A. We sing "Amazing Grace" do we understand why it is so amazing?

1. To be amazed means to: be filled with great surprise or sudden wonder; astonish.

B. It bears out these biblical thoughts:

1 Ezra 9:1-4 Ezra plucked out his hair and sat horrified at the transgressions of Israel.

2. Dan. 3:24 Nebuchadnezzer eyes got big as saucers when he saw four walking about in the

fiery furnace when he only threw in three.

3. Dan. 5:1-9 Belshazzar’s knees knocked when he saw the hand writing on the wall.

4. Matt. 7:28 It was how the people reacted after hearing the teaching of Jesus for the first time.

5. Lk. 24:22 It was how the apostles felt when the women reported the resurrection.

6. Acts 1:11 It is how the apostles reacted after the ascension of Jesus.

7. Acts 2:7 It is how the people felt when the Holy Spirit manifested Himself within the

apostles on Pentecost.

8. The King James translators used the word "manifold" to describe grace (1 Pet. 4:10).

9. Manifold can be translated as "multi-colored" or "multi-faceted" as seen in Eph. 3:10 where

it describes the wisdom of God as being filled with exponential brilliance.

10. Grace is so amazing because of its multi-faceted qualities.

C. So when sing "Amazing Grace." Do we understand why we consider it so amazing?

It is amazing for the contrasts it unveils.

1. ………because the highest became the lowest.

2. ............because the richest became the poorest

3. ............because the best died for the worst

4. ............because it gives what is needed rather than what is deserving.

II. The contrasts of Amazing Grace.

A. First, grace is amazing because it required the richest to become the poorest.

1. Grace required that the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills and the king of a city like pure gold be born in a stable (Psa. 50:10; Rev. 21:18; Lk. 2:7).

2. Grace required that the builder of heaven and earth be raised as an apprentice in a carpenter's shop (Job. 38:4ff; Mk. 6:3).

3. Grace required that the King of glory leave the ivory palaces of heaven to grow up in a poor man's cottage (Psa. 45:8; Lk. 2:24).

4. Grace required that One from the city of rest come to earth and not have a place to lay His head (Rev. 14:13; Mt. 8:20).

5. Grace required that the one who gives us richly all things to enjoy having to borrow the tomb for his burial (I Tim. 6:17; Jam. 1:17; Mt. 27:57-60; 2 Cor. 8:9).

How would you account for such acts of humility and sacrifice? No doubt, you would have to account for them on the basis of grace. What's so amazing about grace? It is amazing because it required that the richest to become the poorest.

B. Second, Grace is so amazing because it required that the highest become the lowest.

1. Grace required he who was clothed only in eternal glory to be down-graded to flesh so he may dwell among us (Jn. 1:14).

2. Grace called upon the one who appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth (Isa. 33:25) to come to earth to learn obedience through suffering (Heb. 5:8). You cannot learn anything if you have already experienced it.

a. Here, grace has the highest, the Creator, the one who made the rules for the universe to exist, humbling himself so he may learn what it means to become obedient.

b. With that thought in mind it gives great significance to Philippians 2:5-8 where it is said, �he thought it not robbery to be equal with God.� Angels are subject to God - they had already learned obedience - but not the Son.

c. This makes Hebrews 2:9 stand out clearly as he was made lower than the ever living angels so he may suffer death.

4. Grace called out not to angels, spirits nor heavenly creatures - but only to the highest to come down and become the lowest to settle the sin account with the Father. And that�s another reason why grace is so amazing.

C. Third, grace is amazing because it involves the best dying for the worst.

Without question, Jesus Christ ranks as the best man who ever lived. His birth caused angels of God to sing and His death caused women of God to weep. His holiness caused the prophet to say, "I�m not worthy to untie his shoe strings."

1. First, He manifested a perfect love

a. Toward the poor and the elite - Widow who cast in her penny & Niccodemus

b. Toward the righteous and the sinner - Nathan & Levi�s friends.

c. Toward the simple and the educated (James & John - fishermen; Matthew - edu. tax man)

d. Toward the doubters and the believers (Thomas & Women who reported the resurrection).

e. Toward traitors and deniers (He washed the feet of both Judas and Peter)

f. And toward the innocent and the guilty (blessed children and the thief)

2. Secondly, He modeled a perfect life

a. He would help the insignificant as well as rulers (forgotten multitudes/Jarius� daughter).

b. He helped the Gentiles as well as the chosen (Centurion�s servant; Cannanite woman�s daughter).

c. He lived what he taught for he began to do then teach (Acts. 1:1).

d. He treated women with respect (Jn. 4, 8) and shady characters with integrity (Zaccaehus).

3. Consider some of those for whom the best gave His life:

a. He gave His life for those who shouted for Him to be crucified (Acts 2:36).

b. He gave His life for those who blasphemed Him and persecuted Him (1 Tim. 1:12-15).

c. He gave His life for those who had committed horrible sins (I Cor. 6:9-11).

Clearly, tasting death for every man would include tasting death for the worst of the worst.

Grace is so amazing because it involved the best dying for the worst.

1. However, grace offers us what we need rather than what we deserve.

2. Grace offers hope when we deserve to wallow in despair over our sins (Rom. 3:19, 20).

3. Grace offers mercy when we deserve justice because of our sins (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).

4. Grace offers peace when we deserve wrath being overcome by our sins (Rom. 3:24, 25).

5. Although grace has not removed the appointment of physical death Heb. 9:27), it has removed the sting of death by dealing with the sin problem (I Cor. 15:55-57). 6. Because of grace, physical death will give way to eternal life (Rom. 5:15-21).

1. As a sinner, man earns his wages - death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).

2. However, by His grace, God offered man the gift of eternal life through His Son.

B. To say that salvation is a gift is not to nullify any and all conditions.

1. As you know, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen.6;8). Thus, grace was a part of his salvation. However, an obedient faith was also a part of it (Heb. 11:7).

2. Did Noah merit his salvation or nullify grace by faith and obedience? For sure, he did not. When Noah did all God told him to do, he had merely done his duty (Lk. 17:10). He had not earned his salvation. It was by the grace of God that he enjoyed the saving of his household.

3. The same holds true for us today. We are saved by grace through faith - a faith that moves us to repentance and continued obedience.

1. No matter how many sins we have committed.

b. The word "abound" means "to exceed."

2. There is enough grace to exceed all of our sins. Isn't this wonderful? Isn't this amazing'.

3. No wonder those who heard and obeyed the gospel manifested such joy! So should we.