TRIPLE GOD’S BLESSINGS FOR YOU
2 The LORD said to Moses, 23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, ’This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 " ’ "The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
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27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them." Numbers 6:22-27 (NIV)
What great words from the Bible, such hopeful words! It just blesses your heart, does it not? God wanting to bless people… wow! But are we just a bit sceptical if God can really pull this off, I wonder. Can God really do this? If He can pull it off, does He even want to do it? It is insane to bless a world full of violence, drugs, profanity and godlessness… If I were God, I would more likely blast it rather than bless it? And look, is it really true He wants to bless, if so where’s the evidence?
Looking around, the evidence isn’t so clear, it seems. There is just too much devastation, , people worried about the next SARS outbreak, next terrorist attack, next bit of BSE or mad cow disease bad news, so that now you can’t even go to MacDonald’s in peace. OK so we switch diets and eat fish and then… we hear this past week, salmon, farmed salmon that is, we’re told is not a such a blessing, but really quite toxic, a breeding ground for cancer-producing agents. Can’t even eat fish in peace, can we? This winter, flu season hit North America early, peaked way too early, getting some really mutated forms of the flu virus… told to get flu-shots… scary… we see long line-ups for the shots on TV. Last summer, we’re told the West Nile virus is hitting the West, now every summer we can’t even play outdoors in peace!
Many are coming to a conclusion that our world is heading no where fast. Is there really anywhere in the world we can find blessing, instead of impending doom? The African continent is gripped with the AIDS epidemic, millions die of it every year. Do you think that the world is ready for some blessing, some good news, something to feel good about? Perhaps there is some hope… maybe capture of Saddam Hussein will get rid of threats to American soldiers. Nope, that has not happened. The world says a big “What else can we do?”
Maybe …the news about the landing of a 4 feet tall machine that looks like a golf cart bring some hope…
January 9, 2004 article entitled “A Different kind of Rock star” appeared on USATODAY website called the new Mars probe… “The hottest action hero of 2004” … the “star”… “in a feel-good Mars mania blockbuster that is gripping the nation”.
Ray Browne, an author and retired professor of popular culture at Bowling Green University in Ohio, in same article says exploring Mars taps into the constant human need to find a better place. "Plato looked. Everybody looked. The new world was settled by people looking for heaven on earth. So in many ways going to Mars is a kind of going to heaven. We’ve always stretched and looked for the unattainable."
What does that sound like to you? Is he not voicing the hope of millions… “looking for heaven on earth”…is blessing unattainable?
It is really interesting that he observed there could be a dark side to our explorations. "I suspect that the obsession — if that’s what it is — is a kind of subterranean fear that things are going to get too hot down here, so now is the time to look for that Shangri-La. And if we just get up there, a few of us, we’ll escape all the trouble that we’re having down here."
It seems the world keeps looking for that Shangri-La, heaven on earth, or on Mars… and it can keep looking cause I do not think anyone would want to live on an icy cold planet, barren planet, tough enuff to live here in Vancouver through the snow storm last week…no thanks!
This world it seems wants to be blessed, wanting heaven on earth… if not there, perhaps on Mars, or the moon…we try so hard to manufacture it.
Good news… God says His blessings are available 24/7! He is willing to give us what our hearts desire and comes like this…
1. The Three-Fold Blessing of God.
a) Note the 3 fold use of the name of God
3x formula = intensification, emphasis! God’s personal name is at stake! It is behind this blessing, backing it up with his personal authority!
As the Bible says: “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Eccl.4:12 (AMP). There is something powerful at work here with this 3 fold use of God’s name.
Referred to as “the Lord’s Prayer of the O.T.,” this God’s prayer and it is an intense one, revealing His desire for people, His desire to personally be involved in blessing…this would continue to be the priestly prayer for Israel, and for all who believe.
“A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Eccl.4:12 (AMP)
It is his express will as stated even before the Ten Commandments were given through Moses to bless all the world.
“All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you." Says God to Abram in Genesis 12. And this was revealed in a time of darkness, when people wanted to make a name for themselves, scheming to become their own gods, God says he will abandon us to the darkness of our own making!
That is why Christmas and Easter came, God will not abandon His beloved people, Jesus personally came from heaven to tell and show the world God will indeed bless the world…
2. Jesus is now our high priest.
1Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
"You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.[1] "[2] 6And he says in another place,
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."[3]
7During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:1-10 (NIV)
From here we discover that Aaron’s priesthood according to God’s plan is given to Jesus. As the Bible said Jesys “was designated by God to be high priest.” This means God’s blessing, His benediction over people, the 3x intensified prayer, is now applicable to all people through Christ! God’s intensely involved in giving the best.
3. The Blessings that meets our needs
Look at the six components that says God, yeah, you are wanting to bless us, come to us, love us….
a. THE BEST NEWS: God really Blesses…
Every spiritual blessing is now available to us who believe in Christ …Eph.1 (MSG) says…
3How blessed is God! And WHAT A BLESSING HE IS! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and TAKES US to the HIGH PLACES OF BLESSING in him. 4Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. 5Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)
God is truly happy to do this for us, he planned it even before the world was made, there was joy in his heart over this intense desire to love the world and to become personally involved as a loving papa, father over his family, providing what’s needed to make life, eternal life fantastic.
b. PROTECT: Keep
God is able to keep us from falling, present us faultless before His presence
God will protect…
24And now, all glory to God, who is ABLE TO KEEP you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. 25All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen. Jude 24,25 (NIV)
c. JOY: Face shining
God is welcoming us with joy! See Jude 24,25 again… not only present us faultless but also present us before God with exceeding joy…
24And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with GREAT JOY. 25All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen.
