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  WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE BLESSED
  by Tim Conway
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Summary: This sermon delves into the true biblical meaning of being
blessed, contrasting it with the worldly definition often associated
with health, wealth, and success. It emphasizes being counted righteous
by God apart from works and not being offended by Christ as key aspects
of true blessing. The sermon also highlights the blessing of
understanding and perceiving the truths of Scripture, being a doer of
the Word, and the contrast between God's definition of blessing and the
world's standards.

Topics: "True Blessing", "Righteousness by Faith"
Scripture References: Romans 4:6, Luke 6:20, Matthew 11:6, Matthew 13:16, John 13:17

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon delves into the true biblical meaning of being blessed,
contrasting it with the worldly definition often associated with health,
wealth, and success. It emphasizes being counted righteous by God apart
from works and not being offended by Christ as key aspects of true
blessing. The sermon also highlights the blessing of understanding and
perceiving the truths of Scripture, being a doer of the Word, and the
contrast between God's definition of blessing and the world's standards.

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CONTENT
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The next question is this, the word blessed is mentioned everywhere in
the Bible. It's used in Christian circles, even by the lost. Now I
didn't write this question or state these statements.

So to say that it's used in Christian circles, even by the lost. Well,
typically I take Christian circles to mean that the people are saved.
But I think what it might mean is in church circles, where the churches
have lost people in them, or even when you have people that are somewhat
religiously raised, who are lost, or I don't know what all is being
assumed there, but the world does use the term blessed.

People talk that way. Churches, people in religious circles use it,
people out in the world use it, that's all true. Oftentimes being
blessed in the estimation of the world has to do with good health, good
relations, wealth, successful career.

Of course, health, wealth, prosperity circles, charismatic circles,
that's generally the emphasis. But what does it truly mean to be blessed
in the Bible? So that's a good question. I like that question.

You know what? The word blessed is, that is a word that is, it's
special, it ought to be precious, and yet it is flagrantly misused. It
is profaned, it is dragged through the mud. Everybody talks about
blessed.

It's almost like the, I remember one time I was out on the streets
evangelizing in San Antonio, and there was a group out there from a
different religious group, and I was talking to them, and I was asking
just some theological questions about what they believed. And I believe
I asked a question about just something about what the gospel is. And,
oh, I think they were throwing, they were possibly throwing around the
term anointed, but anointed and blessed, those are two words that just,
anyway, I was thinking of the wrong word there.

But let me tell you, let me tell you what it biblically means to be
blessed. And you know what? I'm not going to say that if you get a new
job, that's not a blessing. I'm not going to say that if you get a new
house, that's not a blessing.

I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say if grandma dies and
leaves you a sum of money that you never expected, that that might not
be a blessing. Now, it might be a curse, too.

I don't know that, but it could be a phenomenal blessing. So, and
listen, if somebody's sick and they pray for healing and God heals them,
I'm not going to say that's not a blessing. The problem is that when you
listen to the health, so many of these preachers, televangelists, they
immediately want to run to money and health and success.

And that's what it's all about. But you know, when that question comes
to me, what does it truly mean to be blessed? My mind immediately went
to Romans chapter four. Let's turn there.

We're just going to very quickly do a biblical survey on the doctrine of
blessed. The term blessed, it just, let's try to define it. I know that
you probably have heard it just synonymously compared to happiness.

I always, I'm not going to say that there's not obviously some
connection there, but I think it goes beyond that. I think the idea is
it has to do with being privileged. It has to do with being a recipient
of God's smile.

A recipient of God's good, a recipient of the divine favor. Listen, a
lost guy who may tomorrow die and be in hell, he may be very happy
tonight. Sometimes when I just hear it, blessed just basically equated
with happiness, it feels too shallow to me.

But let's look at Romans chapter four. You want to know about blessed?
Here it is. Verse seven.

Verse six, David speaks of the blessing of the one whom God counts
righteous. Okay, you want to know what one of the biggest blessings in
all the Bible is? It is the blessing that God counts you righteous, even
when you have not lived a righteous life. Brethren, it doesn't get any
better than that.

That is the greatest blessing imaginable, that we can do the things we
did, live lives like we have lived, break the commandments like we've
broke them, spit in God's face like we have, turn our backs on him,
raise our fists in rebellion, and yet come to the place where it's
possible for God to designate us as righteous. That is the blessing
upon, this is what it says. David speaks of the blessing of the one to
whom God counts righteousness, apart from works.

