Series: Amazed?
Sermon 1: Amazing Savior!
Summary: It’s time to be amazed and be amazing for Jesus! It’s time the church be astonished at what Jesus has done and is doing through us His Church today! Are you amazed?
Sermon 2: Good Friday - Amazing Grace!
Thesis: Good Friday unveils to us "Amazing Grace" which is seen through Jesus last few words and actions on the cross.
Scripture Texts:
Luke 23:32-47:
32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
37and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
Matthew 27:45-54:
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “EloiEloi, EloiEloi, lama sabachthanisabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
T.S. - The scene of the crucifixion of Jesus is a scene of God’s grace in deed and action.
I. What is so amazing about grace?
a. Grace is always directly related to the cross and its eternal meaning.
i. When you speak of the cross you speak and talk about grace. Grace came as a result of the cross, grace was birthed on the cross by Christ’s death, by His acts and by His words.
1. Prior to Jesus arrival to earth you never heard of the word grace.
2. Jesus birthed the word through his life and death and gave it meaning.
3. He never used the word He just role modeled it to a fallen world and this new word was created by Him.
a. The word has moved on throughout history impacting person upon person over time.
b. But it all got started or birthed from the atrocity of the cross and Jesus death.
c. This amazing grace is defined by Chuck Swindoll as:
i. To show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn’t deserve it and can never earn it.
ii. Receiving God’s acceptance by grace always stands in sharp contrast to earning it on the basis of works. Every time the thought of grace appears, there is the idea of its being undeserved. In no way is the recipient getting what he or she deserves. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver (9).
d. Grace came as a result of Jesus life and death and it transformed the world of the day and birthed the movement called Christianity.
i. Grace is Christianity’s unique contribution to the world because no other world religion offers it! C.S Lewis
ii. Gordon MacDonald stated, “You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace.”
iii. The church’s of Jesus Christ single most important contribution to this world is the offer of grace.
iv. David Seamands states, “Many years ago I was driven to the conclusion that the two major causes of most emotional problems among evangelicals Christians are these: the failure to understand, receive, and live out God’s unconditional grace and forgiveness; and the failure to give out that unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace to other people…We read, we hear, we believe a good theology of grace. But that’s not the way we live. The good news of the Gospel of grace has not penetrated the level of our emotions” (Yancy, page 15 – “What is so amazing about Grace?”).
v. Philip Yancy states in his book “What’ So Amazing About Grace” -- “Oddly, I sometimes find a shortage of grace within the church an institution founded to proclaim, in Paul’s phrase, “the Gospel of God’s grace.” (Page 14).
b. Once again Grace is defined as receiving a gift that we do not deserve - that gift which is directly linked to the cross is salvation. This gift gives us right standing in the presence of God - even though our sinful lives do not deserve that position of honor. It comes to those who embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
i. Jesus talked about grace often and he referenced it through stories in the Bible called “parables” –which were teachings of His.
ii. He saw God’s grace in the world and pointed it out to a religion that did not possess it yet claimed to possess and know God.
iii. Grace has a form of new math or a different way of adding things up. It went against the teachings of the religious leaders of the day and for us in our rigid religious societies today.
1. This grace is seen in the parable of the vineyard workers - the ones who came later in the day got the same pay as the ones who showed up earlier.
2. Grace does not always make sense or even seem fair to others.
3. But that is what is so special about grace.
T.S. - Jesus modeled grace for us in His teachings and on the cross by His actions and words of Grace.
II. Grace was unveiled on the Cross with Jesus words and actions!
a. Grace is unveiled on the cross by one of Jesus actions - action one: Luke 23: 34: Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
i. This is grace in action because Jesus had the power to actually destroy everyone who had put him on the cross.
1. Jesus could have called legions of angels to stop the madness of the cross but instead he chose the path of grace.
2. He demonstrated His power to Peter and the others in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 18:6: “When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
3. Grace was shown here because Jesus choose to be arrested and tried unfairly so that in the end Grace would be unleashed to all the people who put their faith in Him.
ii. Jesus chose to forgive those who had beat Him, whipped Him falsely accused Him, spit on Him, mocked Him, humiliated Him, persecuted Him, drove nails into his hands and hung him on the cross.
