Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound. Now I've got one verse that I
want to read, And my message will, the hymn is going to be
my outline. Thank you. Yes, yes, that's okay. Actually, I was going to ask
you to do that anyway, Walker. So Romans 5 and verse 20 is what
I want to read. Romans 5 and verse 20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. I think you would be hard-pressed
to find anyone who does not know the hymn, Amazing Grace, written
by John. This hymn is sung in many places
during many different events by all and it is done across
many religions. But I know this is true. There
are very few people who sing this hymn and know what the words
are really saying. Nor do they relate to the words
in any real way. They do not really know the hymn
and they do not know the man and what he taught who wrote
this hymn. This world and most of those who sing the hymn do
not know the God of amazing grace that's being spoken of in this
hymn. Now I want to be clear, I'm not going to get doctrine
from the hymn. All hymns should be in accord
with God's word if we are to sing them. If they go against
God's word, we should not be singing them. I want to go through
the words of this hymn today as it relates to our text and
the word of God. The hymn will be my outline,
if you will. And I just want to say, you know,
there's, free will is nowhere in the scripture whatsoever.
Free will is a lie. But yet there's many a place
that will sing this hymn, Amazing Grace, not knowing what it's
saying. I first want to give a little
bit of background about John, into John Newton. He was an only
child that I know of from his mother and father. At first,
he had his father remarried, but his mother died at age seven.
And according to what John Newton says, his mother taught him in
the word of God from a young age. And after her death, he
began to show forth that evil, wicked heart in him. Around 1742,
I'm not sure how old he was for sure, but I think he was around
age 15. But this is when his violence
started to come out and show itself most, according to him. He was in fact so bad that he
was actually a slave himself at one time. He was around slave
ships most of his time on the sea. But of his own doing, because
of his outward wickedness, he ended up in slavery himself for
a time. He finally got back on a ship
from that timeframe. And although at first he says
he did not think about God, but after the hard experience he
had went through being a slave, he outwardly at least began to
change his ways. There came a point not too long
after getting on this ship, he began to be in spiritual trouble
as he started to recall some of the scriptures he was taught
as a child. He felt himself to be a Jonah
and just knew God was going to kill him and would be just in
doing so in the ocean. At this same time, the ship he
was on encountered a big storm which nearly tore the ship apart.
From this time, God through his providence brought unto John
Newton his word and saved his soul. He changed from that moment
on. He then wrote this hymn some
years later, speaking of the amazing grace that saved him
as he thought of the many times God protected him. The word grace,
as I've said before, means favor. This coming from God, it means
favor of God. The hymn starts out with amazing
grace, how sweet the sound. And I'm gonna leave that until
later. Let's look at God's word, and by looking at his word, relate
this hymn to what God says. That saved a wretch like me. Most people do not understand
or know what a wretch really is, let alone really feel themselves
to be one. Paul the apostle explains to
us what a wretch is. In Romans 7, 23 and 24 we read,
but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members. Oh, wretched man that I am, who,
not what, but who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
A wretch is one who has been brought into captivity to the
law of God. That law for which they cannot
get away from and they cannot obey it in and of themselves.
They are captive to it. They have no ability of themselves
to become freed of that law, knowing they cannot keep it.
This is what makes them a wretch. They cannot do what God commands.
They are those who endure trials, that's what the word means, that
is wretches. They are miserable, and that
is what the word means as well. If you have never been brought
to this place of being a wretch, you do not know the grace of
God. What else does Paul say in Romans
7? I'm gonna read verses 7 through 14. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin by the
law, for I had not known lust except the law had said, thou
shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Sorry, I can't read it. For without
the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law
once. There are many people who are
alive without the law, and the law never comes to them in this
way. But when the commandment came,
sin revived, and I died. Those who are sent this law in
grace begin to see death before God. And the commandment which
was ordained to life I found to be unto death. For sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy and
the commandment holy and just and good. Was then that which
is good made deaf unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it
might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good,
that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For
we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. As has been said before, the
law is like an x-ray. It can show us how bad we are,
but it can do nothing to fix what we are. The law does not
make us what we are, it shows us what we are. Because we are
dead and by nature we are all dead to God, because of this
we sin because that is what we are. The law comes along if God
has been pleased to send his law in grace to us, but the law
gives sin strength. What does that mean? When we
see the law, this flesh wants to rebel against it all the time. The natural man, or that is a
carnal man, that which is born of the flesh, that which has
its seed in Adam, I want to be very clear about this, is totally
opposed to the law of God, which is holy, just, and good. Man as he is born in Adam cannot
and will not obey God's law. Paul from this says, oh wretched
man that I am. The one who wrote this hymn believed
God's word concerning who man is and who God is. Hear his words
from his sermon on January 1773 on Amazing Grace. He had a sermon,
he had these headings on this sermon. It says, who am I? And under this he had three points,
and I'm gonna read those three points. The first one, miserable. Shut up under the law and unbelief. What must have been the event
had the Lord left us there? After a few years spent in vanity,
we must have sunk to rise no more. Rebellious, number two. Blinded by the God of this world,
we had not so much a desire of deliverance. Instead of desiring
