To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

In the study of Ephesians 1:3-14, (Paul's extended blessing—the longest single sentence in the New Testament at over 200 words), we were challenged as believers not to live like spiritual paupers because in Christ we have been given access to every spiritual blessing. Three central questions framed our examination of this passage : What is God doing? (uniting all things in Christ), How is God doing it? (through Christ, redemption, adoption, and the Holy Spirit's guarantee), and How should we respond? (with continual praise and worship).

Key Points:

- God's ultimate plan is to unite all things in Christ—both things in heaven and things on earth

- Paul's extended blessing serves as a model for how believers should respond to God's goodness

- As we grow in knowledge of God, it should lead us to praise, not pride

Application: Like Paul, we should be moved to praise as we consider the work of God in our lives and in the world at large. The church is invited to join together in intentionally seeking out opportunities to voice praises to God.