A Theology of Blessing

Last week, we began a new study entitled "Understanding the Bible" in our 9:30 AM Sunday School.  The Bible is truly an amazing book and can transform our lives as we meditate on its teachings.  For me, the most amazing thing about the Bible is it's inspired nature.  Although the Bible consists of 66 books written over a period of 1500 years by around 40 different authors, we can detect common themes which run from cover to cover.
This week our focus is the theme of "Blessing".

A Theology of Blessing

The Psalmist declared, "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever." (52:8)  The Bible teaches us that God is love (1 John 4:8) and from that love flows blessing.  Terms for blessing occur over 600 times in the Old Testament.  Most of these terms are related to the word meaning "to kneel" because in ancient times one would kneel to receive a blessing.  The New Testament continues the theme of blessing, but focuses more on spiritual blessings of knowing Christ Jesus, rather than physical blessing.  Primarily, "God's blessing" implies two important aspects in the lives of God's people: (1) favor, and (2) fruitfulness.  We can't look at every verse dealing with the topic of blessing, but let's trace this idea of blessing through the Bible.

Adam and Eve - Genesis 1:28 (5:1-2)- "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.'"
Noah - Genesis 9:1 - "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.'"
Abraham - Genesis 12:2-3 - ""I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Jacob - Genesis 27 & 32
       Jacob receives Isaac's blessing - Genesis 27
       Jacob wrestles with God - Genesis 32:26, "I will not let yo go until you bless me."
Joseph - Genesis 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
Moses - Exodus 23:25-26, Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span."

Blessings for obedience - Leviticus 26-27 / Deuteronomy 28:1-14

High Priestly Prayer - Numbers 6:24-26, "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

The prayer of Jabez - 1 Chronicles 4:10, "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request."

The Righteous Path - Psalm 1:1-3 - "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers."

The Beatitudes - Matthew 5:3-10

The blessing of abundant life - John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The blessing of faith - John 20:29, "Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

The blessing of perseverance - James 1:12, "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."

The Bible begins (Genesis 1-2) and ends (Revelation 20:6, 22:7) with "blessing".  God wants to bless you with his favor and fruitfulness.  I trust the knowledge of God's blessing is an encouragement to you today!  Be blessed!  Pastor Tom

Last will be first

Most of us know that the famous phrase, "The last will be first" traces back to Jesus.  But, what did Jesus mean by this expression?  The expression occurs in Matthew 19:30 and 20:16.  In that place in Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard.  Remember the story?  Each laborer is hired at a different time during the day, but they are paid the one denarius promised at the end of the day.  They all received the same pay off, even though some only worked one or two hours in the fields.  So what is Jesus teaching us?

In God's kingdom, many truths are important, but the greatest principle is the truth of God's grace.  In fact, "grace" is what makes Christianity unique.  In Christ, God offers to us unmerited favor and kindness.  In the parable, those hired last received the same wage or "reward" as those hired first.  Don't get hung up asking "is that fair?", because the owner was just in the story.    From God's perspective, the most important thing is that they were all hired and received a reward.  The parable emphasizes God's amazing grace.

In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” Phillip Yancey points out that part of our problem with understanding grace is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is scandalous. It’s hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. Grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners-you and me.

The next time God offers you grace, take it.  The next time God offers grace to someone you think doesn't deserve it, rejoice in God's grace.  Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that our relationship with Christ Jesus is all about grace.  I'm thankful for God's grace in my life and I hope you are too.  

Daniel's Secrets

I'm in a planning mode today and getting excited about January 2014.  We will be kicking of a two month series on the book of Daniel.  I'm really looking forward to this study as Daniel is a mix of prophesy and spiritual challenge to be full of faith and courage.  We will focus on the secrets of Daniel's spiritual strength and Daniel's secret prophesies.  Both emphases will enrich our faith.

We will also be working our way through the Daniel Plan developed by Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback church (Go to www.danielplan.com to learn more about it).  One of our goals in studying Daniel will be to become spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy.  More to come.  Can't wait for January 2014.

Miley Cyrus Goes Crazy

Whatever happened to Hannah Montana- the sweet and funny disney actress that my daughter and I would tune into on Saturdays?  Is anyone in America concerned about the emotional health of pre-teens and teenagers today?  That's my main concern here.  I know it is old fashioned, but what about modesty?  The Bible encourages Christians to dress with modesty.  Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." (2 Timothy 2:9-10)

Simply put, it is not healthy for our kids to present themselves as sex objects in the way they dress or behave.  Sure being attractive and dressing with modesty and beauty is a good thing, but not presenting yourself as an object of sexual desire..  Sadly that is exactly what Miley Cyrus is teaching.  She is teaching that any behavior is acceptable if it gets you attention.  Parents, we need to step in and engage with our kids.  they are getting some seriously wrong messages from media and culture.  So rather than just aksing your teenager not to watch such things, take some time and talk about modesty and image and the dangers of focusing on external beauty especially in this messed up world.   They will be better off and you will be glad you did! Modesty is always beautiful!

