Title: The Secret of Receiving God's Promises
Contents
♡♥♡ The secret to receiving God's promises / 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
*** Introduction
From time immemorial, our people have had many respects. The fact that there are many face-to-face features means that there are many appearances without content. In today's words, there is no real speed. In ancient times, people said, “I am going to sell rice,” even while going to buy rice, and exaggerated behavior of stinging their teeth even after drinking water because there was nothing to eat. It was difficult to eat and live, so I thought that I had to put on a fresh coat and walk without doing any work to get my body to stand up. In biblical terms, this can be called 'external ceremony'. Eating out is... 'Pretending' is a false act.
As in all life, but especially in the faith, hypocrisy is of no value. The saints who serve God and follow Jesus Christ are those who pursue true values and practical abilities. In other words, we believe and follow the eternal life promised through Jesus Christ as the most valuable, while considering even the temporal things we see and enjoy as worthless. This is the essence of faith. Nevertheless, “pretending to have good faith” without any power of faith stems from a worldly way of thinking.
The worth of a saint depends on whether he holds the promises of God. No matter how good your faith is, if you do not possess the promises of God, it is just a 'false faith'. The power of faith will be revealed to those who possess the promises of God. Because possessing God's promises means that we have become God's people and that God is with us. The text of this hour testifies to this very fact.
1. Let's look at the meaning of the words in the text first.
The text speaks of the positive attitude of life in Christ that Christians have. In verse 20, it says, ‘God’s promise is to glorify God by answering Amen in Jesus Christ.’
In this verse, he said, “Any number of God’s promises become yes in Christ.” The word “yes” here is nai (nai, yes) in the original language, and this word is used in the sense of ‘just as it is’, ‘clearly’, and ‘true’ as a word of strong confirmation. In other words, God’s promises are fulfilled “just as they are” in Christ.
But in the next verse, he said, “We will say Amen to glorify God.” This is true that God's promises are fulfilled in Christ, but in order to receive God's promises, believers must respond with "Amen". The phrase “to glorify God” means to glorify God by doing so.
What does 'amen' mean here? Amen (ajmhvn, truly) literally means ‘firmly’. In a common interpretation, it is a word used in the sense of ‘certainly’ or ‘so be it.’
And another important fact is the reason the Holy Spirit was given to the saints. In verse 22, the reason the Holy Spirit has been given to our hearts is because of ‘guarantee’. In other words, he gave the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that he was made a saint by stamping himself as a person of Christ who can receive God's promises. As the word ‘guarantee’, I used the word arrhabon (ajrjrJabwvn, a pledge), which means ‘deposit’. That is, it means ‘deposit money’ or ‘property’ for the guarantee of the remainder.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts assures us that we are qualified to fulfill God's promises. Therefore, we Christians have the sure guarantee that we can receive the eternal and immutable promise of God. Then, can we not boldly ask for what we need based on God's promises? That is why Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 1 John 5:14 says, “To him we have This is boldness, that if you ask anything according to his will, he hears you.”
It can be seen that the meaning of the key words constituting the text is a positive response that the saints must have to God's promise. Then, let's think about what kind of positive response we should have in order to receive God's promises fulfilled.
2. The positive response you receive by fulfilling the promise is Amen on your lips.
Since ancient times, our people have regarded “a heavy mouth” as a virtue. So, I did not express my feelings well. But the Christian must be clear in his expression. As Romans 10:10 says, “With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made, resulting in salvation.” To confess with your mouth is to express yourself clearly.
In psychology, there is a saying, 'If you make a big decision, put it into words.' This is because, by expressing one's determination to others, you can have a responsible willpower to say, 'I have to put it into practice.' If you plan and make a decision only with your own heart, your will to act will be weakened because you will not be criticized or show your weakness if you do not do it.
God has promised that we will do what we say with our lips. Let's look at Numbers 14:28. “Say to them, By my life, saith the LORD, I swear. As you have heard in my ears, I will do to you.” So, in the Christian life, it is important to remember God's promises to me and to respond with 'Amen' to God's words that follow those promises.
Abraham firmly believed in the promises God had made to him. How do we know if Abraham trusted God's promises? This is because Abraham blessed God by passing on the promise of God to his son Isaac. Isaac blessed his son Jacob, and 600 years later, God's promise came true.
The Lord said, "If you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and cast into the sea,' and do not doubt in your heart, believing that it is what it says, it will be done for you" (Mark 11:23). Also, Jesus said to the Syrobonic woman who was asking her to heal her demon-possessed daughter, “Go back after saying this. The devil has gone out of your daughter” (Mark 7:29). He made it come true as he confessed with his lips.
There is a saying, “Words become seeds.” Proverbs 12:14 says, “A man is satisfied with the fruit of his mouth, and he receives according to the works of his hands.” Therefore, if you want God's promises to be fulfilled, do not say to God's Word, 'You just have to believe in your heart', but admit it with 'Amen'. As we believe in God's promises with our hearts and confess with our mouths, what we believe will come true.
3. The positive response you receive by fulfilling your promise is an act of faith.
Isn't it someone else's business? Have we also worshiped well, prayed earnestly, and then turned around and worried and worried?
Samuel's mother, Hannah, wept and prayed in the temple to have a child. Then the priest Eli said, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel grant you what you have prayed for.” Hannah admitted positively: “Your servant girl may find favor with you.” Then, the Bible testifies about Hannah's subsequent actions, saying, "She went and ate, and her face was searched no more." God said, “He has thought of him,” and Hannah conceived Samuel.
In this way, we must respond to the word containing God's promises in practice in our daily lives. God examines the thoughts of our hearts, hears what we confess with our lips, sees the actions of faith, and fulfills the promises.
The following article was published in the reader submission section of a local newspaper:
“I went on a train trip last weekend. There were so many people on the train that there was not even room to cram through. However, I managed to occupy a vacant seat so that I could travel comfortably. I know that this is the grace of God and I am grateful.”
This is the storyline, but it seems that the contributor was a Christian. But the next day, this article appeared in the same place in the same newspaper.
“I was also traveling on the train that anyone said yesterday. But fortunately I was able to sit down and go. But when he saw an old man standing next to me, he immediately gave up his seat and, although weary, traveled with joy.”
That was the content.
I don't know if the person who posted it later was a Christian or if it was posted to ridicule the Christian who posted earlier, but it's definitely something that makes us think about ourselves.
We believe in Jesus Christ and become the people of the kingdom of God. Not only that, we have many promises that God has guaranteed on this earth. Shouldn't we now enjoy the rich promise of God? In order to receive the numerous promises of God recorded in the Bible come true in your life, you must respond with “yes” and “amen” and put into practice “amen” in your life.
As such, I pray that you will enjoy God's abundant promises as a positive and positive response to God's promises.