Find the Blessing; Be a Blessing!
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Dear GEMS and Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Be a blessing. #blessed , receive God’s blessing and give it to others. Simply appreciate all the blessings big and small in life and then try to do good to others. But the main picture of your text, tells us to sow blessings and to reap blessings. as you have looked at this year - to become an agent of God’s blessing - you must become like a farmer of God’s grace. And the heart of the text says, that you must align your life each day positioned to receive from God the graces that you are to sow, This is what Paul means in the first part of your text about experiencing God making all grace to abound, having all-sufficiency
and having received it you must then rely on God, in all things, at all times, in order to reap blessing of God’s goodness and kingdoms in the places of need in people’s lives around you! In short you need to learn to
Key Truth: Sow with blessing from God, in order to reap blessings of God in the lives of people around you!
i.Most people just give a blessing to others, like giving a tip at a restaurant - little extra - I’ve got it so good, I can pay you some extra - be a little nice to people once in a while. But what God promises here isn’t - being a little nice to people once in awhile with your own stuff. What he promises is that just like He is a God who gives His all for us, lavishly, abundantly invests in us, when you receive GRACE from Him, you will become a partner with God, in sharing that same grace to the world! Let’s see how it works!
A. Receive the Blessing-Seeds of ‘All Grace’
Grace God’s Undeserved Favour
Paul uses the word - grace, here. Do you know what grace is? GRACE. God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. Grace of salvation - completely free, though it cost him all - But its free to us, don’t have to attain it, have to obtain it. Freely recieve by faiht. Soe illustrated it like this - lent $100 pen - didn’t get it back. Well if I give you my Christmas pen - say its a gift, but then I ask you to - shine my shoes or wash my car, or give me $50 - God didn’t owe use salvation, he wasn’t in debt to us had to give his son for the forgiveness of our sins, to make us right , forgive and relieve all guilt and shame. Do you see that receiving those gifts are not about - if you are a good enough boy or girl, God wil have to rewqrd you, his gifts to you wil be a payment rendered. This is why Paul is careful to say, good works as if you earn grace and blessings by doing good. SIngular - good work is the fruit that will come from receiving grace! As
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
First and most imopprtant way you need this gift of salvation to be equipped and outfitted to bless others!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
First and most imopprtant way you need to be equipped and outfitted to bless others!
This is what Paul is saying God in Christ gives you a new kind of life - lifethat’s everlasting - not just in time, but new waulity , .ife from above, - inheritance and blessing. This is the first grace of salvation, but God doesn’t stop there.
ii. No Paul says, he is able to make all grace abound. After receiving salvation - God has grace for every situation of life, gifts of character and of power, of patience and endurance, gifts of joy added by the Holy Spirit into your life. Other Christian graces, necessary one day at a time for one job, one stage of the journey of life a time, including the last journey - grace to see us home. And Paul says, God in an ongoing way to someone reconciled and saved by Jesus, keeps equipping with other graces. ,
that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—
so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Do you see that this word , grace, blessing, also the same word for the gifts, the new abilities that God pours into your life by His Holy Spirit.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This year you’ve learned to count your blessings from God big and small that’s good. But what are you doing with those blessings? It is interesting that there is a new trend that young people are following about SURVIVALISTS. DO you know what a survivlaist is - A Survivalist is one who uses all the resources to be able to survive on their own - in the woods, or if there was a war couldn’t get - food , need to make your own heat, of electricity - how preserve your food - MacIver - Our continent, with so many immigrants, come to this land - Myth of the Self-Made Man Woman, Frontier Family. Well your generation that’s now reality TV shows, and video games - but the idea is that you us all these blessings, and gifts for yourself.
