Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
We have covered a lot of ground over the past thirty weeks in studying the blueprint of God’s imputations. They are all connected with the justice of God, whether they were imputed for cursing or for blessing.
From the blessing aspect, as a reminder, we have looked at the following...
Tactical blessings in time: given to qualified believers/ Isa.53:10-12
1. spiritual blessings - faith rest life of contentment under any circumstances
2. temporal blessings - appreciation to enjoy little as much as a lot
3. social prosperity - true friends you can count on
4. sexual blessings - for married couples due to a right mental attitude
5. vocational blessings - you have the capacity to enjoy your work
6. mental aptitude blessings - you have a greater perception in various fields of study
7. leadership blessings - you can handle authority and exercise authority properly
8. good health - divine wisdom gives you guidelines for staying healthy
9. blessing by association - iron sharpens iron, you attract similar associates and you bless those by their contact with you
10. historical impact blessings - your contribution to a better society to follow
11. undeserved suffering blessings - your spiritual momentum is rapidly advanced to put you into an intimate “friend of God” status
Bible doctrine produces objectivity, which is fairness, justice, impartiality. Biblical objectivity means we see things from God’s point of view by way of an established edification network of resident Bible truth which has been received, retained and recalled to memory. This creates within the believer a biblical rational which produces genuine humility. This genuine humility keeps you in a right attitude toward God’s authority in your life. His plans are always more important than yours and mine.
If you can handle the two extremes of prosperity and adversity while maintaining a faithful stable testimony for the Lord then you have demonstrated your spiritual capacity for life. Christian stability is sorely needed today. This needs to be attained and then maintained via Bible instruction. Isa.33:6 “And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is his treasure.”
Strangely speaking though, in times of extreme undeserved suffering, when all around you things are going wrong, there will be within you a biblical rational that passes all human understanding. This outweighs the pain. Your focus on the inner wealth of divine wisdom and your private social life with God makes suffering worth the while.
So, do not feel sorry for someone who is suffering for blessing as God has arranged it to be so. Don’t say poor Job, or poor Paul, or poor Pastor Dr. Richard Frampton, [Faith Baptist Church’s former pastor of 34 years] but rather, thank God that you know someone and can be blessed by your association with that someone. For in this age of spiritual apostasy if someone qualifies to receive direct divine attention to the extent of undeserved suffering, then you know someone who is very close to God. You are looking at someone who is going to reign with Jesus Christ in his kingdom.
He or she is being prepped and fitted for a royal garment one day. We should be so fortunate as to live on the same street with them in heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ is polishing the citations he is preparing to pin on their uniform at the Bema Seat Judgment.
All of the aforementioned blessings which we have covered may or may not be experienced in time by all and for some it will be because qualifying for divine blessing will never be achieved through their hit and miss methods of learning the word of God.
If we have a hit and mess method of receiving the word of God then we have not learned much about the value of the word of God. If we were to see the word of God as the gold, silver and precious stones which it is, or to be a little more practical, lets say it was cold hard cash, and someone were to place a container of these precious stones or cash at this alter, and they were to be offered on a first come first serve basis, how many of us would hesitate to come early and often to get our share? Ps.19:9-10; Prov.3:13-15.
For health reasons some may not be able to get out as before or as early and often as others. Perhaps they did when they were healthier and since then they have held on to those gems. Think about that for a moment.
Someone who enters an athletic contest who has not disciplined themselves to follow the instructions of their coach; one who does not go through the physical regimen to compete in their sport, or event; one who does not eat properly, and get enough rest. This person will not win the prize and most likely will come in last in the race or event. They’re still on the team, but not only do they not win the prize in their respective grace categories where God has given them spiritual gifts to do the will of God, but they do not earn points toward receiving any eternal recognition. We expect more than we deserve for our efforts. Many dream of greatness, but only few are willing to work hard to achieve it. All too often we expect a great return on very little effort. The same is true in the Christian life. Our souls are eternally secure in Christ, but our rewards are not.
However, before we get to our rewards, there is a little matter that must first take place. Unless the Rapture occurs first, we have to die before we get to heaven.
And so we will pick up with our last increment of study on the imputation of blessings in time. Our next imputation, which is the last imputation of blessing the believer receives in time, is dying grace.
12. dying grace blessings - the ultimate human experience as you cross over to the presence of the Lord in death. We will begin with this lesson next week.
As we close I ask you this question...
Are you in the family of God? Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you have not, then you are not ready for the blessings of the Lord in time, or in eternity. Your sin condemns you and it separates you from a relationship with God, Jn.3:18. Thanks to Jesus Christ in what he did for us, for through his death on the cross the barrier of sin was removed. Now the only thing/person that stands between you and eternal life is Jesus Christ. Will you call on him today? You can do so right where you sit without coming down the aisle in the front of this building. If you recognize you are lost and you are willing to receive him as your Savior, He will save you right now for all eternity, Rom.10:9. If you, as a professed believer, have walked away from the Lord in disobedience you can come back through I Jn.1:9 [biblical confession]. This is private and is not to become a public spectacle. Right where you sit you can get right with the Lord and get back into the blessings of the Lord.