Balance

I remember having a conversation with another Christian on a particular doctrine of the Bible. I think that it was the doctrine of hell. I had said something about the need to be balanced when thinking and speaking about that doctrine. This person asked what I meant by balanced. He was expecting that I was going to appeal to what felt right to me. To his surprise, I said that we should stress the doctrine to the same degree that the Bible stresses it. 

I'd like to take that and apply it to another doctrine, the doctrine of sin.

Blessed

I return today to my crusade to redeem church words. And to do that I’m going to read what I am sure is a very familiar psalm. And if you’ve read the title of the sermon, you know what word I’ve decided to rescue.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1

God's Blessings

I was recently on my regular morning walk when someone responded to something I said with, 'God bless you'. He meant it as, 'Well, good for you'. But it got me thinking about God blessing people. I actually think that He does bless and that His blessings make a difference. 

Sometimes God blesses just because He wants to be gracious. So, out of the blue, people are blessed. But there is another category here. There are times that God blesses because someone has worked for it. He has 'found favor in God's sight' and was rewarded with a blessing of some sort. I might almost say he has earned God's blessing. Almost. 

My sense is that too many Christians do not work for God's blessings and thus miss out on some of the good that He gives. One reason for this is that they have not been taught about the importance of finding favor in God's sight. They have not been taught to work for His blessings. But those that do work at this are blessed and this shows in how they live. God's almost-earned blessings make a difference.

Blessings

[Originally preached 1 August, 2004]
James 1.12

What I’d like to do this morning is to look at a word, just one word. And the word, of course, is ‘blessing’. ‘Blessing’ is one of those church words that we think we know. We use it with some ease. And yet, do we really understand it? We’ve all heard the famous benediction from Numbers, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine on you.’ What does that mean? Or just think of the last time you sneezed. Did no one say, ‘God bless you’? What does it mean for God to bless? I’d like to consider that and the related question, ‘Does it really make any difference?’ My concerns here are practical and they are that because James’ concerns in our text are also practical. He is trying to encourage the saints as they encounter the many trials of life. And the key to his encouragement in this text is the promise of God’s blessing. If we can understand a bit better what that means it will help us to endure the difficult tests of faith.

We’ve all read different Scriptures that mention how God has blessed someone. Often it goes on to describe, to some extent, what it was that God did in blessing that person, how He acted for his good. One familiar example is Psalm 1. ‘Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.’ Here, God has blessed, and the psalm pictures that blessed man as someone who is flourishing. Now, in the Old Testament ‘flourishing’ is usually understood in terms of material prosperity. At least, that is certainly in the foreground. So, for example, we read, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.’ [Genesis 24.35f.] Now, this is appropriate for the Old Testament. This is during the time of the Church’s minority. It was underage. And so, since the Church was immature, the good things of God were pictured by physical objects. The great hope of Israel in the desert, for example, was to enter Canaan, the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. But when the Church reached the point of maturity after Pentecost, God adjusted His teaching. He was no longer dealing with a child but with an adult. So, Israel in the wilderness is a picture of the Church in the world today. And the Promised Land is a picture of heaven. As we look at the material blessings of the Old Testament, they point us to Spiritual blessings which far surpass them. The material blessings aren’t in the foreground now. Flourishing for the saints since Pentecost has more to do with Spiritual things, things like love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A person so blessed is ‘like a tree planted by streams of water.’ God’s blessings today may include material prosperity, but they are more focused on you becoming more like Jesus. That’s the real goal of God’s blessings. I hope that you have a sense of what it means to be blessed by God and that it really does make a difference. God is doing you good when He blesses you. And this is key to what James is talking about.

