Day 35: Grace Be With You All: Ephesians 6: 21-24

The grace that saves us is the same grace that sustains us every day. Paul closes his letter by encouraging the church through Tychicus and blessing believers with peace, love, faith, and grace. After everything he has written, he leaves the church with the reminder that the Christian life begins and ends with God's grace. It is His grace that saves us, sustains us, and strengthens us to walk faithfully with Christ.

Reflection: As you finish Ephesians, what truth about God has most shaped your understanding of the gospel?

Transcript

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Happy Friday, everyone. We're closing out week six with the topic Grace be with you all. We're in Ephesians chapter six, verses twenty-one through twenty four. Let's read together. Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. That's the word of God. The grace that saves us is the same grace that sustains us every day. Paul's closing may seem brief, but every word carries weight. He sends Tychicus, a trusted coworker who likely delivered this very letter. In the ancient world, letters weren't simply dropped off. They were often read aloud to the gathered church by the messenger, who could answer questions and explain the author's intent. Tychicus wasn't just a courier, he was a faithful minister entrusted with encouraging believers. Then Paul ends with four blessings peace, love, faith, and grace. Notice these are themes woven throughout the entire letter. Peace through reconciliation with God, love demonstrated at the cross, faith that unites all of us in Christ and to Christ, and grace that begins, sustains, and completes the Christian life. Paul began Ephesians by praising God for every spiritual blessing in Christ. He ends by reminding believers that all of those blessings continue to follow from God's grace. Think back over the journey. You were chosen before the foundation of the world, adopted as God's child, redeemed by Christ's blood, sealed with the Holy Spirit, made alive and new with Christ, brought near, made part of one family, called to walk worthy, equipped for ministry, clothed in the armor of God, and every command rests on every promise. That is the beauty of Ephesians. The Christian life is never about earning what Christ has already accomplished, it is learning to live in the reality of what He has freely given. The grace that saves us is the same grace that sustains us every day. Here's a reflection question as we close out Ephesians. What truth about God has most shaped your understanding of the gospel? Would love to hear today as we're closing out the entire book of Ephesians. Congratulations. I am just so excited for you and also just to be with you as we close out another book together. And just so you know, next week what we'll be doing are bonus episodes for four days. And then on Friday, we will drop the intro episode for the next book that we'll be starting together. The next book we're starting is actually First Peter. I'm very excited about it. It's a great segue between what we just finished in Ephesians and what we'll be studying in James after that. We push James back to September and we have just the right amount of time to cover First Peter. Great to be learning from a new author. And also it's taking what we've learned from Ephesians and applying it in a really practical way about how we can live as Christians in a culture that doesn't always support this lifestyle or doesn't always align with and fit our lifestyle. So great transition. Okay, I'm looking forward to it. Love you guys. Talk to you next week.

unknown 4:24

Bye.