Ephesians 1:7-10 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Have you ever heard of a billion dollar wedding? Said Gutseriev, the 28-year-old son of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Gutseriev, and a dentistry student, Khadija Uzhakhovs, 20, tied the knot in Moscow in an extravagant ceremony in March 2016 that’s rumoured to have cost up to £700 million ($1 billion).
The groom’s billionaire father paid for the entire wedding, according to BuzzFeed. The businessman has a net worth of £4.3 billion ($6.2 billion) on Forbes.
Jennifer Lopez, Sting, and Enrique Iglesias performed at the wedding, which took place at the upscale banquet venue, Safisa. The bride wore an Elie Saab dress worth £18,000 ($25,925), as well as a diamond necklace and tiara. (Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-lavish-weddings-in-history-2017-2/#said-gutseriev-and-khadija-uzhakhovs-1-billion-9)
This might have been the most expensive and lavish wedding in history, the richness of God’s grace in our lives eclipses even history’s most spectacular wedding.
Isn’t it amazing that Jesus has lavished grace upon us? He did not give us a little, some, or a good amount of grace. His life, death, and resurrection gave us new life and covered us in the incredible grace of God. Note this blessing is not based on our efforts or righteousness. We didn’t save ourselves. The nature of grace is that it is a gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.Furthermore, we have forgiveness and redemption. The wages of our sin is death, but the Lamb of God has taken away our sin and provided a crown of life.
This is not an individual pursuit. Jesus, John, Paul, and Peter always spoke about believers in the context of the church. There should be no Lone Ranger Christians. Paul in verse seven wrote that God will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” As the adopted and redeemed children of God we will live forever in unity with each other, the angels, all of creation, and God.
Jesus revealed to John in Revelation 22:3-5 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Prayer: Thank you Eternal Father for sending your Son to lavish us with grace. We praise you for your mighty deeds and for bringing us together in unity. We proclaim your name remembering that your Spirit strengthens and encourages us. Amen.
Nathan