The Waking up to Grace Podcast

This episode explores the meaning of “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” in the Lord’s Prayer, arguing that Jesus was speaking prophetically about the coming New Covenant and the establishment of God’s kingdom. The discussion examines Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation 21, and Galatians 4, presenting the view that many end-times prophecies were fulfilled in the first century through the destruction of Jerusalem and the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant age. The conversation e...

We question whether heavenly rewards are wages for effort or the present fruits of abiding in Christ, using Scripture and a Wizard of Oz parable to rethink crowns, timing, and Paul’s race. We land on a simple call: stop striving for what grace already gave and live from union with Jesus. • the five crowns as facets of salvation in Christ • Paul’s race as focused dependence, not merit • Hebrews on Jesus’ perfected obedience through suffering • abiding as the source of true fruit, not activity...

We challenge the common use of Malachi 3 and make the case that Christians are not under the Mosaic tithe. We walk through Scripture to show how grace reframes giving as free, cheerful, and focused on real needs rather than institutional maintenance. • defining the biblical tithe as produce and livestock for Levites • placing Malachi in Israel’s national covenant context • rejecting church-as-temple claims under the New Covenant • Paul’s rebuke of law-keeping and the curse argument • Jesus a...

We challenge performance-driven “holy living” and show why it breeds fear, double standards, and burnout. We point to trust in Christ as the path to peace, assurance, and daily fellowship grounded in grace, not effort. • how conditional fellowship teaching creates anxiety and confusion • Jesus’ heart-level standard that exposes self-reliance • the repent-repeat treadmill versus union with Christ • Israel’s wilderness as a warning against doing right in our own eyes • faith as trust that yiel...

We challenge performance-driven faith and show how Jesus’ words to the healed man in John 5 point to a life of belief and dependence, not fear and striving. We walk through abiding in Christ, the end of wrath for believers, and how love fulfills the law when it flows from the vine. • John 5 and the healed man as a picture of grace • “Sin no more” reframed as continuing belief • Abiding in Christ versus self-effort and metrics • Propitiation and the end of wrath for believer...