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Monday, December 15, 2014

Demolishing Hostility, Making Peace Possible

I am tempted to write about the race relations problem plaguing America. But it’s Christmas. Can’t we just all get along?

One of the most significant things Jesus came to earth to accomplish involved some demolition. Jesus destroyed the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. He broke down the barrier and made the two one. He brought peace by reconciling both races to God through Himself on the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

It is no small miracle that in the church belonging to Jesus you will find all shades and hues of skin tone. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” Remember that song? Jesus truly does love all the little children of the world. And He showed it by dying on the cross for every race under the sun.

His blood is equally effective to cleanse the sins and stains of children from China as it is for the children of Chile and Chad and Chattanooga. The mercy and grace of Christ is just as full and free to folks in Finland as it is to folks in Florence and Frankfurt and Fort Wayne. In His love God pursues people from Paris just as passionately as He pursues people from Pakistan and Paraguay and Petersburg.

The book of Revelation in the Bible describes a scene the apostle John witnesses in heaven. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10).

It’s a beautiful picture of the nations from every corner of the earth gladly singing for joy and praising our one and only Savior and God, because He has destroyed the walls of hostility and made peace possible through Himself.

Friend, may I suggest that if you don’t really care for people of other nationalities or skin colors while you’re on this planet, you probably won’t enjoy heaven much at all. Let me go a step further and say that there is absolutely no place in the heart of a follower of Jesus to harbor hatred or prejudice against people from other races. And on top of that, I’d be questioning my own experience of God’s salvation if I’m not willing to extend that salvation to someone else because they’re not my same color, don’t speak my language or don’t come from my side of the tracks.

We’re all in the same boat no matter what we look like. We are human beings, each one fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. Each one who has sinned against our Maker and is deserving of His wrath. Yet, each one who is loved deeply by the Almighty and offered the same gift of salvation from death and hell by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross. And each one who must repent of his sin and receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914. Five months into World War I, on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops began singing Christmas carols to each other across the lines. As Christmas Day’s first light began to shine, some German troops came out of their trenches unarmed, drew near the Allied lines across no-man’s land, and called out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ languages. The Allied soldiers hesitantly emerged as well and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged gifts of cigarettes and plum pudding and sang carols and songs together.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see the hostility on the streets of Los Angeles, New York City and Ferguson demolished this Christmas? Aren’t all things possible with God?

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