The world-famous hymn 'Amazing Grace' was first written by John Newtown in 1779 after he experienced the grace of God in the midst of a terrible storm, transforming him from being a cruel slave ship captain into a Christian pastor and campaigner for the abolition of slavery. But what does 'grace' really mean? Grace simply means to receive favour, kindness and mercy that you don’t deserve. Amazing grace is when you are amazed at the blessing and mercy you receive from God.
The book of Ephesians was written by a man who had once been a violent persecutor of Christians. He was so bad he called himself ‘the chief of sinners', yet he became the great apostle Paul who spread the good news of Jesus far and wide. In Ephesians 2:4-10 we see some inspiring lessons about what it means to discover the grace of God:
1. Amazing grace means that you have received the great gift of God’s love (Ephesians 2:4-5, 7-9, Luke 15:11–32)
2. Amazing grace means that you experience a great transformation (Ephesians 2:6, Romans 5:8)
3. Amazing grace means that you have a great purpose (Ephesians 2:10)
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Have you personally received the great gift of God's love? Do you live by grace each day or do you think you have to work to gain God's favour? The Bible speaks of God’s ‘great love for us.’ Many imagine that God is against people but it says He ‘is rich in mercy.’ The riches of God’s grace are ‘incomparable.’ God is full of kindness towards us because there is nothing that we can do to earn his favour. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. God’s love is love for all people everywhere, no matter what you've done. God’s mercy and grace extended to John Newton, to the apostle Paul, and it can extend to you. Even after the rebellious Prodigal son had totally messed up, once he returned home the love, forgiveness and gifts from his father were far beyond his expectations. God has incredible patience. God has not given up on you. It’s not too late to come home to Him and receive the free gift of God’s great love.
Have you experienced a great transformation in your life through God's amazing grace? Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we can be raised up from spiritual death. The Bible says that spiritual death is the result of our disobedience to God. When we sin, we put a barrier between God and us. We deserve punishment and judgement for breaking God’s laws and for hurting people, not His blessings. But the Bible shows us the grace of God in Romans 5:8: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died on the cross to make us spiritually alive and to raise us up from death, and Ephesians 2:6 says we have been raised up with Christ and that God has ‘seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.’ This means that we can experience the joy and blessings and authority of heaven now. God’s kingdom of heaven can come to us on earth now. We no longer have to be down about anything. Grace means we have been raised up to enjoy new life and to live with new confidence. Do you live like this?
Do you believe there is a God-given purpose for your life where you can help many others? When God’s grace touches your life, He wants to then use you to touch the lives of many other people with the grace of God. The apostle Paul, the former destroyer of the church, planted great churches, was a wonderful spiritual father and teacher, and wrote books that inspire and instruct us today. John Newton, the cruel and awful slave captain, could never have imagined how his testimony and song of amazing Grace would have such a lasting impact on our world. God’s amazing grace not only deals with your past only but also sets you up with a great future of great purpose. You are saved to serve. You are called to bring the light and love of Jesus to our world. God can forge great leaders out of great sinners. Today God wants to embrace you with His amazing grace and be your great saviour, and set you on His path of great purpose for your life to help many others experience His amazing grace as well.
