There are some great old hymns. Let’s do a deep dive on “Amazing Grace” by John Newton and see how it relates to our Christian lives.
John Newton was born in 1725 to a low-income family in London. At age 11, his father, a shipmaster, brought John out to sea for the first time. He was pressed into service in the Royal Navy and at one point he tried to desert. Later, he was allowed to transfer to a slave ship. He was a hated person on the ship. In one description of the ship’s captain, he swore so bad that “he’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard, he created new words that exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.”
There were reports that John Newton was stripped and flogged numerous times in front of everybody. At one point he was abandoned and left on the shore. Apparently, they tricked him and ordered him to scout over on one side of a hill, and as soon as he got on the other side of the mountain, the boat sailed away.
It got so bad for John that he began to fantasize about killing the ship’s captain and then killing himself. Then an incredible storm came which almost sank the ship. It terrified John Newton and left his friend dead. John cried out to God, and for the first time in that storm, he had a real encounter with God. He realized that he cried out to a God that he thought he hated all this time.
John Newton would become a preacher and would fight against slavery in England. In 1772 he wrote the song “Amazing Grace”:
Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
T’was blind but now I see
T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace, my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
That is the pure gospel right there. John Newton was a slave trader and a loser. Everything he touched failed, but God intervened, and grace saved him.
There are a lot of people who come to church. They like God, the music, the sense of community, and the experience. Maybe it strengthens them, and they get involved, but they still think they’re a right person and have to be one. The problem happens when there is no repentance in their life.
Some churches don’t use the word sin anymore, and they become more like a self-help club. This is the worst thing that could happen to a church. We’re sinners, we deserve help, and that’s the fear that the song was talking about.
T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace, my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
When we experience God, we realize that we are a filthy, rotten sinner and are desperately in need of His grace. When we walk in that grace, everything changes.
Ephesians 2:1-5 “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!”
If you’ve ever stolen something, you are called a thief. If you have ever looked at someone of the opposite sex lustfully, Jesus said you’re an adulterer. So we are a church full of lying and stealing cheaters!
I’ve been in church ministry over 20 years, and it doesn’t matter how pretty you look, you can be screwed up on the inside. The seemingly most normal people are capable of the most surprising things. If you think you are better than others, you are not. You need to see yourself as a sinner because if you don’t, you’ll never see your need for a savior. Having that “amazing grace” experience is crucial to you coming to Christ.
God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us light and raised Christ from the dead. Even when I was a sinner, when I was pushing him away—God was chasing after me. I was doing all these nasty things, and Jesus was still seeking me out.
As I grow, he makes me more like him. My ego must get out of the way so he can be more in my life. John the Baptist said it this way, “I have to become less so he can become more.” Paul said that “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” That’s the God that we serve, and so when you can walk in weakness and be all-powerful because this is not from yourselves. It is a gift from God and not by works so no man can boast.
Rock Church serves the communities of Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead. We meet at West Acres Cinema, Sundays at 10 am. At the Rock, you can belong before you believe. Click the button on the to the right to find out how to get a free movie ticket and a free CD.
