Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. And let's take a look, if you would, at verse 32 and verse 33. Hebrews 11. And we'll look at verse 32 and 33. There are some wonderful things here. There's so much about this phrase that we're going to look at tonight that we couldn't possibly deal with all of it tonight. But I want to look here in Hebrews 11 and verse 32 and 33 on obtained promises by faith. Obtained promises by faith. It says in verse 32, And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, and of David also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets. And I just want to stop there. And if you're not familiar with these individuals listed, of Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, and Jephthah, and David, and Samuel, then You should be, because we just read about most of them in our daily Bible reading. And if you're not familiar with them, go back and look over some, because some of the things that we know, like Samson, about how he had long hair. Again, it had nothing to do with his strength. So, read over Samson's life. It was more that he slew more on the day of his death than he did in all of his life. There were a lot of things that Samson did by faith. Otherwise, he wouldn't be listed here in Hebrews 11. but read over them and then in verse 33 it says, who, referring back under these, through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. So I want to look tonight at the subject of through faith obtained promises. Turn over, if you would, to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. And I want to read here this passage of Scripture in verse 20. And this deals with, again, the promises of God. And it is a thing that we need to realize. And we're only going to obtain promises by faith. The Scripture makes that pretty clear. And we want to notice here, and when you think about it, the Bible is full of promises just waiting for you and I to obtain. They're just there. God has spoken to them. He has guaranteed them, as the Bible says in Hebrews, with two immutable things. And so in 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 20 it says, For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us. And I'm not going to expound this verse here tonight, but I do want you to observe that, that it says, all the promises of God in Him, in Christ Jesus, are yea, are yes, and in Him, amen, or that is right. And then it says, unto the glory of God by us. So, it's all about glorifying God, isn't it? So every promise that God has, it is there, it is yay, and it is amen. A double yes and that is right. A double yes. And if you know anything about the Greek language, the English language, you've said, You know, well, he didn't do anything. Well, that's full of a bunch of negatives. And it changes what the meaning of the sentence is. In the Greek, when you say positive, positive, it just makes it stronger. When you say negative, negative, negative, it just makes it more unable to happen. And so in the original language here, it is a double promise that God has given that all of His promises, not one of His promises will fail. Not one. And it is, if you would, as if an object there just waiting for us to take hold of it, to obtain it. And I want to, we'll look back in our text here, I want to tell you something I read from Spurgeon. It's a little long and I tried to cut it down as best I could, but I think it's the best summarization of the promises of God. He said this, the promises of God are to the believer an inexhaustible mine of wealth. He said, happy is it for him if the believer knows how to search out their secret veins and enrich himself with their hid treasures. Just imagine. I mean, you think about some of these mines that we have in our own country and, you know, gold, silver, or coal mines, and there's what they call different veins, you know, and you have to follow them. They're already there. And you just have to follow the natural, as we would call it, the natural curve, or that's there, and you follow those, and you would mine out, they'll find tremendous pockets of where there's, you know, it looks, see, there'd be gold, or there'd be silver, or there'd be diamonds, or coal in there. And they, what do you have to do? You have to mine and get there, and then you have to mine it out. And it is a lot of work, isn't it? And yet, as Spurgeon stated here, he says, those who will search out these secret veins will enrich themselves with hidden treasures. And we will. He went on to say, the promises of God are to the believer an armory of all manner of offensive and defensive weapons. Therefore, blessed is he who has learned to enter this sacred arsenal and put on these promises. Those of you who have been in the military or anything that's paramilitary, if you know anything about it, you'll know that typically, typically, The greater arsenal is going to win the battle, isn't it? And you think about different things that have transpired, different wars down through the years, and I'll tell you, you know, you find an individual and typically there is no match for a greater arsenal. Well, we have the greatest arsenal there is in the promises of God. And it tells us here, as Spurgeon wanted to say further, he said, These promises are to the believer a surgery in which he