Sermon Tone Analysis

*1 Corinthians 15:9 *For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

*10 **But** by the grace of God I am what I am,* and *his grace to me was not without effect.

No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.*

·         *I do not deserve Grace because I….*

o   We can all fill in this blank with old and new things.

Right?

o   I do not deserve because I did this or that… and because I did not do this or that…

 

·         *But** by the grace of God I am what I am (an Apostle)*

·         *BIG BUT! *How many of you are glad that that word is there?*

*(Have you seen the movie Shrek?

Donkey sings a song at the end of the movie remember?*

(I like big Buts and I cannot lie…)*

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o   The enemy the devil has twisted this to mean today *“By the grace of God I can get what I want”*

o   What I am, not who I am!

§  Is there a Difference?

·         What I am is a child of God, called to be a Minister, who I am is Jerry Lillard

·         Grace guides us to be a “what” you are already a “who”

·         Grace has already been given through Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9) to become someone.

o   By the Jesus Christ we have been made the righteousness of God, we have been adopted into his family, made the Children of God.

o   *Now we can receive the Grace of God to become something and to do something for him.*

o   *Grace guides my life in a certain direction, in a path, into a lifestyle, into obedience.*

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*Titus 2:11 *For *the grace of God* that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

*12 **It teaches us* to say *“No”* to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, *13 **while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ*, *14 *who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

NIV

 

o   *Grace makes me what I am*

§  *Can you or I say today, what I am today is because of the Grace of God.

What I am right now is what God has done.

It is all his doing?*

·         Remember it’s not *who* I am it is *WHAT* I am.

o   *Can I say my laziness is from God, my bad temper is from God, my fear is from God….of course not, this is my doing.*

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·         *his grace to me was not without effect.

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o   Can his grace be without effect?

Yes, if we do not partner with Grace for God’s purposes.

§  *In other words, “As I partnership with his Grace”*

o   *No, I worked harder than all of them—*

o   *yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.*

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