Living in God's Grace

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Intro
Let’s review the benefits of grace

Benefits of Grace

1. We are saved by Grace (Eph 2:8-9)
Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
2. We are forgiven by Grace. (Isa 43:25)
Isaiah 43:25 NLT
25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.
3. We are sustained by Grace. (Phil 2:13)
Philippians 2:13 NLT
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
4. we are healed by Grace. (Ps 147:3)
Psalm 147:3 NLT
3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
5. We are set free by Grace. (Matt 11:28-29)
Matthew 11:28–29 NLT
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
6. We are transformed by Grace. (Romans 12:2)
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
7. We learn to forgive by Grace. (Matt 10:8)
Matthew 10:8 NLT
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
8. We grow through Grace. (2 Peter 3:18)
2 Peter 3:18 NLT
18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
Everything we have is by the Grace of God

How do we receive God’s Grace?

How do we receive God’s Grace? By Trusting in Jesus!

All of God’s grace is wrapped up in Jesus. He is the source of all of it.
John 1:17 TEV
17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
You don’t get grace from religion, ritual, rules, regulations… Grace comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:11 The Living Bible
11 Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins—making us friends of God.
NOTE - in dying for our sins...
Grace is free for us, but it cost Jesus his life.
Grace is all that God does for us because of the cross.
Jesus wants us to remember the sacrifice he made so he created communion.
When Jesus died on the cross
He paid the price for our sins
… so we don’t have to.
He broke the power of sin
… so we can be free from habits and addictions...
He guaranteed freedom from sin in heaven.
We rejoice because of gratitude for what Jesus did.
1 John 3:16 NLT
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Jesus sacrifice on the cross is the most unselfish act in history.
2 Corinthians 8:9 The Message
9 You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.

How can we show our gratitude for God’s Grace?

1. By making my life count for Christ.

You can’t understand the grace of God and keep living any selfish way you wish… You owe him everything.
1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT
20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
This means that you…
Can’t just keep ignoring his commands
Cant just keep wasting time on trivial stuff
Can’t just keep spending all your money on yourself.
ILL - Ronald Reagan - After the failed assignation attempt. “I have a new sense that I’d been spared for a purpose and the rest of my life belonged to God.”
You have been spared for a purpose as well.
1 Peter 4:10 NLT
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
He has given you gifts, talents, abilities, education, and opportunities because of His Grace. These gifts have been given to you for a greater purpose.

2. By becoming a generous person.

2 Corinthians 9:7–8 NLT
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
If you want to measure how much you understand grace, live by grace, and are grateful for grace, examine your attitude towards giving.
Nothing is greater proof that you understand grace than loving generosity to God and others.
The Christian live could almost be summed up: love, give serve.
If you are uptight, reluctant, stingy or defensive about giving, either you don’t understand God’s Grace or you are ungrateful for it.
Truth - we don’t own anything. God loans it to us for a time. We would not have anything if it were not for His grace.
All things… always… God says he will take care of all of it.
Will you trust the God who gave his own life for you?
Romans 8:32 NLT
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
Fact: I can say and sing that I love God with all my heart, but my giving reveals my heart. Time, Talents, Treasure...
The more you grow in grace the more generous you become.

3. By sharing the Good News of Grace.

Acts 20:24 NCV
24 I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.
The most important thing is not that I build a successful career… get married… fund my retirement… be envied for my wealth…
The most important thing is for you and for me to fulfill the mission God has put us here for, and part of that mission is to tell others about our relationship with Jesus.
If someone died for you, would you want to know?
This is the motivation for everything we do here at River Church…
Jesus died for everyone on the Westbank
ILL - typical person will sit at home not know what Jesus has done for them… totally unaware that Jesus paid their bill. That person has to be reached before they live life without purpose and die separated from God.
For the person who dies without Jesus, Jesus death was a waste.
2 Peter 3:9 NLT
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Who will I tell?

Fall is a great time to talk to people. There are church activities… Christmas is coming. Write down just one or two of your FRAN and pray for God to open the door for you to share with.
Altar time
Some of you might need to confess your lack of gratitude to God for his grace.
Some of you need to confess you fear
of living to make your life count for him...
of using your abilities for him
of not tithing and putting him first in your finances.
of identifying myself as a believer at work… school...
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