Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Sunday Evening Worship - 12/7
  • Hark the Herald Angels Sing
  • The Birthday of a King
  • Luke 11:27–28
    We live in a culture obsessed with the idea of being “blessed.”
    People post pictures of vacations with the caption “#blessed.”
    People talk about being “blessed” whenever something convenient happens.
    Even unbelievers say they’re “blessed” when life goes their way.
    But Scripture uses the term very differently.
    Blessing in Scripture describes the spiritual condition of someone whose life is aligned with God’s Word and God’s will.
    It is not shallow sentiment.
    It is a deep spiritual reality.
    As Luke 11 opens, Jesus has just cast a demon out of a man who could not speak.
    The crowd watches in shock as the man speaks for the first time.
    Some in the crowd are amazed.
    Some are skeptical.
    Some accuse Jesus of working through Satan.
    Some demand additional signs.
    And in the middle of this spiritual chaos and mixed reactions, one woman speaks out with heartfelt emotion.
    She lifts her voice above the crowd and says, “Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.”
    We might say today, “Your mother must be the most blessed woman alive to have a Son like You!”
    Her words express admiration, affection, and enthusiasm.
    But Jesus immediately redirects her thinking.
    He answers, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
    Jesus does not rebuke her for honoring Mary.
    He does not reject her enthusiasm.
    He does not correct her tone.
    He corrects her theology.
    He teaches her, and us, that blessing is not found in sentimental admiration or external association.
    Blessing is found in obedient alignment with the Word of God.
    If we are going to follow His steps, especially on Sunday evenings as we walk through Luke, then we must learn to see blessing as Jesus sees it.
    Not emotional.
    Not circumstantial.
    Not hereditary.
    But obedient.

    I. A Misguided View of Blessing

    27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
    The woman’s outburst reveals several common misunderstandings about what blessing really is.

    A. She Focused on Sentiment Instead of Scripture

    Her words were sincere, emotional, and enthusiastic.
    But sincerity is never the measure of biblical accuracy.
    People can be sincerely wrong.
    People can be emotionally confident but spiritually mistaken.
    She praised Jesus from her heart, but her mind was not aligned with Scripture.
    This teaches us that emotion does not equal obedience.
    Feeling close to God is not the same as obeying God.
    Enthusiasm is not the same as discipleship.
    Many today express affection toward God but live far from His Word.
    People love Christian music but not Christian obedience.
    People feel deeply during worship but change very little afterward.
    People cry during a sermon but resist repentance later.
    Matthew 15:8 describes this problem:
    Matthew 15:8 KJV
    8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
    Do not confuse strong feelings with strong faith.
    Your emotions may move you, but only obedience will bless you.
    Blessing is not found in stirred affections but in surrendered actions.

    B. She Focused on Relationship Instead of Responsibility

    She believed Mary was blessed purely because she was biologically connected to Jesus.
    She assumed blessing was automatic for Mary because Mary was His mother.
    But Mary was not blessed because of biology.
    Mary was blessed because of belief and obedience.
    Luke 1:38 shows Mary saying,
    Luke 1:38 KJV
    38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
    Mary’s blessing was rooted in submission to God’s Word.
    People today still make this mistake.
    They rely on Christian heritage.
    They trust in their family’s faith.
    They assume God is pleased because they grew up in a Christian home.
    But spiritual blessing is never inherited.
    Salvation is personal.
    Sanctification is personal.
    Obedience is personal.
    Your family’s faith can point you to Jesus, but it cannot obey Jesus for you.
    Blessing requires personal surrender.

    C. She Focused on the Gift Instead of God

    She admired Mary’s role, but she missed God’s revelation.
    She celebrated the blessing but overlooked the source.
    People today love blessings more than obedience.
    They love the idea of God’s goodness but resist the reality of God’s authority.
    They want peace but do not want purity.
    They want comfort but not correction.
    They want favor but not faithfulness.
    James 1:17 reminds us that …
    James 1:17 KJV
    17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
    But admiration for blessings must never replace devotion to God Himself.
    We must not chase blessings.
    We must chase obedience.
    Chase God.
    Blessing follows at God’s timing and God’s terms.
    Jesus hears her emotional cry.
    He affirms her heart.
    But He elevates her understanding.
    He moves blessing away from feeling and roots it deeply in faithfulness.

