There are many kinds of blessings. There is an old Irish blessing that says, "may you be in heaven 30 minutes before the devil knows you're dead."
Some people I know, need that blessing. Life is a blessing. A Catholic priest, a Rabbi and a Presbyterian were discussing when the blessing of life began. And the Catholic priest said, "it begin at conception", the Presbyterian said, "the blessing of life begins at birth", and the Jewish Rabbi said, "the blessing of life begins when your children leave home."
What is the blessing? Christians believe that if you want a blessing you have to do something to get it from God. That's legalism. If you can get a blessing by doing something, then you can manipulate God and that is witchcraft. God is not in "the let's make a deal program". He blesses you because He is Sovereign, because He is good, He is merciful, He is just and He wants to bless you ABOVE YOUR ABILITIES TO CONTAIN IT. I want you to understand that today.
A Catholic boy was in a Catholic school and he wanted a bicycle and he told the Nun, "I like to have a bicycle" and she said, "If you'll pray to the Lord tonight, He'll bless you with a new bicycle if you'll tell Him you'll be good for 6 weeks".
So he knelt down that night and said, "Dear God, if you'll bless me with a bicycle I'll be good for 6 weeks." He said, "Scratch that God, I can't be good 6 weeks." He said, "Dear God, if You'll bless me with a bicycle, I'll be good for 4 weeks" He said, "Scratch that, I can't be good for 4 weeks." He said, "Dear God, if You'll bless me with a bicycle, I'll be good for 2 weeks." He said, "Scratch that."
He looked over and saw a statue of the Virgin Mary, wrapped it up in a bed sheet, put it under the bed, and said, "Dear God, if you ever want to see your mother alive again."
God is not in the "Let's make a deal program". He will bless you because He is good, He is faithful, He is just, He is compassionate, He is your heavenly Father. God is a good God who wants to bless you, BUT HE CANNOT, because A.) We have resisted His blessing B.) We don't know how to release it C.) We don't know how to pass it to our children.
We are going to learn some of this today as we study these unsearchable riches of God. HOW MANY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE GOD'S FULL BLESSING. Let me see your hands. How many of you would like to pass it to your children and to your children's children for 4 generations.
Today we will study WHAT IS THE BLESSING & HOW DO I QUALIFY FOR THE BLESSING, A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BLESSING, THE CONTENTS OF THE BLESSING, THE HINDRANCES OF THE BLESSING & THEN RELEASING IT INTO YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL LIFE.
Read with me please Numbers 6:22-27.
Father, in Jesus name, help us to see in this text, what You were exposing for the first time, to Israel and to the church, that we may live in the full blessing of God the Father. In Jesus name we pray. And all of God's children said, praise the Lord.
WHAT IS THE BLESSING. Listen to this. The BLESSING is the impartation of the supernatural power of God, into a human life by the spoken word of God's delegated authority.
How many of you got all of that? How many of you would like for me to say it one more time? That's good. Listen to this. The BLESSING is the impartation of the Supernatural power of God, into a human life by the spoken word of God's delegated authority.
God said to Moses, "I want you to tell Aaron, the high priest, the spiritual authority, to speak this blessing over Israel and I will bless them." Say that with me "I will bless them".
THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BLESSING. When God created Adam and Eve, the very first thing He did was to bless them. "And He bless them and said, 'be fruitful and multiply, subdue and take dominion'"
Then God blessed Abraham. And He said in Genesis 12, "I will bless you and I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you".
Listen to me. The blessing of Abraham has literally shaped the destiny of world history, both nationally and spiritually.
And then God blessed Isaac. And then God blessed Jacob. And in Numbers 6, God is explaining to Moses how to release the entire blessing of heaven upon all the children of Israel. I just read it and you just heard it. Whenever Jesus, who was a Rabbi, began His earthly ministry, His very first sermon was a series of 9 blessings. Blessed are the poor in spirit---blessed are they that mourn--blessed are the meek---(not the weak, but blessed are the meek)---blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled---blessed are the merciful--- blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall have their eyes scratched out (that's my version)-- bless are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD. That's how Jesus said to handle criticism.
THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO KEEP FROM BEING CRITICIZED. Do nothing, be nothing and say nothing. And there are some I know who are trying to all 3 at the same time. If you are criticized and it is true, correct your actions. If you are criticized and it is not true REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD. Say that with me. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Laugh. (ha, ha, ha they are criticizing me again) If I laughed every time I was criticized, I'd look like a laughing hyena. But it is a great way to live. WHY? Because I'm bless of the Father.
