Contagious
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Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
We’re going to start a series called "Be Contagious!"
Those who know Christ want others to know Him too! We should want to be contagious with the Good News of Jesus Christ!
One of the most contagious truths associated with the Good News about Jesus is the message of God’s grace! Grace is God’s favor. God wants to give His blessings. He wants to give His encouragement and support to us. And one of the most amazing things about God’s grace is how easy it is to relate to!
Not only is God’s grace amazing it is also simple to receive.
Let me show you what I mean by the following paragraph of Scripture.
Here are some simple truths about God’s grace to which we can all relate and that we can all relay to others.
LOVE
LOVE
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Love is the starting point for understanding God’s amazing grace. In order to receive God’s grace in your life you must begin with hearing and believing the Good News that He loves you.
But why does God love you?
In one of the simplest definitions of the nature of God in the Bible, the Word of God states,
"God is love." 1 John 4:8
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
God loves you because that is His nature. His personality is to love. God’s love for you is not based on you or your worth. It’s based on God’s character - not your character which we know is flawed! That’s why you never have to doubt God’s love for you. Sure you’ve messed up. We all have.
Raise your hand if you have messed up before… keep it up if you feel like you are still in the middle of a mess.
I want to remind you this morning God’s love for us is not based on whether we have messed up. It’s not based on our poor performance. It’s based on who He is! You need to know that to accept or experience God’s grace.
The word "love" here is not referring to some mushy sentimentality. It denotes an affection and charitableness and commitment toward us.
Love together with God’s mercy produces a depth of compassion that we cannot even comprehend. We can only stand in awe that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe would consider each one of us individually with such great delight and fondness!
God’s love for us is so great that He gave Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die in our place.
As Jesus Himself said, John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
In 1878, Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria, had a young daughter with Diphtheria. Doctors told the princess to stay away from her daughter’s face and not to breathe her breath, because she then would contract the terminal disease herself and die.
But the day that her daughter lay dying, the girl began to choke. As Princess Alice lifted her up to help from the choking and held her in her arms, the little girl looked up, opened her eyes, and said, "mommy kiss me."
Even though she knew she would die from that act of love, she kissed her daughter as she exhaled her final breath.
Two months later, Princess Alice also died of Diphtheria.
Because of God’s amazing grace Jesus kissed you and me. He died because He loves us. The Father in Heaven sent Him because He loves us.
If you want to experience the wonder and joy of God’s grace it begins by learning about and believing in the love of God!
The second simple term associated with the grace of God is not as warm a word as LOVE. But don’t worry, the Bible has a solution, even to one of life’s toughest topics.
DEATH
DEATH
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The Bible isn’t saying here that we will one day die. The Bible is saying that the person who doesn’t have Christ is dead already.
That’s because the Bible is referring to spiritual death. Spiritual death is to be apart from God because God is the source of all life.
What is sin and why I am dead in my tracks if I don’t accept God’s grace?
Sin is anytime we deviate from integrity and truth. We may be good moral people, our overall lifestyle may be that of a good person, but even still, we have all, at various times and in various ways, deviated from the path of integrity and truth, intentionally and unintentionally. We’ve all thought, said and done things that weren’t right. And we’ve all failed to do things that we knew were right – which is also sin.
The Bible says, Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
And it also says, Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Since all of us have sinned, without accepting and trusting God’s grace, we are all dead without Christ in this life ad the next.
But the Bible hastens to communicate the Good News to us to countermand the effects of sin and death with the third simple term about grace.
LIFE
LIFE
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Historical faith says: "Christ lives!"
Saving faith says: "Christ lives in me!"
Christ indeed lives but He must live in you in order for His life to become yours.
Jesus said, John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
That has to be one of the most encouraging promises ever given! I will never be condemned for my sins if I believe in Christ! I have eternal life by accepting the free gift of God’s amazing grace!
This is so important that the Bible repeats it, often!
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Whether we truly have spiritual life/eternal life is based on the choice we make concerning Christ. If we place our trust in Him we have a personal relationship with Him by accepting His gift of grace – then we have life!
HEAVEN
HEAVEN
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Once we decide to believe in Christ – our physical position may still be here on earth – but our spiritual position is in heaven with Christ!