In other words, I become righteous in the sight of God, not by my works,
apart from that. And here it is, verse seven. This, of course, is an Old
Testament quote from Psalm 32, but Paul loves it so much, he brings it
right up here when he's expounding his gospel to the Roman Christians.

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. You ever do any
lawless deeds? I have like lots of them, like untold numbers of them,
like I can never count all of them. Broken the law, that's what lawless
is.

It is contrary to the law. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are
forgiven. God doesn't hold them against us.

And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord
will not count his sin. That is the blessing.

And then here it is. Is this blessing only for the circumcised or also
for the uncircumcised? In other words, is it for the Jew only or is it
also for the Gentiles? And he says this faith was counted to Abraham as
righteousness. How is it counted? Before or after he was circumcised.

And he says it wasn't after, it was before. And it was specifically
before because it was before he was circumcised. So he was
uncircumcised.

So it's for all of us. It's not partial to just the Jews. Do you want to
talk about a blessing? Do you want to talk about an indication of God's
favor? An indication of the divine smile? There it is right there.

And it doesn't get any better than that. It is that God sent his son
into this world to make it possible for us to have a standing before
God, to where God isn't going to hold our sins against us anymore. That
is the greatest blessing that is.

Now, that isn't the only way that God blesses us. Let me show you. One
of the things that you're going to recognize, one of the things you're
going to see.

Brethren, I'll tell you this. You go search through your Bibles. Search
through your New Testaments and find out how often blessing is connected
with wealth.

I mean, physical earthly wealth. Like, I don't think you're going to
find it. How often is it connected with being healthy? Don't think
you're going to find it.

You know what you find? You find it's connected to having your sins
forgiven, no matter how much money you have. Oh, better to be a poor
pauper. Better to be in the poorhouse.

Better to be without a job, no money in the bank, and have all your sins
forgiven. Better to be sick with cancer and to be unsuccessful and to
have all your sins pardoned and cast behind God's back than to have all
that stuff. That stuff is a shallow blessing compared to this.

Here's another one, Matthew chapter 11. By the way, when you get these
statements in Scripture that talk about certain people being blessed, we
call those beatitudes. And I'll show you one here in Matthew 11, verse
6. Who is the truly blessed man or the truly blessed woman? Blessed is
the one who is not offended by me.

You know what? That one doesn't get rehearsed a whole lot among the
health, wealth, prosperity preachers. And yet you want to know who the
blessed people are in the world? The blessed people in this world are
the people who don't trip over Christ. They don't stumble over Christ.

They're not offended by Christ. They're not ashamed of Christ. That's
what he says here.

The people, what do you think? Let me ask you this. Blessed is the one
who is not offended in me or offended by me. What do you think that is?
What does that look like? Who is this person? What does it look like not
to be offended by Christ? What would be true of the life or not true of
the life? Not ashamed to confess him before, man.

That would be one thing. You're not afraid to speak up for him. You're
not afraid to tell people what he said.

You're not afraid to tell people who he is. And I'll tell you this.
You're not afraid to tell people that he is the only way that a person
can have eternal life and that without him you can't.

And it doesn't matter whether you are a follower of Muhammad and Allah.
It doesn't matter if you're following Joseph Smith. It does not matter
if you're an atheist.

It doesn't matter. There is life. There is one way to God.

There is one truth. And Christ is at the center of this. Christ is the
only savior of mankind.

Am I going to be chided? So yes, that's the reality. Blessed is that
person. I'll tell you this.

That person who is going to proclaim Christ even though they get mocked,
even though they get laughed at, even though they get harassed, even
though people want to distance themselves, even though there's
persecution that comes. Oh, what a glorious day. You have to recognize
what it means when Scripture says blessed.

It means it is going to turn out so good for you in the end. It means
that God is going to be for you and God is going to reward you and God
is on your side. And you want to be blessed by God.

And what we saw is this. You're blessed if He counts you righteous and
you're blessed if you're not offended in Christ. This is the way
Scripture speaks.

How about Matthew 13 verse 16? Here's another one. Another beatitude.
Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear.