Divorce, Marriage, Relationships, and Life

This sunday at New Life we will be preaching from Matthew 19 on Divorce, Marriage, and Relationships.  I know the subject of divorce has touched all of us in some way.  It is a subject which requires truth and grace.  I hope to offer both this Sunday.  In this blog, I focus on divorce and marriage from the vantage point of someone who might be struggling in marriage or considering divorce as the best option.  Whatever marriage you are in--your first, second, or third--I believe your best course of action is to stay married and grow to become more like Christ, especially if children are involved.

It's true, "the Beavers don't live here anymore."  For decades now, divorce has become common place in American society.  What is more surprising is the reality that being a Christian doesn't seem to function as an inoculation against the pandemic of broken relationships across our great country.  According to George Barna, "Born Again" Christians are divorcing at a similar rates as the society in general.  Barna writes, "America now boasts the highest divorce rate in the world. . . . For Americans, the allure of divorce is that it appears to offer the simplest solution to what typically amounts to a complex web of problems.  As always, appearances can be deceiving.  Divorce often shatters spouses emotionally and financially.  In fact, the consequences of divorce can be more harrowing than the troubled marriage."  (The Future of the American Family, George Barna, 65)  The statistics demonstrate that people who are in troubled marriages and do the hard work to rebuild their marriage tend to be happier five years later than similar couples who get a divorce and remarry.

The Bible is clear, God "hates" divorce because it represents a "broken promise" and it is damaging to adults and unhealthy for children (Malachi 2:15).  Jesus taught us the divine ideal for marriage to be a lifelong bond that unites husband and wife in a "one flesh" relationship (Matthew 19:5).  Marriage is about life-long companionship and love.  Marriage is an opportunity to grow to become more like Christ.  Of course, love and companionship is good fro us and great for our children.

So what about love?  Is there anything greater than love?  Paul wrote these words to the Corinthians, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Perhaps the biggest marriage allusion is that love "just happens" or that love is a "feeling".  In reality,  love is more of a choice and a character quality.  Love is a gift that we offer to our spouse on a daily basis even if they do not respond accordingly.  Sometimes that love is appreciated and reciprocated.  Other times it is ignored and violated.  In any case, true love flows from God's fountain of love (1 John 4:19).  To love your spouse in difficult circumstances, you need to tap into a huge reservoir of God's love that is available in Christ.

So what about growth?  Some marriages are made in heaven, some it seems in hell (just being honest).  In either case, marriage is worked out on earth!  Whether you have an "easy" marriage or a "challenging" marriage, you have seasons in life when you must work at your marriage to restore it or refresh it.  Otherwise, your relationship of love and companionship will disintegrate into thin air.  What you once felt for your lover and friend will disappear.  So why not work on your relationship and grow in the process?!  

I believe God designed Christian marriage to be an object lesson of God's relationship and love with His people, the church.  Paul seems to agree in Ephesians 5:23-32.  That means that your marriage is a reflection of your relationship with God and your relationship with your spouse is closely connected.  It also means that if you are willing to grow in your relationships with God, your marriage can also be transformed (Romans 12).  

Becoming more like Christ could be the key to saving your marriage and finding true happiness in life.  I know it seems like some marriages are destined to fail.  And yet, no one comes together on their wedding day with a secret plan of divorcing down the road (or maybe some do?!).  We are attracted to our spouse, "fall in love", and make plans for a life together.  Our hope and dreams are that we will experience life-long love and companionship.  Life has a way of challenging those dreams.  But, God has a way (if we will let him) of keeping those dreams alive and growing us into stronger people in the process.
  
If you are struggling in your marriage or considering divorce, My hope is that you would give God a chance to change your marriage and change you in the process.  All things are possible with God (Philippians 4:13)

See you Sunday at the ARC (9:30 AM and 10:15 AM).  Pastor Tom

Reconciliation

Have you ever been estranged from someone close to you?  Perhaps you have felt lonely once or twice?  I remember the story about a man named Pedro from Mexico City.  As a young teenager, Pedro ran away from home to live on the streets alone.  Years past and his parents gave up searching-almost!  Then, the parents decided to run a simple ad in the local newspaper.  It read, "Pedro, we love you.  All is forgiven.  Meet me at the city square tomorrow morning.  The next day hundreds of Pedros made their way to the city square to be reconciled with their Father.

Reconciliation is defined in Webster's dictionary as "a restoration of friendly relations."  It's something for which we all long.  We long to be re-united with loved ones.  We long to bring an end to hostilities and walk in peace with those we love. But . . . oftentimes, pride, hurt, and life gets in the way of our longing to be reconciled.  So we just keep on living with that aching in our soul that produces a deep loneliness.

The message of Jesus was very much about reconciliation as the cure for the common human longing to be restored to fellowship with God and each other.  In Christ, you can be reconciled to God.  In christ, your relationships can rise above bickering and brokenness.  I'm praying for the spirit of reconciliation to fill your heart, your life, and your relationships this week.

Join us Sunday at the ARC (10:15 AM) as we consider Jesus' teaching on reconciliation and the power of forgiveness.  Pastor Tom