Grace Bomb: Fuel Supply
This past Sunday, Pastor Robbie brought us a word on how we have been seeing Grace Bomb throughout Scripture without even realizing it - it’s everywhere! The way the church was structured from the beginning was set up for this very thing! We are deep in our Grace Bomb series and just in case anyone is joining us for the first time, for even more info than what we will be discussing here, you can find more information at their website here. If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you and hope to be able to see you this upcoming Sunday!
The majority of the message comes out of the very beginning of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesian Church, verses 3-13 specifically. Not only is it an extremely long run-on sentence (200+ words), but what it tells us we could probably spend weeks talking about! It begins with Paul literally praising God for what he has done through Jesus Christ, giving us access to ‘every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’. Praise God who has blessed us in Christ, being the keywords here. God the Father and us his children are inseparably united with Jesus - that is who we are, church. This connection that we have in Jesus, in Christ, is paramount to everything that we do in our lives, and we should be working to bring those around us into the same fold.
Pastor Robbie said, ‘It should be incredibly encouraging to us that God the Father thinks about you and treats you the way He thinks about and treats Jesus. God treats you, loves you, cares for you, gives to you the same way he would for his Son Jesus. Because when God sees you, he sees you and Jesus together. When he sees you, he sees you in Christ! We are inseparable from Jesus. Being in Christ, we have access to every possible heavenly benefit that Jesus has access to! Because we are in Christ, we get to experience God’s blessing, love, favor, connection, relationship.
Ephesians 1:4-6 says, ‘even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. in love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.’ We see here that not only does God view us in the same light as He views Jesus, we know that this was specifically apart of God’s sovereign plan! We have been chosen by God for the work and the mission that He started. We have been adopted into the family of God, into the Kingdom fo God - He has blessed us beyond measure with something we did not deserve but were given through the blood of Jesus! When we look at Scripture, we see a couple of ways that it talks about us coming into God’s family. One of those ways is a more natural-sounding way; that a person is born again in the Spirit, that there is a spiritual rebirth by trusting in Jesus - that something new and exciting happens inside our soul and we become a new creation. Jesus explains this in John, says we are reborn into God’s family. But we are also adopted. And I think he uses these different ways to describe coming into the family of God to display the width and breadth of this conversion. When you think about the idea of adoption, there’s a permanence there.
Paul’s Grace Bombing continues with verses 7-8 saying, ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.’ The first part of that, redeemed - every single one of us has been in slavery to sin, and the penalty for that sin is death – but to be redeemed means we were bought back with a price. And in that redemption, we can find forgiveness. Our sins are carried away, that’s what forgiven means, and we are set free from their bondage. We are free from sin, free from shame, free from guilt, we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. His mercy and grace have blazed this path for us, as we accept that freedom, that forgiveness - verse 8 says he lavishes his riches on us!
So, what do you do with this picture of these Grace Bombs? Our identity in Christ. We have been chosen and adopted, redeemed and forgiven, we have been given wisdom and we have an inheritance, we are safe and secure - sealed with the Holy Spirit. What better way to share the grace of God with others than from a place where we’ve rested in the knowledge and wisdom of our identity in Christ. Pastor Robbie concluded in saying,
“It says three times in that passage “To the praise of his Glory” - God Grace Bombs to the praise of the glory of His grace – and that is our reason too – for God’s glory! Let your activity flow from your identity – you are sitting on a gold mine of blessing, an unlimited fuel supply – so go be a blessing!”
We have been Grace Bombed in so many ways by the very God that created us and saved us from our wickedness and unrighteousness. We have a duty to accept and understand what has been granted to us; this knowledge can empower us to go out and love others, to bless others, and Grace Bomb them with similar means of grace and love that God has shown each and every one of us!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Grace Bomb: Fuel Supply - Grace Bombs have been apart of God’s Work and Mission from the very beginning; we have been brought into God’s family to come alongside Him in what He has already done for us!
Main Scripture Verses: Eph. 1:3-13; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; John 6:44; John 8:24
Grace Bomb - In Christ: The first of many Grace Bomb that God dropped on us has specifically to do with the fact because of Jesus, we can be in right relationship with Him!
Grace Bomb - Chosen & Adopted: Not only are we ‘In Christ’ but we were chosen by Him for the mission that we have been given; among this, we have been adopted into God’s family and co-heirs with Jesus!
Grace Bomb - Redeemed & Forgiven: Being chosen by God and adopted into His family means that we have also been redeemed from our sinful ways and forgiven of our past transgressions!
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes.
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Join us next Sunday as we hear from Pastor Robbie continuing in our Grace Bomb series!
We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!