Numbers 6:22–27 (NIV) 22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 "Tell Aaron andLord sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: "The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."
Why is this blessing valued? 1.We want God's blessing. 2. It's given by God. 3.It expresses his nature.
The Priestly Blessing 1. The Lord Bless + Keep you Blessing:
Favor: The enjoyment of God.
Fulfillment: Contentment in God's goodness.
Fellowship: Rejoicing connectedness
Keep You: Shamar: to keep, watch, preserve, guard. To exercise great care over: "to guard" or "to give attention."
Isaiah 27:2–3 (NLT) 2 "In that day, sing about the fruitful vineyard. 3 I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully.Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.
"In his garden, he is the gardener and guardian."
Psalm 91:1–7 (NLT) 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
2. Face shine upon you + be gracious to you. Numbers 6:25 (NLT) May the Lord smile on you.
Psalm 34:5 (NIV) Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
3. Turn his face toward you + give you peace.
Peace: Shalom- A state of tranquility or wholeness.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV) Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
We can have peace because his attention is on us to care for us! We experience peace when we focus our attention on him.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
"So they will put my name on them"
Jesus Provides the Blessing: Luke 24:50–52 (NLT) 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.
Hebrews 7:24 (NLT) Because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.
Jesus is the declared blessing over us!
Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
1. Jesus keeps us. John 10:27–30 (NLT) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."
Jesus provides eternal protection and preservation.
2. Jesus delights in us. John 1:16–18 (ESV) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
Jesus is the Father's favor.
Luke 12:32 (NLT) It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
3. Jesus gives peace. John 14:26–27 (NLT) 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive peace of mind and heart.
Colossians 1:19–22 (NLT) 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
Application: Priesthood of the believer. 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT) You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God...
We are not just recipients of blessing; we are participants.
The succession of blessing The blessing was meant to be passed down from one generation to the next.
Paul + Timothy: 1 Corinthians 4:15–17 (NLT)15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me. 17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.
Elijah + Elisha 2 Kings 2:5–15 (NLT) 5 Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?” “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.” 6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.” But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together. 7 Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. 8 Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground! 9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” 11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. 13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across. 15 When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened, they exclaimed, “Elijah’s spirit rests upon Elisha!” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
The double portion: 1. Replication 2. Multiplication
Jesus + Disciples John 14:12 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
The Inheritance of spiritual succession: 1.Initiation 2. Dedication
The willingness to stay: A. Endure correction.
Correction is a gift.
Proverbs 12:1 (NLT) To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
B. Follow direction
Listen more than you talk.
C. Grow in communication
“If communication doesn’t happen nothing happens.”
3. Cultivation + Perspiration “Don’t expect the power of Elijah unless you are willing to serve like Elisha!”
4. Impartation “Success without succession is failure.” It takes no maturity to be a son. As you are being poured into your into others
2 Kings 13:20–21 (NLT) 20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. 21 Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!
Blessed from the beginning. Genesis 1:21–22 (NLT) 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Genesis 1:27–28 (NLT) 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.
What is the blessing? BRK Barak: To bless, to praise. "Blessing is a signature of God's approval." A. Favor: The enjoyment of God.
To be blessed means that we are partaking in the goodness of God.
B. Fulfillment: Peace and contentment in God's goodness.
C. Fellowship- Rejoicing Connectedness.
5 Realities of Blessing: 1. God's Blessing serves a purpose. -Blessings are not just for our enjoyment but for our empowerment. -We are blessed to be a blessing! -When you see blessing as a resource, you can stop being bashful when God blesses you.
2. There are levels of God's blessing. Common blessing / Direct Blessing.
3. Blessings are passed down. Impartation
Honoring up positions us ourselves in God's creative order for blessing.
4. Blessings have boundaries Genesis 2:15–17 (NLT) 15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."
"You don't get God's blessing doing things your way!"
Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (NLT) 19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
5. Blessings can break When things get out of God's order, they get out of His blessing.
Genesis 3:17–23 (NLT) 17 And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."…23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden…
God repairs what's broken. Genesis 3:15 (NLT) I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." 1 John 3:8 (NLT) The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.
