Who Hath Blessed Us

Introduction to Ephesians and the Doxology of Verse 3

0:03 I would invite you to turn with me in your own Bible to the letter of the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus, the book of Ephesians, and as you do, let me say for those of you who perhaps have not been with us in our previous studies, this is the tenth in the series of studies we have begun in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, that I have prepared a little sheet that helps give a visual presentation of the basic overall structure of the book of Ephesians, and then breaks down the structure of the first three chapters into its seven main paragraphs, and then breaks down the first paragraph into its three main areas of thought, and if you don't have one of these, some are out there in the cloakroom by the guest register, and we would encourage you to take one as you leave. As ever...

0:59 An aid in seeking to grasp the overall content of the book of Ephesians, and the specific content of the first three chapters. The first division of thought is found in the verses bounded by 3 and 14, which is indeed a paragraph that might be called one continuous doxology. It begins with the word, Blessed be the God and Father of our...

1:29 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as the Apostle Paul then gives vent to this burning desire to bring praise unto his God, he does so in a way which makes very clear that he not only has a burning heart, but that he has a clear head. Well, this paragraph has words, almost every one of which are pregnant with meaning and unusual in the interrelationship. And so we have in this first paragraph, this doxology, this great hymn of praise to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

2:13 We are presently considering verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. There are three natural divisions of thought in this particular verse. We looked at two of them last week, and we shall consider the third this morning.

Blessing God: Definition and Perspective

2:38 First of all, the Apostle begins by saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we sought to understand what does it mean to bless God. And to bless God means essentially to speak well of God. Literally, to eulogize God, for that's a transliteration of the word in the original.

3:03 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.

3:34 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. And then in the second place, we considered from what distinct perspective, I want the attention of some of you fellows, I've been waiting for it, I'm sorry I have to speak this way, but I don't want any foolishness. I don't want any foolishness when we're speaking of holy things. I'm disappointed in you boys.

4:04 He blesses God from a particular perspective, and that perspective is bound up in those words, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not simply bless God in some vague kind of deistical way, thinking of a God who is somehow, somewhere out there. But as he blesses God, he thinks of God, he thinks of him particularly as the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we saw then in our study last week that this means that the Apostle Paul was blessing God as the God who sustains a distinct relationship to Jesus Christ, and he blessed him as a man who himself sustained a distinct relationship to Jesus Christ. He blesses him as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The God who was the God of Christ. That is, the God who, in the relationship of working out salvation, was Christ's God.

5:21 Jesus Christ as the Son took the place of submission, of subservience, and all that he spake, and all that he did, he spoke and did, in perfect submission, in perfect submission to his Father. But all that he did, he did as the unique Son of the Father, the eternal Son made flesh, equal to God in terms of his worth as God, and yet submissive to God as the appointed mediator. So the only God who exists is the God who sustains this unique relationship to his Son. And unless you honor the Son as you honor the Father, you do not render any acceptable worship unto the Father, and this is the explicit teaching of our Lord himself in the fifth chapter of the Gospel according to John. Now we come this morning to consider the third unit of thought in verse 3, namely, the specific things for which the apostle blesses God. Having considered what it means to bless God, in the second place, from what distinct perspective he blesses God, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, now for what specific things does he bless God? And the answer to that is bound up in these words,

The Fact of God's Blessing Us

6:47 Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now in this phrase, which forms the third unit of thought in verse 3, there are three matters that we should consider as we work our way through the text. First of all, what does it mean in this instance to bless God? The fact of God's blessing to us, what does that mean?

7:18 Then we'll look at several aspects where Paul describes this blessing, and then in the last place, who are the distinct objects of that blessing. First of all then, the fact of God's blessing us. Blessed be the God who hath blessed us with blessings. Now what does the word bless mean in this instance?

7:41 When we bless God, we bring to him no substance, we render praise to him, we speak well of him, we magnify him, but there's nothing we can bring to him that he needs. We read in Acts 17, 24 and 25, that the God who made heaven and earth, who dwells not in temples made with hands, needs nothing, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things. When then we bless God, we bring nothing to him, we just ascribe honor to him, we speak of his worth. But when God blesses us, the case is just the opposite.

8:23 For as creatures, we need the blessings of God in tangible ways, if we are to live and to exist. So Paul in that same 17th chapter of Acts says, it is this God who has given to us life and breath and all things, and in him we live and move and have our very being. Added to this, not only do we need blessing from God that has substance to it, but we are sinful creatures as well. We need light and life and forgiveness and grace.