finds all manner of elixirs, an ointment for every wound, a cordial for every faintness, and a remedy for every disease. Blessed are those who are well skilled in heavenly pharmacy, and knoweth how to lay hold on the healing virtues of the promises of God. I want you to understand this, that these promises, they're all in this book. And it is up to you as an individual child of God to search them out. You know, we're so used to people spoon-feeding us. You know, that's one of the techniques, and when they teach somebody, it's, you know, here, put this in here, okay, you do this. And, you know, they teach how to do it, and people have forgotten how to learn for themselves pretty much today. You have to learn for yourself to mine out these wonderful promises of God, and you have to learn how to apply them. They are there. The promises of God are a storehouse of food. Spurgeon said that they are as the granaries of which Joseph built. You know the Bible tells us that before the seven years of plenty even began, Joseph built up granaries, didn't he? Because he had to have a place to store them. So he believed that God was going to give him seven years of plenty to combat the seven years of famine. and he built granaries. Spurgeon said, Blessed is he who can take the five barley loaves and two fishes of promise and break them till his five thousand necessities shall all be supplied and is able to gather up baskets full of fragments afterwards. And we can only say amen and amen. So this is what the promises of God are. First of all, tonight, if you'll notice verse 33 of our text again, it says that who through faith obtained promises. What did they obtain? Promises. This is not something that many people want to obtain today. But nevertheless, it is what is needed, it is what God has supplied, and it is what we need to obtain. The word promises. One writer stated it means an announcement, a pledge, especially a divine assurance of good. So God has given us an assurance. And this is what it is in reference unto. Our dictionary stated that a promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. So we all know what a promise is, don't we? We have such things in our day, and sadly, they don't really mean anything, but people have promise rings. People have vows. People have contracts. They're all worthless. I want you to understand this, that promises, we can only guarantee them when they come from God. There's a saying that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. That's not so. That certainly isn't so. The only guarantees in life are what God has promised. That's it. I'd like you to notice, if you would, first and foremost of all, we have to recognize that the promises of God are all based on grace. They're all based on grace. And I say that because God made a pledge. There is nothing that requires God to make a pledge. There is nothing in us where God should have to make us a promise and say that He will do anything. There is nothing that would cause God, again, it's just as His salvation. It was done all because of in Himself. So all of these promises throughout Scripture eventually run back unto the grace of God. I'd like you to notice if you would, if you'll turn over to the Gospel of John chapter 3. The Gospel of John chapter 3. And let's take a note here when it refers unto salvation, how that we find here the promises of God. I'd like you to read that wonderful verse that we're very familiar with there in John 3 and verse 16. Here we find, again, promise of the Lord. And again, understand this, the word promise isn't in this verse, but the promise is there. He says in John 3 and verse 16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So there's God's promise. His promise is that whoever believes in Him, number one, here's the first promise, should not perish. That's a promise right there. God has guaranteed that those who believe in Him will not perish. The second half of that promise is, but have eternal or everlasting life. That's the second half. So I want you to understand, as we look through the Scriptures, and we read the passages of Scriptures, there are promises all over this book. And as you read it, it says, but have. God has guaranteed. He didn't say but maybe or probably, could possibly, but have everlasting life. Look over in John chapter 6 if you would. The Gospel of John chapter 6 and notice verse 37. Here we find another promise of the Lord. He says here, and again, all of this is based on grace. But you look in John chapter 6 and verse 37, and he says, "...all that the Father giveth me shall come to me." They shall. And that's a word of promise. These words of should, and have, and shall, and will. And when you look at them in the context, understand that when you see those words, those very well likely are promises from the Lord. If He's the one who said it, mark it down, it's true. And so here's the promise, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and then here's another promise, and him that cometh to me I will in no eyes cast out. So there's the other half of that promise. God has promised the Savior Christ to give him some, and Jesus says they will come, or they shall come, and those that do come that the Father's given me, I will in no eyes cast them out. So it's a double promise again, isn't