AMAZING GRACE

250 years ago a young man became part of the most despicable occupation known to man. Through a series of events, he found himself on a ship headed for the West Coast of Africa. There he would help purchase slaves to be sent to England and her colonies. For many years he worked and moved amongst slave traders. He was an unruly spirited person, who often found himself at odds with the ship’s captain.

On one trip the captain finally had enough and he sold the man to an African princess. Making him as he later stated, a servant of slaves. Sometime later he was rescued, but remained in the slave trade. That is until the day he meet Christ. While on a ship in the middle of the sea, being tossed by a violent storm, he knelt and asked Christ for forgiveness. After many more years of struggling with his past, he became a pastor and hymn writer. It was here that John Newton sat and penned the most famous hymn in Christian history.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd

Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

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.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.

How is it that the worst of all sinners could find such peace in Christ? He had an understanding of the power of Christ to save.

Romans 6:20-23 “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.  And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Perhaps no other man in history has had so great an influence as John Newton. Not only did he write this beautiful hymn, but he became the Pastor of William Wilberforce, the man that abolished slavery in England.

“Father, may we see your redeeming grace in every area of our lives. We know that you alone can forgive us and set us on the best path for our lives. Jesus, we thank you for your willingness to bear our sinful past on your shoulders; set us free from it. Holy Spirit, may you be our constant guide and peace. In all that we do; in all that we say; in the very way that we live, may you be glorified. Amen”