Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Thirty-three years earlier, a new star shone bright over a baby King born to die. The momentous day of wonderful grace has arrived!

An Event That Shook the World

I would like to focus on the event that completely shook the world and changed human destiny as Jesus came all the way from the highest heaven to the lowest death on the cross.

Philippians 2:8 and 9 describe the 7 steps of that downward humiliation and then the 7 steps upward to his glory in heaven. (As you quote the following, move your hand 7 times downward then 7 upward, from as high as you can reach to the lowest.)

~ Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

~ but made Himself of no reputation, ~ taking the form of a bondservant, 

~ and coming in the likeness of men. ~ and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself ~ and became obedient to the point of death, ~ even the death of the cross.

~ Therefore, God has highly exalted him ~ and given him a name which is above every name

~ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ~ of those in heaven

~ and of those on earth ~ and of those under the earth

~ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Death of Jesus

Let us read Mark chapter 15, verse 33, in the English Standard Version:

“When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” 

Mark 15:33

Thirty-three years before this crucifixion a new star shone bright over a baby King born to die. At high noon on this crucifixion day, our old star, the sun, goes black as heaven wraps a death blanket over that King, dying that we might be born from above.

The supernatural darkness covers all of Judah from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. It is not an eclipse. A complete solar eclipse brings on darkness for only a few minutes. And a solar eclipse cannot happen during a full moon, and Passover was always celebrated during a full moon. The Father withdraws the light of his presence from his Son during the hours when Jesus carries the guilt of the world’s sins.

Jesus is covered in the darkness to which we are all headed if we have not believed in him as Savior and Lord: A place the Bible describes as: “outer darkness” – hell. (Matt 18:12) But in this totally gloomy picture of death, we have a completely glorious fact about death: The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.

Jesus’ Last Cry

In Mark 15:34, 37-39 we read,

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’  And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”

Mark 15:34, 37-39

The temple curtain was torn apart. Hebrews 10:19-22 explains the meaning of the torn veil.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”

The Son of God

Mark opened his Gospel by describing his writing as: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Since that opening verse, nobody has given Jesus the title, “Son of God” – till now. And it is a Gentile who says it, a hardened Roman soldier. Every Roman coin had this inscription: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus”. The only person a loyal Roman would call “Son of God” was Caesar.

The Wonderful Grace of Jesus

But a Roman centurion calls Jesus the Son of God – imagine!  Makes you want to sing, “Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea.” What could be more amazing?  Well, here it is … “Wonderful Grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin; How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free; O the Wonderful Grace of Jesus reaches — me!”     

Have you experienced the wonderful grace of Jesus? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio,  or comment below.