Speaker: Pastor Austen Ukachi
Date: 27th of July 2013
Key Passages: 1 John 3:1, Psalm 115:12-15, Romans 8: 35-39, Psalm 66:11
Message Summary
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us
How is the love of God a blessing to us? Unless we know what our entitlements are, we may not even know when we are walking in divine blessings. 1 John 3:1 says behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us. These blessings are bestowed unto us because of the love that God has for us. It is love that makes the Father give us any blessing which we enjoy today and in the future. For us as children of God, every blessing received is because of Love. Love is the foundation of the mercy of God upon our lives. If God does not love us, he would not bless us, but because he loves us, he would not withhold any good thing from us. The passage again shows that his love is so great that it bestows upon us a Sonship status! This status entitles us to certain privileges and rights which we hitherto would not have access to.
Just a few days ago, a prince was born in England. Before he was born, journalists as well as citizens’ awaited his birth earnestly. They waited for him to be born, to be shown to the public and to be named. When he was born, 21 gun salutes went in his honour. Because this child is a prince and is the first born, he is entitled to the throne, if by any chance he has a younger brother, the same level of privileges would not apply to that child. It is in the same vain that we have been bestowed Sonship status that comes with heavenly privileges and rights. Blessings are therefore our right! We are blessed already and more blessings would come. As children of God, we do not even need to fast to be blessed… Why then do we fast?
- To show repentance and purge ourselves of certain sins
- To break curses that bind us
- Although we are blessed already, there are some kinds of blessings that cannot be accessed without some level of spiritual warfare
Know that because we were in Abraham when God blessed him we are blessed too. Psalm 115:12-15 validates the fact that we are blessed only because of Gods love. Let’s look at the prodigal son, who asked for his inheritance before his time. He went away and squandered the inheritance. Upon realisation, he came back home and his father did not only accept him back but threw a party for him! There is indeed no limit to the blessings that God has given to us. God wants you to be blessed; however, you need to ensure you have enough capacity to receive all the blessings he has bestowed. Romans 8: 35-39 says that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ regardless of the situation we are going through. The child who God loves, he blesses; the experiences you are going through although difficult are only there to prepare you for a future filled with testimonies! Remember that Hannah went to the altar of the Lord year after year. It looked as if God would never answer her, year after year she was tormented by Peninnah, year after year she wept. However one day, the result became evident, one day her prayers were answered! May you be persuaded that the experience you are going through is only preparing you for your own special blessing! Yes, there are special blessings that carry each person’s names as well as general blessings. Psalm 66:11 shows that we may be tested, we might go through the fire, we may go through affliction but God will bring us out into rich fulfilment because his banner over us is love!
(The church broke into singing-His Banner over us is Love)
His banner over us is love (2ce)
He has brought us into his banqueting hall
And his banner over us is love
Is Love (2ce)
For his banner over us is love
He has brought us into his banqueting hall
And his banner over us is love
The love of God qualifies us as sons and daughters for his blessings. Believe today that you will get your blessings. By all standards, none of us deserve the blessings of God but God still blesses us all because he has bestowed the status on Sonship on us! We have his inheritance. No matter what you go through, know that it is only temporary.
(The church again broke into singing-I am thine oh Lord)
Stanza 1: I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,
and it told thy love to me;
but I long to rise in the arms of faith
and be closer drawn to thee.
Refrain: Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.
Stanza 4: There are depths of love that I cannot know
till I cross the narrow sea;
there are heights of joy that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with thee.
This love of God is unfathomable. His love which we are not qualified for is the kind of love that involved God sending his only son to the earth to die for our sins. Even if there had been just one sinner on earth, God would have still sent his only begotten son to die for the sin of that one sinner. His unquestionable love was exemplified in the life of Peter who had denied Jesus after promising that he would never leave him! He still experienced Christ’s unthinkable and immeasurable love. Christ even after Peter’s denial made Peter his right hand man and the leader of his disciples. Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God! Behold his immerse love.
Zachariah 8:1-2 talks about God’s zeal, passion, enthusiasm and love concerning us Zachariah 8:4-5 and Zachariah 8:10-13 tell the story of the restoration of Israel. The summary of this is that though Israel had been a cursed nation, God reversed this and made them a blessing. From today when you plant, it would bear fruit! When you make investment, it would yield results! When you pray, God would answer! Your expectation would not be cut short! Today, you have been delivered from the hands of the enemy! As the children of Israel moved from being cured to being blessed, your situation would change in Jesus Name! Whatever you are going through, God would turn it around! What may seem impossible in our eyes is completely possible with God!
However, every relationship is two-way. God takes notes of the sacrifices that we make for him, he sees everything. Nothing you have done will be in vain! The blessing is here! Get ready! We should equally ensure that we do not waste the blessings of God when they come like Solomon did. God’s problem is not blessing us but the question is how to manage the blessings when they come. You are already the beloved of the lord; his word says that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:17-19 emphasis the length, the depth and the height of God’s love. When a man loves his children, he would go to any length to make his child happy, the same and even more applies to God. You name has been written in the will signed by the blood of Jesus. May you realise the greatness of God’s love for you! God loves you so much that he would not withhold anything from you. 2 Corinthians 5:14, John21:15-16 tell us how the love of God must compel us to act in certain ways towards the things of God. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 gives the condition of loving God and serving him. There is no one that serves God who would not be blessed. When you love God, serve him passionately; give him your time, yourself and your resources! Then you would walk in divine blessings.
The summary of everything said this month is this: Love God with all your heart, then you would walk in divine blessings.
