TITLE: LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN
SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:14 / REVELATION 7:12 / REVELATION 22:21
The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word.
• It has been called the best-known word in human speech
• The word is directly related – in fact, almost identical to the Hebrew word for “believe” (AMAN), or “faithful”
• Thus, it came to mean “sure” or truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence
• When one believes God, he indicates his faith by an “Amen”
• When God makes a promise, the believer’s response is “Amen”–”so it will be!”
• When we pray according to His Word and His will, we know God will answer, so we close with an “Amen”
• So also do we conclude a great hymn or anthem of praise and faith with “Amen”
Truth be told we say “Amen” quite frequently, but usually we don’t even think about it. Take a moment and think about how many times you have said “Amen” this morning.
• Most of the time we treat “Amen” sort of like a punctuation mark
• We say our prayers; then say “Amen,” and it just means “O.K. -- the prayer’s over”
• But “Amen” means a whole lot more than that
• The more we look at this little word, the more we see how important it really is
Have you ever felt like a word gets overused so much so it loses its meaning? Words have a way of changing meaning based upon the intention of the person speaking it. It’s not that the word has actually changed but the word loses its intensity. Kind of like listening to the same song over and over again, it loses its original effect.
• I recall some years ago when TAMELA MANN came out with that powerful song “Take Me to The King”
• I loved listening to it and could not get enough of it
• After a few months however, when it came on the radio, I began to say, “Oh not again”
• When we hear things over and over again it loses its intensity and intended affect
How many times have you been in Church and hear people say “Amen” after every sentence? Or people are preaching about the horrible things happening in the world and then hear people say “Amen”?
• Do we know what the word means?
• Are we saying “so be it” when things are being preached that are not biblical or when wrongs are spoken of?
• Are we saying “Amen” when the devil is having a hay day with someone?
• Are we standing in agreement with negativity unawares?
• Amen is a word of agreement more so than just a reply to a statement given
The word “Amen” is found 78 times in our English Bibles. The first time we see it is in the OT Book of Numbers, and the last time we see it is in Revelation 22:21.
• “Amen” is the last word in your Bible
• It is God’s last word on His Word
• And it means “SURELY - TRULY - FIRMLY - SO IT IS - SO BE IT - MAY IT BE FULFILLED”
Let’s look into God’s Word this morning and see why this little word is so important. First -- Our Amens are important for what they say to God. For example, our Amen can say - “GOD, WE AGREE!”
• So we must be careful not to just throw our Amen around
• So we must be careful because there are somethings we should not Co-Sign
• From the Pulpit to the back door, there are times we need to hold on to our Amens!
• There are times we need to keep our Amen in reserve
• Hear those from Pulpit or around us in the Pew state “Say Amen Somebody” - what are we saying we agree with?
• I can’t say Amen if I don’t agree with what you just said, if it is contrary to the Word of God
• I can’t say Amen if you are in the pulpit just making a whole bunch of noise
• I CORINTHIANS 13:1 “…SOUNDING BRASS OR A TINKLING CYMBAL”
Amen means - we agree with your Word. We agree with what you say about yourself. David’s great song in I CHRONICLES 16 is a good place to see this agreement. VS. 23 we agree that ALL THE EARTH SHOULD “SING TO THE LORD,” AND “PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY.” We should --
• Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples
• For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised
• He is also to be feared above all gods
• Let the Church say Amen!
We also agree with David’s words –
31. LET THE HEAVENS REJOICE, AND LET THE EARTH BE GLAD; AND LET THEM SAY AMONG THE NATIONS, "THE LORD REIGNS.''
32. LET THE SEA ROAR, AND ALL ITS FULLNESS; LET THE FIELD REJOICE, AND ALL THAT IS IN IT.
33. THEN THE TREES OF THE WOODS SHALL REJOICE BEFORE THE LORD, FOR HE IS COMING TO JUDGE THE EARTH.
34. OH, GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD! FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER.
35. AND SAY, "SAVE US, O GOD OF OUR SALVATION; GATHER US TOGETHER, AND DELIVER US FROM THE GENTILES, TO GIVE THANKS TO YOUR HOLY NAME, TO TRIUMPH IN YOUR PRAISE.''
36. BLESSED BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING!
Because they agreed with these things, all of God’s people said, "Amen!'' and praised the Lord.
• In short, “God, we agree that You are wonderful”
• And we can agree that God is wonderful, even when we are going through the hardest times of life
• He is still Wonderful
• If you agree – Let the Church Say Amen
My brothers and sisters, know this, even when I ask you to pray for me, I firmly believe there is no risk in abandoning ourselves to God and that the Father will use Circumstances - Pain - Suffering, to produce godliness in our lives. Righteousness, a little more freedom from sin, being a little more like Jesus, is worth any pain, discomfort or chastisement from the Father! -- It proves you are His child, and He sends more of His Spirit.
• The joy of my heart is to proclaim the Good News of my God and lead others to draw near to Him!
• When you pray for me, make sure you also Praise God!
• When you pray for me, make sure you do it with Shouting His Praises
• When we pray for one another, no matter what we are going through, we ought to say Amen!
• I know you are hurting but Amen
• I know you shedding tears but Amen
• I know you are confused but Amen
• ROMANS 8:28 “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSES”
• Not some things but “All Things”
• Not just the good things but “All Things”
• Not just the things that make us feel good but “All Things”
• That’s why I can say Amen during the storms
• That’s why I can say Amen when I can’t see my way through
• That’s why I can say Amen where there is pain in my body
• Let the Church Say Amen
When you are done praying for me, don’t forget to close with an “Amen.” And all of God’s people say, “Amen!”
• We agree that our God is wonderful!
