WHEN JESUS SAYS “YES,” NOBODY CAN SAY “NO”
Ps. 119:89; 2 Cor. 1:20
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A woman went to a lawyer and said, “MY husband wants to divorce me.” The lawyer said, “What’s the problem? Does he have any grounds?” The woman said, “Yes, he has 10 acres.”
2. “No,” said the lawyer, “does he have a grudge?” “No,” she answered, “no garage, just a carport.” The lawyer shook his head and said, “Mam, does your husband beat you up?” She said, “No, I get up before him every morning.”
3. He said, “Then what’s the problem?” She said, “He says we can’t communicate.”
B. AMAZING STORY
1. Jonathan the giant tortoise (turtle) lives on the island of St. Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean. Big Deal? Did I forget to mention that Jonathan is 191 years old? He was gifted to the Governor of St. Helena in 1882, and he was 50 years old then! Jonathan lived through the Civil War, two World Wars, and he’s lived through 40 U.S. Presidents. He’s the oldest known living land animal, and Jonathan is still there on St. Helena!
2. Jonathan’s life keeps going and going! His longevity reminds us of the Word of God, which endures forever!
C. THESIS
1. Today we’re going to look at how God answers prayer. In the Bible, God gives us more than 8,810 promises (O.T. 7,706, N.T. 1,104) that we can claim. [Encyclopedia of Illustrations #4612].
2. Most people are either ignorant of God’s promises, didn’t think they’re good enough to get them, or think the promises don’t apply to them. So God’s promises go unclaimed. But God’s Word is like a job-posting – whoever shows up to claim the job will get it. But if we don’t claim it, we won’t get the benefits!
3. So we’re looking at the ways we limit God and why we should have faith in God’s promises. The title of this message: “When Jesus Says ‘Yes,’ Nobody can Say ‘No.’”
I. THREE WAYS WE LIMIT GOD
A. WE LIMIT GOD TO OUR EXPERIENCES
1. We have our preconceived ideas of what God will do; but God’s moving is often outside the scope of our conception:
a. Moses threw a stick into salty waters and made them sweet.
b. Jesus used spittle for mud to heal a man’s eyes.
c. Elisha used flour to remove poison from soup.
d. A man was told to dip 7X in a muddy river to heal leprosy.
e. We say, “I don’t think God moves that way!”
2. We need to take our hands off the HOW God’s going to do it and let God be a mystery! But trust Him!
B. WE LIMIT GOD BY MISPLACED TRUST. We put our trust in doctors, jobs, the government, science, bank accounts, & people, but we don’t trust in God.
C. WE LIMIT GOD BY SMALL VISION/FAITH. There are times we go through a bad situation & can’t see any way out. That’s when the devil tells us that God has failed us or He’s not taking care of us. Maybe...
1. Your KID has walked away from God and won’t listen to you. You’ve prayed and tried everything. The devil says, “He/she will never get saved!” You need to say back to him, “Get behind me, Satan! God has promised to save my household (Acts 16:31)! All things are possible with God!”
2. Or maybe there’s not enough MONEY in the bank. You overspent. The debt is piling up; the bills are not being paid. Your landlord and creditors are calling.
a. The devil says, “You’re going to be bankrupt! Your reputation will be ruined! Think what your friends will say!”
b. Say to him, “Get behind me satan! Don’t say God can’t! My God shall supply all my needs by His riches in Christ!”
3. For some of you, your HEALTH is impaired. Every year it gets a little worse.
a. The devil is whispering, “You’re not going to make it through this year! OR You’re going to be bedridden!”
b. You need to look your fear in the face and say, “Get behind me devil! God says I ‘SHALL NOT DIE, but live, and declare the works of the Lord!’” Ps. 118:17. “I will be healed because “with His stripes I am healed!”
4. God is able to take your most impossible situation and work an earth-shaking miracle for His glory!
II. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES. WHY? IT’S HIS NATURE!
The nature of God is irrevocably bound up with His promises.
A. HE’S THE GOD OF TRUTH
1. God is called the “GOD OF TRUTH” Deut. 32:4, Ps. 31:5, Isa. 65:16, Rom 1:25 NKJV. He’s a God “who cannot lie” Titus 1:2. These speak of the utter truthfulness of God’s nature. It’s against His nature to tell a lie, in fact, it’s impossible!
2. “Thy Word IS truth.” Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, & the Life...” John said of God, “God is light (truth) and in Him there is no darkness at all” 1 Jn. 1:5. He is holy & righteous; nothing false can be found in Him.
3. God commands US not to bear false witness. Will HE not keep His Word? Of course He will, or He’d be guilty of bearing false witness. All things are possible with God, except that He should fail to fulfill His promises.
B. GOD’S UNCHANGING; HE MUST FULFILL
1. If God didn’t fulfill His Word, then His unchanging nature would be in jeopardy, for then the motives which led to His making of the promises must now have no influence over Him. He has become something different. Yet the Bible is clear that change is impossible to Him, He can never change His nature, His will, nor His promises.
2. Can the Creator ever miscalculate His resources? He’s outside of time and He “knows the end from the beginning” (Is. 46:10). Can He not see what’s necessary to meet His promises? Of course He will!
