The Blessing

#Blessed, #IAmBlessed, #GratefultobeBlessed, these are just few of the most popular hashtags on the internet related to blessing.

• A guy was promoted in his job and received a bonus amid recession. He is blessed.

• A lady received a gift she did not ask. She is blessed.

• A family just moved into their own house. They are indeed blessed!

We use the word “Blessed” in our words.

• We say, “God bless you”, “Happy blessed birthday”, “Have a blessed anniversary!”

Generally, when something good happened to us or to someone we know, we associate it to blessing, and we feel like blessing others too.

So, what blessing really is? What does it mean to be blessed by God?

I am very sure and confident that Satan does not want you to hear this sermon.

Why? because he doesn’t want you to know what it really means to be blessed by God.

Let’s all learn from the Scripture as the Holy Spirit illuminates for us God’s idea of “THE BLESSING”!

<MAIN PLOT>

What if someone could not find a job yet? Or one could not have a child yet? Or maybe if one is in deep trouble? Does it mean that they are not blessed?

Let’s find the answers from one of my favourite narratives in the Bible, which is from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 8.

- God has chosen the Israelites to be his people

- From Egypt, he brought them out to bring to the Promise land

- But the chosen people of God lack trust in Him (Deut 1:32) and they refused to take on the giants who are guarding the promised land. (Deut 1:26) Remember the 2 out 12 spies (Joshua and Caleb) who returned with favourable reports? Yet they were still unwilling.

- God can’t give them the promised land thus he led them to the wilderness to wander for 40 years until almost the entire generation perish.

- After 40 years, the new generation are about to reattempt to enter the promised land, Moses stands before them and;

o He gives a recollection of God who led them all the way to wilderness (Deut 8:2-5) Food, clothes, teachings, discipline, etc.

o He gives them a preview of what’s waiting for them in the promise land (Deut 8:7-0) – a good land. Lack nothing.

o He told them the game plan (starting v10)

<OBEY AND REMEMBER>

Let’s read the key verses in Deuteronomy 8:1, 18-20 (NIV)

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.

18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

Their game plan “OBEY & REMEMBER”, so that they will live.

If they will disobey & forget, then they would be destroyed.

<THE GOOD LAND>

Perhaps many are motivated to follow the game plan, because of the things that await them.

Deuteronomy 8:6-9 (NIV) 6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce, and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

If we are going to apply this story to our self, what does that promise land represents in our life? Could it be the salvation of your family, your marriage, or your business, etc.?

Declaration: The Lord is bringing you into a good land!

<IF ONLY THE PREVIOUS GENERATION REALIZE> Props

God’s plan is to bring the previous generation to the promise land, but they disobeyed God and disqualified themselves

And so, for the second time, God (through Moses) gives a simple yet important instruction, “walk in obedience”

If only the prior generation realize that all the while, they were already blessed because God’s attention is on them, they would have easily conquered the land.

Because taking the promise land is none of their business, it is God’s. Their role is to walk in God’s way. To bless us is God’s decision, our job is to walk in obedience