Sermon – Amazing Grace

  • Amazing Grace! … How sweet the sound! … That saved a wretch like me! … I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.

  • John Newton published the song, “Amazing Grace,” in 1772.  The hymn first appeared in a hymnbook titled, “The Olney Hymns,” in 1779.

  • Various sites say they are nearly 1,000 arrangements of this song; and more albums that contain a version of the song.

  • The original fourth verse was changed to the “when we’ve been there 10,000 years,” but originally it was “The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures” … which many of us know from Chris Tomlin’s song.
    • My chains are gone I’ve been set free …
    • My God, my savior has ransomed me and like a flood His mercy reigns …
    • Unending love, Amazing Grace.

  • Chris Tomlin then goes on to use Newton’s words to finish … The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures.  He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.  The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine.  But God who called me here below, will be forever mine.  Will be forever mine.

  • The grace of a mighty and powerful God, who benevolently expresses His grace on a fallen and underserving people.  A God, so gracious to send His Son – His only Son – to pay the price for the sins of humanity.

  • There may be no better known or more powerful words in all of our hymns.  However, when we sing or hear this song, do we stop to think about the meaning?  What is the idea behind this “amazing grace” we sing about?

  • But, what is grace and what does grace really mean?  To capture a deeper understanding of this “amazing grace,” we only have to look in the book of Ephesians.  If you will, please turn to Ephesians 2; and we will read the first ten verses.
  • Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT) … (1) Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  (2) You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world.  He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.  (3) All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.  By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.  (4) But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, (5) that even though we were dead because of our sins, he have us life when he raised Christ from the dead.  (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!).  (6) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  (7) So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.  (8) God saved you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  (9) Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  (10) For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

  • In this passage, Paul reminds the Church in Ephesus of the great work God has done in their lives; who gets the credit (God); that we can’t boast; and what the results of salvation are.

  • Grace is one of the key words of our faith; along with Peace, Truth, Forgiveness, Mercy,  Faith, Hope and Love.  We could have many sermons over these words, but today our focus is on grace.

  • Paul says that grace is the key ingredient and everything associated with Christianity flows from grace.  Paul’s words tell us that grace is the centerpiece of God’s salvation.  Everything else that we know and do as Christians flows from and builds upon our understanding of grace.  So, how do we define grace; what is grace?

  • Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for regeneration or sanctification … A virtue coming from God … The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God … A state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace … A manifestation of favor, especially by a superior (and God is supreme) … Mercy … Clemency … Pardon … Inspires virtuous impulses  … Imparts strength to endure trials and resist temptations.

  • Grace is an attribute of God that is most manifest in the salvation of sinners.  Most of Christianity would hold that the initiative in the relationship of grace between God and the individual is always on the side of God.
  • Maybe this will help make grace make sense:
    • Grace is God’s riches at Christ expense
    • Grace is God’s love taking the initiative to meet man’s need, whatever it is
    • Grace is love stopping down
    • Grace is getting what you don’t deserve (mercy is not getting what you deserve)
    • Grace goes beyond mercy – mercy is the governor giving a guilty man a pardon, but grace is the governor giving the man a pardon and then taking him home.

  • Paul says that God is the actor when it comes to grace.  Grace as Paul shares the concept means completely underserved, loving commitment of God to us.  God gives himself to us, attaches himself to us, and acts to rescue us.

  • Because of His mercy and love, God saves us, and that saving is a result of God’s grace.  Paul is clear – wrath should have come, but grace (salvation) comes instead.

  • If grace is God giving Himself to us without any preconditions or complaints, then we are given significance, and we find our value in God’s relationship to us.

  • Even though we are given value, the attention is not on us, but upon the One who loves us so deeply.  Grace should move us to be humble, worship, do good works and bear fruit.

  • In London, England in the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon (a Baptist) and Joseph Parker (Congregational Church) were both popular preachers and had by most accounts successful ministries.  On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor conditions of the children admitted to the orphanage ran by Spurgeon.  However, it was reported to Spurgeon that Parker had criticized the orphanage and not just said some of the children were very bad off.  Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit.  The sermon was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town.  People flocked to Parker’s church the next week to hear his rebuttal.  Parker said the following, “I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage.  I suggest we take a love offering here as well.”  The crowd was delighted and the ushers had to empty the collection plates three times.  Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study.  It was Charles Spurgeon himself who said, “You know Parker; you have practiced grace on me.  You have given me not what I deserved; you have given me what I needed.”

  • All of what was said up to this point is the first point and to sum that up we could say the following; “Grace is so amazing, and sounds so sweet because with God’s grace we don’t get what we deserve – we get what we need, and that is salvation and a new life!
  • The 2nd reason that grace is so amazing and sound so sweet is because of its cost.

  • God gives His grace to us as a gift.  The Greek word is “doron.”  The “doron” was the kind of gift offered as an expression of honor, and was used whenever someone offered gifts or sacrifices to God, and was also used of the gifts people put into the Temple treasury.

  • Paul says that God’s grace is God’s “doron,” his gift to us.  God has honored us with His grace.  Isn’t that amazing?  We dishonor God by being disobedient, by failing to love as we should, yet He bestows the honor of His grace upon us anyway!

