The Good News of Jesus

A question I like to ask Christians is “How has Jesus been good news in your life?” Honestly some of the answers bring tears to my eyes. Usually, the first answer is that he paid for my sins. He made it so that I, a sinner, can be in a relationship with our Holy Creator. In Ephesians 1:7 the Apostle Paul writes, “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. . . .” Pull up in your mind the worst thing you have ever done, Christ died for that! If you are in Christ, you are forgiven. The eternal consequence for that act is taken care of. Now there are often still some earthly consequences, but the eternal ones are removed. And a fully open and intimate relationship with God is available.
Notice in this Ephesians passage that it mentions the riches of God’s grace (unmerited favor) that he lavished on us. Grace is shocking. Unmerited favor is stunning. I once had a seminary professor describe it this way. If I broke into your car and stole it, justice is that I would be punished, forced to make restitution or even jail time because it’s considered a felony. Mercy is if I am forgiven for the charge and do not go to jail. Grace is if I am forgiven, charges are dropped and then the owner takes the thief out to an expensive restaurant for a steak dinner. Or another image of grace (unmerited favor) is that as a juvenile I commit a crime. I was arrested and thrown into a juvenile detention center. The president (picture a president you admire wherever you fall politically) calls up with a pardon. I am then let out and completely free. But there is more, then he invites me to the white house and adopts me into his family. From the jail house to the white house is a picture of the stunning grace we are offered in Jesus. God forgives our rebellion and sin and invites us to become part of his family. Remarkable!
God’s grace has many facets, but it all comes back to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul says it is lavished on us. Lavish means rich, elaborate, luxurious. Grace is when I once sat with a young woman who told me she was the product of rape but in Christ she feels valuable and loved. Grace is when a husband and wife learn to extend the grace of Christ to each other and repair their shattered marriage. Grace is when a man or woman who feels overcome with anxiety in Christ finds peace. Grace is when a young person who feels lost and finds themselves living without purpose comes to understand that he is a special creation of God, designed for a specific calling in life (Ephesians 2:10). Grace is when God honors one of our prayers with a remarkable answer. God lavishes grace on us. I still can’t get over the fact that rebels like you and me are treated as precious, beloved sons and daughters. Now that is GOOD NEWS!

Pastor Derek Dickinson
Journey Christian Church