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The
Question Before Us
The question that God asks us in our
text this morning is this: Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES
to you in Christ Jesus? Or to put it another way: Have you said yes to all of
God's YES to you? Is there any of God's YES to you to which you are saying NO
or MAYBE or NOT NOW? Let our consecration to God beginning today be like this:
This is the start of the days of my YES
to you, O God. I consecrate myself to forsake the NO and the MAYBE and the NOT
NOW of my unbelief. And I say YES to everything in your YES to me.
Four
Observations About Prayer
Notice four things about prayer in
verse 20.
1. Prayer Is Through Jesus
Verse 20b: "That is why we
utter the AMEN through him . . . " God's YES comes to us in Christ
according to verse 20a ("All the promises of God find their YES in
him.") So if God's YES comes to us in Christ, then prayer must go to God
through Christ, because nobody wants to hear a NO. Everybody wants to hear a
yes when they pray, and that is what we hear in Christ, and nowhere else. This
is what we mean when we say, "In Jesus' name," at the end of our
prayers.
2. Prayer Is for God's Glory
Verse 20b: "That is why we
utter the Amen though him, to God for [his] glory." Amen is the great
affirmation that God is the Giver and we are the needy. Amen affirms God's
grace and goodness and power and wisdom to respond in the very best way for his
glory and for our good. All prayer should have the glory of God as its chief
aim. Amen is our YES to the glory of God.
3. Prayer Is Laying Hold onto
Promises
Prayer is drawing on the account
where God has deposited all his promises. Prayer is not hoping in the dark that
there might be a God of good intentions out there. Prayer goes to the bank and
draws on promises. Don't miss the connection between the two halves of the
verse: "All the promises of God find their YES in him. THAT [because of
the promises!] is why we utter the Amen through him, to God for his
glory." Which leads to . . .
4. AMEN Is a Full and Precious Word
in Times of Prayer
It doesn't mean primarily,
"YES, I have said all this prayer." It means primarily, "YES,
God has made all these promises." AMEN means, YES, Lord, you can do it. It
means, YES, Lord, you are powerful. YES, Lord, you are wise. YES, Lord, you are
merciful. AMEN is like an exclamation point of faith in a prayer for help. Or
an exclamation point of strong affirmation after a statement of God's
greatness.
As you come to the end of every
prayer there are two AMEN's, two YES's. When you say, "In Jesus'
name," that is God's AMEN. All his promises are YES and AMEN in Jesus:
Jesus Christ is God's YES and AMEN at the end of your prayer. Then when you
say, "AMEN," this is your YES and AMEN back to God for his. AMEN is
our YES to God for his YES to us in Jesus Christ.
Have
You Said Yes to All of God's Yes to You?
Which brings us back to the question
we raised at the beginning: Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's
YES to you in Christ Jesus? Have you said YES to all of God's YES to you? Is
there any of God's YES to you to which you are saying NO or MAYBE or NOT NOW?
I plead with you to let your
consecration to God be this:
"O Lord, I promise that by your grace this will be the
decade of my YES to you. I consecrate myself to forsake the NO and the MAYBE
and the NOT NOW of my unbelief. And I say YES to everything in your YES to me.
I pledge myself to a holy dissatisfaction until I have known the fullness of
your YES in Christ Jesus."
Let me mention the times for you to
consider.
- Starting tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM we will pray each
morning Monday through Friday at 6:00 AM for 30 minutes. You can
consecrate every day of the first week of the decade with united prayer.
- On Saturday afternoon at 4:00 we will meet for an hour
and a half in a concert of prayer focusing on the spiritual and social
needs of our city and the cities of the world. Here in this room. You can
consecrate yourself in this way to a larger vision than just your own
personal needs.
- Finally, Would you pray for the pastoral and
ministerial staff as we take a deeper commitment to prayer and fasting
from here on until the Festival and the decade to come. We are seeking from the Lord focus and
goals for the year 2009. It is utterly crucial that you cover us with your
prayer all day. We really want to meet God, and seek his heart for our
church and our mission in this city and the world for the next ten years.
I close with the question once more:
Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you in Christ Jesus?
Have you said YES and AMEN to all the promises of God? Would you join us in the
first week of the last decade of the last century of the millennium for an
extraordinary time of consecration as we say YES to all God's promises in
prayer?
Peace and grace!
Richard C. Rosario
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