Aug. 20, 2017 His Promises Are True by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Romans 9 and the Reliability of God's Promises

As we keep our eyes and Lord willing our spirits focused on the Word of the Living God turn in your Bibles again to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9 the text for this morning's message will be beginning at verse 6 through verse 6.

Verse 13. But I would like to read it from the beginning of the chapter just so we keep in mind the context and Lord willing some Of what we said last week about those first few verses. Romans 9 beginning at verse 1.

I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am NOT lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were a curse and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.

My kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites and to them belong the adoption the glory the covenants the giving of the law the worship and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs and from their race according to the flesh is the Christ who is God over all blessed forever.

Amen. Now verse 6. But it is not as though the Word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel and not all our children of Abraham because there is offspring but through Isaac.

Shall your seed your offspring be named? This means that is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God. But the children of the promise are counted as offspring for this is what the promise said about this time.

Next year I will return and Sarah will have a son and Not only so but also when Rebecca we had conceived children by one man our forefather Isaac though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad in Order that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works, but because of his call.

She was told the older will serve the younger as it is written. Jacob I loved but Esau I hated. There's the word of the Living God. You think about promises? For a promise to be of any good I mean doesn't it require that two parties understand?

What has been promised? What is required? What is going to be? Provided what is required. On the other part we need to enter into a promise understanding? What's being promised? I mean in most of our experience we many of us have made loans or taken loans.

The bank promises to fund a certain amount of money for a certain purpose with terms interest rates and length of Payments and all these sorts of things and the one who received that money then promises in Return to pay it back at a certain rate of money per month that sort of thing everybody knows.

What is being promised what both sides of it are? In order for a promise to be of any meaning. The two parties the promisee and the promissor need to know what the terms are what has been offered. What is required on the other side?

There are many promises in the Bible of course and There's all sorts of covenants that God makes and some of them are two ways. I will do this and you will have to do this in return. Many years are what we call one-sided.

The unilateral well God simply says I am going to and in his grace and mercy reveals What he's going to do, but he requires or even wants or needs nothing on anyone else's side. There are many promises in the Bible different types of promises.

And they need to be understood and they're given so that they will be understood. You might think we have Abraham who was? Front and center in chapter 4 of this book and think back to Genesis 15 when God promises nationhood from his own body and Abraham is told to look up at the stars and see if you can count them and so shall your offspring be.

And Abraham his part is to believe Genesis 15 6 he believed God that was counted to him as righteousness. There's a promise made that was understood. It was confirmed if you recall again in Genesis 15 and really our text is Romans 9 and we will get there soon when the two rows of carcasses were laid out and God alone showing that he alone would fulfill the promise went between them is an ancient suzerain vassal Ceremony where when a promise is made and accepted a two-way promise the two parties walk through.

Indicating may I become like these carcasses if I don't keep my side of the the bargain? In the case of Genesis 15 God alone goes through because God alone will be true to his word. Abraham's part Genesis 15 6 is simply to believe that God would now in Romans chapter 9 verses 6 to 13 The Apostle Paul is beginning his defense of Something very important, which is God's reliability.

God's reliability that God is true to the word that he gives the promises that he makes Genesis or Romans 1 16 for I'm not ashamed of the gospel for is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

I'm not ashamed. It is a reliable gospel. Your hope your trust your confidence is not improperly placed. The gospel will accomplish what God has promised through it and here in Romans 9. This is really what Paul is beginning.

Is this extended defense all the way through chapter 11 of God's reliability. Why the gospel of? What God has done? For sinners in his son Jesus Christ. Is a reliable gospel is a word to be trusted. There's an assumed question that leads him here.

Now by now we should be familiar with the fact that Paul is arguing in what we call this diatribe style he has an interlocutor a unimagined a theoretical dialogue partner. And this one is asking him questions and Paul is answering the questions as he goes and there's an assumed question here that leads us Into chapter 9 and this defense of God's reliability and it's sort of like this.

Okay, Paul I've been listening to you carefully. I've read chapters 1 through 8 as you go through and you talk about this gospel and the need for all men for all of sin have fallen short of the glory of God and God has done something that he promised and It isn't by keeping the law.

