9/7/25
Rev. Clint Smith
Sermon Direct Link
God is holy, and He cannot lie. He does not conform to a culture’s standard of purity; He is the standard. His holiness is absolute, marked by infinite purity that cannot change. Because He is holy, every word He speaks is true. He never deceives, distorts, or misrepresents. Lying is completely contrary to His nature.
God’s promises to Abraham were certain and unshakable. He promised them by His name, the name that stands above every authority, power, and other name.
God made a divine covenant with Abraham, and He kept His word. He continues to keep it now and will for all eternity. Abraham waited patiently, endured hardships, and in the end obtained the blessings of the covenant. Genesis 12
Scripture teaches that people across all cultures have made, and still make, promises by swearing on something precious or greater to settle issues. While on earth, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of certain religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees, who distorted the proper understanding of taking oaths. Matthew 23:16–22
God determined to settle two things:
1. To show the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 3:10-31
2. To guarantee the covenant by His oath. John 8:30-59
It is impossible for God to lie, so He graced us with strong confidence that by these two unchangeable things, His promise and His oath, we who have fled to Him for refuge may have strong encouragement and inner strength to hold firmly to the hope set before us.
We have this confident hope as an anchor for our souls, firm and secure. This anchor cannot slip, and it cannot break down under any pressure that bears upon it. The Church of the living God possesses a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil of the heavenly Temple, into the Most Holy Place where the very presence of God dwells. There, Jesus has gone before us as the Forerunner, having become our High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.