Toure Roberts - It's Non-Negotiable (01/14/2026)
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Jesus in Matthew 5:37 commands «Let your yes be yes and your no be no» — anything more is hurtful to you. The preacher’s whole point is that real strength, identity, authority, and destiny come when you finally settle your personal non-negotiables; without a rock-solid yes and no you stay weak, negotiable, and stuck. Only people who know exactly what they will and will not do become the unshakable, unbuyable, unstoppable generation God is raising up right now.
Opening Thought — Matthew 5:37
I just have a thought I want to share today. My God moved at the nine o’clock service. I believe God is going to continue in this service, but I have one thought. It’s out of Matthew chapter 5, verse 37. It’s a thought out of the mouth of Jesus that I believe is relevant to the moment we’re in as believers—those who are trying to figure it out, those who are trying to walk this thing out with the Lord, which is all of us. I have a simple thought, one verse. I won’t even have you standing long. One verse, and Jesus says, «But let your yes be yes and your no be no, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one.»
Now, full disclosure, that’s the New King James translation. If you break it down to the Greek, it reads a little differently. I mean, it works, but I like to be as accurate as possible because there are at least two words for evil in Greek. One word really means evil—it means depraved, it means wicked, right? It really means bad. This other word for evil means hurtful; it has an effect that is hurtful. The particular word used there is laid out as hurtful in its effect. So, the word that’s used there, the second word, means it’s hurtful in its effect. Therefore, that passage reads better as, «Let your yes be yes and your no be no. If you do anything outside of that, it can be hurtful to you.»
Prayer Before the Word
Father, I thank you so much for your word. It’s a lamp unto our feet; it’s a light unto our path. God, your sons and daughters are gathered here, Lord God, not to hear man’s clever speech, but they’re here to hear a divine word from you that will touch them, bless them, and feed them. We acknowledge that we don’t live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of your mouth. We need your word; we’re desperate for your word. And so, God, I just believe, Lord God, as I submit myself to you, that you will allow the spirit of wisdom, revelation, insight, knowledge, and prophecy, along with the full measure of heaven’s resources, to reach the people you love the most—that is humanity, your creation. You love us so much. So, God, I thank you that we’re going to partner for these next 15-20 minutes. We’ll partner together, Lord God, and feed your sons and daughters in a way that will edify them, shore them up, bless them, and break yokes, if necessary, God. That will bring clarity where there was confusion. Father, may the end result of this time together be that all of us leave here better, clearer, stronger, shining brighter because we’re in your presence. We love you; we thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen.
Do me a favor, high-five somebody and say, «You’re in the right place! You’re in the right place today!»
Today’s Big Idea — Non-Negotiables
Today I want to deal with this thought. If I’m honest—full disclosure—I’m still wrapping my head around this thought. I believe it’s significant. If you know me, you know I don’t like the sermons where we just sit and enter into the message. I like to listen and share what I hear so that we all can get what we need. I want to talk today about non-negotiables. I want to share this thought with you that I believe will shore you up.
The backdrop or context of this statement that Jesus makes about letting your yes be yes and your no be no—if you do anything beyond that it can be hurtful to you. The backdrop is that Jesus is preaching a popular message called the Sermon on the Mount, and he’s talking about a lot of things. I love it. He is challenging the religious culture at the time, bringing revelation to areas where religion had lost its potency. People were locked into rules without understanding what the thought was behind the rule. It is not the rule that is significant; it is the idea underneath the rule that has value. This means that if you get the idea, you don’t need the rule. You’ll catch that later, but that’s okay.
Integrity Is Not Perfection
Jesus is teaching, and I love this passage because he starts talking about integrity. One of the things I love about Jesus more than anything else is his integrity. When I say integrity, I’m not talking about Jesus living a sinless life—though we know he did. When I use the term integrity, I’m not talking about perfection, because integrity and perfection are not the same. They are different things. Integrity has to do with being true to who you are and who you present yourself to be. You have integrity when your yes is yes and your no is no. My dad was not in my life the way I wanted him to be, and I don’t say that with bitterness. God rest his soul. I say that with an understanding that his dad wasn’t in his life. Sometimes you can’t give what you did not get. He wasn’t in my life, but I remember my dad saying, «Your word is all you’ve got.» It wasn’t much, but it was everything. Your word is all you’ve got.
