Well, last Sunday, we launched into a brand new sermon series on the book of Titus.

And I got to launch that one out, such a powerful New Testament letter, primarily about biblical manhood.

And I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to preach Titus II in this moment today,

because I knew Gage is bringing that one back in

Auburn that's kind of going out to all the extended locations. And Mark Lamb, who's our Birmingham pastor, is preaching live in Huntsville, which is kind of weird. But he was like, dude, I'm just going to let Gage do Titus. I got this passage on my heart from another place. So I was like, okay, I might do Titus, and Gage will do Titus too. But then, as I was reading Titus 2,

there's this other passage of scripture that God's, from another place. I was like, okay, I might do Titus, and Gage will do Titus too. But then,

as I was reading Titus II, there's this other passage of scripture that God started stirring

in my heart. And then I got the opportunity to preach it to our youth down in Panama City Beach,

Florida this week. Which, if you didn't know this, 350 middle schoolers and high schoolers

in Panama City Beach, worshiping Jesus is a site to experience.

It's also a lot of energy and a lot, just a lot in general.

But as I was preaching this on Thursday night down there, I realized like God was sort of taking different pieces of what he was showing me and writing it all into one sermon that's actually rooted in one of my favorite passages of scripture. If you've been walking with Jesus for a while, do you know what it's like to have an arsenal of some scriptures that you constantly go back to? Like off the top of your head, it's like, man, what are the verses that when you're feeling so far from God, so disconnected from

purpose that you're like, I just, I go in my head to a few places. I go to Romans 8, obviously, I think it's the greatest chapter in the Bible. John chapter 6, that's where Jesus wins came from. Proverbs 16 of all the Proverbs, that one just has so much wisdom that has shaped the pathway of my life, Ephesians 3, measureably more and being filled with the Holy Spirit. But there's another

one in 2 Peter. that has shaped the pathway of my life. Ephesians 3, immeasurably more and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

But there's another one in 2nd Peter chapter 1 that I think about so often.

And when I was preaching on that passage this week, I realized it's what I wanted to talk about.

But before we turn there, let me give you a title for this sermon.

The title is called Empowered by Grace. Empowered by grace. Look at somebody next to you and say power, power. We need to

fill this place with some power today. We are going to talk about redefining the grace of God

as more than just forgiveness.

So when I tell you that God the Father sent his son Jesus as an act of grace on your behalf,

what is your knee-jerk reaction to being presented with that reality?

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