Title: When God Has You, You Have His Blessings
Text: Psalms 68:19
Intro: When God has us we receive His blessings upon our lives, so much so that we become burdened with blessings. In the movie, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevia makes this statement about money being a curse, that if money is such a curse that may God strike me with it and may I never recover. If Blessings are such a burden than load me down God load me down.
I. Living In The Blessings
A. It is God’s nature to bless His children
1. God does not keep a ledger on the blessings that He gives to us.
a. One column for deposits
b. One for withdrawals
2. Others see God’s blessings upon our lives as being drizzled through out our lives.
3. Many have turned the idea of Blessing as something you do before you eat; or something that is said when grandma sneezes.
4. It has become nothing more than a casual greeting.
5. Still others say “well I don’t want to appear greedy I just want to remain humble.” You stay humble I want to be blessed.
Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
B. He promised the Children Of Israel that they would be blessed if they followed Him.
1. There are blessing found in God’s presence
- II Samuel 6:10 God blessed Obededom
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Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deuteronomy 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deuteronomy 28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deuteronomy 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deuteronomy 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
2. When you are blessed by God you are the head not the tail
- The head makes decisions
- The head lead where ever you go
- The head arrives first
- The tail just follows
3. We must realize that we serve a God that wants to bless us.
4. His blessings are contingent upon our lives being committed to Him. We chose to live in either blessings or curses
5. We should get up every morning anticipating a new blessing from the Lord.
ILL. Phyllis getting money that I refused from my parents. She was blessed financially I was blessed with a learning experience.
II. The Idea of the Blessing
A. Jabez understood the idea of the blessing from God
1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
1. God Bless Me
- No beating around the bush
- No worrying about what others would say
- No worrying that he might get to much from God
2. God bless me, Indeed; and enlarge my coast
- God give me more than I have
- Give me a greater portion
B. We are not talking about some hyper-faith movement but the fact that God has blessings for those who ask.
1. Our Heavenly Father has something for us
2. We should come like a child on our birthday
- Not wondering do I get anything, but how much
- You say “that sounds greedy”
- Look at Jabez again didn’t ask for a new Cadillac; left it up to God of how to bless him.
3. We deserve His blessings
- Not a step child
- Not some demons punching bag
- We are Children of the king
- Royal blood flows throw our veins
- We are those that He came to seek and save
- We are the ones that He poured out His life for
Matthew 7:Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
4. Go after your blessings daily
- Ask expecting to receive/ I’ll ask but nothing is going to happen
- Seek expecting to find/
ILL. Of playing hid and seek when I was it, I was determined to find someone and catch them and make them it.
- Knock expecting for it to open./ Because God wants to bless you.
III. Receiving your Blessing
A. In Bible days blessing was part of your inheritance
A blessing had two main parts.
1. One was drawing close/ a meaningful touch
· Issac kissed Jacob
· Jesus confronted by the leper touched him before cleasing
2. Two was the spoken word/word matter
“sticks and stones..” it is a lie.
- Words can help or hurt.
ILL. Dad telling me I was not good enough to lead worship
· God communicates with us through words
· He spoke and worlds can into existence
· When He sent His Son to communicate his love for us and complete the plan of salvation “The word became flesh”
· The Word is alive today
B. Today blessings still come to us by our heavenly father
1. Through meaningful touches
2. Through The Word
Numbers 6:23 On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
Numbers 6:25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Numbers 6:26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
