Blessing and honor and glory be Thine

B139 C1001 CB241 E241 F41 G241 P92 R180 S110 T241
 
Blessing and honor and glory be Thine,
  And glory be Thine,
  And glory be Thine.
Blessing and honor and glory be Thine,
  Both now and evermore.
 
Praise Him! Praise Him!
  All ye saints adore Him.
  Praise Him! Praise Him!
  Both now and evermore.
    Hallelujah!
 
Blessing and honor and glory be Thine,
  And glory be Thine,
  And glory be Thine,
Blessing and honor and glory be Thine,
  Both now and evermore.
6

The speaking of Christ by the attendants of the meetings is well-speaking. The word "blessing" in Greek simply means "well-speaking." Ephesians 1:3-14 is Paul's blessing to God, and that blessing is nothing other than a well-speaking. When we come together we must speak well about our Triune God, about the Father, about the Son, and about the Spirit. Our well-speaking is our blessing.

To speak blessing is not merely to speak the word "blessing." One hymn begins, "Blessing and honor and glory be Thine" (Hymns, #241). I like this short song, but I doubt that those who sing it know what the blessing is. They may only know how to sing the word "blessing." I hope that some would compose a song of blessing from Ephesians 1:3-14. We need such a portion as these verses to be the real contents of our blessing. The contents of this blessing would be the well-speaking concerning our Triune God and how He has blessed us with the eternal economy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—with the Father's selection and predestination, the Son's redemption, and the Spirit's sealing and pledging. The blessing is simply the well-speaking.

The blessing, honor, and glory are for the Lamb, not on the cross but standing before the throne at the center of the universe, receiving a universal commission! We must not be so shallow as to confine our praises to Christ for redemption only. Our vision must be uplifted to see this Lamb accomplishing a work of eternally vast dimensions.

Consider this photograph that John has taken for us. The redeeming Lamb is now standing at the center of the universe, before God's throne. This tells us that the Redeemer is now in God's administration. He is the Administrator of the universe, executing God's economy. He is not sitting or sleeping there. He is standing, His seven eyes flashing, watching, searching, and even burning. The whole universe is watching this scene. The four living creatures, the twenty-four elders, myriads of angels, and all other creatures are wide awake, alert, observing. These are the circumstances in which they proclaim, "To Him Who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13).

How do we know that this scene took place at the time when Christ ascended? We conclude this from 5:6, where the Lamb is described as "having been slain." The Greek here implies that He had just recently been slain. Right after His sacrificial death, He received the universal and eternal commission from God's hand.

Piano Hymns