Waiting for Your Blessing
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Subject: Blessings
Topic: True Blessings
Title: Waiting for Your Blessing
Theme: True riches
The Rich Steal More Than the Poor
Evidence suggests that the rich steal more than the poor. Although shoplifting transcends categories, the rich actually do steal more than the poor. The study cited most often, in the American Journal of Psychology, states that people with incomes of $70,000 shoplift 30% more than those earning $20,000 a year.
A federal lawyer proved that point when she was caught swiping $257.99 worth of cosmetics from a store in Virginia. More recently, Sgt. Eva Pena of the New York police department was suspended from her job after she was allegedly caught stealing clothing valued at $359 from a Macy’s store. This wasn’t a crime of poverty. Pena, whose salary was over $100,000 a year, drove to court in a white Mercedes to enter her not guilty plea.
Psychologist Stanton Samenow tells of a patient that he treated several years ago:
He had more than enough money to buy the item. He took it for the thrill of it, to outsmart the establishment. He enjoyed every aspect of shoplifting: scanning the aisles for the objects, looking for the exits, trying to outsmart the surveillance and store personnel, the theft and the getaway. This was all about excitement, achievement and building up one’s self-worth, [seeking for satisfaction].
It appears that everyone is seeking for riches. Especially during uncertain financial times when banks are collapsing, inflation rising, food prices skyrocketing, riches are seen as the secret to freedom from worry and anxiety, and lasting gratification. But, all we need to do is look no further at the numberless metaphorical carcasses of Hollywood stars, and professional athletes strewn across the land who appeared to have it all to know that money cannot buy happiness.
However, by exploring 1 Cor 1:1-11, we will uncover the Bible’s secret to obtaining security, happiness and contentment in life.
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,
5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—
6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—
7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.
What do we know about Corinth? Well, the city of Corinth was situated in a strategic location that led it to become one of the most properous cities in the Roman empire.
Renown biblical scholar, Anthony Thiselton points out that it was hazardous, especially in the winter time for sailors to travel around Cape Malea because of treacherous winds and tides. Therefore, the preferred route was through the port of Corinth which was beside calm waters. Corinth was located in choke point as seen in the map. Due to the advantagous location of Corinth, high “toll fees and carriage charges” brought enormous wealth to the city.
More over, Thiselton advances that Corinth hosted the Isthmian Games, which was second only to the Olympics. These games, brought many tourist to the city and led the city to become even more properous.
Corinth also had an enormous amount of natural resources that were used to produce goods that we were sold all over the empire, again bringing in large amounts of wealth to the city.
To put it lightly, though it lies in ruins today, Corinth was a filthy rich city. Because of the enormous wealth of the city, competition, ambition, self-achievement and promotion was the order of the day. Everyone seeking for more, “for the more I have, the happier I will be.”
What Constitutes True Riches?
What Constitutes True Riches?
The Bible presents patriarchs that were very wealthy, such as Job, Abraham, Issac, David, Solomon etc.
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
God made Abraham extremely wealthy.
In Deuteronomy Moses addresses the fruit of God’s promise to Abraham, the Children of Israel. He speaks to them about God’s desire to bless them on an individual and collective basis as He did their forefather.
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9 “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Thus, in the OT the riches of wealth, the riches of health, peace and properity etc. were considered blessings. It was simple. If you had such riches you were considered, blessed, if you didn’t, you were cursed.
Travelling years into the future, you can see why the Jewish people had such a hard time coping when they were under the rule of the Roman empire.
The people remebered the words of the prophets, if were obedient they would have everthing, but if they were disobedient they would be subject to curses… the people struggled to accept the difficult truth that they were cursed.
When Jesus came along, there was no way that he would be accepted by the ruling class, because he was born into a poor family, didn’t have the best education etc… In the eyes of a cursed people Jesus himself was cursed, and the evidence of this was his poverty. Thus he could not be the long awaited Messiah who would free the Jews from the curse. The curse that was preventing them from being a properous and dominant world power.
Now, Christians in Corinth were generally poor, because they rejected the culture and worship of pagan dieties which often resulted in the confiscation of their goods. What else comes with poverty, poor health, hunger, etc. Thus in the eyes of many, Christians were cursed. However, the dominant culture of a society always seeps into the church, and some Christians were being swept away by the pursuit of riches and achievement, and beginning to compromise more and more.
It is in this context that Paul makes these staggering statements.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,
5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—
On the contrary, Paul was emphatically stating that Christians were rich, and he was not referring to just a select few, but all of them. In the Greek, “You were enriched” is plural. But how could this be? How could he say such a thing when in general the people were destitute?
