Sharing the Gospel with someone from a traditional church background, like CSI or Roman Catholic, who hasn’t had a personal “salvation experience” requires a sensitive and understanding approach. While they are familiar with Christian vocabulary and stories, they may not have experienced the reality of those truths.

In my experience, when I share the Gospel, people often nod and seem to agree, and I sometimes wonder if the message truly makes an impact. Below is an approach from my personal experience that can provoke thought and encourage them to seriously consider our message.

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Start with Thought-Provoking Questions

Begin by asking open-ended questions based on the situation to encourage reflection. Here are some examples:

• “What does faith mean to you?”
• “What do you think is the purpose of going to church?”
• “How does someone get saved?
• “Have you had a salvation experience?”
• “How do you think a person gets to heaven?”

I recall a conversation with my CSI aunt at a funeral. I asked her, “Since we will all pass away one day, do you believe that as soon as you die, you will go to heaven and enjoy eternal life? John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that anyone who believes in Christ will not perish but have eternal life. Do you have that assurance?” She responded, “I don’t know.”

I used that opportunity to discuss the work of Christ and the importance of exercising faith. I clarified that some can hear about Christ their entire lives and never truly exercise faith in His work. When you exercise faith, you gain the assurance of going to heaven. Many traditional Christians live with this uncertainty because their churches often don’t teach salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, but instead add works. When works are added to salvation, it removes any possibility of having assurance because our works can never be perfect or complete enough. Only when we are enabled to trust in the complete, finished, and perfect work of Christ can we have the assurance of eternal life. I believe God will use this seed that was sown in her heart. I could see there was an impact on her face and voice.

Unlike my aunt, some people might confidently state they will go to heaven. However, when you probe further about the basis for their belief, they often point to their life and good deeds. I remember speaking with a young Roman Catholic man at a KFC who told me he believed he’d go to heaven because he was a good man, went to church, had no bad habits, and did good works. I asked him, “How good do you need to be to get to heaven? How many good works do you think will ‘buy’ you heaven?”

While he pondered, I clarified that the Bible states you must be perfect in everything to enter heaven. I explained God’s holiness and His standard of the law: lust is like adultery, anger is like murder, envy is like robbery. “Can you truly be that good?” I asked.

As he listened and thought, I made him little curious by saying, using our KFC surroundings, “The Bible states the only way to heaven is by GFC, not eating at KFC.” He chuckled and wondered what GFC meant. I explained, “It’s by free Grace through Faith through Christ alone. The only way you get to heaven is by trusting in God’s grace and believing in Jesus’ perfect work.”

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Understanding “Grace Through Faith in Christ Alone” (GFC)

Salvation is purely God’s grace, with none of our works involved. To be saved means believing God’s gracious promise in the Gospel, which is based on Christ’s life and His work on the cross. God not only punished Christ for our sins but also imputed Christ’s perfect righteousness to us. Only when we fully believe by faith in the perfect work of Christ, without adding any of our imperfect works to salvation, can we have the assurance of eternal life. We don’t have to do anything to earn it. That’s what GFC means: by grace through faith in Christ alone.

The young man told me he had been going to church for 20 years and had never heard this in his life. This highlights a sad reality in most traditional churches: they often do not teach the true Gospel, preventing people from experiencing the joy and assurance of eternal life. Once a person has that assurance, they cannot be controlled by religious fear, the bondage of works, ritual prayers, tithes, or church attendance. Most churches in our country teach “Christ plus this and that,” rather than GFC.

We have a great responsibility and privilege to preach this glorious Gospel of grace, which unfortunately, very few do. Remember, the goal is to faithfully present the person and work of Jesus Christ in a clear, loving way, leaving the results to God.

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Key Points for Sharing the Gospel

1. Start with a Probing Question: Make them think deeply.
2. Gently Clarify the Gospel: Remember the five essential parts of the Gospel: God, Man, Christ, Promises, and Conditions of Gospel
3. Leverage Common Beliefs and Emphasize Experience:
   • The Problem of Sin: They believe in sin, so emphasize personal sin and the horror of even small “heart sins.” Help understand they need to experience a sense of sorrow and hatred for sin before a holy God.
   • The Inadequacy of Works: Emphasize that our good works, rituals, sacraments, or being a “good person” cannot bridge the gap of God’s standard and earn salvation. (Refer to Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” and Titus 3:5).
   • The Only Solution: Jesus Christ: They know about Jesus. Explain why Jesus came and what His death and resurrection accomplished.
   • The Crucial Role of Faith and Repentance: They might think faith is merely intellectual assent or a general belief in God. Repentance might be seen as just feeling sorry for sin. Explain “saving faith” as personally trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, not in ourselves or our works. It’s a surrender of self-reliance to completely rely on Him. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction—turning from sin to God.
   • The Joy of the Salvation Experience: Encourage them with blessing of gospel. It’s not just a religious drill but a joyful life of enjoying a relationship with God. When they repent and believe, they will experience the joy of forgiveness, peace of justification, a new heart, become a child of God, and enter into a personal relationship with God, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Conclude by offering to pray with them and encourage them to prayerfully think about these things and read the Bible.

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Attitudes to Maintain

Key Attitudes to Remember:

• Patience: This may take multiple conversations.
• Prayer: Pray for them and for wisdom in sharing.
• Holy Spirit’s Role: It’s the Holy Spirit who convicts, illuminates, and draws people to Christ. You are merely a vessel.
• Love and Humility: Share the truth in love and gentleness, without condemnation or arrogance.
• Clarity: Ensure they understand the distinct meaning of grace, faith, and Christ’s finished work, contrasted with earning salvation.

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What are your thoughts on this approach, and do you have any specific examples from your own sharing experiences that you’d like to share. Please contact me.

Pastor Murali, GRBC

The world is full of questions, but what if just five of them held the key to everything? What if the most important answers in life could be found by asking just five questions? Five crucial questions that unlocks the heart of the Biblical Gospel—a message that has power to change your life. Let’s find out what they are.

1. Who is God? 
2. Who is man? 
3. Who is Jesus Christ? 
4. What is in it for me? 
5. What should I do?  

Question One: Who is God?    

Despite the existence of many religions, every man’s conscience knows that there is one God who is the Creator of everything. Bible reveals this one living God in 4 acts: He is God of Creation, God of Providence, God of Justice and God of Redemption.

God of Creation: This one God is the Creator of the vast universe, bringing it into existence out of nothing through the power of His spoken word over a period of six days. He could have just casually made a bland world, everything white and black, and asked us to eat mud and survive! But the intricate planning and intentional design in every structure, symmetry, colors of this world, all reflect the beauty, wisdom, power, and goodness of the great Creator. Furthermore, Bible states this Creator God is inherently righteous and holy. As a reflection of His moral character, He has inscribed His law within the conscience of every human, outlining our duties both to Him and to fellowmen. This law generally called 10 commandments specifically forbids actions such as covetousness, lying, stealing, adultery, murder, dishonoring parents, breaking the Sabbath, taking His name in vain, and the creation or worship of idols or any other objects besides true God. Breaking any of these laws is called sin.

God of Providence: This Creator God is also known as the  LORD–a title that underscores His absolute sovereignty and control over all that He has made. In work of providence, God actively sustains and governs every aspect of His creation. It is He who gives life, breath, and all things to humanity, determining the times, places, and circumstances of each individual’s existence.

God of Justice: This God being omniscient is fully aware of every action and thought of every person. He sees beyond our outward lives and into our hearts. He considers lustful thoughts as adultery, and anger as murder. As a just God, He has to ultimately punish all sin. He has fixed a day to do that. So He meticulously records each instance in which we transgress His law, recognizing them as sins committed against Him. The magnitude of sin is measured not as to who committed it, but against whom it is committed. Humans sin against an eternal God, hence their sins deserve an eternal punishment in hell. As God’s creatures, we are ultimately accountable to our Creator, and we will one day be judged for our thoughts, words, and actions. This is the God presented in the Bible.

Many question God’s existence, pointing to the much suffering and pain in the world. To respond to this, it’s essential next to understand: Who is man?

Question Two:  Who is man? 

Crown of God’s creation. Man was created wonderfully and fearfully in the image of God to glorify and enjoy God forever. The bond between the Creator God and His creature man, is the most profound, intricate, and powerful relationship conceivable.   The image of God with its inherent likeness forms an unbreakable connection between man and his Creator, a connection no fallenness can fully erase.   Bible states God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” and then on every breath of man yearns for bonding with his Creator.  We do not just exist because God created us; we continue to exist because He sustains us every second. In him we live, move, have our being.  Our life force, our very animation, comes directly from Him.  This indescribable bond was designed for eternal communion between God and man.  Dim sample of that is reflected in bond between mother and her child. No mother is involved in forming of child in the womb, but this God forms every nerve, artery, bones of every infant in womb.   This bond between man and his God is woven into the very fabric of his existence, foundational to his being, and ultimately for his purpose.   All restlessness of mankind is a yearning for this profound bond.  We all feel it—a deep, aching void that nothing seems to fill. “Our hearts are restless until they find Thee” is a famous quote from Saint Augustine of Hippo. Though created as a glorious creature to glorify and enjoy God forever, man fell !

