Blessed in All Things – Part 1

Genesis 24:1-9 NKJV  Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.  (2)  So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,  (3)  and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;  (4)  but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”  (5)  And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”  (6)  But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.  (7)  The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.  (8)  And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”  (9)  So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

• Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
  • God had blessed Abraham in ALL things.
    • Someone say blessed!
    • Someone say ALL!
    • If  you want to be blessed in ALL things let me here you say “Amen!”
      • Good, well for your small gift of just $1000 or less before palm Sunday I can almost guarantee you a blessing!
        • Wait… NO! That’s not right… Abraham was blessed in ALL things, but we don’t see that blessing directly attributed to giving, do we?
          • I mean, Abraham tithed to Abimelech, so giving is certainly a part of Abrahams faith… but it is only a part!
            • God, it turns out, is not a blessing vending machine where you can put your money into and get a blessing out of…
          • Instead, God is a living, active, caring, thoughtful God. He is just, which means HE CAN NOT BE BOUGHT. He won’t be mocked, don’t rob Him by withholding your Tithes and Offerings… but He Can’t be Bought…
• But just because God Can’t be Bought doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want to bless you… God LOVES blessing His people. He is a good God who gives every good and perfect gift to those who love Him and obey Him.
  • And Abraham has been the recipient of these gifts, time and time again… but there was still one thing Abraham wanted.
    • Aside from Abrahams Spiritual Welfare and holy wisdom. Aside from his undeserved favor from God. Aside from his long life and his good health. Aside from the many, many, many years he had with his amazing, loving, godly, and gorgeous wife. Aside from the son he was given through miraculous means when all world wisdom would have said to give up hope. Aside from his VAST amounts or wealth, his victories in battle, and his strong reputation among those who knew him… aside from the peculiar fact that God seemed to turn every one of his hardships into blessings… even his failures into blessings… Aside from all of these blessings, there was still one thing he lacked… one thing he desired… He wanted a wife for his son Isaac. Let’s Pray church…

• Think for a moment about the blessings of Abraham
  • Faith and Favor, Health and Wealth!
  • A long life…an Amazing Wife!
  • Reputation… Sanctification.
  • Miracles for offspring… Miracles for conquering…
  • These are the blessing Abraham
    • Truly he was a man blessed in all things.
      • And I believe as Christians we just might be able to obtains some of these blessings…
        • If we lived like Abraham lived, if we act like Abraham act, I think some of these blessings might just come upon us, God’s Children.
  • Now as your Pastor I can’t promise you all of these blessings, I can promise some of them… because some of them come with Salvation… but I can’t promise you all of them.
    • Goodness, I don’t walk in all of these blessings all the time… right now I am still waiting on and believing for a healing miracle for my back…
      • But I can suggest to you that as a Pastor I have seen people who walk in most if not all of these blessings… and I have seen people who walk in Chaos, far from blessing… and there are patterns that emerge… and wouldn’t you know it, Scripture reveals those patterns…

• So this morning I want to start a three part series called “Blessed in all things: Six keys to walking in blessing”.
  • Now I am not a self help kind of preacher… but this is a self help kind of sermon.
  • I am not a “Your best life now” kind of preacher… your best life will start when you get to heaven… but I do think this series will help some of y’all live a better life.
  • And church, I am not a prosperity gospel preacher… there is one Gospel: Christ, Son of God, God in the flesh… died for our sins on a cross, and on the third day rose, so that those who turn away from their sins and turn to him would be forgiven and saved…
    • There is no other Gospel, so please don’t call me a prosperity gospel preacher… but I think maybe, just maybe… this sermon series will help some of us prosper… even in our health… and even in our finances.

• Now before I get started with our first two points… let me just address something…
  • Sometimes people get a little off-put by sermons about blessings… they get a little defensive… Especially here, we preach A LOT against sin, we preach for holiness, we call the church to a standard of perfection…
  • We talk about how God is not a vending machine of blessings… we talk about how God does not owe us anything but we owe Him everything…
    • And all of that is true…
      • And through all of that, and through all of our depravity… God remains the giver of every good and perfect gift… God remains a God who loves to bless his people… so please don’t tell me that God doesn’t want to bless His people in ALL THINGS… not just spiritual things… but in ALL things… Don’t tell me God doesn’t want to bless His people!

