Reading: Hebrews chapter 11 verses 20-22
Ill:
• A preacher was addressing his congregation;
• When he held up a large piece of paper.
• He then took from his pocket a marker pen;
• And made a black dot in the centre of it.
• Then he held the paper up before the people and asked them what they saw.
• One person quickly replied, “I see a black mark.”
• “Right,” the preacher replied. “What else do you see?”
• Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the dot?” he asked.
• A chorus of no's came from the audience.
• “I’m really surprised,” the preacher commented.
• “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all—the sheet of paper.”
• Then he made the application.
“He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we receive from the hand of the Lord”.
• But like the sheet of paper,
• The good things are far more important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.
Quote: Someone has written:
“As you travel down life’s pathway, may this ever be your goal:
Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!”
Ill:
There was an advertisement in a local newspaper that said:
REWARD: Lost dog. Three legs, blind in left eye, right ear missing, tail broken,
recently neutered.
Answers to the name “Lucky”.
Note: The theme running throughout these verses is blessing:
• Not luck, not chance, not fate, not good fortune etc;
• But blessing!
• These blessing may include both prayer and prophecy concerning that individual;
• But primarily they are passing on the promises of God given to this family/people.
• The theme running throughout these verses is blessing:
• With Isaac, he blessed his immediate children.
• With Jacob, he blessed his grandsons.
• And with Joseph, he blessed his clan.
Quote:
• “You could summarise these blessings as:
• Blessing to the individual.
• Blessing to the family.
• Blessing to the nation.”
Notice too that the blessing came near the end of their lives.
• (a). Genesis chapter 27, is where the blessings to Jacob and Esau are recorded,
• We read there that Isaac thought he was about to die.
• (b). Here in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21;
• We are told that Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh “when he was dying”.
• In fact, in Genesis chapter 48 verse 2,
• It says that Jacob rallied the last of his strength just to sit up on his bed
• (c). When Joseph brought in his two boys.
• Hebrews chapter 11 verse 22 tells us that Joseph blessed “when his end was near”.
• People respond in different ways to the realization that they are getting old;
• And in different ways – when they are getting ready to die.
Ill:
• At a nursing home in Fareham, a group of residents were moaning about their ailments:
• One lady said: "My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee,"
• An old man replied:
• "Yes, I know, my cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee,"
• Another replied;
• "I can’t turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck,"
• Another said: "My blood pressure pills make me very dizzy,"
• Another went on to say. "I guess that’s the price we pay for getting old,"
• There was general agreement and a short moment of silence ensued.
• Then someone cheerfully said: "Well, it’s not that bad, at least we can all still drive!"
Note:
• When Isaac, Jacob and Joseph knew the end was near, they didn’t complain.
• They used the last ounce of energy that they had to bless others.
• The fact that they waited until the end of their lives to pass along these blessings
• The fact they waited;
• Does not mean that they were only a blessing to their families at the end of their lives.
• It means that the blessing was so important;
• That they wanted it to be the last thing that they were remembered for.
• The blessing was their last act.
• They couldn’t die before they gave it.
• It was the summation of all that they were,
• What their life had been about and all that they wanted to pass along.
• It was important.
• Blessing others is important in life and in death.
(1). Blessing someone implies that there is a
future.
Ill:
• A frog went to see a fortune-teller,
• The fortune-teller gazed into a crystal ball and said:
“You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.
From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you - you’ll fascinate her.”
• The frog asked: “Where am I? At a singles club?”
• The fortune-teller replied: “No a biology class.”
There were many times in the lives of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph when they could have doubted regarding the future:
e.g. Isaac:
• Remember that Isaac’s wife had been barren.
• She was unable to conceive and have children.
• And there was no medical help to nudge the process along in those days.
• Then as the years went by she became too old to have children;
• Quote: “She was past her sell by date”
• But at the age of 59 and childless – they prayed!
• When the future was bleak and unpromising;
• They prayed to God and he miraculously answered their prayers,
• In fact he answered it in a big way - God gave Isaac twins.
e.g. Jacob:
• From the moment of their birth,
• It was clear that these two boys were going to be very different.
• One was covered with ... red hair when he burst into the world,
• So they named him “Red” which is what the name “Esau” means.
• And the other was born holding onto his brother’s ankle.
• So they named him “Jacob” which means “trickster, deceiver”,
• ‘One who comes up from behind and attacks you at your weakest spot.’
These two brothers started out in life wrestling, in conflict with each other:
• And as they grew things only got worse.
• They struggled with each other.
• Their personalities were totally different from one another.
