WHO ARE THE BLESSED PEOPLE ? : IDENTIFYING THE BIBLICAL SIGNS OF GOD’S BLESSINGS
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OUTLINE
1.CHOSEN
2.COMMITTED
3.CONFIDENT
4.COMPASSIONATE
5.CHASTENED
6.CHALLENGED
7.CROWNED
THE MESSAGE
WHO ARE THE BLESSED PEOPLE ? : IDENTIFYING THE BIBLICAL SIGNS OF GOD’S BLESSINGS
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1.CHOSEN
Those who are chosen by God are blessed people. They are drawn by God unto Himself. This is a greater blessing than all the wealth and riches and honour of this world. We should realise this and be grateful to God because He has chosen us and drawn us unto Himself.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 65:4
Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
JOHN 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
DEUTERONOMY 7:7-8
The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
2.COMMITED
Those who are committed to Christ are blessed people . They do not have any doubt or suspicion about Him . They are not offended in Him . Sometimes we allow circumstances that are painful to us to make us offended at God .We begin to doubt and question God’s love and wisdom. This is a dangerous path that would lead us into misery and confusion. The blessed people are those who are not offended at God even when they face situations which they do not understand. They continue to trust the goodness and faithfulness of God. The apostle Paul was committed to the love of Christ and would not allow any suffering to seperate him from the love of Christ. The Lord Jesus was committed to the will of God even if God did not remove the cup of suffering from Him. He knew God had the power to send legions of angels to deliver Him. But even if God did not deliver Him , He was committed to obey God. Shadrach ,Meschach and Abed nego had the same commitment to obey even if the Lord did not deliver them from the fiery furnace.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 11:6
And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
ROMANS 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
MATTHEW 26:39 , 50-54
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
DANIEL 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.
But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
3.CONFIDENT
The blessed people are those who trust in the promises of God and they will experience the fulfillment of the promises of God in their lives. They do not get discouraged and lose their faith even if it takes a long time for the promises of God to be fulfilled. In the Old Testament Joseph dreamt a dream when he was seventeen years old .But it took nearly 22 years before the dream was fulfilled. During the intervening period the word of the Lord tried him. He faced many difficult situations but at the appointed time God fulfilled the dream.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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LUKE 1:45
Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
PSALM 105:17-22
and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with shackles,his neck was put in irons,
till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,
to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
HEBREWS 10:35-39
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
HEBREWS 6:12-15
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."
And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
4.COMPASSIONATE
The blessed people are those who have compassion on the poor and needy . They reach out to help those in need . As a result they receive many blessings in their own lives. The Lord will deliver them in time of trouble. He will preserve them and keep them alive and they will be blessed upon the earth. The Lord will not deliver them over to the will of their enemies . He will help them when they are sick and heal them. They will also be richly rewarded in heaven for all their compassionate deeds towards those in suffering.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 41:1-3
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.
MATTHEW 25:34-40
"Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
"Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
"The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
5.CHASTENED
The blessed people are those who are chastened and disciplined by the Lord. It is a blessing to be corrected and disciplined by the Lord and it will protect us from many dangers and destructions in our lives . The Lord disciplines those whom He loves and makes them go in the path of righteousness so that their future is safe and prosperous. The wicked continue in their evil path until the time of their destruction.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 94:12-13
Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law;
you grant him relief from days of trouble,till a pit is dug for the wicked.
HEBREWS 12:5-11
And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
6.CHALLENGED
The blessed people are those whose strength is in God . They take the trials of life as a challenge and come out victoriously. When they pass through the valley of tears they turn it into a well . They go from strength to strength and stand before God.They do not allow the valley of tears to destroy their lives . Even when they go through tears and sorrows they draw their strength from God and turn their painful experiences into a learning experience which can be a blessing to others. They depend entirely on the Lord for their strength. They do not trust in their own wisdom or might or wealth to deliver them.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 84:5-7
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
PSALM 147:10-11
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;
the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
JEREMIAH 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
7.CROWNED
The blessed people are those who endure temptation and trials and testings and come out victoriously. The Lord will give them the crown of life . It is not a blessing to be free of all testings . There is no crown to those who never faced any trials and testings in their lives . Every testing leads us into a higher level of growth and maturity and brings greater reward for us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JAMES 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
REVELATION 3:7-13
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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