Sermon Manuscript

2 Corinthians 1:20 ~ 20171126 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

11/26 2 Corinthians 1:20; The Yes and Amen in Christ ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20171126_2cor1_20.mp3

2 Corinthians 1:18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

This is a rich and deep and beautiful passage, and it is a practical lifeline to hold on to every day, in the good times and in the bad. We are going to look at the promises of God, their certainty, their scope, their sphere, and their goal. And we get to see our essential role in the promises of God.

Free Promises

But the first thing we must see about the promises of God are that they are free. God's promises are not promises made out of necessity or obligation. There is no bully in the playground holding his arm twisted behind his back demanding 'I will let you go if you promise to give me the sweets from your lunch every day.' No, God is under no necessity to make any promise to his creation. He is under no pressure, no obligation. God makes his promises freely; every promise he ever made was made freely and willingly. He wanted to make the promise. He chose to make the promises. He was free to not promise, but he willed to make promises. We are talking about promises of God. No one could force God's hand to make a promise he did not wish to make.

Certain Promises

And in this we see the certainty of the promises. They are promises of God. They are not promises of man. We expect a man to keep his word, and if he fails to be true to his word, his character is called into question.

Psalm 15 speaks of a man who 'speaks truth in his heart'

Psalm 15:4 who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

This is rare among people. Often people give their word to get themselves out of a bad situation, or because they think it will benefit them in the end. But when it comes down to it and it's going to hurt me, to cause loss to me instead of gain, well, I really didn't mean what I said.

Our culture has cheapened the weight of words. On my cell phone, or on my computer, I want to install software or an app that I need to perform a certain function, and it pops up with this little box that says 'I accept the terms of this agreement'. By checking that box, you are giving your word. You are making a promise. Who even reads those? 'Click here to read the terms of this agreement.' 18 pages of fine legal print that is virtually unintelligible except to a lawyer, including stuff about reverse engineering software and doing illegal things and selling for profit and there is no warranty; if it destroys your device, you won't complain, and something about privacy and the use of your personal information, and something about your firstborn child... But if you don't click the box, you don't get to use the app. So you don't even read what you're signing, you just click the box and go on your happy way. I'm not really promising anything; I don't even know what I just agreed to. I'm just assuming the terms are reasonable. I just wanted a flashlight app for my phone! Our word means nothing!

God's promises are not like this. When God gives his word, he knows exactly what he is getting himself into. He knows what he is signing up for, what it will cost him. He has read all the fine print.

When God makes a promise, God's own character is on the line. He is truth. He is unchangeable. He is faithful. To doubt his promises is to question who he is.

Now I might give my word with all good intention, but unforeseen circumstances beyond my control prevent me from following through. I was on my way to meet you but a rock in the canyon fell and crushed the front end of my car and I had no cell service to even call. When God makes a promise, all his sovereign omnipotent power stands behind his word. To him there is nothing unforeseen, there is no circumstance beyond his control, there is nothing stronger than him that could possibly prevent him from carrying out what he purposed to do. God's promises are his purposes made known.

Hebrews 6 says:

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,... 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, ...

God is unchangeable. His word is unchangeable. His promises are unshakable.

Often Jesus gently rebukes his followers for their little faith. There is an interesting event recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where Jesus and his disciples are in the boat on the sea. There is a great storm, and the boat is filling with water, and Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. His disciples wake him and ask him 'do you not care that we are perishing?' After Jesus silences the wind and the waves with a word, he turns to his disciples and asks 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?' (Mt.8:26); 'Have you still no faith?' (Mk.4:40); 'Where is your faith?' (Lk.8:25). Why did he ask about their faith? Faith in the Bible is not some immaterial force that if we have enough of it, it will overcome circumstances, like the power of positive thinking. No, faith is dependence on, trust in God's word and God's character. The disciples were questioning God's character when they asked Jesus 'do you not care?' But they were also disbelieving God's word, God's promise. As they were getting into the boat, Jesus said 'let us go across, to the other side of the lake.' He did not say 'let us go out on the lake; let us go half way across and perish in a great storm.' No, he said 'Let us go across to the other side.' We would take a comment like that to express intent or purpose; 'let's head in this direction; as long as nothing hinders us, that's where we plan to go.' We say this kind of thing all the time. 'Let's get in the van and go to Provo.' I have a destination in mind, but we all know that if the car breaks down or the road is closed, we might not actually get there. But Jesus expects his followers to hear more than that in his word! Where is your faith? Jesus expected their faith to be in his person and in his word. His word is not a casual expression of intent that might be thwarted; his word is the very word of God! “ I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;

I have purposed, and I will do it” (Is.46:11). If Jesus says we are going across to the other side, then hell itself cannot stop us from getting there; no mere storm can stand in our way. We can depend on his word! Where is your faith? For faith to be of any use at all, it must be placed squarely on the word of God, because God will always make good on his word. God's promises are absolutely certain, because they are God's promises!

