Jesus Delights in Blessing His People
God delights in blessing His people, and His blessings are given strictly in His mercy and grace, not based on our worthiness.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that God delights in blessing His people rather than merely chastising them. He highlights that Jesus takes pleasure in giving us the kingdom and assures us of His desire to bless us abundantly. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently pronounced blessings, from the Sermon on the Mount to His final words with His disciples. Wilkerson reminds us that God's blessings are not earned but are given out of His mercy and grace, encouraging believers to embrace their worthiness in Christ. Ultimately, the message is one of hope and assurance that God's heart is set on blessing us.
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Many Christians think God delights only in chastising and correcting us. Not so! The Bible tells us He takes no pleasure in disciplining us. On the contrary, Jesus says, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). He assures us, "I'll give you everything you need -- because My heart is set on blessing you!"
Nowhere in the Bible do we find Jesus cursing anyone (the only thing He cursed was a fig tree). No preacher, apostle, prophet or shepherd in history ever blessed people more than Jesus did. He pronounced blessings everywhere He turned.
Consider the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are you who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are you if you hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the reviled." Everywhere Jesus turned He pronounced, "Blessed . . . blessed . . . blessed."
Jesus took children into His arms and blessed them. He blessed those who held feasts for the poor, crippled, lame and blind: "He lifted up his hands, and blessed them" (Luke 24:50).
It touches my heart deeply that Jesus' last words before He left His disciples were words of blessing. Luke says, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). And then ". . . he blessed them" (verse 51).
At this point you may be thinking, "I can understand how the Lord would bless children, or new converts, or even Christians in poor countries who need miracles just to have food. I can see how He would bless imprisoned believers in foreign countries, miraculously providing them with glorious revelations of Himself. But me? Well, I don't think I ever live up to the light I have received and I don't feel worthy of His blessings."
Beloved, I hope you understand by now that you will never be worthy of God's blessings. No one earns His blessings. Rather, He comes to us -- strictly in His mercy and grace -- and bestows on us spiritual blessings beyond our comprehension.
Sermon Outline
- I. God's Delight in Blessing His People
- A. The Bible teaches God takes no pleasure in disciplining us
- B. Jesus promises to give us everything we need
- C. He delights in blessing us
- II. Jesus' Teaching on Blessings
- A. The Sermon on the Mount
- B. Blessings pronounced on the poor in spirit, meek, and merciful
- III. Jesus' Actions of Blessing
- A. Taking children into His arms and blessing them
- B. Blessing those who help the poor and needy
- IV. Jesus' Final Words of Blessing
- A. Opening their understanding to the scriptures
- B. Blessing them before He left
Key Quotes
“I'll give you everything you need -- because My heart is set on blessing you!” — David Wilkerson
“Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are you who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are you if you hunger and thirst after righteousness.” — David Wilkerson
“He assured us, 'I'll give you everything you need -- because My heart is set on blessing you!'” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We can receive God's blessings regardless of how we feel about ourselves.
- God's blessings are available to anyone, not just those who feel worthy.
- We should strive to live a life of love and compassion, just like Jesus.