Death brings great blessing for the mature believer

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Friday,
November 13, 2009

Death brings great blessing for the mature believer

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

Abram had his name changed to Abraham. When?

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

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.

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.

2. Temporal blessings.

These include material wealth, either received or acquired, as well as physical health.

The mature believer can have professional prosperity, including a great influence on others, leadership dynamics, success, promotion, and recognition in one’s sphere of life.

The mature believer can also have great social prosperity and great friends, as well as sexual prosperity with one’s right man or right woman.

There is also mental prosperity, meaning that the ability to think and concentrate increases.

God will also grant cultural prosperity, which is maximum enjoyment of drama, art, literature, music, history and so forth.

Establishment prosperity includes enjoyment of freedom, privacy, and protection of life and property from criminals and reprisal.

3. Blessings by association.

Those around a mature believer are blessed by their association or relationship with that person.

They are blessed either directly by God or indirectly from the overflow of supergrace blessings to the mature believer.

4. Historical blessings.

5. Undeserved suffering.

God gives us the ability to handle suffering, and turns suffering into blessing.

DEU 23:5 “Nevertheless, the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.”

Discipline is unbearable, while undeserved suffering is bearable.

Undeserved suffering is also used by God to keep our eyes on Him and our focus on eternity.

Undeserved suffering also teaches us the value of Bible doctrine.

God in His wisdom deals with us perfectly, as only He can. He allows suffering, heartache, and disaster in our lives to draw us closer to Him.

6. Dying grace blessings.

For the mature believer, the curse of death with its pain and fear is removed.

Dying becomes the greatest experience in life.

The mature believer has the best of life, greater blessing in dying, and better than the best for all eternity.