Our Day Ten A Nation God Blesses IV God s Blessings Look Like Him

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1 Our Day Ten A Nation God Blesses IV God s Blessings Look Like Him We really need His Blessing. Truly in our Day, we are desperate for His Hand of Grace upon our Nation. He is here, and His Presence is working on our behalf, and His Salvation is secure in all of those who have placed their total faith, hope and trust in His Blessed Son, Jesus. And yet His Blessing is being withheld from so many lives, in so many congregations, and in large part from our public lives, because He is rejected in most of our public situations, He is marginalized by many in our day, even within the Church of Jesus Christ. We are in serious need of His Blessing, which we learned last week is His Favor or Support resulting in prosperity, success and happiness, bestowed upon one who has consecrated himself or herself to God and seeking His Favor, bows or kneels before Him in submission and praise and obedience to Him in their life. Individually, collectively, even nationally. One cannot marginally believe in God, sort of, and expect to receive His Blessing. You cannot name Him One among many other gods and expect to receive His Blessing. You cannot worship Him for your own entertainment, at your own leisure, on your own terms, and expect to receive His Blessing. A person cannot acknowledge Him with their lips and deny Him by their very lifestyle and expect to receive His Blessing. God Blesses those whom He chooses to Bless, and He chooses those who come to Him, His Way, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And God Blesses those who bless others for His sake and Glory, and in obedience to His command. He determines the Blessing, His Blessing includes His Presence, His Blessing is endued with His Spirit, you might say, it always looks like Him. His Blessing is always consistent with His Word, as written in the Bible.

2 His Blessing will always be illuminated by that Word, by His Spirit, revealed by His Power in our hearts, and not often seen by the world, as 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us the god of this age, Satan, has blinded their minds. So it is entirely possible you or someone else, may be living fully blessed by God, and the lost and carnal people around you have no idea. We need to take our cue from God s Word, examine our lives in the mirror of His Truth, not in the looking glass of today s society, or our local culture, or the falsetto lives tabloids and television portrays. It is the destiny of every Christian to look like Jesus Christ, to live like Jesus Christ and to love like Jesus Christ, and let me just say, if God pours His Blessing on you, that is exactly how you will appear, like Jesus, for that is His primary purpose for and method of extending His Blessing, to mature every Christian to shape every believer into Christ. Explaining the purpose and work of the Church, the Bible and His Revelation to mankind, Paul says this in Ephesians 4: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. God has Blessed us with every Spiritual Blessing in the Heavenly Places, sending and equipping prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, by the millions, writing many of the revelations He gave them down in His Sacred Book, for one purpose, to grow us up in Christ and into Christ. Spiritual Maturity is a real Blessing, we need to take every opportunity to grow in faith and obedience and therefore receive that Blessing. Sadly today there are millions whose minds are blinded so they cannot or do not realize His Blessing and would reject it outright if they did understand. And there are many who want such blessings in their lives, but they have been duped into believing they have messed up too badly, or their scars run too deep, their addictions are too strong, or somehow it is too late. Oh how awful it is to feel that way. Listen, if He can make an entire woman from one single rib taken from a man, He can you a new person, in fact that is His signature Blessing.

3 2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. God s Blessing is for anyone who will come to Him in faith believing in Jesus Christ His Son. He will pour Himself out in power and glory on us if we will but have faith in Him and exercise that faith in obedience. A person or nation God Blesses will be faithful. Jesus said in John 14:12-14 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Based on this passage, I believe the Father answers our prayers and Blesses us in direct proportion to our faith. Psalm 33:22 says, Let Your mercy be upon us O Lord, just as, or in the same way, we hope or trust in You. A person or nation God Blesses will be faithful. God blesses people who are good citizens and neighbor, and subsequently nations filled with good citizens. Romans 13:1-7 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Would you say Jesus subjected Himself to proper governing authorities? Do you recall what the Lord said to Pilate during His trial?

4 John 17:11; Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin. There are times when civil disobedience is appropriate, such as when a law or custom of the land or governmental decree is in direct violation to God s revealed Word. Otherwise one cannot disobey civil authority and expect God s Blessing. And one should be a good neighbor, loving those God places in our path. Romans 13: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. This sort of life is very Christ-like and will be filled with God s Blessing. A person or nation God Blesses will be Holy. Romans 13: And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. This world we live in is saturated with sensuality, sexual immorality, wickedness and lewdness, lust and covetousness, and we must avoid and abstain from participating in such behavior if we are to be recipients of God s Blessing. The sex industry is a $57 Billion Dollar per year industry. Do you know what would happen to this huge enterprise if Christians suddenly stopped participating and spending their money on pornography, sex toys and paraphernalia, strip joints and prostitution? It would collapse. You cannot live an unholy life and expect God s Blessing. A person or nation God Blesses will be wise.

5 Speaking in the first person as wisdom, these Words are found in Proverbs 8:32-36 Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD; 36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death. Proverbs 28 describes God s Blessing on a person who walks with integrity, Biblical integrity. Finally God Blesses the humble. James 4:6 says, God resists the proud but gives Grace to the Humble. Grace is none other than favor or Blessing, undeserved. So in order to receive God s Blessing, we must believe, truly and completely believe that He is, that He is the One True Only God, Who is All and is in all, and is Righteous, Sovereign and True. In order to receive God s Blessing a person must come to Him in faith believing in His Son Jesus Christ and follow Him, not conforming to the world but transforming unto Christ by the renewing of the mind. In order to receive God s Blessing a person must seek His Will through prayer, study and the application of His Word through obedience, maturing into the express image of His Son, our Savior. Faithful, Holy, Wise, a person of Integrity. Loving their neighbor, Humble. God Blesses those whom He chooses to Bless, and He chooses those who come to Him, His Way, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And God Blesses those who bless others for His sake and Glory, and in obedience to His command. He determines the Blessing, His Blessing includes His Presence, His Blessing is endued with His Spirit, His Blessing looks like Him. All of these things, and more, are elements of the Christian Life, the Lord laid out for us. He is going that way, and He has instructed us to follow Him. To walk with Him, to imitate Him, for His Glory, and Kingdom and if we do, He will Bless us.

6 It is His desire and my prayer that you will take these things said today and allow His Blessed Spirit to weave them into your heart and soul, and that you might take these things and apply them diligently to your life. It is how He plans on Blessing You. Prayer His Strength is Perfect 460 Return to Home Page