Acts 10:34-43 ~ everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name

Acts 10:34-43

  English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio 

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ ( he is Lord of all), ³⁷ you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 

 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, ⁴¹  not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Luke 18:10-14

  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The second Scripture speaks of two different types of people. One is large and in charge and the other is humble. The first Scripture tells us God is not interested in boundaries and track records. But His Spirit searches us. Finding who believes in HIM. I feel angry when people debunk the Scriptures and say, "If you fear Him, you don't understand Him." 437 times in Scripture it tells us to fear God.

After the 1990 movie "Ghost" was made, with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, the United States public was polled to ask if they believed in the Heaven, hell and judgement portrayed in the movie. The public answered overwhelmingly - they did. We belonged, at the time, to an Episcopal Church where the Christian Education Director said the movie annoyed her, of course, there is no hell. Even to the children of people worried about suicide in their family. It really was not comforting or informative. In fact, it made me end the conversation and go home. Later, my family voted with our feet and left the Church. And I witnessed the young woman, in our Bible study, who had several stillborn children and was told there was not really a Heaven - just a memory in God's mind.

Luke 12:5 

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Proverbs 9:10 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. 

So we press the boundaries of our beliefs and we say - where do you really stand. Is Proverbs true? The beginning of wisdom says God is in Charge. Not the Pharisee. With his position of importance and self-importance. 

And if there is a Heaven and a hell - all those scary movies are bunk - what we really need to do is please the One who will Decide.  

And then we see injustice in our lives, in the people around us and in the news and we wonder - is God really in charge? Maybe since everyone else skirts, skates and plays the margins of the rules - it is the acceptable thing to do. 

Then we remember with just a touch of humility the man who chose to not be like Buddha. Not a god to seek and seek and seek. God who chose to live among us as grace upon grace. Who chose to die upon a tree. And to be seemingly defeated. Only to astonish the Sanhedrin Council. The Talmud, of that Grace and Truth time, that exists today. The Roman Emperor - who was afraid of the name of Jesus Christ within 16 years. The men who hid and let the women mourn and take spices to the Tomb. The woman who proclaimed Him first and was the person adopted, after Jesus triumphed over death, into the family first. "My Father and yours." 

And God tells us about human nature. No one had to tell Jesus about human nature - He already knew. And He longed to gather us under His wing as His own. He cried for us. God shows no partiality. A good record and a bad deed - we are sinners. A bad record and a humble repentant heart - we will be the first He says "My Father and yours." 

Proverbs 16:18 

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 

Job 28:28

 And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'" 

Romans 14:12 

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

James 3:6 

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 

Matthew 12:36 

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak 

Titus 1:2 

in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 

2 Timothy 1:9 

who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time 

Ephesians 2:5

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 

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