Christ restored the blessing. He reversed the curse! Romans 5:16–21 (NLT) 16The result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
Jesus restored the order. 1. Favor- Right Standing 2. Fulfillment 3. Fellowship- Connectedness
Ephesians 1:3–5, 11 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure…11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV) “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”
Being effective in sharing Jesus with people comes from: 1. loving God with your everything 2. and loving people from the overflow of God’s love in your life.
Mark 12:30-31 (NLT) 30 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
To walk in what God has called you to, you need to know your Identity: You are sons and daughters who are fully loved by God (Eph. 5:1-2) You are the Light of the world (Matt. 5:14) You are the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21) You are Farmers who sow and reap (Mark 4:14 and Mark 4:29)
Planting Seeds: Introducing People to Jesus
Excuses Fear I am not bold enough I am not an extrovert I am not good with words I don’t know enough I am to busy I am not “called to that”
Success Defined: love and obedience
Right Motivation 1. Compassion Having a heart broken for the people around you, and knowing that you have the solution. 2. Eternity: does what you are living for right now affect eternity?
Mark 4:14-20 (NLT) 14 “The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
How to share and show the Gospel?
How you Live Can people tell that you are a Christian simply by looking at your life? You should stand out like a sore thumb.
What you Do Natural Supernatural
What you Speak Your Testimony (gospel written on our lives) The gospel. (The gospel is enough!) 1. You were created for a relationship with God. 2. Sin separated you from God. 3. Jesus is God’s solution to sin. 4. Do you want salvation through Jesus 5. The cost: your whole life. Repent and follow Jesus.
Reaping a Harvest
And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
2 Timothy 2:6 (NLT) “And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.”
People will run to Jesus if we live a life positioned to harvest. The kingdom of God is on the offensive.
How to harvest You share the gospel/God shakes hearts People ask for Jesus. (Repent, get baptized, receive the Holy Spirit). Walk with them on their salvation journey (discipleship)
Pray for the sick
Mark 16:17-18 (NLT) 17 “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe… 18 They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Things that are properly cultivated grow. "Sometimes it's fruit; sometimes it's root. It's always growth season for believers." Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) 7 "Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
"Our health is not dictated by the strength of a season but the depth of our root!"
Mark 4:3–8 (NIV) 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the Sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."
The sun is going to come out, and it's required for us to produce fruit.
Heat fuels our growth. Mark 4:16–17 (NIV) 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
God is far more concerned about your character than your comfort.
Romans 8:28–29 (NLT) 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.
Growing through the Heat Romans 5:1–5 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
1. Be at peace with God V1 Since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Peace is not found in the absence of difficulty but the presence of Jesus.
2. Stand in faith 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege(Grace) where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.
James 1:2–9(NLT) 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
3. Hold onto hope 5 This hope will not lead to disappointment. Hope is joyful expectation not worrisome stagnation. Hope is holy optimism.
4. Find confidence love of God V5 For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
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Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) to provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Things that are properly cultivated grow. "Sometimes it's fruit; sometimes it's root. It's always growth season for believers."
"When Growth starts, decay starts"
We grow… 1. From Strength to strength Psalm 84:7 (NIV) They go from strength to strength,
If growth is your goal, being sustained won't be a problem.
2. From Glory to glory Christianity is not simply a transformed life. It's a life of transformation.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV) 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
Cedars of Lebanon. 🇱🇧 Psalm 104:16 (NLT) The trees of the Lord are well cared for— the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 1. Majestic 2. Evergreen 3. Resistant & repellent of est. 4. Longevity 5. Useful 6. Fragrant
"We only flourish naturally if we are rooted deeply!"
3. From Knowing Jesus to Knowing Jesus . Philippians 3:8–12 (NLT) 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ…10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death…12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Cultivating Roots. 1. Persistent in Christ. Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT) 6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Depth requires devotion.
1 Peter 2:2–3 (NIV) 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Word + Prayer
2. Plugged into the house Psalm 1:1–3 (NIV)1 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, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 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.
Acts 2:42 (NLT) All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper ), and to prayer.
-They were not Just devoted to Jesus, they were devoted to one another!
