Scripture: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Psalm 87:1-7, Proverbs 25:18-19
For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.
This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Observation: In the book Radical, David Platt writes:
I remember sitting outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia. Men and women filled the elaborate, colorful temple grounds, where they daily performed their religious rituals. Meanwhile, I was engaged in a conversation with a Buddhist leader and a Muslim leader in this particular community. They were discussing how all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different. “We may have different views about small issues,” one of them said, “but when it comes down to essential issues, each of our religions is the same,”
I listened for a while, and then they asked me what I thought. I said, “It sounds as though you both pictured God (or whatever you call God) at the top of a mountain. It seems as if you believe that we are all at the of the mountain, and I may take one route up the mountain, you may take another, and in the end we will all end up in the same place.”
They smiled as I spoke. Happily they replied, “Exactly! You understand!”
Then I leaned in and said, “Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if I told you that the God at the top of the mountain actually came down to where we are? What would you think if I told you that God doesn’t wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he comes to us”
Application: God came down the mountain. Do you realize how liberating this truth is? There is nothing I have to do. Nothing I can do. He’s already done it all. Some might say that the truth of the uniqueness of Christ makes Christianity an exclusive religion. On the contrary, the uniqueness of Christ makes salvation equally accessible to everyone. It isn’t hard. Nobody can say, “I can’t get to God.” He’s come to us. His blood paid my price. Its done. So why am I not sharing this wonderful news with everybody I know?
Prayer: Thank You. God, thank You for the cross. Thank You for making a way, and then walking it. In a thousand lifetimes I could never say it enough. Thank You.
