Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1738
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, September 9 1883, by C. H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
Ephesians 1:3, 4.
LAST Lord’s Day I finished the morning services at Exeter Hall with a sermon upon John’s choice doxology, “Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” [Sermon #1737, Volume 29, John’s First Doxology.] I felt, therefore, that it would be most fitting to open this series of services with another doxology. And as the last was in praise of the Second Person of the Divine Unity, this is to the honor and glory of the adorable Person of the Father. May God, who gave His servants a praiseful spirit so that their Epistles abound with doxologies, give the same spirit of joyous thankfulness to us at this time, that we may all say from the very bottom of our hearts, “Amen,” to our text, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Of praise, we may say what was said concerning salt in the Scripture, “without prescribing how much.” Oh to praise and pray without ceasing! May the Holy Spirit work in us perpetual thanksgiving! Observe well that the same words are used in reference to our wish towards God and God’s act towards us—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us.” It is a very striking thing that our poor pebble stones of wishes should be valued so much that the same words should be used in reference to them as in reference to the priceless diamonds of Grace which the Lord has bestowed upon us! We bless God because He blesses us. “Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
Now, it is easy to understand how the Father of Mercies, from whom every good and perfect gift proceeds, really blesses us. But how can we be said to bless Him? And what is the distinction between that and praising Him? For there is a distinction, since we read, “All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You.” Praise rises even from lifeless objects, as they display the power and wisdom of their Creator. But intelligence, will and intent are necessary for blessing God. Praise is the manifestation of our inward reverence and esteem—it adores and magnifies—but in blessing God, we think well of Him and wish Him well and desire that others may do the same!
In blessing God there is the desire to do good to God even as He does to us—if it were possible! We fail in the power with which to accomplish such a desire, but it is well that it is in our hearts. God cannot actually receive anything from us for His own enrichment or increase—for all things that we can do for Him are His, already—and they must be done in His strength, so that, when all is done, it must be said, “Of Your own have we given You.” Neither can we add to His splendor or His happiness, for He is, by Nature, inconceivably glorious and infinitely blessed! But if such an increase were within our power, we would gladly render it. If all things were ours, we would lay them at His feet. And such things as we have, though we cannot give them directly to Him, yet we give them to His cause and to the poor of His people.
What says the Psalmist? “O Lord, You are my God; my goodness extends not to You, but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” We are happy that, in assisting needy Believer, we are blessing the Lord. There is also a considerable measure of blessing God in such prayers as these—“Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven.” When we gladly ascribe unto the Lord, glory, power and dominion, we are blessing Him. When we wish other men to love and serve the Lord and do Him homage, we are blessing Him. When we desire to love Him more, ourselves, and feel our hearts burn with aspirations after fellowship with Him, we are blessing Him. When we are zealous to make known the Truth of the Gospel which glorifies God, and to make known His Son in whom especially He is revealed, we are blessing God!
In sacred silence, when the heart cannot translate her emotions into words, and hardly into thoughts, we can bless the Lord. In rendering unto God such things as we can render and in always asking the still larger question—“What
shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”—we are blessing Him. If we cheerfully await His bidding, and count it a delight to stand with girded loins, crying, “What would You have me to do? Have You an errand for these willing feet? Here I am! Send me,” then we are, in effect, blessing our Lord! Can you sing from your soul—
“There’s not a lamb among Your flock
I would refuse to feed!
There’s not a foe before whose face
I’d fear Your cause to plead”?
Then are you in that state of heart in which all that is within you blesses God’s holy name! Blessed be God! We would make Him better known and so increase His manifest glory, wishing all the while that we could do a thousand times more!