What’s so Amazing about God’s Amazing Grace?
Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Amazing Grace! – Just the sound of those two little words brings comfort and joy to some many in their times of need.
And when we hear these words Amazing Grace,……. just about all of us are drawn to what is perhaps one of the most known, most loved, most recognized and yet most misunderstood songs to have ever been written. So in order to truly understand the song and how it applies to us, I want to take some time to discover the true meaning in and behind this song. But for us to do just that….we need to take a quick look at the song….and also the man who wrote this song.
His name was John Newton. John was born in July of 1725 in London England. Tragedy was a reoccurring theme in John’s life and it began early for him. His mother had passed away when John was just a young boy….a child……. and his father was a commander within the Royal Navy. John was forced into accompanying his father and by the time that “Little John” was 11, he had been by his father side on many voyages around the world. It was during this time that John began to acquire a real love for the sea and for the excitement and mystery that sea held. John so loved the sea that he was encouraged to join the Royal Navy himself by the time he reached his late teens……..but it did not take long for John to learn that this was not the life that he wanted. As a matter of a fact, John loved faded for the military and he actually abandoned his ship while he was serving. As you can probably imagine, the Royal Navy had strict rules for abandoning ship and John was captured and severely punished for his actions.
Life continued on and John was still not content within the Royal Navy and he was able to talk his way into an exchange of service on a slave ship thinking this would be a better way of life. But John found out that he had made an ever bigger mistake. It was here that he became the servant of a slave trader and it was here that John was brutally abused.
But God…in his grace always sees us in the time of our greatest need. Help would soon arrive and early in the spring of 1748…….John was rescued by a sea captain who had known his father. Life still was not what he had envisioned however, but he continues to remain as see. He eventually became captain of his own ship and continuing within the slave trade business. To say that John’s life was not turning out the way that he had envisioned would have been overly understated!
John began to reminisce back to his childhood…..remembering some of the religious instructions in his youth before his loving mother passed away. John had really loved his mom…. but he had long turned away from anything in the church or anything that pertained to God. But this homeward voyage was going to be different than any before. This homeward voyage was going to bring him face to face with his own mortality and this homeward voyage would be a time that the grace of God would begin to forever speak to….and change the heart of John Newton. It was during this voyage……that John would attempt to steer the ship through the most violent storm he had ever encountered. Perhaps he was in the middle of a great hurricane…we are not really sure, but what he experienced …..he would later refer to as his “great deliverance.” John 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 it was during this time that John began to believe that God had addressed him…..personally…..in the middle of this great storm. And in this great storm, John for the first time saw clearly the grace of God protection upon his life. We could even wander if John’s mother…in her last few words had prayed for John and his protection and God was now answering those prayers. But whatever had happened in that storm….John KNEW WITH ALL OF HIS HEART…..that God had heard his cry for help!
For the rest of his life John observed the anniversary of May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion, his day of salvation, his day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to that of a higher power. These words echoed in his heart and soul that day…. “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.”
John was on his way home….safe from the storm he had left behind and safe within the arms of a great Savior. He continued in the slave trade for a short time after his salvation, but there was a remarkable change within his life. John saw to it that the slaves under his care were treated humanely and God began to work on his heart and make him question if being in the slave trade business was the right business to be in?
It was during this time that conviction began to set in and Newton eventually left the slave trade business. He began to understand that slave trading was indeed wrong, and that also he himself was a former slave to sin…….that was until that day he met Jesus during the storm. From that day forward Newton was determined his life would be different and he was going to make a difference. From that day….He devoted the remainder of his life to spreading the good news 0f God’s Amazing Grace. This was not the only song that Newton wrote during his life, but I can say that it is the most noted song world-wide and it is still impacting people around the world over 250 years later.
SO…What is so amazing about God’s Amazing Grace? What was it that John realized in the middle of that storm? WELL……… I am glad you asked because I want to use that song to share with you what I believe that John discovered that stormy day at sea. First, I believe that John learned that:
1.) God’s Amazing Grace Redeems Us From Sin!
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Verse One
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.
For the first time in his life….John vision was perfect! He could see no clearer. God had penetrated the depths of his soul and He realized that true forgiveness was due to God’s Amazing Grace!
A.) All the Kings and presidents of this world cannot pardon our transgressions
B.) All the Gold and Silver cannot buy forgiveness
C.) All the knowledge of Medicine and Science cannot produce an internal cleansing from sin.
D.) But the Blood of Jesus my friend…..that can wash us white as snow!
It does not matter who you are……it does not matter where you have been or what you have done….Jesus Christ can pull the vilest offender from the deepest gutter of sins and HIS SHED BLOOD for us… can redeem our souls from the destruction that lies ahead!
Ephesians 2:8
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
Do you want to see Heaven one day? In order to get there we need to understand that it will begin with God’s Amazing Grace! Can you see just as John could see…..That it is His grace that redeems us from our sins!
Secondly, I believe that John could see that:
2.) God’s Amazing Grace Relieves All Our Fears
Psalm 56:3
Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Now look at second verse to this amazing song.