Ex.33 tells story of Moses wanting to have a face to face chat with God, but God said “no” cause His holiness, His presence of absolute purity will blow sinners away. His face if seen will vaporize people… As a result of granting Moses desire, all Moses got to see was his back.
But today we get to see God’s face shining with joy over us. WHY? Through Christ, we get to see God, we get to pure in heart through belief, through faith in Jesus, who makes us clean when we trust Him as Savior, to cleanse us from all that’s not right in us. He makes us right!
d. GRACE: God is Gracious
God is giving us grace not what we deserve for our sins.
Eph. 2:8,9
8Saving is all his idea, and ALL HIS WORK. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s GOD’S GIFT from start to finish! 9We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! (MSG)
God is willing to bless us – it is more than we can dream or hope for, He is the driving force, the initiator, the gift-giver and question is “do we trust Him to do it?”
e. SMILE: Relationship with a smile
The expression “lift up His countenance” in v. 26 is similar to the English “smile.” - WA Criswell
this is what God wants to say to us!
’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’ Matt25:34 (NIV)
“Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matt 25:21 (NIV) - God’s invitation to joy is for us when we trust Him and live for Him, serving Him as Master!
f. Peace: God wants to give us peace, not war!
God says “no war” between us and Him, we have peace now with God THROUGH CHRIST (Rom 5:1). NO more fear – God wants to give us peace thru Jesus Christ
Even now it is there for us to experience… Phil 4:6-7 (NLT) says:
6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Can you see the great benefits of faith in God? Renew self in the great hope of this intense personal blessing of God! Then turn around let it flow to others, be a blessing to others by sharing the news there can be a heaven on earth through Christ’s forgiveness, through God’s intense personal agenda of making a hopeless world well up in hope again by His blessing!
CONCLUDING REMARKS:
January 8, 2004 USATODAY reported this on their website:
Woman admits she lied about losing $162M lottery ticket
CLEVELAND (AP) — A woman admitted through tears Thursday that she lied about losing the winning ticket for a $162 million lottery prize, saying: "I wanted to win so badly for my kids and my family."
Elecia Battle, 40, is dropping her lawsuit to block payment of the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot to the certified winner, her lawyer Sheldon Starke said.
"I wanted to win," Battle said. "The numbers were so overwhelming. I did buy a ticket and I lost it. I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize."
The Cleveland woman had filed a police report saying she lost the ticket, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store. The lottery dismissed the claim and declared Rebecca Jemison, 34, the winner on Tuesday…
This woman believes that 162 million dollars will solve her problems… blessing will come if only there are 162 million dollars to her name. So she schemed to get the “blessing” and made life a misery for all involved! Now she is shamed publicly, embarrassed all her family and friends because of her lies.
“I’m not a bad person, I’m really not," she said. "Everyone has a past."
As the USATODAY report noted:
Police and court records show Battle has a criminal history. While working at a Richmond Heights pharmacy in 1999, Battle used a customer’s credit card number to make purchases, police said. She paid a $450 fine for misuse of a credit card, and a 10-day jail sentence was suspended.
Battle was convicted in 2000 in Cleveland Heights of assault for grabbing a drug store clerk’s hair and scratching her, according to police records. Battle got a six-month suspended sentence.
She was convicted of criminal trespassing in 2002 and paid restitution of about $1,250, according to South Euclid court records. Fines were suspended because she was indigent.
Everyone tries to paint a picture that "I’m a decent person", don’t they? "I’m not bad" but truth be told, we are all in the same boat... We’re deceiving ourselves if we believe we are nto that bad!
Another story: Patricia Heaton star of TV sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” while filming a TV movie in Vancouver - One Sunday she attended a small Presbyterian church down the street from her hotel. Most of the congregants were elderly. The choir was made up of about six people who couldn’t sing. They stopped the service to have a sermon aimed at the children, three of whom were misbehaving. Recalls Patricia, "I sat in that pew and my mind was going, ’This is ridiculous. These people! Why don’t they do this or that? Do they think this is accomplishing anything?’"
Then she stopped herself. Her condemnatory attitude suddenly became obvious. "I thought to myself, ’It’s amazing how much you can sin just sitting quietly in a pew in church.’ My thoughts were so judgmental and unloving. I just thought, ’You know, we really are hopeless. I mean, there’s nothing in us that’s righteous at any given moment.’ Even if you have some kind of pure motive on one hand, just give yourself five seconds, you know?"
How much we can sin even in a church pew, what insight!
Into such a world, of hopeless believers and non-believers… (aren’t we all hopeless cases? There is really no righteous!) God’s face is not turning away from us… through Jesus, we get the picture he is not condemning the world… he seeks to bless the world, you and I. 27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, AND I WILL BLESS THEM.” Through Aaron’s priesthood and descendants which we know now is Jesus, God tells of a triple determination through His personal name, describing His personal will and intention to absolutely bless His people.
Ps.23 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Can you declare with confidence that statement? In God we trust, not in Mars, not in things that perish... We can, when we trust God’s determination, turn to Him, believe in Him, confess our failure, inadequacies, weaknesses, failures, let Him turn our condemned existence into a an existence of peace and blessing through faith in Christ the Savior of the world! The price of justice is paid up, in Christ, who died to take away our sins, in Christ we find forgiveness, in Christ we find the blessing we long for, LOOK His face is turning towards us! Will you fix your eyes on Him?
Will you, this new year of 2004, let the blessing of God flow to you through Christ who bore our sin? Turn around now and trust in your God, the Lord Jesus!
