BLESSED FOR OBEYING THE WORD OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’ ”  Luke 11:28 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Luke, the physician.  One day, after He finished praying, one of His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and He taught them the model prayer. (Luke 11:1-4)  Then He told them some examples of giving and then He said to them “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:5-10)  He also told them that if an evil earthly father will give good gifts to his children, how much more will their heavenly Father give to His children. (Luke 11:11-13)  Later, after Jesus drove the demon spirit out of a mute man, some of the people in the crowd said that it was by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that Jesus could do this.  Jesus responded to them and said that a house or a kingdom which is divided against itself cannot stand. (Luke 11:14-26)  As He was saying these things, a woman in the crowd yelled out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”  Jesus replied to her, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28)

 

APPLICATION

The Bible does say that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was blessed and highly favored. (Luke 1:28)  She is special, however, the phrase “blessed art thou among women” does not confer upon her a status which is worthy of being worshiped or prayed to.  The same was said of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. (Judges 5:24)  Jesus gently reproved the woman in the crowd who called out a blessing to His mother.  He made it very clear that it was more important to hear and obey The Word of God.  Nothing should be more important to us today than believing and obeying God’s Holy Word.  If hearing The Word of God does not change us, change our beliefs and our behavior, then we are not afforded salvation.  This blessing is one of the many conditional blessings which are presented in the Bible.  We are blessed if we are both hearers and doers of God’s Word. (James 1:22)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “If ye love me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 and 14:21)  Obey The Word of God and be blessed.

ALL THINGS TURN OUT FOR YOUR GOOD IF YOU LOVE THE LORD

Proclamation:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Rome.  In this chapter Paul begins by stating the privilege that believers have in Christ by virtue of their union with Him. (Romans 8:1)  For as many as are led by The Holy Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)  They are joint heirs with Christ, and if they walk with Him they will be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)  Whatever happens in this life, we know that God works things out for the good of them who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose from darkness into His marvelous light. (Romans 8:28 and 1 Peter 2:9)

Application:

We may not see it at the time or right away, but even in or following every storm there is a blessing.  Things which appear to be bad, God will work them out for our benefit.  However, this verse applies only to those believers who truly love The Lord.  Unfortunately, many people claim to love Him.  They say the words but do not live by them and in the end He will say that He never knew those people. (Matthew 7:23 and 25:41)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)  If you love The Lord, then you will believe and obey His Holy Word.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KEEP HIS WAYS

Proclamation:

“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.  Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.  Blessed are those who listen to me … For those who find me find life and receive favor from The Lord.”  Proverbs 8:32-35 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all but two of the proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This eighth proverb was written from the perspective of wisdom speaking as a person.  Wisdom calls out to mankind to hear her words. (Proverbs 8:1-6)  The words of wisdom are trustworthy, true, just, and right. (Proverbs 8:6-9)  The words of wisdom are worth more than silver, or gold, or precious rubies. (Proverbs 8:10-11)  With wisdom comes prudence, knowledge, and discretion, in addition to good advice, sound judgment, and insight. (Proverbs 8:12-14)  Those who seek wisdom will find her and those who love her will be blessed. (Proverbs 8:17-21)  Harken to the words of wisdom and be blessed, (Proverbs 8:32-35) those who don’t, won’t be. (Proverbs 8:36)

Application:

The Word of God calls out to us to read it, to hear it, to study it, and to seek to understand it and gain wisdom.  We will be blessed if we not only hear The Word of God but become doers of The Word. (Proverbs 8:32, Romans 2:13, and James 1:22)  Believing and having faith and having knowledge of The Lord God without doing anything with it is useless. (James 2:18 and 2:26)

THE LORD'S UNFAILING LOVE WILL PRESERVE MY LIFE

Proclamation:

“In Your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of Your mouth.”  Psalm 119:88 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is the eleventh part, Kaph, of this twenty-two part psalm.  Here David recounts some of his suffering and physical problems (Psalm 119:81-86) and states that nothing that he has gone through could cause him to lose faith in God’s word. (Psalm 119:87) 

