Aug. 09, 2026

“Be a Blessing” - Part 1

“Be a Blessing” - Part 1
Romans 12:14
Central Idea: The renewed mind is always a blessing to others.
Outworking of this: Romans 12:3-13
• Be humble in how you see yourself (3)
• Be united & useful in serving one another (spiritual gifts) (4-8)
• Be loving as you abhor evil and cling to good (9)
• Be loving as you put others first (10)
• Be diligent in serving the Lord (11)
• Be patient in life situations (12)
• Be generous (13)
I. Bless those who persecute you (14a)
A. “Bless”
1. This is a _______________ and in the ___________ tense
2. Meaning of “bless” = compound word — _______ + _______
• “to _________ good or well of someone”
B. “those who persecute you”
1. Meaning of “persecute”
• to pursue with repeated acts of _______________
• animosity and _______
• Matthew 5:10-12 — Jesus’ ______________
• John 5:16 — Jesus’ _______________ - ___________________
• Acts 22:4, 7 — ________ actions against Jesus and the church
2. What could persecution look like:
• It could be __________ abuse.
• It could be __________ exclusion.
• It could be the loss of a _______ or a promotion.
• It could be physical ________, ultimately ____________.
II. “bless and do not curse” (14b)
A. “Bless” reiterated
B. “do not curse”
• nothing to do with profanity
• a _________ for injury, harm, or misfortune to befall someone
• Mark 11:21 - Jesus curses the _____ ________
III. Renewed mind responds differently
A. The natural response is to _________ back.
B. The unnatural, __________-_______ response is to bless
• Jesus on the cross: Father, forgive them = Romans 12:14
• The renewed mind understands that because God was merciful
to me while I was His ___________, I need to bless those who
have treated me wrongfully.
Application:
1. Don’t _________, but respond with the renewed mind.
• Our ______________ is to be decidedly different from the world.
• It is only by the power of the ________ ___________ that we can
possibly do the supernatural.
2. Returning a blessing for persecution is a powerful ____________.
• What is the greatest blessing those who persecute us could
possibly experience? Understand the ___________.