The title of this post was a statement made by David Wilson at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas in one of the last sermons that I was blessed to hear him preach. It was in reference to 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God find their ‘yes’ in Him,” that is, Christ.
It can become easy, especially the longer you’ve been a Christian, to think of God’s interaction with us in mainly negative terms: “Don’t do this”, “don’t do that.” We’ve got whole books of the Bible almost completely devoted to warnings and prohibitions. We’ve all heard it said many times that the American church has become known more for what it is against rather than what it is for, and as is appropriate, many church leaders have spoken out urging Christians to try and change this part of our reputation. But perhaps the key to changing the way that we speak to the world is by changing the way that we believe God has spoken to us. If you are in Christ, as Christ is in you, then all of these promises are true for you:
- God promises to bless us through Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3), and it was to Christ that Abraham was looking for the fulfillment of this promise (John 8:56).
- God promises that He will be found if we will search for Him (Deuteronomy 4:29), and once we find Him it is Christ who will keep us (John 6:37).
- God promises that He will fight our battles for us if we will only be still (Exodus 14:14), and it is Christ that we see dealing the final blow (Revelation 20:7-10).
- God promises that he will protect His children (Psalm 121), and Christ is the one through whom God enacts this protection (Jude 24-25).
- God promises a new heart and a new spirit to those who trust Him (Ezekiel 36:26), this new spirit belongs to Christ (Romans 8:9) and our heart is where He dwells (Ephesians 3:17; Galatians 2:20).
- God promises that His love towards us will never fail (1 Chronicles 16:34), this is demonstrated and proven to us in the death of Christ (Romans 5:8).
- God promises to gather all of his children to Himself (Isaiah 43:5-6), and it is through Christ that we are adopted into God’s family and made a part of this gathering (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15).
- God promises life, prosperity, and healing if we will repent (2 Chronicles 7:14), and our repentance is towards Christ who secures this promise (John 11:25-26).
- God promises rest for those that He loves (Psalm 127:2; Psalm 4:8), and it is Christ in whom we find our rest (Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4:9-11).
- God promises an abundant life to those who follow Him (Isaiah 58:11), an abundant life that is provided only in Christ (John 10:10).
- God promises life and prosperity to those who are obedient to all of His commands (Deuteronomy 5:33), the requirement of those commands is fulfilled in us by Christ (Romans 8:3-4).
- God promises to provide for those who come to Him with open mouths (Psalm 81:10), and this provision is based on God’s own wealth, Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:19).
- God promises never to leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), He remains with us through Christ, who is with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
This only scratches the surface. One could spend years scouring the Old Testament promises of God and finding their New Testament fulfillment in Christ. But the point is that for those in Christ, God’s word to you is “Yes.” “Yes” to everything He has ever promised. “Yes” to all of your hopes and dreams that He has planted within you. “Yes” to your joy in Christ. “Yes” to the abundant life that you long for. “Yes” to finding peace and rest in Christ’s provision. “Yes” to the end of your loneliness. “Yes” to the end of your wanting.
All of this is yours, but not unless you say “yes” to Him.