Grace So Amazing, Love So Free: God's Unmerited Gift

What a morning of worship and joy. I shared some exciting news about how God is accelerating our vision. Phase three is moving forward: a new, fully secured children’s wing that gives our littles a safe, well-designed space and provides age-specific classrooms for 4th–5th, younger grades, and nursery. Those doors will lock once service begins, check-in will be centralized, and restrooms will be inside the secured area. That move opens our current kids’ room to become the expanded youth chapel, solving the midweek capacity issues and creating room for significant growth. Through a surprising provision, we received a dollar-for-dollar matching grant up to $300,000, and $50,000 has already been given—instantly doubled. As we seek the Lord about giving, we’re not chasing a building; we’re making room for the next generation to encounter Jesus.

We then turned our hearts to Advent: Grace So Amazing, Love So Free. We often struggle to reconcile the natural and the spiritual. In the natural, time begins and ends; in God, time itself is His creation. In the natural, forgiveness, worth, grace, rest, security, and identity are earned, measured, or eventually exhausted; in Christ, they are given, anchored, and sustained. God’s forgiveness isn’t rationed; His grace is not a pause button before judgment but a gift in Jesus. Our worth is not performance-based but declared by the One who made us. Rest is not what we get after finishing; it is who we find when we trust. Identity is not achieved but received.

We anchored these truths in Scripture: John 3:16–17 declares the Father sent the Son not to condemn but to save; Romans 5:8 says He loved us while we were still sinners; Ephesians 2:4–5 and Titus 3:4–5 remind us salvation is by grace, not merit. And 1 John 4:9–10 shows that love moved first—God initiated, we respond. That’s why the love candle matters: love we cannot earn and cannot lose. I invited anyone far from God to say yes to that love today, and we came to the Table remembering Jesus’ body given and His blood poured out—the new covenant that doesn’t ask us to come perfect, only to come.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace cannot be earned—only received. God does not trade salvation for performance; He gives new birth through mercy. When we try to “qualify,” we subtly center ourselves and drift into pride. Resting in grace re-centers our hearts on Jesus, who is our righteousness. Receive the gift, and let gratitude shape your obedience. [59:52]
• 2. God moved first; love invites response. The Father initiated redemption in the incarnation. That means you never approach a closed door; you answer a knocking Savior. Love’s first move silences the fear of rejection and frees you to say yes without bargaining. [62:24]
• 3. Identity is received, not achieved. The world names us by output, roles, or failure. In Christ, identity flows from adoption, not accomplishment. Living from that identity disarms hurry and comparison, and it stabilizes you when seasons shift. [56:02]
• 4. Rest is trust, not completion. Sabbath is not a reward for finishing; it is an act of faith that God is God and we are not. When you practice holy rest, you break allegiance with anxiety and re-align with His sufficiency. Rest becomes a witness that grace, not grind, governs your life. [55:44]
• 5. Generosity joins God’s multiplying work. When we step into Spirit-led giving, we don’t fund a project; we participate in formation—ours and the next generation’s. God often pairs vision with surprising provision, inviting us to trust Him together. Generosity trains our hearts for eternity, where love—not scarcity—sets the economy. [47:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [38:02] - Worship recap and excitement
• [38:31] - Christmas Eve invitation
• [40:07] - Vision phases overview
• [41:23] - Secured children’s wing walkthrough
• [42:55] - Age-specific classrooms and flow
• [44:24] - Youth chapel expansion plan
• [47:40] - Matching grant announcement
• [49:24] - How to give and participate
• [50:56] - Advent: Grace So Amazing, Love So Free
• [51:59] - Natural vs spiritual tensions we carry
• [57:17] - God’s love in Scripture (John 3:16–17)
• [61:22] - God loved us first (1 John 4)
• [65:19] - Love candle and invitation
• [75:59] - Communion and closing prayer

1. According to John 3:16–17, what did the Father do and why? What was the purpose of sending the Son?
2. In 1 John 4:9–10, whose love moved first, and how was that love shown?
3. In Titus 3:4–5, by what means are we saved, and what is ruled out as the basis of salvation?
4. What concrete safety features were described for the new children’s wing (check-in, locked doors after service begins, restrooms inside the secured area)? [42:23]

1. If God sent His Son not to condemn but to save (John 3:17), how should that reshape the inner script of someone who expects rejection? How does this speak to the fear of a closed door? [01:02:24]
2. Titus 3:5 says salvation is “not because of the righteous things we had done but because of His mercy.” What does it look like when someone starts trying to “qualify” anyway, and how does that drift into pride? [01:00:20]
3. 1 John 4:10 says real love is not that we loved God but that He loved us. What response best fits love that moves first—confession, worship, obedience, rest, generosity—and why? Consider the simple invitation to come as you are. [58:43]
4. Identity in Christ is received, not achieved. How does that challenge cultural metrics like output, roles, or failures as identity markers? [56:02]

1. Grace cannot be earned—only received. Where are you trying to “qualify” for what God gives freely? What would it look like this week to stop striving and simply receive, letting gratitude shape your obedience? [59:52]
2. God moved first; love invites response. Where are you hesitating to approach God (or even a person) because you fear a “no”? What is one simple “yes” you can offer to the Savior who is already knocking? [01:02:24]
3. Identity is received, not achieved. What label or role has been naming you lately? What is one daily practice you can adopt (Scripture, confession of truth, accountability) to live from adoption instead of accomplishment? [56:02]
4. Rest is trust, not completion. What specific window of Sabbath rest will you pick this week? What two or three tasks will you intentionally leave unfinished as an act of faith, and how will you use that time to re-center on Jesus? [55:44]
5. Generosity joins God’s multiplying work. With the matching grant opportunity, what step is the Spirit inviting you to take—praying, giving, sharing the vision, or serving? What concrete plan (amount, timeline, conversation) will help you follow through? [47:40]
6. Make room for the next generation. How can you pray over or serve in our kids and youth spaces in this season? What’s one action you can take this week to participate (prayer-walk, volunteer inquiry, invite a family)? [50:42]
7. Come as you are. Where have you been holding back from Jesus until you feel “ready” or “better”? What would it look like to come honestly this week and let His mercy meet you there? [58:43]