Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
We were introduced to the imputation of blessings in time in our last message. These blessings come from the righteousness of God and are targeted to the imputed righteousness of God in the believer who is compliant to the word of God.
The more compliant we become the more we qualify for these blessings. We also noted that God’s blessings have a far higher purpose than making us happy; these blessings are a reflection of his glory. We noted two kinds of blessings. First, logistical blessings, which are given to all believers, are found in two different ways. There are physical blessings such as the necessities of life which sustain our physical existence here on earth, and there are spiritual blessings which offer us the potential to honor the Lord. These blessings include the indwelling Holy Spirit, the human spirit, free will, the Bible, the local church, a pastor teacher and testing to prove our faith.
All believers have equal opportunity to advance in the plan of God. It is up to the believer’s volition as to whether or not he will be a looser or a winner in the plan of God. You may say how could I possibly be a looser in the plan of God? The answer is you are a looser if you are negative to Bible doctrine. We cannot say we love God if we neglect Bible doctrine, the word of God. Jesus Christ is the word and to reject the plan of God found in Bible doctrine is to reject Jesus Christ. I am sure this never puts us in favor with God.
The thing we prize the most is at the top of our priorities. Where a man’s heart is there will be his treasure. The positive believer keeps his priorities in order seven days a week, not just one. Moment by moment the Spirit of God fills the positive believer’s motivations and actions. The positive believer exploits the logistical/ positional blessings God has given him and he maximizes his potential in the plan of God. The outcome of this wise course of thought results in the believer receiving the tactical/ personal blessings of God in time. For glorifying God in time through positive volition to the plan of God; God not only gives abundant blessings to this believer in time, but God also stores away eternal blessings to be distributed at the Bema Seat of Jesus Christ after the rapture of the church.
This believer knows what it means for God to be first, not second or third or last. The believer who puts obedience to the plan of God way down on their list of priorities does not care what God thinks. However, the positive believer always cares for what God thinks. The positive believer does not expect God to condescend to his level, or pet him and tell him it is O.K. when he goes off course. He knows what to expect when he grows weary and disrespectful to the plan of God, so he doesn’t spend much time out of fellowship with God and the doesn’t expend a lot of mental and emotional energy feeling sorry for himself. God squared away Job, Elijah, and Jonah on this self inflicting kind of thinking in the Old Testament. He set them straight very quickly. He was going to have nothing to do with the saints feeling sorry for themselves when life kicked them in the teeth.
The positive believer looks forward to being with the Lord. He lives in the light of standing before the Lord and giving an account of his life. The mature believer does not expect to get lucky with God, or pull the wool over God’s eyes. Resident Bible doctrine has given to the positive believer a proper rational with God.
So, this believer intends to be all he or she can be for the Lord now with no excuses.
Now lets begin looking at the categories of personal tactical blessings in time.
I. Spiritual Blessings- Isa.53:10-12
The spiritual blessings experienced by the positive believer are characterized by several indicators:
1. He has a strong sense of personal destiny. He is positive and acknowledges that he must keep advancing in the word of God. He is primarily occupied with what pleases the Lord, not himself.
“For the love of Christ constrains us, because we thus judge that, if one died for all, then were all dead; and he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again.” II Cor.5:14-15. The positive believer who consistently responds as he should to this teaching positions himself for spiritual blessings. All blessings in time are depreciated if spiritual blessing are not the motivational blessing. To have all of the advantages in life as Solomon had and not have The Advantage, which is a healthy fellowship with God, is a waste. I want us to realize that it is a genuine humility toward God that creates the environment for us to receive his blessings.
2. He has magnificent personal love for God because he has learned enough truth about God and himself to know his place; that God is the Potter and he is the clay. This mindset keeps the believer from trying to impress God and mankind all of the time.
3. He has extraordinary virtue love for mankind, which means he has no mental attitude sins toward people. He doesn’t stay tied up in emotional knots over the shortcomings of others. Folks this is the recipe for a happy life.
4. He has a balanced spiritual self esteem due to his objectivity toward the word of God.
Paul said, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” This believer demonstrates poise, integrity, professional decorum and spiritual values. He is not crass or careless regarding his thoughts, speech or actions. His very presence demands respect.
5. This believer adapts to the changes in life without becoming detailed out of the plan of God because he trusts in God regardless of his circumstances. He has learned to unload his cares on the Lord, I Pet.5:6-7. He is accustomed to following the Lord’s advice. When he is heavy laden with cares he goes to the Lord and he finds his rest there, Matt.11:28-30.
I trust you covet this kind of Christian life where you have peace and a personal sense of destiny. A happy Christian is the best witness for Jesus Christ. But a sour defeated unhappy Christian is a stain on the Master’s sacrifice. He did not just die for our sins; he also died to give us the abundant life. I pray if you have not received him as Savior that you will recognize your sinful helpless condition and say yes to Jesus Christ.