Fallen Creature: The Bible narrates first humans, Adam and Eve, though created perfectly in God’s image, exercising their freewill, they both disobeyed God, leading to a departure from their perfect state, which is referred to as the “Fall of mankind.”  As Adam and Eve represented the human race, all subsequent humans descending from those first parents inherited not only the consequences of their wrong, but also their sinful flawed nature. Like a chain of dominoes, all of us who come after them have been toppled by their fall. You know that parents pass on certain traits to their children. Your eye, skin, and hair colour, for instance, comes from your parents. Even some diseases can be inherited. The tendency to do wrong instead of right is just like that. It is passed down the generations. We are born with that bias for what’s bad, and every day we see, read about, or suffer the symptoms of our human disease. We violate and break God’s holy law by envy, lying, hating, stealing, resentment, divorcing, breaking the Sabbath, taking God’s name in vain, and prioritizing idols over Him.   So man is fallen sinful creature.

Why Do Man and Woman Suffer? The book of Genesis attributes the origin of all human suffering to the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the subsequent curses God placed upon them.

The Curses on Woman

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Every woman suffers in two key areas: her children and her husband. The curse related to children began when Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. Consequently, every woman not only gives birth in pain, but just as Eve broke God’s heart through her disobedience, her children will regularly break her heart by disobeying her. The curse in marriage stems from Eve causing her husband to eat the fruit. She will always desire to control her husband, while he will try to dominate her, leading to constant marital conflicts.

The Curses on Man

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Every man suffers in two key areas: his work and the inevitability of death. Since the first man, Adam, disobeyed God by eating the fruit, he was driven out of Eden and condemned to toil for his food and that of his family. His life is now characterized by the pressures and challenges of providing through hard labor. So every man wakes up, goes to work, and faces daily labor and job pressures. When he returns home, his children often don’t obey him, and he finds himself in a constant marital struggle with wife. This is the life man is allotted to live, separated from his Creator. Where does all this lead? To an ideal, bright future? No. Instead, it leads to physical decline, sickness, and eventual death. God cursed man, saying, “From dust you came and to dust you shall return.” The Bible states, “the wages of sin is death”

I hope now you can see small word ‘Sin’ explains the human predicament. The news gets worse: Humanity is depicted as inherently powerless to escape this fallen condition, unable to avert the inevitable decline towards death, followed by divine judgment and eternal punishment in hell for all their sins against this holy God. Man is fallen sinful creature, so cannot approach his holy Creator.

But do you see the human dilemma?    On one hand, every breath and atom of man unconsciously yearns for deep bond with his Creator, and on other hand, as sinful being it is impossible for him to acceptably come to this holy God on his own. An infinitely holy God one side, and an utterly sinful creature on the other. Who can bridge this impossible gap?

 This drives us to ask the great question of ages: How can a sinner be reconciled to a holy God and find peace that can fill every aching void in his life.   This leads us to third question.

Question Three: Good news comes to us in the third Question: Who is Jesus Christ. 

God of Redemption: Bible reveals this God of Creation, God of Providence, is also God of redemption. In order to redeem mankind from this deplorable state, he designed an infinitely wise and marvelous plan. This plan is all centered in His Son, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity and God’s uniquely begotten Son, who possessed absolute equality with God. Yet, in profound humility, He took on human nature, entering the world through a humble birth in a manger. During His thirty-three years on earth, He authenticated His divine identity through unparalleled miracles, authoritative teachings, and a life of flawless purity.

To save us from our predicament, He fulfilled the two greatest needs you and I have. Firstly, He lived a perfect life on our behalf as our second Adam (representative) and purchased a perfect righteousness for us. Secondly, He endured unspeakable shame, suffering, and agony on the cross, offering Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Did God accept His work on behalf of sinners? Yes, God demonstrated His acceptance by raising Him from the dead on the third day. This is indeed good news. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul states, “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received  by which also you are saved, … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Question Four: What is in it for me? 

Beyond mundane ordinary needs of money, convenience, and health – though God certainly attends to our needs – there exist blessings of an immeasurably greater magnitude. The Bible beautifully illustrates this by portraying God as a Father who can meet all our deepest needs, but we have strayed from him and now struggle with an unsatisfying life. Upon our return, He doesn’t just welcome us; He throws a lavish feast. The profound joy awaiting you transcends comprehension until you personally experience it! Consider just a few of these transformative gifts:

Forgiveness: Imagine the complete erasure of every sin – past, present, and future. Not a single transgression holds the power to condemn or punish you. Experiencing this profound forgiveness ushers in unparalleled freedom and joy within your conscience.

Justification: Beyond forgiveness, God imputes Christ’s own righteousness to you, declaring you perfectly righteous in His sight.

Adoption: You are welcomed into God’s family as His cherished child, inheriting inestimable blessings as a result of this divine adoption.

Provision: As a loving Father, God promises to provide for all your needs throughout this earthly life (Philippians 4:19).

Correction: When you stray, He lovingly guides you back onto the right path through correction (Hebrews 12).

Providence: Know that every event in your life, without exception, is orchestrated for your ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Peace of God: You will experience a deep and abiding peace with God and a tranquility within your heart that permeates every moment of your life. This peace will flow like a river, bringing a calmness you’ve likely searched for in vain throughout your life. You’ll realize this is the very thing your soul has been yearning for.

New Heart: The desire for genuine and lasting change in your habits and character, often met with the frustration of failed New Year’s resolutions, finds its answer here. God promises a new heart, a complete regeneration that transforms you from the inside out. Every destructive habit – addiction, substance abuse, alcohol, pornography, short temper, covetousness, among others – can be overcome. The destructive things you once desired will become repulsive, and the good you once overlooked will become your delight. You’ll discover a new inclination to think, speak, and act in ways that honor God.

Eternal Life: God bestows the gift of eternal life. This gift wonderfully takes away all the fear of death replacing it with the knowledge that death is not an end but a glorious new beginning. Just as Jesus rose, you gain an unwavering hope beyond the grave, knowing an eternal inheritance awaits you in heaven.

Glorification: Ultimately, He crowns you as His heir, granting you access to everything He possesses!

Indeed, these blessings are utterly transformative! They elevate you to a summit of pure bliss, filling your heart with overflowing joy! Doesn’t it make you realize how truly impoverished our lives are without these extraordinary gifts?

Consider this: Without forgiveness, we remain shackled with guilty consciences by the weight of our past sins, the power of present sins, and more sins in the future. Without justification, we stand condemned and never truly accepted. Without adoption, we are orphans in a vast and often cruel world. Without God’s provision, we are left to our own limited resources and anxieties. Without His correction, we stumble blindly down the wrong paths. Without His providential hand, our lives are subject to the chaos of chance, and all things will work for our ultimate ruin. Without His peace, our hearts remain restless and unfulfilled. Without a new heart, we are trapped in cycles of destructive behavior and habits. Without eternal life, we face the ultimate fear and loss without hope. Finally, without glorification, we not only miss out eternal inheritance, but we inherit eternal wrath in hell!

My dear sinner friend! Embrace these incredible blessings! Do not for another moment live a diminished existence when such profound and life-altering gifts are within your reach!

Question Five: What should I do?  

To truly experience these extraordinary blessings, the Gospel presents two fundamental conditions: Repentance and Faith.

Repentance: This begins with a profound realization – acknowledging that you are a sinner and understanding that the seemingly small word “sin” carries immense weight. This is the root cause manifesting in all struggles and sufferings of your life. True repentance involves turning away from your sin and turning wholeheartedly towards God, your loving Father. It’s a change of mind and heart, a conscious decision to abandon your own way and embrace His.

Faith: This involves believing, with unwavering conviction, in who Jesus Christ is – the Son of God, fully divine and fully human  and what He has accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection. It’s trusting that His sacrifice was the ultimate payment for your sins and that through Him, you can be reconciled to God.

Embrace these two conditions, and all the immeasurable blessings previously described become yours. Repent of your sin, turn to God with an open heart, and place your complete faith in Jesus Christ. The summit of bliss and the fullness of life await you!

God bless you. If you want to know more about the Gospel, contact the Grace Reformed Baptist Church (GRBC).

Eph 1:3-14 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He ^[a]made us accepted in the Beloved. ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and ^[b]prudence, ⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, ^[c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who^[d] is the ^[e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Let me start with a parable: There was once a boy who was cruelly hypnotised so that he forgot everything about his parents; he could not even see or hear them. He lived in the house with them, and they cared for him–cooking his meals, washing his clothes, and loving him constantly–but he simply looked through them. To him, Mom and Dad were invisible, and he never spoke to them nor heard them speak. That was the realm in which he lived… Then one day the hypnotic spell was broken, this blind spot ended, and he could see and hear his parents. He realized all the blessings he enjoyed from birth, day by day, were given by his parents. All the good gifts he received had come to him from them, and now he could see and understand. That is what happens to us in salvation. We are hypnotized by the god of this world, the devil, so much that though God is the source of all our blessings, we live as though being born blind to Him. But when God saves us, we come out of that spell. He opens our eyes and blesses us with the realization that He is the source of all our blessings, which makes our hearts overflow with gratitude and praise. In salvation we enter the real heavenly realm and start seeing how much God has blessed us. 