Now listen to this. Jesus took time out in His earthly ministry to bless children. The Bible very plainly says in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus took them up in His arms and put His hands on them and He blessed them. My question to you is, "If it wasn't important, why did He do it?" Did Jesus do things that were not important? And when He picked them up and He blessed them, --- what did He say? What did He say to them? I'll tell you what He said. He said what Rabbis, then & now, and Jewish fathers, then and now are saying. "May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and may the Lord be gracious unto you, may the Lord lift up His countenance and give you peace." Then He added what other blessing He wanted to come upon that child.
As He spoke that blessing, AS THE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY, there was a supernatural energy that was released from the throne of God into that life and it immediately began to take shape and form.
But the last picture we have of Jesus as He is lifting into the heavens, He blesses His disciples. The last thing He does, was bless them.
If it was the first thing He did when He gave the Sermon on the Mount, blessed them, and it was the last thing that He did, obviously, it is a very important thing.
Luke 24:50 said, "He went out from Bethany and the last thing He did was BLESS them as He ascended into the heavens"
It is God's will to bless you. This blessing is the Shalom of God. Most people know that means peace, but it means more than peace. It is the panorama of God's blessing. It means to be blessed in my health, to be blessed in my thoughts, to be blessed in my relationships, to be blessed in my abundance, it means to be blessed in my soul. Everything God has to offer is in the Shalom of God.
All prosperity begins inwardly in your spirit. The Bible says, "beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health, EVEN AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS." Say that with me, "Even as your soul prospers." If your soul does not prosper, you are a poverty stricken man. You can have money and be poor. (hello--anybody there) Say that with me. You can have money and be poor. You can be tormented in your thoughts and be poor. You can be captivated by anger and resentment and depression and will make the quality of your life a hell on earth. So you have got lots of money in the bank. What's the good of it, if you cannot have one day of peace and one day of joy and one day when your relationships bless your life.
You can live in a marriage without love and be poverty stricken in your relationship. You can live in a home with rebellious children and be poverty stricken in your relationships. You can lay in a bed of gold dying with cancer and the orderly who changes the sheets on your bed can have divine health and joy unspeakable and full of glory. WHO IS THE RICH MAN IN THE ROOM? The millionaire dying with cancer on a bed of gold, or the orderly who has joy unspeakable and divine health. WHOSE RICH THERE?
I want you to hear this. There is more to being happy than making money. We have made money the god of this nation. And I'll tell you, holy God is pulling the god's of mammon down on their faces, the same as He pulled the Philistines' god Dagon down on his face in I Samuel.
My mother speaks blessings on me. Am I blessed. Am I rich. Yes. I blessed in my health. I'm disgustingly healthy. Thank God. Every time I walk into a hospital and see a sick child dying of cancer, I say thank you Lord for the prosperity of health in my house.
I am blessed in my emotions. I am not conquered by anger. I am not conquered by resentment. I am not conquered by depression. There is not a grudge within me that is eating me alive, trying to get even with somebody. Many live in a hell on earth because there is an eating cancer way down deep in their soul wanting to get even with someone. There is something or someone that is totally destroying the happiness factor in their life.
I want you and them to hear this. When you find the blessing of God the Father, you'll have joy unspeakable and full of glory, IN SPITE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. You can look at the meanest enemy you have got and rejoice with divine joy because you are bless of the Father. BE BLESSED IN YOUR EMOTIONS, in Jesus' name.
I'M BLESSED IN MY SOUL. My sins have been forgiven. My friend, if there wasn't anything else in the Gospel to say but that, it would be the most joyous message in all the earth. My sins are forgiven.
We use to sing a song and long time ago, "Happy Day, Happy Day, when Jesus washed my sins away." Brother, it's still the message. God has forgiven me of all my sins. God has washed them into the bottom of the deepest sea. THey are as far from the heavens as the East is from the West. They are never to be remembered against me anymore. That is one thing God cannot do. He cannot remember sin that has been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. WE ARE CLEANED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST-----FORGIVEN, because we have been blessed by God the Father thru His Son.
Because of the death of His Son, desease has to yeld to the spoken Word of a child of God. He said, "I give you all authority over death, hell and the grave." All of your deseases have been paid for by the stripes that Jesus suffered for your physical redemption.
I am blessed in my health and by healing. When I kneel by the bed of those who are ill, I feel the power bringing the healing power of God into the life of that person. When I stand beside the bed of one of the churchmembers of this church, and I reach into the heavenlies and put my hand on their hand, I FEEL THE VOLTAGE OF THE BLESSING OF GOD HEALING THEM, because Jesus Christ has paid for the redemption of our deseases and by His stripes we are healed, totally and now. Thank God.