1. All the injustice they did to Him he chose to offer grace too when others (like you and me) would have sought revenge!
2. Grace always chooses to forgive and give itself away to others who do not deserve it – but definitely need it.
b. Grace action two: is found in the story of the two thieves in Luke 23: The forgiving of the one thief on the cross next to Jesus unveiled grace.
i. Jesus willingness to forgive those who had hung him there got the attention of the two thief’s hanging on each side of him.
1. Would it have gotten your attention – to offer forgiveness to the people who were killing you for doing miracles, feeding them, saving them and even loving them enough to tell them the truth?
a. Jesus knew they were blinded by sin and religion and they could not see their loving Savior right in front of them. But that’s why He was willing to die this way. When he died Grace was going to be released to the world and this gift would open the eyes of the spiritually blind.
b. Amazing Grace was about to be released to the world and it would transform billions and it would heal people of spiritual blindness? The end result would be an awakening of grace which is the ability to see love through Jesus selfless act of grace.
2. One thief hanging next to Jesus saw a Savior and he saw grace and he reached out for it and Jesus gave it to him while the other decided to reject his grace and mercy and he hurled insults at Jesus.
a. One found paradise the other found God’s judgment.
b. One found amazing grace the other hopelessness for eternity.
c. Grace action three: Matthew 27:46: “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “EloiEloi, EloiEloi, lama sabachthanisabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
i. Jesus last action of grace was this phrase which reveals the most horrible moment of Jesus experience on the cross. It was when God walked away from a relationship with Him because our sins where upon Him in that moment.
ii. Jesus choose to be our offering for sin and it cost Him dearly at this moment in time but this is where Grace is released into a world that had no grace.
iii. This amazing grace is why we are here tonight it is why we celebrate the Easter season - its why the new Bible series was released this week and had awesome ratings. The story of God and us is filled with ups and downs but the cross bridges the final gap between us and a personal relationship with the Lord.
Conclusion:
Swindoll states this about grace:
But when “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ,” a long-awaited revolution of the heart began to set religious captives free. Fear-full bondage motivated by guilt was replaced with a fresh motivation to follow Him in truth simply out of deep devotion and delight. Rather than focusing on the accomplishments of the flesh, He spoke of the heart. Instead of demanding that the sinner fulfill a long list of requirements, he emphasized faith, if only the size of a mustard seed. The change spelled freedom, as the Lord himself taught, “…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Rigid, barren religion was, at last, replaced by a grace-orientated, relationship-liberating grace. His followers loved it. His enemies hated it… and Him. Without a doubt, the earliest grace killers were the Pharisees (Grace Awakening, page 10).
And that is why they had him killed on the cross – they could not stand the teaching and the concept of grace.
But the cross unleashed the power of grace into a graceless world of religion and sin and it moved forward with power to transform and deliver others. It is still doing that today across this world. The power of grace is still amazingly changing, impacting, delivering people from sin, and from a broken relationship with God! That’s what makes grace so amazing – it keeps moving forward from country to country, continent to continent, time frame to time frame with the same power it had back about 2,000 years ago.
Grace is a power that we all need to experience and to tap into because it has the power to help us live good lives and to do good things for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Grace has the power to transform a life filled with sorrow to a life filled with joy.
Grace has the power to deliver us from ourselves.
Grace has the power to bring love into a loveless life.
Grace has the power to bring forgiveness into a life that is filled with hatred and bitterness.
Grace has the power to bring hope to the hopeless.
Grace has the power to bring light into a life trapped in darkness.
Grace has the power to find the lost and bring them home again.
Grace has the power to heal the hurting and bring them health and wholeness.
Grace has the power to bring meaning to a meaningless life.
Grace has the power to bring life to a place filled with death.
Grace has the power to open the eyes of the blind and to see the world as God sees it.
Grace has the power and the strength to break down the barrier between us and God.
This power is only available by 1 source, by one person, by 1 life. That person is Jesus. Paul understood this truth and this truth is what set him free. We too can experience the amazing power of grace if we embrace Jesus today.
The Story of Amazing Grace and John Newton: Written by Al Rogers - http://www.anointedlinks.com/amazing_grace.html
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...” So begins one of the most beloved hymns of all times, a staple in the hymnals of many denominations, New Britain or “45 on the top” in Sacred Harp. The author of the words was John Newton, the self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace.