The passage we read is one of the longest, most gigantic sentences. One author says it is the most monstrous sentence conglomeration that he’s ever encountered in the Greek language. It is like an avalanche; starting at the snowy mountain top with “Blessed be..” it rolls down like a big snowball tumbling down, picking up volumes as it descends; sweeping, stirring, and gathering the whole mountain snow, pouring forth with impetuous speed. We stand stunned by the sight. This is the effect of these fourteen verses. 

You know, this is not Paul’s style. Most of the times, his doxology comes in the end; like in Romans, after eleven chapters of deep theological discourse of God’s salvation, Paul bursts forth, saying, ”Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33) continuing, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36).

That’s Paul’s common pattern: theology and then doxology. But here, from the very beginning, we witness Paul’s doxology. High tone – this is Handel’s ‘Messiah’ crescendo at the beginning! In light of what he is about to say, he can’t restrain himself from praising right from the beginning; he soars in praise, and in entrance gate, he comes welcomes us with praise. This is a proper test of all theological study. True theology should lead to doxology. If we have learned theology properly, it should lead to praise and worship. The reverse is true too; it is theology that makes us render God-centered worship. Worship is nothing but the response to the truth. Without theology, it will all be cursed, man-centered worship that ruins the soul, as we will see this evening. 

We looked at the first phrase of verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” If you think I was slow, let me tell you I preached only half the sermon last week. I can continue to preach the same phrase today again. Fear not, I will not do it. Let me give you a hint of how much more depth this phrase has. You trace the word for “blessed be God” in all of the Bible–Hebrew word ‘Baruk.’ Whenever God performed a great deliverance, people blessed God; Genesis 14, Melchizedek, king of Salem visits Abraham after his victory and says, “Blessed be God Most High,” “bāraḵ ‘ēl ʿelyôn.” We see Moses, David, Solomon, all Old Testament people blessing God. All the saints saw that the purpose of God blessing us is not that we just enjoy, but that we also acknowledge inherent goodness in God’s character and respond by blessing Him. We saw we don’t add anything to God, but it is a declarative praise. We acknowledge, praise, and celebrate God’s attributes. 

Paul is going to show how much this God blesses us. If God has truly blessed us so much like this, then the greatest sin you and I commit in life is not to bless this God because of our self-obsession. Romans 1: 28 shows the chief sin of mankind: Even though they knew God, they did not thank or glorify Him. Because of this God’s wrath was revealed on them now – How? He gives them up to a depraved mind; their hearts are darkened; they are filled with all kinds of selfish lusts; they fall in all kinds of self-obsessed misery. 

We also saw all our happiness and joy is not in ourselves; focussing on us; praising us; but in Him. We will never know the fullness of blessing, all the joy, all the satisfaction, the wholeness that we are made for, until we learn to reorient our focus on Him and His glory. 

What kind of God do we bless? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” First, “God of Jesus Christ” not only talks about Jesus’ humanity, but it is the very language of a covenant. This is an enormously important truth. Whenever God makes a covenant, He says, “I will be their God.” God became the God of Jesus Christ through an eternal covenant of redemption–a covenant between the Father and the Son to save His elect. Jesus Christ entered into the human race in covenant with God. In that covenant, God is the God of Lord Jesus Christ. Then, “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” talks about Christ’s Godhead and His eternal relationship as the second person of the Trinity. So, the word “God” talks about the humanity of Lord Jesus Christ through the eternal covenant, then the word “Father” talks about His deity.

We have to bless that God; Paul is teaching that our Christian worship should be God focussed because the Father is the source of every blessing in our life. Every blessing that you’ve received comes openly, lavishly, freely, graciously from His hand. Even the redemption blessing–the work of our Lord Jesus Christ–is not the work of trying to get the Father to love you. Contrarily, the work of our Lord Jesus Christ is the expression of the Father who already loves you! Christ went to that cross not to get the Father to love you, but because the Father loves you. Until you realize that, you cannot reorient yourself to bless God. 

This passage teaches us the great doctrine of the Trinity and each of their work in redemption. If the first phrase talks about the Father and the Son in the redemptive covenant–the Father plans, becomes God to, and upholds the Son in all redemption work, and the Son accomplishes that redemption by coming to earth, living, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and sitting in session–the next phrase shows us the work of the Holy Spirit: Eph 1:3.b, “who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Let us understand its meaning in three headings: 

• The blessed God who blesses us
• The nature of these blessings 
• How to experience these blessings 

Blessed God who blesses us

Verse 3 says God has blessed us. When we bless God, we bring to Him no substance. We acknowledge, praise, and celebrate His attributes (declarative glory), but there’s nothing we can bring to Him that He needs. But when God blesses us, the case is just the opposite. He doesn’t come with empty hands to just say something about us, but comes with hands full with great gifts to confer upon us. The word ‘blessings’ could rightly be rendered as ‘benefits.’ He has blessed us with much needed, and greatest, beneficial blessings.

Why does He bless us? Because we are so lovable, beautiful, good, and deserving? As sinners, we deserve to be eternally cursed by this God. God blessing us is rooted again in His character. He is a blessed God. Why? Because He loves to bless. When the whole of mankind should be cursed–we don’t deserve any blessing from Him–He made a covenant to graciously bless us through His Son in eternity. That covenant was revealed in steps – first to Adam’s seed and then specifically to Abraham, Genesis 12:2,3, “I will bless you,” “in you shall all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It is God’s design and purpose to bless His creatures. In the Old Testament, though there was some spirituality, most of their promised blessings related to this world. Deuteronomy 28 talks about blessed in the city, field, fruit of thy body, thy cattle. Blessed when you come in and go out. That’s the old covenant with Israel. They had land, nation, and the blessing was mostly temporal, worldly, physical blessings–abundant harvests, large flocks, physical health, and victory over enemies. The focus was mostly the earthly realm which was actually a shadow of the coming great blessings. But in the New Testament, God goes beyond these worldly blessings and blesses with special, rich, boundless blessings. 

So God is a God who blesses. When we recognize the sinfulness of this world, who on this earth is not blessed by God in some way? Every side on this earth is an expression of God’s blessing. Even unbelievers are blessed by nature: rain, sun, fruits, food, good health, good family, children, job, wealth – so many blessings. Every smile, every joy, every meal, every breath, every good thing you have experienced comes from the hand of this God. We have to bless Him for all that by itself. 

But now Paul goes beyond those and talks about very special blessings. Not everyone gets these rare blessings. As soon as you hear of ‘blessing,’ if all you can think of is a bigger house, big car, bigger this and more of that, and you think that will make you happy, you are not only immature, but in a blind and very pitiable state. May God open your eyes to see He has so much more greater blessings than these things. 

Martin Luther once told a story of a lion who invited all the beasts of the jungle to a wonderful meal – mountains of tender fruits, nuts, peas; slices of the most savoury meat, jugs of hot gravy, honey; delicious trifles; varieties and sweet desserts, meringues – a grand feast. But the swine who came around turned their snouts up: “That is all? What is all this? Where is the barley seed, insects, and grubs?” 

To a vulture he gave a sandwich with ten layers of fresh meat that smelled wonderful. The vulture asked, “Don’t you have any rotting carcass that I can tear and eat?” That is how people behave with God. 

When God talks about big, higher blessings, our tastes are low. So let us throw aside all those low thoughts, come out of the dark, self-obsessed realm, narrow, worldly-mindedness, and open our minds and understand what these glorious blessings of the blessed God are. The Holy Spirit talks about higher blessings – not the ones that temporarily make you happy and then leave you empty, but things that can keep you always rejoicing, peaceful, and gentle. Regarding worldly needs, our blessed God says, ‘Don’t worry about that. I will take care of all your needs in this world; but your deepest need is higher; look above.’

The nature of these blessings

What makes Paul burst into this exuberant praise? What blessings, even though he is in a jail, not knowing if he may live till even the next hour, makes him rise like an archangel and bless God? What are those blessings? He says, “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

The verse itself is a blessing verse. We bless God, for He blesses us (how?) with every spiritual blessing. There’s a play on words. It’s absolutely marvelous in the Greek text. There’s a sound to it that’s supposed to catch your attention. Blessed us with every spiritual blessing. The blessings we’re talking about are not just blessings–the average temporary, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, stomach-filling, roof-over-your-head, few-days-exciting–kind of blessing. We’re talking about special, special, rare spiritual blessings. We’re talking about blessings that are of a different category than the mere physical blessings that we’re thankful to God for every day. Paul is going to list those glorious blessings in the coming verses for three chapters, but here he gives us a summary of the nature of these blessings. We will see four traits of these blessings. 

I was watching a video of a man filled with some spirit screaming, “Raba shema [some gibberish.]” He prays for blessings like “All debt should be paid, all should be blessed with prosperity, those who do not have a child should get twins, those who are single married…” So “filled with the Holy Spirit,” see the blessings he can think of. We will talk about special secret blessings only God’s children know the value of. Let us remember the traits with the acronym HUSH! Holy Spirit, Unchangeable, Sufficient, Heart satisfying. 