The Scope of the Promises

What is the scope of God's promises?

2 Corinthians 1:18 As surely as God is faithful, ... 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, ...in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

As many as are the promises of God; whatever promise God made, in him is the yes! Has God made a promise? In Christ is the yes. This opens up the whole book to us! Genesis to Revelation we find God's word, God's promises, and in Christ is the yes!

There we find promises to every kind of person; to the broken, the despairing, the hopeless, the hurting; even to the sinful, the self-righteous, the hard hearted.

We find promises of every kind. There are promises of rescue, of hope, of security, of provision, of life and resurrection. There is the promise of a new heart. There are promises of righteousness, justification, reconciliation, sanctification, promises of glory. He promises to be with us, to never leave or forsake us. He promises to finish the work he began in us. There are promises of God's blessing to the nations, that the gates of hell will not prevail against his church, that he will wipe away every tear, that sin and death are defeated and that sorrow will be no more.

When you read God's word, listen for his voice, his promises. They are firm. They are meant to give us 'strong encouragement to hold fast tot he hope set before us.' They are meant to be a 'sure and steadfast anchor of the soul'. We are meant to 'flee for refuge' there (Heb.6:18-19).

The Sphere of the Promises

But there is a specific place where all these promises are yes. Only those who are in that place enjoy the benefits of the promises; those outside are outside the promises. We need to understand where these promises are fulfilled.

2 Corinthians 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

The promises are 'yes' in him. In the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one proclaimed by Paul and the other apostles. The Yes to all God's promises is in him. Jesus has become the Yes to all God's promises. Jesus is the Yes!

This gives us a lens through which to read the entire Bible. The fulfillment of all God's promises is Jesus. So when we read the Old Testament, we should be asking 'What is the promise here?' and 'How is it fulfilled in Jesus?'

This way of understanding the Old Testament comes directly from Jesus. He said:

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

The scriptures bear witness about Jesus. The aim of the entirety of the Bible is to lead us to Jesus. If we miss this, we misunderstand the Bible. It is really all about Jesus. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Jesus did not come to destroy, to dissolve, to throw down or set aside the scriptures. He came to fill them up. He came to fully supply, satisfy, or accomplish the law. It's as if the law were a beautiful but empty vase. We misunderstood the purpose of the law, we broke the law, we tried to fill it with the filth of our own good works; we tried to stand on it as a step stool to reach up to God. Jesus came as the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, to fill up the vase, to show us its intended purpose. The law is intended to point to Jesus, to bear witness about Jesus, to put Jesus on display, to show us how far we fall short, and how great Jesus is. Jesus completes it, fills it up, fully satisfies its intended purpose. With his disciples after his resurrection, Jesus:

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

...44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Jesus filled up the scriptures. O that he would open our minds to understand the gospel, the good news of forgiveness of sins through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in all of scripture!

Jesus is the seed of the woman who crushed the head of the serpent. Jesus is the last Adam who walks in perfect obedience and brings life. Jesus the offspring of Abraham through whom all the nations are blessed. Jesus is the righteousness that the law requires. Jesus is the tabernacle, where we meet with God. Jesus is the suffering servant who lays down his life in the place of others. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is our prophet, priest and king. Jesus is the Word made flesh; Jesus is the one mediator between God and man; Jesus is the long awaited eternal king. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God.

As many promises God has made, in Jesus is the Yes. To benefit from the promises of God, we must be in Jesus. This idea of being 'in him or in Christ' is something we see throughout the New Testament. We believe in Jesus; trust in him; rely on him; we abide in him. We are buried with him in baptism; we are raised with him through faith. His death is our death; his life is our life. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. We come to be in Christ through faith. We belong to him.

The Yes to all God's promises is in Jesus. When we are in Jesus, depending on him, trusting in him, all God's promises are Yes to us!

The Goal of the Promises

We have looked at the certainty of God's promises (they are God's promises), the scope of God's promises (all the promises), the sphere of God's promises (in Christ), and now we will look at the goal of God's promises.

That is why, through him, the Amen, comes to God, for his glory, through us. It is in Jesus that the Yes to all God's promises comes to us. It is through Jesus the Amen comes to God for his glory through us. Amen is a Hebrew word, often a response to a benediction or a doxology or a thanksgiving. It is a strong affirmation; let it be so. It is through Jesus, through our experience of the Yes of God to all God's promises in Jesus that the Amen comes back to God for his glory. God is glorified when we experience the Yes of his promises in Jesus and we resonate together the Amen. God is glorified when his people together enjoy his promises and respond together with the Amen in worship. God's promises are meant to be experienced and enjoyed. The goal of the promises is to resound to the glory of God. As we enjoy together in Jesus the yes to all God's promises, we respond back to God with the Amen of worship that brings glory to him. This is astounding! That because we are in Christ, because in Christ we enjoy God's promises, we now have the capacity to glorify God together!

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org