And this morning as you're turning to the book of Numbers chapter 23, and then following up with our beginning reading in the book of 2 Peter chapter one, I wanna ask you today, what is your strength? Where do you find comfort? And I guess this morning I really should get down to our title. It would be the promises of God. The promises of God. Sure enough, I guess over the last several days I've been singing the song in my head that we're standing on the promises of God. Let me ask you something. What does it mean for you to believe in a promise? For example, if somebody said, I'm gonna beat your ass, I'm gonna pick you up at two o'clock. It's 1.59, do you trust them and are you waiting on them to arrive at the next minute? Or do you get anxious thinking, well, they're not gonna do their promise, I better find another way if I'm gonna get to my appointment or wherever we're going. Do you think and do you believe that trusting in promises creates different actions or maybe a different belief or sense of what we do while we're here? And the answer I have is yes. Folks, can I go ahead and lay this out there? If God has made a promise, you can count on it. If God has made you a promise, and if God has made you a promise, he's made me a promise, and if God has made us a promise, you can stand on that promise. One of the greatest promises that we're gonna see in our scriptures this morning is that God is going to promise us that one day he's coming back again. Folks, you know what I believe? I believe that if Jesus said he's coming back, do you know what I believe in? I believe Jesus is coming back. And this morning, I wanna read to you, if I can, the book of 2 Peter 1. And then we're gonna read in Numbers 23. 2 Peter 1, skip down to verse 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. This morning, I want you to know that the promises of God are not just something that are said or written. Folks, they are great and they are precious. Let's read the rest of that verse and we'll come back in just a minute. but these great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. You see today, God, I believe today, has given us these promises. What makes the promises of God great? That's a question I want to ask you this morning. What makes the promises of God so great? Folks, I'll give you my answer. The reason that God's promises are great is because we serve a great God. Would you agree? God is great, and if a great God makes a great promise, it is indeed just that. It is a great promise. But let's get to what else he said. Not only are they great, but he said great and precious promises. What makes something precious to you? You probably got something in your life, you may have something even in your possession right now that you might would label as something that is precious. The word precious, when we really look at it, it just simply means to be something that its value is beyond calculation. Is there anybody here today that want to tell me how valuable it is or how precious it is to God to have these promises that the Bible is going to speak of? How wonderful these things are to possess. God's words are valuable. Do you wanna know how valuable God's promises are? You wanna know how valuable the word of God is? Let me ask you this. If your shoe were to tear up or something were to happen, would you have a replacement? Not only would you have something just as good, you might find something better, you might find the exact same thing. Let me ask you this. If we were to remove or we were to not have the word of God, what would we replace it with? I don't mean this in no ill will towards you, but folks, I had rather have the promises of God than the promises of anybody I've ever met in this life. The promises of God are where we see that, listen to what he said, that not only that they are exceeding great and precious promises, People so often today, well I, to me it's almost like our society has taken the word promise and we have really dulled it down. Well I promise and just fill in the blank. Well I promise, let me ask you this, what can you promise? Well the truth is, we really can't promise a whole lot. But we see a culture, we see a society that they promise and they fail to keep those promises. Sometimes it's malicious. Yes, I will concede that. Sometimes it's malicious where people intentionally say, well, I promise I'm going to pick you up at two o'clock and they have no intentions of doing that. But also believe there are people today that said, I will pick you up at two o'clock. They accidentally fall asleep. They slept past two o'clock and they're late picking you up. It's not that they maliciously did it. They accidentally did that. But again, whether it was intentional or unintentional, they still failed on their promises. Can I tell you something about God? When God makes a promise, he's not going to do anything intentional or unintentional. He's going to be true to his promise. Excuse me. Follow with me if you want the book of Numbers chapter 23. in verse 19. Numbers 23 and verse 19 said this, God is not a man, a man, right? God is not a man that he should lie. Neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? I love how he asked that question. Is he not gonna make it good? Is God not good for his promises? This morning today, if God today makes a promise, just as sure as that son rose up this morning, I believe the promises of God are going to stand. Do you know what, God? Let's go ahead and substitute a word in for just a minute. You see, we talk about promises. I promise to be there if you need me, or I promise to pick you up at two o'clock, or I promise to do this or that. The Bible also teaches about a word that we use called covenants. Covenants are agreements. Promise is something I'm gonna do, but these covenants are something I'm gonna do for you because of how I feel towards you. Covenants, what's a good way that we would describe a covenant? That's what a marriage is right now. It's a covenant between a man and a woman and How that they agree that because of their feelings of their love towards each other how they're going to treat each other folks I have no doubt in my mind that God loves us. Do you believe in that? God loves us, for God so loved the world, and we'll talk about that in a minute. But for God loved us so much, and that God cares for us