HUSH:

1. Holy Spirit – These blessings are given to us through the Holy Spirit.
   
   Most Greek scholars and commentators tells us when Paul says, “spiritual blessings,” it’s not necessarily in contrast to material blessing, but it is blessing coming to us through the Holy Spirit. Spiritual, “pneumatikos,” refers to that which is communicated or imparted by the Holy Spirit of God. When Paul says they are spiritual blessings, we are to think of blessings given to us by the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. ‘Spiritual’ points to the medium by which they are conferred, which shows the wonderful excellence of these blessings, since they are beyond any other blessings God gives. Scripture shows the great goal of all that God has done in the work of redemption–electing us in eternity, sending His Son, Him living, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and His session–all that for what? That He may bring upon believers the blessings of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Gal 3 says this and points out that this is beyond all the blessings of the Old Testament. Acts 2:33 states, ”Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” So when it talks about ‘spiritual’ first, it is not contrasting with ‘physical,’ but that the blessings are given through the Holy Spirit.
   
   Meaning the highest, most excellent, greatest, precious blessings of the Triune God is communicated to men through the Holy Spirit. In the great work of redemption, it is the Father who is the Giver, the Son who is the Reservoir, and the Spirit who is the Communicator of these spiritual gifts. All that Father planned, all Christ purchased for us, is brought into experiential reality in our lives by the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul will teach us not to grieve Him (Eph 4:30). It is the Divine Spirit who communicates to men all the most precious things of the Triune God. Charles Hodge says these blessings are spiritual because they are derived from the Holy Spirit, whose presence and influence are the great blessings purchased by Christ.
   
   Though he is going to list them in the verses, generally, when we reflect, what do we realize the Spirit has done for us? When we were dead in sin, He gave us rebirth. What a blessing it is that He used the power which raised Christ from the dead and spiritually resurrected us, opened our minds, changed our hearts, and renewed our wills? He convicted us of sin, illuminated our minds to see the glory of Jesus Christ, united us to Him, transferred our sin to Him, imputed His righteousness to us, justified us and made us adopted children of God in family of the Triune God, becoming heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. We are joined to Jesus Christ–the crown of all spiritual blessings. He broke the dominion of sin over our lives. He even now supplies us the grace of perseverance. He sanctifies and illuminates us to see the glory of our inheritance. These are some of the Holy Ghost’s blessings. So first, Spiritual blessings are enjoyed through the work of the Holy Spirit.
   
2. They are unchangeable blessings. Any physical blessings change; fade; because your needs change. Every worldly blessing changes: your riches, family, health, house, job, your marriage (oh that is always changing). Today we may be famous, have a big name and market; Our family and society may value us today; but that will change. We always live in fear of this change. Oh how the soul is yearning to set itself on something that never changes!
   
   In contrast to all of this, these [spiritual] blessings never change. They’re not subject to time, situation, or place. Nothing in this world can touch these blessings. Nor does our need for them change.
   
   Have you noticed it is given in the past tense? Blessed with every spiritual blessing? What about blessings we will receive in the future – resurrection, full redemption of body and soul, and eternal heaven? Paul, seeing the panoramic view of the whole scope of salvation from eternity to eternity, stands back, viewing the whole thing. To convey certainty of all blessings–their unchangeableness–he uses the past tense. These are absolutely certain and unchangeable blessings to us in the purpose of God, given to us by the immutable God who never lies. So Paul can mention it as though it’s already fully accomplished. If we are chosen and saved, then it is 100% certain that we will go to heaven and enjoy all these blessings; just as he used the past tense. Romans 8:30, For whom He foreknew, called, and justified. And then he puts in the past tense, as though it’s already done, Whom He justified, He glorified, even though we’re not yet glorified.
   
   Because the blessed God who gives these blessings never changes. He is the immutable God; Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” COF His gifts and callings never change. Though many storms and floods arise and beat against believers, many temptations of Satan may come and fall on us, though unbelief may plague us and cause the sensible sight of the light and love of God to be clouded and obscured from us for a time, yet He never changes. This God’s covenant never changes. His promise never changes. His love towards us, grace towards us, never changes according to the situation. His relationship with us never changes. No matter what we are, no matter how wrong we go, how far we go, He never changes in love. Our atonement, our justification, our adoption, and even our glorification doesn’t change. These are unchangeable blessings.
   
   If you’re discouraged–maybe you’ve failed, or fallen–if you are a true believer, your blessings are still in Christ Jesus. These are ours no matter what else is going on in our life. No matter what our situation is, no matter what our present condition is, in the midst of this life and all its trials and its disappointments there are spiritual blessings which are ours to have and to enjoy which no man can take away from us, which are ours by the grant from the hand of the heavenly Father, and they are ours through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. This is a life-altering reality.
   
3. These are sufficient blessings for all this life’s situations, and eternity
   
   How much of these special blessings has He given to us? Has He forgotten to give anything? Or has He said, “I will give you 50% now; if you show yourself good and walk properly, then I will give you a little more, and a little more”? No. “Blessed be God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
   
   The word “every” removes every limit; unlimited blessings; all the highest blessings the infinite God can bless us with; all – nothing left; everything included in the package. That is to say, there is no gap or lack in our blessings. It is whole; rounded, complete and perfect. Whatever your needs may require, whatever your hopes can dream, whatever wishes you can stretch out towards, it is all here, compacted and complete. The spiritual gifts are encyclopediacal and all-sufficient, They are not segments, but completed circles. When God gives He gives amply.
   
   2 Pet 1:3, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” Everything you need, everything you need for life and godliness has been provided for you by your Father through the Holy Spirit. You lack nothing. Everything you need in this life for sanctification, godly life, salvation; every spiritual blessing, every benefit, every provision is given through the Spirit. You talk about blessings that will have radical implications on how you live your life going forward with joy and blessings; they are these.
   
   God has already given them to you. They belong to you. Wife, you’ve got a grouchy husband, and you find him exceptionally difficult to live with. Or husband, you have a wife who makes your life difficult; and it’s a hard life day after day, after day. God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, has given you every spiritual blessing that you need to endure and handle it. You have wayward kids who test your patience? God has given you every spiritual blessing you need to endure and handle them. You have difficulties, you have financial difficulties, difficulties at work, huge decisions that need to be made, you feel like your life is crumbling all around you? Remember, God has given you everything that you need for life and godliness. You’re battling temptation, you have a certain thorn in the flesh or a certain trial, you have something that just seems to have the upper hand on you all the time, and you act like you’re defeated and you act like you’re never going to change; not going to be blessed. That’s a lie from the devil. God has given you every spiritual blessing that you need to overcome. In terms of the things of the Spirit, we are wealthy beyond measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
   
   Amazing: All blessings are given; we don’t need anything more. We possess them all today. They’re all available and accessible. All has been given, but the great question is how much has been taken; how much do we experience them? We are truly like that Aram Bikarai who lived a beggarly life while there was hidden treasure below his feet. There is boundless wealth belonging to us by right, and by the Father’s gift. Yet, here are we, many of us, living like beggars; with all that wealth, paupers still.
   
   You already have everything, not so much in realization, but you have it in the Lord Jesus Christ. That one word, “every,” signifies blessings in the widest sense. Only eternity will be an adequate commentary on this text, and only the redeemed in heaven who see the eternal unfolding of the gifts of grace will be the best commentators of the word “every.”
   
4. Heart satisfying blessings
   
   They affect not only your outward man; but your whole being, whole man. They are heart, conscience, and mind satisfying blessings.
   
   There are blessings that put us in a good house, good car, good dress, but your heart still may not be affected; it may be sad, tense, and guilty. Most earthly blessings remain without us, and they pass outside of us. If that is the only thing you have to praise God for, you sometimes have to outwardly thank God with some regrets and not with a full heart. You cannot rise to this level of blessing God. The blessings of the world always leave us empty; they cannot fully satisfy our hearts. “Material possessions and worldly success can’t touch the deepest parts of our hearts, but the joy from the Holy Spirit overflows within us.” These spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit affect your deepest heart – your inward man, your soul – and fills you with the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, hope, strength, guidance – and transforms your whole character, emotions, thoughts, and words. What worldly blessings can do that? Let’s face it: Earthly life is, by its very definition, mundane life. It is a visible, tangible life. Yes, we may thank God for our house, car, job, and family, but after some time they become mundane. In contrast, there is nothing mundane about these spiritual blessings. They are glorious, fresh, and affect your deepest heart. They are something that is otherworldly, something wonderfully futuristic. “Earthly pleasures may touch the surface, but the Holy Spirit’s blessings immerse our hearts in an ocean of joy.” “God used the world’s gifts as shadows in the Old Testament for the Holy Spirit’s blessings, which is the substance of true joy.” So, HUSH.

Thirdly, how do we experience these blessings? Climb and Sit. 

First: Climb – Notice the Place or Realm of these blessings 

Where are these blessings? “…blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” 

Grammatically Paul has made a fatal error. He uses an adjective that doesn’t have a noun. He says, “in the heavenly.”  Heavenly what?  So you’ll notice in your Bibles you have “places” in italics. It is added to give clarity. There’s no noun there. It’s a unique phrase. Grammarly may point this out as an error, but this is divine grammar. Paul is not just talking about heaven, but a heavenly, divine realm. Firstly, this realm is where my spiritual blessings started, when God elected and foreordained me. There was no physical world at that time. “Heavenly” is the place of origin of all these blessings. Secondly, Paul probably also has in mind the idea that is God’s storehouse of blessings, completely prepared and guarded. All these blessings are stored in the heavenly realm. Not only the origin and storehouse, but beyond all that–more importantly–in order for us to experience these blessings, we must rise in our soul and go up there.

