God's Amazing Grace
That song, Amazing Grace, is the most popular song...and the most recorded song in history. Traditionalists...Country Western...Alternative...Rock n Roll...Blues…Christians...non-Christians... All types of people and all types of musical styles have sung or recorded this song.
It's sung or played at weddings... It's sung or played at funerals... At the beginning of life, or at life's end... Amazing Grace touches the heart of both sinner and saint.
It doesn't matter what language it's sung in or what country you're in... Before the end of the very first measure, it will be recognized by almost everyone who hears it.
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind, but now I see.”
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God's grace...is truly, amazing. By God's grace we live and breathe. Whether sinner or saint...believer or unbeliever...friend of God, or God's enemy...all have partaken of...and benefited from...God's grace.
Rom 9:22-24 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? [23] And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, [24] even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
The love of God is so rich toward all mankind that He withholds Himself from bringing judgment until His perfect time arrives.
He is willing to delay judgment and continue to show kindness toward those who hate Him (because He causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall upon the wicked as well as the righteous) so that all will have ample opportunity to escape His coming judgment.
God doesn't want anyone to perish... He wants all men to repent and accept His offer of salvation... He knows in His sovereignty and omniscience, that most, the majority of mankind will turn down His free offer of grace.
Mat 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. [14] "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
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“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind, but now I see.”
Who can't identify with those words? Most of us can sing at least the first verse of this song by heart. But we tend to sing by rote memory and seldom contemplate what any of it means. We don’t think about who the author was...why would he, and how could he pen such simple words that would touch the immortal souls of all who hear them.
The author of “Amazing Grace”, John Newton is an example to all of us of God's Amazing Grace, and how that grace can touch a life and take hold of it in such a way as to make a complete transformation in a person's life.
God's grace was abundant toward John Newton. Throughout his life, we see a pattern where he comes close to death... then examination of his relationship with God... and then relapsing into bad habits and sin once again. Sounds like many of us today, doesn’t it? We have that same Disaster, Examination, Repentance, and Sin cycle.
Early in his seafaring career, he denounced his faith in God, and later, after reflecting on this part of his life, he said, *“Like an unwary sailor who quits port just before a rising storm, I renounced the hopes and comforts of the gospel at the very time when every other comfort was about to fail me.”
As bad as he was up to this point, his life began to nosedive toward worse and more vile things. While in the Royal Navy, he requested and was transferred to a slave ship. The horrors and atrocities that occurred on slave ships could make even the hardest of hearts shudder in disbelief.
Sometimes I think we have this notion today, of a ship with slaves, though in chains, making a sort of leisurely cruise across the water...and then dropping them off at their destination. It wasn't like that, folks.
Only the worse of the worst...the vilest of humanity, would seek employment on a slave ship. When you have that type of person given complete control over another human being...only bad things will happen.
The historian and moralist, Lord Acton, said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Rape, sodomy, beatings, torture, disease, death...these are only a few of the things that would occur with impunity, on a slave ship. John Newton was right in there with them...leading the charge...so-to-speak. At this point in his life, he was such a vile person, that eventually, his own Captain put him in chains, starved him, and then sold him into slavery himself.
In an era when sailors were renowned for their vulgar language, he not only would make up songs and poems about the Captain that would become popular with his ship mates, but he would be reprimanded several times for not only using the worse words the Captain had ever heard, but also for creating new ones that, according to his Captain, *“exceeded the limits of verbal debauchery.”
It was the Captain of the Greyhound, the ship that eventually rescued John from slavery, who thought that John Newton was the most profane and vile man he had ever met. And it was on this return journey, on the Greyhound, that John came face to face with God, and experienced the Grace of God that began to change his life.
In March of 1748, a violent storm hit the Greyhound, and after hours of bailing water, and seeing ship mates washed overboard, the crew was exhausted. John went to the captain with the desperate solution that he would lash himself down and steer the ship through the storm, and it was at this time, while steering that ship for 11 hours, that he cried out to God.
Two weeks later, the Greyhound, limping, starving, and dehydrated...made port in Ireland. John never forgot his desperate plea to God, and though his complete conversion wasn't immediate...he knew that God had sent him a message.
After this he was placed on another slave ship, and participated in many of the same atrocities as before... But He also began to wonder if he was worthy of God's mercy, or redeemable in any way. At one time, he had not only renounced his faith, but he also directly opposed it and anyone who would show their own faith.
