It
is a noisy world out there. COVID,
protests, riots, racism, presidential campaigns, masks, social distancing,
football, sports, Penn State jobs, Penn State students, the economy… it all
swirls around in endless noise that keeps our heads and our hearts
spinning. What we all need right now is
some silence and space where we can begin to hear a familiar melody and a
timeless message. We all need a moment
to stop and say to ourselves, ahhh, how sweet the sound…
Today
we are starting a new message series based on some of the most loved and
powerful hymns of the church. Many hymns
in the church are like the scriptures were in Jesus’ day. They are part of who we are. We know the tune, we know the words, and the
full message is known when we hear the first few notes of the song. That’s how the scriptures were for
Jesus. Just a few words of a psalm and
everyone knew the full message of what was coming. They defined people and their faith.
For
some of you, this is what the hymns do - they define you. But for some of you, the hymns we will look
at might be new. If they are, I invite
you to open yourself up to a message that has touched people for
generations. The words to these hymns
are timeless and some of the melodies are so powerful that they have been used
by artists in every generation to give birth to new musical expressions of the
songs.
Today
we are going to hear again the message and melody of what is probably the most
loved hymn of all time - Amazing Grace.
For many people, every time it is sung, it brings tears to them because
it reminds them of those whose grace has touched their lives. Amazing Grace is sung at many funerals and so
it reminds us of people we love and have lost.
For many people it sums up the gospel message in song the way John 3:16
sums up the gospel in one verse, (say John 3:16 - say first verse of Amazing
Grace)
But
who would have thought that those powerful words, written almost 300 years ago,
would come from a man who was known early in his life as one of the most vulgar
men around. John was a sailor who spent
much of his time drunk. He was also
violent and so crass and vulgar that his nickname was The Great Blasphemer. The captain of his ship said that John’s
language was so bad that he not only had
the worst language of anyone around but that he created new words that exceeded
the limits of verbal debauchery. If
you looked up the expression, cuss like a
sailor, in the dictionary 300 years ago, you just might have seen his
picture.
Not
only was his language extreme but his actions were too. He was so violent and disliked that one day
when John fell overboard, instead of tossing him a lifeline or a life
preserver, his fellow sailors threw harpoons at him. And after one outburst of bad behavior, the
captain had John beaten severely in front of the other sailors. He feared nothing and no one. At one point, John decided to kill his
captain and himself, but before he could put his plan into action, a strong
storm hit their ship. John watched as
his only friend was swept away in a giant wave and he believed that both he and
the ship would be lost. In the moment of
his greatest trial and deepest fear John didn’t curse God, and he didn’t laugh
at the storm, instead he cried out to God, Lord
Have Mercy On Us All.
John
didn’t ask God to save him, he asked God to save everyone. And God did.
The storm blew itself out. The
boat was spared along with most of the crew and in the days that followed, John
realized that in his darkest moment he had called out to God for help and God
had answered, so maybe there was something to this God after all. If this God was real, then John wanted to
figure out who he was and what was going on.
So
John Newton started to read the Bible.
He learned more about God, and began to understand the power of
salvation that comes to us through Jesus Christ. In time he sat down and started to write
these words: 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.
John
Newton’s life had radically changed through the amazing grace of Jesus
Christ. He went from working on a slave
ship to working to end slavery in England because he had experienced the
amazing grace of God. John knew if God
could change him, God could change the world.
That's the story behind the song, but what is the message of the
song?
We
find the biblical foundation for this hymn in Ephesians 2:1-9. This
particular writing of the Apostle Paul reads like a man so excited about the
grace of God that he just can’t contain himself. He adds statement after statement in run-on
sentences as the thoughts flow from his heart and mind.
As
for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to
live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom
of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of
us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving
of wrath.
But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been
saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus.
For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
We
could organize Paul’s words here with these three statements
You Were - But
God - By Grace
You were. You were dead in
your sin, Paul said. You were dead when
you lived only for yourself, satisfying your wants and needs above everyone and
everything else. You were deserving of
wrath in the eyes of God. This is not a
message we like to hear today and it’s not one we hear often. Usually we like to lift people up and be an
encouragement. We want to focus on the positive not the negative. We tell people, you're not as bad as you think you are. Don’t listen to the people who
put you down. Don’t put yourself
down. But to really understand the
power of the gospel, there comes a point in time when we need to come face to
face with who we are. We are
sinners. We are selfish. We are all dead in our sins. All of us.
