I’m Still Amazed
Titus 3:3-8
(Listen online at Facebook.com/Stockdalebaptist)
Amazement is defined as “a strong feeling of astonishment or wonder”. There are some things in this life that absolutely amaze me.
On the rare occasion that I go to a Braves game, once we arrive at the section where we will be sitting and walk through the opening and get that first glimpse at Turner Field, I always stand in awe of its magnitude. (It looks so much different than it does on T.V.) I would imagine people with season tickets don’t give it a second thought.
When I take a trip that leads me through a city such as Atlanta, Chicago or St. Louis I am awestruck at the large buildings and skyscrapers in those towns. I am sure the people who live there are not impressed at all. (They are too busy trying to stifle their road rage)
I am still amazed every time I look at my daughters and realize that my blood runs through their veins. I am amazed at the unconditional love that I possess for both of them.
I am amazed at how after 14 years, my wife still loves, supports and respects me. (I am also amazed at how I can rack up brownie points with her for saying things like that!!)
* I am amazed by God’s creation:
- Standing in a valley looking up at a mountain.
- Standing on a mountain looking out over a valley.
- Watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset
- Gazing on a clear night at the moon and stars
- Standing on the shoreline looking at the vast ocean
Yes, all of these things STILL amaze me. But there are some things that once excited or amazed me that just don’t have the same affect any longer.
> I remember when they first came out with the flat screen HD TV’s. I used to go to the electronics section at Walmart and just dream about having one of them. I got one a few years ago and it is really no big deal to me anymore.
> Have you ever gone to a car lot and seen the newest model with all of the bells and whistles, and you just had to have it. So you signed your life away and took it home, then 6 months later the thrill is gone but 6 years of payments remain?
When you were a kid did you dream of being an adult? You were amazed by that lifestyle and you couldn’t wait to grow up, now you have a job, mortgage and many other bills and the thrill is gone and you just wish you could be a kid again?
Yes, sometimes the things that once amazed us become reality and it isn’t long before the thrill is gone! Friend, I am here to tell you today that there are some things that STILL AMAZES ME, and nothing more so than OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!
The Perry’s sing a song that says:
“I've never got over that I am not under the bondage of sin anymore”
”I'm still amazed that Jesus would pay a debt I could not afford”
”I've never got past that I'm free at last from sin that made me a slave”
”and I still feel as much as when He first touched me, oh yes I'm still amazed”
There is not enough time to even scratch the surface concerning the fact that we can have a personal relationship with a Holy God. But I would like to hit some of the high points today:
1. I’m Still Amazed By God’s Love
2. I’m Still Amazed By God’s Salvation
3. I’m Still Amazed By God’s Mercy
4. I’m Still Amazed By God’s Grace
5. I’m Still Amazed By God’s Son
If you will look with me to our selected text I would like to see that:
I. I’M STILL AMAZED BY GOD’S LOVE - v3 for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Sometimes we are all “hard to love”. I am thankful for parents, children, a spouse and a handful of church members who possess unconditional love for me! It is amazing how your family knows you better than anyone else and loves you anyhow!
Well, God knows more about you than anyone.
He knows your actions
He knows your thoughts
He knows what you have done
He knows what you are going to do
Knowing all this, He loves you anyway! That my friend, is AMAZING!
In verse 3 Paul paints a picture of “the Old Man” or the person before Christ. He says we were:
a) “Foolish” – This means to be without understanding or ignorant of the things concerning God
b) “Disobedient” – One who is rebellious toward God.
c) “Deceived” – Continually led deeper and deeper into sin by Satan.
d) “Serving divers lusts and pleasures” – One who is a slave to the desires of the flesh.
e) “Living in malice” – this refers to a lifestyle of evil.
f) “Envy” – Always grasping for more and desiring what others have.
g) “Hateful” – This is the natural fruit of all the above. This kind of life makes one mean-spirited and hard to get along with.
h) “Hating one another” – Walking without love for your fellow man.
I don’t know about you, but to me that describes someone who is hard to love! But notice what Paul says in verse 4 -“But after that …the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared…”
This means, in spite of what we once were (and who we still are) God chose to love us! Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. - How awesome is that! God knows us, yet He loved us enough to send His only begotten Son to make a way for us to one day be with Him! - I AM STILL AMAZED AT GOD’S LOVE! - Not only that….
II. I’M STILL AMAZED BY GOD’S SALVATION - v5b he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Webster’s defines Salvation as “rescue from harm, destruction or danger”. That is what God did for us through the sacrifice of His Son! There was a great penalty for our sins. God sent Jesus to pay that sin debt in order to save us! We were destined for Hell and Jesus came and made a way of escape for us!
