In Acts 15, the early church finds itself divided over a fundamental question: What is actually necessary for salvation?
Some believers believed Gentile followers of Jesus needed to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to belong to God's people. Peter's response cuts through the debate: God has already made his decision. He gave the Gentiles the Holy Spirit, cleansed their hearts by faith, and made no distinction between them and the Jewish believers.
The gospel is not Jesus + something. Salvation is received by grace, not achieved through performance.
But grace isn't opposed to transformation. Grace is what makes transformation possible.
This message explores the tension between the yoke of performance and the yoke of grace, the human heart's resistance to receiving God's generosity, and why communion gives us a tangible picture of the free gift of Jesus' broken body and poured-out blood.
The invitation isn't to try harder.
It's to receive.
And when we receive grace, grace begins to transform us.
The sermon closes with a simple prayer:
“God, break my heart so I can receive your love.”
The central movement of the sermon is grounded in Peter's declaration in Acts 15:11: “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