Deuteronomy 28:1-9 NKJV  “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  (2)  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: [The blessings will overtake you, Don’t tell me that God doesn’t bless His people!]  (3)  “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. [No mater where you are God will bless you!] (4)  “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. [God wants to bless your health, the fruit of your body, and your wealth, the produce of your land! Don’t tell me God doesn’t want to bless His people!] (5)  “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.  (6)  “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. [No matter what you are doing, whether hanging out at home, or leaving to go to work or run errands… GOD WILL BLESS YOU! Don’t you tell me God doesn’t want to bless His people!] (7)  “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. [Bless me, bless me, bless me Lord indeed, until I am the conversation of ALL my enemies!] (8)  “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. [Your bank account, and your job and your real-estate! Blessed! Don’t tell me God doesn’t want to bless His people!] (9)  “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. [And after all those physical blessings, God finishes with spiritual blessings! Because God want’s to bless His people in ALL THINGS! So please church, don’t tell me that God doesn’t want to bless His people. HE IS A GOD WHO BLESSES AMEN‽

• Now you will notice though… these blessings have a condition, don’t they… If you DILEGENTLY obey the voice of the Lord and if you CAREFULLY obey all of his commandments…
  • Calling yourself a Christian doesn’t make you blessed. Coming to church doesn’t guarantee you blessings… you don’t get to play dress-up on Sunday then go live how you want the rest of the week and expect blessings… but if you obey God, love God, fear God, chase after God, if you put God first in ALL THINGS then I think you too can be blessed in ALL Things…
    • And this morning, and the following two Sundays, I intend to help you walk in these blessings with these six keys:
      • Blessed in All Things: Six Keys To Walking in Blessing
        • Don’t Rush the Blessing
        • Don’t Look to the World
        • Avoid Temptation
        • Keep Good Company
        • Don’t Force the Blessing
        • Trust That God is Able

• Now three things before I get into the first two keys.
  • First: I assume that I am speaking to a room full of Christians, born again and on fire for God. If you are not born again, we can fix that at the end of service… but blessings are for God’s people, Amen?
  • Second: I assume that you are doing your best to live righteously… as we just read in Deuteronomy, blessings are for those who diligently and carefully obey what God has commanded. We have preached sermons on this many times before… that’s not this series, but it is important.
  • Third: These are not “mix and match” keys to blessings… you can’t pick a few to follow and ignore others… missing just one key is enough to throw you into a tail-spin…
    • See I have seen in this church, and others, born again Christians who Love God, who try to obey Him and follow His commandments… who WANT BLESSINGS… who SEEK BLESSINGS… but they miss one or two of these keys and they end up crashing and burning… Don’t be that guy… but if you are a born again Christian who wants to be blessed in all things like Abraham was, then this sermon is for you…
• Okay, that was a DOOZY of an introduction… but church I am excited for this one… so let’s get into it… let’s examine how Abraham sought his final blessing, and the keys we can learn from it… Key One, Don’t Rush The Blessing…

Key One – Don’t Rush The Blessing

Genesis 24:1 NKJV  Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

• Abraham was old… he was about 140 years old… and he still wasn’t a grandfather.
  • Isaac was 40 years old at this point…
• Now, have any of you meet the overbearing parent who want’s nothing more than their kid to start having babies?
  • “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET MARRIED‽ WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME GRANDCHILDREN‽”
    • Clearly this was not the case with Abraham… Abraham wanted Grandchildren, for sure… it was like a HUGE part of the promise that God had given him.
  • And Certainly Isaac wanted to be married… a man who finds a good wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
• They both wanted this blessing… they both desired and sought this blessing… a daughter in law for Abraham, a wife for Isaac… the mother of Abrahams grandchildren…
  • But MAN were they patient…
    • In fact, in ancient cultures the age of marriage was younger… 30 for the man would be about the upper limits at this time… 40 was RIGHT OUT!
      • Yet Abraham and Isaac waited for the right time… they did not rush the blessing that there were seeking.
• Church, it is OKAY to have desires… it is okay to desire blessings from God… good blessings, Godly blessings.
  • A wife, a calling, a ministry… financial stability, a good home, a solid car… health for your body… it’s okay to want these blessings, and to seek these blessings… But please DON’T RUSH THEM.
• Ecclesiastes 3:11a NKJV  He has made everything beautiful in its time…
• He has made everything beautiful IN IT’S TIME… don’t seek a beautiful blessing from God ahead of it’s time… be patient, Don’t Rush the Blessing.
  • When I was in my early 20’s I tried to rush two blessings in my life… there was two things I desired so greatly, to be married and to be a pastor.
    • I wanted to be a pastor because God had called me to the pastorate and confirmed it many times, and I wanted to be married because I was afraid no one would ever love me and because I burned with a desire for physical connection.
      • Then an opportunity came along to fill both desires! A young girl, pretty, and the pastors daughter of my sisters church in North Carolina.
        • It seemed perfect, I could marry this girl and be a pastor all in one stroke!
      • Only problem was, this was not what GOD would have for me… my Pastor told me as much, other Christians told me as much… I didn’t listen… I rushed the blessing.
        • All of that crashed and burned… by the end of it I was thrown out of the church, I had thrown away my purity, and we didn’t end up getting married…
  • I just wanted these blessings so bad… but if I would have been patient they would have came… I still would have meet Amanda, I still would be pastoring… but I would have been spared a whole lot of pain.

