2 Corinthians 1:20-22

Introduction
[ ] Everyone in good frame of mind would always like to be involved in a reliable or trusted business ( or deal) because it guarantees a good outcome

[ ] Many corporate establishments today also use identity that attract trust in partners and customers and they ensure their mission statement follow the tenets of their goals.
Why all these efforts on guarantee?

What is Guarantee?
• a formal assurance (typically in writing) that certain conditions will be fulfilled

• an undertaking to answer for the payment or performance of another person’s debt or obligation in the event of a default by the person primarily responsible for it.

[ ] To be blessed is to be highly favoured or fortunate. It is characterized with happiness, joy, rejoicing and good fortune.

A. The Guaranteed Promises

All these definitions about guarantee and promises are fulfilled in Christ Jesus ( 1 Cor.1:20a-For all the promises of God in Him are Yes…

• Christ Jesus is the fulfilment of all of God’s promises. There’re no more promises waiting to be fulfilled, and this is the reality.

• The Bible says, “In Christ Jesus all the promises of God are yea and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

• In the Old Testament, God gave the children of Israel several promises of blessings, which were preconditioned on their obedience to the Law and commandments (Deuteronomy 28:2).

• But for the new creation, we’re the result of Christ’s sacrifice and His obedience. That’s why in 1 Peter 1:14-15: As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

• Thus, our blessings in Christ aren’t preconditioned on the basis of who we are: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ! There’s no need praying and asking God to make His promises real in your life; they’re already real. Simply walk in the light of who you are and your inheritance in Christ. You’re the one to prove His Word in your life today.

• Once you see a promise in the Word of God, respond and say, “Glory to God! That’s mine in Christ Jesus; it’s been fulfilled in Christ for my benefit. Blessed be God!” It is guaranteed and settled

• 2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

• Therefore, God is the one who blesses all His children and no one can reverse it and take glory about that Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s-I Cor. 3:21‭, ‬23 NKJV

B. The Guaranteed Father

[ ] The quality and assurance of the one who blesses us give us confidence in the His promises( blessings).
• He is ever faithful- 1Cor. 1:9, Heb. 10:23-
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful-Hebrews 10:23.

1Cor.1.9 – God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.,

C. The Guaranteed and Explicit Blessings
God has] given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee….God has made his promise; Christ has fulfilled (carried out) the promise, and we must accept it
• We can see that in Ephesians 1:13-14 —… the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance …
•   2 Corinthians 1:22 —… [God has] given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
• 2 Corinthians 5:5 — He who has prepared us for [heaven] is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
Holy Spirit’s work is described in 4 different ways here. Each time, scripture emphasises that God has done this for his people.

1. By means of the Holy Spirit, God establishes his people in their relationship with Christ. In other words, he gives them a strong relationship with Christ.
2. God anoints his people with the Holy Spirit. To ‘anoint’ means to ‘cover’; it was the custom to anoint Israel’s kings and priest with oil, to separate them for their special work for God.
3. God seals (or marks) his people with the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the mark is to show that they belong to him.
4. God places his Holy Spirit inside us, as a guarantee that they will receive the benefit of his promises.

Introduction
Era is a long and distinct period of history, a system of chronology dating from a particular event. It is usually characterized with memories and landmarks that are not easily forgotten, be it for good or otherwise.
It may also be refers to a point in time, especially when is beginning a new or distinctive period

A. Pre-Redemption Era
In history, these were characterised with many terrible moments of bondage, captivity, rejections, lack and alienation from God and His promises.

[ ] Experiences of desert, dryness and drought ( Isaiah 41:17a,19a- All things were dry for them, their mouth stick to roof of their mouth. No harvest, no produce. Not an era one would desire to remember
“My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death-Psalms 22:15 NIV

At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.- Eph. 2:12

[ ] Experiences of wilderness, wastelands and wastfeulness- they were wasting away and nothing can be pointed to as blessing for them- Isa.51:3; 27:10
The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare-Isaiah 27:10 NIV

[ ] Experiences of limitations, lack and liabilities: their lives and communities were full of the lame, the dumb,, the thirsty, the unsecured and terrible things-Isaiah 35:6-7

B. Redemption Era Psalms 111:9; Isaiah 44:22; Ephesians 2:13‭, ‬19
• The good news came suddenly, new era erased old order of things.
• Once bad experiences turned a new leaf, there were change of stories for the rejected and desolate people.
• They were brought near to the promises of God-Eph.2:13,19

Psalms 111:9: He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

C. Post Redemption Era
• The redemption in the Old Testament involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer.
• Fundamental to the message of the New Testament is the announcement that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfilment of Israel’s messianic hope and that, in Him, the long-awaited redemption has arrived.
• Deliverance of humankind from its state of alienation from God has been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ.
• In Jesus, the redemption package brought about new leaps. This era is not promisory, it is real, tangible palpable and lasted everlasting for all children of God (know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him-Ecclesiastes 3:14 )

[ ] Era of continuous experience of God of all possibilities:
• Then shall the lame [man] leap as an hart…..and the tongue of the dumb shall sing
• Who else can do such impossible things
• Science and nature defeated as God stepped in‬
• there were many instances of such persons cured by Christ when here on earth- fulfilment of promises- Matt 15:30-31; 21:14; John 5:7-9
• Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel-Matthew 15:30‭-‬31

[ ] Era of continuous experience of God of great transformation-Isaiah 35:6-7

• Who else can do such life transforming experiences but God.
• Bringing about unprecedented changes
• For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water;
• Nothing is beyond what God change including that your situations ‬

Results of New Leaps
• It brings about an amazement (wonders of God)
• It elicits praise unto God
• It produces jumping and singing-Acts 3:1 Acts 3:8
• It gives stability and stamina upon your heights- II Sam.22:34; Psalms 18:33