When you walk down the street, as a blood bought child of Jesus Christ, and satan and his demons see you walking up the street, they have to get off the sidewalk and let you pass by. Because the blood shield of the cross is upon you. The angels of God are around you. YOU TALK ABOUT TEFLON CHRISTIANS. He couldn't touch you with a squadron of demons, BECAUSE YOU ARE BLESSED OF THE FATHER, with a supernatual anointing of the Holy Spirit.
How many of you have ever seen that commercial about Raid. The cockroaches Raid---- R A I D !! You walk down the sidewalk and the demons see you coming, HERE HE COMES!! The blood bought child of God. Give him room, he's blessed of the Father.
I'M BLESSED IN MY RELATIONSHIPS. That is the Shalom of God. I'm blessed with my family and friends, whom I love. Every time I walk into this building, you bless me. We are the family of God and I love you very much and very intently and I feel that love. And I am rich beyond measure because of each and everyone of you. And I want you to know that that love heals and it transforms and it inspires and when you walk into this building, filled with the love of God and radiating with the love of God, the person who sits down beside you, whose live has been rung out like a pretzel, when they sit down beside a child of God, that love goes into that dried out pret and they begin to feel life, they begin to feel love, they begin to feel joy, they BEGIN TO FEEL BLESSED. Because they are sitting beside a child of God---plugged into the juice.
Some body is looking for the blessing of Jesus, let it pour out of you onto them.
Anyone who blesses you, without using the name of God, is practicing witchcraft. And the blessing will bring sorrow. The Bible says, "the blessing of God makes us rich and adds no sorrow." When someone gives you something, ask him to give it to you in the name of the Lord. And if they will not, there is a terrible price tied to it.
God has blessed, God is blessing. The Lord bless you. Say that with me, "The Lord bless you". Who said that? Donald Trump didn't say it. Sam Walton didn't say it. If Sam Walton walked in here and laid his boney hand upon your head and said, "I bless you with a million dollars" you'd go crazy.
Just wild. (Aiiii, I've been blessed) Almighty God has put His name on the line and said, "I will bless you with the resources of heaven. All that is in heaven and earth is your's, because we are heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ." It ought to make you leap right out of your socks and say "Praise God".
God has blessed, God is blessing, God will bless. Out of confusion and chaos will come the perfect answer, because I'm blessed.
Out of sorrow and heart ache will come joy unspeakable and full of glory, because I am blessed.
Out of turmoil will come peace that surpasses understanding, because I am blessed of the Father.
Out of sickness and pain will come health and healing because I am blessed of God the Father.
Out of poverty will come wealth because I am blessed of God the Father.
Out of bitterness and resentment will come unconditional love, because I am blessed of the Father.
Out of rejection will come acceptance because I am blessed of God the Father. I am blessed. In the name of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit----I am rich beyond measure, Hallelujah. I am blessed beyond measure. And give unto you the Shalom of God. The Shalom again. The most powerful word. It means wholeness, it means wholeness of mind and body. It means prosperity. It mean peace of God, it means peace with God. It means peace within the family. It means protection from all of your enemies. It means the total panarama of the blessings of God. HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT. You can have it. But first, you have to be in the family of God.
You see, there are 2 families in this building. The family of God and Jesus said, "if you are not of the family of God, you are of the family of your father, the devil" So, there are 2 families here.
He said, "You must be born again." And the way you do that is to receive Jesus. Are we not all the children of God. No. We are the creations of God. When you receive Jesus Christ, you become a member of the family of God and not before.
When you ask Him to cleanse you of your sin, then you are qualified to receive the blessing. GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU, BUT HE CANNOT, BECAUSE YOU HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST & NEVER RECEIVED HIM. I've joined the church. Pity. That will not help you. I've given to the poor. Pity. That will not help you. When you say, "I want to receive Jesus". God says, "get the blessing ready, we are going to pour it right down the chute and you won't be able to contain it, AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR OF YOUR LIFE.
Do you want the blessing? Do you want your children to have it? Can we stand to our feet and bow our heads. Pray this prayer with me please; Lord Jesus Christ, I confess my sins, and I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins, and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I confess that you are the Lord, and that you are the Savior. That you have risen from the dead and that you sit at the right hand of God the Father, from this day forward, I submit my life to You. To serve You, heart, soul, mind and body. I will obey Your Word & follow You to the last day I live. In Jesus name. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am justified, I am in the family of God. Lift your hands and thank the Lord for salvation.
