         |
|
 An online correspondence course Ten lepers once cried out to Jesus, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." The Lord did extend mercy and healed them. He then told them to show themselves to the priests as required by the law. Later, one of the ten, a Samaritan, returned to thank him. When Jesus saw him he said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." (Luke 17:17, 18.) Most of us are as ungrateful as the nine. When we are blessed, we do not realize the measure of our blessings. If we do, too often we fail to thank God for his mercies. This lesson is designed to increase our appreciation of the divine blessings, both material and spiritual. MATERIAL BLESSINGS. All men, whether Christians or not, have received bountiful material blessings from God. Jesus teaches that God "maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:45.) Food, clothing, shelter, and many, many more things which we take for granted have come from God, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17.) Yet, in a special way God provides for the material necessities of Christians so that they have a promise of divine care which does not belong to the sinner. Jesus teaches, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33.) Here he specifically refers to God's provision for the material needs of those who put him before the things of the world. SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. The greatest divine blessings are not material, but spiritual. Paul declares, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places In Christ." (Eph. 1:3.) Since these blessings are to be found in Christ, they belong to the Christian, and are not promised to the one out of Christ. We gain entrance to Christ where these blessings are found by being baptized into him. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:26, 27.) We will now examine some of the specific spiritual blessings Christians enjoy. FORGIVENESS OF SINS. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23.) Spiritual death, the separation of man from God resulting from sin, can be overcome only by forgiveness. God forgives us by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ made possible by divine grace. "In whom (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Eph. 1:7.) The Christian knows that as he has been baptized into Christ his previous sins have been taken away. And he is assured that when through weakness he slips after becoming a Christian he may through prayer petition the heavenly Father to forgive. No past sin need weigh upon his conscience because he is certain that in Christ he has forgiveness. THE INDWELLING SPIRIT. One of the greatest, yet most overlooked of the blessings in Christ is that of the indwelling Spirit. Many scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit dwells within the Christian: "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Cor. 6:19.) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16.) "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11.) As is true of other spiritual blessings, the indwelling of the Spirit is received at the time that one is baptized into Christ. Peter teaches, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38, 39.) Just as truly as the remission of sins results when one obeys the gospel, this scripture teaches that at the same time one also receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Of course, nothing in these verses implies that one can perform miracles simply because the Spirit of God dwells in him. STRENGTH TO MEET PROBLEMS. It is through the indwelling Spirit that God often bestows his blessings. For example, we are informed "that he would grant you...to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." (Eph. 3:16.) But Paul also informs us, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. 4:13.) The strength which Paul had to meet his problems was through Christ, yet apparently it was received by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If we truly dwell in Christ, we will find it possible to surmount our obstacles. When we have temptation, we are promised that we will be able to successfully face it. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13.) DIVINE PROVIDENCE. It has already been suggested that God cares for the material needs of his children in a special way. This divine providence extends to every aspect of the welfare of Christians. Paul teaches, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28.) The recipients of this promise are those who have been called out of sin, or Christians. Note that this passage teaches that all things work together for good for the child of God. This does not, however imply that we will always receive everything we may desire. Sometimes we pray for things which are not best for us. But the scripture does indicate that God will always do what is best for our welfare. Even when our lives are filled with grief, sorrow, and suffering we may know that if we truly love God all of those things are working together for ultimate good, and that sometime, if not now, we will understand the actions of our Father. Truly, we are assured that "he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Heb. 13:5,6.) CHASTISEMENT. At first we might not count the Lord's chastisement as a blessing. But the inspired writer informs us, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not....Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us, after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Heb. 12:6, 7, 9-11.) Suffering often develops the best that is in us, and divine correction through chastisement should enable us to overcome our weaknesses. Just as a human father will punish his child because he loves him, so God must sometimes chastise us for our own good. COMMUNION WITH GOD. A great source of consolation for the Christian is found in communion with God. James teaches, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8.) When we are burdened we may find comfort in our Father. But we must go to him if we expect him to commune with us. Communion is actually "joint participation" and implies action upon the part of both parties. This we have when we worship God. The various elements of worship each constitute communion wtih God. The Lord's supper is specifically referred to as a communion: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16 -- A.S.V.) In partaking of these emblems in memory of our Saviour, we commune with God. This is also true when we pray. Actually, in prayer we are talking to God, pouring out our hearts to him with the assurance that he hears us. We are taught that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16.) On the other hand, when we read the scriptures God is talking to us, and as we open our minds to learn his will we are communing with him. Even when we sing praise to God we commune with him as he receives the adoration which we offer to his name. THE ETERNAL HOME. The consummating blessing of the Christian race is that of an eternal home. The scriptures abound in promises of a home for the soul in life after death. Before he departed from this earth Jesus promised, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2, 3.) Paul declared, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Cor. 5:1.) The hope of eternal life is one of the great impelling forces which drive the child of God forward through the turmoils of life. Of this we read, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast." (Heb. 6:19.) Because the Christian has been a partaker of God's spiritual blessings in this life, he can be confident that a dwelling place with God awaits him in the next. True or false:
Match the spiritual blessings with the scripture references by writing each blessing in the corresponding blank:
Read Romans 8:1-28 and fill in the blanks. 1. Those who are after the Spirit mind the things of the ________. 2. If Christ dwells in us the Spirit is ________ because of righteousness. 3. Our mortal ________ are quickened (made alive) by the indwelling Spirit. 4. If through the Spirit we mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, we shall ________. 5. Those led by the Spirit of God are sons of ________. 6. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are ________ of God. 7. The Spirit helps our ________. 8. The Spirit makes ________ for us with unutterable groanings. Check your answers > > > Back to the Table of Contents |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home
Members | About Us | Worship and Classes | Staff and Leadership
Ministries | Missions | Online Resources | Intranet | Youth | Contact Us
Back To Top