    II. The Master’s View of Blessing

    28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
    Jesus defines blessing in a way that forever changes our perspective.

    A. Blessed in Hearing the Word

    “Blessed are they that hear the word of God.”
    Hearing in Scripture is never passive.
    Hearing implies attentiveness, humility, receptivity, and readiness to obey.
    Hearing means leaning in.
    Hearing means treating God’s Word as authoritative.
    Hearing means silence in the soul so Scripture can speak loudly.
    Romans 10:17 says
    Romans 10:17 KJV
    17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
    Hearing builds our faith.
    Hearing breaks our pride.
    Hearing exposes our sin.
    Hearing comforts our fears.
    Hearing shapes our worldview.
    Hearing is the first step toward blessing.
    A Bible left closed will leave your life closed.
    If you are not consistently hearing Scripture, you cannot consistently walk in blessing.

    B. Blessed in Heeding the Word

    Jesus immediately adds, “and keep it.”
    Hearing without heeding is spiritual self-deception.
    James 1:22 calls the hearer who does not obey a self-deceived person.
    James 1:22 KJV
    22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
    Jesus never separates hearing from doing.
    In Scripture, obedience is the evidence of true hearing.
    Obedience proves love for God.
    Obedience reveals the heart.
    Obedience demonstrates faith.
    Heeding the Word requires:
    Courage to repent.
    Strength to resist temptation.
    Willingness to surrender.
    Commitment to practice truth.
    Determination to apply Scripture even when it is inconvenient.
    Blessing does not flow from sermons we hear but from Scripture we obey.
    Blessing is tied not to the quantity of truth we receive but to the quality of obedience we give.

    C. Blessed in Holding the Word

    The word “keep” also means to treasure, guard, store up, and cling to.
    Psalm 119:11 says the Word stored in the heart becomes a shield against sin.
    Psalm 119:11 KJV
    11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.
    The Word becomes:
    Counsel when we are confused.
    Comfort when we are grieving.
    Correction when we are wandering.
    Courage when we are afraid.
    Clarity when we are tempted.
    Colossians 3:16 says the Word should dwell richly in us.
    Colossians 3:16 KJV
    16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
    Not occasionally.
    Not lightly.
    Richly.
    Overflowing.
    Abundantly.
    Like a reservoir filling the mind and spilling over into daily life.
    Blessing belongs to those who cling to the Word even when emotions shift, circumstances change, and pressures mount.
    Now Jesus shows us what blessing looks like when Scripture becomes our foundation.

    III. The Marks of a Bible-Blessed Life

    Once hearing and obedience become a lifestyle, the fruit becomes unmistakable.

    A. A Renewed Mind

    The Word transforms the believer from the inside out.
    Romans 12:2 says we are transformed by renewing our minds.
    Romans 12:2 KJV
    2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
    A renewed mind thinks differently from the world.
    A renewed mind processes pain differently.
    A renewed mind understands identity differently.
    A renewed mind prioritizes eternity over comfort.
    A renewed mind discerns temptation more clearly.
    A renewed mind interprets trials through the lens of God’s sovereignty.
    If your thoughts continually drift into fear, bitterness, comparison, or compromise, you may be hearing the Word without letting it renew you.

    B. Right Choices

    The Word shapes our decisions.
    Psalm 1:1 says
    Psalm 1:1 KJV
    1 Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
    But he delights in the Law of the Lord.
    He makes choices guided by Scripture.
    He says no to sin because the Word has said no to sin.
    He says yes to righteousness because the Word has said yes to righteousness.
    Joshua 1:8 says obedience leads to success—not worldly popularity but spiritual prosperity.
    Joshua 1:8 KJV
    8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
    Your decisions reveal what is shaping your heart.
    If Scripture is shaping your life, your choices will align with God’s will.

