Race, Cross, and the Christian
Series: Bloodlines
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 16th August 2015
00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 Evening all, let's pray.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 Gracious Father, we thank you that you have not left us alone,
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 as we've seen the last couple of weeks,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 in the solidarity we have, not just in our image of you,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 but solidarity in our sin,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 which puts us at odds with you and puts us at odds with one another.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:34 We thank you that you have worked to solve that problem.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 We've sung about it tonight.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 I pray that that reality of what you've done for us in the Lord Jesus
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 might become very real for us personally
00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 and will impact radically not just our relationship with you,
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 but our relationship with one another as well.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 And we ask it for your glory. Amen.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 We're into week number three on our series of racism and ethnocentricity.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:04 And racial pride and ethnocentricity has a long and a bloody past.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 I'll give you just a few examples.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 The Holocaust in Germany caused the death of up to 11 million Jews
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 between 1933 and 1945.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:19 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Turks
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 from 1915 to 1923,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:26 a further 750 Assyrians during the same time
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 at the hands of the Turks
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 and a further 1 million Greeks at the same time,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 again at the hands of the Turks.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 Racism and ethnic cleansing was a motivating factor
00:01:36 --> 00:01:40 that saw 3 million casualties in the Cambodian genocide,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:44 another 1 million dead in Rwanda in 1994,
00:01:44 --> 00:01:50 Soviet slaughtered 250 Polish people in 1937 to 1938,
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 and another couple of hundred thousand Poles
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 by the Ukrainians less than a decade later.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 Getting a little bit closer to home,
00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 between 1824 and 1908,
00:02:03 --> 00:02:08 white settlers and native Mountied police in Queensland
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 killed more than 10 Aborigines
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 who regarded them as vermin
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 and sometimes even hunted them for sport
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 in the same kind of way that I would treat a wild pig
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 in regarding it as vermin and hunted for sport.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 That's on our own country here in Australia.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 Now racism in our country has become a little bit more civilised,
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 if I can use that term very broadly.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:38 You're probably aware of the vilification
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 of AFL player and prominent Aboriginal Adam Goodes recently.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:48 There have also been a number of Reclaim Australia rallies
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 in capital cities around this country.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 And in the past week, Eddie Maguire,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 the president of the Collingwood AFL team,
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 was accused again of racism.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 He had previously joked,
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 apparently because of a brain freeze or a brain snap
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 or a no brain at all, I can't remember,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 that he likened Adam Goodes to King Kong
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 or that he could play a part in the movie King Kong.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 And so in Maguire's most recent controversy,
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 he referred to the Victorian sports minister,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 John Aaron, as a soccer-loving Turkish-born moosey.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:31 Now, I want to suggest to you that it is naive to think
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 that a prime minister making a public apology
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 or laws against racial vilification
00:03:38 --> 00:03:43 or a general move in the direction of equality
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 and freedom for all people
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 or the acceptance of political correctness
00:03:47 --> 00:03:52 results in any way in the end of racial pride
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 or ethnocentricity.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 The issues are deep.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 We had a new couple here at church this morning.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Three months ago, they escaped from Syria.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 And I spoke to them this morning.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 They are literally here, refugees escaping.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 They went home.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 Their house was bombed.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 It's just levelled.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 And I said to them,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 I talked to them about the issues at Syria,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:20 and they said,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 it is very complex.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 There is no easy answer
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 to the racial tensions there at all.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 And I think an answer to it
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 is something that we want.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 In fact, something that we need.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 When Reclaim Australia marched in Sydney recently,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 more people turned out to march against Reclaim Australia
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 than actually for Reclaim Australia.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 That is, there was more people turning out
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 to march against racism,
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 as they see it portrayed in Reclaiming Australia,
00:04:56 --> 00:05:00 than, in fact, the Reclaiming Australia group.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Now, the Christian faith is not at odds
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 with our secular society at that point.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 We saw two weeks ago
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 that one of the foundational biblical truths
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 is that all people are made equally
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 in the image of God.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 There is a solidarity
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 in our image of God,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 but there is also, as we saw last week,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 a solidarity in our sinfulness,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 in our rejection of God.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Since Adam, right from the very beginning,
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 rejected God,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 we have all shared in Adam's sin,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 and likewise, we have, by choice, rejected God.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 But the choices that we make reject God.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 And so this solidarity sets us
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 not just up against God,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 but against one another
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 because we put ourselves
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 at the center of the universe.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 It becomes about us rather than about God.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 And so we need to be really careful
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 as we deal with this situation
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 of racial pride.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 We need to be really careful
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 of not coming up with just simplistic solutions.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 On the TV program Studio 10,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 Jessica Rowe this week
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 said that she thought
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 that the term Moosey
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 was racist and offensive,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 and she questioned
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 Eddie Maguire's intelligence,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 something that a few people
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 have done apparently over the time.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:24 She said,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 If he is not smart enough,
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 and I don't think he is,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 to moderate his language,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 depending on the sort of forum he is in,
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 he has to take the flack for it.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 Hear what she's saying?