Now, we’re ready to move on to the next thought. Let’s go back to the text. Did you notice that God’s blessing is conditional? Being blessed by God is not automatic. Receiving it depends on some prerequisites being met. According to what James writes in our text, it is those who remain steadfast when faced with trials who will be blessed. If you endure the test faithfully, then you will be blessed. Now, it is important that you see this. There are those who just assume that God is supposed to bless us. It’s His job! And they get quite angry when He doesn’t do that on cue. But James doesn’t agree. Being blessed by God is anything but automatic. It’s conditional. According to our text, it all depends on how you deal with those trials. Now, that should give us all a little pause.

But there’s more. What if someone encounters a trial and fails? What if Christ poses His question, ‘Will you trust Me now?’ and by his actions this person answers with a ‘No’? What will happen? Is it just a matter of missing some blessing? ‘Oh well. Better luck next time.’ No. There is more going on. Let’s go back to Psalm 1. I read to you how God blesses the one kind of man. But the psalm also talks about another kind of man. ‘The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.’ How does this psalm describe this kind person? The word that fits is that he is cursed. He is cursed by God. There is an important dynamic to keep in mind. When someone faces a trial, it isn’t a matter of being blessed by God or just missing out on that blessing. God will either bless, or He will curse. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses describes how God will respond to Israel. ‘And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a list of specific blessings follows. Here, the condition for blessing is faithful obedience. But Moses isn’t done. ‘But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…’ And a different list follows. God either blesses or He curses. There is no third category. Jesus applies the same dynamic in Mark 4. ‘Pay attention to what you hear; with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’ Jesus warns the people of God. Some of them will respond well to His teaching. The Word preached will be mixed with faith. The condition will be met and so there will be blessing. Here, the blessing is being given more ability to understand Jesus’ teaching. But there will be those who do not respond well, who do not receive the Word preached with faith. The condition is not met. And so the result is being cursed. Whatever ability such a person may have had to understand Spiritual things will be reduced. We are either blessed or cursed by God. And all of this is included in our text. James, for reasons we’ll see in a bit, highlights the blessing offered, a real blessing that makes a real difference. But the possibility of being curse is also very real. As you deal with trials, as Jesus poses His question to you, ‘Will you trust Me now?’, much is riding on how you respond. There will be an opportunity to receive important blessings which will make a difference in your life. But there is also the possibility of experiencing God’s curse if you answer Jesus’ question with a ‘No’.

How are you feeling? If you’re feeling a little afraid, that’s good. That means you’re getting it. You’re seeing the seriousness of your choices. And they are serious! Blessing or cursing hangs in the balance. It’s good to be a little afraid. It shows that you have a measure of wisdom if you’re a bit daunted by all of this. But don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by it all. The bit of fear that you feel and that sense of the seriousness of it all is good, but only if it leads you back to the Gospel. It’s good if it points you back to repentance and faith. What is the proper response to understanding the seriousness of our text and feeling a bit afraid? It’s crying out to Jesus in faith. ‘Lord Jesus, I thank You that I can see this a bit more clearly. But seeing it, I am confronted again with my weakness. Left to myself I will fail every test. Left to my own resources I will merit God’s just curse on my life. But Lord, You are my Savior. You have pledged Yourself to me. Save me now. Give me the grace that I need to endure the trials faithfully. If you act, Lord, then, by Your grace, I will be able to stand in the trials of life. But if You do not act, If You do not give me grace, then I will most certainly fall. Lord Jesus, You are my only hope. Help me now.’ That’s the right response. Now, will Jesus ignore such a prayer? Is it possible even to think that He would hear one of His saints crying out to Him in this way and do nothing? Certainly not! He is the faithful Savior who loves His own. And He is full of grace and ready to give it abundantly to all who call upon Him in faith. The Christian who cries out to Jesus like this will have no lack of grace to meet the trial, whatever it may be. He will stand and endure by the grace of Jesus.