So, integrity doesn’t mean you always get it right; it means you are always true to yourself. That’s why you can have prostitutes with more integrity than church people. You know, ready? Okay, wait, you can have pimps with more integrity because it’s not about perfection, it’s about what I’m presenting to you. You’re going to get me, even if what I’m presenting is crazy. At least you know it’s me. Sometimes, I would rather have your crazy than your pretend because, at least, I know I’ve got you. Even if you are crazy, we might work out a deal; maybe there’s a way for your crazy to fit into my kingdom. But if I don’t know what you are because you lack integrity—anyway.
Jesus is saying, «Let your yes be yes and your no be no.» I looked at that and thought, «Wow! Let your yes be yes and your no be no.» He doesn’t say, «Let yes be yes and no be no.» He says, «Let your yes be yes and your no be no.» He is speaking to the fact that all of us, at some point in our lives, ought to have non-negotiables.
You Are a Kingdom, Not a Democracy
I feel the Holy Spirit because oftentimes, most of us—many of us—are negotiating with things we shouldn’t be. This country is a democracy, but you are not a democracy. A democracy literally, if you break down those words, «demo» has to do with people, and «cracy» has to do with power. So, democracy means the power is with the people. That’s why democracy works in the country. Because a country is comprised of a bunch of different people, with a bunch of different thoughts and a bunch of different ideas. In order to make the country function, it should work and operate under this system of government called democracy because it has to be about everybody—everybody has to be included.
So, democracy works in the country, but a democracy does not work in me. I cannot be a democracy because if I personally am a democracy, then I’m giving my power away to everybody else. Can I talk to you like this for a second? I can be democratic because I have to function with people who think, believe, walk, and aspire differently. So, I can be democratic without being a democracy. I am a kingdom, and God is my King, and my King speaks to me and tells me what my yeses are and my noes are. So, within myself, I am true. Does that make sense? But when I go to the table to do something for the whole, that’s when I put my democratic hat on. Even in my democracy, I never compromise who I am, because I have to live with me; nobody has to live with you except you.
Jesus Spent Years Discovering His Non-Negotiables
What’s amazing to me about Jesus is that most scholars and theologians believe that Jesus began his ministry when he was thirty and went to the cross when he was approximately thirty-three. In three years, he accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. So, what was he doing up to thirty? Of course, there’s a bunch of speculation about that. One of the things I believe Jesus was doing during that time was discovering his non-negotiables. Before he would even step onto the scene of prominence, he worked out within himself his non-negotiables. Everybody needs non-negotiables. You can’t have an identity without non-negotiables.
The reason I take my time to say this is that I believe we’re moving into a time where everything is shaky and everything is flimsy. It used to be, you know, just do whatever, and everything was fine, but we’re seeing that doesn’t really work. You need some non-negotiables.
I believe God is getting ready to raise up a bold generation of people who do not compromise who they are, who do not compromise what God has set for them. There’s going to be something very appealing about these people, and they’re going to be the heads and not the tails. I prophesy this. I spoke it on Thursday night. God is getting ready to raise some of you up in such a way, and the qualifier is that you’re submitted to God. He’s getting ready to give you wisdom and insight, knowledge that is so awesome and appealing that people are going to be drawn to you. Kings are going to come from the North, South, East, and West, from near and far to sit at your feet because your yes is your yes and your no is your no. You have non-negotiables, and you’ve spent enough time with Jesus to recognize the times and the seasons and what people ought to do. They’re going to seek you out. God is looking for some people who are unshakeable and unmovable.
Some of You Are Too Flexible
I’ve spent time with Jesus; I know what this thing is all about. I’m not worried about what’s happening over here or what’s happening over there; I’ve got some non-negotiables.
I can’t be bought; I can’t be baited; I will not bow. I am who I am. I believe there are just some people like that in this room right now. I feel it. He’s going to raise up some people. God is getting ready to flip some things in your life. You’re getting ready to go from begging and saying, «When is it going to be my time?» God is getting ready to anoint you and put a robe on you because you were faithful when other people weren’t, and the next thing you know, you’re going to be the head and not the tail. If that’s your word, take a minute and holla back at me. I’m ready for this thing. I’m ready to be the head and not the tail up in this piece. I’m tired of compromise.