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 Just control your tongue, Eddie.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 Depending on where you are,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 just be careful about what you say.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 Now, don't hear me wrong.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 First of all, let me say,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 the assumption there is,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 if he doesn't say it,
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 then he's not a racist.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 I want to,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 I think it's a good thing,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 I think it's a great thing
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 to control your tongue.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 In fact, I think it would be great
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 if we all practice it a little bit more,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 or let me just say myself,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 it would be great if I control my tongue
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 a little bit more,
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 and I think it's a fantastic thing,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 and we're going to see it
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 in our next series in James
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 when we get there,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 but the problem is significantly deeper
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 than just controlling the tongue.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 This week,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 I was driving to a ministry seminar
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 on Thursday morning,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:35 and I had the job
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 of driving the seminar leader
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 to the venue.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 And so we're driving along,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 this guy is in his early 70s,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 he's a very well-respected Christian leader
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 from the United States,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 and we were driving along,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 and all of a sudden,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 boom, we hit traffic,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 we just stand still.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 And I knew that I needed
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 to take a left turn up ahead,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 and so I put my blinker on,
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 and I just started
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 to sort of move across.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 And as I moved across,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 there's a car behind me
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 that just kept pushing up,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 pushing up.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 And I'm like trying to go across
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 a little bit further,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 and as we're doing this,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 I'm talking to this ministry guy,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 and we're talking about the gospel,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 talking about all sorts
00:08:17 --> 00:08:17 of wonderful things,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 and I'm at the same time
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 trying to get across,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 and this guy comes up,
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 and he just keeps,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 and I'm thinking,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 he's breaking the law?
00:08:28 --> 00:08:28 You know,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 my nose is in front of his,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 he's got to give way.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 If he ran into me,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 it's going to be his fault,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 and it's going to be
00:08:34 --> 00:08:34 his insurance claim,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 and that sort of stuff,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 but you kind of don't want
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 your car to get run into,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 and so I'm pushing him across,
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 and this guy just kept coming up,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 kept coming up,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 kept coming up.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 He just kept pushing
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 across and across,
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 and he's waving at me
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 through the window,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:48 you know,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 mouthing obscene things at me,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:55 and I never said a word.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 I just kept talking to this guy
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 about ministry and stuff,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 and even as we were driving along here,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 at one point he said,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:02 I don't think that guy
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 is going to let you in.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:04 I said, no, no,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 I don't think he is,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:05 but you know,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 that's okay.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 Now,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 what came out my mouth
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 was nothing.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 What was in my heart
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 was something,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 and what was in my heart
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 if my children
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 were in the back seat?
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 Remember last week,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 I said that by original sin,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 my children have learnt things.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 I didn't teach them.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 I didn't teach them
00:09:32 --> 00:09:32 to throw tantrums,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 anything like that,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 but there are some things
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 I have taught them,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 and if they were in the back seat
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 at that particular point,
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 one of them would have piped up
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 and said,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:40 oh my goodness,
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 look at that idiot.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 That is something,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 I don't blame original sin for that,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 that's something
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 they've learnt from me.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 Over time,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 they've learnt that one from me.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 That's what was in my heart
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 at the time.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 I was fuming at that guy,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 but I never said a word.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:04 You see,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 political correctness
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 might be a start,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 but it doesn't deal
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 with the core issue.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 A sinful heart
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 bent away from God
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 and bent away
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 from other people.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 That guy
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 wanted
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 one car space
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 and I
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 didn't want him
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 to have that car space.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 We were both
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 as bad as one another.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 It's interesting
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 that as you turn
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 to the gospel
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 and ask Jesus
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 often makes
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 the
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 hated
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 foreigner
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 the recipient
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 of God's blessing
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 or the hero
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 of his stories.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 As I said last week,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 Jesus is the end
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 of ethnocentricity
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 and we'll see it
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 today.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 One of the best examples
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 is what Sam
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 just read out for us
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 in the Good Samaritan
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 in Luke 10.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 So if you've got your Bibles,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 flick to Luke chapter 10.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 In verse 25,
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 a lawyer
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 asked Jesus
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 what he must do
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 to receive eternal life
00:11:07 --> 00:11:07 and Jesus
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 asked him,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:08 well,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 what does the law say?
