Amazing Grace - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin, How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall my praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free, For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me! Wonderful the master's grace from Jesus, Deeper than the mighty rolling sea! Hallelujah, the mouthful, thriving like a thousand, All submission's praise for him and me! Broder than the scope of my transgressions, singing, Greater God than all my sin and shame, no sin or shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name! Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled, By his hands warming power, making him God's dear child, Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity, And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me! Wonderful the master's grace from Jesus, Deeper than the mighty rolling sea! Hallelujah, the mouthful, thriving like a thousand, All submission's praise for him and me!

Broder than the scope of my transgressions, singing, Greater God than all my sin and shame, no sin or shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name! As you know, if you have been listening, that this is anniversary month for the Baptist Bible Hour, as we've now completed 69 years on the air. Our theme for this month is Help in Trouble. And all of our messages, both on the Sunday and daily programs, have related to that theme. But through the years, we have introduced the broadcast by inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. So today we're bringing you the first part of a message entitled Amazing Grace. God's grace is the ultimate help to the greatest trouble because lost sinners cannot save or help save themselves. Now if you'd like to get the message on CD that we've been offering this month, you can still receive it if you will get your letter to us in the mail this week. That's to the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217.

And if you can help with the support of the program, it will certainly be appreciated. Grace is a beautiful word, and yet many people have little understanding of it. We live in a day when people talk about demanding their rights. They say, this is what I deserve.

I want to be dealt with fairly. But if we understand something about our condition before God as sinners, we realize that what we need is not fairness, it's grace. The Word of God has a lot to say about grace. John chapter 1 verse 16 says, And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. Romans 3, 24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Titus chapter 3 verse 6, that being justified by His grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. James chapter 4 verse 6, But He giveth more grace, wherefore, He saith, God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 10, But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. That's a wonderful expression, the God of all grace. There are many facets of grace and God is the source of it all, the giver of grace. We love to sing about grace. Many of our hymns describe explicitly what we mean when we talk about salvation by grace. Grace is a charming sound harmonious to the ear.

Heaven with the echo shall resound and all the saints shall hear. Grace first contrived the way to save rebellious man and all the steps that grace displayed which drew the wondrous plan. Grace first inscribed my name in God's eternal book. It was grace that gave me to the Lamb who all my sorrows took. And on the hymn goes describing explicitly what God has done for His people by grace. We like to sing grace is free.

Praise ye the Lord, O praise Him every nation. Grace is free. Yes, grace is free. Jesus hath wrought a wonderful salvation. Grace is free. Yes, grace is free. And again we sing, Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.

How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall His praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free, for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. But without question, the best known and most frequently sung hymn relating to grace is John Newton's hymn, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved 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 relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.

Yes, grace is amazing. Once you see something of your own condition, once you understand that you desperately need grace, you never grow tired of hearing about it. You say, this is the truth I love.

This is the message that gives me hope. This is the message that honors God. And so I love the gospel of His grace. John Newton's language is out of step with the thinking of our day.

I've heard of some who removed the word wretch from their hymn books saying that this term is damaging to one's self-esteem. This generation of which we're living is focused on self-esteem rather than esteem for God and His Son. But we love the truth that grace is amazing. First of all I would say that it is amazing because it is by grace that sinners are saved. We're talking about where we stand in the sight of a holy God. Isaiah chapter 6 describes for us a scene in which the prophet Isaiah participated and gives us a clear view of God's majesty and His holiness. Verse 1 of Isaiah 6, Why can you imagine such a scene? These angelic creatures standing in the presence of God continually crying before Him singing, Holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of His glory.

And the post of the door moved the voice of Him that cried and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, woe is me for I am undone because I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. And I want to tell you when we see the Lord high and lifted up like Isaiah saw Him, when we see that He is absolutely perfect, holy and just, that He hates sin and that we are sinners, we're going to cry out as did the prophet, woe is me.

