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We sometimes take so much credit for ourselves that we forget where everything comes from. Everything is a product of God’s grace in our lives.
1 Corinthians 4:6-16
Defining God’s Grace
- Grace is – God’s unmerited favor
- Grace is – God’s sufficiency or God’s fulness in the life of the believer
- Grace is – Costly
- Grace is – exhibited clearly in the atonement of Christ on the cross
- Grace is – Portrayed in the lives of believers
God’s grace comes down to us and is showered freely upon us. We are to pass this grace that we have received on to those around us. God’s grace is not for us to keep, but rather to pass on to others.
Personal Awareness of God’s Grace
My Spiritual Gifts – Romans 12:3-8 – Notice the word grace as we look at this passage. God determines the type and amount of the gifts that we have – and yes we have these gifts among us in this church body.
My Heart – The things that we are passionate about. These interests are given to us by God. Mark 12 tells us to love God with all that we are, all that we have.
My Abilities – The natural talents that we have. The ability to talk. The ability to run. The ability to think. The ability to make money. We need all of these abilities in our church body. Your natural ability should be used for his glory!
My Personality – Your personality is unique. God uses your personality in his church.
My Life Experiences – God is using the things that you experience in life to bless this church. The things that you have been through have made you who you are… God is using these things to shape our lives.
How Should We Respond to God’s Grace?
God’s grace is freely showered upon us. What is our response? What should our response be?
- Gratitude. This is perhaps the most important way to respond. Thankfulness for the grace that God has given us and continues to give us. Ephesians 2:1-10 – Our lives need to be filled with gratitude for the grace that we have received from God.
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Humility – 1 Peter 1:5 – We are asked to clothe ourselves with humility. If we think that we can do life on our own, God says that he will resist those who are proud, but He gives grace to the humble. You cannot win as a proud person. God will resist you.
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Submission – God gives his grace freely to those who will receive it. We can reject God’s grace, many have done that. In order to receive God’s grace we must submit to his working in and on us.
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Availability – 1 Peter 4:10 – We respond to God’s grace by making ourselves available to be used by God.
We are a product of God’s grace and it calls for a response from each one of us.