It's by faith in Jesus Christ who for us kept the law and You're telling me that God is reliable and that God will do it and that God has Justified sinners through Christ and his promises. Good and you want me to stake my eternal soul on this right.

And Paul would say yes, that's right. Okay given all that Paul. What about Israel? What about Israel. Are they not God's chosen people. Did God not draw them out of Egypt as his own peculiar Treasure and make promises to them.

You're telling me that this gospel is reliable. That I'm to put my eternal fate. On the basis of what you are preaching here in the first eight chapters of this book this letter this sermon that was read to Rome 2 ,000 years ago and yet This people to whom he made promises they largely do not believe Paul.

Could God not save them. Is God not true to his promises what about them. That's what's happening here. That's what Romans 9 through 11 is about and we would not. I don't think we'll get it quite right.

If we think of it more in terms of Israel and the church and what God is doing. And what is the redemptive plan and does Israel have a different track to God and all these other sorts of questions? Because it's not about that.

It's about God. It's about God's trueness and faithfulness to his word that the promise of the gospel is reliable it's as absolutely true as God himself is true and The flashpoint the foil if you will is Israel and So Paul takes up the gauntlet.

He's being asked is God reliable. And if this is so if these people don't believe if God has not kept his promise to them. Why should I believe this? That's what 9 through 11 is all about in Romans. And these questions are good questions.

They're good questions. They're worthy of the Bereans of Acts 17 who took to Scripture everything that they heard from the Apostle Paul and Went to see if these things were true and found them to be true and were converted by the Word of God and by his spirit.

But these are good questions. So we're going to take up this challenge. And we need to agree on something here before we delve into this this first part of chapter 9 if a single soul Who God before the foundation of the world predestined to be in his son Jesus Christ to be a beneficiary of his suffering on the cross.

If a single soul who God Predestined to be converted by his spirit to repent of his sins and to flee to Christ for forgiveness. If one in all history determined by God promised by God. For that Should fail to come to Christ.

Should end up in perdition eternally one in all humankind. Then God's Word is untrue. If one person whom God has chose and predestined to be saved by the cross of Jesus Christ Doesn't. Then Paul can't answer the diatribe partners question.

That's how important it is if any mere mortal is able to remove himself from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus Our Lord after God has put him in Christ and is able to unput himself. Then the whole thing evaporates like a mist.

It was a dream. It was a sweet fantasy and we like Dorothy need to wake up and go back to our lives in Kansas. That's how important this is. There's a lot at stake in John chapter 10 Verses 27 to 30 this wonderful chapter in John's gospel where Jesus declares himself to be the good shepherd.

He says my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out the father's hand.

I And the father are one. Think of this in terms of Romans 9 through 11 and God's reliability and what Jesus Christ is saying about it. And what Paul's defending in Romans. Joe Jesus goes on John chapter 17 in his high priestly prayer.

He says while I was with them. I kept them in your name. Would you have given me? I have guarded them and not one was lost except except the Son of Destruction that the scripture might be fulfilled. One more John chapter 6 verse 39 was read to you a moment ago by Jesus.

Jesus puts his father his the efficacy of his atoning work at stake. If even one soul is lost even one then the whole thing has failed and Paul in Romans 9 has no answer. Paul's first answer is what we covered last week, but it is not as though the Word of God has failed he immediately follows with for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel and not all our Children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but through Isaac shall your offspring be promised.

Excuse me be named all the way back to chapter 12 of Genesis in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. I Don't have time to go into a lot of detail here. This promise develops throughout Abraham's life in Genesis 15.

It is reiterated fear not Abram I'm your shield your reward shall be very great. And Knowing this to refer to Nationhood and promise blessing he replies that he has no children. He even offers up Eliezer of Damascus his his house steward as the promise bearer.

And that's when God bids him to count the stars if he's able so shall your descendants be not your servants not your your house steward your descendants and. Then there's Genesis 16 with Hagar and her birth of Abraham's son Ishmael and in the very next chapter God comes again to Abraham and again restates the promise I am God Almighty walk before me be blameless that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you.

