When God’s Grace Works to Repair a Life (Philemon 1-7)

 In the first message of the new series God’s Amazing Grace in Action, Pastor Chris Teien shares When God’s Grace Works to Change a Life from Philemon 1:1–7. Through this powerful introduction to the story of Philemon and Onesimus, we discover how God's grace reshapes our identity, deepens our love and trust, draws us into His purpose, and refreshes others around us. Join us as we explore how real, life-changing grace can transform not only our own hearts but also our relationships and communities. 

Key Points:

1. When Grace Changes You, It Redefines Your Identity
    – God's grace creates a new identity, not just a better version of ourselves (Philemon 1:1–3; 2 Corinthians 5:14–17).
2. When Grace Changes You, It Shapes How You Love and Trust
    – Grace produces deep love for God's people and growing trust in Jesus (Philemon 1:4–5; Romans 5:8).
3. When Grace Changes You, It Draws You Into God’s Purpose
    – Grace pulls believers into God's mission and into partnership with other believers (Philemon 1:6; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20).
4. When Grace Changes You, It Refreshes Others
    – A life touched by grace brings encouragement, strength, and joy to the people of God (Philemon 1:7; Proverbs 11:25).

Personal Stories from Pastor Chris:

• A Fresh Look at Philemon
   Pastor Chris shares that after nearly 30 years of preaching, this is his first time preaching a full series through the book of Philemon—and how studying this short letter revealed the beauty and relevance of grace in real life.
• The Power of Christian Community
   Reflecting on the importance of in-person church community versus only attending online, Pastor Chris encourages believers to experience partnership in faith firsthand.

Notable Quotes:

• "Grace doesn't just patch things up. It creates something brand new."
• "Grace reshapes not only what we do but who we are."
• "Real grace builds bridges, not walls."

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Reflect on how God's grace has redefined your identity as a new creation in Christ.
2. Ask God to grow your love for His people and strengthen your trust in Him.
3. Step into partnership with other believers by engaging fully in your local church.
4. Find someone this week to encourage and refresh through your words, presence, or prayer.

Scripture References:

• Philemon 1:1–7 – Paul’s heartfelt letter urging grace, love, and restoration.
• 2 Corinthians 5:14–21 – God's work of making us new creations and ambassadors of reconciliation.
• Proverbs 11:25 – “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
• Romans 5:8 – God's love demonstrated while we were still sinners.

Keywords:

Philemon, Christian grace, identity in Christ, forgiveness, reconciliation, loving others, trusting Jesus, Christian community, biblical transformation, God's purpose

This episode encourages listeners to live out the power of God's grace by becoming new creations who refresh others and actively join God's work.

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The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:16

