Graciousness

Graciousness

William H. Banegas July 17, 2011

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Theme: Because of God’s great act of grace to us, you, yourself, keep on becoming kind, compassionate, and gracious to one another.

Introduction: 2 weeks ago I had a unique opportunity to sit in traffic for over 3-½ hrs because a tractor-trailer’s load of hay had caught fire. I got off of work at a little after 2pm and hit the traffic at about 20 mins. after and found myself in the heat of it (forgive the pun). Throughout my time sitting stuck in traffic I struggled greatly with thoughts of anger and irritation over the circumstance. I began to assert to myself that God is always good. When we face circumstances like that we are greatly tempted to raise our fist in effigy as it were to God and say in action and thought that He isn’t good. So besides asserting that God is always good, I determined to utilize my phone for what it was worth and listen to Christ-honoring sermons. One of them was about our passage that we are going to consider this morning: Ephesians 4:32.

Because of our gifts from Christ (chapter 1), our present position to Christ by faith (chapter 2), and His revelation to us (chapter 3), conduct yourself in a manner worthy of being Christ’s (chapter 4).

Gifts from Christ in Salvation

God has a plan for those who would trust Christ

Holy

Unblemished

He did this through His plan of adoption through Christ

It pleased Him

That others would stand back and praise His amazing grace

God has redeemed, therefore forgiving them of their offenses, through Christ’s blood

God has given us the Holy Spirit, the down payment of the things to come

By God’s grace and through your faith placed in Christ alone, we are alive in Christ, never to depart from Him

God has revealed to us His marvelous salvation through Jesus Christ, previously unknown to those outside of the Jewish race

Because of God’s great act of grace to us, you, yourself, keep on becoming kind to one another.

Kind: TBKC-What is suitable or fitting to a need

If you are to be kind you must speak the Truth (in love) and in such a way as to meet the conversant’s need of grace for that moment.

Because of God’s great act of grace to us, you, yourself, keep on becoming compassionate to one another.

Tenderhearted or compassionate: a feeling which inwardly compels you to meet the need (either physical or spiritual) of one who is desperately in need-My heart goes out to them

It’s the feeling that motivates those of us to give money to charities that display pictures of gaunt children

It’s the feeling that motivates us to adopt a pet

If you are to be compassionate you will labor so that in your abundance to can give to others who have need.

Because of God’s great act of grace to us, you, yourself, keep on becoming gracious to one another.

Forgiveness or graciousness: To bestow favor unconditionally (The Prodigal Son)

If you are to be as gracious as God is, you must forgive others unconditionally.

Conclusion: