THE WONDER OF WONDERS
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday Morning July 20th, 2025)
The word “Wonder” is defined as “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” For the last week our children have visited a place called “Wonder Junction” and they have learned about The wonder Of Christ’s birth, childhood, His ministry years, His death, burial, resurrection and eventual return. Ultimately, they learned the Gospel, which is the good news that God’s Son came into the world to save sinners.
It is not just young children who need to hear this wonderful message, this is a message for men and women, & boys and girls of all ages. The Apostle Paul declared in I Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”.
Oh the wonder of wonders
That God should love me
A sinner so guilty,
So vile and unclean
To love the unlovely,
How can it be done?
‘Tis only in Jesus,
In His Blessed Son.
(Wonder of Wonders; Mark Webb)
Writing to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul declared the wonder of the Gospel. I would like to examine his great summary of the Gospel message and consider the thought “Wonder of Wonders”.
We know that Christ died for our sins, but prior to that, the perfect Son of God walked among men, lived a perfect life, performed countless miracles, and changed a multitude of lives physically, spiritually, and eternally.
God declared that those who would be saved would be saved through His Son, Jesus Christ. There never has been, nor will there ever be any other means of salvation. In the beginning God created a perfect world. In time, Adam & Eve sinned in the Garden and their sin has been passed down to you and me. In Romans 5:12-19 Paul teaches that Adam represented all his offspring, and that not only did he corrupt what was once an innocent nature when he became a sinner, but that the guilt of his sin was transmitted to all his posterity. (Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”.)
One of the many devastating consequences of sin is that man was separated from God. God is holy, righteous, & just and His holiness requires punishment and atonement for sin. Sinful mankind was in desperate need of a perfect, spotless, sinless sacrifice. The only one worthy and able to make such an atonement on our behalf was the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Our Savior left the glories of Heaven and come to earth as a man. This process began with His incarnation. As we consider this “Wonder of Wonders”, let’s begin by examining:
THE WONDER OF CHRIST’S BIRTH
The Apostle John began his gospel account by declaring the deity of Jesus Christ. He said, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The wonder of wonders is that Jesus, the very Creator of the Universe came to earth as a baby. For thousands of years the prophets proclaimed that a Messiah would arrive to deliver men from their sins. In accordance with God’s divine timeline, a young virgin named Mary gave birth to His Son in a little town called Bethlehem. In His incarnation, Jesus came to fulfill God's perfect plan.
Before His immaculate conception, an Angel told Mary about God’s plan. On the night He was born the Heavenly Host of angels worshipped and shepherds stood in awe. In time, a special star led some wise men to the new King and they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Though these things happened thousands of years before we were born, these events impacted our lives as well. Of the many names and titles of Jesus, one of the most special is “Immanuel” which means “God with us”. It is certainly a wonder to know that we can live this life with the assurance that God sent His Son to earth, His plan of salvation was completed, and as a result (and through the Holy Spirit) we can know that God is with us!
- Jesus’ birth was certainly a wonder, and so was His childhood. Let’s take a moment and examine:
THE WONDER OF HIS CHILDHOOD
Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Jesus Christ is God! He is infinite, eternal and unchanging. Jesus was God before He came into this world and Jesus was God throughout His time here. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God literally and physically came into this world and dwelt among men.
There is not much information about Jesus’ formative years but we do receive some insight into that time period in Luke chapter 2. There we are told about the time when Jesus was found in the temple “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46-47). After this Luke says that Jesus “went down with (Mary & Joseph) and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them” (Luke 2:51).
The childhood years of Jesus are a great picture of His humility and humanity. Though He was God, Jesus experienced many of the same things that other children experience throughout their childhood. I am sure He played with others, performed chores, learned carpentry from Joseph, and obeyed His mother.
However, unlike other children, Jesus ALWAYS obeyed His parents and never sinned. He continued to learn, grow, and mature. By the age of twelve He was already focused on His mission from God the Father.
- Luke 3:23 states, "Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age." This leads us to:
THE WONDER OF HIS MINISTRY YEARS
After Jesus was baptized by John, He was led by the Holy Spirt into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan for forty days. After this our Lord’s earthly ministry commenced; For the next three years Jesus traveled the region in and around Galilee preaching and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). In time He chose twelve Disciples and began to train them for the mission they would accomplish in His name after His departure.
The Gospels records countless miracles that were performed. The wonder working power of these miracles proved that Jesus was God. He healed various diseases with a single touch or a verbal command. He stopped a raging storm by simply saying “peace be still”. He fed thousands with minimal resources and even brought the dead back to life.
As amazing and these things are, the wonder of wonders is that Jesus Christ provided us with the forgiveness that we so desperately needed. This great wonder was not performed with a touch or a command; for us to receive redemption, Jesus had to sacrifice His life on our behalf. This leads us to:
THE WONDER OF HIS DEATH & RESURRECTION
Jesus left Heaven and took on a robe of flesh, He was born as a baby in Bethlehem, He grew up in submission to His parents in Nazareth, He fulfilled His earthly ministry, and even after all He had done, He was despised and rejected by the people He came to save.
Jesus Christ stood before Pilot and was condemned to die. He was brutally beaten & scourged. He ascended a hill called Golgotha carrying a wooden Cross. Once there He was stripped of His clothes, the soldiers cast lots for His vesture and after this they covered Jesus with a scarlet robe. They violently shoved a crown of thorns into His brow. They placed a reed in his right hand and then mockingly bowed before him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They drove long spikes through His precious hands and feet securing Him to the cross. The chief priests mocked him, the crowd ridiculed Him and the soldiers blasphemed His name. For six hours Jesus hung on the cross suffering for our sins. Then, when all things were accomplished, He cried "It is finished"! Following this He bowed His head and yielded up His spirit.
Thankfully, His story did not end there. Three days after His substitutionary and sacrificial death, Jesus Christ victoriously rose from the grave. The Resurrection is proof that God accepted Jesus sacrifice and because of this we can rest in the reality that our sin debt has been paid in full! That is the wonder of wonders!
Though we have seen several different wonders concerning the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, there is more! After Jesus rose from the grave He ascended to Heaven and is currently seated at the right hand of the Father. Before He departed He promised His followers that one day He would return. Before we close, I would like for us to examine:
THE WONDER OF CHRIST’S RETURN
As Jesus ascended to Heaven His disciples stood gazing into the clouds. It was then that they received the promise that He would return.
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
We can rest assured that one day our Lord will return to earth. Until that day, we have been tasked with the responsibility of telling others about Jesus and preparing them for His return.
Our Lord has enabled us with everything we need to be successful in this endeavor. He gives us time, talents, and money to use for His glory. Furthermore we are indwelt with His Holy Spirit. It is important for us to labor as those servants who traveled with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry.
I do not mean to imply that we can work our way to Heaven, but if we have received His forgiveness, this should serve as motivation for us to serve Him because He loves us. Those who belong to Jesus will one day see Him face to face and dwell in His presence throughout eternity. This wonder is one that is greater than them all!
You have the opportunity to have fellowship with God, you can enjoy eternal life in His presence if you will admit that you are a sinner, and repent and believe the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is covered in I Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
If you will repent and believe the Gospel, and put your trust in Christ, God will welcome you into His family. This is the Wonder of Wonders!
The wonder of wonders oh how could it be
That God became flesh and was given for me
The Almighty came down and walked among men
The wonder of wonders He died for my sin
07202025