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 And so he says,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 well,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 love the Lord your God
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 with all your heart,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 with all your soul,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 with all your strength,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:14 with all your mind
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 and love your neighbor
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 as yourself.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 And Jesus says,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:20 yeah,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:20 that's right.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 That's right.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 Just do that.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:27 But,
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 verse 29,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 it says,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 he wanted
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 to justify himself.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 And so he asked Jesus,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 yeah,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 but,
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 you know,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 when you say neighbor,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 what do you mean
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 by neighbor?
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 who is really
00:11:46 --> 00:11:46 by neighbor?
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 He's looking
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 to justify himself,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 verse 29,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 that is,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 he's looking for
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 a loophole
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 in the law.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 He's looking for Jesus
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 to affirm
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 his thinking
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 and his actions
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 as being righteous,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 as,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 yeah,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 you've done that already.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:05 You see,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 the Jews of Jesus' time
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 interpreted the neighbor here,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 which comes from
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 Leviticus 19,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 as other Jews.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 At a stretch,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 it could include
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 some foreigners
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 who have
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 sort of converted
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 to Judaism
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 or are serving,
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 you know,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 the country
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 and that sort of stuff,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 but it certainly
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 didn't include
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 Samaritans
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 or other foreigners.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:38 And so,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 Jesus tells this
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 mainly Jewish audience
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 this story.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 The story is possibly
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 the most socially
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 charged story
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 that Jesus ever tells.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 There's this guy
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 traveling from Jerusalem
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 to Jericho.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 It's a fairly main road.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 We're meant to understand
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 that this is a Jewish man
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 traveling this road.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 The man gets robbed,
00:12:59 --> 00:12:59 he's stripped,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 he's beaten
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 and left for dead.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 And then by chance,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 his fate would have it,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 as it would happen,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 a Jewish priest
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 comes wandering by.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 This is a Jewish pastor,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 right?
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 This is a Jewish pastor
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 and so,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 the thinking is,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 surely he
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 is going to help
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 his brother
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 in the ditch.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 But no,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 the priest
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 couldn't be bothered.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 He walked,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 in fact,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 on the other side
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 of the street
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 to stay well away from him.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 and pretend he doesn't exist.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 Didn't go near him.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 And Jesus goes on
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 and says,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 well,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 now a Levite comes by.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 So,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 we've gone from the pastor
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 to the lecture
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 of the theological college.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 And again,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 you would think
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 that this guy
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 is going to stop
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 and help his brother
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 in the ditch.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 But he likewise
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 does not bother.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:56 He walks
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 on the other side
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 of the street.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 And then Jesus says,
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 well,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 along comes
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 the Samaritan.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03 You know it's going
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 to be the third guy.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 Along comes
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 the Samaritan.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 And at this point,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 at the hearing,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 these Jewish crowds
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 gather
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 and they hear
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 the word Samaritan
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 and they go,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 Samaritan?
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 What's a Samaritan
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 doing in the story?
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 You see,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 Jews and Samaritans,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 their tension ran
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 over a long period
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 of time.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 Samaritans
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 were despised.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 They were not
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 to be associated
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 with.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 The majority of Jews
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 in Judea
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 and Galilee
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 hated Samaritans.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 And by the time
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 of Jesus,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 the animosity
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 between these groups,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 these two groups,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 had been growing
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 for several hundred years
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 and it exploded
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 into violence
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 and murderous violence
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 in the first century.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 And so,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 what is a Samaritan
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 doing in this story?