All the commands in the scripture to set your heart on above; seek the things above – Why? Because all these spiritual blessings come into experiential reality in our lives when we seek it from there. We must, through prayer and meditation, rise up to experience these blessings. We don’t receive this if our eyes are always looking down on earth, on the things below. If we are living in the low levels, we will not experience these blessings. Yes, this is the reason that even though we are blessed with all such blessings, with such a large provision made for all possible necessities and longings of all sorts, we are so weak, feeble, poor, and with little enjoyment of any of these blessings. 

Olden days’ church worship would begin, “up with your hearts!” Why? The blessings are in the heavenly, and if we want them, we must go where they are. It is not enough to drink little drops flowing through the rock cracks; you have to climb up, up, and up, through meditation and prayer. Climb up to the headwaters, where the great, pure fountain gushes out abundantly and inexhaustibly. The blessings are heavenly, and there they abide, and there we must mount if we want to experience them. 

Secondly, Sit: These blessings are enjoyed in union with Christ. 

This is Paul’s favorite song, “in Christ,” like biggest string on his guitar! Every spiritual blessing that has been given to us by the Father could only be enjoyed in union with Christ. How can we enjoy these blessings? Not only by climbing. Paul, talking about our position, will say in chapter 2, verse 6, “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” Again the same ‘heavenly places’ phrase. That is the true identity of the believer – in union with Christ. Even while we pilgrims are here, temporarily moving among illusions and changing scenes, in the depth of our true being and identity we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. 

We have to climb through prayer and meditation to this place not to immediately jump down afterwards, but to learn to sit at rest with Christ to experience the fullness of these blessings. This is not just theoretical truth, but, as A.W. Pink puts it, an “experiential union.” This points out that we have to live in experiential union with Christ to inherit our blessings. That is what Paul will teach us: To learn to have our lives ‘hid with Christ in God,’ and sit together with Him in the heavenly places. 

So how do we experience it? It’s in union, it’s in trusting, it’s in faith in Jesus Christ that we find the sphere, the arena, of these spiritual blessings. That union is the very life of this epistle to the Ephesians. I showed how repeatedly “in Christ” appears. This is that glorious union by which it is possible for poor, empty, sinful creatures like us to be filled with His fullness, animated with His life, strengthened with His power, and to experience all these blessings.

So the only way to experience all these spiritual blessings is in union with, and abiding in, Christ. Didn’t He Himself clearly teach this? “I am the Vine, ye are the branches,” “Abide in Me,” “Without Me ye can do nothing,” and get nothing, and are nothing. 

Mcclaren says if we abide in Him by faith, by meditation, by love, by practical obedience, and the great effort of our lives is to keep close to Him, we experience the power of these blessings in our lives. If we disconnect from Him by wandering away in thought and desire, by allowing sin, earthly lusts to surge in and break the connection, we will be helpless without any power like switching off the electricity! “Abide in Me and I in you:” There is nothing else that will make us blessed, nothing else that will meet all the circumference of our necessities, nothing else that will quieten our hearts and sanctify our understanding. 

So we see God who blesses us; HUSH–4 traits of these wonderful blessings; and how to experience these blessings. 

Application – 2 

Unbelievers: Some people get angry because I say “unbelievers.” What I feel is He specifically talks to me, exposes my state, and makes me feel uncomfortable here. There is a day coming when many, innumerably so, will stand before Christ and say “Lord, Lord, did we not go to church, think ourselves believers, and do miracles?” Christ will say, “I never knew you; depart into hell.” You should really be happy because I can call some of you unbelievers. Our country is filled with churches where even though you are an unbeliever, they are all doing everything to make you think you are a believer. What a sad end is waiting for all of them! How foolish to go to such places, and live in deception. Such places will harden us more against the gospel, never allowing us to be truly saved. 

I know the tricks to make you feel good; if used, maybe we would have 100s in our church. But we want to be true to your soul. Like Paul’s disciples, we don’t want your blood on our heads. The only way to be saved is to be in a place where they tell you the truth about your soul. Every time the Word is preached, it will show whether we are saved or not, and it will create the Holy Spirit’s pressure to come to Christ. That will never happen in false churches. They will only harden us so as to never be saved. 

Can I tell a good test to show whether you are saved or not by this verse? How excited were you when I explained spiritual blessings? Did your heart fill with praise? Or suppose I tell you God has promised blessings; make you believe that He is going to remove all debts from today; He is going to bless you with prosperity; your account balance will cross a minimum of 10 lakhs; you will get an SMS saying, “10 lakhs credited,” before you leave this church: oh what excitement! 

Contrasting that, what if I tell you God has graced you with the most wonderful blessing in your life by divine warrant? That from this moment on, you’ll never struggle again with your besetting sins? Upon divine warrant, I have a promise that from this time on, you’ll never know what it is to feel jealousy, covetousness, anger, short temper, lust to other people; that you will experience the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience? If I tell you you’ll never have a day without experiencing close communion with Jesus Christ, behold his unclouded face…  What would your reaction be if I promised such spiritual blessings to you today upon divine warrant? 

Now, if I sat 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? That shows your spiritual condition. No question, God’s children are like the Apostle Paul: I count all things material as loss; even my life as dear to myself. One thing I count dear. That I may know Him. Experience conscious fellowship with my God and with His Son. 

See, Paul, though he spoke about these blessings, he tells the object of these blessings. He doesn’t say these are for everyone. Notice the little word “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us.”  The “us” of verse 3 are people described in verses 1 and 2: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus and saints at Ephesus and believers in Christ Jesus.  

Though I call you unbelievers, I have good news for you. You heard about all these blessings; I know for some of you it must be dead boring: “What blessings? No money, no gold, no house…” It is because all you can see is only this. There are blessings beyond that. You can see them all only when you believe and are united to Christ. And the only way to get any of those blessings is to be in Him. In Him you have all these blessings; Out of Him, you have none of them. 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. For God has constituted the Lord Jesus the exclusive yet infinite reservoir of all spiritual blessings. Jesus Christ is the great fountainhead of all blessings. He is life. Severed from Him, we live in a living death. He is wisdom. Severed from Him, we stumble in our ignorance. He is light. Severed from Him, we grope in darkness. Believe in Him and turn from your sins, so God can open your eyes to see there is life beyond eating, drinking, working, and having a family. 

For believers: I think the main application again is praise: “Blessed be God.” 

Paul’s desire is that this adoration might overflow to his readers, so that they will be stimulated to respond as he does and give glory to God for all of His gracious blessings to them: with an outburst of praise. This has to become contagious; to add coal or other solid fuel to stoke our praise and our adoration for God. Not only should it make us bless God, but also re-orient our life to God.

We will continue to read the list of blessings; but every time we read them, it should bring us back to this top mount of blessing God. I pray it has that effect upon us that we shall bless Him as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It’s almost as if Paul the announcer says, “Let the praise begin.” And he means it to be contagious. Is the blessing of God in your heart and lips this morning? Could you say it with Paul after hearing, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”? Could you say, “Yes Paul, blessed be God, blessed be God, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”? He’s worthy of praise. If the Pentecostals, with silly superficial Old Testament blessings of worldly healing which most times are false, are so excited, how much more should we be excited with true blessings! 

Paul is calling us to praise God. C.S. Lewis says,

All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. Also, the world rings with praise. Lovers praising their lovers, readers their favorite writers/poet, tourists praising scenic places; travel experts; players praising their favorite game, fans praising their celebrities; citizens; politicians; praise of the weather; food; dishes; vehicles; historical persons; children; flowers; mountains. As men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it. Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think it was magnificent? Very nice food right!? 

So Paul, in telling everyone to praise God, is simply doing what all men do when they speak about something they care about.

We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is its appointed consummation. Do you enjoy the true and living God? Because if you do, you will praise Him. If you are not a worshiper of God, you are not a Christian. Jesus tells us in John 4, the Father is seeking such worshipers. 

We need to learn this Trinitarian praise: As Paul thought of all the blessings in Christ, he said, “Blessed be the God and Father,” including the Holy Spirit in “spiritual blessing.” True praise should be suffused with Trinitarian concepts. Today it is all shattered; one group there is nebulous and unclear in their talk about God; God Jehovah without Jesus Christ. Another side is all “Jesus, Jesus;” No “blessed be the God [of Jesus Christ]” Another group is full of superficial emotions–all “Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit,” without God or Jesus Christ. True biblical worship will bring all three persons in their worship.

How this one verse shatters false religions: Pentecostals: If every spiritual blessing has already been given to us by God, then why seek a second blessing?! Why are you torturing yourself with 21 days fasting, waiting, still seeking a second blessing? The second, third, 1000^th blessing is already blessed. Roman Catholics, CSI, and other works-based religions: If God blesses us with all these blessings based on Christ, why are you running on works to gain favour of God? “If I’m not good enough. I should do more works and God will bless me.” No He blesses you only through Jesus Christ. All blessings come only by Him. For believers, God has already given it to you. Our problem is one of ignorance. Our problem is weak faith; little faith. We have to climb in faith and sit with Christ, and abide in Him to experience these blessings.