it? Look over in the Gospel of John chapter 10. The Gospel of John chapter 10. Here we find again some more of the Lord's promises. And we could spend a great deal of time here. This is no doubt familiar to you from our studies in the 23rd Psalm. But I'd like you to notice verse 27. Notice again, this is a declarative statement. Therefore, it carries with it the fact that it's a promise. He says, my sheep hear my voice. He didn't say my sheep might hear my voice. He says, my sheep hear my voice. He says, and I know them and they follow me. So there's a promise. And then he says in verse 28, And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. So there we have promise after promise after promise. And they're all based upon grace. They originate with God. Then I'd like you to notice, if you would, if you'll turn over to Hebrews chapter 7, Hebrews chapter 7. Again, the promises of God. Hebrews 7 and verse 25. You know, it's an amazing thing. We believe man, and yet we make him sign contracts. We make him sign statements. Every time you use a card, you've got to sign your name. You know, I agree to pay in accordance with the card holder, or the card, or whatever the rules are and whatnot. We don't believe men at all because we make them sign all this stuff. But yet, we'll take a man at his word, but God who cannot lie, we doubt it. Doesn't make any sense, does it? In Hebrews 7, verse 25, I'd like you to notice this. It says, Wherefore, He is able also to save them to the uttermost, or completely, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Now I want you to notice here, the promise of salvation is not in anything but in God's ability. All of God's promises are based upon His ability and His Word. Now we know that God is omnipotent and that simply means that He's all-powerful. So He has all ability, doesn't He? Jesus sat unto His church before He commissioned them with a great commission to go into all the world and preach and make disciples and baptize and then teach those that they baptize to observe all things whatsoever He's commanded. What were His words? What is the great commission sat upon or premised? Jesus said, all power, or I have all power and authority has been given unto me in heaven and in earth. All power, all authority is mine in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore. The therefore refers back to the fact that he has all power. So it is based upon the fact that he's all powerful. Every promise of God is based on His ability. And His ability knows no bounds, does it? Now I'd like you to remember this about promises. You cannot hold God to something He never promised He would do. We're so good at that. We are so good at applying some scripture and applying it wrongly to a case or something we're in. Or we are so good at misquoting God. You must look at the print. You must look at the Word. God has given us 66 books. He has given us the Bible. He has given us His promise. It is written down so that there are no mistakes. We hold God to things we ought not to. I'd be like, you know, some folks are going in and saying, well, you know, you need to uphold this promise. They say, I never promised I'd do that. And certainly that's so. We wouldn't do that to anybody else, but we do that to the Lord sometimes. So we need to be awful careful with these promises. Now again, if you'll turn over to Hebrews 11 and verse 33. Hebrews 11 and verse 33. And we have much more to say on promises, but we've been impressed of the Lord. To move on, and I want to look tonight at the subject of obtaining. The subject of obtaining. Now again, I want you to notice that this word is not here by happenstance. While the word obtaining may be synonymous with other words, there's a reason the Holy Spirit used this word. There's a reason that God breathed this word. It does not say received the promise. It says obtained. The word received is vastly different from the word obtained. You will find that in the scriptures when the word received is used, it is most often and predominantly used with the subject of freely receiving. However, the word obtained here means to gain possession by exertion. So I want you to understand this. The Bible does not say who through faith received promises. It says that they obtained the promises. Now you're going to sit on a log, you're not going to obtain any promises. You might receive some things of the Lord. We're not talking about salvation where works cannot avail anything. We're talking about obtaining promises. And there are promises of God that we must obtain them. As the Bible says, or this word obtain is rendered, it means to light upon, to get, to gain possession of a thing. And the word implies an exertion and is different from the word received. We can't just sit around all day and not do what God says and expect to obtain these promises. These men did not do that. There were women who did not do that. The example is written for us, the Old Testament is recorded for us, that they exerted strength. They exerted their lives and obtained these promises. These promises must be obtained by faith. It must be an exertion of faith to obtain them. Just as James said, faith without works is dead. One writer, he indicated the word obtain means we obtain by seeking, we receive without seeking. Does not the Bible