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 As it turns out,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:06 he's the hero.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 He sees
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 the injured
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 Jew,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 his enemy
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 on the side
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 of the road.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 He goes over to him
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 and he has compassion
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 on him.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 He cleans up his wounds.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 He treats his wounds.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 He puts him
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 on the back
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 of his donkey,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 takes him to
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 a local motel,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 checks him in,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 makes sure he's
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 well cared for,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 hands over his credit card
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 and said,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 charge to my account
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 anything,
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 any expenses
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 and I'll pick it up.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 And by the time
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 Jesus finished
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 telling this story,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 his audience
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 would have had
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 their jaws
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 on the ground.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 This is
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 not possible,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 Jesus.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:46 The Samaritan
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 was an
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 unthinkable hero.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 So imagine
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 I got an invitation
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 to speak
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 at a Reclaim Australia
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 rally
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 because they thought
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 I was some redneck
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 and
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 once upon a time
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 and
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 I happened
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to tell the story
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 of
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 an Australian
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 SAS trooper
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 who was blown up
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 by a roadside bomb
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 in Afghanistan.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 He's lying there
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 on the side of the road.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 Along comes
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 an Australian
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 army medic
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 sees him
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 on the side of the road,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 pretends he doesn't see him
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 and walks across
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 and misses him
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 altogether.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 And as the guy's there
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 bleeding on the side
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 of the road,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 along comes
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 another Australian
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 military personnel.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 This time
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 it's a Padre,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 a chaplain
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 and he too
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 walks past
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 and ignores
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 the guy
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 standing there.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 And the next person
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 who walks up
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 is a Taliban
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 freedom fighter
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 with his AK-47
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 still struck
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 to his back.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 Sees the guy
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 on the side
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 of the road,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 sees that
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 it's an SAS
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 trooper
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 sent there
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 to kill him
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 and he
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 bandages up
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 his wounds,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 he puts them
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 on the back
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 of his donkey,
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 he takes them
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 to a safe place,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 he pays for all
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 his medical expenses,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 he even sends
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 a chunk of money
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 back to his family
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 in Australia
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 to cover his
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 lifetime military pension.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 What do you think
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 the reception
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 would be?
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 Jesus says
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 to this lawyer,
00:17:29 --> 00:17:33 just do that.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 Just go and do that.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 Just do what he did.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 Treat your worst
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 enemy
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 just like that.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 Now remember,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 this is going back
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 to the original question
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 that the lawyer
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 asked about
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 how he might have
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 eternal life
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 and so when Jesus
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 says,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 just go and do that,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 he isn't saying
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 give it a try
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 and see how it goes.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 He isn't saying
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 do at least once
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 in your life
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 if you can.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 He's saying
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 live and act
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 and love
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 and serve
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 and think
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 and sacrifice
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 like this good
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 Samaritan
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 all of the time
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 then you can
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 have eternal life.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 All of the time
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 for your worst
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 enemy.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 Go and love
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 and serve
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 and sacrifice
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 people who
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 belittle you,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 who curse you,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 who marginalize you,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 who ridicule you,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 who hate you,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 berate you,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 ignore you,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 demean you
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 and would even
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 kill you.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 And then that's it.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 That's the end
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 of the good Samaritan.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 Go and do likewise.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 And it's,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 we just left
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 hanging there.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 And so you go,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 so is the answer
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 to racial pride
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 and ethnocentricity
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 just try harder?
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 Work a bit harder?
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 Just be nicer?
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 See, Luke was inspired
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 by God to write
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 what comes next.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 One scene
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 ends with his lawyer,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 the next
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 we're in the living
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 room with two
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 sisters,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 Martha,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 the elder sister
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 and Mary,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 the younger.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 And in classic
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 birth order,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 Martha,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 the older sister,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 is getting busy
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 with dinner
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 preparations
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 and Mary,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 the younger sister,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 is sitting on the
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 floor at the feet
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 of Jesus.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 And Martha
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 is a little annoyed.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 She's busy
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 making stuff happen.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 She's got stuff
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 boiling on the stove
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 and there's things
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 in the oven
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 and she's trying
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 to staff the dishwasher
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 at the same time.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 You know,
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 she's got food
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 all over her
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 and she is
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 wanting Mary
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 to give her
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 some help here.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 And in short,
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 she runs to Jesus
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 and says,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 tell Mary
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 to get up
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 and help me.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 And Jesus'
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 response to Martha
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 is,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 no,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 no,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 I'm not going
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 to tell her
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 to move at all.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 So let me
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 come to the chase
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 here.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 In the second scene,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 who looks
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 the most
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 like
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 the good Samaritan?