THis year you’ve learned to count your blessings from God big and small that’s good. But what are you doing with those blessings? It is interesting that there is a new trend that young people are following about SURVIVALISTS. DO you know what a survivlaist is - A Survivalist is one who uses all the resources to be able to survive on their own - in the woods, or if there was a war couldn’t get - food , need to make your own heat, of eleecticity - how preserve your food - MacIver - Our contient, with so many immigrants, come to this land - Myth of the Self-Made Man Woman, Frontiet Family. Well your generation that’s now reality TV shows, and video games - but the idea is that you us al these blessings, and gifts for yourself.
And you become SELF_SUFFICIENT. Actually a play on words, in Paull’s day Greek philoosphers said - key to life is self-sufficient, to have contenmtn in your self and ability to provide - Stoics! -
But Paul lteaches us here in God’s Word that when you receive gifts from Jesus and His HOly SPirit are not to be used in surviavlist mode, with a little left over to be kind once in a while. Your all sufficiency isn’t in the $$, clothes, and popularity and stuff of this world, it is in God and in His grace and gifts in your lif, prisarliy the gifts of the HOly SPirit in You.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
But unlike the Survivalist - the gifts in Christ are not just meant so you can make it, or so you can be rich, healthy, and strong.
And unlike the Survivalist - the gifts are just meant so you can make it, or so you can be rich, healthy, and strong.
No, Paul says the point is not to be a survivlist, but a Farmer of Grace. This time of year, what kind of seed are farmers using - seed corn, grow for two different purposes. So too God’s blessings and grace in your life - not just for you - it is true like seed poking head out of ground, should look up and thank God , but you learned the second rule you want to share with us us is that after the seed breaks through the soil and first looks, up, NEXT it then reach out with fruit like tomatoes, apples and flowers! Here is the miracle of the Farmer’s Seed:
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
And this brings us to the second point, after you are in a relationship with Christ, depending on him, drawing on him what you need for every day, and for every service and help and good work he’s put in front of you, just one day at at time. You need to learn not just to receive that seed from God, but you need to learn how to sow that seed.
B. Sow Blessing-Seeds Generously
& With An Eye To Exponential Growth
Here I can’t help but think of my Dad, refusing to buy one of those fertilizer spreaders , or grass seeders. No like his dad in the 30s in Holland - like my old Pastor Jack whose Dad was a vegetable grower - the picture here is BROADCASTING THE SEED!
Paul begins the pictue by saying there are two ways to sow seed, and there are two wys to try to give blessing. The first is to be exteremly careful and even stingy about it. Count all your seeds, calcuatlte - if I sow 2.4 seeds per foot, and 1/2 of them germinate than I should get enough food for next winter, and then I can use the next quarter of seed - my seed should alst for four more years … so treat each seed like the lastone , put it in the ground like depostiting the Crown Jewels in a safe. Hope to get it back!
Paul using both an agricultural metpahor and Proverbs 22:8, says you sow sparingly like that - you are not really going to a harvest of seeds at all. How would you know if you are doing that in your life right now? Paul says in
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Those two words show what kind of giving won’t result in a harvest of exponential growth - this is not a matter of comanding people to help others or to be good, but to be eager to aprticipate in Gods’ grace in other people’s llives. Your motivation can’t be selfish - help to get good name, or to get God to bless me - (This week Joel Olesteen -most popular gospel praeacher - Health and Wleath, if you give God - power of positive thinking - it’s a grain of truth but the whole thig is a lie.)
NO blessing will come from planting yourself in the truth of Christ, seeing oppournity but hleping others, giving to them in His Name, to share He who is the Blessor who has Blessed us, - that we might share that Blessing. This is why Paul quotes from the LXX:
As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
2 COr 9:
The righteous person in God’s church, HIs covenant community, gives like God gives. freely, lavishly - pressed down… genreously, word in Greek hilariously - When God gives grace, gives life - gives over the top, overflowing, Abundnant Life. And Paul says just like the OT people of God the Kingdom of SIsael join God in partnering with Him to look after the pooor - just like that was the mark that proves their confession of faith to be true,
So too in the New Covenant Community - righteous living by faith in Gerneous God is proven by God’s people willingness, in the Day of Christ power to PROVIDE FOR THOSE IN NEED.