Greatly, it's very personal. It's Abraham. And he's not hiring servants to keep the promise going. God is saying it's through you but this time Abraham has a descendant to offer doesn't he he has a descendant offer.

It's Ishmael his real Physical son the fruit of his own loins. He says oh that Ishmael might live before you. And God says in 1719 of Genesis No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac.

I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. Then Genesis 18 10 the Lord says I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife Shall have a son.

Talking about this development of God's promise and Paul's defending. God is reliable. Do you understand what Paul started to say here? You see I'm going back to so much of Genesis was Paul saying you didn't understand the terms of the promise.

God is not unreliable. God didn't change what he said. God never wavered in accomplishing his purposes through Abraham. Not for a moment and for the interlocutor in Romans chapter 9. To say well, what about this Paul?

What about these promises God has made to this people through Abraham? Paul's answer is essentially He didn't understand the terms and they weren't hidden. It wasn't like one of those credit card applications.

You ever see how small that print gets and how long it is. I Actually saw in a news segment one time a lady. I can't remember her name. She was a Harvard law professor. Who worked it out and tried to figure it out and she says I'm a Harvard contract law professor.

And I don't have any idea what this thing says. This is not God's Word though God speaks plainly. One of our brothers here is a lawyer and he makes the case. It's a very good case that God's Word has this this this.

Can't remember the term he uses now, but a contractual language. It's meant to be understood. He gives us to us so we can know what he is saying. It's not fine print and this is Paul's answer if you follow the promise given to Abraham.

It was plain large letters easy to understand what God's going to do what you must do and Here's the promise and Paul's saying to this dialogue partner. No, you just didn't understand. What was the difference between Ishmael and Isaac?

They're both Abraham's sons. Were they not physical sons born from his loins is to use a biblical kind of language. What's the difference is just this one was the work of the flesh the other the work of God's promise one from Abraham taking matters into his own hands with his wife Sarah and the servant girl Hagar the other fully purely solely only.

Of the promise that God is so clearly stated we could go to Galatians 3. I'm afraid we'd get bogged down so I won't go there very much today. But it has a lot to do with who are Abraham's descendants and in Galatians 3 we we learn.

That the Hagar Ishmael cycle represents Sinai and works. While Sarah Isaac represent the gospel and faith and Who are the true descendants of Abraham those who are Abraham's children. By what? By faith in Isaac your seed shall be named in Isaac is the offspring that is the result of the promise.

To make the point of verses 6 and 7 of Romans 9 requires nothing more than to read verse 8 6 and 7. The Nazarene God's word is failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel and not all our children of Abraham because there is offspring.

But through Isaac your offspring shall be named. What does this mean? Paul tells us this means is not the children of the flesh. It's not those who follow after Ishmael. It's not the children of flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise who are counted as offspring.

Who's the child of promise Isaac. The proper direction of biblical interpretation is always from the New Testament to the old for the apostles or for Jesus to tell us what the old meant and we have that in the New Testament and in this case the Meaning back in Genesis is pretty easy to pick up.

Abraham shall become a nation through which all nations shall be blessed as Genesis 12 and that nation or better said those nations Will spring forth from his own loins. That's Genesis 15 and the birth of that nation will be accomplished by God's faithfulness to his own freely given word.

That's Genesis 17. Isaac is the child of promise through whom the promise would continue. So with that backdrop. You need to follow Paul's thought verse 6a the first part of verse 6 God's Word has not failed.

Now you may not have understood it you may have had a different expectation. You didn't read the promise and it wasn't fine print. It wasn't hard to pick out and Paul's not saying you're you're in terrible sin because you didn't understand.

He's just saying you didn't understand you got the promises wrong. You had the wrong expectations. God's Word has not failed. We covered that last week. The second half of verse 6 because Jacob's physical descendants the nation that sprang forth from his 12 sons.

They are not all Israel. Within that larger group that is called Israel. Remember, it's Abraham Isaac the son of prophet of promise from Isaac to Jacob who was renamed Israel and from Jacob the 12 sons who became the 12 tribes who became the nation of Israel.

Not all who came from Jacob slash Israel. Physically are Israel slash of the promise. Within that larger group of this subset one also called Israel. I think it would have been easier for us if Paul had said okay, there's Israel a and there's Israel B.

