Tonight we spoke on the fact that we are blessed people (Eph 1:3). God is a God of blessing (see Ps 67, Gen 12:1-3), a God who delights to give good gifts to His children (James 1:17, Ps 84:11), a God whose favour and grace are the bedrock of our lives and the spur to our own behaviour towards others. We have to understand blessing as being more than material wealth and health, which is why the Beatitudes are so important to our understanding of blessing (see Matt 5:1-12). We can be blessed even in difficult circumstances, because blessing is associated with God’s presence and help.
We looked at some of the ways we are blessed: initially, through forgiven sins (Ps 32:1-5). We can have a clean slate, a fresh start, because of Christ’s sacrifice for sins, and so we can know the joy of forgiveness and freedom from condemnation. This leads us to acceptance into God’s family and to all the blessings that come from being heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Ps 65:4 says, ‘Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.’ There are indeed blessings from being in God’s house, often symbolised by food and drink (see Ps 23:5, Ps 36:8). Ultimately, being chosen and living in God’s presence means we have a God who provides for us and can therefore live without worry or anxiety. (Matt 6:25-34)
Our new God-given identity as new creations, ambassadors for Christ, able to partake in the divine nature gives us a wholly positive framework for life. Truly we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ and can live without fear as a result!