I am one of unclean lips. It is amazing grace then, because we're talking about something that is done for rebels, something that is done for fallen, ruined sinners, something that is done for individuals who have no merit to plead, no work that they can perform, no reformation on their part that will make a difference, because in all of their thoughts, in all of their desires, they are corrupted by sin. Even their righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Nahum chapter 1 and verse 7 says that the Lord will not at all acquit the wicked. God is holy, man is guilty. Man is guilty. Think about having to go to court, having to be on trial, knowing in advance you have violated the law, knowing that you are guilty. Surely there would be great apprehension, great fear, but to appear in any court of the land would be nothing to compare with appearing in the presence of the holy God of heaven and earth, standing before Him in the final judgment.

Can you think of it? You haven't just broken one law, you've broken many. And the Scriptures say that even if you're defended only in one point, you become guilty of it all.

What's going to be the outcome? God is a holy God. God is a just God. He must see that the penalty is meted out. You wouldn't want a judge in our city to have hardened criminals coming before him from time to time and just excusing them, saying there's no need to uphold the law, it's far too strict anyway.

No wonder you have failed, nobody could keep it perfectly, so that's alright, go your way. And I want to tell you, the holy God of heaven, because of His own righteous character, will never just overlook sin, never just excuse it and say because of your inborn weakness then you're not accountable. Man is accountable for his actions, and therefore as a fallen sinner, to stand in the presence of a holy God would mean just condemnation. Romans chapter 3 describes man's fallen state, verse 10, As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

They're all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there's none that doeth good, no, not one. With their tongues they've used to seek the poison of aspis under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Somebody might say, well that's not very complimentary, obviously it wasn't intended to be. This is God's description, this isn't human philosophers sitting around trying to discuss the condition of the human race, this is how God views fallen humanity. Adam stood as the representative of the human race and when he willfully violated the law of God, he plunged himself and all of his posterity into this state of guilt, corruption, and alienation from their holy maker. God is holy, man is guilty, and judgment is coming. I know that to many people today that sounds unreal, far-fetched.

They think it's just something that preachers may use to try to control people or influence them. I want to tell you my friends, this is a fact revealed repeatedly in the Word of God. When Paul was preaching at Mars Hill in Acts chapter 17 and the 31st verse, Acts 17 verse 31, Paul says, Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him up from the dead. This tells us that Jesus Christ himself will be the righteous judge in that day. God has raised him from the dead.

He has appointed a day. That day is coming when Jesus Christ, this one who is despised and rejected of men, this one who is often ridiculed today, he will be the judge of all. Think of one standing in his presence who scoffed at his gospel. Think of one standing in his presence who said, I didn't have enough evidence to believe him that there was a God. God says my handiwork was everywhere evident.

Yes, there is a judgment coming. But it is amazing grace because in spite of man's fallen, ruined state, in spite of the fact that he is a sinner, it was for sinners that Jesus died. Romans chapter 5 verse 6, For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet prayer adventure for a good man some would even dare to die, but God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

How wonderful to know. Christ died for sinners. A person who considers themselves to be righteous certainly would have no interest in that message. A person who says, I think I'm pretty good. I don't think I've done that much which is bad.

I think I'll take my chances. All kinds of expressions you hear in that vein. But if you have been convicted of your sin, if you see yourself as fallen, ruined, humiliated as you think about your own faults, failings and many sins, would tremble at the thought of standing in the presence of a holy God and having to account for them one by one, your thoughts, your motives, your actions, your failures, then to hear that Christ died for sinners, you say, that's good news to me. I'm thankful to know it. Secondly, grace is amazing because grace is free. Grace is free.

That's really like saying water is wet, but we need to say it for emphasis because many seem to fail to understand that it's free grace. Man still insists that surely there must be something that I have to do. Oh, I know God does His part, but what about mine? Must I not reform my life?

Must I not make the right choice? Is it necessary that I pray through at the altar? Must I be baptized in water? All of these proposals are set forth by people who fail to understand grace. In the book of Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, he says, You have the quickened who are dead in trespasses and in sin. Now that immediately brings us to grips with the fact that man is in no position to help himself. If he's dead in trespasses and in sin, he can't go anywhere, he can't do anything, he doesn't understand spiritual things because he is alienated from God. Where in time past he walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we had our conversation in time past and the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others, under the wrath of God because we were guilty, justly condemned.

