Jesus was always yes

JESUS WAS ALWAYS YES
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
2 Corinthians1:19 19Forthe Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us-by me and Silas
and Timothy-was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it
has always been "Yes."
OUR JESUS IS YES BasedonII Cor. 1:15-22 By PastorGlenn Pease
Yes is only a three letter word, but its utterance can change your life. It
happened to the poet Robert Robinsonone Sunday morning in London.
People everywhere were hurrying to church, but he was not. He had left the
church, and he had lost the once passionate faiththat made him a zealous
witness for Christ. He was now dark and cold inside, and he was a very lonely
man as he walkedthe streets. He heard the clip clop, clip clop of a horse
drawn cabbehind him. He turned and lifted his hand to hail the driver. But
then he saw that the cab was occupiedby a young woman dressedfor church.
He waved the driver on, but the woman ordered the carriage to be stopped.
The woman in the carriage saidto him, “Sir, I’d be happy to share this
carriage with you. Are you going to church?” He was about to decline when
suddenly he was overcome by an urge to sayyes. He did it. He said yes, and
he got into the carriage. As it rolled forward he told her his name, and she
said, ” What a coincidence. Iwas just reading a verse by a poet with that
name of Robert Robinson. She reachedinto her purse and pulled out the
small book of inspirational verse. She handed it to him and he nodded and
said, “Yes, I wrote these words years ago.” She exclaimed, “Oh, how

wonderful! Imagine! I’m sharing a carriage with the author of these very
lines.”
She was thrilled with God’s providence in her life, but she had no idea of
the profound work God was doing in his life. He opened his ownbook to his
poem that became a famous hymn. He read these words:
Come thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams
of mercy never ceasing, Callfor songs ofloudest praise.
His eyes filled with tears as he read the bottom of the page.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel itProne to leave the God I love, Here’s my heart,
O take and sealit, Sealit for Thy courts above.
He was convictedand then revived by his own poem, and restoredto
fellowship with God. It was all because he said yes to an invitation to do
something he knew was the will of God, and that was to go to church. The
more we sayyes to those things God wants in our lives, the more we will
receive the yes of God’s promises. e. e. cummings wrote,
Yes is a world And in this world of Yes live (skillfully curled) All worlds.
The world of salvation begins with our own yes to the Gospel. Yes we say
to God, I will receive your gift of eternal life in Christ. From then on every
stage ofgrowth is a stage we advance to by saying yes to God. Yes I will pray
and read your word for guidance and wisdom. Yes I will give of my time,
talent, and treasure to bless the body of Christ, and yes I will give and I will go
to fulfill the GreatCommission. Yes I will witness to my world, and yes I will
love my neighbor as myself. Yes I will love and praise and serve my Savior,
and I will follow the path He reveals for me to follow. The whole Christian
life is a life of saying yes to God who has said yes to us in Jesus.
Paul in our text tells us that Jesus is never no, but always yes. He is God’s
yes, and all God’s promises are yes in Christ. This is the greatesttext in the
Bible for the support of Christian optimism and biblical positive thinking.
1. Is there life after death? The answerof God in Christ is yes! 2. Is there
hope for people who have messedtheir life up beyond human repair? The

answerof God in Christ is yes! 3. Is there a wayout of the predicament men
get into by their mere humanistic schemes?The answerof God in Christ is
yes! 4. Can sin be forgiven? The answerof God in Christ is yes! 5. Canthe
future still be a success?The answerofGod in Christ is yes! 6. Canbroken
relationships be restored? The answerof God in Christ is yes!7. Can
impossible dreams still come true? The answerof God in Christ is yes! 8. Can
I overcome the past? The answerof God in Christ is yes!
You can go on and on asking such hard questions, and the answer ofGod
in Christ is always yes, yes, yes. God’s answerin Christ is always yes, for
Jesus is the yes of God. That is why the Christian can always celebrate even
in fallen world filled with sin, sickness, and sorrow, forthe final word will
always be yes. James Angell could write,
In the midst of flashing neon darkness, We dare this day to celebrate the light.
In the midst of blaring, shouting silence, We dare this day to celebrate the
word. In the midst of bloated, gorgedstarvation, We dare this day to celebrate
the bread. In the midst of bottled, bubbling thirst, We dare this day to
celebrate the water. In the midst of smothered, gnawing doubt, We dare to
celebrate the affirmation.
In the midst of frantic, laughing death, We dare this day to celebrate life.
How can we have the audacity to be positive and hopeful in such a
negative world? It is because ourJesus is yes. The Christian who is negative,
and who says no more often than yes to life is a captive of the world mentality.
We all fall into the no mode from time to time, but it is to be a fall and not the
ditch we chooseto walk in. We are to get back to the highway of yes, for that
is where a Christian should always be walking.
Neil Eskelinwrote a fascinating book calledYes, Yes Living In A No, No
World. He found Christians in large measure tend to be a drag on the body
the of Christ because oftheir no, no spirit. They tend to be critical and
resistantto a positive way of doing all things for the glory of God. He learned
the powerof being a yes, yes father in relating to a no, no son. His five year
boy had the living room full of toys, and it was time to go to bed. When he
askedhim to pick them up he said he was too tired. His immediate response

was to force him to cleanup the room, but then he got a better idea. He
decided to try a more positive approach. He took his son into the bedroom
and laid down with his knees up, put his son up on them, and played Humpty
Dumpty had a greatfall. The boy loved the sudden fall to the bed and was
having a greattime. Over an overhe askedto do it again. But after the third
fall dad said you first have to go and pick up the toys. The son ran and
finished the task and was quickly back to play some more.
Dad learneda valuable lesson. Ifyou can find a way to geta child to say
yes I want to, then life is so much easierthan when you are trying to push
them with a no spirit. No is an uphill job, but yes is a downhill slide. No
creates friction, but yes creates freedom. Thatis why he wrote his book on
yes, yes living. He gives a number of examples of how yes people are the ones
who do what no people say can’t be done.
Cyrus Field was convinced a cable could be laid on the bottom of the
Atlantic Oceanto allow communication betweenthe U. S. and Europe. He had
a specialcable laid and tried it, but it kept failing to work. The headlines
read, “Fieldfails again.” His friends and supporters were disheartened, and
investors begin to pull out not wanting to risk anymore money. The no people
were in control of the masses,but they could not stopField from saying yes.
He knew it could be done and he organizeda new company and made it work.
The first messagesenton this cable under the oceanwas, “Thank God the
cable is laid and is in perfect order.”
The history of progress is the story of people who can yes, yes when
everyone else is saying no, no. Henry Ward Beecher, the great orator,
recalledthe day in schoolwhen he was demonstrating a problem in geometry.
The teacherstopped him with a “No, No!” In a tone of total conviction.
Beechersatdown in total confusionbecause he thought he was doing it right.
The next boy
went to the board and was stopped with the same loud “No!” But he went
right aheadand completed the problem. Beecherraisedhis hand and said he
was doing the exactsame problem. The teacherreplied, “Why didn’t you say

yes and stick to it? It’s not goodenough to know your lesson. You must know
you know it.”
This can be a powerful lessonthat every parent should teachtheir
children. They will confront a no, no world all of their lives, and if they do not
have a yes, yes spirit they will be in bondage to the no. Humorous Sam
Levensonknows what it means to look for the best. He is a short man, but he
doesn’t let it bother him. At a dinner he was surrounded by a group of rather
tall businessmen. “Don’tyou feelquite small among these big men?” someone
askedhim. “Yes I do,” was Levenson’s reply. “I feel like a dime among a lot
of pennies.” That is a yes, yes way to look at it.
If we as Christians do not have a yes, yes spirit, we are part of the problem
rather than part of the answer. Jesus is the yes of God, and if Jesus is in us,
then we are to be yes people. This does not mean we are yes men and yes
women in the negative sense that this terminology is used. When so used it
means we go along with authority whether we really agree ornot. The New
Orleans man easedhimself into the chair and called for a shave. The little
barber was of a swarthy complexion that indicated that he might be of Latin-
American blood. As he stropped his razor he opened the conversationwith:
“What’s your opinion of this Mexicansituation?” “Same as yours.” “But
how do you know what mine is?” “Don’t matter. You’ve got the razor.”
This is not the kind of yes people we are to be-saying yes out of fear. The
Christian is to be a positive yes person out of the conviction that Paul had-I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Jesus is God’s yes-he is
the resource to give the energy and motivation to do whateverGod wills you
to do. The Christian can do whatever Godwills, and so they are to be
perpetually striving to do it with a yes mentality.
Paul says that by the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our hearts we
can sayamen to the glory of God. That is, we can say so be it, or yes to all
God wills for us. Jesus never saidno to God. He was tempted to sayno, but
He never did. He was always saying yes. Through Him Paul says we are to
continue to say amen to the glory of God. Jesus is the everlasting yea and
amen. 31 times in Matthew Jesus saidamen; 14 times in Mark, 7 in Luke, 25

in John, for a total of 77 times in the Gospels. Jesus was single minded and so
it was not sometimes yes and sometimes no. He was always yes. He said yes to
God even when that yes took Him to the cross.
You cansay no to Jesus and reject His love and sacrifice for you, but you
can never change His yes to no. He will not change. He is the same yesterday,
today, and forever, for He is the everlasting yes. People came to Jesus in great
crowds because He never said no. He had life to give and light, and He had
healing and salvation. He gave freely and did not turn anyone away. His was
a yes, yes life in a no, no world.
PresidentThomas Jeffersonwas riding horseback withsome companions,
and they came to a swollenstream. A foot traveler was there by the stream,
waiting to ask someone onhorseback to give him a ride acrossthe rushing
water. Jeffersonrespondedand pulled the man up on his horse and took him
to the other side. “Tellme,” askedone of the men, “why did you ask the
Presidentto help you across?” The man answered, “Ididn’t know he was the
President. All I know is that on some faces is written the answer“no,” and on
some is written the answer“yes.” He had a yes face.”
Jesus had just such a face, and Paul says this yes from the face of Christ is
to shine yet in this world through us. In II Cor. 4:6 we read, “ForGod who
said let light shine out of darkness made His light shine in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face of Christ.” God
sent His Son into the world to give light, hope, and salvation. The Gospelis
goodnews, for it says that no matter what a mess life is, there is an answer,
and it is a goodone, and a positive answerin Christ.
Ilion T. Jones says that Paul is saying here, “ThatChrist is God’s clear-
cut, positive answerto all our human questions, to all our human needs, to all
our human hopes and dreams.” He is God’s yes, yes, yes, and this makes
Christianity a positive faith. The Old Testamentwas so much on a no, no, no
level. Thou shall not was the theme. But the New Testamentrises to a higher
level and says we are to grow up and stop living on the child’s level of no, no.
Sink your teeth into the meat of maturity. Get off the bottle and start saying
yes to life. Sayyes to God, not because He will hurt you if you don’t, but