Alright. So we're going to be in the tiny book of Philemon in a series on grace. So really the main topic is grace. The main topic isn't Philemon. And some of the Bible commentaries just totally fly over it. They're like, yeah, there was a slave, there was a slave owner. Hall met him and tried to get him off the hook. And but there's so much more to it than that. So as I've been studying it, as I've been looking into it, it is an amazing story of grace. And so it's going to be a series that's going to also cover Mother's Day and Memorial Day and Father's Day with the topics of grace. And each time we'll look at something from Philemon and then there'll be something additional that talks about grace. We need to be people of grace. If you ever looked at someone and thought, they'll never change. They'll never change. They'll always be this way. There's nothing that can fix them. Or if you ever looked at yourself and thought, I'll never change. I'll never change. I'll always be this way. There's just no help for me. But God can do amazing things in our life. God can do amazing things to change us. Sometimes the first step to change is wanting to change, longing to change, realizing that we need to change. And even calling that out, even calling out that sin, even confessing that sin to the Lord and asking for help, asking for direction, asking for provision, asking for the things that we need. And sometimes it's just being content in what you have. Sometimes, as you go through all of your life, there's phases of life that aren't extremely exciting. There's phases of life that aren't extremely eventful. You know, it's just day after day, but it's what you choose to make of it. Do you spend time in God's word? Do you praise God for the things He's doing in your life? Do you spend time in God's Word? Do you pray for others? So many things. But the book of Philemon, like I said, is a small book. Our series is Amazing Grace in Action, seeing the power of God's grace at work in real life. And so Philemon is a case study in that. And today's message is when God's grace works to change a life. So I preached for I think I'm going on 30 years of ministry. Not this July, but next July. I don't think I've ever actually preached a series on the book of Philemon before. I just skipped over it. And but I wanted to do it because it's super interesting. So here we see Paul writing from prison. So he's already completed his three missionary journeys. He has felt called to demand Caesar's attention to be heard, so he's being held as a prisoner. And so this is written between AD 60 and 62. He also wrote the Ephesians to the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. So Philemon is actually the name of the wealthy slave owner. Don't get caught up on the whole slave thing and cancel me, or don't let me trigger you in that. That was part of the culture back then. 50% of the people in the Roman Empire were slaves, and that's the way it was. So don't get tripped up on that. I'm not a proponent of slavery. But nonetheless, this was the situation. So Philemon was a wealthy Christian leader living in Colossae, hosting a church in his own. Maybe even the book of Colossians is written to this group. But Philemon was a person of means. He obviously had a big enough house to host people. By the way, if the construction gets really bad and we can't meet here, can we meet in any of your homes? Does anybody have enough room for us? We could meet at your house. Anybody like the idea of a house church? I think on one hand it would be kind of fun until you invite all of the kids and everybody, then it'd just be chaotic. But we have this building, we have this place to meet, and praise God for it. Then we have Onesimus. Onesimus was one of Philemon's household slaves. So there are different stories, and I'll unravel that over the weeks as to Onesimus and why he was a slave and what he did. But generally it seems like he was born a slave, and so born into a household, born as a slave. And that was his life. That was common back then in the Roman system. Possibly he didn't do anything wrong to be born as a slave. He didn't have to sell himself as a slave to pay his debt. He didn't commit a crime and become a slave or something like that. And as we look at the passage, we'll see that while he wasn't useful as a slave, because he escaped and even probably stole stuff as he left, his name really means useful. So that is what the story really is about as Onesimus ran away from Philemon and somewhere along the way. So while Onesimus is on the run from Philemon, as he's out trying to disguise his identity, trying to blend in with the crowd, trying not to be found out as a slave, somehow he comes across the imprisoned apostle Paul. And he doesn't just find Jesus to get himself out of trouble. It's not a crisis moment, but according to Paul, he literally becomes a child of God. He literally becomes a brother in the faith. He literally is helping Paul. And as Onesimus is growing in his faith, as he is a changed person who has gone from escape, slave, stolen stuff, could face death for what he did, or they would often brand runaway slaves on their forehead. I might mention that in another week. But he