11:00AM Sunday Service. Amazing Grace - Its His Grace

Aug 30, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Surrender Means Hands Up, Not Holding Back

The Christian life demands total surrender, not partial compliance. Just as a criminal raises empty hands to signal defeat, believers must release their grip on hidden areas they’ve kept from God. Surrender isn’t about negotiating with Jesus—it’s letting Him access every room of your heart, even the cluttered spaces you’d rather hide. This isn’t a one-time act but a daily posture of trust. When we withhold parts of ourselves, we sabotage the fullness of grace meant to transform us. True freedom begins when our open hands mirror Christ’s outstretched arms. [52:37]

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: What “room” in your life have you labeled “off-limits” to God? How might holding back areas of control or habit be limiting your experience of His grace?

Day 2: When Storms Hit, Change Your Soundtrack

Hard seasons demand intentional worship. Just as sailors in a tempest don’t sing shanties but cry out for rescue, believers must choose songs that anchor them to truth, not amplify despair. The music we consume during trials isn’t neutral—it either fuels faith or feeds fear. Paul’s Damascus Road encounter began with darkness but ended in divine direction, proving God rewrites our narratives when we tune our hearts to His frequency. Grace interrupts destructive playlists with hymns of hope. [55:34]

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” (Psalm 40:3, ESV)

Reflection: What current “song” (media, relationships, thoughts) amplifies your struggles instead of God’s faithfulness? What spiritual anthem do you need to play louder today?

Day 3: Grace Intercepts Your Dead-End Road

God’s protection often looks like divine interruption. Saul’s murderous journey to Damascus and Newton’s slave ship both collided with grace that rerouted their destinies. These men didn’t seek redemption—grace ambushed them. Our worst choices can’t outrun a God who stops storms, softens hearts, and repurposes rebellion. Every rescued life testifies: grace doesn’t just clean up messes—it transforms marauders into missionaries. [01:02:27]

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen God’s “divine interception” in your past? How might He be rerouting you from destructive paths even now?

Day 4: Blinded to See—Grace’s Paradox

Sometimes clarity comes through temporary darkness. Saul’s physical blindness unveiled his spiritual blindness, just as Newton’s near-drowning opened his eyes to sin’s weight. God often uses disorientation to reorient us—breaking pride, shifting perspectives, and revealing our need for guidance. What feels like punishment may be grace’s scalpel, removing cataracts of self-sufficiency. [01:24:32]

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What current confusion or limitation might God be using to deepen your dependence on Him? How could this “darkness” become a gift?

Day 5: Waiting Rooms Need Fasting & Prayer

Active waiting prepares us for God’s next assignment. Saul’s three days of blindness in Damascus weren’t wasted—they became a crash course in humility and dependence. Fasting silences distractions; prayer aligns our desires with God’s blueprint. These disciplines don’t manipulate God but position us to receive His plans. Grace doesn’t abandon us in limbo—it schools us for what’s next. [01:26:06]

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step (meal, media, habit) could you fast from this week to better hear God’s voice? How might this create space for His direction?

Sermon Summary

Acts 9 puts Saul on the road to Damascus, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. Saul has letters in hand, permission to bind men and women of the Way, and a heart set on doing damage. Yet Christ meets him before Saul can finish what he planned. That is amazing grace. Grace does not wait until a person gets it together. Grace steps in while the heart is hard, the mouth is dirty, and the road is headed toward destruction.

Amazing Grace carries the testimony of John Newton, a man whose life was tied to the slave trade, violence, and open rejection of God. A storm at sea brought Newton face to face with the fact that God could have left him right where he was. Grace saved him, kept him, and gave him a song. The memory of what God did not allow to happen becomes a reason to praise. A car wreck passed by, a jail sentence avoided, a sickness escaped, or a home still standing can remind a believer, “It could’ve been me.”

God’s grace gives protection. Saul intends to destroy Christians, but the light from heaven stops him in his tracks. The same grace that protects God’s people also confronts those who mean them harm. Hate, opposition, and attempts to put people in a box cannot cancel what God has called to grow. Grace also calls families to speak life into children, especially in a world already full of hatred. Children need to hear that they are beautiful, handsome, valuable, and made by God.