because you love Him as He loves you, and you desire to please Him and not
the world, the flesh, and the devil. You don’t spend all your energy saying no
to sin and folly because you are to busy saying yes to love, service, and
ministry.
Many have suggestedthat if David had said yes to his duties as king of
Israel, and not been idle with nothing to do but lust after Bathsheba, he may
never have fallen. All we know for sure is that he had openedthe door for
Satanto entice him to say no to God, and that no lead to all the negatives of
his life that blotted one of the greatestcareers in history. Every sin in history
from the first one in Eden until now has been very simply a saying no to God.
Every virtue, victory, and actof righteousness in history has been simply a
saying yes to God. Jesus was the only perfect man because He is the only
person to never say no, but always say yes to God. Jesus lived the only
completely yes, yes life in a no, no world.
To be Christ like is to be one who is always saying yes to God. All of the
battles of life can be seenin this ultimate simplicity of what the poet has God
say at creation. “Iwill leave man to make the fateful guess: Will leave him
torn betweenthe no and yes.” These are the only two choices we have in our
relationship to God. To make it easierto say yes, God gave us Jesus who is
the yes to all His provisions. This becomes the foundation on which we build
the yes life. William Greenput it, “Christ is God’s ultimate yes to man, and
when we find that God has said yes to us we are able to affirm ourselves and
our world in spite of everything which drives us toward negation.”
When we are negative about life it is because we have takenour eyes off
Jesus. The Corinthians were negative towardPaul, and he is saying they
ought not to criticize him for being inconsistent, for he always says yes to
Christ and never no, and so he is being consistentlypositive in his decisions. If
his plans sound like an no to them, it is not so, and they need to see his plans
as a yes to Christ. He urges them to stop their negative thinking which in
inconsistentwith a Christ like spirit.
If you believe that God always says yes in Christ, you will not be so critical
and complaining about my change of plans, is what Paul is saying. God who

gave His Sonfor you has proven His love beyond any doubt. You cancount
on it that He will do everything else necessaryto keepHis promises to you. So
he urges them to stop saying no and start responding to God’s yes with a yes,
yes spirit. Dag Hammerskjold, the SecretaryGeneralof the U. N. from 1953
to 1961, and a dedicatedChristian, said, “Wheneverything has a meaning,
how can you live anything but a yes.”
Billy Graham has been deeply influenced by yes people. They have been
people who had to deal with the no’s of life, but they did not acceptthe no.
They rejectedit, and chose the yes. One he writes about in his book Storm
Warning is former PresidentDwight Eisenhower. Graham says that he had a
strong impact on his thinking, for though he was a generaland fought great
battles, he was not in favor of war. War is a no, and he fought for peace
which was a yes approachto life. Graham quotes him saying in 1953, “Every
gun that is made, every war ship launched, every rocketfired signifies-in a
final sense-a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold
and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is
spending the sweatofits laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its
children....this is not a wayof life at all in true sense. Under the threatening
cloud of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross ofiron.”
These words motivated Graham to take an interestin the third world
countries, and take a tour of them to see first hand the poverty and hunger.
He learned that it was a moral obligation for every Christian to get involved
in the world suffering and be a part of the answer. Saying yes to God and yes
to life means being Christ like in relation to a hurting world. In that same
book he tells of his meeting with one of the great yes people.
“One of the people most identified with Christian compassionin our day is
Mother Teresa ofCalcutta. There are thousands of unknown servants of
Christ who quietly and without fanfare invest their lives in feeding,
clothing, and caring for the poor. But Mother Teresa has become a kind of
representative of them all. I remember the first time I met this tiny, wrinkled,
radiant lady. An American consul in Calcutta offered to drive me to Mother
Teresa’scompound in the heart of that sprawling city, when I was introduced

to her, she was ministering to a dying person, holding him in her arms. I
waited while she helped him face death. When he died, she prayed quietly,
gently loweredhim to his bed, and turned to greetme. We talkedtill dusk
that day. I was surprised to learn how much she knew about me and about
our crusades. In her lilting, broken English she askedif I would like to hear
some of her experiences with the hungry and dying.”
He listened and was touched, for in the midst of a terrible no, no world
here was a child of God letting the world hear the yes of God in Christ. E.
Stanley Jones, the greatmissionary and author of numerous books, calledhis
last book, which was written when he was 89, was titled The Divine Yes. This
text was the basis for the book, and he wrote, “Jesus took the worse thing that
could happen to Him, namely, the Cross, and turned it into the healing of sin.
The Cross was hate, and Jesus turned it into a revelationof love. Jesus took
everything that spoke againstthe love of God and, though it, showedthe love
of God. It is a Yes, a Yes over the very worst. Yes, about the nature of God.
Yes, yes, yes!”
Jones gives many illustrations, but let me share one that shows just how
close Christians canget to saying yes to every no of life. “There is a Lee
MemorialHome in Calcutta, India. The Lees had 6 children in schoolin
Darjeeling, a hill station in India. One night during the monsoonrains the
whole mountain side, upon which their home was built, slipped and buried all
6 children at once! Instead of the Lee’s saying, “Why did that happen to us
when we were serving God in Calcutta?” Theysaid, “Well, since our home
has been brokenup we will just setup a largerhome for the waif children
from the streets ofCalcutta.” Forover 70 years that home has been filled
with an average ofabout 500 homeless children a year. The family of 6 now
became a family of thousands. On the monument set up to commemorate the
memory of these children there are these words: “Thanks be unto God who
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The whole point of Paul is to getthe Corinthian Christians to stop being
no people and become yes people. This is the point of all we do as a church.
Worship, Bible study, fellowship, and service are all designedto help us be
like Jesus, andto be ever saying yes to God. This has practicalimplications

for all human relationships. We express our love for one another and our
neighbor, and even our foes, by being yes minded rather than no minded.
Judieth Viorst, a popular writer, has this advice to married couples: “The
answerto-do you love me isn’t, I married you didn’t I? Or, can’t we discuss
this after the ballgame is through? It isn’t, wellthat all depends on what you
mean by “love.” Oreven, come to bed and I’ll prove that I do. The answer
isn’t, how
can I talk about love when the bacon is burned and the house is an absolute
mess and the children are screaming their heads off and I’m going to miss the
bus? The answeris yes. The answeris yes. The answeris yes.”
If we really believe that Jesus is the yes of God, we should be able to
respond to every negative in life with a positive. We should be able to
counteracteachno with a yes, and so be yes, yes people in a no, no world.
Glenn Pease
YES, YES, YES, MY JESUS IS YES This song was motivated by the words
of Paul in IICor.1:18-19. "Butas surely as God is faithful, our messageto you
is not "Yes" and "No." Forthe Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached
among you by me and Silas and timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him
it has always beenYes. Forno matter how many promises God has made,
they are "Yes" in Christ."
IT'S A WORLD OF CAN'T AND A WORLD OF DON'T. PEOPLE RAVE
AND RANT AND THEY THRIVE ON WON'T.
BUT JESUS IS YES HE NEVER IS NO. HIS GOAL IS TO BLESS GOD'S
LOVE TO US SHOW.
CHORUS YES, YES, YES MY JESUS IS YES EVERY PROMISE OF GOD
IN HIM WE POSSESSYES, YES, YES MY JESUS IS YES THAT IS WHY
ALL OUR PRAISE, TO HIM WE ADDRESS.

II
IT'S A WORLD OF NO AND A WORLD OF NOT. IT'S READY TO
BLOW IT'S GOING TO POT.
BUT JESUS IS YES A POSITIVE NOTE. IF HIM WE CONFESS HE'LL
KEEP US AFLOAT.
CHORUS
III IT'S A WORLD OF WAR AND A WORLD OF NIGHT. WHAT'S
GOOD, MEN ABHOR THEY RESIST WHAT'S RIGHT.
BUT JESUS IS YES HE OFFERS US LIGHT. IN THE MIST OF STRESS
HIS BURDEN IS LITE.
CHORUS
IV IT'S A WORLD OF HATE AND A WORLD OF CRIME. THERE IS NO
DEBATE IT'S NEAR END OF TIME.
BUT JESUS IS YES IN TIMES OF GREAT STRIFE. HIS GIFT IS NO
LESS
THAN ETERNALLIFE.
CHORUS
V. IT'S A NO NO WORLD AND IT'S FILLED WITH DOUBT. MEN ARE
TOSSED AND HURLED AND JUST THROWN ABOUT.
BUT JESUS IS YES HE'S THE ONLY WAY. IF FAITH YOU'LL
PROFESS HE'LL SAVE YOU TODAY.
CHORUS
VI. IT'S A WORLD OF DARK WHERE NEGATIVES THRIVE. SOME
OFTEN REMARK IT'S HARD TO SURVIVE.
BUT JESUS IS YES A RAY OF SUNSHINE. THE WAY TO SUCCESS
AND A LIFE WITH DESIGN.