could be branded, he could be executed, all of these things. Paul sends him back with possibly the letter to the Colossians and says, Hey, Philemon, I have your slave. And he's been really good. He's become a brother in Christ. And I'd like you to see him as a brother in Christ. And Onesimus is like, I want to be right with God, and I want to be right with everybody else, and I want to make amends, and I want to fix this relationship, and I want to return and confess and make things right. And as you continue to read in the letter, Paul literally says, Whatever it is that he stole that he owes, charge it to my account. Whatever it is that he needs to do to make this right, remember me who invested in you, who's in chains for Christ. And so it's just this amazing story of grace. It's this amazing story of grace, because you'll remember that Paul, I think it was in 1 Corinthians 15, I think we read that or part of it last week. But Paul, when he lays out the gospel, he also says, God, Christ Jesus died to save sinners of whom I am the worst. Paul was a persecutor. He was responsible for the killing and persecution of Christians, and Paul never let that go. He knew he was forgiven by Jesus, but he also remembered his place and God's grace, and he sees the slave, and the slave that's turned to Christ and is helping Paul. And so he sees Onesimus and he sees the grace that could be shown to him. If Philemon, the person who is owed, the person who might have suffered financial harm when he was stolen from, the person who has the right to imprison or even condemn, kill Onesimus, Philemon has the right to do that, and Paul is like, no, no, no, wait, wait. Let's be the family of God together, let's show grace. So in this 25-verse letter, Paul's appeal for Philemon is to let grace triumph over bitterness, to let love win over law, to show the church and the world what happens when God's grace really works to change a life. So my first question, and the first definition really, is what is grace? So in the church, we often like to say that grace is God's riches at Christ's expense, right? Because that works out the acrostic. God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace. And so grace is God's unearned, undeserved favor. It's his love in action, given not because we're worthy, but because he is good. Grace forgives our past, empowers our present, and secures our future. Grace doesn't just deal with sin, it reshapes the sinner. It changes not just what we do, but who we are. So that's what we're gonna look at today. Grace doesn't just patch things up, it creates something brand new. So point number one, when grace changes you, it redefines your identity. And identity is such a huge thing in these letters. So when Paul writes these letters through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I don't think that he's writing them to kiss up to someone or to try to get their favor by what he writes, to inflate them with all sorts of kind words so that he will get what he wants. I think he's telling the truth. I mean, he has to be telling the truth because it's we believe that it is God's inspired word through authors, through letters. This is how God has decided to talk to us in the New Testament, to speak to us. And we look into the verses and we look into the situation and we look to see what is it that God wants us to learn? Is there are there principles that we need to put into practice in our life? Are there sins that we need to avoid? Are there attitudes that we should stay away from? Is there something that we need to see? Really, a big question that I had is why is this book even here? So in Chuck Swindah's commentary, he wrote, Paul's letter to Philemon has great practical value for us today. It illustrates for us the reality and importance of second chances, the equality that believers have in Christ, and the power of the gospel to transcend cultural and social boundaries. In short, Paul's postcard to Philemon reminds us about the profoundly Christ-centered concepts of freedom, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. And I thought that would be pretty good for a series. A pretty good use of your time on Sunday is a pretty good use of my time studying God's Word to prepare something for you. When grace changes you, it redefines your identity. Just think about that concept for a minute now. When is it that you came to Jesus Christ? What was your like life? What was your life like before you came to Christ? How did you come to Christ? What's changed since you've come to Christ? How are you a different person? How has your life been redefined? How has your identity been redefined? If you're the child of your parent, but when you came to Christ, then you became a true child of God. So you are part of the family, adopted into the family. So you are assured heaven. You've received the Holy Spirit. You are guaranteed eternity with Christ. And so many things in your identity are changed. So let's look at verse 1.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Philemon chapter verses 1 to 7. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, also to Aphia, our sister, and Arcippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people.