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV  But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

• This is an interesting verse, isn’t it? Those who wait on the Lord… not those who CHASE AFTER the Lord… but those who wait.
  • Now obviously we should be chasing after God, in relationship… I want to be as close to God as possible… but when it comes to His blessings, His victories, His miracles… wait. Wait on the Lord. Don’t Rush the Blessing.
  • Those who wait on the Lord shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.
    • I have seen this to be true in my own life, LITTERALLY true… the walking and running bit… literally true.
• A few years back I had some issues with one of my knees… it wasn’t locking right… it was popping, and it had lots of pain.
  • I got some scans, and had lots of doctors appointments… and I was told that the only solution was knee surgery, and it needed to happen soon.
    • And I WANTED that surgery… Let’s get it done, right now! I am in pain now, I have health insurance that will cover the cost right now… let’s get it done!
    • So I went to call the orthopedic surgeon… and I heard “Wait on Me” clear as day.
      • So this time I decided not to rush the blessing… and I waited.
      • The doctor said “No! Don’t wait! There is NO WAY this get’s better on it’s own, it only get’s worse”.
      • But I heard “Wait on Me” again… so I did… my knee still hurt… but I waited… a week later… My knee still hurt… so I waited… Two weeks… still hurt… three weeks… still hurt… but on the fourth week, I woke up one morning… no more pain! No more popping… no more weakness!
      • I waited on the Lord and He literally made it so I could walk and not faint… run and not grow weary!
• Don’t rush the blessing!
  • One more example… one that reminds me of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.
    • See Abraham and Sarah learned what happens when you try to rush the blessings of the Lord… Sarah wasn’t getting pregnant… so Sarah gave Hagar as a wife to Abraham to bear him children… and that whole thing crashed and burned didn’t it? Praise God Abraham learned his lesson… he learned not to rush the blessing…
• I have a dear friend who walked in this principle… don’t rush the blessing… you guys have heard me talk about James… the Reason I am saved, is because my best friend James invited me to church, time and time again… until I got saved.
  • James got married 20 years ago, to the love of his life Robin… It was a blessed and holy marriage, James found a good thing in finding Robin.
  • But they never had children… year after year after year after year, they tried to have children… and time and time again, the months would pass with no child.
  • For 20 years they prayed, they cried out, they asked for healing, they sought understanding.
  • Finally, after 20 years, they finally had peace to adopt a child… which is a blessing in itself… they didn’t have that peace before, but now they have it… thank you Lord for the blessing of adoption.
  • But just before they started the adoption process, they tried one more time…
    • AND WOULDN’T YOU KNOW IT! They are pregnant! AFTER 20 YEARS! How good is God‽

James 1:4 NKJV  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

• Don’t Rush the Blessing, Church!
• Now before I get too long winded here, let’s talk about the second key: Leave the World Out of It.

Key Two – Leave The World Out of It

Genesis 24:2-4 NKJV  So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,  (3)  and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;  (4)  but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

• The people of God marry the people of God. Period. Leave the World out of it.
  • Let me say that again, because it is so important. The People of God marry the People of God.
    • Don’t go looking in the world for a spouse. You need a spouse then you find them in the church!
      • You find a born again, baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit child of God to marry.
      • Someone who goes to church, serves in the church, seeks God, runs away from sin, desires righteousness…
    • When you are seeking the blessing of marriage, leave the world out of it.
      • “But Pastor… there are not enough Godly men… maybe I can find a heathen who is cute and I can convert him”…
        • To that I say, remember Key 1! Don’t Rush the Blessing!
    • I am fully convinced, like Abraham was fully convinced, that is SIN, S-I-N SIN, to marry someone who is not on the same level with Jesus that you are.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV  Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
• Leave the world out of it!
  • Now if you are married to an unbeliever, maybe you got saved after you got married, or maybe you messed up can married someone that you were not equally yoked with…
    • Hear this: there is grace upon grace upon grace for you. God can save your spouse, keep praying for them and loving them and serving them. I am routing for you!
    • But if you are not married, and you are seeking the blessing of marriage, then leave the world out of it.

