Monday, February 18, 2013
Blessing
Yesterday we did an in depth look at the Genesis 27 story where Isaac inadvertently blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Blessing is so mis-understood in this culture because our value system is so out-of-whack. As I said yesterday, the O.T. blessings of Prosperity, Victory, Progeny, and Realty are not what is important to God (and therefore should not be important to us). God did not send his Son to help our 401K, help our team win, help us have many kids, or help us acquire beachfront property. Jesus fulfills O.T. blessing in a spiritual way that has a much higher value than what we tend to value as humans. At the end of the sermon yesterday, I prayed a prayer of blessing over the people of Eastview. It moved me deeply and many of you said it did you as well. So I have copied the blessing below. Be blessed...and I mean it as stated below
Final Blessing for Benediction:
And now, may God bless you with the riches of joy, peace, and love by faith in Him who gave his life for you and saved you by His blood
May you be blessed in overcoming your enemy Satan. May you triumph over all his schemes, temptations, and fears in your life by the word of God and the power of His Spirit...
May you be blessed to find your place in the family of God as sons and daughters of the Most High and may you fully participate in his house, the church
May you be blessed with a great hope in the inheritance that is yours in Christ Jesus and may you live each day in the awareness that you will never die.
And now may the love of the Father, and saving grace of His Son Jesus, and the presence His Holy Spirit be yours in abundance, both now and forever more.
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2 comments:
Excellent message. I will be watching it again on video when it gets posted. The wording you used to describe blessings, at the end, was perfect, and I want to review it.
I do have some questions regarding the choices made by Rebecca and Jacob at the time. Is there any recorded rebuke by God of Rebecca or Jacob in their deception? As clear as it is that they used deception and lies to get Issac to give the blessing to him, somehow it seems as if Rebecca was following God, since He told her how it would work out in the end. It was already God's choice for Jacob to receive the blessing, so she was not working contrary to God's intent, while Issac was intending to do so. In man's reason the first-born has meaning regardless of the substance of the first-born. I'm still trying to envision what God's actual plan for the situation was since there is no mention after the fact, or correction for the deception [from God himself]. Was there any way that Jacob would have received the blessing and Esau was going to okay with that? [I'm not a fan of deception, I'm just not comfortable with the assumption that God intended something else when it isn't stated elsewhere in scripture.]
I'm sorry that I'm never around to hear your sermons, and so I have no idea what's been said.
But I like how our actions (in this case a blessing) change us in a sort of neurological way, how it forms culture, and helps relationships.
Even simple things like "i hope you have a good day" is helpful. Especially blessing people that are more difficult to relate to.
Same deal with prayer.
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