• They fought over everything including the love and attention of mom and dad.
• Until finally, the only way that they could keep the peace;
• Was that Jacob settled as his mums favourite,
• And Esau settled as his dad’s favourite.
• Esau kept to the fields and hunting which is what he enjoyed.
• And that was fine with Jacob.
• It kept Esau out of his hair since he enjoyed staying at home and working there.
• Every time Isaac looked at his boys,
• He must have really wondered if there was going to be a future for this family.
• The big dispute took place;
• The day dad decided that it was time to pass along the blessing.
• In this culture the blessing determined who was going to have a real future.
• As was the custom - Isaac intended on passing the blessing to Esau – the oldest boy,
• But Jacob wanted it for himself.
• So, with the coaxing of his mother,
• Jacob deceived, tricked his dad into giving the blessing to him instead of his brother.
• When Esau found out that he had been cheated out of what he thought was rightfully his.
• He decided that he was going to make sure that Jacob did not have a future.
• He was going to kill Jacob.
• So Jacob wisely ran away far from Esau;
• And ended up at his uncle’s home in a country far away.
• Through a series of events that only God could have orchestrated,
• Jacob gained his uncle’s two daughters as wives,
• He had 11 sons, and a multitude of flocks and herds.
• After Jacob had spend 20 years in exile,
• God came to him and told him that his future was back in Canaan.
• So Jacob took all his stuff and all his family and headed back home.
• The problem with heading back home was that Esau was back home.
• Jacob knew that Esau could hold a grudge for a long time.
• Once again the future looked bleak;
• He feared for what his brother might do.
• But God had promised a future, so he continued on.
• When Jacob finally did meet up with his brother,
• He discovered that Esau had forgiven the sins of the past, and they were re-united.
• Jacob settled back down in the land.
• Over time, Jacob’s sons grew older and taller.
• Now he had 12 sons.
• Having not learned the pitfalls of favouritism from his father,
• Jacob chose his eleventh son, Joseph as his favourite.
e.g. Joseph:
• Being the favourite son was Jacob’s fault not Joseph’s;
• It as the favourite son Joseph let the other brothers know of his privileged position.
• Joseph’s brothers reacted like any sibling does when favouritism is shown;
• They became jealous, angry and bitter.
• They grew hostile toward Joseph, mocking him, even despising him.
• Their hostility culminated with their selling of Joseph as a slave in the land of Egypt.
• Now it was Joseph’s turn to wonder if there would be a future for him.
• And if you know the story things went from bad to worse:
• While working as a slave in this foreign land;
• Although innocent Joseph was accused of raping the wife of an important official;
• And Joseph was thrown in prison to rot his future away.
• Joseph was a forgotten man
• What kind of a future could he have in prison?
• Even while in prison Joseph performed a kindness for a fellow prisoner;
• When that prisoner was released and restored, he too forgot Joseph.
• There appeared to be no future for Joseph in prison.
But God…
• “Was with Joseph” is a key phase in the story.
• The One who holds the future in His hands;
• Communicated that future to Joseph through 2 dreams that Pharaoh had experienced.
• And for Joseph his reward was that life suddenly changed.
• And so Joseph, the eleventh of 12 sons,
• A slave, imprisoned criminal, hated by his brothers,
• Became the 2nd in command of Egypt and would become Egypt’s saviour.
• And through another set of circumstances that only God could have orchestrated,
• Joseph’s dad, Jacob & the rest of Joseph’s family came down to Egypt to live there where
• Joseph could provide for them.
• Joseph not only had a future, but he provided a future for others.
Note: In each of the circumstances that these men faced:
• Where it looked like their future was about to come to a bitter end,
• They continued and prevailed because of one thing – the promises of God.
• God had made a promise to their ancestor Abraham;
• That he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
• And that he would become a great nation and that he would inherit the land.
• None of these promises had been fulfilled yet,
• So they were passed on from generation to generation.
• By faith they believed that God would keep His word,
• Because these promises had not yet been fulfilled,
• They believed – had faith in God - that there had to be a future.
• They knew that God himself held the future.
• And they knew that the one who created the world;
• Also controlled the direction that that world would go.
Application:
• True blessing is reminding someone of the promises of God.
• That is what restores hope .to hopeless situations.
• ill: Funeral – certainty & confidence that the believer is “With the Lord”
• ill: For those who remain it is letting them know;
• That in spite of what yesterday or today looks like,
• For the child of God there is always, always a future.
• And the future is bright, because God is there!
(2). Blessing someone indicates that I have
something to offer.
ill:
Each New Year – we say (some even send cards) the phrase “Happy New Year!”
• We say it out of tradition or habit
• Or because we have good intentions towards someone;
• But we are actually powerless to make that statement come true.
• Just speaking those words; “Happy New Year!”
• Will in no way impact whether or not you actually have a happy new year.
• We are powerless to make those desires come true.
Note:
• That might have been the way that Isaac felt in Genesis chapter 27 verses 28-29:
• When he passed along his blessing to Jacob.
“May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness-- an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed."
• Ill: Mark Twain.
• “Words, just words” – or something more?
“Words, just words” - that’s not the way that Isaac looked at it.
• In verse 33 Isaac says that these words will come true.
• He has every confidence that Jacob truly will be blessed.
• How could Isaac be so confident that his words would come true?
• Was he some kind of magician who could see into the future and make predictions?
• The reason that he could be so confident is because;
• He was not the source of the blessing.
• He was only the messenger – the one who passed on the blessing to Jacob.
• The source of the blessing was God himself.
Ill:
• I can easily promise my kids a trip to Disney Land.
• But I may well not be able to fulfil that promise.
• So they might instead end up with a weekend in Bogna!
• Promises are only as good as the one who makes them.
• And God always keeps his word.
Ill:
Genesis chapter 28 verses 3-4:
“May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham."
• According to these verses, who was the source of the blessing?
• God was.
• Isaac’s role had simply been to be a conduit (a channel);
• The person who would passing on the blessing to Jacob,
• Then Jacob would then passed it on to his sons and grandsons,
• And then Joseph would pass it on to the rest of his people.
Application:
• Are we passing on the blessing of God.
• The greatest blessing of all is the message of salvation.
• Fritz Kreisler was born in 1875 and died in 1962;
• Was a world-famous violinist,
• He earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions,
• And he generously gave most of it away.
• So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn’t able to buy it.
• Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price,
• He returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument.
• But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector.
• Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home and offered to buy the violin.
• The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it.
• Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea.
• “Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?” he asked.
• Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso picked up the instrument and played;
• He played from the heart and the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred.
• “I have no right to keep that to myself,” he exclaimed.
• “It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it.”
Ill:
• The New Testament records tell of forty people,
• Each suffering from some disease, who had been healed by Jesus.
• Of this number, thirty-four were either brought to Jesus by friends;
• Or Jesus was taken to them.
• In only six cases out of forty;
• Did sufferers find their way to Christ without assistance.
(3). Blessing someone reminds me that I am
not the centre of the universe.
• All three of these men, Isaac, Jacob & Joseph;
• At one time or another, thought that they were the centre of their universe.
ill: Isaac:
• Isaac had been the centre of his dad’s universe.
• That’s part of the reason why Abraham was told to sacrifice him on top of Mt. Moriah.
ill: Jacob:
• Jacob thought his goals and his plans were more important than what was right.
• That’s why he was always manipulative and scheming - cheating to get what he wanted.
• ill: First, he cheated his brother,
• ill: Then, he tricked his dad,
• ill: And finally he connived his uncle out of the majority of his wealth.
• ill: All in the name of self-preservation and self-advancement.
ill: Joseph:
• ill: Joseph was only too willing and eager to tell his brothers of his dreams;
• Dreams where they would all bow down to him!
• ill: Then in prison do you remember his pitiful cry; “Remember me!”
• And God allowed him to stay in prison for two more years.
• Then when he was taken before Pharaoh it wasn’t about Joseph and his gift.
• It was about his God: “I can’t interpret it” said Joseph; “But God can!”
• For Joseph lesson learned!
• God could now move him on and use him greatly.
Application:
Ill:
• When you view a group photograph – who do you look for first?
• Honest – we always look for ourselves!
• As we bless others we remind ourselves;
• That we are not the centre of our universe!
Notice:
• It was at the end of their lives that each of these men blessed others.
• In that time a lot of stuff had transpired. A lot of hurt. A lot of bad blood.
• They could have focused on that, and if their universe still revolved around them,
• They would have focused on those hurts.
• But rather than focusing on themselves,
• They chose to focus on those who would follow them.
• They did as Timone and Pumba in The Lion King advised.
• “They put their past behind them. They chose to focus on the future.”
CONCLUSION
• Blessing someone else is a good practical reminder;
• That I need to focus on the well-being of someone outside of me.
• But in blessing someone else,
• I actually wind up receiving a blessing back to me.
• Part of the original blessing that God gave to Abraham;
• And was then passed on to each successive generation was
• “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.”