CHORUS
YES, YES, YES, MY JESUS IS YES EVERY PROMISE OF GOD IN HIM
WE POSSESS.YES, YES, YES, MY JESUS IS YES THAT'S WHY THIS
SONG OF PRAISE
TO OUR SAVIOUR WE RAISE NOW AND TO ENDLESS DAYS FOR
HE'S GOD'S YES! YES! YES!
Yes
ShekinahGlory Ministry
Yes Lyrics
Will your heart and soul sayyes
Will your Spirit still say yes
There is more that I require of thee
Now will your heart and soul sayyes
Will your Spirit still say yes
If I told you what I really need
Open up your heart and tell the Lord Yes
Say yes, yeah yeah

Say I'll obey Jesus, I won't stray Jesus
But this time I've made up in my mind, I've made up in my mind
I'll say, saysay yes
My soulsays yes, my mind says, my heart says yes, yes, yes I will Jesus
Yes, Yes
I'll do what you want me to do
I'll saywhat you want me to say
I'll go, if you lead me, if you lead me
If you lead me, if you lead me, if you leadme I'll go yes
Lift your hands and tell the Lord
Come on open up your heart and say yes, yes, yes
ALL God wants is yes, all God wants, all God wants, all God wants is yes
I won't be afraid
I'll stepout on your word
I'll declare your glory
Yes I will, Yes I will
I wanna do your will Jesus
I wanna do your will, I wanna do your will
My soulsays yes, yes, yes,yes
https://genius.com/Shekinah-glory-ministry-yes-lyrics

Troy Sneed- My Heart Says Yes Lyrics
Artist: Troy Sneed
Album: GreatGospelHits: The Soul of GospelToday
Heyo! SONGLYRICS just got interactive. Highlight. Review:RIFF-it.
RIFF-it good.
Play "My Heart Says Yes"
on Amazon Music (ad)
Jesus I Love You
Jesus I love You
Oh My
And you are welcome in, your welcome in this Place
I'm lostwithout you
Can't do nothing without you oh no
and you are welcome in, your welcome in this place
My heart says yes
My heart says yes ((to your will) to your ways)
and you are welcome in, your welcome in this place
ooohhwooo ooo oh my oh my, ooooohoooooooh
My heart heart says yes(yes to your will)
My heart says yes (Yes to your ways)

And you are welcome in your welcome in this place
My heart says yes(can'tlive without you)
My heart says yes(I'm nothing without you, I'm nothing without you)
You are welcome in, Your welcome in this place
My heart says yes(lord I'm thirsty for you)
My heart says yes(Yes, Yes, lord I need you)
and you are welcome in, your welcome in this place (you are welcome in, your
welcome in this place)
All the Promises of God Are Yes in Christ
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:15–20 Topic:The Personof Christ
BecauseI was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might
have a double pleasure;I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia,and to
come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
Was I vacillating when I wantedto do this? Do I make my plans like a worldly
man, ready to say Yes and No at once? As surely as God is faithful, our word
to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we
preachedamong you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No;but in
him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is
why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.
DissatisfiedContentment

As long as we live in this age—withits sin and pain—our contentment in God
should always be a dissatisfiedcontentment. Paul said in another place, "Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to
make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Philippians
3:12). Christ has made us his own! Our text today (in verses 21–22)says that
God himself establishes us, anointed us (the Greek behind the RSV
"commissioned"), sealedus, and gave us his Spirit as a guarantee. Godmeans
for us to have a deep contentment and security in Christ.
But Paul does not say, "BecauseI am secure, I coast."He says, "Becausehe
made me his own, I press on to make it my own." He longs for perfection. He
longs for fullness. He is dissatisfiedwith his present state. His contentment is a
dissatisfiedcontentment. He knows that in Christ he has every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). But he also knows that his
experience of these blessings is not as full as it could be. Paul knows that there
is more to experience of the hope of our calling and the glory of our
inheritance and the greatness ofthe power at work within us (Ephesians 1:18–
19). He knows that there is more strength of the Spirit for the inner man,
there is more to know of the indwelling Christ, there is more breadth and
length and height and depth of Christ's love to discover, and there is more of
the fullness of God than he or any of us has experienced(Ephesians 3:16–19).
Therefore every believer, whose contentment is really from the Spirit of God,
is a dissatisfiedbeliever. And therefore every true believer is a person who
prays. Prayer is the heartfelt expressionof holy dissatisfaction. The more
satisfiedyou are with yourself the way you are and with the world the way it
is, the less you will pray. But the more you desire all the fullness of God, the
more you desire to know the breadth and length and height and depth of the
love of Christ, the more you desire to be strengthenedwith the powerof the
Holy Spirit according to the riches of God's glory, the more you desire to
know the hope of your calling and the riches of the glory of your inheritance,
and the more you desire to be holy and pure and compassionate andpatient
and kind and tenderheartedand bold and fruitful, the more you will pray and
the more passionatelyyou will pray. Little prayer signifies little desire for
God. Perfunctory prayer signifies a perfunctory relationship with God.

Prayer at the Dawning of a New Decade
We come to the end of a decade today. And I pray that we are looking back
with a proper mingling of greatgratitude and deep contrition. Contrition for
our unbelief and sin, and gratitude for God's all-surpassing grace.
Tomorrow we enter a new decade, the last decade of the last century in this
millennium, and O how I pray that we will enter it with a proper mingling of
deep contentment in the unspeakable, electing, predestining, calling,
justifying, glorifying love of God for us in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:29–30)—a
mingling of that deep contentment with a strong dissatisfaction. O that God
might give us a great, holy dissatisfactionwith the levelof our experience of
his fullness (Ephesians 3:19)!
And with that greatdesire burning in our hearts, we begin the decade with a
week ofconcertedprayer—the heartfelt expressionof holy dissatisfaction.
And I invite you—I plead with you—to consecrate yourselfto God in some
extraordinary way as this new decade begins. Tomorrow morning, as the new
decade begins, give notice to your old nature and to the devil and to the world,
by an actof holy consecration, thatyou belong to God and that you desire all
the fullness of God more than you desire anything in the world.
The QuestionBefore Us
The question that God asks us in our text this morning is this: Are you living
in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you in Christ Jesus? Orto put it
another way: Have you said yes to all of God's YES to you? Is there any of
God's YES to you to which you are saying NO or MAYBE or NOT NOW? Let
our consecrationto God at the beginning of the 1990s be this: This is the
decade of my YES to you, O God. I consecrate myselfto forsake the NO and
the MAYBE and the NOT NOW of my unbelief. And I say YES to everything
in your YES to me.

Let's look at the text togetherso that you can see this word from the Lord the
same way I do.
Was Paul's Heart Divided Towardthe Corinthians?
According to verses 15–16Paulhad made a plan to visit Corinth twice to give
them a double blessing. He was going to cross the AegeanSea to Corinth on
his wayto Macedonia,and then come back by Corinth. This was his plan, and
they heard about it. But then something happened that made him change his
mind (see 1:23 ff.). Evidently the rumor starts to circulate that Paul's heart is
divided. YES, he loves them and wants to see them and bless them. But NO,
maybe not as much as he loves his own convenience orsome other church. Is
Paul's heart YES and NO toward the Corinthians?
He answers passionatelyin verses 17–18:"Was I vacillating when I wanted to
do this? Do I make my plans like a worldly man, ready to sayYes and No at
once? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No."
In other words, our planning and our preaching are not fickle;they are not
double minded; they are unified; they are YES to you. We live for your good.
We are for you and not againstyou. Our life and ministry is a resounding
YES, YES, YES! Yes to your joy! Yes to your holiness!Yes to your faith and
hope and love and peace and power!
And then in verses 19 and 20 Paul shows why his own life is YES to the
Corinthians: namely, because Godhas spokenhis final decisive YES to them
in Christ.
(19) Forthe Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preachedamong you,
Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always YES.
[Literally: "The (decisive)YES has happened in him"—God's heart is not
divided in Christ. Christ means YES!] (20a)For all the promises of God find
their YES in him.
So Paul is saying:My heart is not divided towardyou because God's heart is
not divided toward you. If you belong to Christ by faith, then everything God

could possibly give you for your goodhe has signed over to your accountin
Christ. You hear the same answerat every point: Is this promise in my
account? Yes. Is this promise in my account? Yes. Is this blessing in my
account? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. All the promises of God are YES in Christ.
God's Heart TowardThose in Christ
In Galatians 3:29 Paul wrote, "If you are Christ's then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to promise." (See Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 3:14, 22;
Hebrews 9:15; Romans 15:8.) All the promises of God for the goodof his
people focus in Christ. He confirms them and secures them and, as it were,
purchases them for all who belong to him—for all who believe (Galatians
3:22). Every sinner who comes to God in Christ, with all his needs, finds God
coming to him in Christ, with all his promises. When a sinful personmeets the
holy God IN CHRIST, what he hears is YES. Do you love me? YES. Will you
forgive me? YES. Will you acceptme? YES. YES. Will you help me change?
YES. Will you give me powerto serve you? YES. Will you keepme? YES.
Will you show me your glory? YES.
All the promises of God—allthe blessings of God in the heavenly places—are
YES in Christ Jesus. Jesusis God's decisive YES to all who believe.
The Challenge and Connectionto Prayer
Now comes the greatchallenge and the connectionbetweenall this and
prayer. Verse 20b: "Thatis why [or: therefore;so] we utter the Amen though
him, to the glory of God [literally: to God for (his) glory]."
Verse 20b explains why the Christian church says "Amen." It's a word taken
over into Greek from Hebrew where it meant a very strong affirmation
(Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah5:13; 8:6)—a formal, solemn, earnest"I agree,"or
"I affirm what you just said," or "This is true." Mostsimply AMEN means a
very earnestYES in the context of addressing God.

