Grace and Peace, Always

In one paragraph

This message wrapped up the study of Ephesians that First B Jackson started on March 8, and it opened the door to Philippians. Pastor Van walked through the final four verses of Ephesians and the opening greeting of Philippians, showing how the two letters connect. Along the way he traced the bigger story of how a person moves from being lost to being saved to being slowly shaped into someone who...

Read together

1. Ephesians 6 (armor of God passage) reviewed from the previous week's sermon on the full armor of God and the shield of faith
2. Ephesians 6:21-24 closing verses of Ephesians read and expounded, covering Tychicus as letter carrier and the benediction of peace, love, faith, and grace
3. Philippians 4 (rejoice always passage) cited as an example of the joy theme in Philippians, 'Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice'
4. Philippians 2 (make my joy complete by being of like mind) cited as an example of the unity theme in Philippians
5. Philippians 4:11-18 Paul saying he knows how to get by on little and on a lot, and acknowledging receipt of what Epaphroditus brought
6. Philippians 2:25 Paul describing Epaphroditus as brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, messenger and minister to his needs
7. Philippians 1:1-2 opening of Philippians read, Paul and Timothy as bond servants writing to the saints in Philippi including overseers and deacons, grace and peace
8. Romans 16:1-2 Phoebe described as a servant/deacon of the church at Cenchreae sent to carry the letter to Rome
9. John 14:6 Christ is the way the truth the life, no one comes to the Father except through him
10. Romans 8:28 everything works for the good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose
11. 1 John 4:19 we love because he first loved us, cited at the close of Ephesians exposition
12. James 4:6 God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, cited in discussion of sanctification

Talk about it

1. The preacher described sanctification as hills and valleys rather than a straight line upward. What has that looked like in your own walk, and how have you seen God use the low points as much as the high ones?
2. The preacher said that if we think of people outside the kingdom as 'them,' we stop caring about them. How does the way you think about people who haven't yet received Christ shape the way you actually treat them?
3. Paul wrote some of his richest theology while he was stuck in jail, and the preacher noted that the letter carriers like Tychicus and Phoebe served in ways that made the whole mission possible. What does that suggest about how God uses both the visible and the unseen roles in a church?
4. Grace was described as unmerited favor, and the preacher made the point that telling someone they deserve to be in the club is a very different invitation than saying you didn't deserve it either. How does that distinction change the way you talk about your faith with people outside it?
5. The deacon in Costa Rica with the name tag that said 'Diacono' spotted what needed doing and did it without being asked. Where in your own life or in this church do you see something that needs doing that you could just quietly take care of?