so much, He made promises. Probably one of the most, you've got the Abraham Covenant, you've got the covenant that we know probably one of the more well documented or spoken of is What happened in the days of Noah when the floods came and the waters rose and then all of a sudden they began to reach upon dry ground or the time came after the rains, they stopped and they ceased. There was a rainbow in the sky and the rainbow was what? It was a covenant of God's feeling towards man. And that covenant that God had towards man is that God was telling us, because I love you. It's a promise. Folks, today the Bible is filled for the promises of God, and that's what we're reading about this morning, these promises that God has made. He made one with Abraham, made it with Moses, he made it with David. God is making these promises with mankind. And here's what else I believe about this, folks, is that not only is God making these promises, but God is fulfilling every single one of them. I'm gonna confess something to you and feel free to chuckle because it's a true statement. Have any of you ever been like me that you promised somebody something and forgot you made the promise? It's not that you were mean or whatever. Well, yes, I will take that to the grocery store or pick that up from the grocery store or I'll take that to the bank. And then all of a sudden you get busy doing your life and all of a sudden you're like, oh, I forgot all about the promise that I made, folks. Do you know what God is? Read what he said there in the book of Numbers in verse 19. God is not man that he should lie. Aren't you thankful today God doesn't get distracted and forget about you and me? What happens when we get distracted? You know what one of the more common methods is? Distract you so that people can do something to harm you or to steal from you or whatever. The idea is to get distracted. Aren't you thankful today that the devil cannot come along and distract God? That he can harm man? That God is always watching us and keeping his promises? How many of you are thankful for that today? What a glorious thought this morning that we have is that the promises of God are true and they are real. Here in our book of Numbers, what we're seeing is that God has made a promise. We read to you there in the book of 2 Peter chapter one about these exceeding great and precious promises. I got to thinking this morning, How many children or whatever in their life, they've promised that their grandparents or whoever's coming home and they watch the end of a driveway waiting for that return of that one, that promise that they've made. Let me ask you something, folks. If God says he's coming, do you believe he's gonna come? Yes. They're not gonna get distracted or have a flat tire or get tied up or have to work overtime and they're gonna be late and you have to explain yourself why the child will be disappointed. Aren't you glad that God keeps his promises and that God is right on time? Think about how perfect that God is in this particular respect. What about these promises that God has? Let me read to you a few if I can this morning in the book of Joshua chapter 1. Joshua chapter 1 is that God is making a promise. We've established the fact today that God is good on His promises in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We read in both places that we are giving exceeding great and precious promises. In Numbers it said God is not a man that he should lie. Here in the book of Joshua chapter one, listen to what God is promising here. Let me ask you this. Remember what we said in the very beginning? If somebody makes a promise, does it play into or does it become part of your feelings and how you react and how you view things? Listen to what Joshua 1 and 9 said. Have not I commanded thee? And there's a question there. God has commanded us. We talked a little bit about this, I believe it was last week, that God gives us commandments for situations, that God gives us commandments for morals and ethicals of our life, but let me ask you this. He said, have I not commanded thee? Here's what he said. Be strong and of good courage. Why is God telling us, or Joshua even, to be strong and of good courage? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. Those are some pretty, Those are some pretty harsh feelings that you might be able to experience when you get afraid. I don't know if you've ever been a little spooked, but I'm talking about afraid. It means something deep seated that was disturbing you. By the way, if you're afraid of something, you can't focus on something else, can you? All you can think about is what's about to happen to you. Do you know what God is saying? God said, don't worry about what's going to happen to you. I'm going to take care of you. He said, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. dismayed, or to be disoriented, or distracted, as we might say. He said, don't be dismayed, he said, but he gives us an answer why. Now, we probably all grew up under the idea of, why should you not? Because I said so, he said. He gives us an answer. For the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. Amen, folks. Aren't you thankful for the promises of God that he said, I'll go with you whithersoever thou goest. Now I know that people will tell you that we're in places that God doesn't want us to be, but can I tell you something today, folks, God is there too. Even in our wrong, let me say it like that, even in our wrong in life, God is there. I'm thankful today when we talk about the promises of God, I am thankful today to know this, that as he told Joshua, that he said, for thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. You don't have to read it, but in the book of Hebrews, he said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. That's what the promises of God are. Do you know what the word to, to, when he talks about to forsake means? The word forsake just simply means I'm not going to leave you behind. By the way, what does it mean to leave you behind? It just means if you're faster walking or running than I am, or you can ride a bike faster, you can leave me, folks. God has the potential to get ahead of us. Would you agree that God is capable of getting ahead of us? It's not that we're stronger than God. What he's saying is, even though he can forsake you, he said, I'm