joshua 1 helps us to see that God is a Promise-Maker and a Promise-Keeper. NEVER does God make a promise that does not intend to keep!

Joshua 1-3, 5 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you… 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

The Backstory: Israel wandered in the Wilderness for 40 years… They are now on the verge of entering the land God had PROMISED to them through Abraham over 400 years prior!!  God had made 3 PROMISES to Abraham (The Abrahamic Covenant- Gen. 12:1-7):

God would make him a GREAT NATION!
God would give him a LAND!
God would bless all the nations of the earth through his SEED!

Made and kept over thousands of years, despite great challenges and difficulties, and fulfilled because GOD is the ultimate PROMISE MAKER and PROMISE KEEPER!!

God has MADE PROMISES to YOU- He intends to KEEP them! What are those promises- generally and personally? ** Over 6000 PROMISES in the BIBLE!! **

YOUR TASK?? Spiritual Emphasis Week- Pray for a Promise. Read Bible. Plan.

Joshua 1, after 400 years Israel is finally ready to POSSESS GOD’S PROMISE! Are you ready to possess God’s promise in 2014!!

From Joshua 1:3-5 there are 3 BASIC PROMISES God makes to you!

Every STEP is land God has given! “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you…”

What’s the “land” you need to claim? What STEPS do you need to take to possess God’s promise this year? Right now  STEPS are those KEY ACTIONS that facilitate forward motion- moving forward!

God SETS You Up to Win! “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.”

What “STANDS against you” that keeps you from moving forward and how does God want you to overcome it this year? Right now?  Identify what STANDS in the way of your promise- habit, attitude, disobedience, etc.

God will be your SECURITY! “For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.”

What will SECURE God’s presence, power, and protection in your life this year? Right now?  Ultimate SECURITY is found in Christ- accept him, follow him, serve him!

WHAT ARE THE PROMISES OF GOD YOU’RE GOING TO BELIEVE FOR 2014?

You get those promises from the Bible- God’s Word. So, start reading it.  Pray and ask God to lead you to specific passages or verses. To get started, read the Gospel of John, Psalms, and Proverbs. A couple verses from each.

Start a Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion App. Keep a journal. Write down some promises you believe God is speaking and making to you. Personalize them!

KEY: Whatever you do, be intentional. God will speak to you!! Then, put the right STEPS in place, identify what STANDS between you and those promises, and move toward those promises in the way that guarantees God’s SECURITY in your life!

God is the Promise Maker and the Promise Keeper!  Watch this and share with others!