In a message on the resurrection, Brian talked a lot about the concept of grace. If you missed that sermon or would like to hear it again, please watch the video below. If time is an issue, skip the sermon because there is a ten minute video below that is more central to this lesson.

 Ephesians 2:8-9 says this about grace:

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 

 

While the concept of how grace is described in the above passage is pretty familiar and straightforward, the full meaning of God’s grace and how deeply it can affect our lives is something harder to grasp.

 

     - Is God’s grace really enough?  

     - Is there something more required?

     - But what about that time I ______?

 

The following video is one of our favorites here at the church.  It talks about grace in a deeply personal and compelling way.  The video takes about 10 minutes to watch so it will serve as the core of today’s Starting Point materials.

The study guide that accompanies the video encourages deeper reflection by taking key quotes from what Rob Bell said and then providing some reflection questions to go along with it.  The following quotes and questions come from that guide.  

 

Kind of like you don’t know where that white ball came from?

 

- Have you ever gotten busted for something you’d done?

         If so, what was it?

 

You know that moment, like when your junk catches up to you? It’s like maybe not that day, maybe not the next day, maybe not for a while, but give it enough time, it always finds us.

 

- Do you think it’s possible to keep something secret and never get busted for it?

 

So my boy stands there in front of his mom, frozen. And then he turns, and runs upstairs. 

 

- What are ways you avoid dealing with your junk?

 

It’s like he has this choice, does he continue? You know, does he grab the covers and pull them back over his head and keep hiding? Or does he just let himself lie there totally exposed and vulnerable?

 

- Do you have anything in your life you’re hiding, something you’re ashamed of?

- Are you ready to deal with it?

 

Whatever you’ve done, wherever you’ve been, whatever you will do, I mean, God loves you and God always has, and you can’t change that.

 

- Do you believe, deep in your heart, that God loves you no matter what you’ve done or will do?

 

As you read the following quote that came at the video’s end, we invite you to read the last few lines several times.  They convey the heart of what grace is all about…

 

May you stop hiding under the covers. May you let God pull the covers back. May you embrace him. May your whole life become a response to the truth that you’ve always been loved, you are loved, and you always will be loved. And may you know, may you know deep in the depths of your soul,

that there’s nothing you could ever do to make him love you less.

Nothing you could ever do to make God love you less.

Nothing you could ever do to make him love you less.

Nothing.

Nothing.

 

If you have a thought to share or question to ask, feel free to post a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!