Newton was born in London July 24, 1725, the son of a commander of a merchant ship which sailed the Mediterranean. When John was eleven, he went to sea with his father and made six voyages with him before the elder Newton retired. In 1744 John was impressed into service on a man-of-war, the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured and publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman.
Finally at his own request he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, which took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. He then became the servant of a slave trader and was brutally abused. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known John's father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own ship, one which plied the slave trade.
Although he had had some early religious instruction from his mother, who had died when he was a child, he had long since given up any religious convictions. However, on a homeward voyage, while he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm, he experienced what he was to refer to later as his “great deliverance.” He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him.
For the rest of his life he observed the anniversary of May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. “Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’tis grace has bro’t me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” He continued in the slave trade for a time after his conversion; however, he saw to it that the slaves under his care were treated humanely.
In 1750 he married Mary Catlett, with whom he had been in love for many years. By 1755, after a serious illness, he had given up seafaring forever. During his days as a sailor he had begun to educate himself, teaching himself Latin, among other subjects. From 1755 to 1760 Newton was surveyor of tides at Liverpool, where he came to know George Whitefield, deacon in the Church of England, evangelistic preacher, and leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church. Newton became Whitefield’s enthusiastic disciple. During this period Newton also met and came to admire John Wesley, founder of Methodism. Newton’s self-education continued, and he learned Greek and Hebrew.
He decided to become a minister and applied to the Archbishop of York for ordination. The Archbishop refused his request, but Newton persisted in his goal, and he was subsequently ordained by the Bishop of Lincoln and accepted the curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire. Newton’s church became so crowded during services that it had to be enlarged. He preached not only in Olney but in other parts of the country. In 1767 the poet William Cowper settled at Olney, and he and Newton became friends.
Cowper helped Newton with his religious services and on his tours to other places. They held not only a regular weekly church service but also began a series of weekly prayer meetings, for which their goal was to write a new hymn for each one. They collaborated on several editions of Olney Hymns, which achieved lasting popularity. The first edition, published in 1779, contained 68 pieces by Cowper and 280 by Newton.
Among Newton’s contributions which are still loved and sung today are “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” and ”Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” as well as “Amazing Grace.” Composed probably between 1760 and 1770 in Olney, ”Amazing Grace” was possibly one of the hymns written for a weekly service. Through the years other writers have composed additional verses to the hymn which came to be known as “Amazing Grace” (it was not thus entitled in Olney Hymns), and possibly verses from other Newton hymns have been added. However, these are the six stanzas that appeared, with minor spelling variations, in both the first edition in 1779 and the 1808 edition, the one nearest the date of Newton’s death. It appeared under the heading Faith’s Review and Expectation, along with a reference to First Chronicles, chapter 17, verses 16 and 17 [see the below for this Scripture – Graham Pockett].
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
The origin of the melody is unknown. Most hymnals attribute it to an early American folk melody. The Bill Moyers special on “Amazing Grace” speculated that it may have originated as the tune of a song the slaves sang.
Newton was not only a prolific hymn writer but also kept extensive journals and wrote many letters. Historians accredit his journals and letters for much of what is known today about the eighteenth century slave trade. In Cardiphonia, or the Utterance of the Heart, a series of devotional letters, he aligned himself with the Evangelical revival, reflecting the sentiments of his friend John Wesley and Methodism.
In 1780 Newton left Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London. There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William Wilberforce, who would one day become a leader in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. Newton continued to preach until the last year of life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21, 1807. Infidel and libertine turned minister in the Church of England, he was secure in his faith that amazing grace would lead him home.
Communion points us to the great act of amazing grace it was brought to us through the cross and the willing sacrifice of Jesus for us:
But we are told in Scripture to never forget about this act of amazing grace by Jesus and to make sure we do not approach this holy act of remembrance without having our heart and life in the right place.
1 Corinthians 11:23-28:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
Altar Call: This is your grace filled moment in time to get your heart and life right with God before participating in communion. I am up front here if you need to do this - as they are passing the elements out repent of your sins, ask God to forgive you, then ask Him to come into you heart and life to be your Savior.
Then we can all come together to particpate together and remember Jesus great act of grace.
Prayer and then we will partake of communion corporately.
