Keys to Blessing

8/3/2019 Keys to Blessing

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Presented by

Rabbi Yechielecksteinand the

The Keys to

GodsBlessing

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever

curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3


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Before you begin . . .

Welcome!We have prepared this

insightful Bible study to helpyou tap into Gods mercifulblessings, learn more aboutHis nature, and relate to Hispeople. In addition to theseblessings, you will also see:

n Why God wants us to blessHis chosen people;

n Various ways that we canreceive Gods blessings;

n The many orms whichGods blessings take shape;

n The joy o pleasing Godand unleashing His avor

in our lives.

We all want to fully

experience Gods

blessingsto feel the

favor of the One who created the

universe.

Yet, when we think of Gods

blessing, we may often focus onmaterial things: a surprise check

in the mail; a bigger house; or

maybe a nicer car.

And of course, God may

sometimes choose to bless us in

these ways.

Yet if we stop there, we may

miss out on so much more of

what He wants to give us.

For example, when we doconsider how God interacted

with His people throughout the

Bible, we see His blessings come

alive in many different ways.

Such as:

withAdam,whenitmeantthe provision of a companion

in Eve;

forNoah,whenhewasseenas righteous and worthy of

saving in a fallen world filled

with sin;

orAbraham,intheformofa special covenant promising

his being the father of a vast

and great nation;

toAbrahamandSarah,inthe miracle of a child;

andJoseph,seeingtheplanshis brothers had for evil

transformed into good;

thenMosesandAaron,through the privilege of

delivering Gods people

from slavery; andforthechildrenofIsrael,

with a new home in the Holy

Land after years

of suffering.

Gods blessings may also

come to us in healing, peace

that passes all understanding,

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community among believers,

forgiveness, mercy, and

everlasting salvation.Gods blessings are vast, at

times even surprising, and nearly

always undeserved.

And yet,

there are ways

we can come

into His many

blessings.

Countless verses

throughout

the Bible offer

commands that

come with

promises of

blessing. When we take the time

to read these commands and

apply them, our lives are changed,even blessed.

One of the foundational

promises of blessing is found

in Genesis 12:3, as spoken to

Abraham by God in a covenant

about the creation of a great

nation,thenationofIsrael:

I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all the peoples on earth will be

blessed through you.

This is a promise that we

at The Fellowship have seen

fulfilled firsthandstory after

story from our supporters over

the years have proven it true.

Without question, we do

believe in Gods blessings.And with all weve read,

seen, and experienced, it would

be impossible for us not to!

Thats why

we trust you will

be blessed as you

tooblessIsrael

andtheJewishpeople.

Maythis

blessing bring us

all a bit closer to

the heart of our God who loves

us all and longs to lavish us with

His love and blessings.

Shalom!

The Keys to

GodsBlessing

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Day

One

RejoiceinGods Goodness!

Read Genesis 12:13.

These words rom

God to Abraham come

on the heels o God

renewing creationthrough the ood

(Genesis 69) and

conounding mans

plans or greatness

at the Tower o Babel

(Genesis 11)two

stark examples o

Gods response to

mans sinulness.

Blessing His People1. Given the context o this study, what is the signifcance o Gods promises to

Abraham in Genesis 12:13?

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2. The words bless and blessing are used numerous times throughout these

verses. Who is receiving each blessingand to what end?

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3. What do these words say to you, thousands o years ater they were spoken?

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4. Read verses 45 to see how Abraham responds to Gods words. What

example does he set about how to respond whenever we hear rom God?

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5. How does Romans 15:2627 reinorce the command to care or Gods chosen

people? What reason does this passage give or blessing the Jews?

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Day

Two

Loving and Obeying His Law1. According to Psalm 119:18, why are people blessed? What is necessary

to receive these blessings?

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2. What steps are involved in keeping Gods laws (see verses 78)?

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3. The rest o Psalm 119 speaks repeatedly o the psalmists love o the law.

Love is not the frst emotion usually associated with laws and rules. Why does

the psalmist love Gods law? And how are we to ollow suit in order to please

God and receive His blessing?

