Hope for the Unblessed Soul [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright.

This is a dysfunctional situation. All I bring this story primarily for you to understand the meaning behind it. Jacob, Joseph excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Power to bless taken from Pascarella's book of the same title and is presented in an old church in North Carolina. I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us@pastorand.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright if your soul hasn't been blessed and affirmed it's never too late.

It's never too late to resume parsing Patterson and he is one of Tom Clark's figurines he timecard to make famously figurines of gnomes that became very popular and they would be retired after a period of time, such that they became collectors items. We have a few of those gnomes and then I think my wife gave me parsing Patterson many years ago.

Most of most of his creations are not more like realistic there there these little-known characters, but parsing Patterson leaning on his pool that looking looking looking joyful and and looking like he really knows the Lord well and so parsing Patterson whom I call $70 or so when he was spot and in years ago I was in a store at the beach or collectibles type place and there was a glass case and some of the timecard retired figurines were in the glass case and I looked, and there was parsing Patterson. This is years ago, sitting there prominently priced at $450.

I said honey don't have one of those at home somewhere. She said yes I said where is that thing she said I'm not sure. So I'd come home and do a search for parsing Patterson I found them, dusted them off and put them in a prominent place. I was thinking of parsing Patterson this week. That was years ago and I went and got him and and and sort of dust them off, make sure is looking good. I thought I wonder what might be worth now with the eBay I could not believe it $37 or best offer parsing Patterson sit on their he's been a sermon illustrations before and one time he just sat behind the pulpit for a long time lie next to the trashcan is where you will stay watch everything how much is somebody worth is, is it what the world says you know one kid who grows up in an environment where the child is treasured and told every day of his great worth and another kid grows up an environment where there's no one to tell him of his worth and instead just speaking curse over his life and saying over and over how little he is worth any of that. Determine what someone's worth, of course not, as a God who determines the worth of a person and our lives are just too much like parsing Patterson a sense of our worth adding them glowing to the latest praise or shame of the people or the culture around us were on a roller coaster. Too many on this because there is not something deep enough inside of us that has been authentically blessed the powerful expression of grace that paints a positive vision of our lives in accord with God's word. What happens when we hadn't been blessed and how can we be really restored and filled. I think the best places in Scripture to look is in one family, one patriarchal family that in many ways provides the substance of the narrative of the Old Testament because in this one family. There is one boy who was blessed by his father and others who are not so if you want to see a place in Scripture where there's a contrast between the soul that's been blessed and the souls that have not been it's a good place to look in Jacob's family, Jacob's 12 signs comprise the tribes of Israel who get the promised land and become foundational to the whole narrative and I want to take us there and look at the contrast and points to the answer to what you do if you have a deficit of blessing and affirmation in your life to talk about hope for the unblessed soul on her rear visits home. The foster child spent most of her time hiding in the closet so she wouldn't be bothering her mother but sometimes she would sneak out and stare at a single frame on the wall. I stand looking at this photograph and hold my breath for fear she would order me to stop looking sad.

It was a picture of the dad she never met. It's also good to have a father to be able to look at this picture and know I belong to him, but it was just a picture and she never belonged to him. This little girl love the picture in place of a real person. The night I met his picture.

I dreamed of it when I fell asleep. She said, I dreamed of it a thousand times afterwards during childhood stay in the hospital for tonsillectomy.

She imagined every day that her father would suddenly mysteriously appear. I kept bringing my father into the hospital ward in my mind and walking into my bed and I Ending him over my bed and Heaven and kissed my forehead and I gave him dialogue to. He said you'll be well in a few days. I'm very proud of the way you're behaving the father course never visited, never kissed her for head.

Maybe that's why this little girl emerge from her foster homes and orphanages to spend her life acting out a role rather than being real real here wasn't blind to real chin wasn't so angled her real nose wasn't so around her real intellect wasn't so empty in her real name was not Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean Mortensen was like every child what she wanted was a mother and a father to bless her, but her mother was mentally ill and had no blessing to give at her father's identity was never known so little Norma and decided she would just have to invent a father to bless her and she daydreams books have been written about Marilyn Monroe's suicidal overdose. At age 36 and psychiatrists have theorized about the sources of her crippling anxiety and depression. But one thing is certain, the unblessed soul never finds true peace or joy. And what a picture of this you get in this formative narrative of the Old Testament talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series Martin for nine days in a row. Someone tells you, I love you my letter for site when you feel cherished. What would happen if I'm hundred percent sad for me and think I love you anymore. When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 99 days when 1% of conditional lavatories in the other 99% with just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace blocking introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure I bring my having rejected. The Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church somehow was outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why it must not be mixed with any form of Alan Wrights 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free and probably scare grace compilations and asked the gospel discover the purity and power and grace of God. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries Senior Pastor Alan's messages attractive see with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor Alan.like these teaching you once again is in the book of Genesis at chapter 37 where we see the beginnings of the story of Joseph, but is not just the story of Joseph is a story of a family's dysfunction of a dad who did know how to bless all of his sons story sons who grew up without their fathers, affirmation, love and blessing and the havoc that it wreaked into their lives and the damage that it brought not just to a family, but to to their brother. And yet, in contrast, Joseph who was so blessed of his father and knew the great dreams of God in his life that was able to withstand horrors.

What a contrast I think that's worth looking at. If you want to understand the dynamics of those have been blessed versus those who have not, and I'd like for you to be thinking not just about your own soul, start there, but I like you. Also be thinking about other people that you may know, maybe people you don't know that you're wondering how they wind up in prison or how did they wind up in so much trouble with this will explain the whole Genesis 37 verse two. These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph, being 17 years old was pastoring the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Delhi and zeal upon his father's wives and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. This might be one only places in Scripture where there something that sounds a little negative about Joseph.

I'm not even sure this was negative grew up the youngest of three boys and sometimes you just gotta tell your parents that they're picking on you sometimes got, I don't know.

I feel for Joseph. This is an important verse of Scripture because of the mention of sons of Delhi and Philpott. Jake struggled in life, always wanting to find a way to be blast conniving stealing doing whatever kind of things he could, cheating, deceiving, and he struggled in love to. He fell in love at first sight. Rachel really love at first sight fell in love with an image what he thought would be the answer to his problems, but by some kind of trickery from Rachel's father. He was given Leah, the other sister in marriage instead and he didn't lovely and he told Laban that not only had he agreed to work for seven years for Rachel that after the trickery, Laban said you need to work seven more years for me and then you'll have Rachel and he agreed and so Leah had a servant and Rachel had a servant and what happened here was just so dysfunctional and everyone so sad it be it be funny to see the contest to see who could give Jacob baby so here here's way worse. Leah Jacobs first wife had a maidservant named Zilpah and Rachel who then second wife, Jacob has a maidservant named Bill and the Bible says that when the Lord saw that Leah was hated he gave her a son Ruben and then another son by Leah Simeon show you a list of these and then another another son is born to her named Levi and that she has a son named Judah well. Rachel becomes intensely jealous of the fact that her sister is having the sons with Jacob and she can't seem to conceive and so and that's something that's hard to wrap your mind around. She calls in her maidservant, Bill, hot to be a surrogate mother and two on her behalf.

See if she could have children and indeed this this happens and so Dan is borne by Bill Hahn is Rachel's maidservant, so it's kind of like Rachel's claiming credit for this Sunday and born and then Naftali is borne by Bill now Lee who has evidently quit conceiving children and she gets upset so she calls in her maidservant, Zilpah and Jacobs a very busy man is a and J and so she Zilpah. I had dad and then Zilpah has Asher and after this transpires, there are more that are born to Leah Issachar and Zebulun, both born to Leah and finally, finally after all those years.

Rachel has a child his name is Joseph Benjamin comes later. I say all this for two reasons will just push a family tree as is sulfur for two reasons. One noticed that though Jacob loved at first sight. Rachel she had two children. Her maidservant had to. Leah had children.

Her maidservant had had to most of the family tree really came through through Leah. I once preached a message just on this family dysfunction I think is my favorite sermon title ever.

I called it desperate housewives. Anyway I this is a dysfunctional situation. All is the lead very little lease you could say about it and that I bring this story primarily for you to understand the meaning behind it. Jacob loved Joseph why was he letting her so much favoritism to Joseph. It was because Rachel was his love, and Joseph after all those years was born to Rachel and so Jacob just started blessing Joseph, and here's what we read in verse three Israel that's another name for Jacob loved Joseph more than any other of his sons because he was the son of his old age and gave him a robe of many colors.

I mean you just can't mess up more as a dad in terms of favoritism than to just give one son, an obvious sign of your blessing that you don't give to the others. Jacob just didn't even try to hide the fact, and the brothers saw it plainly verse four, when the brothers saw that their father loved him more loved Joseph more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him were going to see today some great evil in these older brothers problem after problem and not one bit of it is excused. The problems and dysfunction and hatred in her that are happening and people all around us, and ourselves, and in this culture. Every bit of that sin. The people themselves are hundred percent culpable for their own sin.