Eph 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” 

Martyn Lloyd Jones said, ‘In 35 years of pastoral experience, Christians who are most miserable, sad, and struggling in their lives are those always thinking about themselves, their situation, and their feelings; what they will get.’ Much of the trouble in Christian life comes from this cursed subjective self-obsession–an egocentric perspective: always wondering what I will get, how I feel, and what I am going through. It is all about ‘me.’ The secret to being happy and always being blessed is to forget yourself and look to God. We will never be truly happy until we learn to take our eyes off ourselves and fix our gaze on God. 

By design, God created man to find happiness in His glory. A children’s catechism based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism answers ‘Why did God create you?’ with, ‘To glorify and enjoy Him forever.’ Our forefathers sought to teach this from childhood, but many of us, even in old age, fail to learn it, and thus we live sad and miserable lives. God created us to live joyfully with a Godward focus, but sin turned us selfward; that is why we are so self-preoccupied, and this is the reason for much of our sadness this morning. Our great need is to lift our eyes intently and look at God, to see His wonder and what He has done for us, so we can forget ourselves and rejoice in Him. That is what we see Paul doing here in verse 3. God’s truth reorients us properly; it takes our eyes off ourselves, our situations, and our plans and focuses them on Him. The result is unspeakable joy and blessing.

So, as we begin this letter, if God has to open our eyes, we should rid ourselves of our cursed subjective self-obsession: “I have so many problems,” or “What will I get today?” Stop! Recognize that this wrong focus and disorientation cause most problems in our lives; we prioritize the wrong things.

Start where Paul does. If we grasp it and learn to pray with him, Paul’s prayer is life-reorienting. It can transform the way we pray and the way we view life. This prayer reminds us of the most important thing, the top priority of our lives and the purpose of our creation. We desperately need to be reminded. We, by default, forget every hour, which is why we are so miserable. 

What are the three most important things? [1] Who is most important in life? [2] What is most important in life? [3] What brings the greatest happiness in life?

Who is most important in life? God. The first principle of theology is that there is a God in heaven, and I am not Him. Amid our difficulties and disappointments in life, we forget Him; we fix our eyes on problems, and it seems most important in life to resolve those problems. “How can I solve this?” That is the wrong question. We need to ask, “There is a God in heaven who has allowed this; what is He teaching me in this situation? I am not important; God is the most important being in my life. This prayer will bring us back to that truth.

The second way it can reorient us: What is most important in life? Remind yourself that the chief end of your life is not primarily your happiness but to glorify God. Oh, how we forget that and create our own misery! “There is something greater in every experience of my life that I need to remember, and that is God’s glory.” In my suffering, what is most important? Should I stop everything I’m doing immediately? Say, “God, even if I have to die, let me die. Please take my life; let me evaporate; disappear; why should I suffer so much?” No, that is wrong; the main motive should be that my suffering culminates in the glory of God. Through this, I should know and enjoy my God as I have never enjoyed Him before. My experience should lead to God’s glory. Oh, how a trivial set of personal problems completely blinds us to the great chief end, the big picture! This prayer will reorient and teach us that the most important aspect in every circumstance is God’s glory, from beginning to end, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in health and sickness, in plenty and want. God’s glory is the most essential thing in the world, and this prayer refocuses us on that.

Not only ‘who is important’ and ‘what is important,’ but thirdly, ‘what brings the greatest happiness in life.’ The god of this world blinds and deceives us constantly by suggesting that our enjoyment lies in worldly blessings such as wealth and health. He makes us chase the wind and vanity throughout life. In this prayer, Paul shows us that the true happiness, satisfaction, and fullness we seek are not found in worldly things but come from enjoying God and His eternal spiritual blessings of grace. He shows what is important, God’s glory, and what will bring joy to us created in God’s image. Our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Apart from Him, there is no experience of the fullness of delight. This prayer reminds you of the blessings God has lavished upon you that you often forget. Do you understand how this prayer will reorient us to realize who is important, what is important, and what will bring the greatest joy?

Imagine Paul sitting in jail amid a terrible situation, and think of these people living in Ephesus–immersed in idolatry, uncleanness, and the sexual perversion of Diana worship, not to mention the practice of black magic and fortune telling. Imagine living amid all this with all the persecution, discouragement, and temptations. How does Paul uplift these Christians? He never discusses Diana’s worship, attacks idolatry, or attempts to be relevant. Instead, he elevates their minds and souls and reveals the living God’s beauty, glory, and excellence and what the Lord has done for sinners like us through Jesus Christ.

I previously illustrated something in Philippians; let me convey it differently: Picture a flight of 500 passengers traveling for 12 hours from Africa. The baggage department discovered they had 10 deadly African snakes in a box that had escaped and slithered loose somewhere on the plane. Imagine the panic that the announcement would cause. The pilot wisely announced they were experiencing some difficulty with the oxygen supply, so he asked the passengers to wear their oxygen masks. Then he steeply ascended the plane and continued rising above the typical cruising altitude, breaking through the ceiling of the oxygen zone, up and up. As they climbed, the slithering snakes slowly suffocated and eventually died.

That is what Paul is doing here. You are worried about that snake–that problem–in your life rather than being filled with praise and joy at this moment. So, just at take-off, our pilot, Paul, kicks the flight into top gear. The flight stands upright, and we feel giddy just reading the first verse. He soars higher and higher to the highest heaven, then takes a left into past eternity and from there to the right of future eternity. As we ascend with him in this praise, our inner man strengthens. Our worries and temptations diminish; they suffocate and even die. So, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts for an unforgettable ride of a lifetime.

The boarding pass for this flight is a spirit of prayer; you can enter this flight only in the spirit of prayer. I was teaching in men’s fellowship: knowing God is not just about listening to a sermon and leaving; it requires using that sermon and turning it into the subject of our meditation and prayer–to draw energy from it for prayer and to live a life of obedience. Do you know this whole chapter is a prayer? Verses 3 to 14 form a prayer of praise, while verses 15 to 23 comprise a petition. 

We can enter this flight only by making these verses our daily prayer. Whatever we learn, we turn into our meditation and personal prayer to God so we can climb with Paul. Verses 3-14 express praise. While we may not see it in English or Tamil, the original Greek text in verses 3-14 forms the longest sentence in the New Testament, comprising 202 words. No translation into English or any other language can maintain such a structure, necessitating the division into smaller sentences. The man keeps going on and on with one sentence: “We’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing…” …and then he begins to list the blessings, adding phrase upon phrase and doctrine upon doctrine, saying, “…and have you thought of this… and also this one…” 

Here is an accumulation of relative clauses and phrases that the sharpest Greek scholars debate, scratching their heads. The sentence lacks a definite form or structure; no other letter or book in either the New or Old Testament contains anything similar. It represents a continuous stream of consciousness–heightened, intellectual, and informed worship. Such heightened praise is the great antidote to any prevailing discouraging climate, world-driven self-pity, or a self-focused, dead prayer life and worship. 

Imagine the state of the church as the Ephesians gathered that day. Some came with persecution, maybe because they stopped going to the temple; others were wives whose husbands left them or husbands who found themselves abandoned; some were children chased from their houses; some maybe who lost their jobs or closed idol shops, who experienced business loss and did not know what they are going to live on; some with sickness; some missing attractions of temple worship – faith struggles. Then the Ephesian church Elder got up and read the letter in Greek… Eph 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” and continued on and on… 

I imagine there was a pin-drop silence! They felt as though they were ascending higher and higher, and the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end. Their heart rates quickened, and some probably even forgot to breathe. They leaned forward, straining to hear every word. On and on [the letter] went, revealing the glories of what the grace of God had accomplished for them. As the Ephesian believers listened to what God had done for them (chapters 1-3), their eyes were opened; they resembled that man who had found infinite treasure. They had left their homes believing they were beggars and now realized how rich they truly were, and they were blown away to the highest heights… It was a transforming and unforgettable experience in their life. The result was that their relationships between husbands and wives changed, their children changed and became obedient, and their work lives changed. It is such doxology that overcomes the world. Paul’s praise was a tremendous eruption of a volcano. The volcanic lava flowed and filled the hearts of the Ephesians. They were lost in wonder and praise, and the lava overflowed into the city of Ephesus. With this vision of God’s infinite riches of grace, they looked at the Temple of Artemis and proclaimed, “Hear ye, men of the city of Ephesus. Behold our glorious God and the great things He has done for His people. How pitiable, useless, and blind we are to leave this God and worship hideous Diana!” 

If God must open our eyes so that we can see the treasure, we need to begin where Paul starts in Eph 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” This is a tremendously rich verse. Every word is filled with meaning. I see seven things in this verse:

1. A call to bless God 
2. A call to bless God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
3. This is God’s blessing 
4. The nature of blessing
5. The place of blessing
6. The source of blessing. 
7. The recipients of the blessing

We will cover the first two today and continue next week—well, two weeks for one verse. That is a good start! 

Ephesus is a treasure house; we don’t find gold unless we dig deep, and digging takes time and patience. We must take the time to gain Paul’s perspective. 