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4. What reasons are given in Deuteronomy 28:114 or Gods blessings on

His people (see especially verses 1, 9, 13, and 14)? List the many ways God

says He will bless His people.

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5. How are others impacted when they see this blessing? (See verse 10)

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6. What commands are given in Deuteronomy 30:16? How are these actions

inter-related? What is the result i we obey these commands?

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7. Think o a time when you obeyed Gods commands and were blessed.

Pause to thank Him or His avor in your lie. Are there areas o your lie right

now in which youre disobeying Gods law? What changes can you make in

order to please Him and unleash His blessings?

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Living a Righteous Life1. According to Isaiah 56:12, why are people blessed? What commands are

associated with Gods blessing?

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2. The woman described in Proverbs 31:1031 is called blessed by her childrenand husband (v. 28). List her many righteous attributes as well as the many ways

in which she is blessed.

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3. How do Proverbs 10:6 and Psalm 5:12 reinorce the connection between

righteous living and Gods blessings?

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4. Hebrews 11 mentions many o Gods servants rom the Old Testament along

with their righteous deeds. List what each person did and how each was blessed

or his or her actions.

5. What is mentioned as the common bond among all these people? What have

you done or what can you do to be counted among these righteous?

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Name actIoN BlessING__________________________________________________________________________

Abel (v.4)__________________________________________________________________________

Enoch (v.56)

__________________________________________________________________________Noah (v.7)__________________________________________________________________________

Abraham (vv.89)__________________________________________________________________________

Abraham and Sarah (v.1112)__________________________________________________________________________

Abraham and Isaac (v.1719)__________________________________________________________________________

Joseph (v.22)__________________________________________________________________________

Moses parents (v.23)__________________________________________________________________________

Moses (v.2428)__________________________________________________________________________

Israelites (v.2930)__________________________________________________________________________

Rehab (v.31)__________________________________________________________________________

DayT

hree

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Great Is yourHeavenly Reward

Caring for the Poor1. What actions toward the needy are called or in Isaiah 58:612?

Verse 6 reers to these actions as asting. What does that say about the

spiritual nature o these actions?

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2. List the various ways God blesses those who obey these commands.

Which o these is most meaningul to you?

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3. How does Matthew 25:3146 underscore this call to care or the poor?

What blessings are associated with obedience to this call? What do we learn

about Gods heart or the poor in this passage?

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4. How do the ollowing verses say those who care or the poor will be blessed?

Verse BlessING__________________________________________________________________________

Proverbs 19:17__________________________________________________________________________

Proverbs 28:27__________________________________________________________________________

Jeremiah 22:16__________________________________________________________________________

Day

Four

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Giving and Tithing1. How much does God ask His people to give back to Him in Deuteronomy

16:912? What acts o God mentioned in this passage help prompt His people

to give?

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2. What does Ezekiel 44:30 instruct Gods people to give to Him? What is

the result?

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3. What does Malachi 3:10 say Gods response is to our tithes?

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4. According to 2 Chronicles 31:510 and Deuteronomy 14:2229, who else is

blessed when we give?

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5. What does Matthew 23:23 teach us about the spirit in which we should

present God with our oerings?

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6. In what ways might you improve your attitudes or actions in the area o giving?

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May the LORDBeGracious to You!

DayFive

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A Christian Reflection1. One o Jesus most amous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew

5:112), includes a lot on the subject o blessing. Make a list o who is blessed

and how each person is blessed.

WHo Is Blessed? HoW are tHey Blessed?__________________________________________________________________________

v.3__________________________________________________________________________

v.4__________________________________________________________________________

v.5__________________________________________________________________________

v.6__________________________________________________________________________

v.7__________________________________________________________________________

v.8__________________________________________________________________________

v.9__________________________________________________________________________

v.10__________________________________________________________________________

v.1112__________________________________________________________________________

2. How does this passage reveal the upside-down nature o Gods kingdom?

How was this teaching radical in that dayand in todays world? What commonly

held values was Jesus challenging? What was he emphasizing instead?