8:59 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 empty hands saying nothing in my hands I bring and anything I have, I ascribe to the praise of this great God and Father of the Lord Jesus. But when he blesses me, he doesn't come with empty hands to say something about me.

10:12 He comes with hands laden with gifts to confer upon me. And so the apostle begins by stating the fact of divine blessing in these words. Blessed be the God who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. He has blessed us with tangible gifts of grace.

10:35 The word blessings there could rightly be rendered benefits. He hath blessed us with benefits. Now why does the apostle put this in the past tense, to use our English phrase? He says, Blessed be the God who hath blessed us, or who blessed us.

10:55 Well there are two possible answers to that question. It could be that he has particular reference to the blessings mentioned in verses 4 and 5. The blessing of election in verse 4, even as he chose us, and verse 5, having foreordained us unto adoption. And when you deal with the issues of election and foreordination, you are taken back into the councils of eternity.

11:27 Back before there was any world, back before there was any creature upon the earth. And so it's only right then, if the apostle is thinking particularly of these aspects of blessing, election and foreordination, to put them in the past tense and to say, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing, namely, the blessings of election and foreordination, which are the very source and root of every other blessing. Or the other possibility is that he's having at this point a panoramic view of the whole scope of salvation from eternity to eternity, and he's standing back viewing the whole thing. And since it is absolutely certain in the purpose of God, he can mention it as though it's already fully accomplished. That's exactly what he does in Romans 8.30, isn't it? Remember what he says?

12:28 For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made, to be conformed to the image of his Son. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called. Whom he called, he justified. And then he puts in the past tense, as though it's already done, whom he justified, he glorified.

12:46 We're not yet glorified. But as Paul backs off and views the comprehensive scope of saving mercy, he says it's as certain as done, and it could be that he's viewing the whole sweep of salvation from that perspective. But whichever is right, or perhaps both are bound up in it, one thing is sure. He has searched the fact of the divine blessing. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us. And that whole concept of the blessing of God is one of the prominent notes of the covenant of grace. When God brings that covenant to light with Abraham, one word stands supreme above all others in the enunciation of that covenant. Listen to that word as I read from Genesis 12 verses 1 to Genesis 2 and 3.

13:44 Speaking to Abraham, I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee. And make thy name great, and be thou a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. You see what is the substructure of the covenant? It is God's design and purpose to bless his creatures. To come to them with his hands laden with the gifts of grace. Not only to provide them, but to confer them. And so the apostle, as he backs off and views the comprehensive weep of God's saving purpose, begins with this assertion of the fact of the divine blessing. Blessed be the God who hath blessed us. Then he moves right in, and this is the second area of our thought this morning, to describe this blessing. And every word in the remainder of the text gives us another facet of that divine blessing, which when Paul contemplates he turns and he blesses God. And I hope it has that

Description of the Blessings: Substance (Spiritual)

14:56 effect upon us, that this is not just, as I mentioned earlier, an academic exercise, but that as we think of ourselves as creatures who need the gifts of God, as we contemplate ourselves as sinful creatures who stand in dire need of his saving mercies, that as we behold this God coming in grace laden with gifts, the contemplation of those gifts of grace will in turn create that response in our hearts, that we shall bless him as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. How then does he describe these blessings which God has conferred upon believers? Well, in the first place he tells us something about the substance of those blessings. He hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Then he tells us something about the realm in which those blessings are conferred upon us.

15:58 He hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Then he tells us about the source from which they come, in Christ Jesus. Then he tells us the extent of them. He hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing. And this is not just playing semantic games to bleed a pivotal issue out of every word. It's there. And to pass it over is to do injustice. To the thinking of the apostle as he pens this wonderful letter.

16:28 So then let us consider Paul's description of this blessing. First of all, the substance of that blessing he hath blessed us with spiritual benefits. Now what does the word spiritual in this context mean? Sometimes this word spiritual is used to contrast that which is non-material from that which is material.

16:54 In Romans 15.27 and in 1 Corinthians 9.11 Paul is contrasting the spiritual benefits brought to believers by their ministers with the material benefits brought to the ministers by those who are blessed through them. So Paul says if they share to you in spiritual things, it should be no small thing for you to share in carnal things.