What we need to do is to learn how to make that kind of prayer a part of daily living. Every day has its own tests of faith. In different ways, Jesus will pose His question to us. Every day we need His grace. But how will we learn this? How will we weave this kind of attitude into every day of our lives? Being realistic, one big way that we will learn this is by our failures. One effective way of coming to see your weakness in the face of trial is by trying to deal with those trials on your own and failing. It’s the hard way to learn. It’s so much better to learn by just taking Jesus at His word. But sometimes this is the only way we’ll get it. ‘But if we fail the test won’t we be cursed by God? And won’t that lead downward to a hopeless situation?’ It might. But it won’t if, again, your failure leads you back to the Gospel. Your failure can be used for good if it leads you back to repentance. When the Spirit pricks your conscience and points out that you answered Jesus’ question with a ‘No’, that is an opportunity to believe the Gospel again. That is an opportunity to repent. I hope when the Spirit nudges you to bring your sin to mind, that you are horrified and that you quickly run to prayer. I hope that your first thought is that you must appeal to God for forgiveness lest His well-deserved curse fall upon you. But I also hope that you remember that our God is a forgiving God to all who come to Him in honest, heartfelt repentance. ‘Father, I have acted foolishly. I tried to deal with a trial on my own. I failed. I have sinned. I refused to trust Jesus in that situation. I trusted in myself. I have no excuse. But because of Jesus, I am bold to ask for forgiveness. Please forgive me my sin and do not curse me even though I deserve it.’ And what will the Father do with such a prayer? ‘But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared.’ [Psalm 130] It is simply amazing to consider the patient kindness and abundant graciousness of our God, the God who forgives sinners like us. It’s better to learn by just believing Jesus’ Word. But if you find yourself having to learn the hard way, quickly run to Christ repenting of your foolish sin.

Now, to my last thought. Do you see why James only mentioned the possibility of blessing and not of cursing? It’s because he was optimistic. Our situation is very hopeful. All you need to do is believe the Gospel. It all boils down to faith in Jesus and repentance of your sins. If you would but believe the Gospel you will be blessed. God will act for your good. You will flourish. And you will become ‘like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season’. So, the next time that you face a trial, don’t be discouraged. Don’t give in to feelings of weariness or despair. Rejoice. It is an opportunity to be blessed by God. And you will be blessed as you endure the trial believing the Gospel of Jesus.

Working At Following Jesus

Luke 13.23-24

Last week I spoke to you about God's blessings, and I referred to the too many Christians who are not experiencing those blessings and know it. I said, ' ...they do not enjoy God's blessing, things like His peace or Gospel fearlessness. They do not enjoy the shining smile of their Father's face. And they sense that lack. They may pray for these things, but they don't seek for them as God has prescribed.' Today, I want to follow-up on that thought and develop it a bit. I want to talk about prayer and how it relates to working at following Jesus and in this way experiencing God's blessings. And I'll tell you right up front what the main point of the sermon is. When it comes to being a faithful Christian, to following Jesus well, to enjoying the blessings of the Father that flow from this, prayer isn't enough. That's what I want to make very clear to you. And I want to make it clear because thinking this way can result in a serious problem.

One emphasis of good Bible preaching and teaching is the emphasis on grace. Our Father gives us all that we need but not because we have earned it. What we've earned is His just punishment. Nevertheless, the Father does give us what we need. And He does that because Jesus has earned it for us. All His gifts are gifts of grace, gifts freely given. Another emphasis of good Bible preaching and teaching is the promises attached to prayer. The Father stands ready to shower His children with blessings. He promises to answer prayer. Some put these two together - grace and prayer - and unfortunately conclude that when it comes to following Jesus well and enjoying His blessings, all we need do is pray. But then they find that it doesn't work. 'I prayed about it. But nothing happened.' That is frustrating, confusing and very discouraging. And that's the problem that I want to address.

