1. God is faithful
2. God is eternal
3. God cannot lie
4. God never changes
5. What He says stands the test of time
6. We can depend upon His Word to guide our daily lives

We know all these things are true and we can find verification for this and more in the following passages. The promises of God are

1. never failing-Joshua 23:5-15; 1 Kings 8:56
2. backed by God's oath-Hebrews 6:12-20
3. fulfilled on schedule-Acts 7:6,17; Galatians 4:4
4. given to Israel-Romans 9:4
5. confirmed by Christ-Romans 15:8
6. centered in Christ-2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Timothy 1:1
7. kept by faith-Romans 4:20,21; Hebrews 11:13-40
8. exceedingly great-2 Peter 1:4
9. not slow-2 Peter3:4-13

When all else fails-when people fail us-God stands true to His Word for eternity. The promises of God are true and He is ever faithful to keep His promises. The promises of God are generally linked to a command. There is often a warning of what He will do to those who fail to obey His commands. As we study God's commands, we will learn that attainment of the promised thing hinges on our obedience to a command…whatever that promise may be.

Beginning in the Garden of Eden, God gave man commands. In the Garden it was pretty simple. Genesis 2:17 states

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Only one command, but it came with a dire warning. That warning is an indicator of an opposite promise not stated in the passage. That is, if Adam ate the fruit, he would die-the warning. If he did not eat the fruit, he would live-the promise. Adam had the promise of eternal life in the Garden. God did not go back on His word when Adam disobeyed. Adam was the one who broke the covenant, thereby nullifying the promise and activating the warning.

And thus it has been from then until now. The promises and covenants of God established, and then broken by man, result in God's warnings coming to pass. Just as God's promises never fail, neither do the results of disobedience and rebelliousness.

The next major promise we find is actually spoken to the serpent yet aimed at sinful man. In Genesis 3:15 we read

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

God promises a Savior that will defeat Satan. Here is the one covenant that even man cannot break. This covenant, or promise, was not made with man. It was made on behalf of man. It was God's covenant with Himself. Because God is perfectly holy and cannot lie nor break His word, this covenant would stand firm until the time when, in God's own plan, it would come to pass. The fulfillment of the promise is Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The population of the world increased and there came a time when people forgot God-all but Noah and his family. We all remember the story of the flood and the results of it. And we remember Noah's salvation in the ark. Here again we find a covenant that God made for man and not with man. God established the covenant Himself and it was not contingent upon man's actions. In fact, the covenant was established with every living thing. Never again would God flood the earth with water.

1. What 9 things do we know for sure about God's promises?
2. Has God ever failed to keep a promise? Why or why not?
3. Does God keep a promise regardless of man's actions?
4. Which promises or covenants did God make with Himself as shown in this lesson?
5. What promise was implied in the Garden of Eden?
6. What command was given to Adam?
7. To whom was God speaking when He told of a future Redeemer?
8. What was the promise that was spoken to Noah?