You’ve got to get to a place where your yes is yes and your no is no. There are some in this room, and you’re too flexible. I feel this prophetically. You are too flexible. If you had only held on to your no, you would be so much further in life. I feel that for somebody. You are negotiating in areas where all you want to do is stand flat-footed, and that thing is going to happen.
Pain Is Anointed — It Creates Non-Negotiables
There are times, even in negotiations—let’s say you’re buying a car or buying a house. In negotiation, there’s a mystery, and that mystery is that you don’t know what the buyer or the seller’s real number is, and they don’t know where your number is. You walk into this situation, and there is this mystery. So, what you do is put something out there. A smart person already knows how low they can go. You start somewhere.
There are moments where some people think you’re just supposed to keep negotiating down—to keep splitting the difference until you come to an agreement. The devil is a liar; I split nothing. This is my number. Sometimes you might be in negotiations, sure of your number, and then you walk out, or they walk out, and you compromise and change. I’m trying to use a parable to speak to somebody in here right now because I hear God saying, «If you will stick to your number, it won’t turn around and walk right back to you because you didn’t compromise. Your yes was your yes, and your no was your no.»
Let’s talk about how you get to your yeses and your noes because my yes is different from your yes, and your no is different from mine. Sometimes one of the greatest things that give you your non-negotiables is pain. No one likes pain, but let me tell you something—pain is anointed. It was quiet. Hear this: pain is anointed. Pain is one of the primary things that God uses to get you to your non-negotiables. You ever been hurt so badly by something that you said, «I will never do that again»? Sometimes that’s the Lord. It’s funny how anointed pain can be. We’ve got to realize that sometimes God allows pain to produce a non-negotiable in your life.
That means that whatever that area was is critical to your destiny. I feel the Holy Spirit—it’s critical to your destiny.
Your Yes Has to Stay Yes
That word, when we looked it up, said, «Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything that is more than that is a hurtful experience.» This means we’re ultimately trying to drill down to what our yeses and nos are. If I don’t know what my yeses are and what my noes are, then I can wake up one day completely lost. I’ve got to say this right: if I don’t know what my yeses are and what my noes are, then I don’t know who I am. This means that, to a certain degree, I am identity-less, and this is not the right world to be identity-less in because we’ll give you an identity tomorrow if you let us. Are you tracking with me?
Kings understand their yeses and their noes. Queens—I’m using that term kings interchangeably—kings and queens, we know who we are. We know what reflects us and what does not, and we are confident in what God has revealed to us as our yeses and noes.
It says let your yes be yes. In other words, you could have a yes that doesn’t stay yes for long. You could have a no that doesn’t stay no for long. What does that look like? It’s like when you say, «I’ll never do that again, » and then you get in certain rooms, and you walk out of that room having done it again, saying, «I’ll never do that again after this time.» Shaky, shaky, shaky. Jesus was not shaky in the face of great opposition; he meant what he said, and he said what he meant. His yes—why did people follow him? It says he taught as one who had authority. How do you get authority? You get authority when you have non-negotiables.
Your Distinction Makes You Strong
Can I talk to you like this? I’m not being rude; it’s not punishment. We’re just trying to get over—come on! We’re trying to get to the other side up in here. There can be a part of you that is in disagreement with a yes that God has given you. That’s why it’s not materializing because God has said yes to you. He has given you the yes, and your yes is a yes. But maybe, for you, your yes is a maybe, and God says, «Let your yes be a yes.» I feel this; some of you need to be baptized in the words that God has given you. Some of you need to dive right back into what he said and live there until you see it come to pass because everything God said will be seen if you believe it.
Do me a favor. Take about five seconds and shout at the top of your lungs, «I’m chosen! I’m chosen!» Since I’m chosen, I don’t compromise. I feel the Holy Spirit of God. Compromising makes you weak, and you think that compromising makes you fit in, but fitting in is what makes you weak. Just your distinction makes you strong. I feel God. Your distinction—that’s why it’s your yes! My yes is different from your yes, and my no is different from your no. This means there might be things others do that you can’t.