Let's consider some examples. How does the average Christian respond if he is faced with some decision, but he isn't sure what to do? One classic response is to quote this verse from James. 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.' So, this Christian prays and asks God for wisdom. The plan is then for the Christian to make his decision, assured that the choice made will be right because he asked for wisdom and God promised to give it. However, it doesn't always work out. Sometimes the decision proves to have been rather unwise. The situation turns out all wrong. And it feels as if God hasn't kept His promise. If this happens more than just once in a while our Christian friend begins to wonder about that verse in James. The assumption, 'All that is required to enjoy Jesus' blessings - like wisdom - is a little prayer', begins to be questioned. Something feels very wrong. When faced with this kind of situation, too many conclude that either the verse is broken and that the only way to proceed is to depend on whatever wisdom they can muster on their own, or that they are somehow not praying in the right way, whatever 'the right way' means. Not everyone comes to these sorts of conclusions but too many do. The problem, however, isn't a broken verse nor is it that God only answers the perfect prayers of some elite. The problem is the assumption. 'All that is required to enjoy Jesus' blessings - like wisdom - is a little prayer.' Listen to this from Proverbs. Wisdom is speaking. 'I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. ... And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.' It doesn't sound like prayer alone will get you wisdom from God. It sounds like gaining wisdom takes diligent seeking, listening carefully to instruction, watching daily at wisdom's doors. It sounds like gaining wisdom takes work.

Let's consider another example. John 3.16 is probably the most famous verse in the Bible - and rightly so. The point of the verse is clear. Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved. It sounds simple. It even sounds easy. And that's what lots of people conclude. All you need to do is pray the sinner's prayer, and it's all good. Just believe in Jesus, and you're home free. That is, after all, what so many are told. But then what about these words from Jesus. 'Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.' This sounds hard. It sounds as if it will take some serious effort.

Another example. 'Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.' The promise of Scripture is that we will be made holy. God is faithful and He will do it. Again, many look at verses like this and come to the faulty conclusion that their sanctification, their becoming holy, is on automatic pilot. It's something certain to be achieve all on its own. But then we encounter exhortations like these. 'For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.' Paul repeats the same imagery here. 'Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.' Then there's this startling word from Jesus. 'And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.' That sounds more than hard. It sounds violent.

And then there is Jesus' famous call to discipleship. 'And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."' Jesus utters His call to follow Him, to be His disciple. And He is clear. Those who follow Him will need to be ready to say, 'No!' to their desires: self-denial. They will need to be ready to see all that is precious to them destroyed: bearing the cross. This is Jesus' call to discipleship. It takes more than prayer. It's hard.

And this is what our text is about. 'Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.' Being a Christian, following Jesus in such a way that one can enjoy the blessings of the Father, involves more than being sure to pray. Faithful discipleship requires squeezing through tight doors, walking on a difficult path, seeking daily and diligently by carefully listening to instruction. Faithful discipleship requires striving. This is hard. This is demanding. This is all-consuming. All of this helps us to understand why there are so many confused and even defeated Christians who, overwhelmed by their troubles, can only say, 'But I prayed about it'. After trying to deal with this, some just quit. They tried being a good Christian, and it just didn't work for them. So, they leave the faith. Others aren't quite so radical, but because of their confusion, their expectations of being a Christian are minimal. There are just too many unanswered questions about how following Jesus works. Then there are those who, in the face of all of this, just try harder. They try harder at their prayers. They try harder at doing what Jesus calls them to do. But because they don't have a clear understanding of what's going on, they are frustrated and are fighting discouragement all the time. And any talk of joy in following Jesus just adds to their confusion.

There's the problem. What's the solution?

Let's go back to that James 1 situation. You need wisdom. So, what should you do? You should ask. So far, so good. The problem comes in thinking of this promise primarily in terms of crisis moments. That is, you appeal to this promise when some issue confronts you and demands a decision. But that's not what the Spirit intended by this promise. The promise is to be appealed to by an ongoing, every day kind of prayer. That means you don't say, 'Give me wisdom right now for this decision'. Rather, your prayer goes something like this. 'Help me, Father, to be diligent in seeking the wisdom that I need to live faithfully as Jesus' disciple day by day. And show me what I need to see.' And then, you crack open you Bible to find that wisdom, confident that it will be given to you. Or when it comes to holiness, you pray, 'Father, I want to be holy, and I know that you want to bless me so that become holy. So, help me to deal with this sin. [And here, be specific. Name the sin.] Show me how to put it to death. Make it possible for me to be vicious with it so that it will no longer plague me.' And then, attack that sin. The same attitude applies to Jesus' call to discipleship. 'Lord Jesus, I want to follow you well. So, show me where I need to deny myself. Make me willing to have what I love nailed to a cross for Your sake.' And then, as the Spirit points out some specific area where you are weak in your discipleship, deal with it until it is no longer an obstacle to following Jesus whole-heartedly.

