God's Word Is Sure

God's Word Is Sure

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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Joshua 21:43-45
And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that He sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

God is true, and His promises are true and sure. Certainly, they will come to pass, even as He said.

Here we see in Joshua that there failed nothing of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel: All came to pass — ALL!

So, if God speaks, we can rest assured that what He has said will come to pass.

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us

By reading God's Word and seeing how He didn't fail, we can be confident that He never will fail. We can see from the Scriptures that God is true to His Word, that He does not lie, and that His Word will not change.

People change. Weather changes. All kinds of changes take place in this world — but God never changes.

Luke 21:8,9
And He said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

Even in this very hour we live in, we can see that the signs Jesus spoke of in Luke 21 are coming to pass in our day.

He told us that when we see these things — earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and rumors of wars, etc. — taking place in our world, this is the beginning of sorrows.

And there are wars being fought and rumors of wars starting throughout the world. There isn't any peace in the world today. People are seeking peace, but not from God. They meet to discuss peace, but there seems to be no peace to be had.

The only true peace will be when they turn to Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. Then they will find the true peace within.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We who have received Christ as Lord and Saviour know this great peace personally. If we turned away from Him to go our own way and the Lord came back for His own, we would face His judgment. But we no longer have to live in fear of judgment as long as we walk with the Lord.

Numbers 23:19
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?

Psalm 119:89
For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven.

God's Word stands firm throughout eternity. It's forever settled in heaven, never to be changed.

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Even though one day heaven and earth will pass away, God's Word will remain. In fact, we will be judged according to His Word.

I Kings 8:56
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

After Solomon had prayed at the dedication of the temple, he rose and blessed the congregation of Israel, stating that, according to all the Lord has promised, there had not failed one word of His good promise.

What God had promised Israel through Moses did not fail because God is a God of His Word, and what He has promised cannot fail.

Yet many are hesitant to believe. For some reason their faith is not in contact with the promises of God. It takes faith to believe that these promises will come to pass.

Now, we have seen in His Word testimony that His promises came to pass just as He had said. This should cause us to be very strong and encouraged in the fact that those things which He had promised to the children of Israel came to pass: Not one word of His good promises failed. If we can only lay hold of this, that if God's promises came to pass back there in the days of Joshua and Solomon, His promises to us will also come to pass.

Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God's Word will not turn back to Him empty but will prosper in the thing whereunto He sent it.

We can see here that God's Word is sure. We should want to take hold of these precious promises.

Delays Discourage Faith

I believe, many times what hinders people is that when it doesn't come to pass immediately, they stop believing.

I went through a long faith battle that lasted for years, but while I waited on God to fulfil His Word, I still believed what He had said. My faith was made stronger to read passages of Scripture such as these. I read where not even one word failed of all God had spoken: He brought it all to pass.

If He would do that for the children of Israel, why would anyone think He wouldn't do it for us who will believe Him today.

He will do it for us if we hold fast and wait patiently; but, many times, people give up on the promises of God because of their impatience. They want it done right now! As soon as we have something afflict us, we expect God to remove it right now.

And sometimes He might do just that; I'm not saying He wouldn't. As soon as you start crying out unto God about a pain in your body, He can remove it just that quickly.

I'm not saying He can't do it quickly — as soon as you ask Him — because He can. But other times, no. He wants to test your faith and see whether you are going to stand in faith, believing in Him and His promises.

Hebrews 10:36
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Remember now, God is true and His promises are true.

Again, we note in Joshua where all came to pass and in I Kings where not a word failed, not one word. God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for one, He will do for any who will reach out to stand in faith believing. In these two passages He did it for the whole group of the children of Israel. And if He could do that for them, He can also do it for us.

Thank God we have these Scriptures in His Word that we can put our faith in, having the assurance that they will come to pass as He has spoken.

Isaiah 46:11b
yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

He was talking to the children of Israel, yes, but if He spoke that way to the children of Israel about His promises, don't you believe He would speak the same to us? If He has spoken something, surely He will bring it to pass. And if He has purposed it, He will also do it.

Now, I can't force you to believe. It has to be on your part to believe God's Word. Whatever God has promised He's able to perform — whether you believe or you don't believe.

Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in truth.

Once again, He is talking about truth. Anything He does is right and is done in truth.

Psalm 146:6
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever

Notice, He said, forever! He keeps truth forever. Wouldn't it be wonderful if His people would keep truth forever?

John 17:17
Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.

Yes, God's Word is truth, and we certainly do not want to brush it off or give up believing what He has said just because it doesn't happen right away. We have to stand in faith, believing His promises are truth: what He has said He will do.