Now notice the connectionbetween the two halves of verse 20. The first half
says, "Forall the promises of God find their YES in him." The secondhalf
says, "Thatis why we utter the Amen through him, to God for his glory."
When you realize that AMEN and YES mean the same thing, here's what the
verse means: In Jesus Christ God says his YES, his AMEN, to us through his
promises;and in Christ we say our YES, our AMEN, back to God, through
prayer.
Four Observations About Prayer
Notice four things about prayer in verse 20.
1. PrayerIs Through Jesus
Verse 20b: "That is why we utter the AMEN through him . . . " God's YES
comes to us in Christ according to verse 20a ("All the promises of God find
their YES in him.") So if God's YES comes to us in Christ, then prayer must
go to Godthrough Christ, because nobodywants to hear a NO. Everybody
wants to hear a yes when they pray, and that is what we hear in Christ, and
nowhere else. This is what we mean when we say, "In Jesus'name," at the end
of our prayers.
2. PrayerIs for God's Glory
Verse 20b: "That is why we utter the Amen though him, to Godfor [his]
glory." Amen is the greataffirmation that God is the Giver and we are the
needy. Amen affirms God's grace and goodnessand powerand wisdom to
respond in the very best wayfor his glory and for our good. All prayer should
have the glory of God as its chief aim. Amen is our YES to the glory of God.
3. PrayerIs Laying Hold onto Promises
Prayer is drawing on the accountwhere God has depositedall his promises.
Prayer is not hoping in the dark that there might be a God of goodintentions
out there. Prayer goes to the bank and draws on promises. Don't miss the
connectionbetweenthe two halves of the verse: "All the promises of God find

their YES in him. THAT [because of the promises!] is why we utter the Amen
through him, to God for his glory." Which leads to . . .
4. AMEN Is a Full and Precious Word in Times of Prayer
It doesn't mean primarily, "YES, I have said all this prayer." It means
primarily, "YES, God has made all these promises." AMEN means, YES,
Lord, you cando it. It means, YES, Lord, you are powerful. YES, Lord, you
are wise. YES, Lord, you are merciful. AMEN is like an exclamationpoint of
faith in a prayer for help. Or an exclamationpoint of strong affirmation after
a statementof God's greatness.
As you come to the end of every prayer there are two AMEN's, two YES's.
When you say, "In Jesus'name," that is God's AMEN. All his promises are
YES and AMEN in Jesus:Jesus Christ is God's YES and AMEN at the end of
your prayer. Then when you say, "AMEN," this is your YES and AMEN back
to God for his. AMEN is our YES to God for his YES to us in Jesus Christ.
Have You Said Yes to All of God's Yes to You?
Which brings us back to the question we raisedat the beginning: Are you
living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you in Christ Jesus?Have you
said YES to all of God's YES to you? Is there any of God's YES to you to
which you are saying NO or MAYBE or NOT NOW?
I plead with you to let your consecrationto God at the beginning of the 1990s
be this: "O Lord, I promise that by your grace this will be the decade of my
YES to you. I consecrate myselfto forsake the NO and the MAYBE and the
NOT NOW of my unbelief. And I sayYES to everything in your YES to me. I
pledge myself to a holy dissatisfactionuntil I have known the fullness of your
YES in Christ Jesus."
We begin the decade with a week ofprayer. Let me mention the times for you
to consider.

Starting tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM we will pray eachmorning Monday
through Friday at 7:00 AM in the chapel for 30 minutes. You can consecrate
every day of the first week ofthe decade with united prayer.
On Wednesdayevening at 7:00 we will meet for an hour and a half in a
concertof prayer focusing on the spiritual and socialneeds ofour city and the
cities of the world. Here in this room. You canconsecrateyourselfin this way
to a larger vision than just your own personalneeds.
On Friday at 10:00 PM we begin a powerful night of going hard after God in
prayer for eight hours. I believe much of the blessing we have known over the
past ten years togetheris owing to God's calling us to nights of prayer and
meeting us there in significantways.
The Fireside Roomwill be set up for PersonalPrayerRetreats.You can get
into the church and use the room Tuesdaythrough Saturday from 7 AM to 9
PM.
Finally, we have ordered 150 copies ofAblaze for God. I hope we sell them all
(they are $7.00). We chosethis because it does just that: it makes the heart
blaze with a passionfor prayer. Consecrate your mind to God with a time of
reading about prayer and powerthis week and in the weeksto come.
Would you pray for the pastoral and ministerial staff as we take a three-day
retreat for prayer and fasting and planning Tuesdaythrough Thursday? We
will come in for the Wednesdayevening Concertof Prayer, but besides that,
we will be in prayer and study and planning all that time. We are seeking
from the Lord focus and goals forthe 1990s.It is utterly crucialthat you
coverus with your prayer all day. We really want to meet God, and seek his
heart for our church and our missionin this city and the world for the next
ten years.
I close with the question once more: Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of
God's YES to you in Christ Jesus? Have you saidYES and AMEN to all the
promises of God? Would you join us in the first week ofthe lastdecade of the
last century of the millennium for an extraordinary time of consecrationas we
say YES to all God's promises in prayer?

All the Promises in Christ Jesus are Yea
"ForALL the Promises ofGod in Him [Christ Jesus]are Yea, and in Him
Amen,
unto the Glory of God by us"
(2Corinthians 1:20).
by Katie Stewart
Preface
egative answers to prayer will never be given by the LORD-- IF His
Conditions are met. The LORD can answerin a way that results differently
than we had expected, but He will never answerwith a "No," if we pray His
Way. He can answerwith a "wait", as in, "Therefore will the LORD wait,
that He may be gracious unto you" (Isaiah30:18), or He can answerwith "be
patient", as in, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the Coming of the
LORD" (James 5:7). He cangive an answerthat is better than what you had
expected, as in, "Him that is able to do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that
we ask or think, according to the Powerthat workethin us" (Ephesians 3:20).
But be joyful and confident in this GreatAffirmation, that "ALL the
Promises of Godin Him [Christ Jesus]are Yea, and in Him [Christ Jesus]

Amen, unto the Glory of God by us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Every claim in faith
upon every Promise of God results with a "Yes!" answer.
Conditions for Receiving "Yes" Answers
here are conditions, of course, as there ALWAYS are with God (i.e., "IF ye
abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you" [John 15:7]), but remember that "Godis Faithful"
(1Corinthians 10:13). MeetHim on His Holy Ground and you WILL be
answered. "IF any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a Reward" (1Corinthians 3:14). Knowing God's Conditions for
answeredprayer means knowing God Himself. "Then shall we know, IF we
follow on to know the LORD" (Hosea 6:3). We must "follow" to "know".
"These things saith The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, The Beginning
of the Creationof God"(Revelation3:14). Basically, "Yea" and "Amen"
answers come if:
1. the petitioner is "in Christ Jesus".
[Note:If you, the reader, are not a Christian, please considerthe pleas made
on our "TopicalLinks On Salvation" ---New Window, that the Life and Joy in
Him becomes your inheritance. "Thouwilt show me the Path of Life: in Thy
Presence is fulness of Joy; at Thy Right Hand there are Pleasuresfor
Evermore" (Psalm 16:11). "Thouhast made known to me the ways of Life;
Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy Countenance" (Acts 2:28).]
2. the prayer comes in the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ (i.e.,
"Whatsoeverye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son" [John 14:13]). And

3. the petitioner has, in faith, basedthe expectationof receiving solely upon
the LORD's fulfilling His Promise (i.e., "I believe God, that it shall be even as
it was told me" [Acts 27:25]).
[Note:Please read"According to Your Faith" ---New Window, to find that
"Faith is inescapablytied to the Promises." And that in answering, "Whatis
the Prayerof Faith?" ---New Window, "anaffirmative nod from Above"
comes only by faith.]
When the Conditions are met, the Father in Heaven will NEVER say"No," to
His child. He may say, "Wait." He may say, "Here's more than you
expected." The answermay not be in the form you expected, but the Promises
will ALWAYS reap "Yea" and "Amen" answers, if prayed in faith.
(Matthew 7:7-8,11)"7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that askethreceiveth;
and he that seekethfindeth; and to him that knockethit shall be opened... 11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give goodgifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give goodthings to them that
ask Him?"
(Romans 8:32) "He [the Father] that sparednot His Own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
(Psalm 84:11)"Forthe LORD God is a Sun and Shield: the LORD will give
Grace and Glory: no goodthing will He withhold from them that walk
uprightly."
(1John 5:14-15)"14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we
ask any thing according to His Will [which couldn't be known without faith],

He heareth us: 15 and if we know that He hear us, whatsoeverwe ask, we
know that we have the petitions that we desiredof Him."
Wait
hen the Omniscient LORD waits to answerus, rest assuredin Him that there
are goodreasons."And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy
upon you: for the LORD is a God of Judgment: Blessedare all they that wait
for Him" (Isaiah30:18). What are some of these blessings?
1. Waiting for the LORD causes us to have an intense focus upon Him, with
eyes "glued" to Him, say, for example, as our pet friends do in the dog world,
when they know it is time for us to feedthem. "Behold, as the eyes of servants
look unto the hand of their masters... so our eyes wait upon the LORD our
God, until that He have mercy upon us" (Psalm 123:2).
2. Waiting for the LORD causes us to realize that He is All Sufficient. "3:5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves;but
our sufficiencyis of God... 12:9 And He said unto me, My Grace is sufficient
for thee" (2Corinthians 3:5; 12:9). The LORD God is the Sum Totalof all our
necessityin life. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectationis
from Him" (Psalm 62:5). "ThatGod may be All In All" (1Corinthians 15:28).
3. Waiting for the LORD causes us to grow strong in faith and Christian
character. "Theythat wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings as eagles;they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting is an exercise that
strengthens a faithful heart and is therefore able to conquer doubt with

courage. "Waitonthe LORD: be of good courage,and He shall strengthen
thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Psalm 27:14).
4. Waiting for the LORD causes us to be encouragedby His Word. "I wait for
the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope" (Psalm130:5).
"My soul fainteth for Thy Salvation: but I hope in Thy Word" (Psalm
119:81).
5. Waiting for the LORD causes us to rest, to be without anxiety. "7 Restin
the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because ofhim who
prospereth in his way, because ofthe man who bringeth wickeddevices to
pass... 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD,
they shall inherit the Earth... 34 Wait on the LORD, and keepHis Way, and
He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wickedare cut off, thou shalt
see it" (Psalm 37:7,9,34).
6. Waiting for the LORD causes us to look for His Return. "I will wait upon
the LORD, that hideth His Face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for
Him" (Isaiah 8:17). "And it shall be saidin that day, Lo, this is our God; we
have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD;we have waited
for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation." (25:9). "Forthe Vision
is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it
tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Habakkuk
2:3).
7. Waiting for the LORD's Coming causes us to desire His Judgments. "Yea,
in the Way of Thy Judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; the desire
of our soul is to Thy Name, and to the remembrance of Thee" (Isaiah 26:8).
"Therefore waitye upon Me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to
the prey: for My Determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble

the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine Indignation, even all My Fierce
Anger: for all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of My Jealousy"
(Zephaniah 3:8).
8. Waiting for the LORD causes us to have a confident bond in Him as our
Answer that results in a Salvationwhich lasts Forever. "Therefore I will look
unto the LORD;I will wait for the God of my Salvation:my God will hear
me" (Micah 7:7). Salvationfrom our day-to-day trials by the Promises are the
stepping stones that lead to our total Salvation from this Earth. "It is GOOD
that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvationof the LORD"
(Lamentations 3:26). The LORD is Good, and His Answeris Good. "The
LORD is goodunto them that wait for Him, to the soulthat seekethHim"
(Lamentations 3:25).
Above Expectation
hen the Omniscient LORD gives us more than we asked, restassuredin Him
that there are goodreasons."Unto Him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above ALL that we ask or think, according to the Powerthat
workethin us" (Ephesians 3:20). [Please read"Exceeding Greatand Precious
Promises" ---New Window.]What are some of these blessings?
1. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to experience His
GreatPower, the Personof the Holy Spirit. "And what is the Exceeding
Greatness ofHis Powerto us-ward who believe, according to the working of
His Mighty Power" (Ephesians 1:19). "Whereunto I also labour, striving
according to His Working, which workethin me mightily" (Colossians1:29).

2. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to realize His
Generosity. "I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both
riches, and honour" (1Kings 3:13). "I am come that they might have Life, and
that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
3. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes Faithin us to have
His Grace (or, Help) in abundance. "And the Grace of our LORD was
exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus" (1Timothy
1:14).
4. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to see His Love
revealedSupernaturally. "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor earheard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealedthem unto us by His
Spirit: for the Spirit searchethall things, yea, the DeepThings of God"
(1Corinthians 2:9-10).
5. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to know His
"Ableness". "And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was
Able also to perform" (Romans 4:21). "The LORD is Able to give thee much
more than this" (2Chronicles 25:9). "Wherefore He is Able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by Him [Jesus], seeing He ever liveth to
make intercessionfor them" (Hebrews 7:25).
6. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to receive more of
the LORD. "The LORD passedby before him, and proclaimed, The LORD,
The LORD God, Merciful and Gracious, Longsuffering, and abundant in
Goodness andTruth" (Exodus 34:6).

Conclusion
umanly speaking, we affirm something is true, or is not true, saying that this
or that may happen, or may not happen. "Do I [the Apostle Paul] purpose
according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay [yes,
yes, and no, no]?" (2Corinthians 1:17). But Spiritually speaking, that is,
applying the Principles and Promises of God's Word to any given situation led
of the Spirit to address, we must adamantly affirm, "Yes! Only God states
Absolute Truth. This WILL happen!" "As God is True, our Word toward you
was not yea and nay" (1:18). Why? Because Jesus,Who is our "Yea" and our
"Amen", secures ONLY"Yea [Yes]" and "Amen [Verily, Truly]" answers to
our faith. "19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preachedamong
you by us, even by me [Paul] and Silvanus and Timotheus, was NOT yea and
nay [yes and no], but in Him was YEA. 20 For ALL the Promises ofGod in
Him are Yea [Yes], and in Him Amen [Verily, Truly], unto the Glory of God
by us" (1:19-20). It is this very fact that allows the LORD the liberty to offer
freely His Blank Check Promises--with strings attached, most certainly-- but
none the less LIMITLESS.
(1John 3:22) "And WHATSOEVER we ask, we receive of Him, because we
keepHis Commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."
(Matthew 21:22) "And ALL things, WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive."
(Mark 11:24)"Therefore I sayunto you, WHAT THINGS SOEVER ye
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

(John 14:13) "And WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
(John 16:23-24)"23 Verily, verily, I say unto you, WHATSOEVER ye shall
ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked
nothing in My Name:ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
He Whose "Name is calledThe Word of God" (Revelation19:13), offers
Himself to us as our "Portion", for "Thou art my Portion, O LORD:I have
said that I would keepThy Words" (Psalm 119:57). He is All We Need, and
rightly so, for "Thou art worthy, O LORD, to receive Glory and Honour and
Power:for Thou hast createdall things, and for Thy Pleasure they are and
were created" (Revelation4:11). What is a wonder to understand, is how can
such worms, as we most certainly are, give the purest of pleasure to the
Ultimate Person, "the LORD most High... a Great King over ALL the Earth"
(Psalm 47:2)? We can, and do give Him pleasure, "for the LORD'S portion is
His people" (Deuteronomy32:9), when we OBEYHim. "And whatsoeverwe
ask, we receive of Him, because we keepHis Commandments, and do those
things that are pleasing in His sight" (1John 3:22).
"Now I say that
Jesus Christ was a Minister... for the Truth of God,
to confirm the Promises made...
Jesus Christ The Same yesterday, and to day, and for ever"
(Romans 15:8; Hebrews 13:8).
https://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Promises/All.Promises.Are.Yea.html

2 Corinthians1:20 “Forall the promises of God in him
are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by
us.”
All the Promises in Christ Jesus are Yea "ForALL the Promises of God in
Him [Christ Jesus]are Yea, and in Him Amen, unto the Glory of God by us"
(2Corinthians 1:20). by Katie Stewart12-1-2001 --------------------------------------
---------------------------------
Preface Negative answersto prayer will never be given by the LORD-- IF His
Conditions are met. The LORD can answerin a way that results differently
than we had expected, but He will never answerwith a "No," if we pray His
Way. He can answerwith a "wait", as in, "Therefore will the LORD wait,
that He may be gracious unto you" (Isaiah30:18), or He can answerwith "be
patient", as in, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the Coming of the
LORD" (James 5:7). He cangive an answerthat is better than what you had
expected, as in, "Him that is able to do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that
we ask or think, according to the Powerthat workethin us" (Ephesians 3:20).
But be joyful and conﬁdent in this GreatAfﬁrmation, that "ALL the Promises
of God in Him [Christ Jesus]are Yea, and in Him [Christ Jesus]Amen, unto
the Glory of God by us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Every claim in faith upon every
Promise of God results with a "Yes!" answer.
Conditions for Receiving "Yes" Answers There are conditions, of course, as
there ALWAYS are with God (i.e., "IF ye abide in Me, and My Words abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" [John 15:7]),
but remember that "Godis Faithful" (1Corinthians 10:13). MeetHim on His
Holy Ground and you WILL be answered. "IF any man's work abide which
he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a Reward" (1Corinthians 3:14).
Knowing God's Conditions for answered prayer means knowing God Himself.
"Then shall we know, IF we follow on to know the LORD" (Hosea 6:3). We
must "follow" to "know". "Thesethings saith The Amen, the Faithful and
True Witness, The Beginning of the Creationof God"(Revelation3:14).

Basically, "Yea" and"Amen" answers come if: 1. the petitioner is "in Christ
Jesus". [Note:If you, the reader, are not a Christian, please considerthe pleas
made on our "TopicalLinks On Salvation" --
http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Jehovah/Topical.Links.Salvation.html --,
that the Life and Joy in Him becomes your inheritance. "Thouwilt show me
the Path of Life: in Thy Presenceis fulness of Joy; at Thy Right Hand there
are PleasuresforEvermore" (Psalm 16:11). "Thou hast made known to me
the ways of Life; Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy Countenance" (Acts
2:28).] 2. the prayer comes in the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ (i.e.,
"Whatsoeverye
All the Promises in Christ Jesus are Yea Text
1 of 5
shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Fathermay be glorified in the
Son" [John 14:13]). And 3. the petitioner has, in faith, basedthe expectation
of receiving solely upon the LORD's fulfilling His Promise (i.e., "I believe
God, that it shall be even as it was told me" [Acts 27:25]). [Note: Pleaseread
"According to Your Faith" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Promises
/According.to.Your.Faith.html --, to find that "Faith is inescapablytied to the
Promises." And that in answering, "Whatis the Prayer of Faith?" --
http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Promises /What.is.thePrayer.of.Faith.html
--, "an affirmative nod from Above" comes only by faith.] When the
Conditions are met, the Father in Heaven will NEVER say"No," to His child.
He may say, "Wait." He may say, "Here's more than you expected." The
answermay not be in the form you expected, but the Promises will ALWAYS
reap "Yea" and "Amen" answers, if prayed in faith. (Matthew 7:7-8,11)"7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, andye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you: 8 for every one that askethreceiveth;and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knockethit shall be opened... 11 If ye then, being evil,
know how to give goodgifts unto your children, how much more shall your
Father which is in Heaven give goodthings to them that ask Him?" (Romans
8:32) "He [the Father] that spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for
us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Psalm 84:11)
"Forthe LORD God is a Sun and Shield: the LORD will give Grace and

