How God's Promises Work
Bob Yandian
When the book of Revelation was finished around 96 A.D., God declared that no man could add to it or take away from it. It stands complete. God has never had to revise His promises. He didn’t need an update in the 1700s, the 1800s, or the 1900s. His Word stands complete today.
Since it stands complete, you can go anywhere in it and find promises that still work. God is still the same. The Holy Spirit is still the same. The promises are still the same. And faith in God has always produced great things.
Hearing and Doing: The Foundation for Promises
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27
Jesus is talking to Christians in both cases. One hears and does. One hears and does not do. You can know Jesus and still have a life in a mess if you are not a doer of the Word.
In John 8, Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” After you are born again, you are called to become a disciple. A disciple is one who continues in the Word, stands on it, and allows it to change his life.
Isaiah 33:6 says, “Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times and the strength of your salvation.” You want stability? Get wisdom and knowledge. You want assurance? Act on the Word. Promises work, but only for doers.
Before the Problem, There Was a Promise
Before time ever existed, God planned and wrote answers to your problems. He knew you by name before the foundation of the world. He knew every problem you would face. And He already arranged the answer. Nothing has ever taken God by surprise.
Psalm 139 says that your substance was seen before you were born and that all your days were written in His book when as yet there were none of them. At the end of your life, you win. You are in Heaven. You stand with God. That means every problem in between has already been accounted for. There is no problem without a way of escape. In fact, the way of escape was there before the problem existed.
That’s the greatness of our God. He is omniscient. He knows everything. He knew the ramification if you stepped out of His will, and He made provision for you to repent and step back in.
No Temptation Without a Way of Escape
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
There is nothing happening to you that has not happened to someone else. Satan does not create brand-new problems. He just updates the label. He rebrands old temptations to make them look modern. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. And with the temptation, He will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. If the problem came and it hasn’t disappeared immediately, then understand something: God knows you can handle it. He has a stopping point. There are some things God won’t allow because you aren’t ready. But if it gets through, He knows you can bear it. The escape route is already in place.
“Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:30
God sees you all the way to glorification, a resurrection body in Heaven. If He sees you in Heaven millions of years from now, then apparently you are going to make it through this storm.
Exceeding Great and Precious Promises
2 Peter 1:4 says that we have been given exceeding great and precious promises that by these we may be partakers of the divine nature.
Notice it says, “may be.” Just because you have promises doesn’t mean they automatically work. You must choose to act on them. The divine nature was placed inside you at the new birth. Jesus lives in you. The Holy Spirit lives in you. But to draw from that well, you must drop the bucket down. The bucket is the promise. Through the promise, you become a partaker of what is already in you. And you escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The promises don’t make up the entire Word of God. There are warnings, instructions, testimony, prophecy. But within the Word are over 7,000 promises, and they fall into two categories: unconditional and conditional. Unconditional promises are gifts—like the new birth. Conditional promises require obedience. “If you do this, then I will do that.” Becoming a partaker requires action.
The Three Parts of a Promise
Every promise has three parts. 1. God’s purpose in making the promise. Usually, it is deliverance. Whether to an individual, a family, or a nation, it reveals His love and desire to bring you through. 2. Revealing that purpose to us. As we study, we see why God wants us delivered. Often it ties into our calling. 3. The fulfillment of the promise. There is a process. Once you act in faith, growth begins. You come out stronger on the other side. A fulfilled promise brings peace and rest, not just externally but internally.
Faith Produces Patience
Mark 4 also says the kingdom of God is like a man who plants seed, then sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed grows, he does not know how. Promises are seeds. They do not all come to pass in ten minutes. No two seeds grow at the same rate. But once planted in your heart, they begin to work. You don’t have to understand how. You just have to trust that seeds grow.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” God wants to display Himself through you.
Romans 9:8 calls us children of promise. Promises have shaped who we are. Standing in storms has strengthened us.
Ephesians 2:12 says that before Christ we were strangers from the covenant of promise. But now we are in covenant.
The greatest promise is eternal life (1 John 2:25). Once born again, your eternity is settled. No hardship can undo that.
Mixing Promises with Faith
Hebrews 4 says the Word preached did not profit some because it was not mixed with faith. Promises must be studied, believed, and acted on. Proverbs 13:4 says the soul of the diligent shall be made prosperous. Diligence toward the promises produces prosperity in every area of life. If there were no promises, there would be no faith. Faith looks at a promise and says, “It will come to pass.”
The Old Testament and the New Testament were given for our example and instruction. Hebrews 13 and Joshua 1 both say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That promise has stood the test of time.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” in James 2:8 was already recorded in Leviticus 19:18. God has always been consistent.
There are so many promises. Promises for provision, peace, protection, wisdom, deliverance, stability, and eternity. They were written before you were born. They were in place before your storm. They are still active today. The key is not just hearing them. The key is doing them.
The promises of God are not decorations in the Bible. They are lifelines for everyday living. They were written by a faithful God who knew your future before you ever faced it. Long before the storm arrived, the answer was already prepared. Long before the temptation came, the way of escape was already in place.
God never intended for His promises to remain words on a page. They are meant to be believed, spoken, acted upon, and lived. The storms of life will come to everyone, but stability belongs to those who build on the rock of the Word. Hearing alone is not enough. Freedom, strength, and victory belong to those who continue in the Word and become doers of it.
Every promise reveals the heart of God. He desires to deliver you, strengthen you, guide you, and bring you safely to the finish line. The same God who planned your salvation has also planned your provision, your peace, your wisdom, and your victory. He sees the end from the beginning, and He already sees you standing with Him in eternity.
So, hold fast to the promises of God. Plant them deeply into your heart. Speak them in times of pressure. Stand on them when circumstances shake around you. Faith may require patience, but God’s Word never fails. Heaven and earth may pass away, but His promises remain forever settled.
You are a child of promise. And the God who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.
Storms are temporary. The waves of life may be crashing all around you, but there is a refuge on the other side of the storm. In the midst of every storm, you can cast your care on the Lord and enter God’s supernatural rest.
Join Bob Yandian as he explains what you need to sail through the storms of life burden free!
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1 John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Without the Word of God, our lives would be unstable and without direction. This series emphasizes the vital necessity of the Word of God in the life of every believer.
Sermon Titles:
A More Sure Word of Prophecy
The Inspiration of the Holy Spirit
God’s Reputation
The Wisdom of God’s Word
The Merchandise of Wisdom
Wisdom, Riches and Honor
Jesus, Our Wisdom
7 CDs
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Unlock fresh insight into God’s Word with the New Testament Commentary Bundle from Pastor Bob Yandian — a comprehensive collection of verse-by-verse commentaries on ten foundational New Testament books. Carefully crafted from years of pastoral teaching and study, this bundle equips believers, students, and church leaders with clear explanation, practical application, and spiritual depth.
Purchase this book bundle and save! This bundle includes one of each of Bob Yandian's New Testament Commentary books listed below.
Acts Commentary
Romans Commentary
Galatians Commentary
Ephesians Commentary
Philippians Commentary
Colossians Commentary
James Commentary
Hebrews Commentary
Epistles of John Commentary
New! Thessalonians Commentary