My
guess is that most of us know this. In
fact, we can probably remember and recite to ourselves all the times we have
blown it, and all the times we failed both God and others and most importantly
ourselves. Guilt and shame too often
control our lives and direct our future as we constantly live in that “you
were” world. But did you notice
something – the words are you were
not you are. Yes we struggle with sin, yes we fail to be
all we want to be, but that is not the end of our story because of these two
words… but God.
But
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only so that whoever believes
in him might not perish, might not live in that you were state, might not deal
with guilt and shame and sin forever, but have everlasting life. But God
means that God stepped into the mess of our lives and brought us true life. But God
means that God made us alive in Christ, and Paul knew exactly what it was like
to have this but God moment in his life.
As
a religious leader, Paul had persecuted the followers of Jesus and been personally
responsible for having them arrested, tried, and killed. Paul was on a mission to stomp out the early
church by any means possible and was on his way to arrest more Christians when
God stepped into his life. Paul was on
the road to Damascus when a blazing light tossed him to the ground and blinded
him. As Jesus spoke to Paul, he deserved
to be judged and condemned. Paul
deserved to be put to death for persecuting the followers of Jesus. Paul deserved the wrath of God, but God
stepped in and changed it.
For
three days Paul was blind and sat in darkness until a follower of Jesus named
Annanias came and restored Paul’s sight.
Paul didn’t do anything to deserve this healing, he deserved only
judgement and blindness, but God stepped in.
He once was lost but now was found, he was literally blind but now he
could see. He hadn’t done anything to be
given this gift, it was all by grace.
By grace Paul was saved. By
grace John Newton was saved, and it is by grace that we are saved. For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by
works, so that no one can boast.
This is the amazing grace we sing about.
We were dead and had no hope, but God loves us, not because we are
loveable but because God is God and God is love. And God makes us alive in Christ and gives us
a present and a future and it all takes place by grace.
It
is by grace, by God’s amazing grace, that we are not what we once were. It is by God’s amazing grace that we are able
to not only have the hope of a resurrection but the hope of a new life here and
now. It is by God’s amazing grace that
we are able to overcome every storm we face, every trial we experience, and
every danger that comes our way. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I
have already come, ‘tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead
me home.
This
is the message of Amazing Grace. We were lost, but God’s love stepped in, and by
grace we have been redeemed. We were once dead in sin, but God’s love raises us from sin and
death, and by grace we are saved and
forgiven and given eternal life
We were - But God - By Grace.
This
is the story we remember and celebrate in communion as well. The disciples were sinners that night, they
were all going to desert Jesus in his time of need, but Jesus loved them and
invited them to be at the Passover table with him. It was at that table that they were shown
that the gift of forgiveness and eternal life would be just that - a gift given
by grace. When Jesus says, this is my body given for you. And this
is my blood which is shed for you, we see clearly that it is by God’s grace
we are saved. We don’t earn this, we
don’t deserve this, but this is what grace looks like. This is what grace tastes like. This is how grace, God’s amazing grace saves
us.
If
you are in need of a but God moment,
a moment where God’s love can step in and remind you that you are not what you
once were and if you are in need of knowing that by grace you have new life in
Christ – then this can be it. Communion
is always a but God moment as God steps into our lives with his love and
reminds us that it is by grace we have been saved.
It’s
a crazy, noisy, and very tiring world out there. If we are going to make it through, now more
than ever, we need to hear once again this simple and powerful truth: 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.
We
were - But God - By Grace - By God’s Amazing Grace.
Next Steps
Amazing Grace
Take some time this week to learn more about John Newton.
Many books have been written and several movies have been made about
John Newton’s life. Set aside time to
learn more about how God’s grace changed John’s life.
Look up the lyrics to Amazing Grace. Which parts of the song do you
especially identify with? Why?
Take a silent moment to think about all the ways grace has saved you.
As you think of something, give thanks to God!
Read Ephesians 2:1-9.
●
What does
it mean that we were dead in sin?
●
Why does
God step into our darkness to bring life and raise us from the dead?
●
When did
you first realize that salvation comes from grace alone.
●
How does,
You
Were - But God - By Grace, sum up the entire gospel message?
Have you ever had a “But God” moment in your life when God stepped in
and began to turn things around? Reflect
on how grace was a part of that moment.
Where is God’s grace needed in your life today? What dangers, toils, and snares are you
walking through today and how can God’s grace help?
Every day this week create some silence to sing to yourself or listen
to a different version of Amazing Grace.
