IT IS BY GRACE

TITLE: IT IS BY GRACE SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15:10 * One of the first and fundamental things that every Christian learns is that we are saved by grace and not works. Ephesians 2:8-9 * Our ministries and callings are also by grace. Galatians 1:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:9 * Aaron as priest and David as king were chosen by grace. Hebrews 5:1-4, 1 Chronicles 17:16 * In our scripture Paul declares that "by the grace of God I am what I am". This means grace goes beyond salvation and calling or ministry - it makes us who we are. 1 Corinthians 15:10 * Failure to recognize grace leads to pride. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 * Pride will cause God to resist you. James 4:6 * Failure to recognize that it is by grace leads to a sense of entitlement which leads to a lack of thankfulness. * David did not take the ark of the Covenant when he was fleeing from Absalom because he did not feel entitled to the throne. 2 Samuel 15:24-26 * In 1 Samuel 30 the people talked of stoning David because they had a sense of entitlement. 1 Samuel 30:6 * They had nothing and were in debt when they came to David. 1 Samuel 22:1-2 * In those days your children could be taken from you to pay your debts. 2 Kings 4:1 * "The wicked and worthless[c] men of those who went with David" did not want to share in the spoil taken from the Amalekites because they felt they had gotten it by their own strength but David reminded them it was by grace. 1 Samuel 30:22-23 * Even when we give to God, it is by grace because He gave us what we are giving back to Him. 1 Chronicles 29:14