There's Israel physical. There's Israel spiritual if he just made it that much more explicit, but I think it's plain enough. We're not reading into the text. There's an Israel that is the true descendant of Abraham by promise.

That right there he calls the children of God. There's an Israel within the larger group physical Israel the nation verse 7a. The first part of verse 7 this is demonstrated by God's Word to Abraham. Just because you are one of his descendants doesn't mean you are one of his true children.

And he says very plainly that each Ishmael was not. Jesus spoke of this in John chapter 8 verses 39 and 40. He said if you were Abraham's children. Now remember he's speaking to his physical descendants.

He's speaking to Jews. I was born Jewish. I Think I've never done a DNA test, but I think you would find some evidence that I came from ultimately Abraham. Physically from Abraham. If you were Abraham's children.

You would be doing what Abraham did but now you seek to kill me saying you're descended from him. But you're not his children. Is this double-talk. No it's following the promises of God. Plainly given in Genesis if you were like Abraham if you believe the way Abraham did.

You wouldn't be seeking to kill me. But you do seek to kill me a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. A few verses later your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

He saw and was glad. So Romans chapter 7 or chapter 9 verse 7 the second half of it the gap between Abraham and Jacob between Abraham and his grandson Jacob the one who became the nation of Israel. That gap is bridged by the son of promise.

By Isaac you see except for God's promise the hundred-year-old couple would have had only Ishmael. Through Isaac through the son of promise shall your offspring be named. Which is to say whoever comes from purely.

Physical human means is not what God means here by descendant. Just track the promise. Just follow the one to whom God plainly said is the son the child of promise. Through whom the nationhood that God intended when he spoke to jet to Abraham always intended.

Follow the promise now. How does this answer the question of God's reliability? This crucial question of the truth and reliability of the gospel itself. The efficacy of the cross of Jesus Christ. All this at stake here.

How does this answer all that Paul is saying. You're looking at it all wrong? God never promised salvation to every Jew. He kept his word and granted birth to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham had two sons only one of which was ordained by God.

The other was the work of the flesh. Now it's interesting to note that once she was pregnant Hagar who was Abraham's concubine started to persecute Sarah. Just as her son Ishmael. This child the product of the flesh would do to the child of promise Isaac you see the seed of the serpent lives on.

Always seeking to discourage God's people always enticing them to exercise their own agenda in favor of God's. We can go way back with this. I mean at the tree. That was exactly the case for Abraham and Sarah.

This is the case when they look to Hagar to fulfill God's promise. I was looking to fuse human fleshly means. To accomplish which only God will do by his spirit through his people because of his promises.

Isaac was persecuted by Ishmael. His mother was persecuted by Hagar. Esau later. Esau hated Jacob. We can go all the way back to Moses. Think of Moses and the calf. Rabble those who were worshiping the calf while he was.

Up on the mountain getting God's Word. Think of Joshua and the Gibeonites who came in and fooled them. And gained from them a promise that That got them their lives. Think of David and Saul. Think of Jesus and the devil's temptations in the wilderness.

It's always the same plot. It's always the same way. This is what? What what Abraham fell for back when he went to Hagar? What is it? Here's a more sensible way to get there? Here's something that's gonna be a little bit easier a little bit more efficient.

Here's a kingdom that comes without a cross. All you've got to do. Ignore God's way. Overcomplicate his promises or ignore the simplicity of them. Take the easy road and here it is. Eat the fruit. Go to the Egyptian maiden maiden.

The temptation here is to ignore what God has revealed in his decrees. To take them without thought or insight or discernment. To give no heed to how God has intervened in history to make it himself clear.

Why isn't just being born physically a Jew enough because that's never what God said or promised. He never said or promised that every Jew every Israelite would be saved. The charge that God didn't keep his word is proven completely false here.

And praise God for that not just because God spoke. He did speak and every word that God speaks is true and forever cast in heaven. We know that but on top of that as well as that God spoke his word and then kept his word in history.

He kept his word with people whose record we have and we can look at what he did with them Abraham and Sarah being the prime example here in this context and say yes God gave his word. God gave his promise and God did it so we could actually see it played out in life.