Genesis 24:3-4 NKJV  and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;  (4)  but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

• Abraham knew that the Canaanites were not of God’s people… that they would be an enemy to God’s people… he didn’t want that for his son, he wanted a wife who was godly, who was blessed, and favored and chosen.
  • Abraham wanted a blessing of a daughter in law, but he did not seek her from the Lord.
• Of course this applies for things other than marriage too.
  • I had a pastor friend who got the hairbrained idea to go to a cassino to get wealthy.
    • He was so excited about it, “I am going to take the wealth of the wicked” he said!
    • “I just pray and ask God to show me where to gamble!”
      • Guess how that turned out… Yup! He’s a millionaire now! NO! Of course not… he got addicted, he lost everything, and he is no longer pastoring.
        • LEAVE THE WORLD OUT OF IT.
• Now, we are IN the World, but we are not of the World.
  • What this means is that you are going to have to interact with the world a lot…
    • You probably have a secular job… that word secular, but the way, just means “not Christian”.
    • You probably have a secular job, a secular banker, a secular doctor…
      • And I think that is ok, but you must remember when seeking blessings… blessings in any area, blessings in all things, to leave the world out of it.
    • My secular doctor says “You must get surgery now”.
      • But he is not my Great Physician… If God says wait, I wait.
        • On the other hand, if God says get the surgery, then I would have gotten the surgery.
    • My kids doctors wanted me to get the measles vaccine for Ruth, it’s called the MMR vaccine, Measles, Mumps, and rubella. But the rubella vaccine was built on murdered babies… and I as a Christian am not ok with that. I said “You can’t give her the rubella, you can give here the others, but not the Rubella”…
    • She looked and looked and found you can’t get just the measles shot, you have to get the MMR.
    • I said I wouldn’t do it.
      • She said “Well Measles is not in Iowa right now, but when it is I will call you and we can weigh the risks”.
      • I said “It’s not about risk. We are Christians, and we don’t believe is appropriate to benefit from abortion”.
        • And you know what she said… she said “Thank you so much, you have an ACTUAL real, thought out reason for why you don’t want this vaccine, I respect that”.
    • But even if she didn’t respect it, it wouldn’t matter… because we leave the world out of these decisions.
  • I am grateful for my doctor and her expertise and care, it is so needed! But God is the provider of healing blessings, I trust Him and Him alone.
    • My doctor is a blessing, American Healthcare is a blessing, but I will always look to God first.
• Same goes with Jobs.
  • Be grateful for your job, but your job is not your provider.
    • God is.
  • We don’t pray to Collins for our daily bread, or to General Mills, or to whoever employees you for your daily bread. You pray to GOD for your daily bread.
    • So thank God for your secular Job… but if he tells you not to take the promotion… don’t take the promotion.
    • If He tells you TO take the promotion… take the promotion.
    • If He tells you not to work on Sundays… stop working on Sunday “But they will fire me pastor” well… who are you looking to for your blessings? The Lord or the World? LEAVE THE WORLD OUT OF IT.

John 17:14-17 NKJV  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  (15)  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  (16)  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  (17)  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

• Let me conclude by reminding you of the six keys of blessings that I see from Abraham as he seeks one last blessing.

Conclusion

Genesis 24:1 NKJV  Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

• Abraham was blessed in all things… but as he sought this final blessing, a daughter in law… we see him follow these six keys:
  • Blessed in All Things: Six Keys To Walking in Blessing
    • Don’t Rush the Blessing
    • Don’t Look to the World
    • Avoid Temptation
    • Keep Good Company
    • Don’t Force the Blessing
    • Trust That God is Able
• Now if you are not born again, none of this means nothing… because these blessings aren’t for you… but they can be for you… because at any moment you can give your life to Jesus… and if you would give your life to Jesus today, then I do have some blessings that are promised for you.
  • Blessings like love, and joy… blessings like peace and patience… a new found kindness… goodness… faithfulness… gentleness… and the blessing that might be the must underrated… the blessing of self control.
    • If you would give your life to Jesus this morning I can promise you forgiveness, complete forgiveness of all sins and wrongs you have ever committed…
    • I can promise you spiritual healing, from all the hurt you caused yourself and others have caused you.
    • And maybe best of all, I can offer you… well, Christ offers you this morning… Eternal life… if you would Just make a commitment, make a confession for Christ.

Join us this Sunday at either 8:30AM or 10:30AM for worship followed by this message from the Word of God.

Christian Life Church of Cedar Rapids
2808 Schaeffer DR SW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
www.CedarRapidsChurch.com