not going to. Folks, this morning, aren't you thankful that God can, but he chooses not to never leave us? nor forsake us. He's not going to leave us behind, but also, love, the word also means to understand that God means to abandon us. Now, I think we could probably spend a little while this morning, and you could probably all relate, or you could probably find a time in your life where you felt abandoned. What does it mean to be abandoned? Let's just simply talk about this. What is an abandoned house? It's a house that once had people in it. It's a house that once had liveliness in it. It's a house that once had activity. It had food. It had music. It had entertainment. It had love. It had all these things that were going on. But it was abandoned. That means those things that were once there are gone. Aren't you glad today that when you get saved that nothing can separate you from the love of God? What a glorious thought today, folks, to know that no matter how wrong we may be in life, that God said, I'm not going to abandon you and leave you, that you'll become a lost person again. He said, I will be with you, he said, and I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. God said, He teaches us. He said, I will not leave thee comfortless, which means like an orphan. He said, I'm not going to abandon you where you don't have somebody to go to. I'm not going to treat you where you don't have somewhere that you can go or someone that you can turn to. I want to tell you something that I deeply believe in this morning. That God is a God that every single one of us can turn to. I want to say that one more time. God is a God that every single one of us can turn to. People look at the pastor sometime or, you know, people that are very close to the Lord and think, man, you're really blessed that you can call on God whenever you want. Folks, that is not reserved for a certain select people, folks. That is for all of the human race that we can call on God at any time we need Him. And I'll tell you this, if you have not experienced this, it will happen. But there'll be times you'll need to call on God and nobody else even has a clue that you'd need to call on him, but you will. What does that mean, preacher? That means you'll be hurting and there'll be something going on in your life that nobody else knows about, but God will hear you. This morning, I thank God that he is a God that loves us. And he said, for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. God said, I promise that I'm going to be there with you. I promise that I'm going to take care of you. I'm not going to abandon you. I'm not going to leave you behind. He said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Let me turn and read, if I can, the book of Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40. As I begin to look at this verse, I think about that God said He's gonna provide for us. What are the promises of God that when we go through trials in our life, or we go through hard times in our life, or when storms happen in our life, that God takes care of us. Would you agree with that? If you don't, let me see if I can give you some compelling evidence in the book of Isaiah chapter 40, and skip down to about verse 31. But they that wait upon the Lord, this is a promise, folks. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. And when they get this strength, what happens to them? They shall mount up with wings as eagles. Do you know what I believe, folks? That the promises of God, let's rewind time just a little bit. Do you remember what I said in the very beginning? That if you believe in a promise, will it cause you to react differently? That if you were in a situation that you didn't believe in that promise? In other words, it's 159, I'm gonna be there too. If you believe in the promise, you're just gonna wait patiently. If you don't believe in the promise, you panic. Who are you gonna call? What are you gonna do as an alternative route? Remember what we said, the difference in that. Listen to what he said. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Have you ever thought about the eagle? Do you know that an eagle at 450 feet, which is a football on a half field, do you know an eagle at 450 feet can see a mouse? How many of you can see a mouse at 450 feet? Do you mean to tell me that the promises of God will make you to see things that you cannot see with the human eye? Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It is the evidence of things not seen. Can I tell you the very hinge on that? He didn't say that it's about the evidence of things that do not exist. He said you do not see them, but they're there. Folks, can I ask you, I want a poll question this morning. Do you think that the promises of God will allow you to see things that you cannot see through the human eyes? I thank God this morning that I can look through and have eyes like an eagle, not because God has given me a superpower, but that God has promised me and I can see things through the promises of God that I cannot see any other way. Look what he said, he said, and they, he said, shall mount up with wings as eagles. Every year those eagles would go through and they have to, it's just shedding is what it is. Eagles, all the different, the breeds you might say of the eagles, they shed their wings about once a year. Passover and then the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, these festivals that happen once a year. And the whole purpose of that once a year was to cleanse yourself. But you know what the birds would do is they would shed their feathers so that they can fly a little better. You know what probably one of the most amazing things about an eagle, that those that wait upon the Lord, He said they'll get strength and they'll mount up their wings with eagles. That they're able to get to a point that they can, do you know that the eagles can actually fly higher than the storms? Can I say that to you one more time and see if this sets in to you? Do you know that on the promises of God that we can mount up out of our wings as eagles, which means that the storm exists, but that the eagles can get above those storms, why? Because the promises of God will rescue even from life's greatest storm. Can I ask you today, do you have a testimony of the fact that somewhere in the way, somewhere along life's