the Lord's help, we breathed a spirit of defiance against
him. His mercy came to us not only
undeserved, but undesired. Yea, a few of us but resisted
his call. And when he knocked at the door
of our hearts, endeavored to shut him out till he overcame
us by the power of his grace. Number three, undeserving. It
was the Lord against whom we sinned and who showed us mercy. He needed not. What just cause
of admiration that he should appoint such salvation in such
a way in favor of such helpless, worthless creatures. Those were
John Newton's words. He knew something of what he
was and who God was, who God is. Being captive to the law,
blinded by the God of this world, and that is Satan, and sinning
against the Lord, we were totally lost. not able to seek that which
is needed for our salvation, that is God himself. But yet
we are found, found by him whom we have offended, that one who
in grace sent his son to reconcile us to himself by himself. Romans 10.20 says, but Isaiah
is very bold and saith, I was found of them that sought me
not. I was made manifest unto them
that ask not after me. This is the New Testament referencing
the Old Testament, saying that man was found of them, God was
found of them that sought him not. Those who found God were
not seeking God. So how were they found? God found
them. It also says that God was made manifest
to them that asked not after them. They were not even inquiring
about God. It says they asked not after
him. It is confirmed in Romans 3,
Romans 3 11. There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. Just as the blind man who
was born blind in John 9, that is, he was born this way, just
like you and I are spiritually. We are all born blind. But just
as he said, this is the blind man, I now say as one who could
not see. John Newton also said as one
who could not see. This blind man says in John 9
25, one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. So we have these words from John
Newton in this hymn. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. It is this holy, just God who
sends down His grace to us in His power and strength. No man
has any strength in himself. but God sending his spirit down
to us, giving us life. Our eyes then being opened, he
sends us his gospel wherein we can now see. We can now understand
what he tells us in his word. When we first do, we are enabled
to fear by his grace. This grace shed on us when we
were not looking for it. It is what causes us to then
fear God. Fearing God is the beginning
of wisdom, the scripture says, Proverbs 9, 10. The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy
is understanding. Fearing that one that can destroy
both body and soul and hell is the one that we need to fear.
We need not fear men who can destroy this body. Most of us
do not even fear because they will destroy this body. We fear
men because they might think we are strange, that we are over
the top. We might fear men because we
will no longer be able to do those things that we like to
do and no one else will want to do anything with us. We may
fear men because we will not get from them what we get from
them now. The fear that God Almighty brings by His power is a fear
of Him. The one given this gift, knowing
that this self-existent one can destroy both my body and soul
in hell forever. It is by God Almighty's strength
that he has saved a wretch like me. I have no strength, but he
is. Romans 5, 6 says, for when we
were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the
ungodly. So let's move on. What does he
say next in his hymn? T'was grace that taught my heart
to fear, and grace my fears relieved. This same grace given by God
himself that causes us to fear him is also that same grace in
seeing Jesus Christ and what he has done, and it now relieves
those fears into hope. Christ being my hope of eternal
salvation of my soul for the reconciliation that he has done,
bringing sinful man back together with a thrice holy God in communion
with him. Christ who is able to touch man
and not be defiled, and yet touch God and not be consumed, bringing
them both together in himself, in communion of life. Man's only
hope for communion with God is that Jesus Christ died for you,
reconciling you to God by his blood, and then raising again
from the dead. Romans 5.10 says, for if when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son,
much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. God
brings us the spirit of bondage to fear, and he then brings us
that spirit of adoption. This is God's order. It is what
he says in his word. So if you have never feared that
you are lost and without hope in the world because you are
condemned of God, then grace cannot relieve those fears. Grace
causes us to fear Him because we begin to see just who God
really is. And when He sends us that spirit
of bondage to fear, we see who we are. But then that same grace
is sent in the spirit of adoption, and seeing Jesus Christ has done
it all, relieves those fears of being an absolute wretch before
him. Seeing that being reconciled
to God, we begin to see that it is in his, that is Jesus Christ's
righteousness, that we are brought together in union with God. So the next words of the hymn.
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed. To
the believer, when God first does his work on an individual,
forcing them to submit to his son in love. But to the believer,
this grace first appearing to us when we thought all hope was
lost. He first puts his people in a
situation where we just know God is going to destroy us for
who we are and what we have done. bearing this awful weight of
sin, this is that time of fear. But the gospel and the power
of his spirit, when we then have the weight of judgment lifted
from our shoulders, the guilt of sin from our shoulders, know
this, that Christ bore our sins in his own body on that tree,
taking them as far as the east is from the west, never to be
seen again. Oh, how precious that is. We
might see our sin, but God does not see our sin if Christ purged
him. This he has done if you are one
of his. That is, if God chose you in
Christ, then he took away your sin. The believer never loses
this. This grace continues to appear
to the believer time and time again in the gospel. Every time
we hear of the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, it
renews that hope that was first given to us by His amazing grace,
and we are refreshed anew. We have next in the hymn, through
many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Tis grace
has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
For the believer, God in His purpose and providence protects
those that are His, bringing them through many things through
this life. To those for whom were chosen
of God in Christ from before the foundation of the world,
He, that is God, keeps them safe by His power and providence.