Glory: no goodthing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."
(1John 5:14-15)"14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we
ask any thing according to His Will [which couldn't be known without faith],
He heareth us: 15 and if we know that He hear us, whatsoeverwe ask, we
know that we have the petitions that we desiredof Him."
Wait When the Omniscient LORD waits to answerus, rest assuredin Him
that there are goodreasons."And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may
be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have
mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of Judgment: Blessedare all they
that wait for Him" (Isaiah30:18). What are some of these blessings? 1.
Waiting for the LORD causes us to have an intense focus upon Him, with eyes
"glued" to Him, say, for example, as our pet friends do in the dog world, when
they know it is time for us to feed them. "Behold, as the eyes of servants look
unto the hand of their masters... so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until that He have mercy upon us" (Psalm123:2).
2 of 5
2. Waiting for the LORD causes us to realize that He is All Sufficient. "3:5 Not
that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves;but our
sufficiency is of God... 12:9 And He said unto me, My Grace is sufficient for
thee" (2Corinthians 3:5; 12:9). The LORD God is the Sum Totalof all our
necessityin life. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectationis
from Him" (Psalm 62:5). "ThatGod may be All In All" (1Corinthians 15:28).
3. Waiting for the LORD causes us to grow strong in faith and Christian
character. "Theythat wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings as eagles;they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting is an exercise that
strengthens a faithful heart and is therefore able to conquer doubt with
courage. "Waitonthe LORD: be of good courage,and He shall strengthen
thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Psalm 27:14). 4. Waiting for the
LORD causesus to be encouragedby His Word. "I wait for the LORD, my
soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope" (Psalm 130:5). "My soul fainteth

for Thy Salvation: but I hope in Thy Word" (Psalm 119:81). 5. Waiting for
the LORD causes us to rest, to be without anxiety. "7 Restin the LORD, and
wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because ofhim who prospereth in his
way, because ofthe man who bringeth wickeddevices to pass... 9 Forevildoers
shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the
Earth... 34 Wait on the LORD, and keepHis Way, and He shall exalt thee to
inherit the land: when the wickedare cut off, thou shalt see it" (Psalm
37:7,9,34).6. Waiting for the LORD causesus to look for His Return. "I will
wait upon the LORD, that hideth His Face from the house of Jacob, and I will
look for Him" (Isaiah8:17). "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our
God; we have waitedfor Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have
waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation." (25:9). "Forthe
Vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, andnot lie:
though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry"
(Habakkuk 2:3). 7. Waiting for the LORD's Coming causes us to desire His
Judgments. "Yea, in the Way of Thy Judgments, O LORD, have we waited
for Thee;the desire of our soul is to Thy Name, and to the remembrance of
Thee" (Isaiah26:8). "Therefore waitye upon Me, saith the LORD, until the
day that I rise up to the prey: for My Determination is to gather the nations,
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine Indignation, even
all My Fierce Anger: for all the Earth shall be devoured with the ﬁre of My
Jealousy" (Zephaniah 3:8). 8. Waiting for the LORD causes us to have a
conﬁdent bond in Him as our Answer that results in a Salvation which lasts
Forever. "Therefore Iwill look unto the LORD;I will wait for the God of my
Salvation: my God will hear me" (Micah7:7). Salvationfrom our day-to-day
trials by the Promises are the stepping stones that lead to our total
3 of 5
Salvationfrom this Earth. "It is GOOD that a man should both hope and
quietly wait for the Salvationof the LORD" (Lamentations 3:26). The LORD
is Good, and His Answer is Good. "The LORD is goodunto them that wait for
Him, to the soul that seekethHim" (Lamentations 3:25).

Above ExpectationWhen the Omniscient LORD gives us more than we asked,
rest assuredin Him that there are goodreasons. "Unto Him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above ALL that we ask or think, according to the
Powerthat workethin us" (Ephesians 3:20). [Please read"Exceeding Great
and Precious Promises"--
http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Promises/Exceeding.Promises.html --.]
What are some of these blessings? 1. Receiving more than we askedfrom the
LORD causesus to experience His GreatPower, the Personof the Holy Spirit.
"And what is the Exceeding Greatness ofHis Powerto us-ward who believe,
according to the working of His Mighty Power" (Ephesians 1:19).
"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His Working, which worketh
in me mightily" (Colossians1:29). 2. Receiving more than we askedfrom the
LORD causesus to realize His Generosity. "I have also given thee that which
thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour" (1Kings 3:13). "I am come that
they might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John
10:10). 3. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes Faithin us to
have His Grace (or, Help) in abundance. "And the Grace of our LORD was
exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus" (1Timothy
1:14). 4. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causes us to see His
Love revealedSupernaturally. "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealedthem unto us by His
Spirit: for the Spirit searchethall things, yea, the DeepThings of God"
(1Corinthians 2:9-10). 5. Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD
causes us to know His "Ableness". "And being fully persuaded that, what He
had promised, He was Able also to perform" (Romans 4:21). "The LORD is
Able to give thee much more than this" (2Chronicles 25:9). "Wherefore He is
Able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him [Jesus],
seeing He ever liveth to make intercessionforthem" (Hebrews 7:25). 6.
Receiving more than we askedfrom the LORD causesus to receive more of
the LORD. "The LORD passedby before him, and proclaimed, The LORD,
The LORD God, Merciful and Gracious, Longsuffering, and abundant in
Goodness andTruth" (Exodus 34:6).
Conclusion

4 of 5
Humanly speaking, we affirm something is true, or is not true, saying that this
or that may happen, or may not happen. "Do I [the Apostle Paul] purpose
according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay [yes,
yes, and no, no]?" (2Corinthians 1:17). But Spiritually speaking, that is,
applying the Principles and Promises of God's Word to any given situation led
of the Spirit to address, we must adamantly affirm, "Yes! Only God states
Absolute Truth. This WILL happen!" "As God is True, our Word toward you
was not yea and nay" (1:18). Why? Because Jesus,Who is our "Yea" and our
"Amen", secures ONLY"Yea [Yes]" and "Amen [Verily, Truly]" answers to
our faith. "19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preachedamong
you by us, even by me [Paul] and Silvanus and Timotheus, was NOT yea and
nay [yes and no], but in Him was YEA. 20 For ALL the Promises ofGod in
Him are Yea [Yes], and in Him Amen [Verily, Truly], unto the Glory of God
by us" (1:19-20). It is this very fact that allows the LORD the liberty to offer
freely His Blank Check Promises--with strings attached, most certainly-- but
none the less LIMITLESS. (1John3:22) "And WHATSOEVER we ask, we
receive of Him, because we keepHis Commandments, and do those things
that are pleasing in His sight." (Matthew 21:22)"And ALL things,
WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Mark
11:24)"Therefore I say unto you, WHAT THINGS SOEVER ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (John 14:13)
"And WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 16:23-24)"23 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, WHATSOEVER ye shall ask the Fatherin My Name, He will give it
you. 24 Hitherto have ye askednothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full." He Whose "Name is called The Word of God"
(Revelation19:13), offers Himself to us as our "Portion", for "Thouart my
Portion, O LORD: I have saidthat I would keepThy Words" (Psalm 119:57).
He is All We Need, and rightly so, for "Thou art worthy, O LORD, to receive
Glory and Honour and Power:for Thou hast createdall things, and for Thy
Pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation4:11). What is a wonder to
understand, is how cansuch worms, as we most certainly are, give the purest

of pleasure to the Ultimate Person, "the LORD most High... a Great King
over ALL the Earth" (Psalm 47:2)? We can, and do give Him pleasure, "for
the LORD'S portion is His people" (Deuteronomy 32:9), when we OBEYHim.
"And whatsoeverwe ask, we receive ofHim, because we keepHis
Commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1John
3:22). "Now I say that Jesus Christwas a Minister... for the Truth of God, to
conﬁrm the Promises made... Jesus Christ The Same yesterday, and to day,
and for ever"
"Forno matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ."
(2 Cor. 1:20 NIV)
MostChristians, sadly to say, don't experience the kind of blessedlife that
God has provided for them in the Word of God because of, well, just plain
ignorance of what God has provided for them!
Dried cheese and crackers!
They are like the guy who, many years ago, bookedpassageonan oceanliner
to cross the Atlantic. He bought the ticket for passagebut didn't have enough
money to buy food on the ship. So he took along a trunk full of dried cheese
and crackers. Everyday while all the other passengersate sumptuous
wonderful meals in the magnificent dining room, he stayedin his room and
ate his dried cheese andcrackers. Itwas agonizing for him to smell the
wonderful food coming from the ship's galley eachday and to constantly hear
the joyful laughter and happy conversations coming from the dining room of
the other passengers eating roasts,hams, delicious cakes,pies and wonderful
drinks, while at the same time he only ate the awful dried cheese and
crackers!It was only on the last day of the long trip that he discoveredthat
the price of the meals was actuallyincluded in the price of his ticket! He could
have enjoyed all those wonderful meals and drinks if he had only known what
was already paid for and available to him during that long, long trip across
the Atlantic. Just like him, many Christians miss out on what they have in

God's promises which have already been totally paid for by Jesus!("All God's
promises are yes, by Jesus", 2 Cor. 1:20). They don't read the Bible and are,
therefore, unaware of the many thousands of promises God has provided for
them in order to have a joyful, victorious, successful, and health-filled life on
planet earth. Therefore, the "communication of theirfaith" never happens for
them and is not "effectual" forthem!
The apostle Paulsaid it this way
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may
know the hope to which He has calledyou." (Ephesians 1:18 NIV)
I refuse to walk in ignorance!Once I discovera promise in God's Word, I
immediately "acknowledge" itas being for me. I thank God for giving it to
me. I then speak it out loud and/or write it down. I receive it by faith and
begin believing it and acting on it by faith. l mix my faith with God's promise
which makes it come alive and active for me! It then becomes "effectual"
which makes me by its very definition, successful, productive, constructive,
worthwhile, helpful, beneficialand useful. I love it! What a life to be had and
enjoyed by any who do this!
http://www.powerpackedpromises.com/promises-and-inspiration/2016/3/9-1
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in
Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spokenby us to the glory of God.
Verse 20 sounds great, but when Paul says no matter how many promises God
has made they are "Yes" in Christ, what does he mean exactly? Keep this in
mind: there are over 3,000 promises from God to us in the Bible -- promises
concerning our wellbeing, our future, His presence, His provision. But so
many of these promises are conditional: in other words, they require that we
first perfectly obey God's Word before we canexperience the benefit of those
promises. Take Deuteronomy11:22-23 forexample:

Deuteronomy 11:22-23 (NIV)
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow--to
love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him--
23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will
dispossessnations largerand strongerthan you.
So many of God's promises are structured as "if...then": "If we perfectly
obey God, then Godwill bless us." But the problem is this: who among us has
perfectly obeyed all of God's commands? None of us, except one:Jesus
Christ.
Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed all of God's commands on our behalf, then he
died on the cross, also onour behalf, to pay for our sins. So now, because of
Christ's perfect obedience on our behalf, we getthe benefit of every promise
God has made in Scripture.
Before God's promises were all "If...then" (If I obey, then God will bless). But
now, because ofJesus, there are no more if's, then's, or but's when it comes to
God's promises. Instead, now all of God's promises are "Yes" in Christ! And
when we place our faith in Jesus and say"Amen" to God's promises, all the
benefits of God's promises flow in our lives.
Praise God! It's not because of your performance that you getGod's blessing,
but because ofGod's perfect performance and His love for you expressedin
Jesus Christ. No matter how many promises Godhas made, they are all YES
in Christ.
So whenever you hear God's promises being spoken, say"Amen" and receive
those promises by faith.
By the way, that's why I encourage youto say a loud, faith-filled "Amen"
often when you are praying with your brothers and sisters in Christ. By
saying "Amen" to your brother or sister's prayer:
...their prayer and the blessing that flows from it become yours too