17:20 But predominantly the meaning is not to be found in thinking of a contrast between material things, things that can be touched and felt, and non-material but rather when Paul says they are spiritual blessings, we are to think of the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the substance of those blessings are blessings imparted to the human spirit by the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. They are the blessings of the Spirit. For the great end of all that God has done in the New Covenant according to Galatians chapter 3 and chapter 4 is to bring upon believers the blessings of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now if this is the thought of the apostle and I am convinced that it is then you see at the very outset in writing to these people where you had both Jews and Gentiles gathered together in one church there would be this contrast with the old covenant and the old economy in the light of what Christ has brought in the New Covenant. For in the Old Testament though there is much spiritual religion and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise there was much true spiritual religion, read Hebrews 11

18:49 and even Abraham and the true saints in the Old Testament they weren't hankering for a piece of real estate in Palestine. No, no. The scripture says they sought a heavenly country. They looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker was God. Now regardless of what we may say about our Jewish friends and their peculiar attachment to real estate and to material things now let us not read that back into Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and the prophets. No, no. There was much true spiritual religion. Listen to David when he says, or Asaph in the 73rd Psalm, he says, when will I be satisfied? He said, I shall be satisfied when I awake beholding thy form. Not the form of a big hunk of real estate and fancy buildings and material No, no, no, no. I shall be satisfied when I awake with beholding thy form. Sounds pretty much like Paul when he says to depart and to be with Christ is far better. So there was much spiritual

19:54 religion but it was encased in a context where there was much material religion and there were many material promises and many material blessings promised to the people of God in the Old Testament. A specimen passage which indicates this is Deuteronomy 28 1 through 8 and I'll not read the entire passage but just to contrast this blessing in the New Covenant with the blessing in the Old. This is what God promises His people in the Old Testament. Verse 1 of chapter 28 in Deuteronomy.

20:32 It shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God, and observe to do all His commandments, what will happen? He said, well, blessing will come upon you. Yes, what kind of blessing? Verse 3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shalt thou be in the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy crown, the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and of the young of the flock. Blessed shalt thou be in thy basket, in thy kneading trough. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, when thou goest out. What's He saying?

21:08 He's saying if you're a good Israelite, the blessings will be material. There'll be no miscarrying wounds amongst your women. There'll be great fruitfulness. You'll multiply and have many children. You remember some of the Psalms. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine. And you measure the blessing of God by the number of children she has. So different from the thinking in our day, but this was the thinking that God had brought to His people in that day.

21:36 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 statement. The man who wrote this is the man who said in hunger, oft, in fastings, oft, in peril, in nakedness. Here's a man who at times when you looked at him you'd say, man, God sure isn't blessing him. Look at his raggedy old clothes.

22:42 Kick him around like a football. In one jail, out another jail, throw stones on him, treat him like dirt. He must not be living right. Look what's happened to that guy.

22:52 This is the man who says, Blessed be the God who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. That's the substance of the blessing for which he blesses God. Not material, but spiritual. And that's the essential blessing promised in the covenant of grace, even to the old patriarchs. That's why when you turn to Peter in the book of Acts, and he's preaching to the Jews, he says that the blessings of Abraham might come to you, sons of the covenant, that he might bless you. How? In turning every one of you from your iniquities. And so the essential blessing promised even to Abraham was not material, but spiritual.

23:36 But it was in the midst of much material blessing promised. Now in the new covenant, God's promises are essentially spiritual. Now does this mean that we are to demean the physical? No, no.

23:50 God talks about people who say that food and marriage and physical needs are below the par of, are beneath people who are spiritual. 1 Timothy 4, it speaks of doctrines of demons when people forbid to marry and forbid to eat certain foods. Jesus said that your father knows you have need of clothing and food. Granted, we are not to downgrade or to negate or look upon as essentially evil our bodies and our physical appetites for food and sex and the rest. No, no, no, I'm not saying that at all. We're not trying to infuse into Paul's words some kind of view that matter is evil and the body is evil. No, no, not that at all. But having said all of that, he describes these blessings as essentially spiritual in their substance. And I want to say by way

Application: Valuing Spiritual vs. Material Blessings

24:40 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.

25:08 And I would say to you, here you have promise from God and I want you now to discover what is going to be yours in reality. And I'd say to some of you single girls, I have a husband for you. And I'd say to some of you fellas, I have a wife for you. And I'd say to some of you who are all the time rubbing to make ends meet, we have financial security and retirement security and every kind of physical...

