10. Stewards of Grace

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God’s
Abundant
Grace
“abundant grace was upon them all” Acts 4:33
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
Stewards of Grace
Please open your Bible & follow along
in 1 Peter 4:10!
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Outline: Stewards of Grace
– All saints are stewards of grace
– Our duty as stewards
– Stewardship with gracious attitudes
– Stewardship with gracious forgiveness
– Stewardship with gracious speech
– Stewardship with gracious sharing
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• All saints are stewards of grace (1 Pet. 4:10)
– “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace”
(John 1:16)
– “abundant grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33)
– “much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the
one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many” (Rom. 5:15)
– “the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:4)
– “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure
of Christ’s gift.” (Eph. 4:7)
– “you all are partakers of grace with me” (Phil. 1:7)
– A steward is entrusted with handling a responsibility. Let’s
consider some Bible examples…
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Our duty as stewards
– Steward: one who is entrusted with the oversight of
something belonging to another (Gen. 39:1-6)
– Remember who the owner is (Jms. 1:17; Rom. 14:12)
– Stewards must be trustworthy (1 Cor. 4:2)
– Stewards must fulfill their duties (Lk. 12: 42-43)
– Our duty as stewards of grace is to treat other people
with grace, just as God as treated us with grace.
– Let’s examine some ways we should treat others with
grace…
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Stewardship with gracious attitudes (Eph. 4:2)
– Gracious attitudes toward others in Col. 3:12-13
•
•
•
•
•
•
Compassion (Lk. 10:33; 15:20)
Kindness (Acts 9:36; 28:2)
Humility (Mt. 18:4; Phil. 2:3; 1 Pet. 5:5)
Gentleness (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:25; 1 Pet. 3:3-4)
Patience (1 Cor. 13:4; 1 Thess. 5:14)
Forbearance (tolerance) (Eph. 4:2)
– God has been gracious to us in all these ways!
– Attitude is at the core of action…poor attitudes spoil
conduct!
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Stewardship with gracious forgiveness (Mt. 6:14-15)
– “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive
him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and
returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him”
(Lk. 17:3-4).
– “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each
other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32)
– “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,
whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord
forgave you, so also should you” (Col. 3:13)
– Judgment of how we forgive others (Mt. 18:21-35)
– Forgive others as generously as God forgives you!
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Stewardship with gracious speech (Lk. 4:22)
– “Let your speech always be with grace, as though
seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should
respond to each person” (Col. 4:6)
– “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
but only such a word as is good for edification according
to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to
those who hear” (Eph. 4:29)
– “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath,
malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth”
(Col. 3:8)
– Not a gossip or busy-body (1 Tim. 5:13)
– Speak to others in the way you want God to speak to you
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Stewardship with gracious sharing (Acts 4:32-35)
– “contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing
hospitality” (Rom. 12:13)
– The gracious giving of the churches of Macedonia and
Achaia (2 Cor. 8:1-7; Rom. 15:26-27)
– “let us do good to all people, and especially to those
who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10)
– “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to
be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:18)
– God’s judgment of how we treat others (Mt. 25:31-46)
– Be as benevolent toward others as God is to you!
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• Summary (Rom. 12:6-8)
– We have all benefitted from God’s grace.
– We have a responsibility, as stewards of grace, to share
it with other people.
– We must give grace to others in our attitude toward
them, forgiveness of their offenses, speech to them,
and treatment of them, as God has done with us.
– Abundant grace is upon YOU. What will you do with it?
– On Judgment Day, we will give account for how we used
God’s gifts and opportunities in this life.
– Grace: the more you give, the more you get!
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all men, instructing us to deny
ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly in the present age…
(Titus 2:11-12)
God’s Abundant Grace
Acts 4:33
• You too can become a steward of God’s grace today!
• Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for
our sins and was raised up.
• Repent of your sins…commit yourself to holiness.
• Confess your faith in Christ to save you.
• Be baptized into Jesus for forgiveness of your sins…this
marks the moment when grace saves the sinner.
• Continue in the blessed relationship of His favor by
remaining faithful in godliness, seeking His grace for
forgiveness when you sin.
God’s
Abundant
Grace
“abundant grace was upon them all” Acts 4:33
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