I hope you noticed that along with hard work, the solution does include prayer. But it is a certain kind of prayer. Too often prayer becomes an attempt at a short cut to avoid the hard work of following Jesus. So, we pray to be suddenly wise without having to do the hard work of diligently seeking for this wisdom in Scripture. We pray to be holy, freed from some sin, without having to wrestle with that sin until we pin it to the mat. We pray to follow Jesus well without taking seriously the call to self-denial and self-crucifixion. And then, we're confused when our prayers don't seem to work. I doubt that anyone actually says, 'I think that I'll skip the hard stuff and just pray for what I want.' And yet, isn't that the trap that we sometimes fall into? Fooled again by our ancient foe. And what is the result? Well, that brings us back to where we started. The result is not enjoying the blessings of the Father and knowing it, but not knowing what to do about it because we tell ourselves, 'But I prayed about it'.

Our text is a good reminder, a fitting word for us to ponder. Enjoying the blessings of the Father takes more than prayer. It takes work. It takes an enormous amount of work. The Gospel is simple. But it's not easy. Following Jesus is hard. Jesus' language of 'striving' is so appropriate. But once we see what we are called to do, then prayer makes sense. It makes sense because following Jesus without the power of the Spirit is impossible. So, it is good and right to pray. But it must be wise prayer, not prayer as a short cut. We pray over the details, the means to the goal of following Jesus well. We pray to accomplish specific tasks, like gaining particular bits of wisdom from the study of our Bibles. We pray about specific sins that block our way so that these might be destroyed. We pray about the particulars of walking faithfully in the ways of Jesus. We pray that we will strive to enter. And then we get to work, confident that we will be blessed in our efforts because we know that our Father is full of grace and ready to give more than enough to any who ask.

God Blesses

Numbers 6.22-27

I've been thinking for a while that it would be a good idea to take a look at the biblical notion of God's blessings. Our text seems to be a good place to start. It's often used as a benediction, a blessing. So, let's spend a little time looking at this text and then jumping from it to some larger ideas.

In our text God speaks through Moses to Aaron and his sons who are the priests of Israel. God commands the priests to say these words over the people of Israel. As they do this, God will bless. This is something like what happens when the sacraments are celebrated. A pastor says and does certain things in baptism and in the Lord's Supper. As he does this, God blesses. The priests of Israel were the means for God to bless His people .

Here, we need to pause for a question. What does it mean to bless? This is another church word that we need to unpack so that we can understand it. Here's the basic idea. When God blesses He acts to do a specific good to a person or a group of people. In Aaron's blessing there are several specific ways in which God blesses. The point of the text is not to give an exhaustive list but rather to give some examples. He will keep, make His face to shine on, be gracious to, lift up His countenance on and give peace. We're not going to look at each of those blessing, but let me touch on a couple of things. First, I want you to notice that the blessings are specific. This is counter to the common notion that God's blessing is a vague something or other. No, when God blesses, He does something specific. So, in the blessing to 'keep', God is saying that He will watch over His people. He will keep them safe. The assumption here is that His Church is surrounded by many dangers. This blessing is about God acting to keep His people safe from those dangers. Then there is the promise to give peace. Peace is very large concept in the Bible. It's important to remember that God's peace is nothing like a truce. A truce simply says that bad things won't happen. It only deals with negatives. But peace is a very positive thing. God's peace is about the well being of a person. It's about deep and satisfying relationships, first with the Father and then with others. It's also about being at peace with yourself. God will act to give His people this kind of peace. I think that gives you enough to get the basic idea. When God blesses He acts to do a specific good to a person or a group of people.