God’s grace gives perspective. Christ asks Saul, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Saul learns that his violence against the church is violence against Christ Himself. The church cannot become a place only for people who look alike, act alike, or seem to have it all together. Love for God must produce love for neighbor. Grace changes the way people see those they once rejected, feared, or tried to control.

God’s grace gives plans. Christ stops Saul, blinds Saul, and then tells Saul to arise and go into the city. Grace does not merely say stop. Grace says stop, wait, and then move. A waiting season can feel stuck, but God uses that season to change friends, send the right help, and prepare the next chapter. Fasting and prayer become necessary in transition because plans without clarity can still leave a person confused. God’s grace refuses to leave His people on the road to Damascus. His grace still says, “I have more for you.”

Key Takeaways

1. Grace meets people on destructive roads. God did not wait for Saul to become humble before confronting him. Christ interrupted Saul while he was actively pursuing harm, proving that mercy can reach farther than human rebellion. Grace is not permission to remain on the wrong road, but God’s power to turn a life around. [83:47]
2. Protection deserves deeper gratitude. God’s protection is often seen in what never happened. A believer can thank God not only for houses, cars, and land, but also for danger avoided, consequences withheld, and life preserved. The thought of where life could have ended ought to become thanksgiving. [63:43]
3. Grace changes how people see others. Christ identified Himself with the people Saul was persecuting. That truth destroys the habit of treating people as disposable, suspicious, or beneath concern. Love for neighbor requires room for people whose wounds, personalities, and backgrounds do not match comfortable expectations. [79:19]
4. Waiting seasons require fasting and prayer. God told Saul to stop before telling him where to move next. Waiting is not empty time when it is filled with fasting, prayer, and openness to God’s direction. Clarity often comes after the soul has been quieted enough to hear God’s plans.

## [86:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:38] - Closing the Hymns Series
[50:57] - Amazing Grace and Acts 9
[52:14] - Surrender, Assurance, and Songs for Heavy Spirits
[58:14] - John Newton’s Story of Grace
[63:00] - Thanking God for What He Kept
[69:34] - Grace Gives Protection
[75:00] - Grace Gives Perspective
[80:34] - Loving God and Loving Neighbor
[83:09] - Grace Gives Plans
[84:32] - Stop, Wait, Then Move
[86:06] - Fasting, Prayer, and Clarity
[88:54] - God Still Has More for You

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 9:1-6
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’” [49:31]

Mark 12:30-31
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” [01:21:09]

Acts 13:2-3
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” [01:25:44]

Observation questions

What does Acts 9 show Saul doing before Jesus meets him, and what authority had Saul received to carry out his plans? [01:09:59]
What does Jesus mean when He says, “Why are you persecuting Me,” even though Saul had been pursuing Christians?
What are the three movements Jesus gives Saul after stopping him on the road: stop, wait, and then what? [01:24:32]
In Acts 13:2-3, what were Barnabas and Saul and the church doing before they were sent out for God’s work? [01:26:06]

Interpretation questions

Saul was actively trying to harm believers when Jesus interrupted him. What does this reveal about how far God’s grace can reach into a person’s rebellion and destructive choices? [01:07:56]
Jesus connected Himself directly to the people Saul was persecuting. How should this truth shape the way believers treat people who are different, wounded, difficult, or outside their usual circle? [01:19:35]
God did not only tell Saul to stop; He told him to enter the city and wait for further direction. Why might God use a waiting season before revealing the next assignment? [01:25:17]
Acts 13 connects worship, fasting, prayer, and the Holy Spirit’s direction. What might be the difference between having a plan and having clarity from God? [01:27:24]

