difference

Isaiah 24:2
“And it shall be:
As with the people, so with the priest;
As with the servant, so with his master;
As with the maid, so with her mistress;
As with the buyer, so with the seller;
As with the lender, so with the borrower;
As with the creditor, so with the debtor.”

Life is filled with distinctions. Gender, age, experience, education, skill level, and heritage are just a few things that set us apart from one another. Recently while traveling, it came time to board the plane, and distinctions were made. First class boarded first, followed by business class and priority seating. Finally, when sufficient time was given for these others to settle, a call was made for the rest of us. We have become used to a culture where distinction is made. However, when it comes to the kingdom of God there is perfect equality. No one man is more qualified for eternity than another. This equality shows itself both in the need for salvation, as well as the means of it.

When writing to the church in Rome, Paul gave them what has become the treatise for salvation. He spent the first three chapters developing the premise that all have sinned and fallen short of the standard for entrance into eternal life. Priest, prince, or pauper, have all sinned and cannot earn, or purchase, their way into heaven.

Once this premise was set, Paul went on to declare, that while salvation cannot be earned, it can be received. He declared the gift of eternal life is through Jesus Christ. Whatever distinctions earth may set upon us, heaven sees us as one class: sinners in need of a Savior. Wonderfully, heaven also has provided the Savior. Whoever will trust in Christ for salvation will have their sins forgiven and become a child of God, with full access to the throne of grace.

Peter was relaxing on the balcony of a friend’s house, enjoying the warm sunshine, when he was interrupted with a message from heaven. He saw a sheet, perhaps like a picnic blanket, filled with all kinds of animals. Some of these animals had been forbidden from his diet under the law, however, he was instructed by God to no longer make a distinction, but to eat them all. Peter realized something much bigger than his diet was being addressed. He would soon meet a band of men who would lead him to the house of a gentile, where he would share the gospel. Peter needed to learn that heaven makes no distinctions, all who come to God through faith in Christ, will be saved.

What about you? Have you trusted Christ as Savior or are you still confident in works, heritage, or your own morality. None of those will be sufficient on the day we face God.

Pastor Jim

Acts 10:5
“Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.”

Joppa was a port city in Israel with a wealth of history. It serves as a powerful illustration of the heart of God for the world at large. Over 700 years before Peter slept on the rooftop of the tanner’s house, another famous character passed through Joppa. His name was Jonah, and he is infamous as Israel’s most reluctant prophet. Most of us are familiar with his story of disobedience. We read, he was commissioned by God to preach a message of mercy to Nineveh, but instead, he traveled to Joppa, boarded a ship, and attempted to run from God. His story is a fascinating one, as God goes to great lengths to win the heart of this wandering servant. One of the key lessons in Jonah is, God loves the world even when His people don’t.

Over 700 years later, we find another servant of God resting quietly in this same port city. While he sleeps, his world is interrupted with a vision form heaven. The vision was simple, but the message profound. He saw a sheet filled with all kinds of animals, which he was commanded to kill and eat. Peter’s initial response was to refuse, for many of the animals were in a category marked as “unclean” by old testament standards. His rebuke was met by a further command, “What I have cleansed do not call common.” While this passage is freeing the believer to eat whatever he wants, the message is much deeper. Peter needed to learn that the Gospel was intended for all people.

As he pondered the meaning of the message, a band of men arrived, inviting him to visit Cornelius, in the city of Caesarea. Peter would soon be faced with a great dilemma, he would stand at the threshold of the house of a gentile and have to decide whether, for the sake of the Gospel, he would put aside his cultural fears and enter a gentile home.

Cornelius and his family were loved by God and needed to hear the message of salvation in Christ. Peter, like Jonah before him, would have to set aside his own personal feelings for the sake of the kingdom of God.

All mankind is loved by God, and needs to hear the message of salvation found in Christ. It is time we set aside anything that keeps us from declaring the message of the cross to a dying world.

Pastor Jim