• On the good days and the bad - we agree that our God is wonderful!
• On the sunny days and in the storm - we agree that our God is wonderful!
• On the days we can’t see our way through – we agree that our God is wonderful!
• On the days we have cried all the day long – we agree that our God is wonderful!
• Our Amen is important, because it says, “God, we agree”
• We don’t understand – but we agree with you
• Sometimes we are still confused – but we agree with you
• Let the Church Say Amen
Secondly, Amen means - “GOD WE ACCEPT YOUR COMMANDS - WE ACCEPT YOUR JUDGMENTS - WE DON’T UNDERSTAND IT ALL. BUT GOD, WE KNOW THAT YOUR WAY IS THE RIGHT WAY. AND BY YOUR GRACE, WE WILL OBEY.”
• Are there any areas of your life where you are still rebelling against God?
• Are there any areas where you are saying - God, I’ll take care of this
• Are there any areas where you are saying - I know what’s best here
• Are there any areas where you are saying – This is my business Lord, I will handle it
• Are you telling God, “No”
• We can’t move to an “Amen” if we are in rebellion with God
God often calls us to things that –
• Don’t fit our schedule
• Don’t fit our agenda
• Don’t fit our ideas of what should be done
We don’t understand it all. And sometimes God’s directions are hard to follow. But God, we know your way is the right way. And yes, by your Grace, we will obey.
• So all of God’s people say, “Amen!” -- “Lord, we accept Your directions”
• Our Amen is important, because it says, “Yes God, we accept Your directions”
• We don’t always understand – but “Amen”
• We don’t always agree – but “Amen”
• We don’t always comprehend – but “Amen”
• We don’t always see it – but “Amen”
• Sometimes we can’t see the ending from the beginning – but “Amen”
Our “Amens” are important for what they say to God.
• God, we agree
• God, we accept
• And God, we believe you answer our prayers
But God’s amens are also important for what they say to us. This is hard for us to see in our English translations, but God’s Amens say, “I want your attention!”
• God uses this word “Amen” to get our attention
• The English word “Amen” is found 51 times in the New Testament
• But in the original language, God used this word “Amen” 101 more times in the New Testament
• And every time He was urgently trying to get our attention
• In the KJV these “Amens” were translated as “VERILY”
• Modern translations use phrases like “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH” or “MOST ASSUREDLY”
God is urgently trying to get our attention. He wants us to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we must turn away from sin, and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
• Amen is important, because God uses it to say - “Turn your attention towards me!”
• But Amen is also important, because God Himself is the great “Amen”
• NEHEMIAH 8:6 “AND EZRA BLESSED THE LORD, THE GREAT GOD. AND ALL THE PEOPLE ANSWERED, AMEN, AMEN, WITH LIFTING UP THEIR HANDS: AND THEY BOWED THEIR HEADS, AND WORSHIPED THE LORD WITH THEIR FACES TO THE GROUND”
One of the most important things I found out about Amen is this -- it is one of the names that God has chosen for himself. in Revelation 3 Jesus called out to the lukewarm Christians of Laodicea.
• The Lord warned them to repent
• Jesus wanted them (and us) to be on fire for Him
• REVELATION 3:14, Jesus began by telling them -- “THESE THINGS SAYS THE AMEN, THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD”
• Jesus Christ is “THE AMEN!”
• And this name makes sense when we understand that the original root word for “Amen” has word pictures that include -
o Standing firm
o Faithfully supporting
o Holding something up like the pillars in a building
o Taking care of a child like a foster-father or foster-mother
o And being nourished or carried by a reliable, faithful nurse
As “THE AMEN,” Jesus wants to hold you up, and take care of you. So we should all say “amen” to that. But infinitely more important, we should know the Amen, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior!
• Jesus loves you so much that He even died on the cross for your sins, and He rose again from the dead!
• So, if you will trust in Jesus, He will save your soul
• He will forgive your sins
• He will nourish you and carry you in this world
• Then one day He will carry you all the way to Heaven to live with Him forever
• Let the Church Say “Amen”
As I move toward a close, let’s take a look at Revelation 5:14 to see how central “Amen” is to the eternal acts of worship in Heaven. Starting in VS. 13b John describes the heavenly worship. All creation says, “‘TO HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE, AND TO THE LAMB, BE BLESSING AND HONOR AND GLORY AND DOMINION FOREVER AND EVER.’ AND THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES KEPT SAYING, ‘AMEN.’ AND THE ELDERS FELL DOWN AND WORSHIPED.”
• In other words, when worshipful beings — like we should be all the time — hear God exalted, they want to enter into the exaltation, and they do it with “Amen”
• Well, what shall we say?
• What shall we do?
• When we begin to really Worship – Let it begin with Amen
• When we forget about those around us and Worship – Let it begin with Amen
• When we stop worrying about who is looking at us and really Worship – Let it begin with Amen
• When we stand to our feet and Worship – Let it begin with Amen
• When you are found in your Secret Closet – Let it begin with Amen
--If you say Amen regularly, allow this reflection on the word’s meaning to unsettle you
--It is not merely a word of liturgical punctuation
--It contains a challenge, an invitation, to live in a new way, to truly partner with God and his people
--Before you say Amen, think about what you are saying, with what you are choosing to agree, and with whom you are choosing to involve yourself
--Amen is a small word of profound significance
--Let the Church say “Amen”
--If you love the Lord, say “Amen”
--If the Lord has been good to you, say “Amen”
--If the Lord has carried you, say “Amen”
--If He has never failed you, say “Amen”
--If you know you can depend on the Lord, say “Amen”
--I love the Lord, he heard my cry - And pitied every groan - long as I, I live And troubles rise, I hasten to his throne – Let the Church say “Amen”
