Blocking His Blessings
E.A. Johnston teaches that by hoarding what God has entrusted to us instead of giving generously, believers block the blessings God intends to pour out through their obedience.
In his sermon "Blocking His Blessings," E.A. Johnston challenges believers to recognize that all resources belong to God and that withholding what He entrusts to us blocks the blessings He desires to pour out. Johnston emphasizes the importance of stewardship and obedience in giving, illustrating how hoarding God's resources hinders kingdom advancement and personal blessing. Through biblical examples and practical teaching, he encourages Christians to participate actively in God's work by generous giving.
Full Transcript
God's word declares, give, and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure, that ye meet out with all, it shall be measured to you again.
What this text means, friends, is when you see a genuine need, and you have the means to meet that need, and you give, either sacrificially or generously, then you will be the one to receive a blessing from the Lord. He will bless you by your giving. In fact, he will bless you in relation to your giving.
By your obedience, he will pour out a blessing to you that will overflow into your lap. If you see a genuine need, and you have the means to meet that need, and you choose not to give, then God won't give to you what he had intended to give to you. Our disobedience will block his blessing.
And that's the title of my message today, friends, Blocking His Blessings. We tend to view our money as our money. We earned it, therefore it's ours to do as we please.
But God declares, the silver is mine, and the gold is mine. Sayeth the Lord of hosts, we must not miss the reality that what we have doesn't belong to us. God has only entrusted it to us.
Money in the hands of a Christian in Great Britain is not their money. Money in the hands of a Christian in Texas is not their money. Money in my hands here in Florida is not my money.
It is all God's money, just in different locations and in different hands. God wants to advance his kingdom work by rerouting some of his money into different hands to where the greater need is. If you become a hoarder of God's resources, it will eventually begin to rot in your hands just like the manna that was hoarded by the Jews rotted and bred worms.
God gives us his resources because he trusts us as his stewards. But if we begin to take possession of what does not really belong to us, then God will take what we have from us and give it to another who can make better use of it, as illustrated in the parable of the talents where Jesus said, Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. God wants to advance his kingdom work on earth through the body of Christ.
If we fail to walk in obedience to his revealed will, then we will hinder his work in our lives. The spread of the gospel doesn't run as it should because we are blocking God's resources that he has entrusted to us. We mistakenly believe what is ours is ours to pass only on to our families, but we miss out on being an active part in the family of God.
God wants to bless us by allowing us to participate in his work, but if we misuse his resources that he has entrusted to us, then we will block his blessings for us. Give, and it shall be given unto you. It's God's way of telling us that he wants to bless us more if we will only get out of the way.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Principle of Giving and Receiving
- God promises blessings in response to generous giving
- Giving must be sacrificial and obedient to unlock blessings
- Disobedience in giving blocks God's intended blessings
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II. Ownership and Stewardship of Resources
- All money and resources ultimately belong to God
- Believers are stewards, not owners, of God's resources
- Misusing or hoarding God's resources leads to loss
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III. The Consequences of Hoarding
- Hoarded resources can rot and become useless (manna example)
- God reallocates resources to those who will use them faithfully
- Parable of the talents illustrates loss of blessing through disobedience
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IV. Participating in God's Kingdom Work
- Giving advances the spread of the gospel
- Believers must overcome selfishness to bless the family of God
- Obedience in giving invites God's overflowing blessings
Key Quotes
“Give, and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” — E.A. Johnston
“Money in the hands of a Christian is not their money; it is all God's money, just in different locations and in different hands.” — E.A. Johnston
“If we become hoarders of God's resources, it will eventually begin to rot in our hands just like the manna that was hoarded by the Jews rotted and bred worms.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Evaluate your attitude toward money and recognize it as God's resource entrusted to you.
- Practice sacrificial and generous giving to unlock God's blessings in your life.
- Avoid hoarding resources and instead use them to advance God's kingdom and meet genuine needs.