The stewardship of God’s Grace

1Peter 4:7-11

Introduction: If we just read these few verses, it sounds like the apostle Peter is saying simply, God’s people need to do more. Well that isn’t the jest of his statements. To fully understand these verses we must understand the circumstances surrounding them. The nation of Israel is about fall, the book of I Peter was written around A.D. 65 during the reign of Nero. During this time Christians were being hunted like trophy animals. If arrested and found guilty of being a Christian one would have to make a decision, die a Christian death or give over your Christian brothers. For Christians this was to say the least a difficult time. In just five short years (A.D. 70), Israel will be destroyed and the scenes Christ described to His disciples would come to pass. The temple would be torn down and the citizens scattered across the world. Israel would remain in this condition until the latter parts of these last days. Today we are fortunate and blessed with the comfort of a nation which protects us from those types of dangers, though others still face physical persecution even in this century. Here in the safe and secure United States we face an equally dangerous enemy, the enemy of complacency. Have you ever thought about how blessed we really are and how little we really acknowledge it and share it? For a few minutes, this evening let’s look at the stewardship of God’s grace, what it is, how it applies to our life, how we are handling it and how we could handle it better. Notice with me...

The stewardship of God’s grace doesnt last forever it will end.

I An apocalypse is coming.

A The end is always coming.

1 Individually

2 Church

3 World

B. The signs are around us.

1. The times of the gentiles

2. The mid –east buildup

3. The insensitivity for the Church

4. The opportunities for the Church

The stewardship of God’s grace speaks to the heart of every believer, through..

II An awareness for the Christian to

A Control our passions

B Be considerate to our prayer life

C Be compassionate to one another

Fervent Charity - passionate brotherly love and concern

D. The Consideration of generosity

1. The Good Samaritan didn’t loose anything

2. Martha’s house did get cleaned

3. Ananias didn’t get hurt

4 Give God the first fruits

The stewardship of God’s grace applies to our life through...

III An exercise of service

Gift is not spiritual gifts but the word ca,risma charisma {khar'-is-mah} Meaning opportunity to present salvation to another.

A. Service originates from within the church

B. Service extends into the community of the church

Conclusion: If the church today can become as burdened over the lost and unchurched as some are over the condition of the world during the coming tribulation period we could make a very dramatic impact on souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s true our time here is winding down and regardless of how we leave this world be it the grave or the cloud we must decide how we are going to use our remaining days. This morning sister Elaine made a true and interesting statement, ‘we can all look back and wish we had started serving the Lord earlier in life.’ I appreciate that and your song as well it along with the others was a blessing. Well tonight, I challenge you to look ahead and find ways to serve the Lord better in the future. Not because anything is done wrong but because of the reality of always being able to do something better. That way we will not be looking back in five years we will still be looking forward.