Unfortunately, one of our problems about getting excited about going to heaven is all of the misinformation about the place.
Singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson said, "We usually think of Heaven as the far country, a cloudy, ethereal place, an eternal church service, which sounds about as appealing as traffic school."
The truth is, Heaven is much better than you can imagine!
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
That’s Good News! Even greater news is, that, when I place my faith in Christ I have a "confirmed reservation" for heaven!
On April 9, 2019 passengers on an overbooked United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville were asked to give up their seats for crew members that were needed for another flight. When no one volunteered, the airline chose passengers to boot off the plane. Among them was Dr. David Dao, who refused to leave because he said he had to see patients early the next morning. Aviation officers were called to remove him, and videos show him being forcibly dragged off the plane. It resulted in injuries that sent him to the hospital.
Videos of the bloodied Dao being dragged off the plane went viral, resulting in calls to boycott United. Dao eventually reached a settlement with the airline, 140 million, and the two aviation officers who "improperly escalated the incident" were fired.
When you trust Christ you can live with confidence that you have a "confirmed reservation" in heaven! And it’s going to be better than you could ever imagine!
ETERNITY
ETERNITY
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
As trophies of God’s grace, all those who believe in Jesus will spend “the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us.”
The human mind finds it impossible to grasp eternity.
So I won’t try to explain it because I can’t.
But I can tell you what the Bible says.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
When Solomon wrote these words he was contemplating how life here on earth never seems to quite satisfy us. There are bits and pieces of fulfillment, but there always seems to be something missing – something not yet attainable.
Ecclesiastes speaks about a man’s search for fulfillment in things like work, wine, the opposite sex, the accumulation of possessions, the pursuit of pleasure – you name it.
But Solomon said looking for complete satisfaction and fulfillment in any of these areas is Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
The conclusion to our human tendency toward dissatisfaction with this life is this:
WE WERE NEVER REALLY CREATED TO BE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH OR IN THIS LIFE!
We were made by and for an eternal God!
We have eternity in our hearts! Our spiritual DNA is structured to be completely satisfied only when we get to heaven to spend eternity with the One who created us, loves us and lavished His grace upon us!
It gives you great liberty when you realize that your earthly existence can’y satisfy you, then you can stop reaching for the brass ring. Instead of looking for satisfaction in things that do not have the potential to totally satisfy, you set your hopes on things above! Then, your contentment, your satisfaction in life, will not be based on things that are temporary – but on the only things that will last forever!
Love, death, life, heaven, eternity.
All of these simple yet crucial terms work together to paint a complete picture of God’s amazing grace.
If you have already received the gift of God’s love you have passed from death to life! You are ready for eternity in heaven! You have a "confirmed reservation!"
If you haven’t yet accepted God’s amazing grace let me ask you to consider this story.
His Although he had heard some stories from the Bible due to the faithfulness of his mother, by the time he was a teenager John had long given up any Christian convictions. A lot of this had to do with the hardness of his father who was away during much of John’s childhood. To add to his experience, John was only 9 years old when his mother died. Because his father was absent and his mother was dead, John was sent away to school until he was old enough to join his father in the business. When his father retired, John was left alone at 19 years of age. He found a mentor and learned the ways of the business.
Like many boys of his youth, John soon fell in love. As if his story didn’t already have enough twists and turns, this is where John’s life took the most dramatic turn. One day, while visiting his new love interest, Mary, John was kidnapped. He was kidnapped by a gang of sailors and forced to serve in the British Royal Navy on board the Harwick.
Bitter about life and toward Christianity because of his circumstances, John began his downward spiral into degradation. When he learned that the Harwick was preparing to embark on a five-year voyage around the world, he tried to desert. However, a few sailors spotted him, dragged him back to the ship, flogged him, and demoted him. He lost his status as an officer in training, and was forced to travel around the globe. Without hope in the world, John considered suicide. Nothing except an act of the Almighty God Himself could intervene in John’s life.
Not caring about much of anything except being able to escape life aboard the British ship, eventually John reached the coast of Sierra Leone where he became the servant of a slave trader. His job was to capture African men and women, transport them abroad, and force them into slavery. What was ironic was that aboard this slave ship, John was also treated as a slave by his bosses. Over the years he hopped from slave ship to slave ship, and was enveloped by the darkness around him. This was the undoubtedly the darkest period of his life.
At this point, John was only 23 years old. John was living the only life he knew how to live and his life was on the balance. Then, as if God was just waiting for the absolute right moment, He reached down His hand and grabbed John by the shirttails. On this particular night, John happened upon a copy of The Imitation of Christ, the message of which cut him straight to the heart. And that very night a severe storm slammed the ship. Everyone on board almost sank to the watery grave below.
Almost.
Another time, also at sea, John became ill with a violent fever and asked for mercy from the God he had rejected years before but somehow knew was still there. And in midst of these storms, John came to the only possible conclusion that he was a sinner in need of forgiveness. John later said these events were the turning point of his life. He started going to church, and when he and Mary got married he promised her that he would live an upright life. He also promised her that he would secure a respectable lifestyle.
Old life, new life. With this new life in Christ, John was immediately transformed. Or was he?
You may know the rest of the story. This man came to be known as John Newton. Unfortunately, though, John’s story doesn’t just stop there. This New Life stuff was hard, especially when the Old Life is all one has ever known.
After all, the slave trade was an occupation that met the conditions of a secure and respectable life, wasn’t it?
At this point, John did not recognize the contradiction between his new faith and his vocation. He served as first mate on one slave ship, and then as captain on three more. Naturally, he often slipped into his old habits. Mornings were spent studying the Bible and praying because of new freedom in Christ, and evenings were spent cracking the whip on the backs of those he imprisoned. He admitted that he was a ruthless businessman and was cruel to the Africans he traded. Slave revolts on board ship were frequent, so John mounted guns and muskets on the desk aimed at the slaves’ quarters. Slaves were beaten and tortured to keep them quiet. And all this was after he had become a Christian.
Eventually John grew weary of the struggle. So, so weary. The only way out, he realized, was to depend on the grace of Christ and the power of the Spirit to sustain him.
Eventually John Newton retired from the slave trade. Dependent on the grace of Christ and the power of the Spirit, he decided he wanted to become ordained as a pastor, but the Church of England would not permit him because he did not have a university education. Nevertheless, John was invited to serve as a pastor when he was 39 years old, and actually proved to be an effective spiritual leader. During his years as a pastor, Newton’s warm personality and excellent preaching endeared him to many friends. He used his influence to unite the church. John Wesley marveled at Newton’s ability to transcend divisions and broker disputes.
John Newton came to deeply regret his involvement in the Slave Trade. In 1787, Newton wrote a tract, ‘Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade’, which graphically described the horrors of the Slave Trade and his personal role in it. He influenced many people, including William Wilberforce, who would spend the rest of his life working towards the abolition of slavery. Later Wilberforce challenged Newton to speak publicly against slavery, the very occupation to which Newton had given most of his life. Newton accepted the challenge, and became a major voice in the eventual abolition of slavery in England.
John Newton wrote the words to the famous hymn, Amazing Grace, which begins,
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.
Amazing Grace. The only possible answer to a life like John Newton. The only possible answer to a life like yours and mine.
As his life faded, John Newton is known to have said to a friend, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things – that I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” Because of his new life in Jesus Christ John Newton became a new man.
On his gravestone, the following words say it all: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith that he had long laboured to destroy.”
What Newton saw was God’s amazing grace. It didn’t matter that his had been a life of profane depravity. God’s grace was greater than his sin!
His hymn has crossed the oceans and lived through time to express what billions have experienced for them selves: God’s grace is so amazing that it can reach us every one of us, no matter what we’ve done. No matter how broken our lives or shattered our dreams. God’s grace is greater!
We are lost but God has searched for us just as He did for Newton. He has made the truth of His amazing grace toward us wonderfully easy to understand.
Have you experienced God’s amazing grace?
Do you sense "eternity in your heart" right now?
Would you like to receive God’s grace just as John Newton did?
Pray something like this in your heart right now.
"Dear God, I realize that I’m a sinner. I’ve messed up. But I believe that you loved me so much that you sent Jesus to die for my sins since death is sin’s penalty. Thank you that I can live eternally by choosing to accept your love and grace. I know I don’t deserve your grace. The Bible says it’s free to me. Thank you for giving it to me because of my decision to turn to Christ with my life."