A stand alone message on being blessed and what this means. We return to our series, Father's Heart in the Names of God, in two weeks time.
The word blessed is a wonderful word. Christians use the words blessed and blessing a lot, and most of the time we mean it.
Blessed is a Christian word. It is a spiritual word. It is a biblical word. It has been hijacked by our culture. People may talk about "blessings" in their lives, but the nonbeliever has no idea what a real blessing is, because only the child of God truly knows what it is to be blessed. It is also worth noting that Jesus both began and concluded His earthly ministry blessing people.
So what does it mean to be blessed?
The word blessed Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount is from the Greek word makarios, which means to be happy or blissful. I sometimes think it is odd to think of those mentioned in the beatitudes (poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hunger for righteousness, merciful, pure, peacemakers and the persecuted) as being blissfully happy. Surely they cannot be blissfully happy all the time?
I have known people that, when you ask “how are you?” don’s say, “I’m fine,” but reply, “I’m blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied.” This is a meaning of the Greek word used by Jesus in the Beatitudes.
Let’s consider this: there are four words for blessed in the Bible, two in the OT, two in the NT:
In other words, the single English word is much broader than the Hebrew and Greek words. We can picture it like this:
- Barak - Hebrew and eulogeo - Greek means “to speak well of” e.g: Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
- Ashar - Hebrew and makarios - Greek means “to be fortunate, happy or prosperous” e.g. Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit
There’s something else to consider here though. When my friend would respond to he question, “How are you?” he was invoking a prosperity that he felt this would be his if he were blessed. That is OT thinking:
- In the OT blessed or blessing referred to the receiving of the blessing here on earth. It meant a change of situation now, happiness now, reward now, prosperity now.
- In the NT Jesus and the disciples always taught that the blessing s that we are to receive are future based. It means receiving in heaven, change of situation in heaven, reward in heaven, prosperity in heaven.
True, God blesses people now. That blessing is a hope of future reward, never present physical earthly prosperity (Matthew 5:5-9; Luke 6:20-26).
Let’s think a little more about this Greek adjective makarios for second or two. Perhaps this will help us understand the type of blessing that we enjoy. The idea that it means “I’m blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied,” is a bit too narrow; it also means a self-contained happiness.
The Greeks called the Island of Cyprus "the happy isle." They believed that because of its geographical location, perfect climate, and fertile soil that anyone who lived on Cyprus had it made. The term they associated with the island was makarios. They believed everything you needed to be happy was right there on Cyprus.
We can't all move to Cyprus, but the idea is that our happiness is independent of our circumstances. It is self-contained, meaning that regardless of what is happening to us externally, we can be truly happy internally. We can be genuinely blessed as followers of Jesus Christ.
The word blessed occurs 222 times in the whole Bible (NIV) and blessing 82 (NIV).
There are many instances of blessing or being blessed. The best know are the Beatitudes (which Lifegroups have had the opportunity to study recently). There are also specific blessings for people in specific situations.
Today I’m picking on four general blessings that can apply to the believer. There are more than three general blessings, but I haven't got time to go into more. I choose these for they should be our starting points as Christians.
- Blessed are the forgiven!
Psalm 32: 1: Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Don't ever take salvation for granted its the greatest blessing of all for it guarantees all blessings!
Salvation is a blessing that we enjoy now. To begin each day with a clean slate, to know all my sins are dealt with by the blood of Jesus, is an amazing thing.
The transgression that David speaks of the rebellion against God. Being anti-God is part of the culture of society today. To meet Him, to be forgiven by Him, is a wonderful thing.
The word David uses here is asher (Heb) meaning “happy,” but it is a specific happiness that comes when someone more powerful than you bestows on you something you could not attain yourself or did not deserve.
So “mildly cheerful” would not be a right translation! It is more like, “I can’t contain myself and I’m going to burst if I don't let this out!”
Illustration: £20 note. Give it to someone as a surprise!
2. Blessed are the Pioneers
Pioneers are those who live differently, who blaze a trail that others can follow. David put it like this:
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.
Again David is using this word asher. Blindingly happy for taking a stand, for saying I’m not going to live like the rest of the world because Jesus has saved me and loves me.
One of the greatest problems we have today is peer pressure. Christians don't share their faith out of fear of intimidation. We find it hard because we are worried what will people think of us.
If being blessed means having an internal barometer or compass, a sense of security and well being, then we wont be addicted to the approval of others.
We wont bow to peer pressure, we wont believe the lie that says, “I have to be like everyone else or they’ll reject Christ.”