For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people long to see
what you see and did not see it and to hear what you hear and did not
hear it. Right before this, He says this. This is a fulfillment of the
prophecy of Isaiah.

He says, you will indeed hear, but never understand. You will indeed
see, but never perceive. For this people's hearts have grown dull.

You know what you need to recognize is this. You know who is really
blessed in this world? People that have heard the teaching of the Word
of God and have understood it. Because do you recognize the vast
multitudes that come across the Word of God? They do not understand it.

They do not understand it savingly. They do not hear the truths. I mean,
they don't have ears to hear.

They hear, but they don't have eyes to see. They remain in the dark.
They remain deceived.

They remain believing a lie. Blessed are your eyes. Oh, brethren, I can
tell you.

Some of us, we know this. We know that this was a dead letter to us. And
that day came when suddenly this book.

Ruby, my wife describes it as, you know, it's like she was sitting in a
room that was dark and somebody turned the light on. Maybe for some of
us, the light came on more like the rising of the sun than the
immediately shining of the light at the throw of a switch. But the
reality is, oh, I remember.

I remember as a kid going with my parents to a nursing home where my
stepdad's mom was. And they had a track rack there. I don't know if it
was, I don't know who did it.

But I remember getting these portions of scripture. A lot of times they
were psalms. And I remember reading them.

And it just, it was like foreign. My wife was telling me just recently,
she was talking to somebody. And somebody who was sat in one of our
services.

And Ruby was saying that right there at the end of one of those
messages, she felt like the gospel had very clearly been stated. And she
was talking to a woman afterwards. And the woman said, I couldn't
understand a thing your husband was saying.

I was just telling somebody recently the story. I remember riding in the
truck with my dad one time. And I had what I believed.

I purposely did this. I knew I was going to have time with my dad. I
knew we were going to drive somewhere together.

And so I specifically went through my literally hundreds of MacArthur
sermons. And I found the one that I thought out of all of them was the
clearest gospel presentation. It was back in the day of cassette tapes.

And I took that tape. And when my dad and I were driving along, I stuck
that tape in. And I said, Dad, I want you to listen to this.

And I am sitting there driving along just rejoicing, thinking this is so
clear. My dad could not hear a more clear gospel message. After about
five or 10 minutes, my dad reached over and discussed.

And he ejected the tape. He said, I cannot understand a single word that
man is saying. Brethren, I'll tell you this.

Do not take it for granted if you are able to understand what Scripture
says. For you to look into this book and see this for what it is. Jesus
says this.

He recognizes right off that there are lots of people who they hear, but
they do not understand. And they see, but they do not perceive. And he
said, if you can, you're blessed.

So you see what's happening. Who are the blessed people? Who are counted
righteous? Whose sins are not counted against them? Also, those who are
not offended at Christ. Also, those who see these truths and have a
grasp.

What else? How about John 13? John 13, 17. If you know these things,
blessed are you if you do them. Wow, you got to like this.

Because the last one was, look, you're blessed if you perceive these
things. If you have eyes that see. But you know what? He takes us
further right here.

He says, if you know these things, that's good. But you're blessed if
you do them. Do what? All the things we've been talking about.

He says, I've given you an example. Washed your feet. I mean, again, it
comes to loving each other, to laying down our lives, serving one
another.

He says, if you know these things, you're blessed if you do them. You
don't want to just be hearers, you want to be doers. Those are the
blessed people.

The blessed people are the people who've been so impacted by the Word of
God and by the God of the Word that they're not just hearers. The Word
abides in them. That's what Jesus says.

That wise man who builds his house on a rock, he hears the Word of God
and he does it. That's the wise man. And that's the blessed person.

Well, I guess I would just turn this around. The opposite of blessing is
cursing. You obviously know that.

The scripture says, whoa, whoa, whoa. Cursing. If blessing is basically
to have, it's to be a recipient of the divine favor, then you know what
woe is or what curse is.

To be cursed is the opposite of blessed. Woe is the opposite of
blessing. That's the idea that you don't have the favor of God.

And we'll just end right here. Look at Luke chapter 6. The reason I want
to look here is because these health, wealth, prosperity guys, they want
us to believe that, well, if you're really blessed of God, God will heal
you. If you're really blessed of God, you're going to be successful.

If you're really blessed of God, you can name it and claim it. You know
what's very interesting? God's Word tells us you're blessed if you're
poor in spirit. You're blessed if you're merciful.

