The Grace of God "the cross"

Hans Rasmussen

Knowing God Studies • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Today we are going to talk about one of the most driving forces in the heart of God and in the mission of Jesus. It is also the thing the makes the ‘good news’ such ‘good news’. It is the grace of God.”

The Gift of Grace

How would you define grace? It is an undeserved gift.

Let’s look at some verses that describe God’s grace given to Christians:

Romans 6:23 The gift of eternal life

We deserved death, but received eternal life

Ephesians 1:7-8 The gift of forgiveness

Ephesians 2:1-10 The gift of salvation

A great description of our lives “before grace” and “after grace”

1 Peter 2:9-10 The gift of new identity

Before grace—in darkness, not a people, no mercy

After grace—in wonderful light, people of God, mercy

Thus, Christians are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people belonging to God.

1 John 3:1 The gift of a new relationship with God

By grace we can become true “children of God.”

These are just a few verses summarizing the gift of God’s grace that is offered freely to anyone who is truly “in Christ”.

The Price of Grace

While the gift of grace is truly free to those in Christ, there was a great cost to God and Jesus. To fully appreciate the gift, we need to fully understand the cost.

Romans 3:23-26 The price was Jesus’ death on the cross; thus justice was served.

Let’s take a deeper look at what really happened to Jesus on the cross. More than anything, what Jesus experienced on the cross can be summarized as pain. There were three types of pain he felt—emotional, physical and spiritual pain.

Emotional Pain:

Matthew 26:36-56

Jesus fell with his face to the ground

So much stress that he may have suffered from a medical condition called Hematidrosis, as recorded by the physician Luke

Judas, one of his closest friends, betrays him with a kiss

All the disciples deserted him and fled

Physical Pain:

Matthew 27:22-26

Jesus was flogged

Centurions used a flagrum to do it—an instrument with a wooden handle, leather whips and pieces of metal or rock in the ends of the whips

The guards would stretch the person’s back out over a rock or tree and strike them repeatedly up to 39 times (the legal limit).

How would you define grace? It is an undeserved gift.

Many would go into shock from such a beating or even die.

Matthew 27:27-31

Soldiers put crown of thorns on Jesus’ head

They drove the thorns into his head with a staff

A hundred soldiers spitting on him and striking him and mocking him

Matthew 27:31-44

Before this, Jesus’ face is black and blue and swollen, covered with dried blood and spit, his back is torn open and swollen.

The nail is placed between the ulna and the radius bones—right in a pressure point that is very sensitive

Other nail goes through the feet; Jesus hanging on cross by those nails

Most people die from suffocation, as carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs

[For a detailed medical description of a crucifixion, see attachment D]

Isaiah 52:14-15 Or Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Jesus was marred beyond human likeness

His arms would have been so stretched out from the hanging position; his head swollen, black and blue and covered with dried blood and spit; the rest of his body swollen and covered with blood and spit as well

Spiritual Pain:

This would have been the worst pain of all

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made Jesus become “sin” so that we could become “righteous”

Perhaps this is why Jesus cried out, “my God my God, why have you forsaken me” on the cross right before he died. Jesus felt the nearly unbearable pain of separation from his Father in heaven for the first time in all eternity.

That is the price Jesus paid. Why again did he do all this?

Romans 5:6-8

A demonstration of his love; he would do anything to have a relationship with you!

A statement of the seriousness of sin; your sins necessitated this sacrifice

It is so important to personalize the cross—not just for man or the world, but for you! The grace of God is truly amazing! It is an incredible gift that came at an incredible price.

Concluding Questions and Comments:

How does learning about the grace of God make you feel?

Do you see how much God loves you? How much does He love you?

How does this grace and love affect the way you view and understand your own sin?

What kind of response does grasping God’s grace and love cause you to have?

The next time we get together we will talk more about how we should respond to the grace of God.How would you define grace? It is an undeserved gift.

Let’s look at some verses that describe God’s grace given to Christians:

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The gift of eternal life

We deserved death, but received eternal life

Ephesians 1:7–8 NIV

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

The gift of forgiveness

Ephesians 2:1–10 NIV

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The gift of salvation

A great description of our lives “before grace” and “after grace”

1 Peter 2:9–10 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The gift of new identity

Before grace—in darkness, not a people, no mercy

After grace—in wonderful light, people of God, mercy

Thus, Christians are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people belonging to God.

1 John 3:1 NIV

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

The gift of a new relationship with God

By grace we can become true “children of God.”

These are just a few verses summarizing the gift of God’s grace that is offered freely to anyone who is truly “in Christ”.

The Price of Grace

While the gift of grace is truly free to those in Christ, there was a great cost to God and Jesus. To fully appreciate the gift, we need to fully understand the cost.

Romans 3:23–26 NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

The price was Jesus’ death on the cross; thus justice was served.

Emotional Pain:

Matthew 26:36–56 NIV

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Jesus fell with his face to the ground

So much stress that he may have suffered from a medical condition called Hematidrosis, as recorded by the physician Luke

Judas, one of his closest friends, betrays him with a kiss

All the disciples deserted him and fled

Physical Pain:

Matthew 27:22–26 NIV

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Jesus was flogged

Centurions used a flagrum to do it—an instrument with a wooden handle, leather whips and pieces of metal or rock in the ends of the whips

The guards would stretch the person’s back out over a rock or tree and strike them repeatedly up to 39 times (the legal limit).

Many would go into shock from such a beating or even die.

Matthew 27:27–31 NIV

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Soldiers put crown of thorns on Jesus’ head

They drove the thorns into his head with a staff

A hundred soldiers spitting on him and striking him and mocking him

Matthew 27:31–44 NIV

After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Before this, Jesus’ face is black and blue and swollen, covered with dried blood and spit, his back is torn open and swollen.

The nail is placed between the ulna and the radius bones—right in a pressure point that is very sensitive

Other nail goes through the feet; Jesus hanging on cross by those nails

Most people die from suffocation, as carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs

[For a detailed medical description of a crucifixion, see attachment D]

Jesus was marred beyond human likeness

Spiritual Pain:

This would have been the worst pain of all

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God made Jesus become “sin” so that we could become “righteous”

That is the price Jesus paid. Why again did he do all this?

Romans 5:6–8 NIV

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

A demonstration of his love; he would do anything to have a relationship with you!

A statement of the seriousness of sin; your sins necessitated this sacrifice

It is so important to personalize the cross—not just for man or the world, but for you! The grace of God is truly amazing! It is an incredible gift that came at an incredible price.

Concluding Questions and Comments:

How does learning about the grace of God make you feel?

Do you see how much God loves you? How much does He love you?

How does this grace and love affect the way you view and understand your own sin?

What kind of response does grasping God’s grace and love cause you to have?

The next time we get together we will talk more about how we should respond to the grace of God.

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