In the Old Testament, blessings were usually presented as physical and material, things like a good harvest or lots of children or wealth or victory in war. Some see this and assume that all of God's blessings are physical and material. But there is a difference between the Church in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament. Before Jesus came, the Church was a child, a minor. But since Jesus has come the Church has entered maturity. So, God dealt with the Church in the Old Testament as someone would deal with a child. He spoke in ways that would be easily understood. Here, just think of a parent reading a child's Bible story book to his young children. And so, the blessings in the Old Testament were usually things that you could touch and see. God's blessings for the Church in the New Testament are more adult. The emphasis isn't on things you can touch like wealth that moth and rust destroy. Rather, the emphasis is on matters of character and the inner life. So, in His Sermon on the Mount Jesus is dealing with issues of character. Many of the beatitudes are blessings that involve the inner life. Things since Jesus' advent have changed. The blessings are more mature, more adult than they were in the Old Testament. They're still about God's keeping, shining His face on and giving peace to His people, but they show differently now.

So, God blesses His people. It might show differently depending on when a person lived, but both before and after Jesus' advent, God has blessed His people. This is a goal of the Gospel, an important goal. The point of the Gospel is that you might be blessed. This is a basic attitude of the Father to you. He wants do you good and to do that in very specific ways. Remembering this can be such an encouragement.

Now, it also needs to be said that God curses. The idea of God cursing is so very sobering and even frightening. It's understandable if people want to avoid the topic. But it is in the Bible. And how can we talk about blessings without talking about curses. The two are flip sides of the same coin. So, in Deuteronomy 28, after listing some of the ways that God has promised to bless His Church, Moses also includes a list of some ways that God threatens to curse His Church. Here are some examples: 'The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. ... The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ... You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.' I think that you get the point. God's great desire is to bless and that in abundance. But, if necessary, He will curse. That means He will act to do a specific evil to a person or a group of people. And remember, we're only talking about God's dealings with His Church. We'll get to His dealings with unbelievers some other time.

Now for an important question. When does God bless and when does He curse? How does He decide to do the one instead of the other? This is an important question because it is you whom He will either bless or curse. Here, I want to stress again that the Father desires to bless His people. He desires to bless you. That's why we have our text. God calls Aaron to bless in His name. He wants to bless. But God's blessing is not some automatic thing, something that we just assume will happen to us. There is a reason why God blesses. The Father will bless when He sees faith in Jesus. He blesses His people as they work at following Jesus well. So, there's this from the Psalms. 'Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!' God blesses, He acts to do a specific good, when His people are working at following Jesus well. This also explains when God curses. It's when His people refuse to work at following Jesus well. And so, we have this at the beginning of that list of curses in Deuteronomy that I mentioned. 'But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.' When any of God's people refuse to work at following Jesus, he merits God's curse. This is very sobering and something that we all need to take to heart. One last thing. The Father is either blessing or cursing. There is no neutral. And this is clear from what Jesus said at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Though He doesn't use the words 'blessing' or 'curse', that's what He's talking about. 'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.' The Father is either blessing or cursing His people. There is no neutral. And it all depends on whether a Christian is working at following Jesus well.

I am sure that this will lead some of you to say to yourself, 'Well, God must be cursing me all the time. I never follow Jesus very well.' If you're thinking this way, you may need to do some re-thinking. Let me tell you why. The Father does not evaluate us by looking at our behavior. If that were the case then the most blest people who ever lived would be the Pharisees. No, the Father evaluates the heart. Remember this verse? 'But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' And so, the Father is looking for hearts that are saying, 'I want to follow Jesus. I really do.' And that attitude of the heart will show. It shows as working hard at the goal of following Jesus well. And it also shows in sincere and honest repentance when the Spirit points out some way in which that person has not been following Jesus well. The key is not how close to perfection one gets. None of us are anywhere near even a distant glance at perfection. No, the Father looks at the heart. What's going on in the heart? Is working at following Jesus well a priority in the heart? The Father will bless all those who desire to follow Jesus well.