    C. Radiant Character

    Scripture produces the fruit of the Spirit from the inside out.
    Galatians 5 describes character only God can produce:
    Love that forgives.
    Joy that cannot be stolen.
    Peace that remains in storms.
    Patience that endures difficulty.
    Kindness that softens conflict.
    Goodness that blesses others.
    Faith that stands firm.
    Meekness that restrains strength.
    Temperance that conquers temptation.
    Blessing is not just what God gives to you.
    Blessing is what God grows in you through His Word.

    D. Reliable Stability

    Jesus said the wise man builds his house on the rock of obedience.
    Storms come to every life.
    No one escapes trials.
    No one escapes suffering.
    But blessing is not the absence of storms.
    Blessing is stability in storms.
    Blessing is endurance under pressure.
    Blessing is hope in darkness.
    Blessing is faith that holds firm when the world shakes.
    If life feels unstable, strengthen your foundation with the Word.

    Conclusion

    The woman admired Jesus emotionally.
    Jesus honored obedience spiritually.
    He said, “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
    Blessing is not emotional excitement.
    Blessing is spiritual alignment.
    Blessing is not found in temporary feelings.
    Blessing is found in long-term obedience.
    A Bible on your dresser cannot bless you.
    A Bible on your phone cannot bless you.
    A Bible in your heart will always bless you.
    There was once a young man in England whose life was marked by quiet rebellion.
    He wasn’t loud about it. He didn’t shake his fist at heaven.
    He simply wanted God to leave him alone.
    His parents prayed for him—night after night—yet he kept the Bible at arm’s length.
    He said every time he opened it, it felt like the words stared back at him.
    “It makes me uncomfortable,” he told a friend.
    “It points a finger at things I’d rather not face.”
    So he shoved the Scriptures into a drawer and kept them shut there—along with his guilt.
    But one night, long after the house had gone quiet, he felt a heaviness he couldn’t shake.
    Restless.
    Empty.
    It was as though the Holy Spirit was tugging at the frayed edges of his conscience.
    Out of nothing more than desperation, he opened that drawer and pulled out the old Bible.
    Not to study it.
    Not to obey it.
    Just to silence whatever was stirring inside him.
    He told himself he’d read a verse or two—no more.
    But the moment his eyes fell on the page, something happened.
    The Scriptures seized him.
    The words seemed alive—aimed straight at his heart.
    They exposed the sin he had tried to ignore.
    They unveiled a Savior he had never truly seen.
    For the first time, he realized that the God he had resisted was the God who loved him most.
    Night after night he returned to the Book he once avoided.
    And slowly, the Word of God began to do its quiet, extraordinary work.
    It reshaped the way he thought.
    It reformed the way he lived.
    It softened attitudes he once held with pride.
    It redirected ambitions he once chased with zeal.
    What began as a reluctant glance became a lifelong pursuit of Christ.
    Years later, when asked what had brought about such a change, he said simply,
    “The Word of God did what I never could.”
    It revealed the truth about his sin,
    it awakened conviction,
    and it showed him Christ in a way he could never manufacture on his own.
    In short, the Word of God accomplished the inner transformation he could never produce by his own effort.
    His story is not unique.
    It is echoed in thousands of testimonies… millions across the centuries.
    Because God still blesses those who hear His Word… and those who keep it.
    Are you hearing God’s Word casually or reverently?
    Are you obeying selectively or fully?
    Is there a command you’ve delayed in practicing?
    Is God calling you to repentance?
    To surrender?
    To obedience?
    Tonight let’s say, “Lord, make me truly blessed.”
    “Help me to hear Your Word with humility.”
    “Help me to keep Your Word with obedience.”
    “Help me to treasure Your Word with devotion.”
    “Help me to follow Jesus by following His Scripture.”

      • Matthew 15:8KJV1900

      • Luke 1:38KJV1900

      • James 1:17KJV1900

      • Romans 10:17KJV1900

      • James 1:22KJV1900

      • Psalm 119:11KJV1900

      • Colossians 3:16KJV1900

      • Romans 12:2KJV1900

      • Psalm 1:1KJV1900

      • Joshua 1:8KJV1900

Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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