⏱ 6 min read

• Super excited as we continue with Ephesians 2. If you missed out on the book of Galatians, you can still join in for this🔥🤗🤍
• Today, we’re super blessed to have an anointed man of God and dear brother, Minister James Deke, share with us from Ephesians 2 🤗🤍
• You will be super blessed by this powerful word!📖🔥 God bless you and looking forward to your lessons also.

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4–6 (NLT)

• The Gospel of grace is one of the central themes of Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
• He emphasizes what Christ has accomplished for humanity and the exalted position of the believer in Him.
• When one truly grasps the message of grace, it is not uncommon to conclude, “This is too good to be true.”

Before we dive into our theme scripture, let me illustrate with a short story:

There was once a man who lost everything he owned and incurred a debt of one million Ghana cedis. He was also charged with several serious crimes. 
His situation was hopeless; at best, he was to face life imprisonment...

But then, the crowned prince of the kingdom heard of this man, had compassion on him, and loved him deeply. 
The prince paid one hundred million dollars to clear the man’s debts, far exceeding what he owed. 

• He then deposited another hundred million dollars into the man’s account, prepared gifts of gold and precious stones, and secured his full pardon.
• For his crimes, the man obtained mercy and was declared “not guilty.”
• The prince went even further; he made this man his joint heir to the kingdom.

Upon hearing all this, the man exclaimed, “No, it’s not possible. It can’t be. This is too good to be true!”

Beloved, the literal meaning of “gospel” is “good news” and in many ways, it is the “too good to be true news.” What God has done for us in Christ Jesus far surpasses what this man experienced in the story.

God’s Rich Mercy and Great Love

Ephesians 2 reminds us that we were dead in sin and had nothing to offer God. Yet, Scripture declares that God, who is rich in mercy, loved us so much that He gave us life (see also Romans 6:23; 5:6–8).

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23

His mercy shields us from the judgment we deserve. But He is not just merciful, He is rich (abundant) in mercy. The prophet Jonah testified to this nature of God when he said,

“…I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.”
— Jonah 4:2 (NLT)

• I do not know what your past may hold or where you find yourself today, but one thing I want you to know is this: God is rich in mercy.
• He is not angry with you. He wants the best for you and longs for you to know Him.
• Through His Son, Jesus, He paid for all your sins so you could be declared “not guilty.” And not only is God merciful, He loves you deeply. In fact, He loves you just as much as He loves Jesus.

Loved as Jesus Is Loved: Jesus, in His prayer in John 17:23, said,

 “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

This means you are loved by God the Father with the same love He has for Jesus. You are as accepted as Christ is accepted. You share in everything Jesus deserves; His love, favor, and blessings. What manner of love the Father has lavished on us! (1 John 3:1).

Raised and Seated with Christ

From our theme scripture, we see that God did not merely forgive us and give us eternal life; He raised us up with Christ and seated us together with Him in the heavenly realms…

• This signifies a place of authority, honor, and privileged position. As joint heirs with Christ, we share in His authority, wisdom, riches, love, and glory (See Romans 8:17).
• We have been brought into a new and highly privileged position, not by our works, but by His grace. Truly, this is too good to be true.

Conclusion: Beloved, God is rich in mercy, and He loves you beyond measure.

• Don’t look down on yourself or let guilt hold you back. Run to Him.
• Rest in what Christ has done for you, and enjoy the abundant grace He has freely given.

This is the gospel of grace. This is the good news. And yes, this is gloriously too good to be true! ~ Minister James Deke

Hey, you're blessed and highly favoured and dearly loved! Do share your lessons from Ephesians 2. Remember to tag us and your friends on 📲:
☆ IG: @awg_devotional or @cfc_knust
☆ FB/X: @AWGDevotional