God is pleased with us when we place our trust in Him and in His promises, knowing there are no lies in God or in His Word.

God Is Faithful

The Scriptures are so clear to let us see that God is a God of His Word. When He speaks from His Word, or through prophecy or some other way — even a still small voice — and He promises you something, you can be assured it will come to pass as He said. If that was Him speaking, it will come to pass. If it coincides with His Word, it will come to pass.

If He says He is going to heal you, that doesn't conflict with His Word, so it's true that He will heal you. You can stand believing that very thing.

Even though your faith is tested for a long time, God is yet faithful. You can continue believing, whether others believe or not. When you place your faith in His Word, you can be confident it will come to pass.

His Word is truth, and it will come to pass. It doesn't make any difference how others believe or don't believe; we have to believe what we know is the truth. We have to believe God and His Word, rather than what men have to say about it.

Romans 3:3,4
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Even if some did not believe the Word of God, God would still be faithful to His promises. Here in Romans He was speaking to the Jews at that time, but what He says there still applies to all: God is true, regardless of whether men believe His Word or not. His word is true and it will come to pass, just as He said.

Man's unbelief doesn't affect God's Word. If He has promised, He will fulfil what He has said, because God is faithful to His promises.

I Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

God is faithful. If He has called us, He will do whatever needs to be done — both in our lives and in the calling which He has called us to do — to bring His will to pass in and through us.

II Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

The Lord is faithful. If you believe what He has said here, then He will stablish you and keep you from evil. Even though temptation comes along, He will be there to make a way of escape.

I Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We don't know how, but He will make a way of escape that we can be able to bear temptation that comes our way.

How faithful He really is. Wouldn't you like to be just as faithful to Him: faithful to all He has spoken to you about, as far as how you should live, how your character should be, how you should treat others, and how you should love and serve Him with all of your heart?

Luke 9:23
And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

If we could be just as faithful to Him as He is to us! And He certainly is faithful to us. Many might not believe that, but if they would just stop and consider God's faithfulness to them — as Jeremiah did — they would believe it:

Lamentations 3:21-23
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.

If His mercies are new every day, that's faithfulness towards us. Thank God that we can find His mercy and grace right in the time of need.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I thank God for His faithfulness. When we are facing trouble, we can trust in His faithfulness to supply the mercies and grace we need.

Faithful to Forgive

I John 2:1,2
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Faithful and just to forgive if we confess our sins. (Notice, it says IF we sin.) Thank God He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin if we but confess to Him. That's a promise to us.

If we have wronged anyone, before we go to sleep we should be sure we have made our peace with God, asking Him to forgive us: knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive if we confess our sins.

God's Faithfulness Won't Fail

Psalm 89:33,34
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.

God will not allow His faithfulness to fail. Once again, we see His faithfulness. If His people could only be as faithful to Him as He is to them.

Psalm 89:35-37
Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and His throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

God made a promise to David, and He is keeping that promise. We know Jesus is the seed of David (see Matthew 1:6), and He is coming back to sit on the throne of David. This is yet to come to pass, but it will surely be fulfilled.

Don't let the devil lie to you, causing you to believe that what God has promised He will not do for you. Don't think He will do it for others but not for you. The Scriptures don't tell us that God will do it for others but not for you. If He doesn't do it for you because you don't believe, that doesn't mean His promises aren't true and that He wouldn't do it for you if you would but reach out in faith, believing and embracing the promise.

Hebrews 3:4-6
For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. and Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Let us be sure to hold fast our confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm all the way to the end.

Mix Faith with God's Promises

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

The children of Israel who had left Egypt did not enter into their rest because they didn't mix their faith with the promises of God (all except Caleb and Joshua).

We need to mix our faith in God's promises. When you bake a cake, you put the ingredients in a mixing bowl. And here, faith is one of the ingredients necessary in order to receive of God's promises.

We want to take the Scriptures in this message and go over them to encourage our faith — regardless of what it looks like, regardless of what it feels like, regardless of what goes on during the time you are believing.

Satan will come along with his lies: "God does it for others, but He won't do it for you." Don't believe his lies. God will do it for you if you mix your faith in His promises.

Whatever promise you are standing on, mix your faith in it and you will certainly get the answer. All you have to do is take God's promises and mix your faith with them, and they will come to pass — even though it might take a long period of time.

How long did it take for Abraham to see God's promise fulfilled in his life? Twenty five long years. That's a long time, but it came to pass.

Romans 4:17-21
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.