BLESSED
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Article by Vaneetha Rendall Risner
Feeling blessed is in vogue.
A quick look at Facebook and Twitter shows how many people today feel #blessed. In our social-media world, saying you’re blessed can be a way of boasting while trying to sound humble.
College scholarship? #Blessed. Unexpected raise? #Blessed. Wonderful family? #Blessed.
As Christians we use that term too, of course. We pray God will bless our family. We attribute our undeserved gifts to “God’s blessings.” We talk about ministries being blessed. But what does it really mean? How should we understand the blessing of God?
For believers, is the blessed life synonymous with the successful life? Is it the Christian version of the good life? A loving marriage, obedient children, a vibrant ministry, a healthy body, a successful career, trusted friends, financial abundance — if these are the characteristics of a blessed life, then having all of them should translate into an extraordinarily blessed life.
But does it? If someone had all those things, would they be extraordinarily blessed?
Rather than turning to God, they might feel self-sufficient and proud. Perhaps a bit smug and self-righteous. After all, their hard work would be yielding good fruit.
Moreover, they wouldn’t need to cry out to God for deliverance; everything would already be perfect. They wouldn’t need to trust God; they could trust in themselves. They wouldn’t need God to fill them; they would already be satisfied.
SOOOOO,
1. What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?
1. What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?
But what does it mean to be BLESSED?
To have more stuff than someone else?
If things were the definition of blessing than we have missed the BIBLICAL APPLICATION of the word BLESSED!
BLESSED IS A GOOD THING, but it has much more to do with our state of being than what we possess.
Blessed - baruk in Hebrew and
Makarios in Greek - means the state of happiness
God’s favor regardless of the circumstances --
Earthly blessings can be taken away, but often trials can ground in us in Christ in ways prosperity and abundance never can...
Being happy does not mean having great possessions, and having great possessions does not necessarily make one happy.
If it did, than why are do wealthy, popular, famous, people commit suicide, struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism...
If we are going to look at the GOLD STANDARD in being BLESSED we must look to Jesus’ teaching on what it means to be BLESSED...
In His sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us what have been called
The Beattitudes… now cleverly someone said these should Be our attitudes… but that word Beattitude comes from
Beati Sunt --- the Latin words out of the Latin Vulgate translation - Blessed are...
In other words, these people will find true happiness… what is that happiness from - the rewards they will receive for putting their faith, obedience and confidence in the things that please the Lord.
A state of happiness is what the earth can bring to us, but what eternity can --- those things that have eternal value are where truly being blessed comes from.
The Old Testament had a greater connection to blessed as being favorable earthly circumstances, but the NT implication of favorable circumstance was tied to our eternity and future hope, and the underlying peace and joy that comes from knowing our future is secure in Christ.
2. Jesus Description of Being Blessed
2. Jesus Description of Being Blessed
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3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The poor in spirit are those who have realized their lives without Christ are meaningless. They have recognized they are spiritually powerless and bankrupt apart from Christ.
The promise is they now belong to the Kingdom of Heaven… finding value not in this life, but the best life — means being blessed.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
When we stop trying to fill our earthly bank accounts and maintain are independence apart from God, that is when true blessedness occurs, we can rest knowing we are now dependent on the truth and hope of eternity.
Those who mourn is a direct reference of to mourning and grieving over our own personal sin and the sinfulness of society around us… it is demonstrative of a repentant heart desiring the righteous standard of God - the promise is comfort both now and in the future eternity of heaven. Knowing what is ahead is comforting to the depths of spirit man. There is an appreciation of the grace of God in one’s life, that contributes to a state of happiness.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Meek is in reference to being humble and gentle and not aggressive. This is not valued much in our society today, nor was it then. It also has reference to those who lack earthly possessions - those in Jesus day were mostly not landowners or had much and were subject to oppression. When we are in Christ, we are promised to inherit the entire earth! The old hymn - Im satsified with ust a cottage below, a little silver and a little gold, but in that city, where the ransomed (saved) will shine, I want a mansion that’s silver lined. We will reign with Christ. PRIDE and arrogance about what we have does not lead to happiness, contentment with what we have does.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
SO FAR DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN that it is our future HOPE that brings a true state of happiness, not our current condition! That is why we can have peace, joy and assurance in this life.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness is for those who make living in right standing with God and rejecting sinful ways as important to them as their physical need to nourish through food and water. The state of happiness comes in here because their greatest desire, or need is to please God - only there true satisfaction is attained.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Merciful is finding that we can not experience the power of blessing until we have treated others with the same mercy we have experienced. We are so quick in our society to hold others over their indebtedness to us and what they owe us, or demanding recompense for wrong doing, when Jesus freely forgave us. When we show mercy it sets us free from our expectation and entitlement and keeps the mercy of God flowing to us. IF YOU FEEL WRONGED - SHOW MERCY
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Pure in heart is a true reference to living a blessed life - why - it is a life free from condemnation. Pure in heart is about the single minded devotion to God and living a Christ honoring life that desires to pursue holiness. Jesus understands that when we hold onto secret sin, we hold on to what condemns us. There is no state of happiness when we feel condemnation because of our choice to sin.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Peacemakers are those who seek out creating peaceful harmony instead of strife and discord. WOW - how unahppy -how unblessed our world has become as DIVISION and COMPLAINING and STRIFE fill our land and every aspect of life in the land today. What is the admonition here - peacemakers will be called children of God… I guess this means that next time you seek to create drama and strife, you are yielding your blessed state of being!
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
The Persecuted for what is right, Christ is telling us that suffering for what is right, not sin or doing something wrong, or being punished or just criminally wronged - but when the world comes against you for your stand with Jesus and His righteousness - regard it as a reason to be happy! They are recognizing the HEAVENLY KINGDOM IN YOU!!! It is not a reason to fight back, defend yourself, but to know that you are blessed! (WOW, what a contradiction to what the world sees as blessed!) Why is it blessed - because we belong to the Kingdom of GOD!!!
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What Jesus is teaching us in all of these descriptions of what brings a blessed life, is that we being blessed is not based on “earthly good” but rooted in knowing and following Christ!
3. Being Blessed Creates Fruitfulness
3. Being Blessed Creates Fruitfulness
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Being prosperous here means being fruitful, what are hand sets out to do has usefulness! Does well.
A by product of obedience is not just the state of happiness, but of bearing fruit - the right kind of fruit!
Many look at the produce of fruit or results of the talents God has given us is for personal gain, but the usefulness is when it is used in the Kingdom of God.
Being able to bear fruit for the Kingdom - is true blessedness.
16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
God has called us to produce lasting fruit in our lives… certainly He was not talking about material wealth...
but ETERNAL investment...
20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
In fact, Paul says this about worldly wealth...
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
The Lord wants our usefulness for His glory in our lives...
Our being blessed because of our obedience to Christ and pursuit of His Kingdom is not intended for earthly blessing, but eternal blessing - things that last and matter.
What is that - people! Have you noticed even that the fruit of the Spirit in our lives deals with our ability to treat people...
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
God wants to produce a harvest that flows from us out to others… He wants to make His fruitful for His glory, and that is a product of being rooted and grounded in Him - which Jesus calls
BLESSED ARE YOU WHEN...
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
As I conclude today, I want us to ask ourselves what is our interpretation of being blessed?
Have we turned the material and worldly things of this earth into our measuring stick for our success or blessedness?
Are we living out our faith in the blessedness Jesus promises through our obedience and a heart turned toward Him,
Is that blessedness bearing fruit in our lives for the Kingdom of God?