Then after suffering a severe illness that laid him up for a time, his resolve to follow Christ was renewed... But he continued in the slave trade and was even promised a position as Captain of a slave ship...but at the age of 30, he collapsed...and never sailed again.
In 1756 John Newton began to teach himself Greek, Latin and Theology. In 1764, he became the curate of Olney. His success as a minister was due to the fact that he admitted his sins and praised God for his salvation. He used his own sins to show the grace of God. Folks, this was unusual at the time, because many of the clergy back then wouldn't admit to any personal knowledge of sin or temptation.
In the 1780's, Newton worked with William Wilberforce, a member of parliament who led the campaign to abolish slavery Great Britain. Newton's personal journals were used as evidence against the practice of slavery, which was soon abolished in Britain.
The song he wrote, Amazing Grace, was only one of hundreds of songs written he wrote, but it is by far the most well known and most beloved. He was able to pen those words because he was all too aware of the depths of depravity he had been lifted from...by God's Amazing Grace!
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“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind, but now I see.”
Another example of God's Amazing Grace can be seen in Rabbi Saul of Tarsus, known to Christians as the Apostle Paul...
1Ti 1:12-16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, [13] even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; [14] and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. [15] It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. [16] Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
The Apostle Paul was born around the time of Christ and is known and loved as one of the pillars and fathers of the Christian faith. He was born a Jew and named Saul, was raised in Tarsus...home of a famous university that was even higher in reputation than the ones in Athens and Alexandria.
Like most Jewish boys, he was taught his Jewish faith in the home of his mother and father, but later he moved to Jerusalem to learn at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the most famous of Jewish thinkers of his time.
Act 22:3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
It's this same Gamaliel who in Acts, chapter 5, warned the Jewish leaders to be careful with Peter and the other Apostles lest they find themselves fighting against God. He told them, Act 5:38b-39 “if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."
A Jew of Jews, Saul's love for God showed itself in following the conservative sect of the Pharisees, at which he excelled and became well known among them.
The first mention of him in the Bible is found at the stoning of Stephen. He was not only present but kept the cloaks of those throwing the rocks. In other words, he was a willing participant in Stephen's murder.
It’s from his own pen, that we gain an understanding of his background and training. He said in 2Co 11:22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
And in Philippians, chapter 3 we read... Php 3:4-6 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: [5] Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; [6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
This same man, in his letter to Timothy, thanked God for enabling him and for counting him faithful by putting him into the ministry.
This call on Paul's life, in his own mind, is all the more amazing because he said he was a blasphemer...a persecutor...and cast many insults at the grace of Christ. Though he did this in ignorance, he still felt the burden of guilt for persecuting the Church of Christ...causing many to lose not only their livelihoods...but sending many believers to jail...and even to their deaths.
But he said the grace of God was “exceeding abundant” toward him, and he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ, 1Ti 1:15 …came into the world to save sinners; – of whom he was chief! 1Ti 1:15 …of whom I am chief. Do you understand how remarkable that statement was for a man like Paul to make?
Remember, he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews”... a “Pharisee”... and concerning “the righteousness which is in the law...blameless.” He not only declared himself a sinner...but the chief of sinners. Only a person who has had a dramatic experience in their life could acknowledge such a change. Only a person who has had an encounter with the risen Christ...and has experienced the Amazing Grace of God...could recognize their complete sinfulness.
The Jewish leaders...when trying to find fault with Jesus...accused Him of eating and drinking with sinners. They weren't talking about themselves...but of everyone else who didn't follow their way...the common people.
But Jesus said, Mat 9:13 …I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Paul's encounter with Christ happened on the road to Damascus, and it brought about such an amazing and dramatic change in his life...that the Church would be forever changed by that event. The Gospel of Jesus Christ would go into lands, and to people who had never before heard the message of grace and atonement. Christianity would no longer be a sect of Judaism known as the “Nazarene” sect.
Only a personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the power to change a person's life from bondage to the law, and the law of sin...to freedom from that bondage. Only God's Amazing Grace has the power to resurrect those who are dead in their trespasses and sins...to new life in Christ.
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“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind, but now I see.”
I knew a young man, many years ago, who had been raised in a Christian home. His father was a Baptist pastor...his mother, the ideal pastor's wife.
This young man had been raised in the Church. He went to all services and classes that were required...being the pastor's son. He attended Sunday School... went to the worship services... attended all VBS's... was part of the Bible Drill Team. He even walked the aisle, when he was around 10 years old, took his father's hand, proclaimed his belief in Christ and was baptized.