25:39 What would your response be if I came to you upon some good warrant today and said these things, these blessings, these gifts, these benefits are yours to be had here and now? What would your response be? Well, having contemplated that, try to conceive conversely or in opposition, in contrast to that, what would your reaction be if I came to you upon divine warrant and said, look, I have the most wonderful benefits to confer upon you. And I have divine warrant from this moment on. You'll never struggle again with your besetting sins. You'll never have a day without experiencing the unclouded face of communion with Jesus Christ. Upon divine warrant I have promised that from this time on, you'll never know what it is to feel meanness and jealousy to other people. What would your reaction be if I promised such spiritual blessings to you today upon divine warrant?

26:50 Now, if I set both before you and said, you can either have this or that, but you can't have both, would you debate for a moment which one you'd take? Would there even be a moment's hesitation? Would there? I fear for some of you there would be because your lives indicate that you've already in great measure made your choice.

27:19 No question with the Apostle Paul. What did he say about things with theory? I count all things with theory. I count not even my life as dear to myself.

27:33 What's clothing? What's health? What's station? What's acceptance? He said all of this. I don't count it as dear to myself. One thing I count dear, that I may know Him. Experience conscious fellowship with my God and with His Son.

27:51 That I may be conformed to His image. That I may experience the power of His resurrection. What is the substance of these blessings for which Paul blesses God? They are essentially spiritual.

Description of the Blessings: Realm (Heavenly Places)

28:05 And then secondly, he indicates something in his description about the realm of those blessings. Notice what he says. Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Now this is a unique phrase.

28:21 Paul did something which if you kids did in the composition, your teacher would shoot the paper back to you and say you goofed. He uses an adjective that doesn't have a noun. In the heavenly heavenly what? So you'll notice in your Bibles you have places in italics.

28:38 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 to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places. Now there it's obvious what the meaning is. Jesus Christ in his glorified body is right now some place locally. I don't know where it is.

29:32 The skeptic can say to me what? With a 200 inch telescope of Mount Palomar scanning the heavens and they find no locality called you mean you actually believe that somewhere out there in some distinct place there is a body that can be touched and felt and seen with eyes Yes I do. Yes I do. Yes.

29:57 Scripture says God raised him up and somewhere in that place that is called the seat of God's authority his right hand, Jesus Christ sits this very hour with a body that can be seen and touched as much as mine can be seen and touched. That's a locality. The heavenly places in 121 is a locality. Chapter 3 and verse 10 same word to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenlies might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God. Here again the concept of locality. Chapter 2 verse 6 he raised us up with him and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places. Well then if the word basically means heavenly places referring to some locality in the vast universe of God how come the apostle describes these blessings as in heavenly places? Their substance is spiritual their realm is the heavenly places. Well I think

31:12 the answer is quite clear if you know a little bit about your bible for just as the blessings of God are distinctly spiritual in their substance so they are heavenly in the realm out of which they come and to which they take us. If Paul is speaking particularly of the blessings of election and for ordination where were those blessings conceived? Long before there was a world. They were conceived in heavenly places the dwelling place of God and so he says blessed be this God who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Where did the son of God come from? Who is the conveyor of all those blessings? He said I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that set me. He came

32:09 from a specific place to this specific place. Now where are all the blessings of the spirit which he purchased? Where do they come from? In Hebrews chapter 2 we read of those who preach the gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.

32:25 So he is called in Hebrews 6 for the heavenly gift. So if the apostle is expanding beyond the thought of election and for ordination and thinking of the whole scope of our salvation all of it has its origin in heaven. The son of God came down from heaven. The Holy Spirit is sent down from heaven.

32:48 When a man or woman is born again he is born anothen from above he is born of heaven. Now where is Christ right now? Hebrews 4 14. He has passed through the heavens now to appear in the presence of God for us. Where is our citizenship? Philippians 3 20. Our citizenship is in heaven. Where is our hope?

33:10 Colossians 1 5. For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven. Where are our affections? We have set our affections upon things above. Where?

33:20 Word of locality. Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Where is our inheritance? 1 Peter 1 4.

33:28 To an inheritance reserved in heaven. And so all the way through the scriptures the realm of the blessing that comes to the people of God is that realm called heavenly places. So then all of these spiritual blessings for which the apostle blesses God are blessings which have heaven as their realm. They come out of heaven they bring heaven to the heart and hallelujah they will bring us to heaven one day.

