Box Office Theology Week One

Title:

 The Rescue We Didn’t Know We Needed

Text: Romans 5:6–8

Theme: God’s rescue isn’t based on our effort but on His love.

INTRO

How to train your dragon…

There is a scene where the main character and his friends swoop in and save the day last minute.

We’re drawn to stories with heroes —

not just because we like action or emotional endings

but because on a subconscience level it’s a picture of our circumstances.

We may not realize it, but every rescue story awakens our quiet confession: we need one too.

We love stories where the hero shows up just in time.

What makes Christ so amazing is he shows up—while we were still sinners.

Not when we were reaching for Him,

but when we were running from Him.

That’s grace.

TRUTH

Romans 5:6–8 (ESV)

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

POINT ONE: Righteousness Is Not a Sliding Scale — We All Needed Rescue

We often measure goodness horizontally—by comparing ourselves to others.

We find someone worse and feel better, or someone better and feel worse.

But the gospel measures vertically—against the holiness of God.

And when the standard is His perfection, none of us stand tall.

There aren’t “good people” and “bad people.”

There are only lost people and rescued people.

Grace levels the ground at the foot of the cross.

No one earns it. No one deserves it.

But anyone who believes can receive it.

Action:

Stop comparing. Start confessing.

Comparison keeps us blind to our real condition.

As long as we can find someone “worse,” we convince ourselves we’re fine.

But confession opens our eyes—it admits what God already knows.

Until we see our need, we won’t seek His grace.

Grace doesn’t mean much to people who think they’re doing okay.

But the moment we recognize we can’t fix what’s broken in us, grace becomes the best news we’ve ever heard.

The gospel begins where self-sufficiency ends.

Verse:

Romans 3:10 — “None is righteous, no, not one.”

What This Means:

For the Believer:

We have to stop grading our faith against someone else’s performance.

we were rescued by grace, not achievement.

Let that humility fuel gratitude, not pride.

For the Non-Believer:

we don’t have to clean ourself up to come to God.

The first step is admitting we can’t save ourself —

that’s where grace begins.

Sticky Phrase:

“We don’t climb to God—He came down to us.”

POINT TWO:

The Only Thing That Brought Salvation Was God’s Love and Desire to Rescue Us

Our salvation wasn’t triggered by our goodness — it was initiated by God’s love.

God didn’t respond to something admirable in us;

He acted out of His own mercy toward us.

The rescue began in His heart long before it ever reached ours.

Before we reached for Him, He reached for us.

While we were running from Him,

He was already pursuing us.

Grace didn’t wait for us to clean up, believe more, or try harder — it met us in our rebellion.

The cross wasn’t a backup plan;

it was the plan.

From the very beginning, God purposed redemption.

The cross wasn’t how the story went wrong — it’s how the story was always going to be made right.

Action

Rest in His love instead of earning it.

We don’t have to perform for God’s approval — we already have it in Christ.

Grace means the pressure’s off.

We serve, obey, and grow not to be loved, but because we are loved.

When shame whispers, we have to remind ourselves: 

We love because God decided to love us.

His love isn’t reactive — it’s redemptive.

It doesn’t rise and fall with our performance; it stands firm on His promise.

Christ didn’t just die for our best moments — He died for our worst.

He saw every failure, every regret, every rebellion… and still chose the cross.

That’s the kind of love that quiets shame and calls us to rest.

Verse:

Ephesians 2:4–5 — “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”

What This Means:

For the Believer:

our value is secure.

God’s love didn’t start the day you improved, and it doesn’t stop the day you stumble.

Let His initiating love produce confidence, not complacency.

For the Non-Believer:

God’s not waiting on us to be worthy.

He already chose to love you.

All that’s left is to receive the rescue He’s offering.

Sticky Phrase

“We didn’t chase God down — He came running for us.”

POINT THREE:

We don’t earn salvation we simply receive what God has already made possible through Jesus.

When it comes to salvation, we don’t bring anything to the table but need.

We come empty-handed, not offering potential or performance, but admitting our helplessness.

That’s what makes grace so scandalous—it begins where self-sufficiency dies.

Faith isn’t a way of earning God’s favor; it’s how we receive the gift He’s already offered.

Faith doesn’t impress God—it trusts Him.

It’s not payment for salvation; it’s the open hand that accepts it.

Our belief doesn’t make grace true; it simply embraces what’s already been done for us at the cross.

Grace starts with God and ends with God; our role is simply to respond in trust and surrender.

He initiates, He sustains, and He completes.

Our confidence isn’t in how tightly we can hold on to Him, but in how faithfully He holds on to us

Salvation is His work from beginning to end—and our joy is to rest in that finished work.

Verse:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

What This Means:

For the Believer: Remember—we didn’t work our way into grace, and we can’t work our way out of it.

Faith is not your trophy; it’s your trust in the One who rescued you.

For the Non-Believer: we don’t have to earn our way to God.

Salvation isn’t a test to pass; it’s a gift to receive. we come with open hands, not full ones.

Action:

Lay down the pressure to “get it right.”

Pray, “Lord, I bring nothing but my need—and I trust what You’ve already done is enough.”

APPLICATION

Admit your need. Confess where you’ve relied on comparison or control instead of grace.

Accept His love. Rest in the truth that God wanted you long before you wanted Him.

Abandon your striving. Walk in freedom, not fear — Jesus already did the heavy lifting.

LANDING

Romans 5:6–8 is powerful because it demolishes pride and magnifies love.

We were weak — He is strong.

We were sinners — He is Savior.

We were running — He is rescuing.

You didn’t earn it. You can’t repay it. You can only receive it through faith

Bottom Line:

The gospel isn’t about trying harder to reach God;

it’s about realizing He already came all the way to reach you.