Chris T 12:02

So this isn't the letter to the Colossians. This is the letter to one guy named Philemon. This is a letter, a personal letter from Paul to one guy because of a slave, because of something that might seem like it doesn't matter, but it truly does, because someone's life is involved. And so Paul basically is saying that I want your attention and I want you to listen. God's doing something here. I don't want you to miss it. For the good of you and for the good of the church, and for good of me and for the good of Onesimus. This letter is all about grace. God's transforming grace that redefines who we are, how we live, and how we love. And Paul is highlighting grace, and in 1 Corinthians 15, again, I mentioned this already, but Paul had confessed, for I am the least of all the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God, but by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. So when we look at Paul's life, he was violent before meeting Christ. He was thinking he was doing the right thing for God. He was persecuting Christians because he loved God so much. He had been trained a Pharisee of the Pharisees. But the things had changed. So God's covenant had changed, God's plan had changed. Jesus came and showed us how to live, and then he died on the cross, and then he rose again, and everything changed. And he, Paul, was met by Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life was changed. And he was greatly used of God. When he sees how messed up his life was, he probably looks at Anesimus and says, Dude, I totally get you. I understand. I was in a similar spot in my life. Everything was so messed up. I had no idea how I was going to move forward. I realized I had made the biggest mistakes of my life. And this is how Jesus got me through. I think Jesus can get you through too. So Paul addresses Philemon as dear friend, so in Greek that's beloved, and fellow worker, which is co-laborer, showing that Philemon's identity too was shaped not by wealth, status, or power, but by a shared mission in Christ. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old is gone, the new is here. All this from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them, and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sinned for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And so that totally speaks to this that verse 17, we're made new by God's grace. So we don't become a new improved version of ourselves. We become a new creation. We become something new. Grace doesn't just upgrade you, it recreates you. In verse 14, you live under the law of Christ, under the love of Christ. Christ's love compels us. Grace roots you in Christ's love, not your performance. Love, not guilt or fear, now motivates your life. And then you verse 15, you die to your old self. One died for all, and therefore all died. So grace calls you to die to self and live for Jesus, not for yourself. Your old sinful identity has been buried with Christ. Your old life has been buried with Christ. When you come to Christ, you become a new person. Your heart's desires become new. Your walk with God becomes new. So many things in you start to change. And the more time you spend in God's Word, the more time you spend learning about how God wants you to live, the more transformation you experience, and the more ability you have to be a minister of reconciliation, more of an opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ, more of an opportunity to share what you know with the people in your life. And so you see people differently. Verse 16, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Grace gives you new eyes to see people through the lens of hope and redemption, not judgment or status. So Paul, Paul was a Roman citizen. Paul was not a slave, and he could have looked down on Onesimus and said, Oh, you foolish slave, but instead he had grace and he showed care for Onesimus. He cared about him greatly, and scripture attests to that. So also you're given the ministry of reconciliation. So grace makes you an agent of healing, helping others find peace with God. Because God reconciled us and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 20, making us Christ's ambassadors, grace sends you into the world as an ambassador, carrying Christ's love and message wherever you go. Did you ever feel think about that, that you're an ambassador for Christ? So when you show up in the restaurant, if you're really thinking about it, you should be on good behavior and show care and look for opportunities. If you're going to leave the waitress or waiter a tip, I mean a tract, a Bible tract, you want to leave them a good tip. You wanna if you're gonna proclaim Christ and tell people about Jesus, you want to make sure that you haven't done anything to be rude or offensive or difficult. But and always ready, always ready. What is it? A worldwide ambassador, if there was an ambassador here, they would speak well of their country, they would be kind and also reach out and do whatever they could to tell you about where they're from and why it's such a wonderful great place and why you'd want to visit. As Christians, we have experienced personally the great love of God. We have experienced the transformation, we have experienced Him, Jesus in His grace changing us from sinners to saints. I can't believe the Bible calls us saints, but it's true in Christ. We are positionally saints. Hopefully, our behavior matches it also. But and then verse 21, we're fully forgiven and righteous in Christ. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. So grace. Grace is something that transforms us, grace is something that changes us, grace is something that everybody needs. We need to offer grace, show grace, accept grace, and be agents of grace. Number two, when grace changes you, it shapes how you love and trust. When grace changes you, it shapes how you love and trust. So do you love God's people? That's actually a sign that you're saved, by the way, is that you have a love for brethren, for brothers and sisters in Christ that you care about them. So I like to read Sports Spectrum magazine devotionals because it talks about Christian athletes and those who are proclaiming faith while playing sports. I think that's pretty interesting. So I also like those who proclaim faith faith while racing cars and everything else. So verse 4 again. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. So Paul is saying, Hey Philemon, I'm always thanking God as I remember you personally in my prayers, because I hear about your love, Philemon, for all his holy people, and your faith, Philemon, in the Lord Jesus. That is a good thing. That is a good thing. Grace produces gratitude and prayerfulness. So when you think about somebody and you know they have a need, you're much more likely to pray for them. And it's good when we have our missions team find out what's going on in our missionaries' lives. So when we have our missions moment, we can mention some things that are going on. It's also posted on the bulletin board back there, some of the stuff the missionaries are going through. But we as a church fund missions and missionaries and camps so that they can do work that we can't do. So we are not most of us aren't equipped to go be missionaries in a different culture, to speak a different language, or to reach a different people group. So we help fund them, help keep them on the field, help keep the camps going, help do all that we can. And so if you have a kid that is interested in going to camp and the camp fee is too much, I believe we have an application for camp scholarships so we can help out with part of that. So let us know. But that love, that care. So Paul is saying, I care about you, I pray about you, I've heard great things about you, I hear from the people about your love that you show them and your faith in the Lord Jesus, that it is admirable. People are watching, people care, people know, people are thankful for all that you're doing. Paul, in his tone in this letter, isn't trying to be angry at Philemon, he is trying to show where they're at and their common bond, their love for Christ. Isn't that interesting that we all have a common bond and relationship with other believers in Christ in different churches all around, in different places all around, that in different languages in different parts of the world, that people are praising and worshiping the Lord, and we have a common bond with them. That is pretty exciting. So this is a same title slide. But grace shapes how you love people. So Paul's talking about Philemon's love for all the saints, that agape love, selfless, sacrificial, action-driven love, love that reaches across boundaries. Real grace doesn't build walls. Real grace builds bridges. And so Paul is trying to build a bridge to help Onesimus in this difficult time. So as we think about grace, grace deepens our trust in Jesus. So as we've experienced our grace and our love, we see that Jesus cares for us not because what we did or who we were or the good things that we do, but he truly loves us as we are, but he doesn't love us in a way that is like so permissive that he just lets us stay there. So if there's a besetting sin in your life, if there's something that you continue to do that's short circuiting, God's blessing your life, if there's a difficulty in your life, Jesus through the Holy Spirit is going to work to help you get on course, to help you start heading in the right direction through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, through God's word. Maybe a friend will come alongside. Maybe you'll hear something on the Christian radio, or maybe you'll see something on video that will captivate your heart, and you'll realize, wait, what I'm doing isn't right. What I'm doing isn't correct. What I'm doing isn't what Jesus wants me to, because I know that Jesus loves me and I love him, and I've learned to trust him, so I'm going to trust when his word redirects my life. That is a good thing. Because Jesus loved us so much. God loved us so much. Like it says in Romans 5.8, that God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were still sinners. Christ died for us and he doesn't leave us there. And as grace deepens our trust in Jesus, we experience good things. We experience good results. We experience answers to prayer. We experience being used by God as we're sharing our faith and trying to make a difference, and all of those things give us more boldness and confidence to come back and keep doing it again and again. So some people unfortunately use prayer as their backup plan. They try everything and then they're like, well, there's nothing left to do except pray, when actually you should pray first, and then seek God's course and God's battle plan and God's desire for your life. Some prayer promises to strengthen our trust. Philippians 4 6, pray about everything and experience God's peace. James 5 16 talks about the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. And Hebrews 4.16 says that we're supposed to approach the throne of grace boldly for mercy and help. So if I could hear your prayers, if we heard you praying, would there be gratitude in your prayers? Would you be regularly thanking God for what He's done in the past and what He's going to do now? Are you actively growing and learning as you lean on Jesus in your faith? So many things that you could do. Maybe today you could list three people that you're grateful for and pray for them specifically. Maybe you can look for someone that you can encourage and refresh in their faith. So pray and trust and grow in Christ's love. Those are important things. Number three, when grace changes you, it draws you into God's purpose. When grace changes you, it draws you into God's purpose. Don't you want to be part of what God is doing? Don't you want to be part of the purpose that God has for your life? Don't you wake up some mornings and maybe you've already done this, but think, God, why am I here? You put me here, I have this family, I have this job, or I don't have this family, and I live in this spot, and I have these connections, these friendships and stuff. But what is it that you want me to do with my life? Maybe he wants you to make a huge change and go to a Bible college and get trained up and go out into the world. Or maybe he wants you to focus on where you're at and focus on the relationships that you have and the work in the job that you have and be a missionary to the world from where you're based and the connections that you have. But your purpose, your purpose is to glorify God. And God created people. Someone said this, I like