Application questions

Think about a time when God protected you from something that could have taken you out, damaged your life, or changed your family. What does gratitude for that protection look like in everyday life—not just in a moment of emotion? [01:03:43]
Is there an old road, habit, relationship, attitude, or decision that God may be telling you to stop? What would it look like to obey the “stop” before demanding to know every detail of what comes next? [01:24:06]
Children live in a world with plenty of hate, criticism, and negative voices. What specific words of life can parents, grandparents, mentors, and church members speak over the children around them this week? [01:12:47]
Are there people you have kept at a distance because they do not look like you, act like you, think like you, or carry themselves like you? What is one way you can show them the love of a neighbor? [01:20:57]
A waiting season can change friendships and bring the right people alongside a person. Are you in a season where you may need to release an unhealthy voice or become open to godly help? What would that step look like? [01:25:08]
If you are waiting for direction about a next step, what might fasting and prayer look like for you in a realistic and healthy way this week? [01:28:13]
God’s grace did not leave Saul on the road to Damascus; God had more for him. Where do you need to believe again that God still has more for your life, even after past mistakes or a difficult season? [01:28:48]

Sermon Clips

43s

#GraceHasPlans

“That's the grace because his grace, dear brothers and sisters, is now sitting there saying, I still got plans for you. His grace sits there and says, watch this. I'm not gonna leave you at the road of Damascus because I have more for you. His plan sits there and says, hey, this is the next chapter in your life. as I bring this to a close dear brothers and sisters, my prayer is that you recognize that there's still more. And that's what's amazing about his grace, is his grace didn't leave us, and his grace didn't desert us.”

26s

#StopThenRedirect

“See, please understand this, dear brothers and sisters, in this verse, God not only stopped Paul from doing harm, but he changed the course of his life. It's one thing if God told you to stop doing a thing and just left it there. But it's another thing that he tells you to stop and then tells you what to do next.”

41s

#SavedAndGrateful

“I see y'all looking like that. You might not have been on the boat, but some of you were in the club and God saved you. Some of you was at the wrong person house and God saved you. Listen, no matter where God found you, I'm just glad that he saved you, kept you, and delivered you. Oh my gosh, y'all missed that. Sometimes you just gotta be grateful of the fact that God saved you. And some praise ain't for your neighbor. Sometimes my praise is the fact that God did not take me out when he could've taken me out.”

44s

#ChurchForEveryone

“And the church, dear brothers and sisters, are too busy kicking people out who don't act like them. Talk past, I'm a preach it anyway. The church is not just for folks who act like us, think like us, look like us, and walk like us. Because if the church was only for people that had it together, you ain't getting in. And guess who ain't getting in, Dmitry? Me either. This place would be empty if it was only for folks that got it together.”

36s

#FastPrayThenReceive

“So this is what I'm a saying. This is how I'm a close this because please understand, I gave y'all a lot of nuggets. But this is the ending in it. This is the thing that you need to understand. Once you fast and pray, then you come see me and we'll put our hands on you. But don't come before you have fasted and prayed because then it's out of order. Because you got plans, dear brothers and sisters, but you don't have clarity.”

43s

#FastAndPrayInTransition

“Now y'all can play the track or whatever it is y'all wanna do as I bring this to a close. No, for real. Because please understand, while you are waiting, you should be fasting and praying. Listen to what I'm saying. You fast and you pray while you are in transition. And if you feel like you're in a waiting season and trying to figure out what's next and they declare we got all this, you need to fast and pray.”

33s

#ItIsWellWithMySoul

“normally sing that song, watch this when something is coming to an end. Y'all y'all miss me. Y'all miss me. And what some of you need to do is you need to spiritually say, it is well with my soul because some things in your life is coming to an end. Y'all missed that. Come on. You gotta sit there and say, it is well with my soul because something that did not belong here, don't need to be here no more, is coming to an end.”

49s

#SongOfGrace

“So anyway, so he wrote this song, dear brothers and sisters, because he realized that God saved him, and he wrote a song to sit there and say, you know what, God? I appreciate your grace because you could've left me in my sin. God could've left you in the sin and could've left you dying right where you were. He could have left unfinished business. But his grace sit there oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Sit there and said, you know what? I can't do that. So before us, in this text, you will see, dear brothers and sisters, Paul. Paul is an individual, dear brothers and sisters, who could have been left in his sin.”

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A. J. Freeman, Jr. This sermon · AI assistant

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