“And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” – Romans 3:24

What does it take to be declared “Not Guilty” in the eyes of God? Justified is a legal term describing a verdict of “not guilty” in the eyes of our perfectly just, all-knowing judge. Thankfully, to be justified doesn’t require actually living a perfect life without sin because if it did, there’d be no hope for any of us!

Jesus Christ already lived that perfect life free of sin because He knew we couldn’t. As fully God AND fully man, Jesus was able to stand as our representative and die on a cross for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, He purchased freedom from the penalty of sin for everyone who trusts in Him as Lord. That’s the redemption that’s in Him. Everyone who believes in the risen Jesus is declared “not guilty” because Jesus already paid the penalty for our guilt.

That redemption and justification is only given as a gift. We can’t buy it because Jesus already bought it. We can’t earn it because we’re actually guilty. Jesus earned it because He was innocent. We don’t deserve it because we only deserve a cross. We can never be good enough, moral enough, kind enough, loving enough, merciful enough, or altruistic enough to justify ourselves.

Justification is entirely a gift of grace – something we can never be worthy of. In this Christmas season as we dream about gifts, think about gifts, buy gifts, and give gifts, recognize that the greatest gift imaginable has already been given by God through His Son Jesus. Rather than dreaming about expensive gadgets, clever toys, fancy getaways, or new vehicles, celebrate the gift of grace that’s freely available to everyone through faith in Christ Jesus. Tell the story of that gift to those around you who are looking for the wrong kind of gift this Christmas!

“Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.” – Matthew 22:9

Jesus uses this parable to compare God’s Kingdom to a wedding feast given by a King (God) in honor of His Son (Jesus). Those initially invited to the feast (the people of Israel) generally couldn’t care less about it and don’t bother to attend. This is a terrible insult to the King, but it won’t stop the party!

Therefore, the servants of the King are sent out to invite literally everyone. They aren’t responsible for pre-screening, assessing, evaluating, or judging anyone’s worthiness. That’s the King’s job. Honestly, nobody’s worthy but He graciously welcomes many anyway. The King will sort out those who show up without appropriate wedding clothes from those who joyfully embraced the unexpected and gracious invitation to attend. The servants aren’t responsible for that.

If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you’re both a guest at this party, having been invited by others, and you’re a servant responsible for inviting still others (by telling them about Jesus). One of our fundamental responsibilities as Christians is inviting people to the greatest party ever held – the wedding feast of Jesus, the Kingdom of God.

Like the servants in the parable, we aren’t responsible for pre-screening people. We’re responsible for inviting people. We aren’t responsible for guessing in advance who will accept the invitation or show up properly dressed (having been washed by the blood of Jesus through faith in Him). We’re responsible for inviting people. We aren’t responsible for judging whether certain people are worth inviting (because we weren’t). We’re responsible for inviting people.

We aren’t responsible for overthinking. We’re responsible for inviting. Are you inviting “as many as you find” to Christ’s party?

“When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.” – Acts 28:23

This day of uninterrupted preaching is the great opportunity God made possible for Paul through his imprisonment! Because he was jailed and transported to Rome by the Roman government, Paul got to share the good news of Jesus Christ all day long to those who hadn’t heard it before. This was just the start of his Roman imprisonment! Altogether, Paul spent 2 years under house arrest telling Romans about Jesus. What a wonderful opportunity that was only possible because Paul patiently endured long injustice and persecution.

This extended gospel opportunity happened because Paul was wrongly arrested and accused in Jerusalem, patiently endured two years in jail in Caesarea, and survived a shipwreck on his way to Rome. This is a powerful reminder to each of us that God can bring wonderful Kingdom good and significance out of what feels like disaster. The inconveniences and injustices that others intend for evil can be redeemed by God and used to introduce people to His love, His truth, and His Son Jesus.

Consider how you respond to setbacks, hurts, defeats, and injustices in your life…. Do you respond with anger? Despair? Frustration? Do you compromise your integrity to escape the situation? Or do you lean into your hardship and praise God anyway? Do you look for the opportunities God provides to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit? Do you share your hope in Jesus with those you’re only able to meet because you’re going through difficult times? In Christ, God has given you everything you need to respond like Paul!

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
– Psalm 46:10

Peace on Earth really is the will of God! This verse (which we’re used to thinking of in a personal sense) is a command and promise to all nations. The command is to “Be still” – stop fighting. God’s will is for the nations to choose peace rather than attacking one another which prevents many from knowing and worshiping God. The promise is that the endless bloody wars with which we’re much too familiar will end one day when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, returns.

God’s plan from the earliest pages of the Bible is to redeem for Himself a people not just from a single ethnicity or handful of preferred nations, but people from EVERY ethnicity, nation, and culture. Hundreds of nations. Thousands of ethnic people groups. God is God of all the Earth. Every person was lovingly made in His image. One day He will be worshiped in heaven by people from all over the Earth (see Revelation 7). Until then, the task of His people is to spread the good news that God is real, that God loves us, and that He graciously sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross and rise from death to set us free from sin and death.

This is why it’s imperative that Christians be intentional peacemakers, not conflict creators. We must be known for our devotion to peace rather than for the bloody religious wars that have stained the reputation of Jesus over the centuries. We must repent of those and renounce them as the way of Satan, not Jesus. War tarnishes the image of God and distracts people from Him. That’s why the devil loves violence, war, and conflict. As Christians, we should trust in God’s promise of peace on earth but we must also diligently pray and work for peace in the name of Jesus – in our homes, our communities, our schools and workplaces, our nation, and our world.

“He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.” – Acts 27:43b-44

There were 276 people on board that ship and 275 of them were certain they were going to die! Then there was Paul who knew otherwise because the Lord had told them so. Though foolishness had led them into a terrible and potentially deadly storm, God preserved every one of the souls on board. But He did far more than that…

After safely swimming or floating ashore, every crew member, passenger, guard, and prisoner got to see Paul work miracles and teach about Jesus for several months before they could resume traveling. What an opportunity God provided! He not only rescued them from certain death but gave them unhurried time to consider His offer of new and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ!

We would certainly hope their recent brush with death by drowning gave them ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive the good news of Jesus Christ. If they did, they were truly rescued. If they didn’t, their fate was no better than if they’d drowned at sea. That can be hard to swallow, but it’s true.

Regardless of how we die, we’ll all die unless Jesus returns first. Those who die in Christ will enjoy an eternity in the glorious presence and love of God. Those who die apart from Christ face the horrors of eternal separation from God in a place of unending suffering called Hell. This fate can only be avoided by hearing about and believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Lord. Who in your life needs to hear and believe this good news to be truly rescued before their own encounter with death?