Sermon # 5 - Curses Are Cancelled Through Christ Series

Today’s meditation is taken from Deuteronomy 11:26-28, "Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse--- a blessing, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; but a curse, if you disobey these commands and turn away to worship other gods that you have never worshiped before. (GNB)

We are studying about the church, and we recap that the church is blessed by God. The church is not a building made of stones, but a people chosen by God to be separated unto the Lord. To be separated for God means that we remain distinct from those around us, and do not do all the sinful things that those around us indulge in. This difference should be noted in our families, our work place, and in our interaction with society. Sometimes we are different when in church, and are different when out in the world. Being separated for the Lord might mean we will feel lonely and left out at times. The thought we should bear in mind is that it is far better to be with the Lord, and have the world reject us rather than have the world with us, and forfeit the Lord’s presence in our lives. God is more than enough for us and He is all we need.

The church is built up by Lord and His word, and not by the strength or efforts of any man. We also realize that the church is blessed by God which means that each one of us are blessed by God. If the blessing of the Lord are upon us, it means that His riches rest on us, and there is nothing we will need.

We also saw that blessings and curses are the words spoken by God or people who have been endowed with authority from God. These words of blessings will bless us and build us up, or the curses pronounced can tear us down. In the passage of scripture in Deuteronomy 11:26-28 the Lord declared that both blessings and curses were placed before the people of Israel and the blessing would be theirs if they obeyed God or their disobedience would incur God’s curses on their lives.

Often when something good happens to us we take the credit for the same, and when something goes bad we blame it on others. The fact is that only when we walk in obedience to the Lord, understanding His will, we will have His blessings on our lives. Whenever, we disobey God’s word, and go against the will of God, we will only receive curses.

God has given us the freedom to choose

Adam and Eve had the choice before them. From the very beginning of creation God has given man the free will to make choices. God will never force anyone. I have heard some people argue that God should have prevented them from making wrong choices or going the wrong way. God will never do that, for He has given us the freedom to make our own choices. The word of God explicitly tells us what is right and what is wrong. It is up to us to make the right choices. Remember Adam and Eve had the freedom to either eat or not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

For example, those who are in church had made a choice to get ready, and be there on time. There are others who did not make that choice. Based on our choices we either bring blessings on ourselves or the curses as God has clearly told us about.

The choices people made

Lot too had such a choice to stay with Abraham, the Father of faith or to walk away on his own. We know that Lot decided to walk away to Sodom because it appealed to his eyes, and ended up in a place that was cursed by God.

So also, Judas Iscariot had a choice to either be loyal to Jesus or to take the side with the religious leaders who were against Jesus. Judas had been with Jesus for three and half years, but he went after tradition, money and ended up a failure.

As children of God, we can be sure that based on our choices we will either be blessed or cursed. Sometimes, people regret for a choice they have made many years later, but can sadly never undo the consequences of the choices they made. When the blessings of God are on our lives, our lives will be built up, but when curses are on us, our lives will be a constant struggle.

We read in Exodus 20:5-6, “Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation. But I show my love to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my laws.” (GNB)