33:58 Now let me say by way of application this contains a vital note needed in our day. Much has been said about Christians being too other worldly, so heavenly minded no earthly good. And the great in thing in our day is to have your sleeves rolled up and to be where the action is. In other words to be concerned about ecology.

34:23 To be concerned about the great tensions of the inner city. To be concerned about the great problems of the population explosion and the great upheavals in the social structures and I'm terribly disturbed that people who ought to know better are being brainwashed by the world into seeking to take the emphasis of scripture and like molding a plastic nose make it sit upon the present structure of societies concerned. Sure if I love men I'm concerned with their legitimate social needs and all whoever said God's people were. It's a lie to say that historic evangelical Christianity has been socially indifferent. That's a lie betraying historical ignorance or historical prejudice. It's not true. It's not true and anyone who wants to take the time to read a little secular in church history can find out the facts. But listen

35:25 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 happened again and again. And I fear we're at that point in evangelical circles. I was shown a periodical last night that used to breathe of spiritual power and of that other world. And now in its efforts to get down and reach this world it's lost its heavenly breath.

36:40 Some of you know the periodical to which I'm referring. Don't be brainwashed into saying if someone comes up and says what is your church doing about the population explosion? You say nothing directly except with all the babies we have around here adding to it. If anybody comes to you as a young Christian couple and says how dare you have to. You say I dare have them because my God has commanded me to rear a godly seed to his praise and for the preservation of his church in the earth. And until he cancels that out in his word I'll bear children for his glory. You don't get bullied and brainwashed. What is your church doing about this problem and that problem?

37:31 You say to the extent that we're obeying God in the circle of our own influence and being light and salt we're doing the only thing that's worthwhile now and for its eternity. He has blessed us with spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And if men come and try to make you feel ashamed that you make your confession that it's the realm of the heavenlies that is your concern don't be brainwashed. Don't be cajoled into backing down. For the whole substructure of the present concern for the most part about this earth and about ecology and about natural science and all the rest is basically at heart not all but basically for the most part grounded in an unbiblical philosophy of the world and of life. Scripture tells us that this world was once a paradise and it's been turned into a hell because man sinned and the earth has been cursed for his sake. And this earth will continue to heave under that curse until what? The manifestation of the sons of God Romans chapter 8.

38:41 You come to the average ecologist and say look do you believe that the earth is in the condition it's in because it's under a divine curse because of what's in your heart namely sin? Conversation is ended. Now that doesn't mean as Christians we're irresponsible. This is God's world not ours. We ought to recognize it. We ought not to unnecessarily pollute the air. We ought not to unnecessarily erode the soil. No.

39:08 The Christian senses that he has a stewardship with regard to the material world for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof even in a cursed state. Granted. Give that ground. But it doesn't change the fact that the basic perspective of the child of God is a heavenly perspective.

39:28 We look not for the city of God to be set up here in this order of things but we look for that city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. And when by fire he purges this world and we have the new heavens and the new earth, then we'll see realized all that the poor godless humanistic ecologist despairs of seeing. In this present order of things. Well, I must not pause there any longer, but the realm of this blessing is heavenly places.

Description of the Blessings: Source (In Christ Jesus) and Extent (Every Blessing)

39:56 Now, very briefly, what is the source of the fountainhead of these blessings? Notice them. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing. There's the substance. In the heavenlies there's the realm. In Christ Jesus. He's the source for the fountainhead. As we saw in treating verse one, this little phrase, in Christ means united too.

40:29 In union with Christ Jesus. So, look at the added thought. Just as certainly as the apostle contemplates God's blessings as spiritual in substance, heavenly in their realm, so now he sees all of them as flowing out of the grace and virtue and power which are stored up in Jesus Christ the Lord. And they become ours only if we are vitally joined unto Him.

41:03 For God has constituted the Lord Jesus the exclusive and yet the infinite reservoir of all spiritual blessing. And the only way to get any of those blessings is to be in Him. And if you're in Him then you have what? Every spiritual blessing in Him. In Him they're all yours out of Him. Not one of them is yours. You may have temporal blessings. He sends His rain upon the just and the unjust. But you don't have one distinct spiritual blessing unless you're in Him. But blessed be God if you're in Him you have every spiritual blessing. Jesus Christ is the great fountainhead of that blessing. And severed from Him who is the life we live in a living death. Severed from Him

41:57 who is the embodiment of God's wisdom we stumble in our ignorance. Severed from Him who is light we grope in darkness. Severed from Him who is bread we starve. Severed from Him who is the water of life we thirst now and for eternity.