Paul declares that a change took place in the nature of what constitutes blessings or riches. Paul announces that true riches are not of a physical nature, but spiritual. True riches are found in Jesus Christ. Riches have been transformed because of Gethsemane, riches have been metamorphosed because of Golgatha.
7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
True blessings or true riches are as Dr. Choi defines, indefinte blessings. Blessings that are of an eternal nature.
Jesus was hinting at this change that would take place when he said,
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Again, when did this change take place, the change took place at the cross in Christ. Therefore, true riches or blessings are not as in OT times, money, health, fame, prosperity etc… rather true blessings are spiritual, love, patience, kindness, joy, inner peace.
What blessing are you waiting for? Are you waiting for a good job, and that will help you realize that you are truely blessed? Are you waiting for good health… then you will be able to say that you are blessed. Are you hoping and praying for a nice house, a new car, recognition? Good returns returns on your shrinking portfolio.
Friends, these blessings are definte blessings, blessings that can evaporate in a moment. However, if you are sick and have a longing for heaven, you are not cursed, you are blessed. If you are jobless, stuggling to pay your rent or your mortgage, and Jesus is your all in all, you are not cursed you are blessed, and indeed rich! Eternal blessings, indifinte blessings are indestructible, they can never be taken away. Having eternal blessings are the key to contentment, security, and peace in life.
Oh, but the Apostle Paul writes about obtaining increased riches as a result of having eternal blessings.
What are the Results of Having True Riches?
What are the Results of Having True Riches?
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
First, when we have true riches our focus will be heavenward. We will have a deep longing for the revelation of Jesus Christ in the clouds of glory. The trappings of this world will not have much of a hold on us, our focus and our goal will not be to acquire wealth, but to see Jesus. Yes, we will be turning our eyes to Jesus, and looking...
Second, true riches will result in having a blameless character. However, blameless not because of hard work, and superior intellect or cunning. No, blameless because of the righteousness of Jesus, the greatest of all riches covers us. Expectation, rather than fear, hope rather than despair, peace rather than dread will be our experience.
Third, eternal riches opens the door for fellowship with Jesus.
Is your focus on heaven, not the streets of gold and pearly gates, but Jesus? Friends, heaven will not be heaven without Jesus.
Are you covered by the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness, and do you have the assurance of salvation that comes from trusting in Jesus’s hard work? Jesus did the heavy lifting, and offers each one of us the fruit of his work that led him to shed blood, sweat, and tears. What is the fruit of Christ’s work, his righteousness, his perfect, stainfree character.
Are you enjoying sweet fellowship with Jesus. Do you look forward to spending time with Him though God’s Word and prayer?
Friends, this will be our experience if we are pursuing true riches. Do you have such riches? Do you want such riches? There is nothing more satisfying then knowing Jesus intimately, and spending time with him. Nothing! Knowing Jesus is the greatest riches that we can ever have.
The Consequences of not having True Riches
The Consequences of not having True Riches
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
What are the consequences of not having true riches, spiritual riches?
First, there will be division, a lack of unity. Having the same mind and judgment does not mean uniformity in thinking. No, God loves diversity. Take for example the four synoptic gospels tell the story of Jesus from four different angles. Having the same mind and judgment means focusing on the central issue, the central person, Jesus Christ. Not allowing the formation of cliques, not permitting anything, not church building projects, not petty disagreements or held grudges because of minor or major slights to detract from sharing Jesus in the power of the Spirit.
Second, when true riches are lacking, there will be contentions, arguing, fighting. A refusal to disagree, but not be disagreeable. The Louw-Nida Greek lexicon or dictionary defines ἔριδες: having conflict that results from rivalry and discord. Beloved, when such a condition pervades the home, or the church, the true riches of Christ are lacking. This is evidence that the enemy is at work, because the door has been left ajar, allowing him to strom in and wreck havoc.
Just as true riches are of a spiritual nature, the same applies to true curses, they too are of a spiritual nature.
So again, I ask the question, what blessing are you waiting for? If the blessing you are waiting for is money, a better job, a better car, or large donations, well your focus is off. The blessing we ought to be waiting for, longing for, is a sweet spirit pervading our homes, our marriages, our church! What blessing are you waiting for?
Money, prosperity, peace are all good things, and I am not saying that we shouldn’t pray for those things. Money is not evil, it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. God wants us to live in peace, He wants us to live free of disasters like earthquakes, tornados, huricanes, etc. However, such blessing are definite, they are temporary and can be lost in a moment. But spiritual blessings, indefinte blessings can never be taken away from you. When we have such blessings, when we focus on obtaining indefinite blessings, spiritual riches, we are at peace despite surrounding circumstances. When we long for eternal blessings, contentment, security, and true happiness will charaterize our lives. When we have Jesus, the greatest treasure this universe has, we have everything.