Bless You!

Scripture: Proverbs 18:20-21; Numbers 6:24-26; Acts 4:32-37

Title: Bless You!

Theme: Blessing Others Through our Words!

INTRO:

Grace and peace this morning in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

How many of us have either heard these words or have spoken these words?

+ "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." (Catholic)

+"We give You thanks for food and drink and all that You provide: flowers, mountains, stars above, family by our side. Grant that we might hear Your voice and always be our Guide; From now until the end of time may we, in You, abide. Amen" (Ecumenical)

+Be present at our table Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. These mercies bless and grant that we may feast in fellowship with Thee. Amen. (Methodist/Wesleyan)

+Bless, O Lord, This food to our use and us to thy service, and keep us ever mindful of the needs of others. In Jesus' Name, Amen. (Traditional)

+God is great, and God is good. Now, we thank him for our food. By his hands we all are fed. Thank you, Lord, for our daily bread. Amen. (Children)

All of those of course are blessings that people all over the world say before they eat their meal. It is a sacred time dedicated to blessing the food and a note of thanksgiving to Our LORD who provides our daily bread.

What may be interesting to know is the fact that by saying those words we are telling the mashed potatoes, the green beans, the bread and whatever we are eating to be blessed – to be supernaturally enhanced with God’s presence, power and provision. We are calling down a blessing upon the very food before we eat it. We are asking for a spiritual transformation to take place in the food and therefore in us as well.

The idea of blessing things and people is an ancient one – most of us have heard the Traditional Gaelic Blessing:

May the Road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of your hand.

It is important to understand that those are not merely nice words to say or to send someone on a note card. By saying or writing those words we are in fact sending a supernatural blessing upon the person(s) we want to read those words. We are seeking for them to receive a supernatural blessing through our words and actions. We are doing what we can to help them receive a real, transformative and existential blessing.

We are participating in the same spiritual exercise that we see the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY do and various people in the Bible do. Blessing others is a spiritual exercise that we can do each and every day of our lives. The Bible is clear that we have the power to send someone a blessing that can help transform another person’s life. The Bible is clear that we have the power to help someone reach the next level in their lives and that we have the power to help shape their future for the good.

Let’s take some time this morning to look at all of this –

HOW WE CAN BLESS OTHERS THROUGH OUR WORDS

The Bible tells us that:

1. Our words have the power to bring a blessing into the lives of others

In the very first chapter of the Bible we find the first blessing ever written – it is a blessing from the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, from our Creator God, from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to Adam and Eve:

“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)

In saying those words to Adam and Eve the LORD was giving them the ability and blessing to bring forth children, to populate the whole the earth and to be the human leaders over all that God had created on our earth. In other words, the LORD gave Adam and Eve dominion (stewardship) over all that He had created on our earth.

Those words of blessing were more than words – they supernaturally transformed Adam and Eve (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) and they changed the order of dominion of the earth. While they were in the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve had the keys to the kingdom of Earth.

It was God’s intention that Adam and Eve live out a life filled with all kinds of blessings. That is why God created the earth and mankind in the first place. Earth would be a place where LOVE would reign supremely, where UNITY would be experienced and where HOLINESS would be enjoyed. Earth would be a place where the LORD GOD AMIGHTY would visit and spend time with human beings. Earth was to become very much like the earth that the Apostle John wrote about in Revelation 21 – 22.