THE LORD’S BLESSING

Re-thinking & Re-imagining Blessing in a Difficult Time

What does it mean to be “blessed?”

In our individualistic and materialistic culture we often equate blessing with “stuff.”

◦ He’s got a new car. God must be blessing him.

◦ She got a great new job. #blessed

But is this really the meaning of blessing?

If we’re thinking Biblically…what does it mean to be blessed?

4 Biblical Insights Into Blessing

1. To be blessed is to have awareness and access to God’s abiding presence. True blessing is life with God.

2. To be blessed is to live in the way of Jesus. True blessing is living and dying like Jesus.

3. To be blessed is to share blessing. True blessing flows generously, it cannot be hoarded.

4. To be blessed means we cannot be cursed. God cannot be cursed.

TO BE BLESSED IS TO HAVE AWARENESS

AND ACCESS TO GOD’S ABIDING

PRESENCE.

True blessing is life with God.

#1

Ephesians 1 [esv]3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Social DistancingJesus is not socially distancing himself from you.

◦ “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

The Lord sees you and is with you.

◦ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that

does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he

prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the

word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch

cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless

you abide in me.5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me

and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do

nothing.” John 15 [esv]

Immanuel: God with us

Blessing, at its core, is the invitation to live with Jesus.

◦ To be blessed is to know Him.

◦ To be blessed is to walk with Him.

◦ To be blessed is to know that He is with us “even to the end of

the age” (Mt. 28:20).

TO BE BLESSED IS TO LIVE IN THE WAY OF

JESUS.

True blessing is

living and dying like Jesus.

#2

Matthew 5[esv]2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for

they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5[esv]8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 7[esv]24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man

who built his house on the sand.27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

If You Love Me…

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14 [esv]

◦ To be blessed is to not only live with Jesus, but also to live like Jesus.

◦ To be blessed is to both be with, and walk with, Jesus.

TO BE BLESSED IS TO SHARE BLESSING.

True blessing

flows generously, it cannot be hoarded.

#3

Who Took My Toilet Paper?

“For Some Buyers With Virus Fears, the Priority Isn’t Toilet Paper.

It’s Guns.” New York Times, March 16th, 2020

“Gun and ammunition dealers said they have seen an influx of customers with similar concerns in recent weeks, creating a spike in sales as coronavirus anxiety spreads. Reports of firearms and survival gear flying off the shelves have been widespread, including in California, New York, Washington State, Alabama and Ohio. Photos on Twitter over the

weekend showed lines around the block at one Los Angeles gun shop.”

Luke 12[esv]15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I

will store all my grain and my goods.19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

God Loves a Cheerful Giver◦ 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need,

yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3 [esv]

◦ 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 [esv]

◦ 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken

together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6 [esv]

TO BE BLESSED MEANS WE CANNOT

BE CURSED.God cannot be cursed.

#4

To be blessed is to be with God.5 And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. 7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“From Aram Balak has brought me,the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:

‘Come, curse Jacob for me,

and come, denounce Israel!’8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

Numbers 23 [esv]

What does it mean to be blessed during the Coronavirus crisis?

◦ It means that God is with us.

◦ It means that we still have the ability to live with Him and act like Him.

◦ It means that we share His blessings with others.

◦ It means that we cannot be separated from His presence and His love.

Romans 8 [esv]

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that,

who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8 [esv]

36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THE LORD’S BLESSING

Re-thinking & Re-imagining Blessing in a Difficult Time