First: A Call to Bless God 

We understand the call to worship God, but what does it mean to ‘bless God?’ Can we truly bless God? In English, we generally use the word ‘bless’ to express good wishes for someone on their birthday or anniversary. The term is used only eight times in reference to God in a unique way. For example, Romans 1:25 states, “worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Blessedness is attributed to God the Creator and Him alone.

When God blesses us, we benefit from it. However, when we bless God, we don’t give him anything to benefit from. God is blessed forever; we cannot add anything to his blessed state. So, how do we bless God?

Blessing God differs from offering thanksgiving. When we thank God, our focus is on expressing gratitude for what He has done for us, emphasizing our appreciation for specific blessings. In blessing God, our focus is not on what God has given, though it may be big, but our focus is going beyond His gifts to acknowledge God’s inherent goodness and His worthiness of praise as the giver. The emphasis in blessing is on God’s character, love, and grace, which we recognize as the source of all blessings. Thanksgiving centers on gifts, while blessing centers on the giver.

For example, saying “Thank you, God, for this wonderful gift” expresses thanksgiving. In contrast, saying, “What an amazingly good and gracious God You must be to give such gifts,” reflects an expression of blessing. Do you see the difference? This is the correct orientation we desperately need to develop. 

When Paul reflects on who God is and what he has done, he goes beyond simply thanking God for His works; he embraces the realization of who God is in Himself and how blessed he is. This is the living God, who alone possesses immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, in every way most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and withal most just and terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty [1689 LBCF, Chapter 2].

Paul views God as eternally blessed. In blessing, he is not adding to God but declaring that God deserves acknowledgment, praise, and celebration for His infinite excellencies. A call to bless God signifies nothing, yet we need to move beyond mere head knowledge of God’s attributes—simply knowing about Him—and, through daily meditation and prayer, deeply acknowledge, praise, and celebrate His blessed state. 

This is a celebration of God’s blessed state. He is forever blessed with all His perfections and attributes. God embodies all beauty. When we bless God, we genuinely acknowledge and realize what He is in and of Himself. By declaring these truths, we recognize Him, praise Him, celebrate Him, and enjoy Him. It celebrates the excellence of God’s person and His deeds.

While all creatures can thank God, Psalm 145:10 indicates that blessing God is a unique activity belonging to the saints of God. Only the saints can bless Him.“All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.” This is a privilege for those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, whose eyes are opened to see God’s glory, who can rise to this angelic state above self and bless God. All creatures will one day confess the perfections that reside in God; every knee will bow and confess. But now, Paul urges us, His saved people, to bless Him voluntarily and joyfully.

Blessing God is the highest expression of veneration and worship a creature can render to the Creator. Goodwin describes blessing God as wishing well and speaking well of Him out of goodwill and a recognition of His goodness toward us. This is known as ‘eulogy’ or ‘doxology.’

This one word, ‘bless,’ encompasses deep, overwhelming feelings of adoration, praise, and thoughts that cannot be articulated. When a soul is filled with praise, it wishes well for God, speaks well of God, and is filled with a sense of God’s goodness. This transcends thanksgiving and praise. Caught up in the awareness of how great and glorious God is, the believer earnestly desires the good and glory of God with every fiber of her being. A rumbling fire in her heart erupts like a volcano, expressing itself with the words, “Blessed be God.” Consider David’s Psalm 103, where he urges his soul to reflect on what God has done for him: He forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with love and compassion, and satisfies your desires with good things. Yes, these are tremendous blessings, but his focus is not on the blessings themselves but on their giver. He cannot contain himself, proclaiming, “BLESS the LORD, O my soul.” Here, Paul, like a New Testament Psalmist, reflects on who God is and how infinitely He has blessed us, listing His blessings in this chapter, one after another, uninterrupted until verse 14. He bursts forth in a declaration of the infinite praiseworthiness of God. You cannot fully convey this experience in preaching; it must be lived. As redeemed people, this should be a daily experience, but our fallen nature has made it rare or even nonexistent.

This is where our re-orientation begins. Who is the most important thing in our lives? What is the most attractive thing in our lives? What is the greatest good? Philosophers use the term ‘sumum bonum’ to say that which controls man’s thoughts and feelings is what he will bless. Everyone sitting here has an idea of what this greatest good is for you. Some of you may be sitting here saying, “Blessed be money,” “Blessed be my lust,” “Blessed be my stomach,” “Blessed be my fashion, my food,” “Blessed be my job,” “my family,” “my house,” “my dream,” “my ambition.” Do you realize that as God’s creatures, none of these is truly important? You are chasing the wind and will never be happy. The most important thing for you is your Creator.

In a way, each human on earth is either blessing God–giving Him glory because He is sovereign, wise, and good in all He does–or cursing Him. If we do not bless Him because we think we are wiser than He is or because we are self-focused and upset about our situation, and we say, “He has no wisdom to keep me like this or to allow such financial, family, or health problems in my life,” we are essentially cursing Him.

Paul says He is blessed. It radically reorients our lives when we realize and declare that God is blessed. The highest blessedness resides in Him. My deepest and purest satisfaction is found in Him. He is the very personification of true delight. Apart from Him, true blessedness cannot be found or experienced anywhere. God is who is truly blessed, and therefore, if you want to be happy and blessed, your life orientation must be focused on God and preoccupied with Him. Seek happiness in Him.

You cannot bless like this unless you know God. I was teaching in the men’s meeting that knowing God is not merely reading some attribute of God or hearing a sermon but rather self-talking and teaching that attribute to yourself in meditation until you feel the energy to praise, thank, worship, and bless Him. We should ask in all our life situations, “In this difficult situation in life, I look to God from whom blessing comes. How can I show that God is blessed in this situation?” In every part of life, we should seek to bless God. Why? Because God is blessed. Paul is calling us to a doxological life here. The Christian life is doxological. It is directed towards God. It is preoccupied with God. It is God-intoxicated. This is why this prayer is so radically life-reorienting. 

Is this your attitude? Do you love and truly know God? Do you bless God? Do you long with all that you are in your life to bless God from within; and with your lips? That’s what Paul is calling us to do in this passage.

Second:
We saw what it means to bless God. Next, we have A Call to bless God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

From what distinct perspective does the Apostle Paul bless God? Paul, as a Jew, could have blessed God as the God of the Old Testament: “Praised be the God of Israel, the only true God.” But what is the perspective that leads him to bless God in the way he does now? Ephesians 1:3 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is not simply stringing words together; every word is filled with meaning. This is one of the most glorious descriptions of the Trinity you will find. In fact, this prayer illustrates how the doctrine of the Trinity is practical for your daily life. You do not bless God properly unless you bless Him as Paul does here, as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There are two distinct areas of thought: First, there is a tremendous statement about God’s relationship to Christ. Second, there is a phrase that describes our relationship to Jesus Christ. When we deeply understand and experience that relationship, we will bless God. It is only by acknowledging and understanding God’s relationship with Christ and our relationship with Him that we can truly bless God.

First, let us examine God’s relationship with Christ: Ephesians 1:3 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Father and the Son are two different persons, but they are one in essence and equal in power and glory. This is how God has always been. He never became triune; He simply is triune. This verse reveals two ways that God is related to Jesus Christ: [1] God is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [2] God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that God is the Father of Jesus Christ; how did God become the God of Jesus Christ? Let me use two key concepts to explain this: [The Son is] coexistent with the Father in His being and actions, yet He is subordinate in the functions of redemption. Let us explore these two relationships.

First, regarding the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is co-equal with God, but in the work of redemption, when Christ took on human nature as the mediator–the Man Christ Jesus–He submitted Himself to His Father as God. It was this God who planned redemption, appointed Christ to His office, guided Him in the fulfillment of that office, and sustained and strengthened Him in performing all the duties of that office. Christ was born, grew, lived, died, rose, and ascended, and this God empowered Him to accomplish all of that for our salvation. As a Man, God was the object of Christ’s prayers, the focus of His faith, and He leaned on the Father as God.  That is one side of Christ’s relationship with God. His Father became God because of His humiliation in the work of redemption. The scriptures illustrate this in many places.

There will be two women or two men, nicely dressed, very loving, gentle, and sweet, who will come to your house and say, “We want to teach deep truths about the Bible. Do you know the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is not God?” They will cite a verse, for example, John 17:3, which says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” They argue that there is only one true God, and thus Jesus is not God. Then they may also reference the cry from Calvary, Matthew 27:46, which states, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” They might say, “Look, if Jesus was God, to whom was he praying when he lifted his eyes to heaven? Was He talking to Himself?” These people are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

How do you answer them? You cannot call them “brother,” instead, say, “Hello, sir/ma’am, you have been misled by false teachings. Please learn to read your Bible properly. Because your problem is you don’t understand that in the work of redemption, the Son of God, who was equal to God and was God, took on human nature as the Mediator, appointed to bear the sins of men in His own body on the cross. As Jesus, the Man, He entered into a new relationship of subservience to God the Father. He assumed a role similar to that of a servant who always sought to please his Master. Thus, within that office, as the appointed Redeemer and Mediator, the Father was the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. He prays to Him. He depends upon Him. He seeks direction from Him and gives praise to Him. He draws all His strength and sustenance from Him. This is why He prays. He had a relationship with His Father as God. So, don’t pick verses out of context. Read your Bible properly, and feel free to contact 9743246003, which is my Pastor’s number. He will help you read the Bible correctly.” Remember that response, and don’t sweat.

