II Corinthians 1:20-22
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (NIV)
The church to whom these words were addressed was in a mess. Factions, fights, and falsehoods were the norm.
The man who wrote these words, the Apostle Paul, had been in a lot of messes in his lifetime. In fact, in 2 Corinthians, Paul opens his heart to the people in Corinth and reveals the problems he had encountered.
There’s a YES When Your Best Plans Fall Through And You’re Misunderstood:
I Corinthians 16:2-8
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
5 “After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you, for I will be going through Macedonia. 6Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost.”
1. We judge others based on their actions .
2. We want to be judged based on our motives .
“Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.” II Corinthians 1:12
There’s a YES in Every Failure And Tragedy: Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
1. Bad things happen to all people.
2. Everyone encounters tragedies .
3. We all fail at times.
4. There is no tragedy that can’t be used for a positive purpose .
There Is a YES in Every Mess and His Name Is Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God:
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of for me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
1. When plans fail and your motives are questioned, there is a YES!
2. When failures and tragedies come into your life, there is a YES!
Ultimately, dear friends,
if He is not the YES,
if He can’t be the YES,
if He won’t be the YES,
then we can write the word NO across every reality of life.
But, thanks be to God, Jesus is God’s eternal YES to those who trust Him.