say in Romans chapter 3, if you'll turn over there, Romans chapter 3 and verse 11, when it refers to our state of total depravity, does it not say that there is none that seeketh after God? Here we find in Scriptures that the Bible says in Romans 3 and in verse 11, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Sinners do not seek after God, do we? Look over, if you would, in John chapter 1. John chapter 1. No, we do not seek after God. We do not obtain God. We do not obtain Jesus Christ as our Savior. We receive Him as our Savior. And Scripture clearly guards against that thought. In John 1 and verse 11, He came unto His own, and His own received Him not, meaning primarily the Jews. And in verse 12, But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You'll notice there, verse 12, As many as received Him, Well, how do you receive Christ as Savior? You receive Him freely. When we compare Scripture with Scripture, we find here that we receive Him as Savior. It's all of God, isn't it? But that's not the word that the Holy Spirit uses in Hebrews 11, is it? It's a different word altogether. And it has a different meaning. These individuals that are listed here, Gideon and Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and Samuel, and the prophets, they did not receive these promises, they obtained them. They exerted faith and they went and got them. These promises of which Paul and the Holy Spirit speak of, these were done by men and women of faith. That is, they took God at His Word, they staggered not at the promise of God, and they acted accordingly to God's Word. We must do likewise. If we are to do exploits, We must do like these and obtain the promises of God. Terrible is the faith of an individual who will not exert itself in following the Lord. I suppose if John Bunyan had written, I think that was his name, Bunyan had written Pilgrim's Progress, and I was his example of Christian, I will tell you it would be very, very short when it came to the life of faith after that he was saved. But I tell you, you read that book, it's rather long because Christian went and he did exploits by faith. He exerted and he obtained different promises. Sure he stumbled, but he obtained promises as he went along. We see that in the life of every child of God in the Scriptures. Let's turn over to Genesis chapter 22, and let's take a look at some examples, if you would. Genesis chapter 22. And I'd like you to notice, if you would, how that the Bible talks about in verse 15 is where we'll begin. This is that great chapter where Abraham is commanded of God to take Isaac up atop Mount Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice. And they go up yonder and Abraham, he's with Isaac, his son, and Isaac says, well listen, here's the fire and here's the wood, but where is the sacrifice? And Abraham says unto Isaac, he says, listen son, he said unto him, God will provide himself a sacrifice. And they go up on top of that mountain and he lays Isaac, he binds the wood upon him and he lays him atop of the altar. And as he raises up the hand with the knife in it to slay Isaac, the Lord speaks unto him. And he tells him, and he speaks unto him, he tells him, you don't need to do this. Let's read if you would, beginning in verse 15. It says, And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time. So here they were on Mount Moriah. The first time was when he said, don't kill Isaac. And they repaired that ram caught in the thicket, a substitution for Isaac. And so now we find the second time, verse 16. And said, by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing. Notice that. Done this thing. He exerted his faith. He went and obtained the promise of God. Thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld Thy Son, Thine only Son, that in blessing I will bless Thee, and in multiplying I will multiply Thy seed as the stars of heaven, or stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and Thy seed shall possess the gate of His enemies, and in Thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Thou hast obeyed My voice. God had made a promise to Abraham sometime ago, hadn't He? And that promise was that I'm going to make your seed as the sands of the sea and as the stars of heaven. And we find here that there was nothing in Abraham that God would give him that promise. And he had said, Sarah's going to have a son. And Abraham, he had some difficulty at one time or another, and who among us hasn't? And Sarah concocted the scheme, and they went in unto her handmaid, Hagar, and they had Ishmael, and God rejected Ishmael. He said, No, I told you I'm going to give you a son through Sarah, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. And from him shall spring forth all this seed. Well, that day had come. There are those who believe that this was some 30 plus years later on. I don't know how long it was. But some time had passed since Isaac was born. And Abraham takes him yonder up on top of the mountain. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews and in other places that Abraham believed God. He believed that Isaac was the promised seed. And he was willing to offer Isaac because he believed that God would raise him from the dead. And his seed would come forth from Isaac. And you notice here again how that God confers to Abraham the promise gained. He obtained it. He obtains the promise. You know what? If he wouldn't have done what God told him to do and go up to Mount Moriah and offer Isaac, he wouldn't have obtained the promise, would he? Because he didn't do what God said. He didn't believe God. Look over, if you would, in 1 Kings chapter 17, we're going to look at Elijah's life. 1 Kings chapter 17. And here again is another tremendous individual. Again, Abraham, he gained or he lighted upon, he obtained the promise of God. It was all done by faith. Now, I want you to understand this grace, as the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, we have to have grace to serve God with reverence and godly fear. So it was all done by grace, it was all done through grace, and faith took hold of that promise and went and latched on to it. That's the way our lives ought to be. Our lives ought to take what God's Word says, and we ought to go do it according to what God's Word, and let come what may. That's it. 1 Kings 17, verse 1, we're going to spend some time here. You'll notice, and I'm sure you know about Elijah, he was a prophet the Lord raised up during the time of Ahab. Ahab was, as the Bible tells us, and this is not an exact rendering of it, but Ahab was more wicked than all the other kings before him and all the other kings after him. He was awful, to put it mildly. 1 Kings 17 verse 1 it says, And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years but according to my word. And so here we find that Elijah goes in into the court of Ahab and he says these words unto him. So, what's going to happen if it doesn't rain for the time that it didn't, some three plus years? Well, things are going to not grow, and things are going to die, and there's going to be eventually a famine, isn't there? Well, let's observe what the Bible says in verse 2. Here, notice if you would, the promise of God to Elijah. And the Word of the Lord came unto him. Notice that. The Word of the Lord. Elijah didn't conjure this up. And so whenever we have a promise of God, we have to look in this book. Because this is His Word. This is it. So we have to find that promise in here. And we have to mine it out. God is not going to audibly speak to us. Now He may call to your remembrance, as the Bible says in the Gospel of John, a verse or a scripture that you have read. Because it's the Spirit of God that brings to our remembrance those things. And if you ain't read it, there ain't nothing for Him to bring to remembrance, is there? Well, there ain't. 1 Kings 17 verse 3, here's the word of the Lord. Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. God promised Elijah. First Elijah prays that it wouldn't rain. And it wasn't going to rain all over Israel. It wasn't just going to rain for Elijah. It was going to not rain. Well, he needs to drink water, doesn't he? And he's going to need to eat, isn't he? And so God says, I want you to get from where Ahab's at, where you're at, and I want you to go east. I'd like you to notice, Israel was always prone to running back to Egypt, weren't they? Well, Egypt was west, and God tells Elijah to go east. But I want you to notice there, he says, I want you to go to this brook. And I don't know if you know much about brooks, but typically when you think of a brook, you don't think of a lot of water, do you? I mean, I don't, not as opposed to a river. Notice he didn't say, I want you to go to Jordan. I mean, Jordan, that's a big river. I mean, that's enough water. They had enough to baptize somebody in it. But he sends them to a brook. And it's before Jordan, so it's not being fed by Jordan. It's a little brook that feeds the Jordan River. He says, I want you to go to it. And he says, hide thyself by the brook. So he says, I want you to hide there. And then he tells him, you're gonna drink of that brook. Notice the words of verse four, and it shall be. Isn't that a word or phrase of promise? Shall be. Notice the next phrase, that thou shalt drink of the brook. Well, I tell you, if you notice the promise of God, God says, go, and then He says, here's what you're going to do. Now, if you're going to obtain that promise, you're going to have to go to that brook and drink, aren't you? And God will give grace and strength and ability to get to that brook. Let's not be like, you know, what was his name who said, well, why can't I go over and bathe in these rivers? They're a lot better. Name it. That's what I thought. Name it. Thank you. He went where God told him to go. And then I want you to notice he says, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. Now the ravens, first of all, if you know anything about ravens, they're not birds that bring food to other people. That's not their natural God-given instinct. But God commanded them, didn't He? And He said, they're going to bring the food to that place where you're going to be hiding by the brook Cherith. That's where they're going to be. Now, if He'd have went to Jordan, if He'd have went to any other river, if He'd have went to Egypt, if He'd have went anywhere else, He would not have been where God had promised the provision would be. How many times do we go outside of God's provision? And you know, we might go outside of God's provision, we might say, well look, it worked out okay. It would