42:15 Severed from Him who is the power of God we are nothing but a cumulative weakness. No wonder that He speaks in this verse so highly of the God who has united us to so full a supply of all necessary grace and saving benefits. Do you find it easy to sit there this morning saying blessed be such a God who has blessed with such blessings substance spiritual realm heavenly places source in Christ and then just a word about the extent of those blessings we've already hinted at it with every spiritual blessing. It could refer to every blessing in general that is ours in Christ and if so only eternity will be an adequate commentary on this text and only the redeemed in heaven will be the able expositors and I wouldn't attempt to do. If He's thinking of every blessing in the widest sense, eternity alone will be an accurate commentary and the redeemed who see the eternal unfolding of the gifts of grace will be the best commentators. However if He's thinking particularly of the blessings mentioned in this paragraph under which every other blessing can be ranged

43:42 then the extent of that blessing that is in Christ focuses upon these three pivotal things. Verses four and five election in Christ. The following verses redemption by Christ verses thirteen and fourteen sealing in Christ by the Spirit and everything that is needed for our salvation is bound up in those blessings. Election redemption sealing and so as He contemplates it He blesses God. Now we close this morning with this final word about the objects of this blessing. Is this for all men? As Paul blessed God does He see in His mind's eye the whole race of humanity as being blessed by God with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus? No. For notice the little word

The Objects of Blessing and the Centrality of Christ

44:39 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us. Who are the objects of this blessing? The us of verse three. And who are the us of verse three?

44:53 It's the people described in verses one and two. Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God to the saints that are at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus. The objects of this blessing are only those who are saints and believers. Those who are in union with Christ Jesus.

45:18 And so if you are not in Christ joined to Him in a living faith then my friend you have no right to this bread that is the children's bread. I hope you look in on the outside and as you see the table spread say oh that I could be included. My friend you can be. You can be. For God says the table is spread. Come to my Son repent of your sins and believe on Him and all those blessings are yours in Christ but out of Him not one of those blessings are yours. Oh no one under the apostle Paul gravitates again and again in this paragraph to the centrality of Christ. He's blessing God but he blesses Him as the Father of Christ.

46:08 He blesses God for every spiritual blessing but he said it comes to us in Christ. So we cannot contemplate the blessings of God apart from the person and work of Christ. Oh let me press to your conscience a question this morning. As you think of God can you think of Him apart from Christ? Can you?

46:29 If you can think of God and say well I thank God for His blessings. I got a good wife, a good husband, nice home, nice children my friend. I'm glad you acknowledge God's given you all those gifts but that's not the blessing God of verse 3. The blessing of God of verse 3 that Paul engages in is not that blessing of God that unsaved men and women may do in common grace when they thank God for the gifts of common grace.

47:01 He's blessing God for blessings that are focusing again and again upon the person and work of Jesus. Is that your spirit in which you bless God this morning? Can you bless Him as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ? For every spiritual blessing conferred purposed in Christ.

47:23 It's a good testament of the genuineness of our professed Christianity. How much do we make of Christ when we think of God? Conversely, another test is how much do you make of God when you think of Christ? You see as Paul thought of all the blessings in Christ, he said blessed be the God and Father.

47:46 As he thought of the Father, he thought of everything in Christ. You cannot have biblical religion without being suffused with Trinitarian concepts. And you say well you keep hammering that note. I'm going to keep hammering it because I see the deflection in our day. On the one hand you've got this vague nebulous talk about God and blessings from God and you look in vain and listen in vain for warm tender descriptions of praise to Jesus Christ the Lord. On the other hand you've got all this talk about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and no blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. True biblical religion will bring the two together and so fill the heart with the blessings of salvation in Christ that you will say with Paul blessed be the God and Father of Christ

48:50 knowing who he is in his holiness and his majesty and knowing what you are in your sin. You'll never just come and call him blessed be God. For you know the only way you can come to him is through the person and merit of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God help us not only to understand the meaning of the words of verse three but to enter into the spirit of the apostle and say with him blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

49:35 Can you truly bless him this morning? I trust you can. If you cannot, may God grant that as you seek his face in a way of repentance and faith you too will enter into this great doxology. Blessed be God.

49:51 Let us pray.