Yes And Amen!

Yes and Amen!

2 Corinthians 1:15-24

 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit— 16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. 17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? 18 But as God is faithful, our [a]word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. 24 Not that we [b]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.

Paul is being accused of not visiting the Corinthian church, as he said he would. For unknown reasons that he does not go into great detail about, he was not able to visit the Corinthian church and so sent a second letter of correspondence.  

Some in Corinth were accusing Paul of acting without integrity or commitment to his stated plans to visit them. Paul found out their grumblings (let this be a lesson to you) Paul insists that he and his co-workers have behaved with integrity and transparency, as well as sincerity. Paul delayed his most recent visit for the Corinthians’ own good, in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Paul defends his integrity by responding to an accusation that he was being disingenuous and saying “yes, yes” and “no, no” at the same time. Paul’s response is that his word is an extension of God’s faithfulness, and that he is operating in integrity by saying his word is faithful and can be trusted because God’s word is faithful and can be trusted.

Let’s get into this. 

God is faithful to do all He promised. “All the promises of God in Him are yes and amen”

This means that if you are in Christ, you have access to all of God’s promises as you stand and operate in faith. 

This is a very important concept of receiving the promises of God- they are only received by faith in Christ and in His Word. They cannot be miraculously received. It is only by faith. In fact the Bible says that the only thing that pleases the Lord is our faith in Him and His Word.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

I want to cover a few of these promises tonight. 

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

In Christ- He forgives all my sins. 

Colossians 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the [a]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Whether or not you FEEL forgiven is inconsequential. If you have repented and turned to the Lord for forgiveness. He forgives. You take it by faith. I get it. For some of us, this is a hard one to receive. I had to hold onto these words like I was hanging on for my dear life. The enemy throws so much accusations at you, he wants you to feel guilty and ashamed. He would love nothing more than to keep you down and depressed underneath the heaviness of sin.

But Christ has forgiven and set you free! I can tell you this until you are blue in the face, but you have to know it for yourself. You appropriate the atonement by faith in His finished work He died to save me from my sins and I am a new creation. 

In Christ- He is my healer.

Matthew 4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Isiah also confirms that “by his stripes we are healed”, referring to the wholeness of a man- spirit, mind, body. Does this mean that every time we pray for someone that they are healed? No. I don’t know why some get healing and some do not. In some cases. It is in accordance with your faith. Do you even believe that not only He can heal, but that He will heal? But sometimes you can have to move mountains and the healing still does not come. Does that make God a liar? NO. Some of us have just have to walk through that valley a little longer than others and instead of healing, He gives us the strength to keep going. 

I have prayed for people that died and I have prayed for people that have been healed. Even if they do not get healed, I still believe that He is my Healer. I have a whole list of people that the Lord has healed here in our church in the last two years. The Bible says He heals all my diseases. And because I believe, I will always pray for you to be healed, in Jesus name. 

In Christ- He redeems me from destruction

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)

He purchased us back from the enemy with the price of His own blood, and delivered us “from the curse of the law”; which falls on all of mankind who are separated from union with Christ. Its sentence is one of condemnation and eternal death. He delivered us from wrath to come, and redeemed us from the second death, the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

When I overdosed, I called out to the Lord to save me and said, “Please help me Jesus. I do not want to go to hell!” I knew that I was headed for Hell. Most men do not these days- a gangster dies and all his friends say, “He is flying with the angels now”. No.

If you are having a tough time finding joy tonight, you should give Him praise you have been redeemed! This is a promise of God. He purchased you back from the hand of the enemy. Satan no longer has authority over you. When he starts messing around in your life, tell him to leave in Jesus name! 

In Christ- He crowns me with love and mercy

Galatians 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

He loves me and because I am in Christ, I am the object of His special attention and favor. You do not have to FEEL loved to know you are loved by Him. I know He loves me because He says so. I know He loves me because Christ died for me. I know He loves me and I stand in His love by faith. His love for me is not an earthly fleshly love. It is a love that transcends all time and ages. HE gave Himself for me. This is love. HE cares for me. This is love. He takes care of me. This is love. He will never leave me. 

