“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:3 ESV

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

“"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."” John 14:1-7

It is the clear teaching of scripture, from Old Testament into the New Testament, that the blessings of God are to be had by those who trust in Christ Jesus and that those blessings are found at the right hand of God the Father. The psalmist foreshadows this truth that all saints from beginning to end are blessed in Messiah. Psalm 16:11, there is no doubt, speaks of Christ Jesus Himself. 

LIFE

1. Jesus is the path of life revealed by the Father. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is the path of life and the path to life. David knew and believed it wholeheartedly before Jesus was revealed in human flesh. Today believers look back and know it and believe it after the revelation of Jesus in the flesh.

JOY

2. The psalmist says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy.” And who is in the presence of the Father? Jesus Christ, the righteous! In John 6 Jesus declares his return to the Father, where the fullness of His joy is found. There was great rejoicing in glory the day Jesus ascended to His Father. The Father and the Son rejoiced in the fullness of their joy. The good news is that Jesus has gone there to prepare for us a place of joy, fullness of joy. And if he is preparing a place then he has promised to come and take us home to be with him so that our joy will be full in him. In John 15 Jesus speaks of the desire for his saints to be full of joy and that fullness of joy comes through abiding in Christ, the Vine, and being pruned by the Father, the Vinedresser. The joy of the saints is found in the union and joy of the Father with the Son. 

PLEASURES

3. The psalmist completes his triumphant declaration by stating the truth, “at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Who is at the right hand of the Father? Jesus Christ, the righteous! The path of life is Jesus, the joy of the saints is Jesus, and now the pleasures found at the right hand of the Father is Jesus Himself! No wonder Paul exclaimed in his opening to the Ephesians that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We have been seated with Christ in heavenly places and in Christ are bound up all of the pleasures of God for us. 

Yes! Heaven cannot be heaven in any sense without the mighty presence of Father, Son, and Spirit. For those who believe, and who will yet believe, there is one path to life – Jesus! There is one source of joy – Jesus! There is one fountain of pleasure – Jesus! 

At these truths the true believer will cry out and exclaim with Paul, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” At the profound and rich blessings of Christ bestowed by the Father we cry out our own blessings back to the Father, who has so richly revealed and given His kindest, richest, and most unspeakable blessing to us – undeserving recipients of His richest grace. Indeed, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever, amen!