Get Ready To Be Blessed

Get Ready to be Blessed

Bryan Crumpler Sept 5 04

2 Kings 3.16-17. 4.3-4,5.10

Intro. Many stand on the outside looking in on the blessing of God. They see the results of faithful Christian living but they themselves have never realized the blessings of God. Others have no clue to the way God blesses his children . Due to a lack of commitment or misplaced values they are unaware of the principle that “Preparation Proceeds Blessing”

Let us Consider how we can “Get Ready to be Blessed.”

I. Lessons of Getting Ready to be Blessed.

We are going to look at some examples that demonstrate three important truths.

A. No water without ditches being dug first, 2 Kings 3.16-17

First we must understand the commands of God.

1. We begin by First seeking Gods Will and Way.

2. Gods will was made clear “Dig the Ditches”

3. Gods Way of blessing was going to be to fill the ditches with water.

4. Any other attempts would have wasted time and resources

B. No Healing without first dipping seven times 2 Kings 5.10

Follow through and obey the commands of God.

1. Naaman was made aware that he could be healed.

2. Naaman had to follow though and obey Gods command.

3. Many come to the know Gods commands but do not Follow through.

C. No Oil without first gathering the vessels 2 Kings 4.3-4

Faith determines the level of Blessings

1. The widow obeyed by gathering the vessels.

2. Her faith determined how much she would be blessed.

3. How many vessels did she gather. “Maybe More could be found”

II. Learning the Principle of Preparation

A. Preparation Proceeds blessing.

Every gain in the Christian life is determined by are willingness to get ready to be use of God.

1. Repentance- Joel 2.12-13 we must turn to God from sin if we have not been saved

(a) Sin must be forgiven by trusting Christ as Savior

(b) Sin must be confessed to keep our relationship open before God I John 1.9

2. Revival- 2 Chron 7.14 “God will bless if we confess” humble ourselves and pray

(a) Pride must be dealt with.

(b) Pride is an obstacle to blessing James 4.6

3. Resisting- James 4.7 we Must resist the temptations and snares of Satan.

(a) Satan will lead us away from the blessing of God with the emptiness of worldly treasures that do not bring happiness or joy only hurt 2 Tim 6.10

4. Relinquish- Give up what we are holing on to

ILLAugustine (A.D. 354-430) said, "God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full--there’s nowhere for him to put it." When we feel as though God’s blessings are missing from our lives, we need to examine our hands and see if they are open to receive, or clutched around something that we refuse to let go.

B. Unpreparedness Promote Loss

Jesus told us what it would be like in the end time and an example of being unprepared

Matt 24.38-39,48-50

1. Failure to see judgment for not being ready “they knew not till the flood came”

(a) I did not know will not be an excuse.

(b) We have the word to get us prepared

2. Foes of being prepared (ABC’s)

(a) Apathy- Not caring enough to do something

Ill/ In November of 1996, Ted Turner told a roomful of television executives to raise the standards for on-air programming. He said, “People are beginning to realize the total effect of watching so much stupid, sleazy, lousy, violent, exploitive television.” Later, though, he conceded a level of apathy on his part. He acknowledged, “My networks run a lot of programming that I’m not happy with and that bothers me. But does it bother me enough to do something about it? No, not really.” Turner’s experience represents a mirror of our culture. We are all sickened and disturbed by many of the trends in our society, but unfortunately, an honest confession for most of us would be a duplication of Turner’s quote: “Does it bother me enough to do something about it? No, not really.”

(b) Business- to occupied for to do what is important

(c) Calloused- Cold and hard to the things of God.

III. Living the Prepared Christian Life.

How can we live a life That is Ready to be blessed

We must be:

A. Watching- for opportunities

1. Many are asleep while others are moving forward

2. We will miss out if we don’t watch for chances

B. Waiting- Used as a time to get ready

1. So many times we feel our life on hold.

2. Use the Hold time to get Ready for more active circumstances

C. Working- not idle but doing what we can

ILL After an ocean-churning storm, thousands of starfish were washed ashore. A little boy was walking along the beach and throwing these marooned fish back into the water. A more sophisticated man was watching the small savior and felt it was his duty to point out the futility of such an endeavor. He called this boy’s attention to the thousands of starfish that lined the beach. He commended the little guy for his compassion but quickly noted, "What you’re doing is great, but frankly, it’s not going to make much of a difference." The little sage picked up another starfish and said, "Maybe not," as he threw it back into the surf, "but it sure made a difference for that one." The difference one person can make often seems minuscule in comparison with the need at hand, but what you’re doing may make a big difference in the life and eternity of one person.