The Gospel of Your Salvation (First Love Fire Part 1)

We’re stepping into a new season as a church with a fresh focus on our identity, calling, and purpose. And to help us get anchored, we’re spending the next several weeks in the book of Ephesians. The series is called First Love Fire—and the heart behind it is simple: to return to the joy and power of our salvation and let the truth of the gospel reignite our love for Jesus.

As Paul says in Ephesians 5, the bride is made ready as she is washed in the water of the Word. That’s what we’re doing with this series. We’re letting the Word of God do its work—washing, refining, and renewing our hearts.

And it all starts with remembering what God has done for us through the gospel.

A Father Who Pursues

At the core of this message is a picture of a father who will stop at nothing to find his lost children. During a visit to a ranch in Texas, Pastor Chris lost track of two of his sons while exploring the property. What started as a small detour turned into full-blown panic. Searching, yelling, climbing fences, calling out their names—it was chaos.

The panic, fear, and desperation he felt weren’t just about lost kids on a ranch. It became a personal revelation of how God the Father feels about his children being separated from him. In the garden, when sin broke our relationship with God, it didn’t just affect us—it broke the Father’s heart. From that moment, God launched the greatest rescue mission in history to bring us home.

That’s what the gospel is about: a Father pulling out all the stops to be reunited with his kids.

The Heart of the Gospel

Ephesians 1 gives us one of the most beautiful summaries of what the gospel has accomplished. Paul writes this letter to a group of people in Ephesus who had come to believe in Jesus—and he opens not with correction or instructions but with worship:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing...”
(Ephesians 1:3)

Over and over again in this passage, Paul uses the phrase “in him” or “in Christ.” Why? Because everything we have comes through Jesus. Here's what Paul says we’ve received:

• Chosen

• Loved

• Adopted

• Redeemed

• Forgiven

• Enlightened

• Enriched

• Empowered

And all of it is “in Christ,” and all of it was made possible “through his blood.”

It’s easy to skim past that phrase, but we shouldn’t. Everything we’ve received is free for us, but it was incredibly costly for Jesus. The blood of Jesus—his death on the cross—is the price that secured our salvation. That’s why Paul can’t help but worship.

Justified and Made New

Paul describes it in Romans this way:

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

The word Paul uses is “justified.” That means declared right in the eyes of God. Not because we earned it. Not because we fixed ourselves. But because of Jesus' blood.

For anyone who has ever felt unworthy, distant, or full of shame—this is the good news. You don’t have to stay separated from God. The gospel declares that you are no longer a sinner but a saint. That’s not based on how perfect your week was. That’s based on what Jesus did.

Paul even says that when we hear and believe the gospel, we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). God doesn’t just forgive us—he gives us himself. His Spirit lives in us, making us holy and empowering us to live new lives.

A New Name

To drive this home, everyone at the gathering was invited to write down a new name—an identity spoken over them by God. Not a nickname from the past, not a label given by failure, not a lie stuck in their head. But the name that heaven calls them.

Maybe your old name was Shame, Fear, or Not Enough. But through the blood of Jesus, God has renamed you: Chosen. Free. Holy. Beloved.

As a church, we’re learning to shake off the labels that don’t belong and step into what Jesus has paid for. That’s how we return to our first love—by remembering what he’s already done.

The Only Right Response

Three times in Ephesians 1, Paul uses the phrase, “to the praise of his glorious grace.” Why does Paul open the letter this way? Because he wants us to worship. When we see what God has done, when we recognize the cost, and when we receive what he’s freely given, praise is the only right response.

This is what First Love Fire is all about. Coming back to the moment we first believed. Letting that fire burn again. Not coasting on old stories, but freshly amazed at the gospel.

And if you’ve never believed this before—if you’ve never said yes to Jesus and received what he did for you—today can be your day.