I never knew love, so I came to Him as my Savior. But then I had to learn to receive His fatherly love, what that meant and looked like. Again, you do not have to feel loved to know and lived like you are loved

Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

He disciplines me. This is love. He meets all my needs. This is love. He holds me in His faithful and unchanging hands. This is love.

In Christ- He satisfies 

Isaiah 58:11  The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

The Bible has some specific things to say about satisfaction. The verb saba means to be satisfied, or provided with abundance, or saturated. It’s a feeling of being fulfilled, fully content… like the feeling you get after a satisfying meal.

Saba is rich with meaning. Often it was associated with food, feeling full with a satisfied stomach, but the word could also be attached to anything that meant being filled up.

This promise here is not that He would give you things to satisfy, which He does because He is a good Father- but that JESUS alone satisfies! His presence fills you up, so that you are saturated. He is El Shaddai- the God who is more than enough. We are to seek His face not His hand; then those earthly things will be added 

In Christ- He renews my youth

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

I have His promise that when I am tired and weary, I can draw strength from Him. Even in my old age I can do great things by His strength and power. When I am exhausted and the world has worn me down, I have a Savior that causes me to run and not grow weary. But you have to appropriate this promise! We ask Him for strength

And still more promises:

Psalm 103:6-10  The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

In Christ- He defends all the injustice done against me

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

Evey tongue that rises against me will be condemned. Maybe not in this lifetime, but make no mistake, God keeps good records. He is keeping an account of every injustice done to you and one day, He will make everything right. THIS IS A PROMISE OF GOD FOR THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD. 

In Christ- He makes His ways known to me so that I do not get off His path

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

If you get too excited and start jumping out ahead of Him, His promise is to get you back in line. If you are in the dark, or going through a storm where you cannot see a even your hand in front of you, He promises that He will make a way even in the wilderness. He knows how to chart a safe course through the roughest waters. Trust the path He has put you on

In Christ- He does not deal with me according to my sins. 

He disciplines me for disobedience, but Christ took the punishment for my sin.

Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

God’s disciplinary action in your life is in order to bring out His character in you. He loves you too much to let you go down the pathway of destruction. But His discipline is according to His love for you and purpose for you- not according to your sins. If He dealt with us according to our sins, we would all be dead.

Thank Him for His discipline! It is for your benefit. 

Still more promises:

Psalm 103:11-18  For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He [a]knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 For the wind passes over it, and it is [b]gone, And its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

In Christ- He extends His mercy forever to those who fear Him.

Mercy in the OT is “chesed” and it is defined as “loving kindness that keeps covenant”. Some translations just say “love” but it is way more than that. It is His love and kindness extended to us who are in covenant with Him. He is a covenant keeper. WE can trust Him to keep covenant. We can trust Him to keep His word to us. If HE promised it, He will perform it. HE WILL DO WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO.

As long as we stay humble and at His feet, we get mercy. We can mess up royally, come to Him in humility and we get mercy. God desires to extend mercy over judgment. We just have to stay humble and reverent. 

In Christ- He not only forgives my sin, but removes it, casting it away forever.

As far as the east is from the west. You can go east and never find west. God not only forgives, He utterly casts away your sins, remembering them no more. He does not bring up your past against you! When this happens, it is always the enemy taunting you and accusing you. It is never the Lord. 

Anyone ever had this happen? Something that you long ago repented of comes flooding back to cause you guilt and shame? This will happen to me even when I am praying at the altar. This is not the holy spirit. It is a spirit of antichrist.

Take those thoughts captive and tell the enemy to flee. You are forgiven and God does not keep a record of it.

His promise is that my sins are gone, forever covered by the blood of the Lamb. Leave them under the blood. DO not go back to the sin that He delivered you from. There is nothing good for you in the past.

In Christ- He pities me 

He knows that I am just a man made from dust. He has pity on my humanity. He has pity on my failure and weakness. He does not deal cruelly with me because I am ignorant and weak. He treats me kindly and affectionately as His prized daughter.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

He understands my human weakness. Therefore, we can go boldly to the throne for help in time of need. Instead of doing it on your own and failing and having to go to throne in repentance; why not go to throne before you do something stupid and ask for help to overcome that stupidity?