have worked out better if you had done what God told you to do. God would have gotten the glory. I can't tell you how many times in my life, and I'm sure you can say the same, that I did something I shouldn't have done, and sure, it didn't kill me, But there was no faith in doing that. And there was no glory for God in doing that. And then I want you to notice in verse 5, again, who through faith obtained promises, so he went and did according unto the word of the Lord. Notice that. That's how it has to be done. That's how we obtain promises. We do, we go, or we went, and we do according unto the Word of the Lord. Every phrase, an exact duplicate, we must do what God says. Not turning to the left hand, nor to the right hand. And then it goes on in verse 5, it says, For he, that is Elijah, went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan, and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook. He obtained the promise of God, didn't he? And you know what happened? God was glorified. This was an unnatural occurrence, wasn't it? This was only something that could be done by the power of God. I mean, you and I, I can't speak for you, but I might have said, there's a bigger river over here and there's a grocery store right next to it, God. He said, I want you to go over here, and I would encourage you to look up on the computer about that brook sheriff, and look, I don't know, I didn't get into that. I didn't have time to get into that tonight. But look at the surrounding area. It may have been very isolated, I don't know. And then I want you to notice that this promise was not an eternal promise. It was a temporary promise. Because in verse 7 it says, and it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Now, did God tell Elijah that he was going to be there for the entire duration of the not raining period? No. He didn't tell him that. And that's what we want. We want God to tell us one thing, and we'll do it, and we'll be comfortable, and we'll get comfortable there, and that's the way it's going to be from here on out. But that's not what happened. You see, what Elijah did was he obtained one promise. He walked up on a higher plane, didn't he? And he got another vantage point. He saw the glory of God. But God has another higher plane for Elijah to go to. And God has higher planes for you and I to go to. And He has more vantage points for you and I to go to. And He has other promises for us to obtain. And so in the next verse, in verse 8, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. Now, If you've read this, you already know that this widow woman didn't know she was commanded to sustain him. But she was. And so in verse 10, notice again, there's the promise of God in verse 9, the Word of the Lord, verse 8, the promise in verse 9, and then verse 10 we find the obedience. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate to the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks. And he called to her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water and a vessel that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal, and a barrel, and a little oil, and a cruise. And behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die." He said, we're all out. We've got enough for one more meal. God sent Elijah to Zarephath to a widow to sustain him. And when he gets there, she says, I got enough for one more meal for me and my son and then we're gonna die. What does verse 10 say? I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain me. That's the promise, isn't it? The promise is, I have commanded her to sustain thee or you. There are things and individuals and people and churches that God has commanded to sustain others. And we are to be used of the Lord to sustain them. We find that Elijah comes. And again, this was not happenstance. This was all under the direction and providence of the sovereign, supreme being, the Lord. And he goes on and he says, or it states in verse 13, Elijah said unto her, fear not. He had to believe the Lord, didn't he? For him to say, fear not. He says, fear not, go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel. This is what Elijah bases everything on. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. And that's what we have to base everything on. God said it. Therefore, we must do it. And he says unto her, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. So here he gives the promise, doesn't he? Now this, I want you to pay particular attention to the promise. This cruise of oil and this barrel of meal was not going to last forever. But it was going to last until the rain came. And you know what would happen when the rain came? The crops would grow. And she would be able to grow meal. And she would be able to gather in meal and make new meal. And she would be able to go get more oil from the olive trees that would bud forth. You see, supernatural occurrences are not needed when the regular occurrences of God are in full force. Just like the manna ended when they got into the land because the land was flowing with milk and honey. They didn't need the manna anymore. Here was God's promise. And he said unto Elijah, he said, listen, that barrel of meal isn't going to waste and the crucible isn't going to fail until the famine has ended and God has sent forth rain. It's