Grace Be With You All

In one paragraph

This message was the closing sermon in the church's walk through Hebrews, covering the final eight verses of the letter. Pastor Ray preached it on an unusual Sunday, with most of the congregation watching from home due to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He traced three movements in the passage: an earnest plea for prayer, a magnificent Christ-centered blessing, and a brief personal...

Read together

1. Hebrews 13:17 quoted as the verse covered the previous week about obeying leaders who keep watch over souls
2. Hebrews 13:18-25 the main passage for the sermon, read and expounded as the closing of the letter
3. Psalm 63 cited in the pastoral prayer before singing, the line about lips glorifying God because his love is better than life
4. Proverbs 3:5-6 identified as the source of the song lyric about trusting the Lord and not leaning on your own understanding

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described prayer as 'switching your human wishes and ideas for God's wishes as He imparts to you faith.' What is the difference between that kind of prayer and simply telling God what you want Him to do?
2. The writer of Hebrews asked the church to pray specifically that they could be restored to one another sooner. What does it tell us about the Christian life that even faithful leaders needed the prayers of the people they served?
3. Pastor Ray walked through six definitions of peace from the Greek, including 'the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is.' How does that definition of peace compare to how you normally think about the word?
4. The benediction in Hebrews 13 asks God to equip the church 'in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ.' What would it look like for your household or community group to pray that prayer together this week and then act on it?
5. Pastor Ray closed by saying that grace is 'God leaning toward you with unmerited favor' and that we are called to be carriers of that grace. What is one specific situation you are in right now where you could carry that grace to someone who does not yet know Christ?