this. God created people because he loves stories. So he loves stories. I think God loves to see your faith in action. I think he loves to hear. You share testimonies of how God got you through hard things and blessed you in amazing ways to do what's right. Even if he didn't make you rich, even if some days you lacked for what you felt you needed, that you got through, you stayed faithful, you experienced grace, you showed grace, and you were part of God's purposes for that day, part of God's purposes for that time period, part of God's purposes for your life. Verse 6, I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the faith of for the sake of Christ. Partnership. So, church, the local church, is a partnership. Together, we are a partnership in Christ, a partnership in faith. And we hope, as we continue to work together, that we would be effective in making a difference. So when God's grace transforms you, it doesn't just stay internal, it pulls you outward into a life of partnership and participation in God's mission. Which is why if all you do is listen online and watch online and never come to the actual church to be part of what we're doing here, you're missing out. So maybe in COVID that was acceptable, but it's not acceptable today. So if it's not this church, you need to find another church to watch or listen to that you actually go to, unless for some reason you're shut in or you are so far away you can't get to a church, but I'm talking to you temporarily if you're watching this. But we would love to have you. Sunday's 10, 15 a.m. You don't even have to dress up. So, all right, partnership. Together, we share our lives. So, some of the most meaningful times that I found in this church, I mean, there's been lots of meaningful times, but when I first came here, I asked if the other pastors taught Sunday school, and I guess that wasn't the norm. Maybe some did, I don't know. But it would be a lot easier for me to sit in my office and get my notes together and everything than it would be to teach a Sunday school that goes to the last minute and then we run in here to have the worship service. But the relationships, the conversations, the connections, the things that have happened in the Sunday school class have been transformational and relational in such a way that I've seen grace, experienced grace, been able to show grace, and it's been a wonderful thing. And so we share together for the sake of Christ. And that's what Paul wants Philemon to do with Onesimus is be able to share their Christian life because now they're brothers in Christ. Number four, when grace changes you, it refreshes others. When grace changes you, it refreshes others. Verse 7, your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people. So again, Paul is saying, Philemon, your love has given me, Paul, great joy and encouragement, because you, brother Philemon, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people. You are doing a good job. Your love gives me joy and encouragement. Encouragement carries the idea of comfort, strength, and coming alongside to support. Means to give rest, to revive, to make someone breathe easier again. Philemon wasn't just busy doing some ministry things. He was fully invested, like we mentioned before. He had church at his house, and he was doing everything he could to proclaim Christ and to live the life, to be a leader in the church. And when we get together again, I'll talk more about the whole slavery concept and what that meant in their culture at that time, and maybe even what the Bible said about slavery at that time. But grace, when you refresh the hearts of the Lord's people, you can do it with your words, you can do it with your presence, you can do it with your hospitality, you can do it with your patience, and you can do it with your prayers. So Proverbs 11, 25 says, A generous person will prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. So are there people that are encouraged because you spent some time with them? Are there people that are refreshed because of the words that you have to say, or the time that you spend with them, or the text you sent them, or the email, or the call, or the gift, or the visit, or the time that you spent? Maybe you could write a note of encouragement. Maybe you could call somebody in need. Maybe you could ask people if they have any needs and see if there's something that you could do to help them. That would be a good thing. But when grace changes you, it changes everything. And we need to let God's grace go to work in our lives and through our lives. So today we've seen that when grace changes you, it redefines who you are, it shapes how you love and trust, and it draws you into God's purpose. It refreshes others through you. Those are four things that happen with grace. So can you walk in your new identity in Christ because you're a new creation in Christ? Can you show visible and sacrificial love, especially to someone who's hard to love, or someone in a different social status, or someone from a different place? Can you trust Jesus actively as you pray first, not last? Can you join God's work and don't just admire it from a distance? Can you refresh someone daily to be a source of joy and strength by the grace God has poured into you? Grace changes us. So we're going to talk more about grace and restoration next week, and that will be a good thing. And we'll continue in the series and I'll talk more about this passage. But let's pray. Jesus, I thank you, the worship team can come forward. Jesus, I thank you for this little book. I thank you for the message in between the lines of relationship and restoration and healing and transformation. How a worthless slave can become a useful worker in God's kingdom. Lord, and there's so much more to that story I'm going to share. But I pray that you'd help us as we ponder grace this week to be people of grace, that we would be a church of grace that shows your grace and love. Lord, I pray you'd continue to do great things here. I pray that you would work in the lives of the believers here, and that you would fill the seats with new people that need to learn how to live live the Christian life. That we would be quick to disciple them and help them to grow in the grace of the Lord. So we just thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.