“Starting Point” Part 6: Grace
February 7 - 13
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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
Message Recap
We live in a world that rewards performance. It’s ingrained in us from an early age. Tests, sports, education, manners; almost everything. And this performance-based mindset affects our view of and relationship to God. We can believe we must perform to certain standards to be in right relationship with God. We feel that when we do the right thing, God turns his chair toward us. We feel that when we do the wrong thing, He turns His is back on us. As such, we begin creating religious performance-based rules for ourselves and then live by them, in bondage. But Jesus didn’t come to start a religion. He came to restore a relationship.
Main Point
We are saved by grace through faith alone.
Questions for Reflection
What has characterized your exposure to or experience with Christians and the Church? Why do you think that is?
How does this influence or affect your view of God?
Is the idea of a relationship with God absent of performance a new idea to you? Explain.
What does the word grace mean to you? And if you were to explain the grace of God to someone else, how would you do that?
Read Ephesians 2:8-9 (above).
What are we saved by?
Who gives us our salvation?
Can we perform our way to salvation?
If you are truly saved by grace through faith alone, what would change in you or how you relate to God?
Have you fully accepted the fact that you are fully loved and saved by God through faith alone and not by your performance? If not, what is stopping you?
Yearly Bible Plan
Monday: John 12-13
Tuesday: John 14-16
Wednesday: John 17-19
Thursday: John 20-21
Friday: Acts 1-3
Saturday: Acts 4-6
Sunday: Acts 7-8
To watch or listen to Sunday’s sermon, visit our Sermons page.