What brings about a change from that terrible state? But God. Here's the turning point. But God. Not man. Not your decision. Not your work. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.

What is it? By grace you're saved. By grace. Because you didn't deserve it and you could not earn it. So if you were going to get it, it had to be given to you. It had to be given to you.

And that's the way it is. It's by grace. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of what? Your great abilities to recover yourself? Your noble effort to do what was required?

No. Show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. In that great day when Jesus Christ appears in the presence of the Father and says, Behold, I am the children which thou hast given me. They'll all be there. Not one will be missing.

Not one will be lost. The whole family, all the sons, all the brethren as they're described in Hebrews chapter 2. The church, it's all there.

The church of the firstborn that he purchased with his own precious blood. And no matter what misunderstandings some of them may have had along the way, they'll have clear vision then. There'll only be one song in heaven. Won't be one little group over here in the corner saying, Well, we hold the view that we helped God. Won't be any of that in heaven. Won't be anybody over here saying, Well, I did my part. Every soul there will lift up that triumphant chorus to sing, If thou art worthy for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God, all the glory will go to the Lamb that was slain.

Palm branches of victory waved saying, He is the conquering King. He conquered sin, Satan, and death. And we're here not because we deserved it, but because he brought us here. It was by his grace through the redemption that he provided. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

Language couldn't be any greater than that. By grace. Salvation is by grace. The faith that you have to lay hold of Christ is by grace. God gives it to you. Even the repentance to which you're brought to acknowledge your sin is that which is granted of God, as the book of Acts tells us.

Yes, it is amazing because it is free. Oh, but man works so hard to find some little place where he can take some credit to himself. And yet, Romans chapter 9, verse 15, after Paul has talked about God's distinguishing grace, his special love, his choice of Jacob, the fact that he loved him, the question was anticipated in verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?

God forbid. If God is not treating everybody exactly the same, then human reasoning is, that's not fair. But what's the biblical answer? The Holy Spirit knew what the question would be and gave the answer in advance and said, God forbid, there is no unrighteousness with God. You may not understand it.

You may not agree with it. But I'll tell you this, what God does is right. It's in harmony with his holy character. So, he says, Moses wrote, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. God had spoken this to Moses and he recorded it in the Old Testament Scriptures. Now here it is brought before us in this Roman epistle. God says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. Grace is free.

Furthermore, grace is amazing because it was at work before time began. It's hard for us to think in terms of eternity. Now we can think about something that happened before the foundation of the world.

We can say, all right, according to biblical history, the world is about 6,000 years old. So we can go back in our minds and say there was a time when God said in the beginning he would create the heaven and the earth. A time when God spoke and said, let there be light and there was light.

A time when God created man, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul. But you think back beyond that. All right, we can say then certainly God was there before the foundation of the world, before he created it, he was there. God has always been. God is from everlasting to everlasting. But you go on back and you finally reach a point, if you're like I am, where your mind plays out.

And you say, I can only go back so far, I just cannot grasp fully. I know it's so and I believe it, but to think that God has always been, never had a beginning, he's always been. He says, I am, he is the eternal I am. And so what God purposed, he's always purposed. See, with God there's no clock on the wall, there's no calendar there where he's confined to the limits of time. With God it's eternal. So from before the foundation of the world, God made choice of a people.

And if you're his, you think about this, he made choice of you before he ever created heaven and earth. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. The more we consider what the Bible says about grace, the more we have to conclude it is indeed amazing.

Oh, how wonderful to know that for lost, ruined sinners there is hope, because it is through the grace of God and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ that sinners are saved. I hope you will write us this week. Let us know that you've been listening.

Give us the call letters of the station over which the program has come to you. And if you request it, we'll send you the special message on CD that we've been talking about all month. Till next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. Amen. Amen. Amen.