Sermon Text

• 1 Cor. 4:7

Sermon summary

What is your primary attitude toward all that you have? What should be your attitude toward all that you have? What is your attitude toward your daily bread, your paycheck, your career, your success? Paul teaches us that all we have is received by a pure gift of God's grace. Therefore, our attitude should be one of gratitude.

Yet, we are prone to boasting and arrogance. We are prone to look down on others who have less, who have less talent, money, success, promotion. If we would realize that all is of God's grace, it would change our attitudes. It would perhaps be a change that could extend out from us to our own workplaces, families and communities.

Reflection Questions

1. As you reflect on last weekend’s sermon,what one principle or insight stands out as being particularly helpful, insightful, or difficult to grasp?
2. What’s one thing from the sermon that you want to talk more about?
3. Was there any one thing that you most agreed with or disagreed with from the sermon? What was it and why?
4. Pastor Brandon said that some of us have our faith in one pocket and our work in another. what does this mean? Is it good or bad?
5. What are some of the various attitudes we might have regarding our possessions? What is the primary attitude we should have?
6. What does an attitude of boasting do to relationships? To the workplace? Is it helpful, hurtful?
7. Pastor Brandon said that an attitude of boasting is the result of thinking all we have is earned. He said that boasting creates a caste system within a workplace or community. What does he mean by a caste system? And have you ever experienced a workplace like that?
8. All is of grace. But, does that mean we should no longer work hard?
9. What did Pastor Brandon mean by the statement that "God works through means"?
10. What is civilization? And what are some of the blessings we receive from it that we did not earn or merit?
11. Do you struggle with spending too much time thinking about your work and your paycheck and not enough time about God's grace?
12. What are some of the ways that an attitude of gratitude can transform our daily lives?

Topics and Verses for Further Study or Discussion

· The Doctrine of vocation:

<a></a><a>http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Vocation--Work/</a>

· The Ministry Divide http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/06/02/the-ministry-divide/