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“Why Be Good Stewards Of Grace”
Worship Service / Bible Study
July 03, 2011 - Sunday – 10:00am
Audio Recording (mp3) of – “Be Good Stewards Of Grace” – By Pastor Larry Hostetler
Speaker: Pastor Larry Hostetler
Notes by: Gary Bales
Great things are coming up because we are still alive. No matter what your current situation is you still have the opportunity to do something for God! Ecclesiastes tells us that there is no work in the grave. Meaning that the time to show ourselves approved is while we are alive, we will not have this opportunity when we are dead. There is nothing in scripture that eve implies that we will continue to grow and mature after we get to heaven.
There will be rewards and we will receive commissions for what we will be doing based upon what we have done before we die and are risen from the dead. We know that God is no respecter of persons but that doesn't mean that we will all receive equally when we get to heaven.
We get to enjoy this life but we need to remember each of our lives is given to us for our own preparation of what is to come. god gave us richly for our enjoyment, but let u snot forget God, the One who gave to us. all that He has given us is for us to do what He has predestined us to do. Full filling God's plan for our lives will have it's rewards when we get to heaven.
We need to be faithful to what God has called us to do!
God has given us all things to enjoy and that is why we should strive to be good stewards of what He has provided for us including our lives and out place in haven which was paid for by the blood of Christ. Even when God corrects us it is for our benefit, He knows the plans He has for us and He doesn't want us to miss what He has prepared for us.
It is by god's grace that we or this or that. the world says you can do what ever you want, but doing Gods will is what's right and when we are doing God's will He gives us the grace to accept it. Then it is not work but becomes what we really want to do.
In America it is very easy to be a Christian as we do not have to fear death, beating or punishment. If you live in America be glad you have the opportunity to profess Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, as your Savior and King. Is is also very easy to not serve God, to chose our own path instead of the one that God planned for us. Even though America was founded on Christian beliefs it does not mean that today America is a Christian nation. Not all Americans are Christian, this is most unfortunate. It's good to be an American but is is far more important to be born-again!
It is by grace that we are saved!
When a man please God even his enemies will be at peace with him, this also is God's grace in action. Many have paid the price so that we as Americans can have the freedoms that we have, including the freedom to worship God. Not all the paid for our freedom were born-again and we will not see them when we get to heaven. God will use who He wants to use to bring us to were we are, this is yet more grace.
1 John 3:2 - 'When we see Him, Jesus, we will be like Him', this doesn't mean that we are to wait until then to be like Him. We are to be manifesting Christ in us, now, by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.
July 4th is indeed a day of celebration and other countries have their own days celebration. But the celebration that will draw all men to God is to celebrate the grace God as shown us in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
It is easy enough to become bound by the sins that so easily beset us. We are in a free nation but bondage is still present. Maybe you are not bond. Maybe the chains the held you have been broken off. If this is the case then celebrate! But beware, maybe you think that nothing is binding you, just remember he who sins is a slave to sin and is in bondage. Examine your life against the perfect standard of Christ to see if you are still chained by your sins. Some live in a free nation and are bond while there are others who live in oppressive nations and and are free. so it is not about were you live, it's about being a good steward of grace, having been saved, by living a life of grace towards others.
John 8:1 - This refers to the woman that was caught in adultery and was brought before Jesus by the pharisees
The Pharisees sought to trap Jesus, to find fault in Him so that they might discredit Him or even find Him guilty of blasphemy so they might stone Him. But Jesus gave the 'green light' to stone her, so long as there was at least one among them that was without stone. Of course the only one among them without sin was Jesus. Each one has to consider their own lives and accordingly so, not a one of them could say to themselves that they had no sin. When Jesus did not pickup a stone He showed her grace. Hopefully she celebrated this grace and became a good steward of it by turning away from her sins.
Grace - the 'Freedom Factor' - What will really set you free!
What sets us free is the grace granted to us by God. 'For by grace you have been saved'. You can't make changes to your self or in your life by your self that will give you freedom from sin. But before you can obtain the freedom that God intended you to have you must come to the understanding that you are in need of a savior. One cannot be talked into understanding their own wretchedness, it takes God drawing the person to Himself before they can come to this understanding.
Hebrews 12:28 - So let us have grace.
Grace is the determining factor in heaven and grace is what we have now. it is because of grace that we can take part in and full fill what Jesus said 'I cam so that you might have life and have it more abundantly'. Without grace we could not 'have life more abundantly'. Grace gives us the opportunity to server God rather than our self.
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Teachings 
