I. Definition of blessing

A. The Hebrew word is "Barakh"

1. It is used in a number of different ways

2. In Genesis 1:22 - God blessed the animal Kingdom

3. In this place, blessing refers to the bestoyal of good and the pleasure of its increase in kind

B. In Genesis 24:60, Rebekah's relatives blessed her by saying, "...be thou the mother of thousands."

1. This expresses the wish or desire for the bestoyal of good upon Rebekah and her posterity

2. So a family can offer a blessing to the other members of the family. The blessing offers a sincere wish for the very best for the person

C. In Genesis 27:27-29 Issac blessed his son Jacob expressing his prayer for his prospering in life and the acknowledging of his worth as a person

D. In Genesis 1:28 God gives His blessing to Adam, that blessing includes multiplication and rulership over every living thing.

II. To be blessed includes then the bestowal of good, both in words and action

A. It also includes the best wishes for a person=s life and future

1. It carries with it the acknowledgment of a person=s worth - a sense of great value is placed upon us

2. There are a number of other meanings

B. In the New Testament, one of the words for "Blessing" is "Eulegeo" to speak well of another

1. Another New Testament word is "markarios" to make one happy or joyous

2. All of these ideas are involved in the person who is blessed by another

3. In this series of messages, I will be dealing with the importance of receiving the blessing of our parents

III. Most Americans are in search of the "blessing"

A. All of us long to be accepted by others

1. We may say out loud, "I don't care what other people think about me".

2. Down deep, we all yearn for affection and acceptance

3. This is particularly true in relationship with our parents

4. Gaining or missing parental blessing has a profound affect upon our lives and our having a positive relationship with others

5. In fact, our relationship to our parents can and does effect our present and future relationships

B. Brian is a great illustration of this

1. Please tell me you love me - Brian's words trailed off into tears as he leaned over the still form of his father

2. His tears revealed a deep inner pain that had tormented him for years

3. Brian flew halfway across the country to try to reconcile years of resentment

4. All his life, Brian had been searching for his father's acceptance, it always seemed out of his reach

C. Brian's father had been a Marine officer, he wanted Brain to follow in his footsteps

1. To prepare Brian for Marine life, he was hard and rarely ever spoke a word of tenderness to his son

2. Brian wanted his father's blessing so he went into the Marine Corp., however, he had attitude problems and was put on report

3. After a vicious fight with his D.I., he was dishonorably discharged from the service

4. When his father heard of this, he refused to allow him in his home and for years never spoke to him

D. During those years, Brian worked a various jobs far below his ability

1. He had feelings of inferiority and lacked self confidence

2. Three times he was engaged and broke the engagement just weeks before his wedding

3. Though he didn't know it, he was experiencing the common symptoms of growing up without a sense of the family blessing

E. Brian was notified that his father had a heart attack

1. He rushed to be at his father's side, but he had slipped into a coma just before Brian arrived

2. "Dad, please wake up", he cried; that statement reveals his incredible sense of loss, it was the emotional sense of losing any chance of his father's blessing

III. Results of never having the family blessing

A. Some are driven to work-acolism as they search for the blessing they never received at home

1. Always striving for acceptance, they never feel satisfied that they measure up; promotion and praise for their hard work becomes the substitute blessing

2. Others become apathetic and withdrawn, in can result in severe depression and even suicide

3. Almost all children who miss their family blessing start off on a lifelong search for acceptance and praise

B. This kind of story is as old as the Bible itself

1. Easu is the classic case of losing the family blessing

2. His anguished cry was, "Bless me, even me also, O my father" (Gen. 27:31-34)

3. What was this blessing that was so important to him?

4. In Old Testament times, the blessing gave children a sense of being highly valued by their parents

5. At a specific point, they would hear words of encouragement, love and acceptance from their parents

6. This blessing was so important to Esau that he wept over is (Gen. 27:38)

C. Maybe some of you in this room have an inner cry that says, O Father, I wish you would bless me, value me, accept me

1. That same cry is echoed by people today

2. Is this blessing important to you or your children?

IV. This Blessing helps to meet emotional needs

A. It provides a much needed sense of personal acceptance

1. It plays an important part in protecting and even freeing us to develop intimate relationship

2. Even to this day, orthodox Jewish families bestow a special family blessing on their children (Bill Glass)

B. Cult leaders have capitalized on this need for a personal sense of family attention and blessing

1. Cults affirm your value as a person and provide a sense of caring community

2. As I develop this series of messages, you will discover more about this blessing and your need for it

3. If you are a parent, you will discover how to give it to your children

4. You will discover whether you received the blessing from your family or not

5. Those of you who grew up with the family blessing you will see how your parents communicated it to you; it will encourage you to thank them and to revere them even more

C. We will offer you help if you grew up without their blessing

1. We will discover how to live without the blessing of your family

2. If you are a Sunday School teacher, it will help you to understand some problems with our youth

3. If you counsel people, it will assist you in understanding other people

4. These studies will give you resources to meet the needs in your family and others as well

5. Even children who are grown and out of our homes still need your blessing as a father and mother

D. Finally, I want you to experience a greater personal relationship to your heavenly Father and discover how rich is His blessing to you as a believer.