The Scriptural Soundness of Blessing
October 21, 2012 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction
A The time to bless someone is now.
1 Two times Jesus was anointed by other people: one with a pound of ointment & the other with 75 lbs. of ointment (Mary & Nicodemus).
a Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, "Why this waste? 9 "For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11 "For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 "For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her." Matt 26:6-13 (NASB)
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. John 19:38-40 (NASB)
b One is remembered & the other is not. Why?
aa Mary, a former prostitute, poured perfume on Jesus’ feet
bb Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin & a secret Christian poured 75-100 lbs. of ointment on Jesus.
c Mary blessed a living Jesus, Nicodemus a dead Jesus.
2 D. L. Moody said, “There is a lesson here. How very kind & thoughtful we are to a family who has lost a member, & what kind words are said after the person is dead & gone. Would it not be better to say a few of those good things before they go? Wouldn’t it be better to give some of your bouquets before a man dies than to go & load down his coffin with them? He cannot enjoy them then.
3 It’s better to give a rose to someone when they are alive than a whole wreath when they are dead.
B Can you recall a time when someone spoke a good word to you that strongly impacted your life?
1 Can you remember doing that for someone else?
2 Your list of 7: Appreciation, acceptance, approval, affection, attention, affirmation, admiration
I How biblical is all this “blessing” stuff?
A The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, & when it was translated into Greek (Septugint LXX), the translators used the Greek work eulogy to translate the Hebrew word bless (barak).
1 In the Old Testament, bless appears 330 times, in the New Testament the word eulogeo & its many forms appear 44 times.
a Jesus used it often
b He practiced blessing & directed His disciples to do the same.
2 The Old Testament is full of passages describing the practice of blessing others.
a Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.' 27 "So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them." Num 6:22-27 (NASB) (ORANGE)
aa Last line: “so they (Aaron & his sons) shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, & I will bless them.”
bb As Aaron & his sons are blessing Israel, they are putting God’s name on them as well as God’s blessing.
b Our blessing releases God’s intended blessings on others as well as ourselves.
c Now the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to give this special blessing to the people of Israel: 24-26 `May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord's face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.' 27 This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my blessings upon the people of Israel; and I myself will personally bless them." Num 6:22-27 (TLB)
B In Genesis 49, Jacob summons his sons so he can bless them.
1 As for Asher, his food shall be rich, and he will yield royal dainties. 21 "Naphtali is a doe let loose, he gives beautiful words. Gen 49:20-21 (NASB)
a All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him. Gen 49:28 (NASB)
b The father blessed his kids.
2 Blessings had value in the economy of the Jew.
a A blessing was considered predictive, powerful, & important.
b Perhaps the most famous story of blessing is Esau & Jacob in Gen. 27 (PINK SLIP)
3 Gen. 27 tells us this story of blessing: Isaac, Esau, & Jacob
a Isaac was old, reflecting, coming to terms with his own mortality & wanted his two sons to receive his blessings.
aa First the eldest, go get me some venison, smoke it, bring it to me & I’ll bless you. Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; 4 and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die." Gen 27:3-4 (NASB)
bb So he did!
b Rebekah heard Isaac’s word, but favored the youngest son, Jacob.
aa She devised a plan (dress up like brother). And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Gen 27:16 (NASB)
bb Jacob went into dad’s room dressed like Esau, smelled like him, but Isaac didn’t buy it immediately.
So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." Gen 27:22 (NASB)
cc Jacob kissed dad & Isaac caught the smell.
c So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed; 28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine; 29 May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you." Gen 27:27-29 (NASB)
aa Imagine Esau’s anger Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me." 32 Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." 33 Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed." 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" Gen 27:30-34 (NASB)
bb Isaac was old, but not stupid Then he said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" Gen 27:36 (NASB)
cc Esau says, “Dad, bless me, too!” Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." So Esau lifted his voice and wept. Gen 27:38 (NASB)
dd Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, and away from the dew of heaven from above. 40 "By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but it shall come about when you become restless, that you will break his yoke from your neck." Gen 27:39-40 (NASB) Isaac gave Esau what blessing he could
ee Mixed blessing
d We can see the importance of blessing in Old Testament times.
aa Blessing was a form of prophecy
bb Not a guarantee, but an opportunity that God has given through Spirit-anointed blessing.
4 Jews still practice blessing their children.
a In the U.S., there are fewer Jews in jail than any other ethnic group.
b In the U.S., there are more successful Jews in high places than any other ethnic group.
c Percentage-wise Jews are awarded more Nobel & Pulitzer prizes than any other group of people.
d A large percentage of America’s millionaires are Jewish people, & yet they comprise only 2.7% of the population.
e 60,000 inmates in Florida prisons, & only 13 Jews.
5 Parents, especially fathers, bless your children/spouse daily!
a Learned truth, but if not applied you will forget it.
b Use it or lose it
6 Blessings are still important today.
a Children are still crying, “Bless me, daddy, speak well of me.”
b We’re all looking for those words of blessing to feel valued, worth, accepted, approved, appreciated, affirmed.
7 Before Jesus ascended, He gave a prophetic blessing to His disciples.
a He expressed the value He saw in them.
b ...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NASB)
c Earlier, He gave a promise to His disciples.
These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:25-26 (NASB)
aa This is not only a promise to the disciples, but to all believers of all time.
bb When He put the future of His church/His bride into the hands of His disciples, He was giving them/us a monumental blessing & statement of confidence in them/us (future blessing).
cc We have Jesus’ blessing as we bless others!
II What you should know about blessings.
A There are two kinds of blessings: blessings for the present & blessings for the future.
1 Present blessings express what is visible, true about a person-right now.
2 Eulogies for the future express what the person can become because the potential is there.
a “God is going to do big things in your life.”
b In a real sense, the future blessing is prophetic & predictive.
B Present blessing
1 We bless/eulogize people for who they are or for the good we see them doing.
a Everybody has good (bad) about them...if you look for it!
b Temptation is to let the wrong/deficient keep us from seeing & praising the good.
c Some examples of present-day blessing:
aa “John, you’re a kind & unselfish boy.”
bb Casey’s worker: “You always have a smile & it’s a pleasure to give you $3 a gallon for gas.”
cc Employee: “You are very diligent, faithful. I appreciate you, & you’re an asset to this business.”
dd Employer: “I enjoy working for you & appreciate your thinking of us, consideration for us as your employees.”
ee Wife: “Henry, you’re very faithful & always look for ways to put a smile on my face.”
2 When we focus on the good in others, we will always find something to praise or eulogize.
3 Most people are like stray dogs.
a Be nice to them, they’ll be at your back door-loves your house-there everyday!
b I hate to compare people to stray dogs, but you will find that if you make others feel good about themselves, they do typically react in much the same way.
c They become your friends.
C Future/Prophetic blessing
1 There should/can be a prophetic element in blessings.
a By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. Heb 11:20 (NASB) Pointed to their future!
b Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we can see the potential in others, tell them about the potential with a word of prophetic future blessing.
aa General future blessing: “May love & peace be with you always.” or “I am confident that God is going to finish in you & bring to completion what He has started.”
bb Specific future blessing: “I believe you’re going to be a wonderful wife for some man, & together you will do great things for the kingdom of God.” or “With your sharp mind you are going to be a first-class engineer.”
cc When I was 13, I felt called to ministry & God put future blessings all over me!
B When you give a prophetic blessing it is spoken in faith.
1 Means that we say what we really believe God has said to us to tell another.
a We DO NOT speak prophetic blessing without having spent time in prayer.
b We DO NOT speak prophetic blessing without having sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
c Count on the Holy Spirit to guide you as you give prophetic blessing.
d God backs the blessing He initiates (God has promised that if we invoke His name, He will bless.
2 Peter wrote about what happens when we bless others.
a To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9 (NASB)
b By blessing others, we inherit BLESSINGS for ourselves.
3 Examples of prophetic blessing:
a “You are a very thoughtful person & one day you are going to grow up to be a great husband & father.”
b “Son, I have the gift of seeing a winner & you are one.” -male college student.
c “Young lady, you have great potential & are going to be a great teacher.”-lady in college
4 Mary Swope, (Bless Your Children), suggests a prophetic blessing we can give to children:
a In the name of Jesus Christ: within you dwells the spirit of creativity, for you are made in the image of the great Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. He is the one who gives you ideas to design, build, & perform. Let Him fill your imagination with creative thoughts that, when brought to reality, will bring glory to Him & blessing to others. May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon you to establish the work of your hands.
Conclusion
A As you look at people & pray for them, the Holy Spirit will give you things to say prophetically.
1 When we pray for people, God will make us see them differently.
a Jesus looked at people & saw things others couldn’t see.
b He gave some folks a chance that the world would have written off!
aa Dropouts, prostitutes, lepers, handicapped-He saw something!
bb He saw what they COULD become (if that isn’t prophetic, what is?)
2 Seeing someone’s potential & sharing it with them is a God thing.
a Remember Jesus’ raw recruits? (12 disciples)
b You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden Matt 5:13-14 (NASB) Jesus saw “salt” & “light” when everyone else saw “rejects” & “repulsion.” Prophetic blessing.
c These men became “salt” & “light”
B Let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. 3 But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. 1 Cor 14:1, 3 (NLT)
Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 1 Cor 14:1, 3 (NASB)
1 There is a value expressed by Paul of future-tense blessing.
2 Look around you. Do you see someone with special potential? Tell the person what you see.
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