Do You Want to Change? Embracing Sanctifying Grace

Prince of Peace United Methodist Church gathers leaders, ministries, and worshipers into a focused reflection on grace that moves people from invitation to transformation. Leaders receive blessing and an invitation to engage in ministries across the congregation, while the service models welcome, prayer, and practical care through food collection and children’s participation. A children’s story uses an elephant and a peace bear to show how grace reaches out first, calls, and then walks with a person when the call is finally heard. That image frames a theological arc: prevenient grace goes before human awareness, justifying grace forgives and claims the believer, and sanctifying grace shapes daily life toward deeper love.

The gospel of John anchors the claim that from Jesus’s fullness all receive “grace upon grace,” and that grace both meets human need and points beyond mere law. The law gives standard and exposes shortfall; grace supplies pardon and power for change. The central question posed—do you want to change?—presses honest self-examination: desire alone proves insufficient unless it moves into repeated, concrete habits of love. Domestic life and church meetings provide plain examples of how intentions collide with inertia and conflict, showing sanctification as a persistent, communal work rather than a one-time fix.

John Wesley’s language of “moving toward Christian perfection” reframes perfection as growth in love rather than flawless action. The historic Wesleyan pattern directs persons to live by three simple rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. Those rules unite inward devotion (works of piety) and outward mercy (works of compassion): prayer, scripture, and worship equip hearts; feeding, clothing, and caring reshape the world. The service weaves assurance that nothing can separate a person from God’s love with an urgent call to let that love reshape habits, relationships, and community engagement.

The congregation receives an invitation to embody grace through committed membership, shared ministry, and practical service. The benediction sends people into the week with a clear summons: step into the transforming love that sanctifies, and let that love make the church a place of welcome, service, and continual growth in love.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace calls before one hears Grace reaches into life prior to conscious response; it surrounds and invites even when ears refuse to listen. Recognizing prevenient grace cultivates humility: identities and decisions rest on a foundation that began before self-awareness. This awareness frees honest confession and opens the heart to follow. [21:08]
• 2. Justifying grace pardons and empowers Forgiveness removes the gulf of guilt and also gives the moral and spiritual capacity to act differently. Pardon reorients identity from condemned to beloved, and that reorientation fuels courage to try again. True justification combines acceptance with a summons to live out new loyalties. [26:54]
• 3. Sanctifying grace forms love, not perfection Transformation moves a person toward deeper love for God and neighbor, not flawless performance. Sanctification changes desires and habits so responses grow more compassionate, patient, and just over time. Progress carries persistence, struggle, and communal support rather than instant completeness. [31:55]
• 4. Three simple rules shape action Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God provide a concrete ethic that links devotion and service. These rules orient everyday choices—how to speak, whom to help, and how to prioritize time—so faith becomes practical and public. Living them requires regular spiritual practices and committed acts of mercy. [44:15]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:38] - Introduction of Church Leaders
• [14:16] - Prayer for Leaders
• [15:18] - Call to Worship (Psalm 103)
• [18:51] - Children’s Moment: Stuffed Animal Story
• [22:56] - Prayer of Reconciliation
• [25:35] - Overview: Types of Grace
• [31:35] - “Grace upon grace” in John
• [36:07] - The Question: Do You Want To Change?
• [43:29] - Wesley’s Christian Perfection Explained
• [47:27] - Works of Mercy and Mission
• [65:12] - Welcoming New Members
• [67:25] - Benediction and Sending

1. What does the phrase "grace upon grace" suggest about the nature and quantity of God's grace?
2. In the children's story, how did the elephant finally respond to the bear's persistent calling? [21:08]
3. According to the sermon, what are the three simple rules that shape a life of love and service? [44:15]
4. How does the law function in contrast to grace, according to the message from John's Gospel? [42:06]

1. Why might "grace upon grace" be a more transformative concept than simply receiving grace once?
2. How does the idea of "Christian perfection" as growth in love differ from the common understanding of perfection as flawlessness? [43:29]
3. In what ways do the "three simple rules" (do no harm, do good, stay in love with God) connect inward devotion with outward action?
4. What might it look like for a community to embrace both "works of piety" and "works of mercy" as part of their sanctification? [47:27]

1. Grace calls even before we are aware of it. Where have you noticed God’s grace quietly at work in your life long before you recognized it?
2. Justifying grace pardons and reorients our identity. How might embracing your identity as "beloved" change the way you respond to failure or guilt? [26:54]
3. Sanctifying grace forms us in love, not flawless performance. What’s one area of your life (e.g., patience, compassion, honesty) where you sense God inviting you to grow in love rather than just “doing better”? [31:55]
4. The three simple rules offer a practical path for love in action. Which rule—do no harm, do good, or stay in love with God—is most challenging for you right now? What’s one step you can take this week to live it out?
5. Change often requires concrete habits. What’s one small, repeatable habit (e.g., daily prayer, intentional kindness, serving others) that could help you cooperate with God’s transforming grace? [36:22]
6. Sanctification is a communal journey. Who in your life can you invite to support you, pray with you, or hold you accountable as you seek to grow in love?
7. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. How does this truth free you to risk change and step more fully into the life God is calling you to? [46:46]