way, you went through a storm, but you know what? If you rested in the promises of God, you was above the storm. Folks, it's real. I'm gonna tell you something, it's real, and the promises of God, and they can elevate you to new heights that you will not experience anywhere else, and I'll tell you this, the promises of God will bring you out of a storm, will it not? Oh, how the world is missing out on what God is able to do for them. He said, they will mount up with their wings as eagles. He said, they're free. He said, they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Paul even tells us in the book of 2 Corinthians, he said, my grace is sufficient for thee. Folks, what God gives us will get us to a place that we're above the storm. Where God gets us to is where we have eyes like an eagle that we can see things that we cannot see with the natural eye. When we do these things, we're able to shed off things that might hinder us in our flight for the Lord. And we're able to mount up with wings as eagles. And Paul began to talk about my grace is sufficient. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weakness. You know what it means to have sufficient, don't you? It means that you have what is necessary. Oh, folks, I want you to know something this morning. Do you have what is necessary to walk out of those doors here in just a little while? Preacher, what do you think I need to have? Do you think I need a Bible? Well, we've got some in here you can have, but I want to ask you something. There is a vast difference in carrying the Word of God around in your hand and believing in the Word of God. Oh, the world is filled full of Bibles and they're filled for the Word of God, but they don't believe in it. Aren't you thankful today that the promises of God are real and they are meant to be believed in? I believe in them, folks. I believe in the promises of God. And He said that I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. If He tells us today that we shall mount up with our wings as eagles, I believe these things. He talks about how that it is sufficient. That means it is enough for what you need. It'll fill in the gaps in your life. Oh, this morning, aren't you thankful today to know that God can fill in the gaps of what we have? But I want to read to you, if I can, for just a moment. In the book of Philippians chapter four, I wanna read you another promise. Philippians chapter four, let me read you what we read in the seventh verse. Look at the promise of peace that we have here. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Did you hear what he said? The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds. I got curious again not long ago when I looked up the word keep. It's what we would call is a military protection, a military garrison, I think is what it would be called. In other words, it's a place that 24 seven, you have not just someone, but you have the military protecting that way, no matter what enemy comes, you are safe. This morning, I don't wanna mislead you in any way, but folks, I don't want you to ever feel like or to think that the enemy is not trying to get you. What I'm telling you is, there's no army like the army of God that can protect you. He said, in the peace of God, listen to what he said. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind. It's where the military is protecting something so that it might be safe, that it might be secure, that the people would be at peace. Can I ask you something if you're saved this morning? Here's another poll question. Do you believe that there is such thing as peace with God? Absolutely do I believe in that, and I believe there's peace in God. I believe that there's peace that we're able to experience with Him. But lastly, I want to Read to you what we read in John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him. Again, this is a promise. He said he shall not perish but have everlasting life. Aren't you thankful today that God has promises that he gives us? As a matter of fact, we read. I want to read to you if I can in Revelation. I'm going to close with this one. Revelation chapter 21 and in the fourth verse. This is a promise, folks. This is not a fairytale ending that Hollywood has described. This is where we find our happiness at, folks. This is a promise of God. Revelation 21 and verse 4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Oh, preacher, that just sounds so good. I just hope that to be true, folks. I want to tell you something. I'm not hoping in that promise. I believe in that promise. What are the tears? things that hurt. We could probably sit here for a good little while this morning. We could go around this place and I could say, have you ever been hurt? Matter of fact, I'll even go to say this, we can't stop the fact that you're not gonna get hurt maybe today or tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. But the problem is that we see the promise of God is that one day all the hurt's gonna be over with, we'll hurt no more. Folks, glory and thanks to the God for that. For he said, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There should be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Aren't you glad today to know that the promises of God that one day all the things that we do not like about this whole world, they're gonna get left behind? That's only if you're saved by the grace of God, let me say that. But if you're here today and you're not saved, you don't have these promises. You don't have these things that we are clinging to and the things that we hold on to. If you remember this, And I'm gonna read to you 1 Peter 1 and 4, whereby we are given a succeeding great and precious promises that by these, talking about these great promises and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. He said, if you believe in the promises of God, you're gonna realize that what this world makes you think that you want is not really what you find to be real, that you hold on to those things that are eternal. So this morning, my question to you is this. What promise do you have? What promises are you clinging to? What you've done, what somebody else has done for you, are you clinging to what God has done through the Holy Spirit in your soul? God bless you this morning. That's what I had on my heart. I want us to get a song this morning.