Paul's interlocutor is right that God didn't save all of Israel. He just didn't understand that the promise spoke of an Israel within Israel of a people a Remnant that would be saved because they are the ones illustrated by history and illustrated by and given by God's Word.

So that's about God's promise. That's what Paul's saying. You didn't understand what the promise was. No, it's not as if God's Word has failed your understanding has failed. That's the promise and then Paul moves to election.

God gives his promise and then it's election this idea of predestination the idea of God in his sovereign design. Before he created the world. Determining who he would have to be his people this Israel that is true Israel as we like to say.

This Israel from Israel that is the children of promise. Those who are Abraham's descendants by faith and Thus truly his children and therefore truly children of God. You look at the end of verse 7 there in Romans chapter 9.

Our ESV Bibles say through Isaac your offspring shall be named and then in verse 11 It says in order that God's purpose of election might continue those two words named and election those two words are related.

Named is from a word that means to call and This is where we get the doctrine that we have that God's calling is effectual and powerful. The effectual call that when God calls he accomplishes. God just doesn't call the individual and say hey, I've got an idea for you.

I have an offer. I'm want you to think it over and let me know if you like that. No, no, no. Not with God whose word is powerful and reliable. God's calls effectual for each individual. Election comes from the same root to effectually to powerfully to effectively.

Call someone from where they were to where God had predestined them to be and this all Ephesians 1 4 would tell us before the foundation of the world before you like Esau and Jacob. Were able to do good or bad.

Before you were parents even met and were able to even think about having you. Before you ever had existence. God made his determination for you. So it's not by works. It's not of him who wills or who runs but from God who chooses.

From God who chooses and effectually calls from God who keeps his promise. That this one who is calling Paul in Romans 9 to defend God the reliability just didn't understand. God chooses before the foundation of the world that's Ephesians 1 4 and then God by his spirit Remakes the spirit of the sinner.

So he has faith to believe and repent. Jesus said in chapter 639. This is the will John 639 excuse me. This is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he's given me. But raise it up on the last day.

Is what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8 verse 30. And those whom God predestined elected if you will promised. Those whom God predestined he also called. He made them aware. He made us aware. He made me aware that there was a calling and then he enabled me or you if you believe in the lord Jesus christ.

Enabled you to follow the calling. That's what election is all about. Paul here stays with the patriarchs. He dealt with abraham and isaac. Next in line is jacob the one who will be named israel. He's the one meant in the second half of verse 6.

Not all who are descended from israel. Physical descent from jacob the nation of israel the jews not all who are descended from israel are israel. Look again at verse 10 there in chapter 9. And not only so but also when rebecca had conceived children by one man our forefather isaac.

Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad in order that god's purpose of election Might continue not because of works but because of his call. He was told the older will serve the younger as it is written.

Jacob, I have loved esau. I hated. If physical descent did ishmael no good even less did it help esau. The brothers ishmael and isaac had one father and two mothers. So they were half brothers. Esau and jacob are twins.

They shared both mother rebecca and father, which was isaac. Abraham had pleaded with god first for eliezer to be his heir then for ishmael and god says no, but through isaac. Isaac preferred esau over jacob sort of following the way his father.

Abraham did ish eliezer and ishmael. Was god say no jacob, I loved esau. I hated. You know the word hated Causes no end of controversy. If we Take it at its plainest Meaning that god simply hated this unborn child before the child was born while he's in the womb.

It makes god sound unfair as though he offered the sin that would eventually prove esau to be unworthy of maintaining the promise. Some people take hated as meaning less preferred. But i'm afraid if we do that it weakens paul's argument and softens god.

To say well god just didn't like him as much. Which is not what hated me. Does it? Remember. In c .s. lewis's Narnia chronicles Mr. Beaver asked susan if aslan aslan who who is the the the. The allegory for god for christ in that story.

He asked is he safe. And mr. Beaver says who said anything about safe. Of course he isn't safe. But he is good. The guy's not necessarily safe, but he is good. His election is his secret will in accordance with deuteronomy 2929 but the fact of his elective freedom is not mysterious at all.