  • Paul expressly states that God’s grace is a gift to us.  In verse 9: “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”  We haven’t earned it.  As a matter of fact we can’t earn it. 

  • As Christians, we know that salvation was paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross.  Jesus took the punishment and the result is us being able to have a relationship with God. 

  • When we go to work and receive our pay that is called a wage.  When we are in a competition and do well we receive a prize, trophy, or plaque. When we receive recognition for our hard work that is an award. 

  • However, with grace it is a gift – a costly gift.  It cannot be earned as a wage; we just have to accept it.  It cannot be competed for; we just have to accept it.  It cannot be achieved because we work hard; we just have to accept it. 

  • This is what we mean when we talk about grace being a gift – it is freely given, but the cost was paid by Jesus.  We are not capable of earning it, but we receive it anyway.

  • As humans, we treat gifts we receive, mainly on the following two variables; (1) the value of the gift, and (2) our relationship to the giver.

  • If the gift is valuable, we tend to cherish it more, to put it up on the mantle to show it off, or put it in a safe place because we don’t want it to get lost, stolen, or broken.

  • Parents know that when children create artistic masterpieces in Sunday School or for some class project and are presented with them, that these gifts have little monetary value since they could just be a colored page or some macaroni glued to a board.
  • However, this gift has a depth of meaning because of the time and love involved in making it and the relationship between parent and child.  So this gift goes to a special place – a shoebox, photo album, or on the refrigerator.

  • What do we do with the gift of grace God has given us?  Do we cherish it and produce fruit or do we simply take it for granted and keep sinning or have a do-nothing religion? 

  • In Romans 6, Paul said that believers should not continue in sin; and should walk in the new life; and are in fact free from sin and should obey God unto righteousness!

  • Paul told the Corinthian Church that grace that put him to work (1st Corinthians 15:10).

  • When our hearts are touched by grace, we move in obedience and service because we are grateful for the wonderful gift.

  • Obedience and service are how we cherish the gift of God in Jesus Christ.  When we obey Christ’s commands, when we serve, when we give, when we love, when we study, when we pray, when we forgive, when we spread the Gospel, when we gather together for worship and study – this proves that we truly cherish what God has given us.

  • When we don’t obey and when we refuse to serve, this shows that we don’t cherish God’s gift; and that we truly don’t care that Jesus died on the cross on our behalf.

  • Lastly, the third and final reason, that grace is so amazing and sounds so sweet is that grace works in our lives to transform us from what we are to what Christ calls us to be.

  • God’s grace is the gift that keeps on giving!

  • Grace is certainly not a onetime offering on God’s part and does not end at salvation.  Grace is what enables us to respond to God when He knocks on our hearts or calls us to a certain vocation or volunteer opportunity.  Grace is what enables us to serve and continues with us throughout our lives.

  • Paul’s use of the Greek verb indicates that salvation is a past act that has continuing results now and in the future.  For the Christian to whom Paul was writing, this passage makes the stark contrast to the life lived before God’s grace and the life lived after God’s grace.   Grace enables us to live a life free from sin, it sanctifies us, allows us to resist temptation, and to serve God fully to whatever mission He calls you or me or us to.
  • Before, it was “Once you were dead…because of your many sins” (v.1).  In contrast though, Paul says, “But God is so rich in mercy…he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead” (v.4-5).  From death to life, that is just the first transformation God’s grace works.

  • John Newton knew the sweet sound of amazing grace in a mighty way; how else could he have penned such enduring words.  They are autobiographical words.  You see, John Newton felt like a wretch.  Born into a respectable family with an early Christian upbringing, at 11 he was sailing with his father, and by the time Newton was 17, he had laid aside every religious principle and abandoned himself to the service of the devil.  He became a deserter and was arrested as a common felon, and at times throughout his life contemplated suicide.  He began service among the slave traders of Sierra Leone, and the shame of his actions drove him to “hide myself in the woods from the site of strangers,” and he believed that, “my conduct, principles, and heart were still darker than my outward condition.”

  • Then on March 10, 1748, during a violent storm on a slave ship to England, a storm as violent as the night’s, broke across his soul.  That date became Newton’s spiritual birthday.
    Newton would write, “I cried to the Lord with a cry like that of the ravens which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear.  And I remembered Jesus whom I had so often derided.”

  • 16 years later, Newton was ordained a priest in the Church of England in the town of Olney.  It was there, in collaboration with William Cowper, that they published ‘Olney Hymns.’  Number 31, contained these words – Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound!  That saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.

  • At age 82, Newton said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”  No wonder he understood grace so well – the completely undeserved mercy and favor of God.

  • Newton, writing his own epitaph for his tombstone before he died on December 21, 1807 reveals how far God’s amazing grace had brought him:
    • JOHN NEWTON, Clerk
    • Once an infidel and libertine – A servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Gospel which he had long labored to destroy. 

  • Grace never stops working – grace enables us to respond to God and “get saved” – grace enables us to worship God – grace enables us to live a life worthy of our calling – grace enables us to dedicate our lives to serving God – and it is grace that will lead us home.