Jesus Christ: God's Amen

I was reading through Revelation today (don't worry, I am not saving up any canned goods and I don't have a chart showing exactly when Jesus is coming back to take the elect back...), and I came to the message from God to the church of Laodicea.  Each of the letters has a different introduction and description of who Jesus is.  This description was "The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation."  It intrigued me that Jesus would be called "the AMEN," because it is such a rich word.  Turns out, thanks to my free bible software (shameless plug you can get it with the journaling ESV bible from crossway), 2 Corinthians 1:20 has a similar description of Jesus, saying, "For ^all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our ^Amen to God for his glory."  This letter was written to the church at Laodicea, a church that verses later will be called to account for being neither hot nor cold.  And why were they lukewarm?  Because they didn't understand fully who Jesus was.  And so God sends this description of Jesus to them: the AMEN.  The fulfillment of all of the promises of God.  Every promise made in the Old Testament is fulfilled by Jesus.  That the promises God makes find their Yes, their Amen, their accomplishment in Jesus.  Paul writes to the Romans that Jesus became a servant "in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs."

J.I. Packer, in "God Has Spoken," defined faith as taking hold of the promises of God, believing that he will deliver on his promises.  In order for this to happen, for us to receive this kind of faith, we must comprehend that Jesus is the AMEN of God.  Through Jesus all things are accomplished.  While God elected some for salvation, it was Jesus who accomplished this, purchasing the elect on the cross.  While God spoke the worlds into being, it was Jesus who accomplished this as well, as we are told in John 1.

And so let us declare Jesus to be the AMEN of God.  Whenever we pray, let us utter AMEN knowing that Jesus is our AMEN, and that he is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask, think or even imagine.

AMEN.  God help us.  AMEN