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 Martha.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 Martha does.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 Not Mary.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 Mary's the bad
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 Samaritan.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 She's not doing
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 anything.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 Martha is busy
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 doing all the good
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 stuff,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 all the preparations.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 Mary is,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 you're doing
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 nothing,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 Samaritan.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 And Martha
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 is going
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 and doing
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 and serving
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 and preparing
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 and Mary
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 is doing
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 nothing.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 She's just
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 sitting at the feet
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 of Jesus
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 and going,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 oh,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 Jesus,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 I just love you.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 Do you know
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 what I think
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 is going on here?
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 I think the lawyer
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 should have responded
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 at the end of
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 when Jesus
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 just left it hanging.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 The lawyer
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 should have responded,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:07 I can't do that.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 I can't do that.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 And Jesus
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 would have said,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 I know.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 That's the point.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 I know.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 And if you
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 were there
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 or I was there,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 he would have said,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 Steve,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 you can't do it
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 either.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 And 5pm,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 you can't do it
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 either.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 The barrier
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 that exists
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 between us
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 and God
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 and us
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 and others
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 that racial
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 pride
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 and ethnocentricity
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 is a consequence
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 of
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 is not
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 fixed
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 simply
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 by
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 holding
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 your tongues
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 in some
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 contexts.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 The problem
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 is sin.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 The problem
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 is our heart.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 We need someone
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 to deal
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 with the dividing
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 wall
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 of hostility.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 Romans 5
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 leads me
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 to believe
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 that Jesus
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 is,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 in fact,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 the Good
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 Samaritan
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 who comes
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 and who
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 does
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 what we
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 cannot do.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 You and I
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 are,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 in fact,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 not the Good
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 Samaritan.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 We are the
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 man
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 beaten,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 bruised,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 robbed,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 left for dead
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 on the side
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 of the road.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 We are cut
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 off from God
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 and we are
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 dead in our
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 transgressions
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 and sins.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 Ever
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 since
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 Adam
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 decided to
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 rebel
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 against God,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 we have
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 walked in
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 the ways
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 of Adam.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 Now,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 it might not
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 seem fair
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 that that's
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 our state.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 When you
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 and I
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 look at the
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 carnage
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 that's in
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 this world,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 the carnage
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 of human
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 history and
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 the racial
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 genocide and
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 the cancer
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 and the
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 suffering and
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 the divorce
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 and the
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 greed,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 the fact
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 that over
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 there in
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 Number 7
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 View Street,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 for some
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 strange reason,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 the weeds
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 grow faster
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 than I can
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 kill them,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 it's all
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 Adam's
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 fault
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 if you
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 look at
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 Genesis
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 chapter 3.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 And every
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 time I
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 weed the
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 garden,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 it's so
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 easy to
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 get angry
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 with Adam
00:23:09 --> 00:23:13 because God
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 picks a
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 champion for
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 the head of
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 the human
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 race
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 and this
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 champion
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 blows it
00:23:19 --> 00:23:22 and ever
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 since he
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 blew it,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 our world
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 has been
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 messed up
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 and there
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 is something
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 in that
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 that makes
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 me feel
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 like it's
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 unfair.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 That is,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 how could
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 Adam have
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 been so
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 stupid?
