Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)
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;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost,
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost;
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.Refrain
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Haldor Lillenas
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me,
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame;
O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His name!
The History Behind the Hymn
The writer of the hymn Wonderful Grace of Jesus, Haldor Lillenas, was born in Norway and immigrated to the United States when he was a small child.
Converted to Christianity at the age of 21, he entered Bible college and later became an elder and a pastor in the Nazarene church. He obtained his musical training through personal and correspondence study. He and his wife, Bertha, worked as evangelists for a time, traveling the country.
Later, he settled down in Illinois and bought himself a used organ for the extravagant sum of $5. They didn’t have much money at the time. He composed Wonderful Grace of Jesus on that organ and made – you guessed it – $5 on the sale of the hymn.
In 1924, he founded Lillenas Publishing Company which later became Nazarene Publishing Company. He worked there for 20 years as an editor. Like many other hymn composers, he was prolific. Together, he and his wife wrote over 4000 hymns.
In 1982, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
While the tune may lend itself to being played uptempo, in a bubbly sort of fashion, Lillenas himself cautioned about the hymn begin played too fast. He wanted it to be slower so that everyone could focus on the the wonderful grace of Jesus.
https://hymnswelove.blogspot.com/2012/03/story-behind-wonderful-grace-of-jesus.html
A Lesson for Me
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
This hymn is one of my all-time favorites! It speaks of God’s grace upon His creation. God knew of full-well of our frailties. He knew from the beginning that we could not live sinless lives. He gave us the opportunity to choose whether or not to sin. But in spite of our choices, while we were yet sinners, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and to pay the penalty for those sins!
Grace! It is not earned. It is freely given by Christ. Its definition is “unmerited favor.” Oh my goodness, how I need unmerited favor, dear Reader. We all do!
Insert verse from hymn for teaching
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Message for today
I was that most defiled! A sinner in need of a forgiving God! Oh the peace that came once I gave my life to Him. I can’t explain it but I am so very thankful for that peace. I knew that I had an encounter with God Himself because of that blessed and sweet peace! No one – nothing can provide it.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It is not the peace of the world as some think. Only God’s peace can enter the very heart of man. How do I know this? I know this because Jeremiah the prophet said Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” No perfect peace can come into a wicked heart, Reader.
Only God can give perfect peace. Jesus brings that peace to every heart that turns to Him.
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost,
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost;
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