In his promises he makes known his will and by his election he effectuates it. He gives his promises plainly. He tells what he's going to do. And then he effectually calls he elects. Or he calls those who he elected.

What's being taught here Is of very high importance before they were born. Before they'd done anything at all. That's when god made known his decree concerning them speaking of esau and jacob. Not by works not by deserving not by physical descent.

Nothing avails for salvation. But god's good pleasure to same to save whom he chose to benefit from the sacrifice of his son jesus and his cross. You know ephesians 2 8 9 is the classic text for this.

Keeping in mind ephesians 1 4 which says this is before the world was created. By grace you've been saved through faith and this not of your own doing it is the gift of god. Not a result of works that no one may boast.

Jesus christ the same yesterday today and forever. It's never changed. It's always been by grace. It's always been by promise. It's always been by god calling out and effectually changing and calling the one he would have.

That last quote in romans that I read jacob. I have loved but he saw i've hated that of course is from the opening chapter of the prophet malachi. Who's the last prophet that you have in your new testament before you turn over to the gospel of matthew?

Well, you want to turn there for a moment? I think would help us to spend just a short amount of time in malachi. Malachi chapter one. And verses two through five. It says this. I have loved you says the lord, but you say how have you loved us?

You see the jews at that time were in terrible distress. They had returned from exile on babylon. The second temple wasn't yet complete. The economy was a mess. Enemies surround them surrounded them. Their princes were abusing them and they're saying something to god like this you call this love.

And here's the answer. Is not esau jacob's brother declares the lord yet. I have loved jacob, but esau I have hated. You see this is more than just words. God speaks and he acts. What he has decreed within himself he manifests in history.

And what comes next in malachi? Is sort of just look around. I destroyed you and I sent you into exile. I destroyed edom who is esau's descendants and I left them destroyed. There's only how he says it though.

I have laid waste his that's edom. Esau i've laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert. If edom says we are shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins. The lord of hosts says they may build but I will tear down and they will be called the wicked country.

And the people with whom the lord is angry forever. But you He speaks to israel through malachi. But you whom I love you are back in your own land. You are about to finish the temple, but edom will never be destroyed and they never Will never be restored.

Excuse me. And they never were. He finishes with this your own eyes shall see this and you shall say great is the lord beyond the border of israel. They shall one day worship in the new temple while edom is inhabited by jackals and weeds.

Jacob you jacob. I have loved but esau. I've hated was meant to open their eyes. Esau was isaac and rebecca's son just as much as was jacob. God in his freedom chose to cast his love on the one Rather than the other.

So god never said that every descendant of abraham or isaac or jacob would be saved. Not. Nor was he tricky or subtle about it. He put it plainly through isaac the son of promise not ishmael who came by your own effort.

But through isaac is the one through whom your seed the promised seed the one that will bring the blessings promised in abraham's first call. That shall come through isaac. Learn from this. That it is all of promise of election all from god's freedom to enact his will.

So as he so chooses and all graciously revealed to us so that we can understand it. You know salvation isn't by promise. That would mean that no salvation was possible except by physical descent from jacob.

I mean if that were the case then only jews could be saved. And if that were the case. Then the pluralism of our day all roads lead to the same place. You've just got to find the one that works for you.

That would be as good as anything else. The question raised in romans 9 is whether the salvation paul has been writing about in eight chapters of romans is reliable. If you look at the children of jacob the jewish nation through the ages god's reliability far from being impugned is actually confirmed.

He did save the israel within israel. He is saving them now. He will continue until each one who was elected and will be called has come. Who is this today? It's everyone who believes in christ jesus our lord.

It is those who are the children of god and abraham's true descendants by faith in the jesus. He rejoiced to see God Said this plainly. He gave his word. He put the promise in plain easy to understand print and proved it in history through abraham.

Through isaac through jacob. Through you. If you by faith. Have turned to jesus christ and repented of your sins and sought forgiveness for your sins in him. And relying on his work at the cross alone.

Where god poured his fury for your sin on him. And you know that your sins were answered by him and that his obedience to the law is yours and therefore god has imputed to you christ's righteousness. You're a child of the promise.