Why Can’t I See Grace?
Sermon Summary
This week's message continues our series in Overwhelming Grace and traces grace all the way back to the beginning in Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth; He formed men and women in His own image, blessed them and gave them purpose, all out of grace. He gave Adam and Eve real freedom, including the freedom to love Him or turn away, because love that is forced is not love at all.
Then came the serpent's question, "Has God really said?" and the fall in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve chose their own way, their eyes were opened to good and evil, and they hid from God in shame. God did not change; He came looking for them anyway, calling out "Where are you?" not in anger but in compassion, already moving toward them in compassion and rescue.
Every one of us faces the same pattern of the fall and need to be careful what we hear, what we see, what we feel, and who we blame for these things keep us from experiencing grace. The good news is that God never stopped pursuing us. He clothed Adam and Eve with the skin of a sacrifice, pointing forward to Jesus, the Lamb who was pierced for our transgressions, so that through one act of righteousness, all who receive God's abundant grace can reign in life through Him.
Key Scriptures
Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV) "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'"
Genesis 3:6, 9-10 (NIV) "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ... But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'"
Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV) "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Romans 5:17 (NIV) "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"
Instructions for Groups
Choose a few of these questions from the various categories to go deeper in the sermon and put the truths of Scripture into practice. You do not need to answer every question. Select the ones that will best help your group engage with God's Word and apply it to your lives.
Discussion Questions
Scripture Study & Deeper Understanding
Read Genesis 1:26-27. What does this passage tell us about who God made us to be, and what does it mean that we are made "in His image"?
Compare what God actually said in Genesis 2:16-17 with how the serpent restates it in Genesis 3:1. What does the serpent change or twist, and what does that reveal about how temptation typically works?
Read Genesis 3:9-10. Who is asking the question, and who is it asked to? What do Adam's own words, "I was afraid... so I hid," tell us about what had already changed in him the moment sin entered the picture?
Encouragement, Challenge & Personal Testimony
The message says grace is not just a theological concept, but is a person. Autumn and Yale Wall's family experienced God's grace through the people who held their baby around the clock. Share about a time you experienced God's grace through people.
Jimmy Seibert described how many of us wake up hoping our good outweighs our bad so we can feel okay about ourselves, a kind of yo-yo between good and evil instead of resting in grace. Where have you seen that pattern show up in your own life?
God's response to Adam and Eve's sin was to come looking for them and ask, "Where are you?" with compassion instead of staying distant. What is it like for you to picture God asking you that same question, not as an accusation but as an invitation?
Putting It Into Practice
The message named four things worth guarding closely: what you hear, what you see, what you feel and who you blame. Which one feels like your biggest vulnerability right now, and what is one specific step you can take this week to guard that area?
Jimmy Seibert talked about how disappointment causes distance from God, and if we are not careful, another voice fills that gap. Is there a disappointment you have been carrying that has put distance between you and God? What would it look like this week to bring it directly to Him instead of pulling away?
Prayer
Listening to the Holy Spirit. We are going to take focused time to listen to the Holy Spirit and what He wants to speak to us personally based on our time in Scripture and discussion. Sit in silence for 60 seconds and ask the Spirit to speak to each one of you. What do you sense the Holy Spirit highlighting or speaking to you as we prayed?
Prayer Requests: What prayer requests come up for you based on our Scripture study and discussion? How can we pray for you as you seek to apply what God has shown you about His grace?