Notice in verses 5 & 6 what Salvation through Christ did for us:
a) We were lost “He saved us”
b) We were defiled “He washed us”
c) We were dead “He made a way for regeneration” (New creature)
d) We were empty - He filled us with His Spirit “ the renewing of the Holy Ghost”
Religion is man trying to get up to God, Salvation is God coming down to man! It has often been said that “salvation is free but it isn’t cheap!”. Everything that we have received in salvation came through God’s sacrifice of His Son. - Notice verse 6 - “which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour”
o If you just look to the cross, then you will see much reason to be AMAZED AT SALVATION:
”I'm amazed to know how far God would go to set a lost man free”
”and I'm still in awe that He gave it all for an old sinner like me”
”I've never got over that this King would shoulder my sin in all it's disgrace”
”Calvary's hill still gives me a thrill..... oh yes I'm still amazed”
Not only am I amazed at salvation as a whole, there are certain elements of salvation that amaze me. Look with me to verse 5 and see that…
III. I’M STILL AMAZED BY GOD’S MERCY- v5a Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us
Because of God’s mercy toward us, we do not receive the punishment that we deserve .Each and every person here today that is a born again believer of Jesus Christ deserves to spend an eternity in HELL! Nothing can change the fact that that is what we DESERVE! We can’t live good enough… we can’t do enough good works to escape the fact that we are deserving of Hell.
But we ARE saved and we ARE delivered from that punishment and the reason that is possible is found in verse 5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us
If you are here today and you have never been saved, you are headed for that very Hell that I speak of. Maybe you are tying to get to Heaven based on the fact that you are a good person pr that you have done good things… This verse proves that you will never qualify. You can’t get to Heaven on your own! But God is merciful and He has made a way through His Son. And this mercy is available to you today! I experienced this mercy 17 years ago, and…I’M STILL AMAZED!!!
That is not all, Let’s go little farther and see that:
IV. I’M STILL AMAZED BY GOD’S GRACE- v7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
While mercy is not receiving what we do deserve, grace is receiving something that we could never deserve. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Our works will never be enough but His grace is more than sufficient. In fact we find that because of His grace we are justified. Through Justification God pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, God doesn’t just pardon our sins. He initiates a personal relationship with us.
He walks with us intimately!
He cares for us immensely!
He blesses us immeasurably!
If God had just delivered us from our sin debt and freed us from Hell that would have much been more than we could ever deserve. But He went MUCH, MUCH farther! We are now HIS and HE is ours! He is our Heavenly Father. And just to top it off, HE SAID THAT WE WILL LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER!!! I don’t know about you but when it comes to God’s Love, Salvation, Mercy and Grace …I AM STILL AMAZED!!!
God took everything we have seen thus far and wrapped it up and gave it to us in the form of His Son… I would like to address the fact that:
V. I’M STILL AMAZED BY GOD’S SON - v6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
The name of Jesus is AMAZING - Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Jesus left the glories of Heaven, came to this earth, took on a robe of flesh and became the ultimate sacrifice for sins!
“I'm amazed this stranger would accept a manger in trade for a Kingly throne”
”and I'm still at a loss why he'd take the cross instead of a street of pure gold”
”He's the only King who gave everything in exchange for a cold dark grave”
”and I still love to ponder this God given wonder, oh yes I'm still amazed”
Everything about Jesus Christ is AMAZING:
- He was born of a virgin
- Lived a sinless life
- Taught with authority
- Healed the sick
- Cleansed the lepers
- Made the blind to see
- Caused the deaf to hear
- Caused the dumb to speak
- Made the lame walk
- Cast out demons
- Raised people from the dead
- Laid down His life
- Paid the ultimate sacrifice
- Rose from the grave
- Ascended to Heaven
- Sat down at the right hand of the Father
- He has provided atonement for our sins
- He is making intercession on our behalf
- He has forgiven our sins
- Saved our souls from Hell
- Changed our lives
- Provided eternal life
- He has gone to prepare a place
- He promised to come again to receive us
He has defeated :
- Sin
- Satan
- Death
- Hell
- The Grave
- Soon He will split the Eastern sky
- With a shout
- the voice of an Archangel
- and the sound of a trumpet
- He will call His children home!
- We will rise up out of this world of sorrow
- We will meet Him in the air
- AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH HIM!
That’s just a few of the reasons why I’m AMAZED BY GOD’S SON!
If you are here and you have never met Jesus, I hope you understand that He came and made a way for you to experience God’s love, mercy, grace and salvation. Stop basing eternity on what you can do because it will never be enough. Put your faith, hope and trust in Jesus and what He has already done!
But for those who have been saved, are you STILL AMAZED by JESUS? Unfortunately when you look at the condition of the Church (universal & local) it seems that many “professing Christians” have simply “gotten over it”. When you look at their lives, when you examine their actions and priorities it seems that the thrill is gone in their lives. I believe of you are still amazed by Jesus it will be apparent in your life.
1. You will follow what He said when He proclaimed “If you love me, keep my commandments”
2. You will “love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength”
3. You will “love your neighbour as yourself”
4. You will “not forsake the assembling of yourselves together” (YOU WILL SHOW UP AT CHURCH REGULARLY!!!!)
5. You will give to the Lord:
a) Give Him your time
b) Give Him your talents
c) Give Him your treasures
6. You will take time a talk to Him (through prayer)
7. You will allow Him to speak to you (through study of His Word)
I ask you to examine your life? Do these actions and attributes describe you? Are you still amazed by Jesus? When you look at all He has done for you, shouldn’t that make you want to live for him? I know that this ol boy falls short each and every day, but when it come to my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ… I’M STILL AMAZED!
