AMAZING GRACE OF CHRIST

READINGS; Titus 2:11-13 and Collosians 1:9-14

There is a story is told of a young girl who left work early so she could have some uninterrupted study time right before a final exam in religion class. She studied all night. When she arrived at class in the morning everybody was doing the normal trying to cram as much last minute info as their minds could handle. The teacher walked in and said, "Let’s do a quick review before the test."

They followed him through the review that was laid out on the study guide. As he covered item by item he finally jumped to issues the young girl had never heard covered in class. Several hands went up, "We never had that information before." The teacher picked up the text book and held it in his left hand and said, "Everything is in the book and you are clearly responsible for everything in the book." Who could argue with that!

Finally it was time to take the test. The professor passed out the test and said, "Leave your test face down on the desk until everyone has a copy so it is fair – I’ll tell you when to turn your paper over and start." Two minutes later the class heard, "OK, you may start."

When the young girl turned her test over, every answer was filled in! A note at the bottom of the last page said: "Your Final Exam is now over. All your answers are correct. You are blessed with an ’A’ on the final exam as long as you turn it in."

Every student in the room read the same thing and looked up at the professor in utter astonishment!

When the professor was sure all eyes were on him he said, "You passed the test for one reason only - because the creator of the test took the test for you. All your study time, class time and hard work in preparation for this exam did not help you get the "A". You have just experienced grace. Don’t forget it, and have a great summer."

Titus 2:11-13
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

The first point today is that through grace comes salvation, which we see in verse 11. We’ve talked a little about grace before in a few of my sermons. So that we are all on the same page though, let’s define grace as unmerited favor, getting something we don’t deserve. What we deserve is a punishment that is fit for the crime – that is a punishment that is equal with our sin. When we sin it is a rebellion against an all-wise, all-seeing, all-powerful God. His omnipresence places Him at the scene of every one of our misbehaviors. His omniscience makes Him aware of our every thought, word and deed. God knows all, and sees all, so there are no hidden sins. There is nowhere to run to, nowhere we can hide. Scary huh?

But amazingly, instead of pouring out His wrath upon us, God extends His grace towards us if we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It’s not that God turns a blind eye to our sin, because that would violate His holiness. And God doesn’t offer us only forgiveness. Instead he offers complete justification – forgive and forget – clean sheet. He declares us to be righteous, because as followers of Christ, rather than seeing our sin, God sees Christ’s holiness that has washed away our sin in his eyes. Our salvation is one of substitution. God executed His divine judgment – not on us – but upon Himself. On the Cross, the Son of God died in our place – that is God’s amazing grace.

The second thing from verse 11 I want to point out is that grace has appeared to everyone. Titus 2 makes it clear that everyone has seen a segment of God’s grace – meaning that it is universally available, but unfortunately not universally accepted and received. Revelation 22:17 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” God provides the grace, and we take that grace that is freely offered. We must all drink from the water of life which is Jesus.

Then verse 12 and 13 come along saying, God’s grace “teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

How amazing is that? Not only does God’s grace save us, but if we embrace it, it will empower us to say no to the bad things of this world? That is the freeing power of grace. Through grace we can be set free from the things that haunt our past. Addiction, abuse, neglect, anger, pain, suffering, lying, cheating, stealing, whatever it is, in the grace of Jesus Christ WE CAN BE SET FREE! How many of you believe that? Well you all should! Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I’m free at last – right? Jesus died to set each and every one of us free. And we have to lean into that grace, and onto that grace to sustain us. When we are tempted or feeling down, we need to turn to that grace. Lost your job, lean into Jesus. Lost your husband, lean into that grace. Fight with a spouse – grace. Struggling with addiction grace can redeem you. Whatever it is, God has more than enough grace to wipe it out, to make it clean, to make things right again. That folks, is amazing grace. But we have to take it and make it our own. When Jesus died on the Cross as a sacrifice, He became our sin. The exchanged life is the offering of grace that we must receive. In receiving Christ, we become the righteousness of God. And it means as Christ followers, we must then live differently. So my question is, are you living differently? Are you living in amazing grace? Have you truly been set free? 

In a little bit we will close the service by singing one of my all time favorite hymns – Amazing Grace. Anyone else like that song? Yeah, it’s a good one. That song holds some wonderful truths found in Scripture, and puts them in such a memorable lyrical way that they are likely burned into the brains of many in attendance here today. And that is a good thing! The story behind that song is nearly as great as the song itself. How many of you know the story of John Newton – the man who wrote Amazing Grace? Let me tell you a bit about Newton so you understand this story, and God’s grace, more fully.

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.

It was on Newton’s return trip to England from Sierra Leone that he first began to see God’s grace in his life, what he would refer to later as his “great deliverance.” The ship he was on encountered a severe storm and nearly sank. In the middle of the night during the storm, Newton’s shift on deck ended. The man who came up on deck to replace him was immediately swept overboard to his death from where just moments before Newton was standing. Newton went below decks to get some sleep with this vision haunting him. Later that same night Newton awoke to find the ship filling with water. Newton was not previously a religious sort of man, but he now found himself calling out to God in these moments. Newton would later look back on this as the beginning of his conversion to Christianity. The storm passed, and the ship did not sink, and slowly they made their way back to England. For the remainder of the trip Newton poured over the words in the Bible.

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.

Upon his return to England, Newton obtained a position as first mate aboard a slave trading vessel bound for the region we know as Guinea. While on this trip Newton became deathly ill. It was at this point that Newton fully turned his life over to Christ and was the first time he felt totally at peace with God. Four years later Newton had a stroke that forced him out of the slave shipping business for good. Newton saw this as an opportunity rather than a challenge. He felt this was God’s call on his life to become a minister. Newton was ordained and began his life as a minister in 1764. In late 1772 while reflecting on his conversion on the slave ship as he wrote a sermon, Newton came up with the lyrics to Amazing Grace. Over the years of his life, Newton had experienced the grace of God in amazing ways, and he captured that beautifully for us to sing. I would like to read to you those lyrics he penned. Included in these lyrics are some verses that we no longer sing, but I’d like to read them nonetheless because they are just as rich as the others. As I close with this reading, I would invite you to close your eyes and just listen as I read. As you listen, let the weight of these words sink in. Know that God loves you, and in grace he sent his son to die for you, and in that grace you are set free! Close your eyes, listen, and enjoy.

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.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, 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 called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

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.