He did and was pretty much what you would expect from the pastor's children. And though his early youth was spent like this...living in the “Ozzie and Harriet”, and “Father Knows Best” household, as he grew older and became a teenager...he began to slip away...not only from the Church...but also from his family.
This young man moved away from Christ and became more and more involved in the culture of the day. “Sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll” was first coined in the late 60's and early 70's, and he took every opportunity to participate in that lifestyle.
He became involved with drugs. He'd smoke marijuana 5 or 6 times a day...more on weekends. He used other drugs like quaaludes and speed regularly. He even tried Heroin once...but it scared the fire out of him. He liked it so much that he never did it again because he had enough sense to recognized that he’d become an addict. He cooked and drank mushrooms...even huffed (or inhaled) Pam cooking spray, there wasn't anything that this young man wouldn't do to get “high”. It got to a point where he was even buying and selling quantities of his favorites...marijuana, speed and quaaludes.
All of these things were on top of the alcohol. He would drink so much beer or whiskey along with the drugs...that you'd think he was trying to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, who overdosed on drugs and alcohol and drowned in their own vomit. He lived like this for several years. His mother is even quoted as saying something along the lines of...she could tell what kind of drug he was on by the way he acted that day.
Then, in 1977, after a day of drinking beer, smoking pot, and shooting at turtles in a pond with their pistols...this young man, now 21 years old, and his friend, decided they needed to buy more beer. The problem was...they were broke.
So, in their alcohol and smoke-filled minds, they decided that it might be fun to take their guns and drive to a bar down the street and rob it. And that's what they did. They drove to the bar and entered...
I won't go into detail of what happened inside the bar, other than to say that they didn't get any money...but ended up running out the door and speeding away...and another man lay dying on the floor.
Life’s clock began ticking down for that man lying on the floor.
He would have no more opportunities to hear the Gospel...the Good News of Jesus Christ. His eternal fate was sealed...and the actions of this young man that I knew, had sealed it for him. The Bible says that Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
A few days later, this young man was arrested...charged with aggravated robbery and murder. He didn't know until the day of his arrest that the man in the bar had died by his hands. As bad and as rebellious as he was...he still had a small thread of conscience left...and the news that he had taken another man's life had devastated him. His only thoughts were, “Oh God! What have I done?” “OH GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE!”
That young man had true and heartfelt sorrow for his actions, and he knew and accepted that fact that he deserved whatever judgment came his way...from man and from God. The pit of despair and sorrow he was in might have led him to take his own life...because he seriously considered it...but one day...his father came to visit him.
The first words out of his father's mouth were, “Terry, God still loves you.” My dad told me that “God still loved me”. Me... who had taken another man's life and was facing a possible death sentence...or life in prison... God still loved me! Those words...those five words...changed my life forever.
John Newton had his first real encounter with the risen Christ while on the high seas...steering the ship called the Greyhound through a storm that threatened to destroy not only the ship but everyone aboard...
The Apostle Paul had his life changing encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus...
I had my life changing encounter with Jesus Christ in a jail cell in Conroe, TX.
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You see...all of us...John Newton...the Apostle Paul...Terry Lee Hovey... and countless others like us are proof that God's Grace can, and does, reach into the depths of hell to snatch people away from the fire.
We are proof that it doesn't matter what you've done...where you are...where you've been...what direction you're going... God's grace is for everyone. EVERYONE!
We are examples to everyone who sees us or knows us...of the Grace of God...and the saving power of the Cross.
Paul wrote 1Ti 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
God showed His grace...Christ showed His longsuffering, toward us, and others like us...so that YOU might have an example of His saving power.
This grace that we experienced...and continue to experience each and every day...is also for you. The grace that I found in a jail cell...is available to you right here...and right now.
Don't leave this place today thinking,“Well, I'm not as bad as he was.” “I've never done anything that bad.” “I'm basically a good person.”
Folks, whether your sins are as black as coal...as mine were. Or, just vanilla, maybe a little off-white. It makes no difference. He who breaks even one of God’s commandments is guilty of breaking them all! So, all are sinners.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
1Co 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
And such were some of you…
And such were some of you…
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind, but now I see.”
And such were some of you… You were or are just like us, but the road you are on can be changed today. You can repent of your sin and turn your life over to Jesus. You can call out to Him right now, before it’s too late.
You may not realize it, but life’s clock is ticking down for you even now.
Repent now—today. Trust in Jesus and His blood will cover your sins and you will receive His free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
You can do this today—even now. There is still hope for you regardless of what you’ve done.
Take it from someone who knows—Repent today!
(Invitation)
