God Bless You

GOD BLESS YOU

Genesis 27:1-4, 24-40

INTRODUCTION:

1. Christmas is coming; the goose is getting fat!

Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat.

If you have no penny, a ha’ penny will do; if you have no ha’ penny, then God bless you.

2. This old carol concludes with the blessing of God invoked to be upon anyone who has not enough to give half a penny to an old beggar. What is meant by the Christian when he says, “God bless you!”?

3. In Mark 10:16 Jesus “blessed” children. He acted as a Jewish father would. In Matthew 10:1-16 He commissioned the twelve and instructed them to greet houses with blessing (vs 13). At the Ascension our departing Lord shared with His church the power of His blessing through which He remains bound to it (Matthew 28:20 cf Genesis 26:3). -Brown 203/Br

4. “Christ, when He blesses, blesses not in word only, but in deed. The lips of truth cannot promise more than the hands of love will surely give.” -C.H. Spurgeon

The hands of Christ have certainly backed up the lips of truth. Christ has given us His righteousness and brought us into His blessing, or, the favorable considerations of God.

5. In I Peter 3:9-12 we learn that we as New Testament believer priests, are called to blessing.

PROP: BECAUSE WE ARE CALLED TO BLESS AND INHERIT BLESSINGS, GOD OFTEN BLESSES US THROUGH ONE ANOTHER.

TRANS: In Genesis 27, we touch on 5 components of blessing. When we bless others, God is doing the blessing.

I. The first component of blessing is TOUCH.

A. When Isaac asked to touch his son before imparting the blessing, the indication is that Esau had been touched before by his father --in a meaningful and appropriate way (Genesis 27:21-22). When Jesus blessed the children, He “touched” them (Mark 10:16). See also Genesis 27:12.

B. Touch can make a parent’s love real to a child of any age. It is seen in various forms and accomplishes a number of purposes. When a parent appropriately touches his/her children Dr. Herman Austel, the noted Hebrew scholar, relays his nervousness about learning to drive while a teenager. At one point, while behind the wheel, he felt particularly unsure of himself. His father was in the passenger’s seat next to him. As a teenager one knows that his whole life depends on being able to drive. Uncertainty has no encouragement in it. Dr. Austel’s father gently reached over and put his left hand on Herman’s right knee. Without saying anything he merely gripped the youth’s knee as if to say, “Everything is going to be all right.” That blessed touch meant everything in the world to Herman.

II. The second component of blessing is MESSAGE.

A. In verses 28 and 29 of Genesis 27 we read a message that Isaac wanted to convey to his son about himself.

B. Messages carry impact - especially ones often repeated. Pastor Steve McLain of Quincy told me of the blessing he received when Pastor Joe Parkinson of East Wenatchee complimented the teaching found in some tapes by Pastor McLain.

My mother once observed my handling of a disciplinary situation with my daughter, Kimberly when she was about two or three. I expected my mother to urge “less firmness” on her granddaughter. Though she did to an extent, my mother “blessed” me by saying, “you’re doing a good job.” That simple message touched me in love.

III. The third component of blessing is VALUE.

A. Isaac communicated respect with what he said to his son in the blessing. This said something of how Isaac valued Esau, Isaac did not value his birthright. As a consequence he lost the valuable blessing and later cried for it with no hope of retrieval (vs 34).

B. “Nothing raises the price of a blessing like its removal; whereas, it was its continuance which should have taught us its value.” -H. Moore

C. Our children ought to value our blessings and we ought to show each other valuable love and respect through blessing each other. What we give says something about another’s value to us. Also, what we give up says this to our children. When you sit down to take a nap but get up to play catch with your little leaguer! You give up the sleep to make a statement of worth to your child.

IV. The fourth component of blessing is FUTURE.

A. Isaac communicated hope for a special future for his child. We need to do this as well. Verses 28-29 point to the future. Everyone has a future. Blessing gives something in the future to look forward to. Faith looks to God’s handling of the future and a blessing should be a matter of faith. See Hebrews 11:20. Talk to one another of things to come.