going to last. Verse 15, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah. Boy, I like that. Because God said it to His messenger, and His messenger told it to her, and they both were doing what God said. And that is exactly how all of us need to operate. In our homes, husbands and wives, parents and children, pastor and church, church members together. We must all be doing what God says to obtain the promises of God. Do you need to go see your mother? Go ahead. Tell her I said you could come back there. And in verse 16, or notice if you would in verse 15, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she and he and her house did eat many days, and the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail, notice, according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah. Now let's back up. What if Elijah had never gone to the brook? What if he said, I'm not going there. What if Elijah, after going to the brook, he said, yeah, I'm going to stay here because the ravens have been doing a really good job. And you know what, I'm going to get out my pickaxe or my well digging tools and I'm going to dig down here and see about getting me a well. But that's not what took place. He did exactly what the Lord told him to do. And in doing so, he obtained the promise. Now we need to apply all of this to our own lives and to our lives as a church. And I want to give you an example. Had not God provided for us? I mean, look at you as an individual, look at your family as an individual. We're all here, aren't we? Has He not provided? I just celebrated a birthday. 36 years He's taken care of me. And if it be His will for me to be another 36, He'll take care of me another 36 more years. Has not God fulfilled His promise of being His name Jehovah Jireh? Did not God say unto His church that the gates of hell will not prevail against it? Has He not given us work to do? And lo, these last 16 months, has not the church tested the Lord and seen Him do exactly what He said He would do? Have we not supported your own pastor more than you originally thought you could do from the beginning? And it has been an increase and an increase and an increase, and yet we have more now than what we started with. The crews of oil and the barrel of meal have not failed, and they never will. They never will. Have we not supported others as the Holy Spirit has led? Has not God supplied for us that we, like the widow and the son, that we may support and take heed and need of others? And it will not fail. Have we not obtained as a church the promise of God in accordance with His Word? Yes, we have. And it is no time to shrink. Rather, it is time to go on and obtain the next promise, whatever it may be. For this book is full of these promises. Did not God tell Paul when he was at Corinth, for I have much people in this city? And what did Paul do? He went out and preached the gospel and the Lord saved. Was it not said of Paul that he is to be my servant, my chosen one, to bear witness unto the Gentiles and he will suffer many things? Oh, isn't that a part of God's promise that we suffer many things so that we will be conformed unto the image of His Son? That's part of it. Turn over to Joshua chapter 1. We ought not to seek to gain the promise without the obtaining of it. Because you will not. I will not. And this church will not obtain the promises of God unless we actually exert faith and do what God has said. Abraham did not obtain that blessing or that promise except he did what God said. Elijah had not obtained those things except he had done what the Lord had said. No, we must not hide. We must not fear. But listen to Joshua 1 and verse 5. There shall not any man be able to stand before Thee all the days of Thy life as I was with Moses, so I will be with Thee. I will not fail Thee nor forsake Thee. And isn't that what He said unto His church? He said, Go ye into all the world and make disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, or take notice, I will be with you always, even unto the end of the age of the world. That's His promise, isn't it? And He'll be with this church until we reach the end of the age. and He will provide for it, and He will take care of it. He will not fail us nor forsake us. Verse 6, because God will be with us, because He will not fail us nor forsake us, we need to, verse 6, be strong and of good courage. For unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance of land, which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. If not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. God didn't say He was going to give us all the financial things in all the world. He said, I'll be with you and I'll provide as you go. And as we go and we use His supplies and proper stewardship of doing the things of God that He's commanded us to, and sometimes it'll take funds and sometimes it won't take funds. It's going to take time, it's going to take energy, it's going to take prayer, but we will obtain promises by exerting our faith in Him. That's how we'll go. And that's how we'll prosper. And if you are measuring prosperity, as I have said multiple times, if you are measuring prosperity by numbers on a bank statement, you are dead wrong. Dead wrong. You are to measure prosperity by doing what God's Word says. There are a ton of