Barriers To God's Blessings

BARRIERS TO GOD’S

BLESSINGS

God has a multitude of blessings that He wants to impart to

each and every Christian.

A. Many times Christians just don’t understand the

extent of these blessings.

1. Peace with the God of the universe

(Col. 1:20-22)

a. It is very frightening to have such a being

as our mortal enemy.

2. A clear conscience (I Peter 3:21)

a. There is absolutely no other way to

remove guilt from our lives.

3. Salvation from the pain and terrors of hell.

(Jude 22-23)

a. If God did nothing else for us....this

would be one of the biggest blessings in

existence.

4. Eternal life....with God! (I John 2:25)

a. We aren’t talking a long time...we are

speaking of no more time.....never

coming to an end.

5. Adoption into the family of God (Rom. 8:15)

a. We have equal standing with Jesus Christ

.....everything that Christ is and has

inherited.....we share equally.

6. We enjoy the comfort and the power of

God, Himself...through the Holy Spirit.

(John 14:16).

a. If we have the power of the Holy

Spirit, working in us....WE HAVE

THE POWER OF GOD....if we

could and would only recognize it.

7. We enjoy the loving mercies of God

(Matt. 5:7).

a. We can have as much mercy as we

could possibly want....it all hinges

on the mercy that we are willing to

show to others.

** God has even designed His plan in such a way, that we

shall be exactly like Jesus....one day.

I John 3:1-3 - 1Behold what manner of love the Father has

bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not

know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it

has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know

that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall

see Him as He is.

1. Multitudes of blessings are there awaiting us......

blessings too numerous to mention.

a. The thing we must know and understand,

however, is that these blessings are

conditional...depending on the condition of

our hearts.

1.) We can put up barriers, in our hearts,

that can work to deny ourselves these

blessings.

a.) God wants us to have them...He

has provided everything that we

need to obtain them....the only

one who can deny us these

blessings is ourselves.

We will look at HOW we put up barriers to God’s

blessings.

I. We put up a gigantic barrier to God and His blessings,

by refusing to do what He wants us to do.

Heb. 6:9-12 - 9But, beloved, we are confident of better

things concerning you, yes, things that accompany

salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10For God is

not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you

have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered

to the saints, and do minister. 11And we desire that each

one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of

hope until the end, 12that you do not become sluggish, but

imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the

promises.

Heb. 10:36 - 36For you have need of endurance, so that

after you have done the will of God, you may receive the

promise.

A. Yes, there is something for us to do.

1. We read in the book of Revelation that all

mankind will be judged by what they did or

didn’t do.

Rev. 20:13 - 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it,

and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in

them. And they were judged, each one according to his

works.

B. People have bought into the notion that, “Jesus

has done it all.....there’s nothing for us to do.”

1. This is absolutely true when we are speaking

of the cleansing power of His blood....nothing

else can wash away our sins.

a. There is no “penance” that would be

great enough to pay for our sins.

b. There would be no act, invented by man,

that God would recognize.

c. Without the blood of Christ in the mix....

nothing else would be of any use.

2. But with the blood of Christ, and the

forgiveness of our sins....comes an expectation

that we would act as loving and obedient

children.

** Some scripture to illustrate the point:

John 14:15 - 15“If you love Me, keep My

commandments.

James 2:17,24 - 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have

works, is dead. 24You see then that a man is justified by works,

and not by faith only.

1. There are many more passages which illustrate the point.

a. The blessings of God are free and they are there...

but one of the conditions of receiving the blessings