Jesus' Sevenfold Gift of Grace to the World.
What a gift we have in Jesus! Laurie and I write to you today to help you understand more about the many facets of that wonderful gift. And we want to share with you, dear partner, our prayer—and TBN’s mission—that the eyes of the world are opened to this gift as well.
There is so much more to what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross than we know or understand!
In this miraculous Easter season, Laurie and I are so thankful for Jesus, whose precious blood secured salvation and forgiveness of sins for you, me, and all who believe. If those were the only two gracious gifts that you and I ever received through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, they would be more than enough. But the truth is that Jesus came to give us so much more!
There at the cross, Jesus calls us to lay down every burden, every heartache, every bondage and walk away with our arms filled with amazing gifts. In other words, the cross is the place of exchange. These exchanges (seven in all) seem too good to be true. But then, the word Gospel literally means “Good News.”
GIFTS, GRACES, AND GREEK
The Greek word translated “grace” in the New Testament is charis—a word that carries a deeply embedded connotation of “gift.” And gifts, by definition, must be received. How sad is it that God comes to us bearing gifts because He loves us so much but, unless we have “eyes to see and ears to hear,” we too easily miss the gifts He wants us to receive! What are the gifts that you and I receive daily by accepting God’s gracious offer of salvation?
THE SEVEN EXCHANGES AT THE CROSS JESUS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH HIS SACRIFICIAL DEATH*
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV).
Could anything other than “real love” offer a trade this lopsided? Jesus takes not only our individual acts of sin, but also our sinfulness. In return, He assigns to us His own personal righteousness. With it, we gain the amazing privilege of communication and connectedness to God that our forefather Adam once enjoyed but lost. It is a wondrous trade.
Read Galatians 3:13–14 (NASB).
Yes, the First Adam released a curse upon the world. And, yes, the earth still groans under the weight of that curse and will continue to do so until a new heaven and a new earth come along. But at the cross of the Last Adam, Jesus turned blessing loose in its place for those humbly willing to accept His offer.
Read Isaiah 53:3 (NIV).
You will recall that one of Christ’s seven statements from the cross was to quote Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He cited this because at that moment He was experiencing the rejection we deserve. Jesus suffered the ultimate in rejection by God that you might experience the acceptance He knew as the Son of God.
Read Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV).
We know that sickness and disease are not God’s will for His people because there was no illness in the Garden of Eden. Sickness was and is a result of the fall and its ensuing curse. Through the centuries, there have always been Christians who do not believe that provision for physical healing was made in the atoning work of Jesus. Not surprisingly, these Christians see few healing miracles, which in turn only seems to confirm their assumption. Among Believers who have understood that physical healing is an integral element of Jesus’ atoning work, miraculous restorations are not unusual. Countless sick and suffering children of God have walked boldly into the court of heaven and received the provision Jesus purchased for them with His own body and blood.
... looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. HEBREWS 12:2 (NKJV)
Read Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV).
There are two Hebrew words in the Old Testament that describe the human experience of shame. One is bosheth, which describes human guilt and embarrassment when our sin comes to light. This is the shame we feel when we hurt someone else. The other is kalam, which speaks of being hurt, rejected, disgraced, or humiliated. It’s the shame we experience when someone hurts us. One of the great wonders of the cross is that Jesus did more than bear our sin. He bore the first great consequence of sin … He bore all of our shame.
Read 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NASB).
Never has a man been so utterly destitute as Jesus was on the cross in those dark hours. He was poor in every way a person can be. No possessions, no comfort, no defenders, and no friends. But why? So that beggars like you and me could become children of the King. We stand today in awestruck wonder and overwhelmed with gratitude. Because of this exchange, we are amply supplied, have sufficiency in all things, and can therefore abound to every good work.
Read Romans 5:12, 17 (NIV).
In the moment that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they made physical death part of their futures and also for billions of their future offspring. This changes when we come to the cross and make the greatest exchange of all—His life for our death. The apostle Paul had this in mind when he wrote to the Colossians: You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all your sins (Colossians 2:13, NLT). At the cross, you traded your life of walking death for one in which you are fully alive in every way!
The more we understand and embrace that finished work and its seven gifts, the more grace-empowered our lives and our prayers become.
Please note that there are seven exchanges at the cross of Jesus. In the Bible that number represents completeness and perfection, and so it is with Jesus’ work on the cross. It’s complete. You’ll recall that just before He died, He said, “It is finished!” The more we understand and embrace that finished work and its seven gifts, the more grace-empowered our lives and our prayers become.
Let’s join together to celebrate these grace-gifts and the ways your life is transformed by receiving them. Laurie and I encourage you today: God is always extending His unearned favor to you, dear Believer, and to every person—to “whosoever will”—irrespective of background, past performance, or “worthiness.”
We know the power and grace of God for ourselves. As you and I grow in our knowledge and love of the Lord, there remain billions—billions—of souls who have not heard the Good News or who need encouragement in their Christian walk.
DRAWING SOULS TO JESUS' SEVENFOLD GIFT OF GRACE
As we close, we want to remind you of this vital truth: Proclaiming the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t only for Easter Sunday. It must be proclaimed every day in every corner of planet Earth. And because of you, dear partner, it can be! Here in the significant year of 2020, God has given us the worldwide platform to do that. Because of you, we can fill 30-plus networks with faith-building programs and content like this, that encourages viewers to live in victory.
In fact, our special resource this month was specifically created to help you walk in EVERYTHING Jesus died to provide for you. To help your heart absorb the full implication of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we’re offering the newly revised and expanded version of Praying Grace. It is no exaggeration to say that a fuller understanding of the wonders of God’s abundant, extravagant, inexhaustible grace has transformed our prayer lives. And this 55-day devotional journey was created to help you learn how to pray from, rather than struggle for, victory. Take hold of the power of Praying Grace. Let’s declare the glory and wonder of Jesus’ finished work together!