Now, let me relate all of this to the world in which we live. Here, there will be conflict. It's back to Psalm 1: the righteous way versus the wicked way. The strategy for successful living that most of our friends and neighbors have adopted goes something like this. Work hard. Stay out of trouble. Catch a few breaks. If you do this, then life will work out adequately well - or so the theory goes. Now, there are variations on the theme. My training didn't have any appeal to lucky breaks. It was just a matter of working hard and staying out of trouble. And what is the result of this kind of strategy? In my case, there was achievement. In my youth, I was identified as a success. The strategy worked in that I achieved most of the goals set before me. However, there were also some unintended results. One was fear or what most people call anxiety or worry. Adopting this kind of strategy has to result in a life where fear is always at least just beneath the surface. It shows in the dread of failure or in the persistent question, 'But what if...?' It's here that the idea of luck interjected itself in my training. While I wasn't to depend on getting a lucky break, there was always the possibility of something bad coming out of the blue and hitting me square in the face. And so, in different ways, I was afraid. Over the years, the Father has pretty much rescued me from this. I'm not afraid any more. There is no anxiety. I don't worry. This is one of His blessings to me. Another unintended result of this kind of strategy is having that persistent need to push to finish whatever it is that you are doing so that you can get to the next thing that also absolutely must get done. This is what it means to be driven. And it makes sense that this shows up since, according to the strategy, it's all up to you. So, you have to push to make sure that it all gets done. I have to say that this is something that still plagues me. But the Spirit is working on it. And I am confident that He will rescue me from this also.

That's my variation of this common strategy. But whatever the variation, it has this at its core: God's blessing is irrelevant. It has no role in how we are to plan our lives and pursue the goals that have been set before us. God's blessing is just another of those 'religious things'. It has no role in our lives, no place in the 'real' world. You can talk about it on Sundays, but reality resumes on Monday morning. And so, if the goal of enjoying God's blessings is irrelevant, then the means to that goal - working hard to follow Jesus well - is also irrelevant, or at best secondary. It's just not an important part of 'real-world living'. Sadly, there are many Christians who have fallen for this lie. And, as a result, they do not enjoy God's blessing, things like His peace or Gospel fearlessness. They do not enjoy the shining smile of their Father's face. And they sense that lack. They may pray for these things, but they don't seek for them as God has prescribed. Jesus isn't the priority of their hearts. And that is so sad.

And that is why I am telling you all of this. This evil strategy is the stuff of our world. It is out there. And it has affected us all to some extent. So, one goal for this sermon is to impress upon you that we live among a people who give absolutely no thought to the fact that God blesses and curses. They live each day, setting goals and making choices, as if there were no God who evaluates and responds to what they do. They live as if God does not bless or curse. That is the world in which we live. It is a world that is filled with danger. So, the sermon is a warning. Be careful. The danger is real. You don't want to become like them. It is also an appeal. Self-evaluation, from time to time, is good. (This is not something meant just for us older folk. You younger ones need to do this too.) Ask yourself how the fact that God blesses and curses affects your plans and goals. How are you doing at maintaining a very different and Godly strategy for your life? The priority for us is to be working at following Jesus well. That is the key to a successful life. How are you doing at keeping that a priority of your heart? We do not raise these question in a vacuum. That is foolish. We do so in the context of prayer and the Word. It is only the Spirit Who can keep us safe and these are two of His best tools to do that. I would encourage you to strive to maintain regular habits in these two tools of the Spirit.

We are beginning a new year. By the time this year is over God will have blessed, and He will have cursed. His choice to do the one or the other to us depends on our choices.