...you support and encourage your brother or sisteras they pray,
strengthening eachother's faith
...Godwill use the unity among you to unleash heaven's blessings onearth.
...Godis glorified when His people are united.
Let's build an atmosphere of faith every time we are together, especially
when we pray together, and say "Amen!" to the promises of God, for the
glory of God.
http://www.ocbf.ca/2012/2017moments/7196
ALL THE PROMISES NO. 2657
A SERMON INTENDEDFOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, JANUARY 14,
1900 DELIVERED BYC. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN
TABERNACLE, NEWINGTONON THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 31,
1882
“Forall the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory
of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20
AS the result of a very simple incident, a sublime truth may be proclaimed. It
was so in the instance referred to in this chapter. These Corinthians had
misrepresentedthe apostle Paul, and spokenill of him. He might have ignored
their unkindness, and said nothing about it, but under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, he was led to actotherwise, and while defending his own
characterfor consistency, to vindicate also the consistencyand truthfulness of
God. We might never have had this precious verse if Paul had not been so ill-
treated by these men of Corinth. They did him greatwrong, and causedhim

much sorrow of heart, for a man who was so sincere and upright could not
but be sorelyvexed by their unjust suspicions and misrepresentations, yetyou
see how the evil was overruled by God for good, and through their unsavory
gossipand slander this sweetsentencewas pressedoutof Paul, “Forall the
promises of God in Christ are yea, and in Christ Amen, unto the glory of God
by us.” There are many things which, at first, we may regret, but for which
we are afterwards exceedinglygrateful. I have felt half inclined to thank the
Pharisees andscribes for some of their cruel attacks upon our blessedLord
Himself, for, in answering them, He has given us lessons whichwe now highly
prize. Perhaps we might never have had those three wonderful parables of the
lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son, if those cavilers had not spokenevil
of Him because allthe publicans and sinners drew near to hear Him. The
fact was, that Paul had intended to visit the Christians at Corinth again, but
he felt compelled to alter his decision, and so he did not go to them, because he
would only have gone in order to chastise orrebuke them, they had behaved
so ill. In their folly, and in their coolness towards the apostle, they
misconstrued his action, and they said, “We cannot rely upon his word, and
we do not know what he will do, he promised that he would come to us, but he
has changedhis mind.” The apostle declares here that he did not use
lightness, or fickleness, eitherin giving his conditional promise, or in
retracting it. He was not accustomedto speak without thinking what he was
going to say. He was prompted by a worthy motive when he made the
proposition to go to them, and an equally goodmotive swayedhim when he
resolvednot to go. He tells them that his mind was not of the “yea and nay”
order, but when he said “yea,” he meant it, his yea was yea, and if he said
“nay,” he meant it, and his nay was nay. This remark led the apostle further
to say that the Gospelwhich he preachedwas not of the “yea and nay” kind. It
was something certain, settled, positive, fixed, it was not a variable Gospel,
nor a deceptive Gospel. It was not a chameleonGospel, whichchangedits
coloraccording to the light which fell upon it, but it was a clearand distinct
Gospel, given in all sincerity by the truthful and truth loving Saviorwho
never used words in a double sense, but who said what He meant, and meant
what He said. It was by this process ofreasoning that the apostle was led to
the statementcontained in our text concerning Christ, “All the promises of
God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” That is

now to be the theme of our meditation. I. The first thing I notice in the text
is, THE DIGNITY OF THE PROMISES.
2 All the Promises Sermon#2657
2 Volume 46
Notice the apostle’s words, “Forallthe promises of God in him are yea.”
These promises were all made according to the purpose of His own will. We
sometimes read, or hear, or speak ofthe promises written in God’s Word, but
do not give them as much credit as if they were the promises of a friend, or of
our father, or our brother. If we valued them more, we should believe them
better. We have many proverbs to remind us what poor and frail things the
promises of men are, but those of which Paul writes are “the promises of
God.” Men often change their minds, even the apostle did that, and therefore
he was wise to try to take the thoughts of those, to whom he was writing, off
from the promises even of an apostle, which were liable to change, and which
might very properly not be carried out because ofaltered circumstances,and
lead them awayto the promises of God, which are unfailing and
unchangeable, and are always fulfilled to His glory and to our profit. We
little know what solemn things we are trifling with when we saythat we
cannot believe a certain promise. What! Has it come to this—that God’s own
children cannot believe Him? Is it so, that we, who saythat “we love him
because he first loved us,” yet add to that declaration, “but there are some of
His promises which we cannotbelieve”? I am afraid that we talk far too
flippantly about our unbelief, and that we seek to shelter one another in it,
instead of whipping ourselves out of it. To be unbelieving may be painful, but
there is a more serious considerationthan that, for it is sinful, it is heinous to
the lastdegree when we feel—much more when we express—anyincredulity
with regard to “the promises of God.” Just turn that thought over in your
minds for a minute or two, and see whether it does not crimson your face with
shame to think that you should have had any suspicionabout the fulfillment of
promises made by “God, that cannotlie.” Even in the case ofa man, a
promise is something which comes from him, and yet, in a sense, which still
remains with him. He cannot speak ofpromise, and let it blow awaywith the
wind. It is his promise after he has uttered it, and those to whom it was given

can bring it back to him, and say, “Thatis your promise, will you not fulfill
it?” If a man repudiates his own pledged word, he does, in fact, repudiate the
fruit of himself, the outgoing of his own life, and every promise of God
partakes ofHis nature, there is in it something divine, something which comes
distinctly from God, and which He will continue to own as His. Though it may
have been spokentwo or three thousand years ago, or longer than that, yet it
is still His promise, and part and parcelof Himself. Well, then, if God will
own it as His promise, shall I, to whom it is given in infinite mercy, doubt
whether it is His promise or not? And shall I even venture to go further than
that, and knowing it to be His promise, shall I begin to question how He can
fulfill it, or whether He will fulfill it or not? God forbid! The dignity of the
promise must not be insulted by our doubting it. Kindly observe the position
of the promise, which is a very singular one. It is a kind of link betweenthe
divine thought and the divine act. It is not at all a necessarylink so far as God
is concerned, but it is often a most necessaryand consoling link to us. There is
the eternalpurpose that has ever been in God’s secretmind, and His promise
is the shadow which that purpose casts upon the revealedpage. It is the divine
decree made manifest, and it stands there, bright and sparkling, betweenthe
decree, which our eyes cannot and dare not look upon, and the blessed
fulfillment which is to be our joy and delight forever. I confess that I cannot
think of God’s eternal purposes without the utmost awe and reverence, for, to
me, there is something very solemn and impressive about them. I know that
some people speak as though they would trample them in the mire if they
could, but wheneverI hear a word againstthe promises, the providences, the
decrees, andthe purposes of God, I feelinclined to do as a Negro slave did,
under certain circumstances, in the presence of his master. While waiting
upon his master, who frequently took the name of God in vain, and
blasphemed it most terribly in his cursing, the black man bowed his head. His
master askedhim why he did so, and he replied that it was because his soul
was full of trembling at the very name of God, and he wished to do Him
reverence, evenwhile He was being blasphemed and insulted.
Sermon #2657 All the Promises 3
Volume 46 3

So, wheneverI hear or read of anyone speaking or writing againstthe divine
decrees, Ifeel anxious at once to bow my head, and to prostrate myself in
homage before that eternal mind which knows no new thought—for God
knew all things from the beginning—and to adore that infinite wisdom which
has planned everything from the flitting of a sparrow to the flight of the
archangel. It is very wonderful to me to think of a promise in the Scriptures
being virtually the manifestation of God’s everlasting purposes. I might
compare the purpose to God Himself—invisible, and the promise to the
Incarnate God, who was born at Bethlehem, and who came to earth to be seen
of men. Think yet againof the promise of God, and you will see how a sense
of its dignity grows upon you while you are meditating upon it. Consider,
next, that the truth of God is irrevocably bound up with His promise. If a man
says, “Sucha thing shall be done,” he ought to do it if it is in his power. We
have no right to break promises that we have made, we feel that, if we do, men
will learn to distrust us, and soonwill care nothing at all for our promises.
But, beloved—and we speak with the utmost reverence concerning the Most
High—His characterfor truthfulness would be lostif His promises were not
kept, and while it would be an awful loss to us to miss what He has promised,
it would be a far greaterloss to Him to lose His truthfulness. We rejoice that,
as a matter of fact, this is a thing which can never happen. All things except
this are possible with God, but it is not possible for Him to be God and yet to
fail in the fulfillment of His promises. The two ideas will not run togetherat
all. If He is God, He must be true to His truth, and He will be, so, when I read
a promise in His Word, I read something which is as certain as a fact already
accomplished, since, if it were not to come to pass, God’s glory would suffer
an eclipse, and His veracity would be impugned, and that cannever be. Nor
is the truth of God the only attribute which would suffer if He failed to fulfill
His promise, for His immutability would also be put in jeopardy. If He makes
a promise, and yet does not fulfill it in due time, then He must have changed,
the motives which led to the making of the promise have now no influence
over Him, and He has become something different from what He was when
He made the promise. But God must be immutable. It cannotbe possible for
Him to change for the better, for He is infinitely good, and certainly, He
cannot change for the worse, for, if He did, then He would be something less
than He might be, and so He would not be God at all. Change is impossible to

Him, He can never change His will, and His promise, as one of the most
solemn declarations ofHis will, must be fulfilled when He has once made it.
Surely, no one of us would wish or dare to deny either the truthfulness or the
unchangeablenessofGod. Further, His power is bound up with His promise.
Shall it ever be said that God failed to keepHis promise because He could not
keepit, or because He miscalculatedHis resources, orHis arm waxedshort,
or the greatdeeps of His eternal Godheadbecame dried up? No, that cannot
be, for what He has promised He will always be able to perform. So, then, if
we slight the promises of God, we slight also His truth, His immutability, and
His power. And we also seriously compromise His mercy and His love. It was
love that moved Him to give the promise. He might have bestowedthe blessing
without promising to do so, and that would have been a gracious proof of His
love, but because the promise has a sweet, consoling powerin it, He has been
pleasedto give it to us as a further proof of His love, and if He does not grant
the boon at once when He promises it, the delay is all for loving reasons, but
having given the promise, He must keepit because ofHis love. His love must
be changedif it does not constrain Him to fulfill what it causedHim to
promise, but that can never be, and we must not—we dare not—castsuch a
slight upon the promise of God as to imagine, for a moment, that it can
remain unfulfilled. So much, then, concerning the dignity of the promises.
II. Still keeping closelyto the text, I want you to notice, next, THE RANGE
OF THE PROMISES, forPaul here speaks of“all the promises of God.”
There is a prospectfor you, “All the promises.” There are very many of them,
and they are found in both the Old and the New Testaments.There was one
given at the gates ofthe Garden of Eden, very
4 Volume 46
near the commencementof human history. There is another right at the end
of the Revelation, “SurelyI come quickly.” The Bible is a Book of precious
promises, all the way we have to travel, they seemto be like a series of
stepping stones acrossthe streamof time, and we may march from one
promise to another, and never wet our feet all the way from earth to heaven, if
we do but know how to keepour eyes open, and to find the right promise to

step upon. “All the promises,” the Old Testamentones as wellas those in the
New Testament, are sure and steadfast. The conditionalpromises—ifwe
believe, and if we repent—Godwill certainly fulfill, and the unconditional
ones—the promises of the everlasting covenant, in which He pledges Himself
to give men repentance, and to give them new hearts and right spirits—He
will keepthem too. God will fulfill all temporal promises. Breadshall be
given you, and water shall be assuredunto you, if you are the Lord’s children.
He will keepHis promises about temporal affairs as wellas those which
concerneverlasting joys and blessings. “No goodthing will He withhold from
them that walk uprightly.” You may speak ofthe promises in any way that
you please, and then you may say that the Lord will keepthem all, you may
pick out the promise to the prisoner, the promise to the sinner, the promise to
the backslider, the promise to the doubting one, the promise to the aged, the
promise to the young, the promise to her that halts, the promise to the barren
woman, the promise to the strong, the promise to those who have full
assurance offaith, the promise to those who love the Lord, the promise to
those who delight themselves in the Lord, and then you may confidently
declare, concerning all these promises to all sorts and conditions of people,
that the Lord will surely keepevery one of them. “All the promises.” Why,
here is a grand granary full! Who can sort them all out? Promises of pardon
to the seeking sinner, promises of justification to the believing child, promises
of sanctificationto him who is struggling againstsin, promises of the supply of
all kinds of spiritual food to the flock of Christ, promises of guidance,
promises of preservation, promises of holy education, promises of peace and
joy, promises of hope, promises of the sustenance of our love, promises for
death, promises for judgment, promises for glory, promises that reachto all
eternity. “All the promises.” What a range of vision this expressionopens up!
Go forth presently, and lift up your eyes, and gaze upon the stars, see whether
you cannumber them all, do they not far exceedall your powers of
numeration? Yet, if you could count the stars, and weighthem in scales,and
tabulate the measure of their light, you could not count the promises of God,
or estimate their true value, or know how infinitely precious is the light divine
which streams from them into a believing soul. If God does not fulfill a single
promise to me for the next fifty years, I shall be perfectly satisfiedto live on
the promises themselves, if my faith shall but be sustainedby His grace. I

may fairly talk thus, for you would say, “I do not need a single penny to
spend, as long as everI live, if I canbut always have plenty of £5 notes, I shall
never care if I do not see a sovereignagain, so long as I can always have the
promise of the Bank of England to pay me on demand all that I need.” So let it
be with the promises of God. Men’s promises are but breath, they would
never feed us, but God’s promises can satisfy us, for they are the substance of
the things hoped for, and faith, the evidence of things not seen, rejoices to see
that which is invisible, to lay hold of that which it cannot touch, and to feed
upon that which, as yet, it cannottaste. Faith works wonders. It enables a
man to project himself right into eternity. He sits down, and sighs, and
sorrows, andthen he says to himself, “This will never do, I will trust in the
Lord,” and in an instant, by faith he walks the goldenstreets, and sings the
everlasting songs. He is not obliged to live in this narrow sphere of time and
sense, for, by faith, he spreads his wings, and like the lark, he ascends and
sings. He soars far more rapidly than even the eagle, and finds himself already
enjoying the things which Godhas prepared for them that love Him, and so he
is happy in the Lord. III. Now I must turn to my third point, which is in the
very heart of the text, “Forall the promises of God in him are yea, and in him
Amen.” These words teachus THE STABILITY OF THE PROMISES.
Sermon #2657 All the Promises 5
Volume 46 5
The promises of God are very firm, for first, they are settled on an everlasting
basis, for they are promises in Christ. As I look at the text, I can see two
words leaping up out of it, and as I look at it again, I see the same two words
leaping up again, “in Him.” “All the promises of God in him are yea, and in
him Amen.” There is a greatthought which I cannot fully open up to you now,
you must lie awake tonight, and think over it, and pray overit, “All the
promises of God in him.” What a greatChrist you have, to have “all the
promises of God” within Himself! The range of the promises seems to be
infinite, and yet Christ is greatenough to be the circumference that shuts
them all in. Do rejoice in this great truth, that “all the promises of God” are in
Christ Jesus ourLord. And in Christ they are said to be “Yea.” Thatis a
Greek word, so this is a message to Gentiles. “And in him Amen.” That is a

Hebrew word, and is therefore for the Jews. You may have noticedhow,
wheneverthe Holy Spirit wishes to impress any truth upon us with more than
usual solemnity, He uses two languages, as in the case of“Abba, Father.” In
this way, all the saints of God, whether they be Jews orGentiles, may have
their portion of meat in due season. “All the promises of God in him are
“yea.” That is, they are certain. “And in him Amen.” That is, they are
accomplished. We may say, after every promise of God, “Yea, so it is. Amen,
so let it be.” There is but a slight variation in the meaning of the words, but it
is enough to let us see that there is no tautologyhere, not even if the words are
translated, “All the promises of God are yea,” that is, true, “and they are
Amen,” that is, they shall be accomplishedin Christ Jesus. The stability of the
promises in Christ is establishedbeyond all hazard, first, because Christis
God’s Witness. If anyone asks, “DidGod make this promise?” Christ comes
forward, and says, “Yes, I heard Him say it.” Christ is “the faithful and true
Witness.” He bears witness of God and for God to the sons of men, and He
sets His sealto every divine promise, and certifies it with His “Yea and
Amen.” Next, the promises are sure in Christ, because He is God’s
Representative. He is always doing the Father’s will, even as He has done it in
the past. When He came to earth, and died upon the cross, He accomplished
the work of redemption upon which God’s heart was set, and He is still doing
the Father’s will. Whatever Jesus has said, God has said, for He speaks the
words of God. The Father sentHim into the world as His Representative, and
He spoke not merely His own words, but the words of the Father who sent
Him. Then, next, Jesus is the Surety of the covenant. The promise was at first
made to Adam. If Adam keeps the command of God, and does not touch the
forbidden fruit, he and those whom he represents shall have all manner of
goodthings. But Adam transgressedthe law of the Lord, so that covenantwas
made void. The secondcovenantis on this wise. If Jesus Christ, the second
Adam, will do this and that, then all whom He represents shall have the
blessings guaranteedin the covenant. The Lord Jesus has done all that He
agreedto do, He has kept the law, and so has honored it, and He has also died,
and borne the sentence ofthe law. He has thus offered both an active and a
passive obedience to the law of God, and now all the promises of God must be
kept to Christ, for they are “Yea and Amen” in Him. Take those great
promises in the fifty-third of Isaiah, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and

shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shallmy righteous servant justify many;
for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath
poured out His soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors;
and he bare the sin of many, and made intercessionfor the transgressors.”
These are promises, first to the Head, and then to us the members of His
mystical body, first to the secondAdam, and then to all who, by a living faith,
are included in His federalheadship. So the promises are “Yea and Amen” in
Him. And as long as Jesus Christ lives, they are also “Yea and Amen” in this
sense—thatHe is seeing to their being carriedout. He is interceding before
the throne for us that the promises of God may meet our distresses. O
brethren, all the promises must be true in Christ, because Godsparednot His
own Son, but freely delivered Him up for us all, and having given Him, will
He not, with Him, also freely give us all
6 Volume 46
things? If God had meant to run back from any promise, He would surely
have run back from the promise to give His only-begotten Son, but having
fulfilled that, what promise is there that He will ever break? Moreover, in the
gift of Christ, He has virtually and really given us all things, for if Christ is
yours, all things are yours. All things are in Christ, so, having Him, you
possessall. There is no desire of your spirit, or need of your nature, that shall
remain unsatisfied when once you have Christ as yours. You have heaven, and
earth, and all things that are or ever shall be, encompassedin that blessed
One whose very name is “the Amen, the faithful and true Witness.” O
beloved, rejoice with all your heart that every promise of God is sure in Christ
Jesus to all His true seed! IV. Now let us considerthe lastwords of the text,
“Forall the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory
of God by us.” This impression teaches us THE RESULT OF THE
PROMISES. So, then, dear friends, the promises of God are His glory. There
is no pretended god that has ever been supposed to make promises like those
of our God. Turn to the Koran, and see what Mohammed has promised. Ah,
me! What a beggarlyarray of promises does he set before his followers!Turn

Jesus was always yes

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was always yes

Similar to Jesus was always yes (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was always yes