Series: Family Tradition
Sermon: Generational Blessing
ICE BREAKER: What's the weirdest hobby you have ever gotten into (that is Life Team appropriate haha)?
REVIEW:
This week we learned about how to move from under the Generational Curse of sin and begin living a life of Generational Blessing!
Perhaps you didn't receive many blessing from your family of origin. Maybe you had a very difficult life. Often, people count themselves out because they don't believe they had the early advantages necessary to succeed.
What blessings do you feel your parents handed down to you?
What advantages did you lack growing up?
This week we looked at the story of Abraham. He is, of course, known as one of the most blessed people in all of scripture. His story did not start out that way though! Abraham came from a family of idol worshippers. He was 70 years old and had not done much of anything with his life. He was still living at home, mooching off of his parents.
Abraham had no obvious qualifying factors, and yet God called him to start the nation that would one day produce Jesus, the Savior! In Genesis 15, God came into an unconditional covenant with Abraham. This was a promise that God would keep no matter what to see Abraham as righteous. He would no longer be seen as the loser who lived at home or the idolater who gave his worship to false gods.
Later in life, God gave Abraham a son named Isaac. This was THE KEY to the promise of a lineage that would turn into a nation. Then, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac! Abraham obeyed, and God stopped him in the act. A ram was provided to take Isaac's place on the alter. God then made a Covenant of condition with Abraham. God said BECAUSE Abraham obeyed, he would live a blessed life!
APPLY:
Today we live under a new covenant started by Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension!
We learned that You CAN escape the Generational Curse of sin through the unconditional promise of eternal life. ALL it takes is belief in Jesus! The same way ALL it took for Abraham was believing what God said!
AND You CAN live a life that creates Generational Blessing. ALL it takes is obedience to how God asks you to live. The same way ALL it took for Abraham was obedience to God’s commands.
We LEAVE the CURSE by BELIEF
We LIVE the BLESSING through OBEDIENCE
Some people think they are just cursed and don't really believe that Jesus paid the price to remove the curse of sin. Others think that just because they believed in Jesus, they will automatically be blessed without obeying and following Christ. The reality is, you can escape the curse of sin and still live as if sin holds power over you! We must take the next step of obedience!
HERE IS THIS WEEK'S APPLICATION QUESTION:
What is ONE WAY you will pursue the Blessed Life by obeying God this week?
Perhaps there is a sin you have not been willing to give up? (gossip, lying, pornography...)
Maybe you are in a pattern, habit, or relationships that you have been rationalizing even though you know it is holding you back?
Sometimes we are stuck in patterns of omission. It isn't that we are transgressing our boundaries, it is more like NOT doing the right things when we know God is prompting us to.
PRAY:
We are called to Believe in Jesus AND to follow Him. If you have not taken that first step, consider putting your faith in Jesus today! If you are already a believer, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the areas where you are lacking obedience. Seek strength from God as you take steps of obedience this week!