Application:

Our physical illnesses, disabilities, afflictions, and suffering can affect us so much until we mentally lose our focus on that which is really important.  By focusing on our situation and our circumstances we take our eyes and our focus off of our goal which is pleasing The Lord God.  Even the most miserable of situations, failing health, poor finances, the death of loved ones, or whatever, should not cause a true child of God to turn away from Him.  When we take our eyes off of Him, we start to sink as Peter did. (Matthew 14:28-31)  We need to press on towards the mark of our high calling (Philippians 3:14) and not let the afflictions of this life cause us to become as useless as dried out wineskins. (Psalm 119:83)  The Lord God can protect us and preserve us from whatever if we keep our focus on Him and His Holy Word.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KEEP HIS STATUTES

Proclamation:

“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of The Lord.  Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart; they do no wrong but follow His ways.”  Psalm 119:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Most Bible scholars think that it was written for the benefit of his son Solomon who would be king.  It contains a collection of David’s observations on The Word of God and its precepts.  It is uniquely constructed to contain twenty-two parts, according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each part consists of eight verses.  The first part, Aleph, begins by saying that people who do that which is right, who obey The Word of God and His statutes, and who truly seek Him will be blessed.  Those who behave and walk in a Godly way will be blessed.

Application:

It is not good enough for us to read and know The Word of God, we must also live it.  We must be sincere and upright in the sight of God.  The Word of God contains His precepts for our behavior and they must be obeyed. (Psalm 119:4)  This is not about the rituals and religious traditions which we routinely do in our worship services, this is about the way we live our daily lives.  We should walk the straight and narrow path as Christ taught us. (Matthew 7:14)  For He is the way, the truth and the life, and He is the only way that leads to salvation and eternal life.  

BLESSINGS FOR BEING OBEDIENT

Proclamation:

"If you fully obey The Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands ... The Lord your God will set you high ... All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey The Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  The fruit of your womb will be blessed ... You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.  The Lord will send a blessing on ... everything you put your hand to.  The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.  Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of The Lord, and they will fear you.  The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity ... The Lord will make you the head, not the tail ... you will always be at the top, never at the bottom." Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Moses again told the people of God about the promise of God's blessings if they keep the covenant with God.  He follows these promises of blessings with a warning of the curses that would come to them with their disobedience. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)  There are six blessings presented for being obedient followed by twelve curses for being disobedient.

Application:

The Bible clearly states what we are to do and not do, as well as what we are to say and not say, as Christians.  But even as believers we frequently choose to do what we want to do.  We choose to read only portions of The Bible and although we know what it says, we choose not to follow The Word of God.  Even though it spells out the consequences of being disobedient, we still choose to disobey.  Then we wonder why so many things go so wrong in our lives.  Thankfully, The Lord God allows us to receive some blessings in spite of our sinful nature.  However, there are many more blessings "with our name on them" that are conditional blessings which we could receive if we would follow God's Holy Word.  Let us become both readers and doers of The Word of God.  Let's change one or more of our sinful ways each day and begin to enjoy more of the blessings of obedience.

THE BLESSINGS OF GOD

Proclamation:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord appeared to him … Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.’” Genesis 17:1-19 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Moses.  He documents that The Lord God can bless believers in ways far beyond their wildest dreams.  Abram was faithful and obedient, and God blessed him and his family.  He was blessed with a long life and he was fruitful even in his old age.  God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and his wife Sarai’s name to Sarah. (Genesis 17:5 and 17:15)  Abraham’s wife Sarah was blessed to bear him a son when she was ninety years old.  Nothing is impossible for God. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Application:

The Lord can change our name, our direction, and our life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  He can bless us in more ways than we can imagine.  No matter what situation we find ourselves in, if we are faithful and obedient to God's word, He can bless us and use us in ways that are beyond that which we thought was not humanly possible.  God is in control of everything and with Him all blessings are possible. (Matthew 19:26 and Mark 10:27)

FEAR THE LORD AND BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE

Proclamation:

"Fear The Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek The Lord lack no good thing.  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of The Lord.  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry ..." Psalms 34:9-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm of David deals with the happiness of those who fear and trust in The Lord.  He begins with a personal testimony and ends with public teaching on Christian behavior.