’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!
A. Today’s World is a world full of fear
i. Many are afraid to live….wondering what tomorrow holds
ii. Many are afraid to die…..wondering what eternity holds
iii. Many are afraid of their wealth – wondering if someone will try to steal
iv. Others are afraid of poverty- wondering how they will exist
v. Many of our youth are afraid to attending school with the rise of violence in our youth
vi. Many are afraid of traveling to the city – Just look at the crime that happens daily in cities like Memphis, Detroit, Chicago and New York
vii. Many are afraid of Old age – afraid of being abandoned somewhere in a retirement homes and being forgotten
B. But God’s Amazing grace relieves our fear.
i. As a child of God.. we know that God loves us. And the more of Jesus we have on the inside, the less we have to fear the world around us!!!
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
I believe in the middle of that great storm when John called out for the grace and mercy of God….it was then that Gods comfort began to reign down and John knew everything would work out in the end. You see……
If Jesus is your Savior, you have nothing to fear.
Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
I am so glad that in the middle of world that evil abounds…..that I do not need to fear, because Jesus Christ walks with me each step of the way. I am glad that when the storm of life break loose, that I do not sail along for the Great Captain is there to guide me in the storms as well.
What about you? Does this world today bring fear to your life? Are you concerned about the life to come? You don’t have to be because God’s Amazing Grace has the ability to relieve all our fears!
John also knew that:
3.) God’s Amazing Grace Reassures Through Danger – Psalms 91:11
You see fear and danger are different things. Fear is be afraid of what COULD happen. Danger is something that is ABOUT to happen!
Psalm 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
John knew that in the middle of that violent storm that there was a real danger that as the ship was being tossed and turned…that the ship could sink. Fear was evident. Danger was apparent!
A.) Our World is a Dangerous World!
i. Hurricanes and Tornados are more frequent than ever before.
1. Look at this recent outbreak early this week in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee – 35 dead, thousands without homes and all of there possessions destroyed
ii. Floods and Droughts
1. Once again, this week – 20” of rain in Pensacola – flooding in Baltimore and Philadephia – massive sinkholes opening up from the rains. Look at the recent landslides from the rain in Washington State with folks still missing.
iii. Thieves abounding on every corner. Murders walking the streets
1. 11 people murdered on the streets of Memphis recently in one weekend
iv. Even our lives are filled with dangerous torments
a. Trials come almost daily
b. Loneliness is scene in the faces of almost everyone
c. People who hurts emotionally all around us.
d. Depression and suicide are at an all time high
e. Abuse of Narcotics are seen to try and alleviate the concerns over these dangers.
B.) Good News – God’s Grace is sufficient for those who put their trust in Him!
• Friends and Loved Ones may forsake us, But I KNOW a God who will never fails us.
Psalm 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Do you realize today that God knows your name? He knows all about you! He knows where you lonely and afraid and he also knows when danger is near. But we need not fear the danger because the safest place we can be is in the arms of Jesus. If you know the Lord as your Savior, danger cannot touch you unless God allows it. This is the place where we see that God’s Amazing Grace can Reassure Through the Danger.
Lastly, I would tell you that:
4.) God’s Amazing Grace Brings Rewards that are Eternal – 1 Peter 1:13
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.
This verse was not written by John Newton, but was added by Godly lady…. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Harriet also understood what this song had meant to Newton and she began to think not only about the grace for today,…….. but also for the grace that is still to come!!
A. Earths Treasures and Possessions are temporal.
i. They wear out
ii. They rust
iii. They decay
iv. They end up in the landfill someday – YOU CANNOT TRUST IN EARTHY POSSESSIONS!
B. Good News – God’s Amazing Grace will last forever
i. God’s Grace is Good to live by.
ii. God’s Grace is also Good to die by.
iii. It has a promise to the Believer to look for.
1. Christ is gone to prepare for our coming…..if you know him!
John 14:1-3
1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Is God Preparing you a Mansion today? Not Sure? You can be! Let me share with you on of the most beloved verses in the Word of God…….One I am sure that John remembered his mother sharing with him.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son……….This is what we call Seeking Grace!
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish………This is what we call Saving Grace!
But have everlasting life…….This my friend is Securing Grace!
Do You Know what is so Amazing about God’s Amazing Grace?
Are you in a storm in your life? Do you feel alone, forgotten or abandoned? Jesus has not left you, he has not forgotten you and he has not abandoned you. In fact, he wants you to know He loves you. He loves you so much that He went to a place called Calvary to pay a debt that you could not pay. And all he ask is that you be willing to ask Him to be your Savior, to repent of your sins and to place your faith in Him.
Where will you spend eternity? That is a tough question, but one that we all MUST know the answer to you.
Danger is all around us. Storms come into our lives daily. We are not promised a tomorrow.
So one last question….Do you know what’s so amazing about Gods Amazing Grace?
You can, and If you will let me show you….and in the end, you will be able to say…
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind by now I see.
