Seven categories of blessing for the mature believer.

Pastor/Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
November 8, 2009

Seven categories of blessing for the mature believer.

ACT 13:9 But Saul [Hebrew name], who was also known as Paul [Roman or Gentile name], filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,

Paul’s new name was a sign of his personal sense of destiny.

The name change occurs not at the moment of regeneration but at the time of promotion by the Lord.

Abram had his name changed to Abraham. When?

By now, after 13 silent years when the Lord did not speak with him, Abram has grown up spiritually.

Abram has come to the place of occupation with the Giver, which makes the potential gift enjoyable.

Abram has reached the point in his spiritual life where he is now ready for divine blessing.

The gift does not bring the happiness. Occupation with Christ brings the happiness.

The Lord will do all the providing. Abraham will have sexual blessing and prosperity, he will be the father of a new race, and will have a son, Isaac, by Sarah.

God’s timing for blessing is perfect, as it is compatible with our spiritual status.

He has adjusted to the justice of God in the manner of his post-salvation spiritual life, and he is now ready to receive the blessing that God has for him.

Being adjusted to the justice of God is being adjusted to every characteristic in the essence of God.

The ten attributes of God include: Sovereignty, Righteousness, Justice, Love, Eternal Life, Immutability, Veracity, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence.

There came a point in the life of Abraham when his personal sense of destiny had been attained in the same way we can attain it: through the use of the revealed word of God.

Abraham’s personal sense of destiny was to leave behind his Gentile heritage and become the founder of the Jewish race.

Paul’s personal sense of destiny involved leaving behind his Jewish heritage and becoming the apostle to the Gentiles.

The Lord ordered him to be circumcised; this became the sign of Abraham’s personal sense of destiny.

The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham not at the moment of salvation adjustment to the justice of God, but at the moment of maturity adjustment to the justice of God.

The first is salvation, which is an instant, one-time adjustment to the justice of God with results that go on forever.

God the Father actually judged God the Son on the cross bearing our sins, and this judgment came from the justice of God.

The second adjustment is Rebound adjustment to the justice of God.

The third adjustment is maturity adjustment to the justice of God.

Abram had achieved a measure of spiritual growth and was now ready to venture out and live in his personal sense of destiny.

There are seven categories of blessing in the package:
Spiritual, Temporal, Association, Historical, Undeserved Suffering, Dying, and Surpassing .

1. Spiritual blessings.

These include sharing the happiness of God and occupation with Christ as maximum category one love (toward God).

He also receives the tremendous ability to face undeserved suffering in life with no complaining.

The mature believer also has the ability to correctly interpret contemporary history, to evaluate current events in light of the Word of God.

He has grace orientation, freedom orientation, authority orientation, common sense, and a total sense of security whether in prosperity or disaster.