Title Doctrine Sermon - God Who Blesses
Contents
Genesis 1:26-28 God blesses
“And God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth and over all that creeps on the earth.” And God created them in His own image, in the image of God. After creating male and female, God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Today, I will testify of the word of God with the title of God the Blessing.
In today's text, God created man and blessed him. The first thing God did toward mankind after creating man was not to ask them to do anything, but to give them blessings. That was the biggest priority you gave to humans who resemble your image. Here, we meet God who gives blessings to people.
So, what is God's blessing? Regarding this, we traditionally interpret that to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, to subdue the earth, to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all living things that move on the earth, these are the blessings God has given to mankind. I did.
However, if you carefully read the first part of verse 28 of today's text, you can see that there is an error in the interpretation. What is written in the first verse? I'll read that part. A new sentence begins as “God blesses them” and God appears as the subject again. “God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And he said to them,” has a structure of complete sentences that are independent of each other.
If you look at this part in the English Bible, you can understand it more clearly. The English Bible records this part as follows.
“And God blessed them” And God blessed them. The specifics of the blessing are not recorded in the text. But what is clear is that God has blessed those who have been created in His image. Therefore, we cannot measure or judge God's blessings concretely in the text. If I had to express this, this is the universal blessing that God gives to mankind. After giving this blessing, God again speaks to the blessed people who have the image of God. “ and God said unto them , Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,” The next part is difficult to pronounce, so I will omit it. Now, after God has blessed them, He says to them. You speak by command. “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” If we now weave and interpret these words, we can interpret it like this. “God has blessed those who bear the image of God. Then God commands us to be fruitful and multiply as those who have received the blessing of God.
He commands the earth to be filled with people who have been blessed by God and to subdue it. He also gave the command to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living thing that moves on the earth as a man blessed by God. Therefore, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” is not a blessing, but a command given to those who have been blessed by God. that's a mission.
God is a blessing. More precisely, he is the one who blesses those who bear the image of God. In that sense, it is not a bad thing for a person who has the image of God to ask God for blessings.
However, there are a few things we need to be careful about here. That's right ups and downs. Ups and downs is that God who gives blessings is not the purpose of life, but blessing itself as the purpose of living. Those who live such ups and downs seek only happiness. It doesn't matter who the blessing is. So, if you can receive good fortune, you can bring money to the shamanic beliefs that practice divination or good luck to wish you good luck. Set a table on a stone or wood and worship an idol to bring blessings. Through these actions, some get and achieve what they want. But that doesn't really bless him. why? Because of the blessing that he considers to be a blessing, a life that will end as a being apart from God, who is the source of blessing, a life of a creature that has nothing to do with God the Creator, and when you die and stand before God, you will be judged on the days you have lived. because you will receive it.
Dear saints, God is a God of blessing. The Creator God, whom I and you believe in, speaks today by living and working in the Word. And the God who speaks teaches us that God is a God who blesses us through today's text. So, pray for the blessings of God. Expect the blessings God has prepared for you. That blessing is beyond my imaginable limits. God enjoys giving all these blessings to those who bear His image. I bless you in the name of the Lord that your life will be where you can enjoy the blessing of God.
Second, God's blessings have a clear purpose. What is the purpose? If we look through today's text, "Being fruitful and multiplying as beings in the image of God, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living creature that moves on the earth. To be fruitful and multiply as beings in the image of God, and to rule the world by serving the world as beings in the image of God, that is the purpose of God's blessing on people.
Think about it, what kind of world would it be if God's people, who were born and prospered as beings in the image of God, filled this earth and filled it and served it? The kingdom of God will be fully ruled by the sovereignty of God. So it will be filled with a life that gives glory to God in all creation. This is what God wanted so much. And God wanted that vision to be fulfilled through Adam and Eve, who are the ancestors of men who bear the image of God, and through the people of Israel who left Egypt through Abraham, the father of faith. This is what you want to do through it.
No matter how pleased and strongly God wanted this to happen, God blessed people with everything they needed so that they could achieve all these things. Can you understand this truth? If we realize this truth, then we can say, “Truly it is.” "Yes." If we say “Amen”, we will be ready to serve so that the kingdom of God created by God may fill the whole world.
It is important to receive the blessing God has given us, but it is even more important to use it correctly so that it becomes a true blessing. So, how to use it correctly? It is used for the glory of God.
I'll give you an example. God called Abraham and blessed him. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse. did it"
God blesses Abram, and God's strong will to give that blessing is contained. that God has a purpose. What is its purpose? it will be a blessing. God blessed Abraham to make him into a great nation and to make his name great. The purpose is to make him a blessing. So what are you going to do? It means that you will use it to participate in the glory of building the kingdom of God. In the end, Abraham was blessed by God and became a great nation, and his name became great and he became the father of faith. And he truly lived a life of bliss.
So, specifically, how does God make Abram a blessing? In Genesis 22:18, it says, “In your seed all peoples under the world will be blessed.” The apostle Paul testifies that Mr. Lee is “Jesus the Christ.” (Galatians 3:16). God sent Jesus according to the promise he had made to Abram, and he came to Jesus as he promised, and He opened the way for the forgiveness of sins by taking on all our sins and dying. God said, “All peoples on the earth will be blessed through you”, and it came to pass. Therefore, Abram received the blessing God gave him, and with that blessing, he devoted himself completely to a life that revealed the glory of God, and God used him. And in a big way, Abraham was the person who built the kingdom of God in that era.
In this way, there are people who receive God's blessing and live for God's glory, and there are people who live a completely different life. Who is such a person? People like Judas Iscariot, people like King Herod, people who live for their own glory. Such a person likes to monopolize the glory that should be given to God. Who are the representatives of this work? The devil.
In Matthew 4:1-11, the devil is tempting Jesus. The first test is to turn stones into loaves of bread. did you? I didn't just say the conclusion. What is the second exam? He will set him on top of the holy temple and jump down. Then won't God help you keep your foot from hitting a stone? So did you? I didn't. What is the third final exam? I went up to the highest mountain and showed all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I said that if I bow down to the devil and worship him, I will give him all these glory. Did you worship? In conclusion, I didn't. The exams are different, but have the same purpose. It is to make Jesus fall into the snare of self-glory. That is why they make them slaves to the devil. Who is the subject of the exam? The devil. Therefore, if he fell into that temptation, Jesus could no longer walk the path he had to go for the glory of God. So Jesus was all angry with the devil's snare.
If we want to live for the glory of God, we must do two things well. One is “yes” and the other is “no”. For the glory of God, I must say “yes” to the one who strengthens me in anything. And whatever it takes for his own glory, I must be “wrathful” in him who strengthens me.
By making this choice and acting right, we glorify the God who blesses us, and as a result, we become God's glory. I pray in the name of the Lord that all of Your people will be filled with this kind of life.