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Message Notes
What is Grace?
“Grace is God’s favor shown to those of us who don’t deserve it, cannot earn it, and will never be able to repay it.” —Chuck Swindoll
“Grace says no amount of sinning can make God love me less, and no amount of good can make God love me more.” —Philip Yancey
Grace is…
• Unmerited
“The inexhaustible supply of God’s goodness whereby He does for us what we could never do for ourselves. Grace is God’s unmerited favor.” —Tony Evans
• Unlimited
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” —Ephesians 3:17-18
• Unending
Bottomline Truth - “Grace is God giving you what you need rather than what you deserve.”
How is Grace Given to Us?
• Common grace
• Special grace
“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” —Matthew 19:30
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” —Matthew 20:1-2
“And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’” —Matthew 20:3-7
“And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’” —Matthew 20:8-15
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” —Matthew 20:16
What Are Two Attitudes That Squash Grace?
Attitude #1 - Comparison
Result – Criticism and competition
Attitude #2 - Control
Result – Manipulation and intimidation.
What Should We Do When Grace Doesn’t Make Sense?
• Let God Be God!
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” —Hebrews 6:10
“God takes complete responsibility for a life totally yielded to him.” —Charles Stanley