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.