LWC SERMON GUIDE

Born for the Blessing

Scriptures to read and ponder

  • Main text: Ephesians 1:3–6

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

  • Also referenced today:

    • Genesis 12:1–3 (blessed to be a blessing)

    • Genesis 1:3; 1:21–22; 1:28 (creation by divine speech; creation blessed)

    • Romans 4:17 (God calls what is not as though it were)

    • Hebrews 4:12 (the living, active Word)

Sermon Recap

Big Idea: “Born for the Blessing”

  • Before you ever hustled or struggled, heaven had already spoken blessing over your name. You are born into blessing; you don’t perform to earn it.

1) Blessed before stressed

  • Culture trains us to chase approval and measure worth by outputs; the result is exhausted achievers—externally successful, internally hollow.

  • Paul takes us upstream of the hustle: God “has blessed us in Christ… chose us before the foundation of the world.” The gospel begins with proclamation, not performance.

2) Blessing is not aout stuff; blessing is about status

  • In Eph 1:3, “bless” (eulogeō) means to speak well of; blessing is divine pronouncement before it is provision. It’s not the car/house/promotion; those are manifestations, not the substance.

  • Adoption reframes everything: debts cancelled, new legal identity, living by the Father’s name and reputation.

3) God’s generative speech

  • From creation onward, God speaks and reality rearranges (“Let there be…”, “calls things… that do not exist as though they did”). His words are creative, not merely descriptive.

  • Therefore, “He has blessed us” (past tense): every spiritual proclamation you need is already spoken in Christ; our task is to receive and align.

  • God’s Word is alive, active, and sharp—a weapon that cuts through resistance and enforces heaven’s decree.

4) Blessed to be a blessing (covenant flow)

  • To Abram: “I will bless you… you will be a blessing… and all peoples will be blessed through you.” Blessing is a pipeline, not a bucket.

  • Hebrew bārak carries the idea of being endued with power for fruitfulness and longevity; blessing empowers a changed reality.

5) Steward the blessing (ownership and accountability)

  • Privilege carries assignment: reproduce heaven’s goodness in earth’s systems—family, work, finances, friendships, business, classrooms.

  • Stewardship translates status into service. Don’t warehouse grace; circulate it—build, reconcile, create, lift the poor, confront darkness. Let your mouth align with heaven’s speech: bless, don’t curse.

Conclusion

  • You weren’t born for burnout—you were born for blessing. Not to consume but to contribute; not to survive systems but to transform them as conduits of heaven on earth.


Memorable quotes

  • “Before you were stressed—you were blessed.”

  • “Blessing isn’t stuff—it’s status.”

  • “True blessing is to live under divine speech—to be positioned under the sound of God’s voice.”

  • “God’s words are not descriptive—they are creative.”

  • “God didn’t make Abraham a bucket; He made him a river.”

  • “The last thing you want is to receive a wealth of grace and treat it like a warehouse.”

  • “You are blessed to build.”

Questions for discussion

  1. Upstream of the hustle: Where have you been performing for approval? What would it look like to start from what God has already spoken over you?

  2. Identity shift: Which part of adoption (debts cancelled, new name, Father’s reputation) most needs to move from concept to conviction for you this week?

  3. Aligning speech: Where does your speech (self-talk, family talk, workplace talk) contradict heaven’s decree—and how will you realign it? Be specific.

  4. Pipeline, not bucket: Name one system (family, work, finance, friendship, classroom, business) where you will intentionally channel blessing in the next 7 days. What’s the first action?

  5. Measuring what matters: If we audited your calendar and bank statement, what would they say about your values and mission? What re-allocation is God prompting?

  6. Faith and formation: How does believing “He has blessed us” (past tense) change your approach to prayer, planning, and problem-solving this week?

Further reading

  • Scripture paths: Romans 8:15–17; Galatians 3:6–9, 3:26–29; 1 Peter 2:9–10; Psalm 1; Numbers 6:24–26; Matthew 5:3–12.

  • Themes to trace: “Blessing” (Gen–Rev), “Adoption,” “Inheritance,” “Kingdom as leaven/light/salt” (Matt 5–7; 13).

  • For deeper study: Word studies on εὐλογέω (eulogeō) and בָּרַךְ (bārak); biblical theology of covenant and new creation.

Prayer points

  • Thanksgiving & alignment: “Father, thank You that You have blessed us in Christ. Align our hearts and mouths with Your living Word.”

  • Identity & freedom: “Holy Spirit, establish in us our adopted status—erase shame, cancel guilt, and anchor us in the Father’s name.”

  • Generative speech: “Lord Jesus, let Your creative decree reorder our homes, teams, and city according to heaven’s design.”

  • From bucket to river: “Make us conduits, not containers—bless us to bless Gibraltar, especially the poor, the anxious, and the far-from-God.”

  • Courage to steward: “Give us wisdom and discipline to translate status into service—with our time, money, talents, and relationships.”

  • Mission & witness: “Empower us to carry the sound of heaven into workplaces, classrooms, and homes—not to consume but to contribute—for Your glory.”