The Promise of the Father
Heb 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains……. of entering His rest,
- For the last two weeks we have dug into the rest of God.
- Today let’s dig into the promise/s of the Father.
- There is hardly anything as manful as when a Parent says to a child “I Promise”.
- The next thing you will be hearing is “you promised”
Matthew 7:11 (NKJV) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
• Our Father knows how to give good gifts.
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
• Jesus promised to send the Promise of the Father upon those who waited.
Isa 40: 31 (NKJV) But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength…
Main text:
*A prophetic picture of the promise of the Father.*
Genesis 29:16-18 (NKJV) 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
Genesis 30:22-25 (NKJV) 22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add to me another son.” 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.
- Joseph was the son of Promise.1.1. At the birth of Joseph Jacob began to dream again.
1.2. Up to that point, what started out as a dream, had many wrinkles. 1.3. He had been lied too and tricked by his boss and future father in law.Then he was manipulated for years by his wives.
- Broken promises are no excuse.
2.1. We all have to work through broken promises. 2.2. Jacob had to work through broken promises:2.2.1. Laban promised him Rachel and then gave him Leah.
2.2.2. Laban promised him a piece of the business but gave it to his sons instead.
2.2.2.1. Jacob all the spotted, speckled sheep and brown lambs. 2.2.2.2. Then Laban quickly removed them and gave them to His sons who took them a 3 days journey away.
2.3. Yet the Lord blessed and provided for Jacob in spite of all the broken promises.
2.3.1. We can get so caught up and stuck in the broken promises of people.
2.3.2. Not to say that any one is granted approval to lie or cheat.
2.3.3. But when we are lied to, spoken evil of, cheated of what belongs to us, or the like… we are still without excuse.
2.4. Finally after many years Rachel gave birth to the dream child and Jacob was reminded again.
3. The coat of promise.
Genesis 37:2-4 (NKJV) 2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
3.1. Joseph was a type of Jesus and he was a type of us.
3.1.1. Type of Jesus as he would save His people.
3.1.2. Type of us as he needed and had the favoritism of his father to accomplish the purpose.
3.2. Jacob loved Joseph more.
Romans 2:11 (NKJV) 11 For there is no partiality with God.
3.2.1. Ela… Jacob’s love for Joseph: Not a good habit for a father to show favoritism but in this case it was divine favoritism that would speak to ages to come.
3.2.2. Our Heavenly Father does have favorites but He also has the capacity for each of us to be his favorite.
3.3. Jacob placed a mantle upon Joseph.
3.3.1. Jacob anointing Joseph for the task that would one day be upon him.
3.3.2. The survival of Israel was placed upon this 17 year old boy.
3.4. With the coat of promise comes blessings and challenges.
3.4.1. Not everyone will be so excited about this new coat your Father put on you.
3.4.2. You think to yourself “why can’t they just be happy for me”
3.4.3. The lenses of self – everyone is looking through the lens of *what is in it for me*
4. First came the mantle with promise then came the dream.
Genesis 37:5 (NKJV) Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
4.1. Joseph’s dream after he received the promise of the coat. 4.2. Once the coat comes upon us it changes everything.
Joel 2:28-29 (NKJV) 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
5. The promised Holy Spirit to come upon us.
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Romans 4:16 (NKJV) 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed,…
5.1. A faith promise made to all the Children of God.
5.2. *The Promise* is different than *a promise*.
5.2.1. *The Promise* is referring to a Person where as a promise is referring to all the benefits of being a Child of God.
5.3. The Promise is the person of the Holy Spirit… manifesting the presence and power of Jesus in our lives.
5.4. Like the coat of Joseph placed on him boy his father, so does our Heavenly Father promise to place a coat upon us.
5.5. This coat of promise makes all the difference.
Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV) 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
5.6. Wait for the promise.
6. Jesus first received the promise.
Acts 2:32-33 (NKJV) 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
6.1. Satan left Jesus alone for 30 years until the promise came upon Him. 6.2. Joseph was fine for the 17 years until the coat came upon him.
6.3. He had to talk about. He could not just be quiet.
Conclusion:
Know the promise.
Receive the promise.
Walk in the promise.