Who Hath Blessed Us

Driving home: And so to bless God is to speak well of God from a heart that delights in God and is basking in the light of the goodness of God.

To explain what it means to 'bless God,' Martin uses the analogy of eulogizing someone: you choose a deep friend who delights in the person, not an enemy who grudgingly praises them. This illustrates that blessing God comes from a heart that delights in Him.

It's the word from which we get our English word, to eulogize, to praise, to speak well of, out of a heart that delights in the object of which it speaks well. When someone is to be eulogized, you don't get his enemy who grudgingly forces out some words of praise. You find someone who was a deep and intimate friend, who can speak well of God. He can speak of the virtues of his friend with a heart that delights to so speak.

3:03 - 3:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When we bless God, we reach up with empty hands to praise him. When God blesses us, he reaches down with full hands to confer gifts upon us.

Martin contrasts our blessing God (reaching up with empty hands to praise Him) with God blessing us (reaching down with full hands to confer gifts). This vividly illustrates the difference in the nature of blessing from God to man and man to God.

And so in this context, the blessing of God to his creatures, and in particular, the blessing of God to believers, is not God saying something about us. Our blessing of God is the matter of our saying something about him. But God's blessing of us is his providing and conferring upon us the needed benefits of grace, and of salvation. To contrast the two aspects and the difference in God's blessing us and our blessing God, when we bless God, we reach up with empty hands to praise him. When God blesses us, he reaches down with full hands to confer gifts upon us. Our blessing is the lifting up of ...

8:59 - 10:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This whole idea that God is blessing me spiritually because I've got a bigger house, a heavier car, and more money in my bank is absolute foolishness in the light of this statement.

To counter the idea that material blessings reflect spiritual blessing, Martin points to Paul's life of hunger, fasting, peril, and nakedness. This example shows that a man 'blessed with all spiritual blessings' might appear materially unblessed by worldly standards.

Now notice the contrast. Paul says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us. Fact of His blessing, but now in describing that blessing he says the substance of that blessing is essentially spiritual. And any material blessing which comes only comes as a side benefit given to us in the sovereign purpose of God, but is not in any way reflective of the measure of our spiritual blessing. This whole idea that God is blessing me spiritually because I've got a bigger house, a heavier car, and more money in my bank is absolute foolishness in the light of this stateme...

21:36 - 22:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine how you react to the discovery of temporal physical blessings versus spiritual blessings, as this is a clear test of your present spiritual condition.

Martin presents a hypothetical scenario where he, with divine warrant, offers either temporal blessings (spouse, financial security) or spiritual blessings (freedom from sin, unclouded communion with Christ). This challenges listeners to self-examine their true priorities and what they would choose.

of application, this is one of the most clear tests of your present spiritual condition. Namely, how do you react by comparison at the discovery of temporal physical blessings as opposed to and contrasted with the discovery of spiritual blessings? Suppose I came to you today upon some divine warrant. I had some warrant from God that I could demonstrate to your satisfaction was valid.

24:40 - 25:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon continues describing the blessings, focusing on their realm: 'in the heavenly places.' Martin explains this unique phrase refers to a specific locality, the dwelling…

To defend the idea of 'heavenly places' as a literal locality, Martin uses the skeptic's challenge about a telescope not finding heaven. This highlights the faith required to believe in a physical, localized heaven where Christ's glorified body resides.

There's no noun there. It's a unique phrase and in its particular form the only place you find it is here in Hebrews and you find it five times. Now what does it mean? Well I think unless we would accuse the apostle of deliberately trying to mix people up and confuse them that at least in the Ephesian letter if he uses this unique word and uses it five times that there would be some consistency in his meaning. Now notice what it means later on in this same chapter. Speaking of the exaltation of Christ, verses 20 and 21, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him t...

28:38 - 29:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be brainwashed by worldly concerns about ecology or population; instead, prioritize God's commands, such as raising a godly seed, and maintain a heavenly perspective.

Martin mentions seeing a periodical that 'used to breathe of spiritual power and of that other world' but, in its effort to 'get down and reach this world,' has 'lost its heavenly breath.' This illustrates the danger of churches becoming too earthy and losing their distinctiveness.

Christianity has made its most powerful social impact when it has been most otherworldly. When the people of God have had most clearly before them their heavenly calling, their heavenly citizenship, their heavenly standards, their heavenly goal then they made their most powerful impact upon it. And when the people of God get earthy to gain the ears of earthlings they cease to leave people into heaven and they have a quasi kind of Christianity denuded of all of its distinctive elements of truth and life and before long you have mere humanism left and church history teaches that this has happene...

35:25 - 36:40 Read in full sermon