OMG #1 -- God of Grace: 041013

 Message: OMG! – God of Grace

I.                   Introduction

a.       Over the next few weeks we are going to be talking about different character traits of God.  Beyond this, God desires us to be like him, so we will show how we can live out that characteristic in our own lives.

b.      Tonight we are going to look at the character trait of grace

                                                              i.      1^st Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

                                                            ii.      We have a God of Grace

II.                Body

a.       What is Grace?

                                                              i.      Illus: Les Miserable

1.      A novel adapted into various movies, follows the life of Jean Valjean, a thief who is released from prison after 19 years.  After spending hours trying to find a place to stay a Bishop invites him to stay at the church.

2.      Play Video Clip (3 minutes)

                                                            ii.      That is grace, when we receive something good that we in no way deserve nor could we ever pay back.

                                                          iii.      In this case Jean Valjean is given a new life, being bought back for God

b.      How Does God Have Grace For Me?

                                                              i.      Read Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

                                                            ii.      God demonstrated his character of grace to us by buying us back from sin.  We have sinned and been separated from God, but Jesus died in order to pay the penalty that we owed for our sin.  We are then given forgiveness and salvation this is God’s grace to us, something we don’t deserve that we cannot pay back.

                                                          iii.      It is a gift, so that means we can choose to accept that gift or reject it.

                                                          iv.      We can’t earn that salvation on our own, it only comes through Jesus.

                                                            v.      Before I go on, is there anyone here tonight that wants to accept that gift of forgiveness?  (Pray if there is)

c.       How Do I Live a Life of Grace?

                                                              i.      If we are supposed to be like God we should be people of……GRACE!

                                                            ii.      Read Matthew 18:21-35

                                                          iii.      We are people of grace when we forgive, they haven’t earned it, they don’t deserve it, nor can they pay us back for it, but we forgive because we are showing the same grace God has shown to us.

III.             Conclusion

a.       Tonight in your group there are some papers for each of you to fill out.  And they are not easy because I know there are many of you who have been hurt by others and there are even many of you that don’t want to forgive or show grace to that person.  But it is what God has called us to do, because we received grace from Him, we give grace to those around us.