GOd’s people are those who OPENFANDEDLY HELP OTHERS give for others. From start to finish its is Gods’ work but we join him in it! That says:
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.
That is the point that when God works His grace in you - you r heart becomes firm in being generous. It is not just that you’ll never be moved, but God establishes you - he makes you steadfast - you start giving like this generously, knowing God will use your time, money, your conversation, your service - he will make that grace abound more and more, so you never run out of grace to share.
The Widows Oil, Elisha in and
The Widows Oil, Elisha . and why
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
I wonder if you feel this new dynamic of not sowing like the survivalist, meagerly and for yourself, but of sowing like the farmer - grace and blessing your life. You understand in the mutual care and giving and serving in God’s church - God is using your gifts and your giving? This is no individual calculation of how I give and then I will get some blessing, no I am part of God's community of blessing, and when I give that blessing grows exponentially. The more I give the more the blessing expands exponentially!
I am called to walk beside a friend in GEMS family hard time, feel like can’t be kind, or give time to pray - ; or you are called to be counsellor, or lead Sunday School, or make a visit, or speak up for Christ - Saying, I don’t have enough, I am not enough, I can’t do it - that’s normal and alright, we don’t have love neough or gifts neough, but God is able to make abound what we do give - really love of Christ working through. Faith working through love!
GOd is able, and he loves a cheerful giver. Look at
that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Until Jesus returns you and are are to receive gifts and blessings and confirm the testimony of God’s love by employing them for others!
This is why the promise is that God supplies the one who freely in his heart chooses to give - with more and more seed. This is the prophesy Paul alludes to from
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
God is showering blessing of Christ into this world, and the seed he re-supplies you with every time you give is the method for his blessings growing in the world. And that should make us rejoice in the opportunity to give! Paul says:
Paul says: Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
How do you give? Do you see that your motivation is key? The cheerful giver who realizes spiritual blessings, and physical blessings and gifts and talents overflowing in their life from Christ. The Giver makes a choice, decides voluntarily in her heart - I am setting aside this money, this time, this prayer, this visit, these hours to bless another for Christ.
That word decide before/set aside actually the Word for the show bread, in front of the tabernacle in God’s temple Once a week - eaten by priests - set apart for Holy Bread for fellowship. Now we are all priests as the Temple Veil torn - and the gifts you share for others - are like show bread for fellowship with the LORD with the person you are serving! Like David when he was on the run - desperate and the priest gave him of the Show Bread - you are called to look around SEE THE NEED for the day, immediately, and before us around the world - we are to help fellow believers and beyond them the world!
SO now like Paul had to ask these early Xns, Here’s an immediate need before you - Gentile Christians blessed, but in Jerusealem and Judea, Jewish Christian’s suffering so much - else where explained - in proportion to your income, set aside on first day of week - give for their benefit to help them in their need - some day may be you in need - part of the partnership with God. So too wth Bible Leageue, church planting, but also persecuted church. But here in your circles, not just money .. But decide what to give, not asking beyond your means. But it will mean that you learn to to live below your means. Faith that living on 90% of your income (for saving, spending) will put you way ahead than living on 100% of your income. That this deliberate voluntary , expectant investment in the needs around you will bring harvest way beyond what we could ever imagine!
This is what led the widow in the temple to give more than all the others put together. Jesus said, they are all just giving a little tip even if it is way more money. But she giving from the heart for the kingdom of God put in her livelihood. What need, or which people, or what mission, do you see that God is calling you to sow your seed of blessing in - give it with your whole heat - longing for God’s blessing to abound there?
Do you get how that works -
Seed Corn
Do you get how that works - SEED CORN - and a very different way of sowing it -
- and a very different way of sowing it, and as we all, not just with money, but gifts, talents, time God’s given us, give to our neighbours, family members, fellow church members - exponential growth of grace gifts of Christ in this community - for more sowing!