You're blessed if you're meek. You're blessed if you hunger and thirst
after righteousness. You're blessed if you're a peacemaker.

You're blessed if you're persecuted. They don't typically put that one
in there. Notice Luke chapter 6, verse 24.

Here are the woes. These are the opposite of the blessings. If you go to
verse 20 of Luke 6, it says, blessed are you who are poor.

Blessed are you who are hungry. Blessed are you who weep. Is this what
the health, wealth, prosperity guys tell us? Just the opposite.

Blessed are you when all people hate you, exclude you, revile you, spurn
your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice. I mean, you
want to talk about blessed.

He says, rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward
is great in heaven. For so their fathers did the prophets.

Okay, now let's get to the curses. Whoa, that means cursed to you who
are rich, to you who are full now, you who laugh now, and all people
speak well of you. You see, it's just the opposite of what the world
says, and it's the opposite of what these false teachers say.

Brethren, they've got it all backwards. We need to be able to see these
things through the proper lenses. There is a blessed man.

I'm going to read about the blessed man. You can go back to Psalm
chapter one. You can go to the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter five.

There is a blessed man. There is a blessed woman. It's typically not by
the definition of the world and not by the definition of so many false
teachers and preachers today.

Anyway, that's a snapshot of what the biblical counts as being blessed.
Anybody have any additional comments to that? Did I put everybody to
sleep? I always think of that one with Mary. You know, when Mary gives
praise up to the Lord and says, you know, now all generations will call
me blessed.

And a lot of the Catholics would then refer to Mary being the blessed
Mary, and she's kind of referred to as that. But the rest of the
context, she doesn't really mention all the fact that she's been
impregnated with the Holy Spirit. She actually speaks about God being
her savior.

And I just kind of, I like that because, you know, that kind of drives
home a lot of the other truths that you said about being blessed. You
know, the fact that Mary, like, recognized she was blessed because of
what God's done for her in salvation. And not necessarily like, you
know, what happened to her in this miracle.

Yeah, listen to this, because that is something to think about. Here's
Mary. Mary is in her Magnificat.

It's Luke chapter one. And actually in 142, Elizabeth is the one who
says, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb. And verse 45, blessed is she who believes that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

And so yes, scripture speaks about the blessing. But listen, I mean, we
have to recognize, was she blessed? I mean, did God show favor to her?
Undoubtedly. I mean, think about the privilege that she had.

She had the privilege to raise a perfect child who was a God man. Not
everybody gets that privilege. But we don't want to take the blessing
further than what we ought to.

We don't want to take it where the Catholics take it. She says this, my
soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

So one of the things she's acknowledging right off is she needs a
Savior, God my Savior. He's looked on the humble estate. She recognizes
she's a nobody.

And she's admitting it. She doesn't think she's anybody great. And she
says this, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

Why? For he who is mighty has done great things for me. That's a pretty
great thing that the God man is suddenly showing up in her womb. No man
involved, miraculous, fulfillment of Isaiah 7. His mercy is for those
who fear him.

She recognizes she's a vessel of mercy. He's shown strength with his
arm, scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, brought down
the mighty from their thrones, exalted those of humble estate. I mean,
do you realize what's happening? God's in the midst of changing the
whole course of the world.

Listen to what she says. He's filled the hungry with good things. Well,
who's the hungry? She is.

The rich he sent away empty. He's helped his servant Israel in
remembrance of his mercy. I mean, you realize what's happening.

Christ is coming on the scene. They've been waiting for the Messiah. All
the women of Israel wanted to mother the Messiah.

And here God is changing redemptive history. The greatest event in all
of redemptive history is at hand. I mean, this is the greatest event in
all of human history.

And the most important three decades, I mean, these 30 years of Christ's
life, in all of time, and where is God? Where is God at work? A barren
old lady and what? I mean, two obscure women, one old barren beyond her
age, and the other, a young virgin who herself recognizes she's nobody
great. She's the wife of a carpenter. And this is where God's at work.

I mean, you got to recognize that God pours his blessing out on the kind
of people that the world isn't overly impressed with. Well, that's all
for tonight, folks.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/vBj7iirurP8.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/tim-conway/what-does-it-really-mean-to-be-blessed/
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