"Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Places in Christ" Kathryn Kuhlman Ephesians 1:3

For a few minutes, I'm going to talk to you about something that to my own heart is very thrilling. And you'll be amazed at the scripture that I'm going to use as the text. Perhaps this scripture is quoted more often than... any other verse in the Bible. I know immediately somebody says, it's John 3, 16. Oh, but it isn't. There is a scripture, there is a verse in the Bible that is quoted by literally thousands and tens of thousands of professing Christians every Lord's Day morning. That's it. the doxology, as found in the first chapter of Ephesians. And here in the third verse, Paul the Apostle bursts forth into a great doxology of praise. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all... spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. This is the doxology which will be forever on our lips and in our hearts as we grasp the contents of the great epistle to the Ephesians. It stands at the very beginning of the epistle. has a great wealth of meaning and paul expressed his hot feeling thus as he considered the wonders revealed to him and which we see revealed in this glorious epistle the way paul burst forth into the doxology in verse 3 reminds us of the way that the book of the Revelation opens when John was given a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, burst forth into a doxology as he considered the marvelous revelation unto him that loved us. and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. In the doxology, the Apostle Paul praises God as the author of all... spiritual blessings. Here is the declaration that we are blessed in Christ with all spiritual blessings. I want in just a few minutes to show you the difference between mercies and blessings. And perhaps in so doing, it may answer some of your questions when the dark shadows come. In that midnight hour when there isn't a star in your sky, and you as God's child, through blinding tears, look up and say, Why? Why did God allow this thing to happen to me? Why did this thing come upon me? I want you in the spirit to understand that there's a great difference between mercies and blessings. My dear little old Scotch lady, she was the dearest thing. And one day in the church service, the congregation sang with such fervor and such jest. That old hymn that you've heard ten thousand times, count your blessings, name them one by one. And she got so carried away with the thing. It really came through, I'll tell you. She had entered into it so wholeheartedly that after leaving the service, she went home and she decided to write down her blessings on paper. She sat there for a moment and first she thought of her little cottage, remembering that it was all hers. There was no rent to pay, no mortgage against it. It was all hers. So then she wrote it down as her first blessing. Then she thought of her good health and the fact that she didn't have to wear glasses. Oh! She was so grateful that at her age, she didn't have to wear glasses. So she wrote that down as a blessing. Her health was a blessing. Then she remembered her little savings account in the bank. She was so thankful and grateful for that little savings account that she knew was all stashed away there in the bank. And so she wrote that down as a blessing. Then she thought of her son, who was such a good boy and had not forgotten her through the years. Then finally, you know what she did? She added her insurance policy. She was so grateful for that insurance policy. Oh, it wasn't much, but it was all paid up. Oh, that was such a consolation to her mentally to know that she had that insurance policy there and down it went as one of the blessings. And right while she was in the middle of writing down her blessings, her next door neighbor came in who too was a Scotchman. A dear old fella. And she told him exactly what she was doing. That she was writing down all of her blessings. She turned to him and said, just look how rich I am. And he looked the list over very carefully. His facial expression didn't change. Then he looked at her and said, poor, these aren't blessings. These are mercies. Don't you know there's a difference between mercies and blessings? Mercies are bestowed upon unconverted people just as much as they are upon those who are converted. Don't you know the Bible says, He sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Sure, every time it rains and that gentle rain falls upon the gardens, the unjust receive these mercies just as a converted. When the sun shines in all of its majestic splendor, the unjust. We see the benefits from the sun just as a convert. Mercies are those things which we have on earth. When life is over, we shall be through with them. But blessings are those things which will last forever. Ever and ever. Blessings are eternal. When life is over, we shall know a deeper and a fuller enjoyment of them. Oh, sure. As for mercies, there are thousands of unsaved people who own their own homes. So far as mercies are concerned, there are thousands of people who have never served God a day in their life. who have health, who do not have to wear glasses. Thousands of unconverted people have larger insurance policies than yours, who have bank accounts that far exceed what you possess. He said, do you want to know what you've been doing with that strip of paper? You've not listed one single blessing. Not one. Now take your pencil and count your blessings. Oh, that's wonderful. As you're counting your blessings. The very first one is the forgiveness of sin. That's your first blessing. That's it. That's something that all the money in the world cannot buy. That is something that's not material. That is something that is eternal. The forgiveness of sins to be able to look up and to know. that the mighty God of this universe is your heavenly father. He is the creator of all mankind. But only that one who has had the new birth experience, who has accepted the Christ as his personal savior, who has had that marvelous transaction, knowing that he's passed from death unto life. Beloved, that's not a mercy. That's a blessing to be able to know that your sins are forgiven. That's something that's eternal. Oh, beloved, to me that is so thrilling. There it is. Giving thanks unto the Father. which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Put down as blessings, he hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance. Put it down as your blessing. He hath delivered us out of darkness. Put it down as your blessing. He hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. Finally, beloved, But of him are ye in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. These are blessings that are far more wonderful. than any earthly mercy, believe me. Wipe away those blinding tears, those questions in your mind as to why something happened in that life of yours. You as a child of God, your next -door neighbor, unconverted. and yet seemingly has not been touched by that grief or that affliction or that trouble. Remember, as God's child, blessings are eternal. This life will soon be over. There will soon come a time when mercies will cease for the unjust. But for God's children, blessings are eternal. And in that day, you will look up and thank God for your inheritance in Christ Jesus. Not merely for the mercies, but you'll thank God for these things that are eternal. Things that money cannot buy. That's what Paul saw when he burst forth into the great doxology of praise and cried, bless it. be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Father God, make this simple truth real, I pray. to waiting hearts as we understand the difference between mercies and blessings which are eternal. Amen.