If you have been told that election is not in the scripture, then
you have been told a lie. The truth is, if God did not
choose us in Jesus Christ from before the foundation of the
world, then none would be saved. Those for whom God chose in Christ,
God sent His Son down to this earth to die for them, having
been made what they are by nature, and that is sin, taking away
that for which condemns them before God, never to be seen
again. Then in time he has been pleased
to send forth his gospel to let those know for whom he did this,
that they are saved. No one gets saved. Salvation
is not for sale. Salvation was purchased by Jesus
Christ on that tree. You have to be saved by God or
you will never know salvation by God. What did the Philippian
jailer ask? What must I do to be saved? Acts 16, 30 and 31. And brought
them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they
said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved
in thy house. They did not say in order to
get saved, you must believe. They said, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It is the work of God
that anyone believes. What you must do is believe that
Jesus Christ the Lord did the saving on that tree. He suffered
being forsaken of the Father. He cried, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? When he had accomplished that
for which it was required for the salvation of men's souls,
he cried out, it is finished, paid in full. He purchased salvation
to himself. This is grace to the believer.
God does not shed his grace on anyone that is not his. Grace
is particular. It is grace that will keep you
until the end. You will never see life unless
he gives it to you to know his son and believe him. John 8 24
says, I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins.
For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. So we must hear the gospel and
we must believe him and what he has done. John Newton goes
on to say in his hymn, the Lord has promised good to me. His
word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion
be as long as life endures. God in his word, that is his
gospel, and even more specific, the gospel of Jesus Christ and
him crucified, is what secures and assures me of eternal life
in him. It is his faith that assures
me. This same faith being given by
God to his people and this faith looking to Jesus Christ, who
is God, and looking to what he has done, it will always do this
because it is his faith. It is Jesus Christ who is all
for me. That is my protector, my life. But God does this for all his
people. We read in Romans 8 and 28 and
29, very familiar. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God. To them who are the
called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he, that is Christ, might be firstborn among many brethren. All things are worked out by
God for the good of his people. Those are the people who love
God. Those who love God being the ones he called and that according
to his purpose. He predestinated those for whom
he foreknew. meaning he knew them in love,
that is, intimately. Those ones he loved in Christ,
those are the ones he predestinated to be conformed to the image
of his Son. It does not say all things that
happen will be good things. It just says that all things
work together for good to them that love God and only them that
love God. These are they who are called
by God according to His will and purpose from before the foundation
of the world. Next we have in the hymn, yes,
when this flesh and heart shall fail and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil a life of joy and peace. Although we will lay this body
down should Christ not return first, The hope we have in Christ
Jesus is that life and peace we shall continue in forevermore. Because in Christ we live and
move and have our being and that will never change because He
has given unto us eternal life. That is if you love Christ, that
is if you believe Christ by His grace. If you do not know Him,
and I mean Him, the very one I'm speaking about to you right
now, if you do not know Him, you will never see life. I cannot
give you joy and peace. Only Jesus Christ can do this.
He did this in love, choosing you from before the foundation
of the world in Himself, and coming down in love, dying on
that cross for your sins, raising again, being seated on the Father's
right hand on high, seating you with Himself, sending us His
gospel to let you know about that salvation in time, to the
saving of your souls now, wherein we have peace with God. We have
peace with God if we are in Christ because He is our peace with
God. It is He that does this. He did
bring these things to pass and He must bring these things to
pass if you are ever to know Him. This He did as a man. This man having entering in into
the holiest of all, What do we read in Hebrews 9-12? Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. So what do we have next? The
world shall soon to ruin go. The sun forbear to shine. But
God, who called me here below, will be forever mine. I know
a lot of this seems repetitive, but that's what we want to hear.
It's what I want to hear. The believer, those chosen in
Christ, those for whom Christ died to secure their salvation,
those for whom God's spirit gives life, bringing them the gospel,
those for whom he gives it to them to believe by his power,
those for whom by his power are kept until the end, those for
whom will be raised in incorruption and glorified. Those are the
ones when this earth passes away with a fervent heat and Christ
is the only light there, they will forever be with Him. Forever
to be able to commune with God in His Son, Jesus Christ the
Lord. Whatever heaven is, it will be Jesus Christ the Lord
that makes it so. For any place without Him does
not have life or light because He is the light and life of it
all. So now let's go back to the first
part of the verse. Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound. Our text immediately comes to
light when I see these words. But let's put our text in a little
bit more context here. Let's read the verse right before
it along with our text first. Romans 4 and verse 10. Romans
5 verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience,
this one man being Adam, it is clear from this chapter, many
were made sinners. So by the obedience of one, this
is Jesus Christ, it is evident from this chapter, shall many
be made righteous.