Secondly, Paul contemplates God not only as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ but also as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, he acknowledges Christ as the Son of God, or God the Son; in that sense, God was His Father. There was this uniqueness of the relationship.  Now, we have a problem because, in our modern minds, the connotation of ‘Father’ is primarily associated with a relationship linked to the derivation of life. For us, asking, “Who is your Father?” equates to asking, “From whom do you derive your physical life?” However, this is not so in the Hebrew culture. There, it was more of a concept of identity, of the essence of life. The relationship implied equality in all aspects. In the Gospel of John, we see that the Jews sought to kill Jesus not because He was trivially claiming to be a child of God but because He was making Himself equal with God, claiming equality of essence, possessing the very life of the Godhead. Therefore, as the apostle Paul blesses God, he exclaims, “God, I bless You with exuberant praise because You are the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Practically, do you see why you can bless God only when He is revealed to us as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? For us, who seldom worship this God (since we typically only pray to Jesus), it is as if it suddenly dawns on us that we thought of ourselves as orphans without a Father, now realize that there He is, who not only now formed us in our mothers’ wombs and sustained us from birth, giving us life, breath, and all things, but He also appointed Christ as our redeemer in eternity past, sent Him into this world when the fullness of time had come, planned all that Christ spoke and did, and granted Him the power and strength to express His infinite love for us. All those words Jesus told us, that “My Father loves you, My Father sent Me,” now make perfect sense. Everything Christ did was in obedience to His Father, and all that He said was equally in obedience. He declared, “My words are not mine, but that of the Father who sent Me.” Doesn’t this reveal an ocean of the Father’s love for us? When you and I grasp that this God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus, who loved Him eternally as His greatest treasure, sent Him to die a cursed death on the cross for us… behold, God loved you and me in this world so profoundly that He gave His only begotten Son…

Secondly, God is rightly blessed only when the scriptural truths about the person and work of Jesus Christ are known, believed, and embraced. If God is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, then everything Christ said and did is true and valid. For God is not the God of a liar or an imposter; He is the God of Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

Therefore, if God is His Father, all His claims must be acknowledged as coming from the very God. Unless we recognize His glorious Godhead and fall prostrate at His feet like Peter, saying, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God,” unless we identify with Thomas, exclaiming, “My Lord and my God,” we never truly bless God as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next, consider what this reveals about our relationship with Christ. It is only in this context that we can truly bless him. Notice he does not say, “Blessed be the God and Father of Jesus,” or simply, “Blessed be the God and Father of Jesus Christ,” nor even, “Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What does he say? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This little word, ‘our,’ signifies our relationship to this Trinitarian God. Look at the titles. They encompass the entirety of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word ‘Lord’ connects the idea of someone with complete authority and ownership – a conqueror who is triumphant and sovereign over all. He is the ruler of the universe. The name ‘Jesus’ reflects His humanity, the name given to Him as Savior, Jehovah, our salvation, who will save His people from their sins. ‘Christ’ refers to the anointed and promised Messiah–the Anointed final Priest, King, and Prophet. Paul and other believers have comprehended who Jesus Christ is and recognized His perfect finished work for His people, thereby accepting and submitting to His Lordship. They joyfully acknowledge Him as Lord, Master, Jesus the Savior, the anointed Priest, King, and Prophet. Our hopes for acceptance and mercy with God are intertwined with what He is and has accomplished. So Paul contemplates this God. “Blessed be God.” Which God? The God who is the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, who guided Him in all that He said and did in the work of redemption for us; the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person in the Godhead. This second person is our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow, how daring that the Author mentions our names alongside the Triune, Holy, blessed God. Lord Jesus Christ, with His sovereign authority, humanity, and anointed ministry as Priest, King, and Prophet (PKP), is our possession through our union with Him. In the glorious plan of God the Father, He has made us related to the Triune God through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has included our names in His family within this relationship. When we reflect on the status God has lifted us to–the heights of His grace—we realize how good He must be; we forget about ourselves and, immersed in God’s grace, love, and mercy, cannot help but bless Him. However, such a blessing can only occur within the context of such a relationship with Christ and an understanding of His relationship with the God who was and is the source of all redemptive blessings through Him. We do not bless the true God without a sense of that relationship. Now, put all this together and hear Paul saying in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Application 

Do you see that true blessings and happiness come from blessing the blessed God? Only when you believe who Jesus is and what He has done will you be in the circle within which He can lift you and enable you to bless God. Then He becomes your Lord Jesus Christ, God becomes the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you become related to that family. Unless, by grace, the Spirit of God has brought you broken to Christ’s feet, looking unto Him in faith–a true faith that involves submission—you cannot bless God. God cannot reveal any special blessings that Paul will speak about next. He may bless you with common blessings such as food, clothes, sun, and rain, but these are merely animal blessings. All this He gives you so you seek Him and come to know Him. Unless you truly repent and believe in Jesus Christ—having a salvation experience—you can come to church and give lip service to everything bound up in the expression, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” but you can never bless God like Paul. 

So I call upon you who sit here this morning, strangers to grace: repent and submit to the Lordship of Christ. He is the Governor of this universe; His government reigns. Don’t think you can despise His saving work, defy His government, and go on. He sits now as a Prince and a Priest upon the throne, dispensing mercy. That very throne of grace will soon become the throne of judgment. Every refusal of His mercy will be judged and punished, for all judgment has been committed to Him. The very words He spoke will judge you one day.  

Believers, do you realize how disoriented our lives are? Our problems arise from not knowing the fountain of blessings. We don’t understand who is most important, what is most important, and what brings the greatest happiness. I hope this prayer makes us realize that the most important person in our lives is God, that our highest priority and motive in life is God’s glory, and that we are made to bless this God. Only then will we experience the greatest joy of enjoying this God and His redemptive blessing.  

Martyn Lloyd-Jones states (ibid., p. 49), “There is no more true test of our Christian profession than to discover how prominent this note of praise and thanksgiving is in our life.” To what extent do praise, adoration, thankfulness, and joy in God rise to the surface in your daily life? I’m not talking about glibly going around saying, “Praise the Lord!” all the time but heartfelt joy and satisfaction in Christ flooding your soul. It should not be a rare experience!

If blessing God is not as frequent as it should be, something is wrong. Remember, when we do not bless God, we are, in a way, cursing Him. If you are not blessing God regularly as a believer, you should soon fix it by meditating on this chapter.  

Realize what He has done through Jesus Christ: this God, who is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of the humiliation of Christ, who was equal to God: He was God, but He took a humble position, so God has become His God. Your sin and my sin created this need. Scripture would never record that God was the God of Christ if not for His love for us. It shows the infinite love of the Father and the Son poured forth to save us from our depravity and sin. The Son humbled and emptied Himself by giving up the divine prerogatives of the Godhead, taking on human nature, taking on the form of a slave, and even dying on the cross. He joined Himself to us in our weakness, in our sin, in our misery, and God imputed all our sins to Him, made Him ‘sin’ for our redemption, and cursed Him to bless us. It was this God who did that. O, how we should remember this truth and bless Him as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ!

O, how it should fill our hearts with wonder that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! To think of that mystery of the Godhead…how many millions are blind? It was a stumbling block to the people who walked close enough to touch Jesus in the flesh: all they saw was a carpenter’s son. If being physically close to the Son of God and seeing His miracles was not enough to open their spiritual eyes, and today, all people see is only the man, Jesus Christ, how blessed are we? If the Spirit opens our eyes to see Him as the eternal Son of God, the one who is the only begotten Son of the Father, the second person of the Trinity, and we acknowledge that God loved us so much to give His only Son to a cursed death, we will burst out, saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

This verse teaches us how imbalanced our prayers can be. Some of us pray, focusing solely on Jesus or merely speaking into thin air in the name of prayer. Have you looked the Father in the eye, this great being known as God and the Father of Jesus Christ, and blessed Him for who He is? Paul instructs us that the Christian life is Father-focused because the Christian life is Father-blessed. Our praise is focused not simply upon God generically but at our loving and sovereign heavenly Father–the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ–because He is the source of all our spiritual blessings.

Next, examine your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Is He your Lord? Is your life under the rule of His word? Are you like so many walking the broad road to destruction? One day, He will say, “You call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say.” Remember, if you are not blessing God, you are cursing Him. 

We have seen the call to bless God as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We haven’t even thought about blessings, which we will see in verses 3-14. All those blessings should lead us back to the first phrase of verse 3 over and over again: “Blessed be this God.” We shouldn’t move on and forget about blessing God. Everything we come to understand with greater clarity through the ministry of the Spirit should expand our hearts and increase our desire to bless and magnify this great God. If we understand this as Paul did, we will overflow with doxology, richly praise, and dedicate ourselves to prayer. Only to bless and glorify God can we ask Him to open our eyes. He will respond not when we ask, “Open my eyes so I can be cheerful and happy,” which is, again, self-focused, but rather, “Open my eyes to see how much You have blessed me so I can bless You!” The Lord willing, we will focus on all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ on the next Lord’s Day.