In Christ- He extends His righteousness and mercy to my children and grandchildren. 

Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

I was not raised in a godly home. I was not raised to know Jesus. But Matt and I have changed our family tree. We are producing generations of children who will call upon the name of the Lord.

I have great promises that when I stay connected to the Lord and train my children to do the same, and they teach and train their children to love and honor the Lord; He gives me a new family tree full of grace and mercy.

Still more promises:

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Scriptures in parentheses are for reference only! Please do not put on screen.

In Christ- I am never alone. He will never leave nor forsake me. He is my helper. (Hebrews 13:5)

In Christ- I can abide safely. (Psalm 91) 

In Christ- He is my provider. Jehovah Jireh

Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.

He takes good care of His own. I do not have to worry about where my meals are going to come from, or when my next pay check will be. He is my provider. He has never failed to provide and He won’t start now.

Matthew 6:25-34  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [a]cubit to his [b]stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [c]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The following Scriptures in parentheses is for ref. only, no need to put up verse. I will let them know it is on my notes online if they want the references)

In Christ- I have access to the throne (Hebrews 4:16) 

In Christ- I am a child of God and a co-heir of heaven (Romans 8:17)

In Christ- I can do all things. (Phil 4:13)

In Christ- I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37)

In Christ- I have no more fear. (1 John 4:18) 

You have great promises of hope, unspeakable peace, love and joy. (John 4:13-14; Isaiah 26:3,12; Nehemiah 8:10; John 3:16)

And the greatest promise- 

He left to prepare a place for me and He is coming back for me and taking me to His kingdom. There will be no more pain, no more tears, no more disease, no more hurts. I will be forever with Him in is presence! Oh what a glorious day that will be! (john 14:3; Isaiah 25:8; Rev 21:4-5) 

THEREFORE, if any of things are lacking in your life, it is NEVER His fault. The fault always lies with us.  His Word is true whether or not you chose to believe and walk in it. His Word is true even if you doubt it. Some of you have faith for others, but not for yourself. You would say, “That is for them, not me.” Are you in Christ? Then, you have the choice to believe that His promises are YES and AMEN, or you chose to not believe.

We would never say, “I do not believe His Word is true”, because we fear God, but that is exactly what we tell Him with our words and actions. ME? I choose to believe His Word above my circumstances, above my failures and self-depreciating thoughts. I chose to believe Him, even when I do not see it or understand what He is doing. I choose to stand in faith on His Word.

The second part of this Scripture goes hand-in-hand with God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. We, as His beloved children, having His nature formed within us; should also be able people whose word can be trusted.

We are not God, but we can be people of integrity and honorable with and in our words and actions. If you say something, people should be able to trust and believe that you will do what you said you will do. 

Matthew 5:37 But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

It is good to say yes, and it is good to say no. I try really hard to keep my word and keep my commitments to others. Do things happen sometimes? Of course. But I will not cancel unless it is absolutely necessary. You can also trust that if I do cancel, it is not because I do not want to go. I will suck it up if that’s the reason.

It is not good to say YES to everything!

Do not commit to everything. Do not commit to things that you know you cannot commit to. Do not commit to something if you even think you may not be able to see it through.

It is not good to say NO to everything.

Sometimes you have to do things because you know it is the right thing to do.

Christ’s church should be the most honorable and reliable people on the planet. Let me tell you something about trust, it takes years to build and a moment to lose. A trust once broken can be lost forever. What do people say about you where your word is concerned? Are you trustworthy and reliable? Or do others say, “Do not ask that guy! He never keeps his word!”

Our words and oaths matter. And just as Paul, we should be led by the Holy Spirit in all our endeavors.

Pray about all things. Ask the Lord if this is somewhere you should even go, or with people you should go with you. I ask the Lord for just about every vacation, ministry trip or otherwise- is this for me or not for me? IS this something I should do or not do? Are these the people I should be with or not be with? Before you commit to anything, you should always check with the Lord and then proceed wisely.