There is no excuse from the biblical framework for sin, despite what we've been through, but I wanted you to see the source behind it wanted you to see that these boys unloved by their father unblessed by the most important person in the world to them.

I want to see the consequences of that.

The bottom line is that you you can drink in and need the blessing of his many godly people know how to speak life to you in accord with God's word every bit of it fantastic for you, but the blessing you need the most is from the most important person in your life if you don't get in its actually hard on your soul. Alan Wright. Today's good news message for the unblessed soul from our teaching the power to bless which incidentally is from past row in the book of the same title and pastor Alan is back with us here in the studio in just a moment with a parting good news thought for the day Martin for nine days in a row. Someone tells you, I love you my letter for site when you feel cherished. What would happen if I'm hundred percent sad for me and think I love you anymore. When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 99 days when 1% of conditional love poison.

The other 99% will just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace blocking introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure up. When he rejected when the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church somehow was outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why must not be mixed with any form of Alan Reitz 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free, and empower you with pure grace its compilations and ask the gospel discover the purity and power and grace of God.

When you make your get Alan Wright Ministries to senior pastor islands messages attractive see with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor Alan.like back now in the studio past row in and hopefully unblessed souls would place a bookmark here and come back with more from this teaching. If you have grown and some of this talk of blessing seems so foreign to you there what you're saying is there is hope. Right. So many of our listeners. I'm sure can identify with some of my own experiences in life where the blessing that you crave that positive vision spoken in faith someone it says not just I'm proud of you and I love you but here's what I see in you, and here's what a difference I believe you can make in this world and that kind of of affirmation that deep spiritual affirmation and in and you've missed it, and what were seen in today's heart broadcast in and tomorrow as we revisit this is that there's hope you can start today and it's never too late never too late never too late to start a life of blessing and the more that we receive, the more that will have two give to others as well. Are there real troubles in O'Daniel for the unblessed soul. Yes, as we been starting to learn about some of those symptoms that we see in Joseph's brothers, but the hope of the gospel is so powerful and so wonderful and God wants us to. To receive blessing and to know that we've been given the power to bless if we have recognized in someone that maybe they are struggling there. They are the unblessed soul in our lives is what are some ways that we could start to speak life into them. We know that we all know someone that's been in that position and I think the first is alongside of them I think is really important in your that we admit what we've missed.

Something is not easy was an easy moan like to go. Here's what I needed for my dad and I didn't get it. I think we need to have empathy for people so that's that's I think that's a beginning point is when you recognize what someone is missed and you can have a genuine empathy me know. I just feel sorry for present means you have understanding that some of the ways that they may be acting that it's because of a deficit of blessing alive and I think when you when you see and I think that the other thing, then it follows right after that is, you begin to be a treasure hunter where you're looking into their life and recognizing virtue and gifts and possibilities for the future in them that maybe they don't recognize as part of what happens is we don't see sometimes the treasure that God's deposit so we don't see ourselves accurately so you want to see them accurately and call it forth and when you do that you can attach hope to their future and and that's really how the power blessing works the unblessed soul, and by the way this comes from the book by Pascarella and the power to bless which I've made no bones about saying that this is there so much practicality here. Is it very much. I feel like a how-to book learning all about blessing and the power to bless. But maybe the secret in this book or the surprise I would say of this book is that you will find a blessing. By reading the book. If you whether you are in unblessed soul or a perfectly healthy but blessed person you will come away also hearing and reading a blessing from Pascarella and to you and that was by design. In the book there was absolutely I it's meant to be really an experience of blessing like I'm invited the reader to take a journey with me and I think that's the way it feels in the know it's people tell me Daniel, I read the book I thought of so many and set up.

I had to stop an opening chapters I had tears in my eyes and and I don't say they're not in the early tears of joy are they tears of some guy said well I think sometimes it's a bland because when our souls haven't been nourished with blessing and then it begins to receive blessing it it it's like water to parched ground and it start something start springing up, and I think that's the way the book feels. I think that's what I want to take reader on and then O'Daniel really moves towards not only these pinnacles of glorious revelation about the love of God, but it also does moves into this really practical. Here's how you can do this and anyone can learn how to bless so it's a journey to blessing and is a journey also to discovering how to bless others and people are given the real tools to do that, including even a blessing worksheet so is something that's so simple you can start today and something so deep and rich you spend the rest your life learning its depths. Today's good news messages. A listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries