Amazing Grace
Matthew 27:46-7:7 What is Amazing Grace, where does it come from and how do we receive? . Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you. The Joy of the Lord is my strength, mainstay and Hope, My Piece, Guidance and Charity Free and unmerited Love. These are the words that describe grace, but Amazing Grace is far more than this. Its more than just words in a book or words in a sermon, to me it’s a gift of abundance from God, as when He gave His only Son for our sacrifice, its when He heals a little woman of cancer, when He saves a father and mother in the twilight of their years, its when He gives us a another chance at life, its when the doctors say there’s no hope and the Spirit says there’s God, to me that’s Amazing Grace. I know that all of you at one time or another have sung the song Amazing Grace, but did you ever stop and think about what you were singing? In the beginning under the Mosaic Law, salvation was for the Jews. God had no covenant with the gentiles. ”I once was lost but now I’m found”, who found you, who took a people, such as us, and was able by, Amazing Grace, to turn us into a people that were acceptable to God? “Was Blind but now I see.” A blinded people, worshiping devils, not knowing where the light was or how to obtain it, not being able to reach out because of the darkness of our heart and touch the face of God. Lets read the following list and see where and what, Amazing Grace is. 1.My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor 12. 2.And if by grace, then it is no more of works. Rom 11. 3. A state of reconciliation to God. Rom 5:2. 4. Eternal life; final salvation. 1 Pet 1:13. 5. Spiritual instruction, improvement and edification. Eph 4:29. 6. Apostleship, or the qualifications of an apostle. Eph 3:8. 7.Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom 5. 8. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin. 9. The application of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner. 10. Virtuous or religious affection or disposition, as a liberal disposition, faith, meekness, humility, patience, &c. proceeding from divine influence. 11. Favor; mercy; pardon. Lets look at #8 for a moment. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin. 1.Renewing the heart and (2.) restraining from sin. (1.) Those that live in sin have not the spirit of God; they have not the seed of God and no not the Father. The renewing of the heart takes place only when the deeds of the flesh are recognized as sinful in nature and conviction comes upon an individual, from the Holy Ghost, to repent of his sins and change his heart, a circumcision of the heart and not of the flesh. Amazing Grace is knowing that if a child dies, our Father accepts them into His arms as pure and innocent, never having been convicted of sin, for they have not the knowledge of sin. (2.) Restraining from sin. We cant live a Christian life without the Devine influence from God and the direction from the Holy Spirit. The flesh is week but the spirit is willing. Our salvation is based upon renewing our minds by being put in remembrance of what has been preached, restraining from the lust of the flesh and turning aside all malaise and anger. Depending upon the Grace of God to sustain us in times of temptation, for He promised that with every temptation, He would make away for our escape. We can’t live the way we used to, we can’t lust after what the world deems important. The verse “without a vision my people perish” is very important here. Many Christians after a while start casting of restraint and only by Amazing Grace can the restraints be renewed in their lives. Casting off restraints simply means, reverting back to ones prior states before salvation, some churches call it backsliding, which is in scripture. Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you, This is Gods promises, His Grace and His mercy upon a people that chose His Son over all. You’ve all probably heard the quote, I’m just a sinner saved by Grace thru Faith. Is this true in your life, were you just a sinner saved by grace or were you Gods creation whom He loved and by His Amazing Grace felt compassion upon you to send His Son to redeem you from the hands of Satan and sin? Did He find a people, such as us, that had a type of faith that He desired, we were all under sin, we were all lost, and we had no hope, no salvation and no God. But by the Grace of God we now not only have a God but we have a Father. This is our inheritance and our legacy from the Father; Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Amazing Grace is, Redemption, Reconcillation, Regeneration, Revitilazation, and Renewal of ones self with God. Church this is the Height and Depth of Amazing Grace, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? A Psalm of David. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” This was truly a Fathers love for His children, Amazing Grace to allow the suffering of the one for the good of the many. M.H. This may be applied to any child of God, pressed down, overwhelmed with grief and terror. Spiritual desertions are the saints’ sorest afflictions; but even their complaint of these burdens is a sign of spiritual life, and spiritual senses exercised. Amazing Grace, the times we experience a separation from the Fathers Spirit, which allows us to grow in faith, is a time of great suffering within and without. But by Amazing Grace, our Father is just a heart beat away, a whimper, a cry, a prayer and He’s there to pick us up and say, “You’ve walked far my Child, come rest with Me awhile and well try again later.”We will all experience Amazing Grace when it comes for our passing into the arms of love, at the time of our departure from this life to the Joy unspeakable and full of Glory of Home.

About the Author

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/