C. GOD’S WORD, LIKE GOD, IS UNCHANGING
1. THE STABILITY OF THE PROMISES IS BASED ON GOD’S NATURE. As Psalm 119:89 says, “Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven” NKJV. The promises of God are settled on an everlasting basis. They are a non-moving reference point in a universe where everything else is moving (in entropy).
2. If the foundations be removed, what would the righteous do? But with an eternally fixed Word of God, we have something solid to build upon, a foundation on which we may confidently rest our eternal hopes and build our lives (Mt. 7:24-25, House on the Rock).
III. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES? WHY? BECAUSE THEY’RE IN CHRIST!
2 Cor. 1:20 says (NKJV), “For all the promises of God, IN HIM [Jesus], are ‘Yes,’ and IN HIM ‘Amen.’”
A. WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “IN CHRIST?”
1. The promises are conditional to our being “IN CHRIST.” Paul uses this phrase to reference those who have died to self, surrendered to Christ, received His Spirit & new life, and are continuing to walk with Him daily.
2. The Bible says “In Christ” we are sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2), led in triumph (2 Cor. 2:14), we are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3) and created to do good works (Eph. 2:10). All things are yours, whether...the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours (1 Cor. 3:21-22). You are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
B. BEING “IN CHRIST” JOINS US TO THE PROMISES:
1. 1st, because Jesus, God’s Son, SPEAKS THE WORDS of God. He speaks as the Father’s Representative to the world.
2. 2ndly, because Jesus is the SURETY OF THE COVENANT (Heb. 7:22). As God’s Son, Jesus guarantees all the promises involved in the covenant His blood set in motion (Lk. 22:20). Can there be a greater connection to God than His own Son? NO!
3. 3rdly, IF GOD FULFILLED THE GREATER PROMISE, HE’LL FULFILL THE SMALLER ONES. If God had meant to pull back from any promise, He would have pulled back from the promise to give His only-begotten Son, but since He did that, what promise is there that He won’t keep? Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
4. 4thly, SINCE EVERYTHING IS IN CHRIST, the Father has really given us all things, for if Christ is yours, all things are yours. All things are in Christ, so, having Him, we possess all. God delights to answer prayers prayed in the name of His Son (Jn. 14:13-14).
C. YOU’RE A WINNER, NOT A LOSER. You WILL eventually triumph!
1. In Adam you were born a loser, but in Christ you’re born a winner! In Adam you had a dark future; but in Christ you have an awesome future! In Adam you were separated from God; in Jesus you were reconciled to God!
2. When you were born again, you were born in God’s image, created in His likeness and born of His Spirit. You’re a child of the Most High God; you’re a King’s kid, His Royal Blood now flows in your veins! You’re not average!
3. You’re an Overcomer! The term "overcomer" is the Greek word ????? (nikao) which means “to subdue” and is translated as “conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.”
4. This word “overcomer” doesn’t mean someone who always wins every battle. In fact, they may go from one defeat to another, but they keep fighting until they eventually win the war!
5. REMEMBER, HELL IS NO LONGER IN CHARGE OF YOUR DESTINY! 1 Cor. 6:19 says, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
D. ILLUS. “IT’S YOURS -- $5,000,000”
1. Suppose a man said to me, "Pastor, there’s a man in Europe who died last week, and left five million dollars to a certain individual.” I’d say, “That’s nice. I don't doubt that; it's a rather common thing to happen," and I wouldn't think anything more about it.
2. But suppose he said, "But he left the money to YOU." Suddenly, he has my full attention; I say, "To me?" "Yes, he left it to you." All of a sudden, I want to know all about it. In a similar way, we don’t think much about the gargantuan promises of God unless we realize they were promises to US! [Moody's Anecdotes]
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Aged Indian Begging for Food
1. An aged Indian, half naked and famished, wandered into one of our Western settlements, begging for food to keep him from starving.
2. While eagerly devouring the bread bestowed by the hand of charity, a brightly colored ribbon, from which was suspended a small dirty pouch, was seen around his neck.
3. On being questioned, he said it was a charm given him in his younger days; and opening it, displayed a faded, greasy paper, which he handed to the investigator for inspection.
4. It proved to be a regular discharge from the Federal Army, entitling him to a pension for life and signed by General Washington Himself. (Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations - 115).
5. This Indian carried a virtual blank check from the U.S. Government that entitled him to all the food and lodging of the best kind, but he was living as a beggar. Why? Because he didn’t realize the promises he had around his neck. And WE live below what God intended us to be because we don’t seize the promises written in God’s Word and claim them by faith.
B. THE CALL
1. What do you need God to do for you? God’s promises are not for somebody else, they’re for YOU!
2. God has given you more than 8,810 promises! They cover every need you could ever have. God says, “Call upon Me and I will answer you and show you great & mighty things that you know not!”
3. He said, “Whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you have received and it shall be yours!” Can we go to God in prayer now and ask God for the seemingly impossible and believe that God hears us and is answering our prayer?
4. PRAYER
[This message incorporates some ideas from Charles Spurgeon on 2 Cor. 1:20]