The truth is that if we are like everyone else then we will discover that they will reject Christ because they are looking for the difference that he makes! If they don't see it they wont believe it!
3. Blessed are the Unashamed!
Psalm 118:26: Blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we will bless you.
The idea of this is that the one returning from battle receives a blessing. There is also a prophetic element here applying to Christ, for this was sung over him as He entered Jerusalem (Matt 21:9).
What we have in this psalm is a picture of the welcome given to the victorious warrior. I our context this is for those who have engaged in the warfare of sharing the gospel.
The word used in this Psalm is barak meaning to ‘speak well of.’
Sharing our faith may not be the most popular thing with those outside the church. In my experience people who have no relationship with us will not accept the gospel easily; they quickly go to insults and see themselves as superior. Why? To be honest those who insult you do so because they are not sure of what they believe (even if they say they are) but because they are on shay ground they will try to intimidate you.
The blessing does not occur out there in the battlefield - it occurs in the community of believers as your reputation increase.
There is also a heavenly blessing related to this too:
Luke 12: 8-9: ‘I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
4. Blessed are the Confident
Luke 1:45: Blessed is she who has believed that hat the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.
Here Mary is prophesied over by Elizabeth because of her obedience to God.
The word she uses here is makarios meaning, “To be fortunate, happy or prosperous.”
There is a blessing that comes to us when we believe that which the Lord has spoken over our lives. There is a blessing that comes in its fulfillment, but there is also the blessing that comes in the quiet assurance that no matter what happens, what God has said will happen.
Numbers 23:19: God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
We sometimes sing the old hymn with the lines: Trust and obey for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey!
The promises of God are yes and amen in Christ (2 Cor 1:20). Don’t give up on the promises that God has spoken over your life!
Wrapping it up!
If we want t be truly blessed then we have to get hold of God, not for an earthy reward but for a heavenly, spiritual one. God bless you!
Thanks so much for this.
ReplyDeleteMy theology is based on 2 Cor chp 8 and 9 that wealth is a blessing now in this world.How is that wrong or is is match with your view here?
Thank you
Hi,
DeleteGreat question.
Firstly there is nothing wrong with having wealth but we also need to understand that having it (or not having it) is not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing or disapproval. Most Christians in the West would be better off if they were better stewards of that which God has given them. To be prosperous can mean to obey His word with our finances.
Interestingly the chapters you have quoted clearly do not prove that wealth is for everyone. The Macedonian brothers were commended for generosity in spite of extreme poverty (2 Cor. 8:2). The example they set was to give of themselves, first to the Lord and then to the to the apostles (2 Cor. 8:5).
Wealth cannot be the aim or prize based on 2 Cor 8:9. Jesus has everything yet gave up everything so we could become ‘rich.’ If Paul meant that we therefore should all be financially rich how could he commend the generosity of the Macedonian believers who were extremely poor? The ‘riches’ spoken of here are to do with the richness of our salvation and the generosity that comes from having the Spirit indwelling us.
The emphasis of the chapter is one of generosity but also we have the following caveats:
Give according to your means (verse 11-12).
We give to needs for one day we might be in need ourselves (verse 15).
Chapter 9 carries on the idea of generosity (2 Cor 9:6). We are told to sow generously so that we can reap generously. Now if we think this reaping is just to do with wealth then we are mistaken. God returns things to us tangibly and intangibly! We may be generous but never get anything back in return - I have personally giving away two cars in my lifetime but have yet to be given one back! However God gives us things that are best for us. I’d rather have the blessings stored up for me in heaven than just financial rewards now (2 Cor 9:8 - clearly God has all needs covered).
2 Cor 9: 7 clearly shows that we are not to give to get, but rather our giving should be based upon careful planning and upon financial stewardship.
Stewardship is not asking where all the money has gone but telling the money where to go!
Verse 10-11 doesn’t just focus on money or material wealth. They focus is on an increased harvest of righteousness and an increase in generosity. We cannot be generous with something that is not ours. We can only be generous with that which we have and then seed into the Kingdom. We cannot wait to be generous when we have plenty; generosity is a heart condition not a wallet condition. There is no guarantee that this will result in increased finances. We have to steward what we have sensibly.
These chapters are about generosity and are a direct appeal by Paul to the wealthy to help the preaching of the Gospel, for even the poor were doing that.
To say that these chapters give us a theology for wealth would be wrong. In fact our rewards are often heaven based and a future commendation from Jesus.
I hope that helps explain my stance.