Application:

We are blessed in more ways that we can count, and yet there are still some blessings that we miss out on because of our behavior.  God supplies the needs for those who fear Him.  Fear here is not being afraid, it is more like being in awe, respectful, and obedient.  The fear of The Lord requires that we tell the truth, turn from evil, do good, seek peace and live like we love and follow The Lord.  If we do this, we will be blessed beyond measure.

FAITHFULLY WATCHING AND DOING

Proclamation:

“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes…” Luke 12:37  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads: “Blessed are those servants, whom The Lord when He cometh shall find watching ...”

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as reported by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Jesus was speaking to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd.  His point is that the good servant will be watching and working while he waits for his master to return.  He will be prepared when his master returns.

Application:

Since we do not know the day or the hour of our Lord's second coming, we ought to live our lives continually expecting and ready for His return.  "Be ye therefore ready also; for The Son of Man cometh at an hour that ye think not." (Luke 12:40)  We must also be ready, because The Son of Man will come at an hour when we do not expect Him.  If we stay ready then we won’t have to try to get ready when He comes.  Being faithful stewards means that we should be studying and meditating on The Word of God and living our lives according to His will. "... Who then is that faithful and wise steward ... Blessed is that servant, whom His Lord when He cometh shall find so doing." (Luke 12:42-43)  By doing that we will be ready for Him whenever He returns.  Then when we see Him we will hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  (Matthew 25:21)

BLESSED IS HE WHOM THE LORD FINDS DOING GOOD

Proclamation:

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this; if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.  'Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.'"  Matthew 24:42-46 (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Matthew, the former tax collector, recorded this parable which Jesus spoke to His disciples regarding the end of the age, (Matthew 24:3-36), the rapture of The Church, (Matthew 24:40-41), and His return to earth. (Matthew 24:44)  He told them to keep watch and be ready, because not one knows exactly when He will return.  He then taught them using a parable that the wise and faithful servant will be doing the work which he was assigned when The Master returns.

Application:

Since no one knows exactly when Christ will return, we need to prepare now for His return.  It is said that we need to get ready now, and stay ready, so that we be ready when He comes.  If we stay ready, we won't have to worry about trying to get ready when He comes.  Just as in the days of Noah, the people would not turn from their sinful ways before the flood, and after the flood came, it was too late for them. (Matthew 24:37-39)  It would be better for us today, if we were like the good and faithful servant. (Matthew 24:45 and Matthew 25:21 and 23)  Blessed is the servant whom The Lord will find doing good works when He returns. (Matthew 24:46)  The question we each need to ask ourselves is: what will The Lord find us doing when He comes for us?

BLESSED COMING AND GOING

Proclamation:

 "You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out."  Deuteronomy 28:6 (NIV)

Explanation:

Moses told the people of God that if they obeyed The Word of God, they would be blessed throughout all of their journeys, going wherever they go and coming back home. (Deuteronomy 28:1 and 6)

Application:

As Christians we belong to God, we are also His people, and therefore this conditional blessing also applies to us today.  Hearing The Word of God on Sundays, and reading The Bible, does not do us any good if we do not internalize The Word and live by it.  The Word of God must change our lives if we truly believe.  If we obey Him, God will bless us wherever we go, (Deuteronomy 28:3 & 6) bless whatever we do, (Deuteronomy 28:8) bless our children, (Deuteronomy 28:4) protect us from our enemies, (Deuteronomy 28:7) and God will bless us with abundant prosperity. (Deuteronomy 28:11)  We will receive all of these special conditional blessings and they will accompany us as we go through our lives, if we obey The LORD. (Deuteronomy 28:2)  Whether we are at home or away from home, coming in or going out, God will bless us, if we are obedient to His Word.