Obtaining Promises

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Hebrews 11:33-34

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.…

I. It is certain that holy men of old, and that good men now, do BY FAITH OBTAIN PROMISES. If we have had a little promise, and up till now have realised it, and made it the stay of our souls, surely God will give us a greater one, and so, from promise to promise speeding our way, we shall find the promises to be rounds of the ladder which Jacob saw, the top whereof shall reach to heaven.

II. By faith these men obtained not merely the giving of the promise, but THE FULFILMENT OF IT. There are three ways of "obtaining the promise." Many of them only need the outstretched hand to grasp them; you may go with faith at once and take the promise, "Ask and ye shall receive." There are many of the promises so readily attainable that if you are in Christ you may this morning see them fulfilled by simply believing them. Believe them to be true, and you shall have what they promise you. Some of God's promises are like cheques, you present them at the counter and the cash is given; you have but to take the promise stamped by God's own hand, signed and sealed, believe it to be God's, and you shall have the mercy now. This is true of a very large number of the promises. Of some others you must not simply believe them, but exercise importunate prayer about them. "Knock and it shall be opened." You are certain to have the blessing if you know how to wrestle with the angel, and declare that you will not let him go unless he shall bestow it upon you A third kind of these promises are not even to be fulfilled by prayer or by faith alone; you must obtain them by earnest seeking after them. "Seek and ye shall find." Where God has appended to the promise a something that is to be done, diligently do it, and you shall obtain the blessing.

1. Child of God, babe in grace, wouldst thou obtain the promises? Take this advice first — meditate much upon them. There are promises which are like grapes in the wine-press; if thou wilt tread them the juice will flow.

2. Secondly, young man in Christ Jesus, do not only meditate upon the promise, but seek in thy soul to realise it as being the very word of God.

3. Then be sure that thou doest, in the power of the Spirit of God, what the precept annexed to the promise asks of thee.

4. Some of the promises thou wilt not inherit even so, unless thou shalt imitate the men who by faith and patience inherit the promise.

5. In the next place take care if you would get the promise that you select some one that is suitable to your own ease. Again, young believer, would you obtain the promise?

6. Then be careful that you are thankful for promises you have already obtained.

7. And lastly, if you would have your faith stirred up, look at the examples of all who in olden times, and in our own times, by faith have obtained the promise.

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