rich people, including one that we know of for certain who is in hell, being in torments. He was mightily successful in this life, but he died and went to hell. Look over, if you would, in Romans 10 as we close tonight. The lost people who are here, my children, those that you are acquainted with who know not the Savior, there is a promise of God. And the Bible tells us in Romans 10, and notice if you would, verse 13, The Bible says, I'm sorry, verse 11, For the Scriptures say, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Verse 13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's a promise, isn't it? In fact, that's the only promise God has ever made to lost people. Unless you count the other side of the coin, which is if you don't believe, you're going to go to hell. That's the promise He's made. Then turn over to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. We ought to desire to obtain the promises of God. As we said in the beginning of the message, they're right there for the picking. They're right there. I mean, let's not act like, you know, we're entitled to these promises because we're not. You know, that's the way people are today. They have an entitlement mentality is, well I should just sit on my butt at home and I should have everything that this guy over here is working his life for. Saw one of the pictures on Facebook and it said, had a door and above the door it said, get job, work here, keep half. On the other side it said, another door above it said, do nothing, keep everything. And there was a big line at that one. That's the way we are spiritually a lot of times. We want to do nothing and have everything and God says you have to exert faith to obtain these promises. In Philippians 4, And notice, if you would, verse 6. Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Notice that. Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Well, how do we get that? Well, you have to do verse 6. You have to, in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. No wonder people have spiritual anxiety today. Their prayer lives are on life support. Verse 8, Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good rapport, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. There's the command of God. You are to think on these things. Not all the what-ifs. And this might happen. And you know what? An earthquake might happen. Or as they have here in Florida, where the ground opens up and it just swallows everything in. I mean, we can play the what if game all day long if we want. But the scripture says, don't think on that, think on these things. My mother's got a neighbor. My dad's got the same neighbor too, but I don't think he owns her as one. But that lady will drive you nuts. She worries about everything. she worried about a tree they had and it might fall on a power line. So she had her son and another neighbor come and cut the tree down and on the second branch it hit the power line and caught on fire and the fire department and the consumers energy had to come out and it's probably going to cost her more now than it did if she had hired professionals to come in and cut that tree down. All because she didn't like the leaves in her yard. And I tell you, we're just as bad when it comes to spiritual things. We worry about things that God has specifically said, you're not to worry about. And He says, if you are worried about them, you're to give them to Me. And He says, you think on these things, and then notice verse 9. So He says, you think on this, and then He says, here's what I want you to do. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me do. And then what? And the God of peace shall be with you. He said, Paul's writing to the Church of Philippi, he says, if you have learned it, received it, heard it, and seen it in me, you do it, and the God of peace will be with you. Well, I'm a terrible example, so I'm going to say this. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in Jesus Christ, you do that, and the God of peace will be with you. And we will obtain the promises of God. And I tell you what, as Spurgeon said, and I could re-read that whole thing again, but those promises of God that you obtain are going to be far greater than anything else you obtain in this life. and they will do more for you than anything else in all the world. Because they will be profitable in this life and in the life to come. So as we go out these doors tonight and as you go on your day tomorrow and throughout the rest of your life, go obtain promises to the glory of God. Let that be as you rise up from your bed and your feet hit the floor. What promises would God have me obtain today? What is it? What is it, Lord, that you... and they might be the most insignificant promises that God has... that He's promised to us that people might look on that and say, well, that's no big deal. But every promise of God is in Him, yea, and in Him, amen. And they are all big deals. Every one of them. There is no little promise with God. There are the daily in and out promises. There are all kinds of promises. It is your job as his child to mind them out and to apply them in your life. God will not do it for you, and I cannot do it for you. Every individual must be about it. So while we stand, we'll close with a word of prayer tonight.