Part 03: Blessed to Be a Blessing
Sermon Summary
Pastor Jimmy continued the series on entering God's story by examining Genesis 12:1-3 and God's call to Abraham. The central message focuses on how God blesses His people not just for their own benefit, but so they can be a blessing to others.
Like Abraham, we are called to leave behind the world's ways, unhealthy relationships, and even religious traditions that don't lead us closer to God's heart. Like Abraham, every believer is made for greatness - not worldly greatness, but biblical greatness defined by humility, obedience, and rich love for people.
When God promises to make our name great, He's inviting us into His family where greatness runs in our spiritual DNA. This greatness is expressed through serving others and being available for God to love people through us.
In the New Testament, Jesus raises the standards by which we are to bless others. While God promises to have our back and defend us, calls us to bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who mistreat us. This isn't just about tolerance, but actively contending for the good of those who oppose us.
We carry the same promise given to Abraham - that through us, all families of the earth can be blessed. Whether single or married, young or old, healthy or struggling, we all have DNA built inside us to multiply life and create family everywhere we go. Our faith, like Abraham's, isn't about perfection but about trusting God even when we fail and getting back up to believe His promises again.
Key Scriptures
Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB1995) "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.'"
Luke 6:27-28 (NASB1995) "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
John 10:27 (NASB1995) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Galatians 3:6-9 (NASB1995) "Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer."
Colossians 3:12-14 (NASB1995) "So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
Discussion Questions
Instructions for groups: Choose a few of these questions from the various categories to go deeper in the sermon and put the truths of Scripture into practice.
Scripture Study & Deeper Understanding
Abraham's Three-Part Calling: Genesis 12:1 calls Abraham to leave his country, relatives, and father's house. How do these three separations represent different levels of leaving the world behind? What might each of these represent in our modern context as believers?
Old vs. New Covenant Blessing: Compare God's promise to "curse those who curse you" in Genesis 12:3 with Jesus' command to "bless those who curse you" in Luke 6:27-28. How does this progression show God's heart for redemption? What does this reveal about our role as New Testament believers?
Encouragement
Made for Greatness: Jimmy emphasized that every person is made in God's image with a desire for greatness, and that biblical greatness is defined as "humility and obedience in rich love for people." Share about a time when you witnessed or experienced this kind of biblical greatness. How did it impact you?
God's Got Your Back: Genesis 12:3 says "I will bless those who bless you." How have you experienced God bringing the right people into your life to accomplish His purposes? Share a story of how God's faithfulness has been evident through others blessing you.
Challenge
Evaluating Relationships: The sermon challenged us to consider "what do I and who do I need to let go of?" while still interceding for those people. What makes it difficult to separate from relationships that aren't helping us walk toward righteousness? How can we maintain love while creating healthy boundaries?
Blessing Your Enemies: Jesus calls us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. Which of these four steps feels most challenging to you personally? What would it look like to practically take the next step in this area?
Personal Testimony
Returning to God's Story: The pastor shared about Callum's story of leaving drugs and alcohol to return to God's story and finding true joy. Can you share about a time when you had to leave something behind to follow God more closely? What did you discover about God's character in that process?
Being Available for God: The sermon included stories of being available to love others - from the Afghan Uber driver to reading the Bible in Central Park. Share about a time when you made yourself available to God and He used you to bless someone else. What did you learn about yourself and God through that experience?
Putting it into Practice
Your Blessing Assignment: During the sermon, we were asked to close our eyes and ask God "who do I need to love today?" Based on what God showed you (or what He's showing you now), what specific action will you take this week to be a blessing to that person? How can the group pray for and support you in this?
Creating Family Everywhere: Jimmy said we have "DNA built inside of you to multiply and reproduce life and create family everywhere you go." Whether you're single, married, young, old, healthy, or struggling - how is God calling you to create family and invest in others right now? What's one practical way you can step into this calling this week?