1. God’s Abundant Grace “abundant grace was upon them all” Acts 4:33

2. Stewards of Grace Please open your Bible & follow along in 1 Peter 4:10! God’s Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

3. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

4. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

5. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

6. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

7. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

8. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

9. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

10. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

11. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

12. 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 Abundan t Grace Acts 4:33

13. God’s Abundant Grace “abundant grace was upon them all” Acts 4:33