And what do you think the harvest in our lives will be? That’s in v.10c, and v.11-12
C. Harvest Your Righteousness & Other’s Thanksgiving
Paul switches to the future tense, so sure that you and I blseed by Christ, will give ourselves whoelheartdedly to being blessors for Christ, so he says: “God will increase the the harvest of your righteousness.” If you are in Christ you hvae a positional righteounseess with God, accept in HIm, his record is your record and the grounds for your acceptance. DOn’t have to pretend r preform - Grace, Christ righteousness not self righteousness.
But that’s not the end of the story - once you are in Christ, poitional righteousness, it’s God’s desire as you live here seeing needs bmeeting them, sharing the blessings o Christ with others - that you would grow in your personal righteouness so. Paul alludes to
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Those who are seeking teh Lord, repenting of their sins, they will increase the yield of rrighteoues s helping, goodb-ring actions. This world full of hard ground and weedy actions that take and suck life - but in Christ - garden of gracous blessing helping works.
Cor these early Gentile Christian,s Paul knew if they helped the Jewish impoverished Christain out in their hard times, - world would see it, The Jewish Christains amazed beyond nationalitic lines - God’s grace working, unbelievers would see it - true humanitiy helping, blessings - this would cause outsiders to overflow and say Wow - praise the God and Father of All - these Christians who sow seeds of blessing WOW!.
I hear it when times of crisis hit, divorce, sudden death, disease, grieving at funeral.. wow … you really do live in a community of mutual care, . And that is to the glory of God! I can’t tell you exactly what the needs around you are that God has given you seeds for or, But think of yourself as a seed that embedded in soil of salvation and blessing in Christ, poke head out of the ground say thank you - equipped to now - reach out stretch out in to this world of need - into people lives around you - share that blessing to the glory of God!
Sow WITH BLESSING, will also reap blessing: “God gives back ‘blessings’ to those who give as a matter of ‘blessing’” (Hafemann). So it is not how much we give but rather that we give as generously as possible with an attitude of the joy of blessing.
Sow WITH BLESSING, will also reap blessing: “God gives back ‘blessings’ to those who give as a matter of ‘blessing’” (Hafemann). So it is not how much we give but rather that we give as generously as possible with an attitude of the joy of blessing.
Sow WITH BLESSING, will also reap blessing: “God gives back ‘blessings’ to those who give as a matter of ‘blessing’” (Hafemann). So it is not how much we give but rather that we give as generously as possible with an attitude of the joy of blessing.
Going back to the basic agricultural image of this proverb, O. E. Rölvaag’s Giants in the Earth, a novel about Midwest pioneers, describes an old farmer’s joyous energy at the potential of what he is about to sow.
With what zest he broke the tough-fibered prairie sod, which had never been broken before since the beginning of time. . . . And with what reverence he held up the beautiful seed which he was to sow on his own ground. The plump kernels appeared to glow with some inner golden light as the warm rays of the sun struck full across them, and they seemed to be squirming in the hand that grasped them as if they were charged with a life, suddenly roused from slumber, that was seeking release there.
The old farmer would sow generously in glad anticipation of reaping a great harvest. But it is even more so with respect to the spiritual realities that Paul intends here, because whoever sows with blessing will also reap blessing.
O. E. Rölvaag’s Giants in the Earth, a novel about Midwest pioneers, describes an old farmer’s joyous energy at the potential of what he is about to sow.
With what zest he broke the tough-fibered prairie sod, which had never been broken before since the beginning of time. . . . And with what reverence he held up the beautiful seed which he was to sow on his own ground. The plump kernels appeared to glow with some inner golden light as the warm rays of the sun struck full across them, and they seemed to be squirming in the hand that grasped them as if they were charged with a life, suddenly roused from slumber, that was seeking release there.
The old farmer would sow generously in glad anticipation of reaping a great harvest. But it is even more so with respect to the spiritual realities that Paul intends here, because whoever sows with blessing will also reap blessing.