Amazing Grace

 

1. ~Autumn 
   
   
   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.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears relieved;
   How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
   I have already come;
   ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures.
5. 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.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
7. 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.

 The famous hymn: "Amazing Grace" is very well known to the world. But very few know the story behind it. This week we're going to take a look at A) A quick summary of the story behind the song, and B) the true Amazement of God's Grace. 

John Newton. He wasn't some upstanding citizen, quite the opposite actually.  He was enslaved for a while in West Africa after he had joined his father on sea voyages and his mother had died. He soon made his way in the world by becoming a slave trader. He would buy them and transport them across the ocean to sell them again. He was considered a cruel man and was probably very ill thought of. Yet this man wrote one of the most well-known hymns in the world??  

All because of a storm. In March of 1748 he was sailing a ship that was on the edge of sinking in a horrible storm. The ship was full of slaves, and for him it was just another storm. He had no idea that, that specific storm would change his whole life for the best. After converting to Christianity, he wrote many songs and began preaching God's word. One of his most popular being Amazing Grace. 

How amazing is God's grace? 

I once heard a sermon I had to sum up in one sentence. This is what I came up with: "Grace bought what we couldn't afford, mercy pardoned what we couldn't pay" 

What couldn't we afford?? My brain goes to a lot of things: new camera gear, fancy houses, an island, and even certain cars. But the thing is we CAN afford these, with ENOUGH money. It's just that most of us don't have it but we could...maybe.... eventually, maybe not though.  

But here's somethings we could never buy no matter how much money we have: God's love, God's forgiveness, etc.! We can't buy these things, we never could, and we will never will. Why? Because they are there waiting on us, they have been GIVEN to us. 

Imagine if someone handed you the keys to a brand-new house, would you turn them away? No? Okay, then why would you turn away the gift God's given you of being with Him forever in a new home (Heaven)?  

The truth is God's grace is something that goes far beyond our simply minded human brains. It’s not a simple thing that we have to pay a set price for or do a certain job to earn it. It’s a free gift. In a world that often measures everything by what can be earned or bought, it can be difficult for us to fully grasp the depth of what this truly means. It's free because Jesus Christ paid the price no one would ever be able to afford by giving His life for US. 

He willingly was beaten, spit on, hung on a cross, and rose from the dead for me and you. He didn't have to, He could've decided to never come on this earth, but imagine what the world would like if He didn't? 

John Newton's story is a powerful testament to this reality. As a slave trader, a man who had participated in one of the darkest industries of his time, he was living a life of rebellion against God. But in that storm—when he was at the brink of death, when all seemed lost—God’s grace broke through. It transformed him. He did not deserve salvation, yet God extended it to him. The grace that saved John Newton is the same grace that saves you and me today. 

When Newton wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace," he was us the power he had recognized as God's Amazing Grace. It’s a beautiful reminder for all of us that no matter how far we may have strayed or how much we feel we’ve fallen, God’s grace is always there, ready to pick us up.

This grace doesn’t just forgive our sins; it transforms us, reshapes our hearts, and calls us to a new life. It empowers us to do what we could never do on our own: love, forgive, and follow God. It is grace that frees us from the weight of our past mistakes, it is grace that empowers us to press forward despite our flaws and failures, and it is grace that gives us hope for an eternity with God.

So how amazing is God’s grace? It is.... beyond words. It is the love and mercy we could never earn, but it is freely given to us. To each person it may mean something a bit different, but what does it mean to YOU?

 At times we'll look back, we'll feel like we've failed and fallen but then we can remind that we are loved and redeemed because of the gift of grace.  The question is, will we accept the gift? Will we step into the grace that has already been freely offered to us?

As we read and sing the hymn "Amazing Grace," let it be a reminder that God's grace is waiting for you, no matter where you are or what you've done. Just as John Newton experienced a change in his life, so can we. It’s never too late to accept the gift of grace that has been freely given to us through Jesus Christ.

As you go through your week, take a moment to reflect on the amazing grace that God has given you. Let it fill your heart with joy and give you the strength to keep going no matter the circumstances. And if you haven’t accepted His grace yet, know that He's still waiting for you with open arms.