The Path Is Narrow
Sometimes, it feels unfair. «They’re doing it, they’re doing it well, and they’re prospering.» That’s fine; that’s their yes. My personal yes is developed through my experiences with God. Sometimes, pain is a part of that. Pain says, «You can’t do that.»
But my friend just did it, and they’re good. That’s fine; do you. Sometimes, God calls you to do something with nobody else around you. It’s doing, and don’t think that’s strange. Here’s what the Bible says: narrow is the path. We don’t like that verse. Check this out—I love the word; I love Jesus’ words because they’re timeless. Jesus says, «Broad is the road that leads to destruction.» Watch this—where most people are going, in the long run, is a little tricky. Then he says, «The straight gate is narrow.» If you break that down to your life, your life is not this broad, I do this, I do that. I do all of this, I do whatever I want to do. No—your path, family, is narrow. That’s why you must have non-negotiables.
While you’re negotiating, you’re wasting time. While you’re negotiating, you’re getting weaker. While you’re negotiating, you’re attracting things to your journey that aren’t supposed to be.
Don’t Step Into the Room Until You’re Whole
I remember when I first planted the church in North Hollywood. Young Hollywood was coming in, those trying to make it in business, and I was pastoring them. I was speaking to them, and I remember my advice for many people was, «Don’t even go on one audition until you get whole.»
You might think that seems extreme: «What are you talking about?» Because if you’re not whole, you’re stepping into that room desperate, needing something—not knowing who you are—and could easily lose yourself, ending up doing something you thought you would never do because you didn’t have your non-negotiables. There are some of you who have been believing God for something big, but if you don’t have your yeses and your noes, you’re not ready for it.
You can’t even recognize what’s for you. One of the things I love about God defining your yeses and noes is that it helps you to recognize what’s for you and what’s not for you.
Closing Prayer & Declaration
I want to pray for you. I want to pray for you if you’re here and feel like the Holy Spirit was speaking to you. If you feel like you need to get shored up—maybe you’re like, «Man, I’ve been so flexible that I don’t even know what my yes is or my no is.» Or if I’m honest, I’ve been so fearful that I’ve abandoned any concept of my yes being my yes and my no being my no. I’m tired of feeling weak; tired of saying this is who I am, then getting into the wrong places, and being compromised. I’m just tired of that. I want to be who God has called me to be.
Father, I thank you so much for this moment here with your children. I believe you’ve spoken to us; God, you’ve affirmed us, inspired us, brought us clarity, and strengthened us. Lord, I thank you for the value I see all over this room and for those watching via livestream, Lord God.
Father, I’m praying those two things like I said I would. Father, I pray that you would manifest those yeses and noes that you’ve been cultivating in us for years through our relationship with you. There are experiences, God—there are some non-negotiables that are exclusive to us and our journey. I’m praying that you would move in the lives of each and every person under the sound of my voice and shore them up in their yeses and noes so that they can shine the way they’re supposed to shine.
So they can not take less than what is for them. Give them a strong yes and an even stronger no. I feel like the no is even more important than the yes. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit! There are some in here that need to say no to close the door that has weakened them. I thank you that, even in this moment, you’ve given them strength to say no through the joy of the yes that’s waiting for them.
Fill us with your Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows the yeses and the noes that are assigned to our lives. We need your Spirit. You said if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desires of our carnality—the lesser part of us.
I just want you to repeat after me: «Heavenly Father, I thank you for your presence. I feel it. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love. I receive it. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. I hear it, and I receive it. Lord, reveal to me my non-negotiables so that I might walk in my divinely ordered steps and so that I can lay hold of everything assigned to my life and leave a legacy that outlives me.
I thank you for Jesus. Thank you for making him, who had no sin, all of mine, all of my weaknesses, all of my shortcomings, all of my mistakes, and even my pain. You placed it in his body, nailed it to the cross, and put it to death. Just as he was raised up free and victorious because I’m in him, I’m raised up too. No weapon formed against me can prosper. My past is behind me; my future is very bright, and with Christ, I’m on my way to my destiny. Thank you for this time. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen.