YES AND AMEN

SERIES: 2017 - The Year of Promise

Yes and Amen!
RF, January 29, 2017

Many of us have trouble believing God’s promises. We don't have trouble believing God can do it; we have trouble believing God will do it for me!

The reason is that most of us have experienced broken promises, big and small. We have broken promises and people have broken promises to us.

I want us to remember:

Numbers 23:19 NKJV God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

TEXT 2 Corinthians 1:18-20 NKJV But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

’Yes’ is what God says. ’Amen’ is what we say to God’s ’Yes’.

You see, these promises have a purpose!

2 Peter 1:2-4 NKJV Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption (moral decay) that is in the world through lust.

1. Promises allow us to tap into God’s power and plan.

Romans 4:20-21 NKJV He (Abraham) did not waver (stagger) at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

There are times when God tells us something so big that it causes us to stagger! But the promise itself is the source of supernatural fulfillment.

Luke 1:37 NKJV For with God nothing (no rhema) will be impossible (devoid of power).

2. Promises allows us to escape or reverse the effects of sin.

Since Eden the world has been progressively corrupting because of the fall of man and the resulting curses. Think about it...

God has a different idea!

Psalms 16:10 NKJV For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

Promises allow us to escape the curse of sin and corruption!

Galatians 3:13-14 NKJV Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:18 NKJV For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Galatians 3:29 NKJV And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Every promise of God is ours!  We tap into His Divine power to break the curse off of our lives!

How does it happen? We come into agreement with God about what He wants to do! Yes and Amen. God says yes; we say Amen!

How do we say "Amen"?  The word literally means “So be it”. Jesus used it often to draw attention to what He was about to say: ‘verily, verily’ or ‘truly, truly’. To say “Amen” is to proclaim the truthfulness of what has been spoken!

1. Get a promise for your situation.

Amos 3:3,7 NKJV "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?  Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Pray; read your Bible; use other tools

"Jesus Person Pocket Promise Book" by David Wilkerson

2. Agree with God in prayer.

Matthew 18:18-20 NKJV "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you (you and Jesus) agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

3. Do whatever is required for the promise to come.

Acts 2:38-39 NKJV Then Peter said to them, “Repent (have a change of mind and corresponding behavior), and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Many promises are conditional. What are the conditions of the contract?  Let’s get as right with God as we can!

II Corinthians 7:1 NKJV Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

4. Hang on till the promise comes!

Hebrews 10:36 NKJV For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

HYMN: Standing on the Promises

Let’s practice putting this into practice...

Think of a need...