SERMON: What Is Real and What Is Not
SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
ANTHEM: My God Is Real
HYMN SPOTLIGHT
How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (1779)
John Newton, 1725-1807
This hymn was written by the Anglican minister best known for writing the well-known hymn “Amazing Grace.” Newton was quite a colorful character. He had lived most of his life as a sailor before he was converted and would usually preach on Sunday morning in a sea captain’s uniform. For several years, he made his living as a slave trader before he became an ardent abolitionist later in life. Newton preached regularly right up until a few days before he died, and as he was nearing the end of his life, he wrote these words. “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Jesus is a great Savior.”