WEBVTT

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For a few minutes, I'm going to talk to you about

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something that to my own heart is very thrilling.

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And you'll be amazed at the scripture that I'm

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going to use as the text. Perhaps this scripture

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is quoted more often than... any other verse

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in the Bible. I know immediately somebody says,

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it's John 3, 16. Oh, but it isn't. There is a

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scripture, there is a verse in the Bible that

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is quoted by literally thousands and tens of

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thousands of professing Christians every Lord's

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Day morning. That's it. the doxology, as found

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in the first chapter of Ephesians. And here in

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the third verse, Paul the Apostle bursts forth

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into a great doxology of praise. Blessed be the

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God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

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has blessed us with all... spiritual blessings

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in heavenly places in Christ. This is the doxology

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which will be forever on our lips and in our

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hearts as we grasp the contents of the great

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epistle to the Ephesians. It stands at the very

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beginning of the epistle. has a great wealth

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of meaning and paul expressed his hot feeling

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thus as he considered the wonders revealed to

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him and which we see revealed in this glorious

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epistle the way paul burst forth into the doxology

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in verse 3 reminds us of the way that the book

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of the Revelation opens when John was given a

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revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too,

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burst forth into a doxology as he considered

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the marvelous revelation unto him that loved

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us. and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

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and hath made us kings and priests unto God and

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his Father. To him be glory and dominion for

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ever and ever. In the doxology, the Apostle Paul

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praises God as the author of all... spiritual

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blessings. Here is the declaration that we are

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blessed in Christ with all spiritual blessings.

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I want in just a few minutes to show you the

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difference between mercies and blessings. And

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perhaps in so doing, it may answer some of your

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questions when the dark shadows come. In that

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midnight hour when there isn't a star in your

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sky, and you as God's child, through blinding

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tears, look up and say, Why? Why did God allow

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this thing to happen to me? Why did this thing

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come upon me? I want you in the spirit to understand

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that there's a great difference between mercies

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and blessings. My dear little old Scotch lady,

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she was the dearest thing. And one day in the

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church service, the congregation sang with such

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fervor and such jest. That old hymn that you've

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heard ten thousand times, count your blessings,

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name them one by one. And she got so carried

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away with the thing. It really came through,

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I'll tell you. She had entered into it so wholeheartedly

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that after leaving the service, she went home

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and she decided to write down her blessings on

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paper. She sat there for a moment and first she

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thought of her little cottage, remembering that

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it was all hers. There was no rent to pay, no

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mortgage against it. It was all hers. So then

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she wrote it down as her first blessing. Then

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she thought of her good health and the fact that

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she didn't have to wear glasses. Oh! She was

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so grateful that at her age, she didn't have

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to wear glasses. So she wrote that down as a

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blessing. Her health was a blessing. Then she

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remembered her little savings account in the

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bank. She was so thankful and grateful for that

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little savings account that she knew was all

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stashed away there in the bank. And so she wrote

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that down as a blessing. Then she thought of

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her son, who was such a good boy and had not

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forgotten her through the years. Then finally,

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you know what she did? She added her insurance

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policy. She was so grateful for that insurance

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policy. Oh, it wasn't much, but it was all paid

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up. Oh, that was such a consolation to her mentally

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to know that she had that insurance policy there

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and down it went as one of the blessings. And

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right while she was in the middle of writing

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down her blessings, her next door neighbor came

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in who too was a Scotchman. A dear old fella.

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And she told him exactly what she was doing.

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That she was writing down all of her blessings.

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She turned to him and said, just look how rich

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I am. And he looked the list over very carefully.

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His facial expression didn't change. Then he

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looked at her and said, poor, these aren't blessings.

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These are mercies. Don't you know there's a difference

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between mercies and blessings? Mercies are bestowed

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upon unconverted people just as much as they

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are upon those who are converted. Don't you know

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the Bible says, He sendeth rain on the just and

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on the unjust. Sure, every time it rains and

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that gentle rain falls upon the gardens, the

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unjust receive these mercies just as a converted.

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When the sun shines in all of its majestic splendor,

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the unjust. We see the benefits from the sun

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just as a convert. Mercies are those things which

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we have on earth. When life is over, we shall

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be through with them. But blessings are those

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things which will last forever. Ever and ever.

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Blessings are eternal. When life is over, we

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shall know a deeper and a fuller enjoyment of

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them. Oh, sure. As for mercies, there are thousands

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of unsaved people who own their own homes. So

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far as mercies are concerned, there are thousands

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of people who have never served God a day in

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their life. who have health, who do not have

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to wear glasses. Thousands of unconverted people

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have larger insurance policies than yours, who

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have bank accounts that far exceed what you possess.

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He said, do you want to know what you've been

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doing with that strip of paper? You've not listed

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one single blessing. Not one. Now take your pencil

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and count your blessings. Oh, that's wonderful.

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As you're counting your blessings. The very first

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one is the forgiveness of sin. That's your first

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blessing. That's it. That's something that all

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the money in the world cannot buy. That is something

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that's not material. That is something that is

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eternal. The forgiveness of sins to be able to

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look up and to know. that the mighty God of this

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universe is your heavenly father. He is the creator

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of all mankind. But only that one who has had

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the new birth experience, who has accepted the

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Christ as his personal savior, who has had that

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marvelous transaction, knowing that he's passed

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from death unto life. Beloved, that's not a mercy.

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That's a blessing to be able to know that your

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sins are forgiven. That's something that's eternal.

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Oh, beloved, to me that is so thrilling. There

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it is. Giving thanks unto the Father. which hath

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made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance

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of the saints in light, who hath delivered us

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from the power of darkness, and hath translated

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us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Put down

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as blessings, he hath made us meet to be partakers

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of the inheritance. Put it down as your blessing.

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He hath delivered us out of darkness. Put it

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down as your blessing. He hath translated us

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into the kingdom of his dear son. Finally, beloved,

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But of him are ye in Christ, who of God is made

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unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification

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and redemption. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,

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redemption. These are blessings that are far

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more wonderful. than any earthly mercy, believe

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me. Wipe away those blinding tears, those questions

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in your mind as to why something happened in

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that life of yours. You as a child of God, your

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next -door neighbor, unconverted. and yet seemingly

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has not been touched by that grief or that affliction

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or that trouble. Remember, as God's child, blessings

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are eternal. This life will soon be over. There

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will soon come a time when mercies will cease

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for the unjust. But for God's children, blessings

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are eternal. And in that day, you will look up

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and thank God for your inheritance in Christ

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Jesus. Not merely for the mercies, but you'll

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thank God for these things that are eternal.

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Things that money cannot buy. That's what Paul

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saw when he burst forth into the great doxology

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of praise and cried, bless it. be the God and

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Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed

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us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places

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in Christ Jesus. Father God, make this simple

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truth real, I pray. to waiting hearts as we understand

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the difference between mercies and blessings

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which are eternal. Amen.