But God

Hey, I want to tell you about John. John was a guy who was born in 1725 and his dad was the owner of a ship. His dad was involved in the Mediterranean slave trade. John's mother died when John was six years old. And after only two years of formal education, at the age of 11, John started working on his dad's ship.

John was rejected by his dad and really went into a life of immorality and debauchery. John was hated by the other people that were working there on the ship. John had quite the reputation at a young age. In fact, his nickname was the Great Blasphemer. The captain of the ship said that John's language was so bad, you've heard the expression cussing like a sailor.

You know, it's got to be bad. If the captain of the ship would make this statement. He said not only did he use the worst language I've ever heard, but he created new words that exceeded the limits of verbal debauchery. It's quite a statement from a ship's captain. He was so bad, John was so hated by everybody on the ship that at one point the captain stripped him down naked and beat him in front of 350 other men.

John was so full of hatred after that point that he devised a plan to kill the captain and then kill himself. The only thing that disrupted his plan was this massive storm. Kind of ironic that on the day that we're talking about this, there's a storm going on right outside of this building. John's plans were interrupted by this storm. In fact, everybody on the ship was fearing for their life.

John's best friend was swept overboard, never to be seen again. And the ironic thing is that John, being so afraid, cried out to the very God that he had spent years blaspheming. John's life was spared. And as a result, this wretched sinner named John began reading scripture. In fact, he read a book by Thomas A. Kempis in entitled the Imitation of Christ.

And at the age of 39, John became a minister of the Gospel and he pastored a Church for 15 years in Ole England. It was during that time that John began writing hymns. And in 1775 he wrote these words. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found I was blind but now I see Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed through many dangers, toils and snares we have already come Twas grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home and when We've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun if you're joining us today for the first time, or maybe you're watching for the first time last Sunday we began this brand new series that's entitled Worship through the Ages, Hymns of the Kingdom. And we're just looking at some of the history and some of the theology that's buried in some of the great hymns of the Church.

There's another notorious sinner that wrote some powerful words about the grace of God, a man that we know as the Apostle Paul, who had quite the reputation for killing Christians. In Ephesians chapter two, we find these powerful words penned by the Apostle Paul, beginning in verse one. Go there on your device or in your Bible. The notes are on the app. But would you stand to honor the word of God as we read these nine verses?

The first nine verses of Ephesians chapter 2. The apostle Paul, this murderer turned believer, writes these words. 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 everybody 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's only by God's grace that you have been saved. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.

Because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this. It's a gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things that we've done. So none of us can boast about it. Anybody excited about the Word this morning? Let's make some declarations about the Word of God before you're seated. Even those that are watching us Online.

Everybody out loud. You ready? Go. I will hide this word in my heart that I might not sin against God. This word is life to my body, and I will be a doer of the Word.

And I am confident of this that he who has begun a good work in me will complete it. In Jesus name, Amen. You can be seated. We're going to talk about three things that the Apostle Paul reminds us of in those verses that we just read. And the first thing is this.

If you're taking notes or if you've got the notes pulled up on the app, first thing is this. We are not who we used to be. Can anybody say amen to that?

Verse 1. The apostle Paul says once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin. Now listen, if you're a follower of Jesus, you're not now who you once were. Now the reality is this.

We were all born into a sin nature. Adam and Eve sinned, and because of that sin entered mankind. You know that we are sons and daughters of sinners, and by nature we are not good. If by chance you have an elevated view of yourself, if by chance you think, I'm really not that bad of a person, or maybe some of you are prone to think I'm certainly not as bad as that guy, let me just ask you this. Just by show of hands.

How many of you have ever lied? Let me see. Your hands.

Should be 100%, because if you didn't raise your hand, you're lying right now.

Just by show of hands, how many of you have ever stolen something?

Really should be every hand in the place. You might not have robbed a bank, but you've stolen time from your employee before, I would imagine at some point, I'm not going to ask for a show of hands on this, but how many of you have been envious of the lifestyle of. Of somebody else? How many of you have lusted after somebody else? You don't have to raise your hand on that, but oftentimes we are prone to think, I'm really not that bad of a person, or I'm not as bad as somebody else.

I want you to Hear what James 2:10 says for the person who keeps all of the laws except one. And we just talked about a few. We talked about lying. We talked about stealing. We talked about envy.

We talked about lust. We talked about four of the ten. But the Bible says for the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws. So before we are tempted to become our own self defense attorney, we are all wretched, we're all sinners, we're all born into sin. And acknowledging that we are sinners and that we cannot save ourselves is the beginning of being in a position to experience God's grace.

Listen, if you don't see yourself as a sinner, you will never see your need for, for a Savior.

Jesus came for sinners. Anybody thankful for that? And for those who were broken and for those who were hurting. And I love that the Apostle Paul says, those of you who were dead, those of you who used to live in sin, that's no longer who you are. And might I remind you, it's never who you were created to be.

God created you to be in fellowship with him. Sin separates that from God, separates us from God. But thank God, he made a way for us to have fellowship and relationship with him. And the apostle Paul, in another letter that he wrote to The Corinthian Church, Second Corinthians 5:17, says, Therefore, if anybody is in Christ, in other words, if you've stepped out of religion and into relationship with Jesus, then Paul says, you're a brand new person. The old has passed away.

In fact, scripture says all of your previous sins are thrown into a sea of forgetfulness and that Jesus makes everything brand new for you powerful. So because of the grace of God, Paul says, you're not who you used to be. I had the privilege a few weeks ago, you guys know I talked about a little bit of participating in an event with God behind bars at the largest prison in America, Angola Prison in Louisiana. And there I met a young man by the name of Ben Fuller. Ben has just really come on the scene as a Christian artist.

And the love of Jesus pours out of the sky in a way I've not seen very many times before. But Ben's story is incredible. His story is powerful. Ben had a severe 14 year drug addiction and Ben was as low as you could get. And God reached into the depth of his addiction and God made Ben a brand new creature.

And I wanted to share with you, he's got so many powerful songs. He's one of the. He's an incredible lyricist and songwriter that comes out of the depth of his previous life of brokenness and pain. But one of his songs that Ben wrote, and there's a video that goes on, I just wanted to pray a portion of that for you just as a reminder for you to rejoice at what God's done in Your life. Check this out.

For me to have everything for all of eternity A song in my lungs to sing. You gave up everything for me to have everything for all of eternity A song in my lungs to sing.

I'm a child of the most high God and the most High God's for me A child of the most high God and the most high Gods for me it's who I am in the eyes of the Father who I am is love set free who I was I am yours Lord I believe it's who I am.

Down for me I'm the child of the most high God and the most high God for me I'm the child of the most high God and the most high God for me Come on. Anybody thankful that you're a child of the most High God? Because of the grace of God. The second thing Paul reminds us of in those verses that we read a moment ago is that we did nothing to earn salvation. We did nothing to earn that.

Verse 4 and 5. But God. Everybody say but God. Come on, say it. 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's only by God's grace that you have been saved. When mankind was separated from God, God knew that we did not have the ability on our own to restore that connection or to restore that relationship. We could not build the bridge back to God. We could not span the gap that sin had created between us and our Creator.

So God sent Jesus because he loved us so much. He loved you so much even in your pride, even in your addiction, even in your selfishness, even with your murderous spirit, even in the midst of your immorality. God loved you enough that he would send his only son to die for you. John Newton could not save himself. Ben Fuller could not save himself.

The apostle Paul could never bridge the gap back to God. He was literally on his way to persecute and to kill some Christians in Damascus when he encountered this blinding light and a voice from heaven that Paul knew was the very God that he was blaspheming. He was hoping that by murdering Christians of this new movement called the Way that maybe he could murder God. God sends him to the home of a man named Ananias. Ananias lays hands on Paul.

And all of a sudden, Paul's eyesight is returned to him. I was blind, but now I can see. Listen. We were all blinded in some way. Come on.

We were blinded by pride. We were blinded by sin or by anger. We were blinded by fear, by addiction, by rejection, by loneliness. But God. But God.

Listen, going to church won't save you. Catechism won't save you. Taking communion won't do it. Giving money, serving in the church, serving in the parking lot on a rainy day won't do it. Going to confessional won't do it.

It's the amazing grace of God in him giving his only son to die for us and then God raising him from the dead so that our sin nature could be completely transformed and we could become new creatures in Christ Jesus. Say it with me, but God. Say it, but God. The phrase but God often symbolizes hope and divine intervention, marking a shift from seeming defeat or hopelessness to a turning point of grace and victory. God used a storm to be the catalyst for John Newton, a turning point in his life.

Some of you may be in the midst of a storm today. Maybe you view that storm as an enemy. But maybe God is using that storm as a catalyst to transform your life, to turn things around for you. Listen, all of us at different times are in need of a but God moment in our lives. Joseph had a but God moment after he was sold into slavery, after he was falsely accused of trying to rape a woman, which he was not doing.

After he was thrown into prison for some 14 years of serving there being forgotten about. And then once he's finally released, God promotes him to the prime minister of Egypt. And Joseph has a but God moment. Genesis, chapter 50, verse 20. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many, many light.

How many of you were in a hopeless situation? You needed divine intervention. You could not change without a miracle. And you experienced a but God moment. Come on.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about right now? Hey, listen, can we just take just a moment? Can we just take a moment? Can we just thank God for those but God moments when we had no way of changing ourselves, when we had no solution for the gap that was between us and God? And God saw you and God loved you and God intervened for you.

Will you take just a moment and reflect on that and think on that and just begin to lift your hands and lift worship to him and say, God, thank you that you saved a wretch like me. Thank you for your grace. Come on, church. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your rich mercy.

Thank you for your love, your unmerited and undeserved love for me. God, we thank you today. We thank you today for your amazing grace. Your amazing grace. Thank you for the But God moments in our lives.

Thank you for the storms that you've used to turn us around. Thank you that we're a child of the Most High God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We worship you today, God.

The last thing the Apostle Paul reminds us of is that his grace is truly amazing. John Newton got it right when he titled that hymn in 1775, Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace, verses 6 through 8. For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. Because we are united with Christ Jesus.

So God can point to us in all future generations, all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us as shown in all that he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. Verse 8. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this. It's a gift from God.

It's a gift from God. Through many dangers, toils and snares, we have already come. Twas grace, grace that brought us safe thus far. And grace will lead us home. How many of you know that his grace is sufficient?

His grace is enough for you. Whatever you're facing, whatever storm that you're in the midst of, whatever challenges or trials that are staring you down, his grace is sufficient. His grace is more than enough. If you're battling addiction, who else can rescue you from addiction? Who else can wipe away years of immorality?

Who else can take the stained hearts of murderers and adulterers and thieves and liars and. And wash them so that there's not even a hint of a stain left on our hearts? Only Jesus. Only his grace. Listen to me.

It cannot be bought. It cannot be earned, cannot be duplicated, and it cannot be manufactured. It's totally undeserved, yet freely given. Let me say that again. His grace is totally undeserved, yet freely given.

What makes his grace so amazing? Well, his grace is unlimited. It's unbiased. It's unconditional. It's undeserved.

It's unexpected. It's uncommon. It's unequaled. It's universal. It's unparalleled.

It's unexplainable. It's unpredictable. And his grace is unreal. Truly amazing.