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somhing o think abou!A classic Christian hymn encourages us to count your

blessings,namethemonebyone.MakealistofwaysGod has blessed you throughout your life. As you

ponder your list, take time to praise God for His blessing

and favor upon you.Blessing others is a common practice throughout

the Bible. Parents bless children (Genesis 27:2829),

GodsleadersblessHispeople(Numbers6:2426),andthe apostles blessed fellow Christians (1 Thessalonians

5:2324,Hebrews13:2021).Followingtheexamplesinthese passages, consider how you can blessings those you

love on a regular basis.

Da

ySix

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F

or nearly thirty years, the

International Fellowship of

Christians and Jews has had

the privilege of seeing how Godblesses our ministry partners as

they have blessed His people.Here are a few of their stories

to inspire and encourage you as

you consider how God mighthave you bless others.

People-Centered LifeAs avid students of the Bible whofeel strongly that Christians need

tosupporttheJewishpeople,TeddandJackisay,WeoftenwonderhowmanyJewswecouldhelp if we would just reprioritizeour finances.

As evidence of this, one dayTeddandJackireceivedaletterfrom The Fellowship inviting themtosponsorthe$4,200refurbishing of a bomb shelter in

northernIsrael.We try to keep emergency

funds in savings, and providentially,justhappenedtohave$4,200.We immediately looked at eachother, laughed, wrote the check,and sent it off.

TeddandJackilovetotellhow the floodgates of heaven

opened wide when they gave to

Gods special people.

Experiencing the Blessing . . .

Inthiscase,aftergivingtothebomb shelter project, Tedds sales

increased, doubling what he and

his company had projected.

He asserts, To anyone whohasnotgiven,Iwouldsay,Justtry it, and then step back and see

what God does in your life.

Joy of Obedience

Priscilla,whois80,hashadthe

privilegeofvisitingIsraeltwice.God used both trips, along with

the Scriptures, to ignite her love

forIsraelandherpeople.The opportunity to express

this love came as Priscilla received

anunexpectedcheckfor$300.She quicklyremembered a

letter from The Fellowship abouthelpinganeedyJewreturntoIsraelforonly$350.

Being a few dollars short of

the amount, she called her friend

Becky and asked her to prayabout partnering with her on this

special donation.Becky willingly added the

additionalamountof$50,andnow both women encourageothers to be involved in bringing

JewsbacktoIsraelinfulfillmentof Scripture.

Becky became so inspired, sheasked her Sunday school class to

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also help provide for

oneJewishpersonmakingaliyah(immigrate)toIsrael.

Ijustwantedtosharehow humbled

IfeelthatGodchose to speak

to me and work

through me,

recalls Priscilla.

WhenItruly

stop to thinkaboutit,Irealizeits one of the

most amazing

privileges in my life.

Iencourageallwholove God to seek Him, listen,

thenobey.Itbringssuchjoy!

Giving and Receiving

JayandJoAnnearewisestewards

of their finances and enjoy

giving wisely.

Unexpected, they received

four checks in one day. The most

amazing part was that the amount

wasequaltothefigureJoAnne

already had in mindto donate to The Fellowship.

She had set her heart on

helpingoneJewreturnhomeperherfamilymembers.Jayaffirmedherenthusiasmwith,Itbecamepretty clear that God wanted us

togivetotheJewishpeople!This was just the beginning

of the bless fest that God

orchestrated between needy,hurtingJewsandJayandJoAnne.

This couple

gave to all aspects

ofThe Fellowships

ministryfrom

food boxes, to

orphanages, tobringingJewsbacktoIsrael.

A floodgate

of blessings opened for our family

in a very short period of time,addedJay.

Our adult children received

pay raises, our granddaughterwho had severe food allergies was

healed, and many other spiritual

and emotional healings took

place throughout our immediate

and extended family.JayandJoAnnetellthisstory

with great joy about how God

blessed them richly.

Blessings for You

Our prayer is that you too will beequallyblessedasyoublessIsraeland her people.

Thank you for this prayerful

consideration. Shalom!

The Keys to

GodsBlessing

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Chicago,IL60602-3356

800-486-8844 [email protected] ifcj.org

I will bless those who bless you.Genesis 12:3
http://www.ifcj.org/http://www.ifcj.org/

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