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 It feels
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 unfair because
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 I think
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 that instead
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 of it was
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 you know,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 Adam and
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 Eve,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 if it was
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 Steve and
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 Eve,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 I wouldn't
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 have been
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 as stupid
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 as Adam.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 And yet
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 the reality
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 is,
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 even though
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 it feels
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 unfair,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 I've joined
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 him in
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 his choices
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 all of
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 my life
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 and God
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 understands
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 that.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 God
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 understands
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 that it
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 seems unfair
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 that because
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 of Adam
00:24:11 --> 00:24:14 and his
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 sin,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 that the
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 whole of
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 human race
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 has been
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 headed in
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 a trajectory
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 away from
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 God and
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 away from
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 one another.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 And so
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 God
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 picks another
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 champion
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 in Romans
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 5 to
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 do what
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 is unfair
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 to him,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 to God.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 At the
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 cost of the
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 life of
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 his own
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 son,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 God
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 reconciles
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 up to
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 himself
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 his worst
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 enemies.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 This is how
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 Romans 5
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 puts it.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 You see,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 at just the
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 right time,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 when we were
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 still powerless,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 Christ died
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 for the
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 ungodly.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 very rarely
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 will anyone
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 die for
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 a righteous
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 man,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 though for
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 a good
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 man,
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 someone might
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 possibly dare
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 to die.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 But God
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 demonstrates his
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 own love for
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 us in this,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 that while we
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 were still
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 sinners,
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 Christ died
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 for us.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 Since we have
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 now been
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 justified by
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 his blood,
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 how much
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 more shall
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 be saved
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 from God's
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 wrath through
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 him?
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 For if when
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 we were
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 God's enemies,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 we were
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 reconciled to
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 him through
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 the death
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 of his
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 son,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 how much
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 more,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 having been
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 reconciled,
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 shall we be
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 saved through
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 his life?
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 Not only
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 is this so,
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 but we also
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 rejoice in
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 God through
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 our Lord
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 Jesus Christ,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 through whom
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 we have now
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 received
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 reconciliation.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 For if by
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 the trespass
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 of one man,
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 that's talking
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 about Adam
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 and what he
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 did in
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 Genesis 3,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 death
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 reigned
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 through that
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 one man,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 how much
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 more will
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 those who
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 receive God's
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 abundant
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 provision of
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 grace and
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 of the gift
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 of righteousness
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 reign in
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 life through
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 the one
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 man,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 Jesus Christ.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 Consequently,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 just as the
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 result of
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 one trespass
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 was condemnation
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 for everyone,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 so also the
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 result of
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 one act of
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 righteousness
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 was justification
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 that brings
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 life for
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 everyone.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 For just as
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 through the
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 disobedience of
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 the one man
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 that many
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 were made
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 sinners,
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 so also
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 through the
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 obedience of
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 the one man
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 that many
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 will be made
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 righteous.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:14 everyone on
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 this planet
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 is included
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 in that
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 text because
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 Adam is the
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 father of
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 everyone.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 Every person
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 you meet of
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 any ethnicity
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 is facing what
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 that passage
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 talks about,
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 either death
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 in Adam or
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 life in Christ.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 Everyone.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 That's it.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 this is a
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 global text.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 Don't miss
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 that.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 This is the
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 defining reality
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 for every single
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 person you will
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 ever meet.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 This is not,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 the Christian
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 worldview here
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 is not a
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 wimpy worldview.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 It stretches
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 over all of
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 history,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 over all of
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 the earth,
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 to profoundly,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 it profoundly
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 affects every
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 person in the
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 world and
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 every headline
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 on the
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 internet.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 The spectacular
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 sin of
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 Adam,
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 which we
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 all suffer
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 the consequence
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 with,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 of,
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 and agree
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 with,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 is not as
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 great as
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 the spectacular
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 grace and
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 obedience of
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 Christ and
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 the gift of
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 eternal life
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 in him.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 Indeed,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 God's plan
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 from the
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 beginning was
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 that Adam,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 as the
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 representative
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 head of
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 mankind,
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 would be
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 a kind
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 of Christ
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 as the
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 representative
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 head of
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 a new
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 mankind.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Verse 17
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 puts the
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 matter to
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 you very
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 personally.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 So this is
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 it for you.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 If you're
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 someone sitting
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 here and
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 you don't
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 know Jesus,
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 verse 17
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 puts it very
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 personally and
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 very urgently to
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 you right now.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 Where do you
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 stand on this?
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 For if,
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 because of
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 one man's
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 trespass,
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 death reigns
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 through that
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 one man,
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 how much
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 more will
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 those who
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 receive the
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 abundance of
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 grace and
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 the free gift
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 of righteousness
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 reign in
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 life through
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 the one man
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Christ Jesus?
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 Notice the
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 words very
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 carefully and
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 very personally.
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 Those who
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 receive the
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 abundance of
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 grace and
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 the free gift
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 of righteousness.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 Those words
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 there are
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 precious words
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 for sinners.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 The grace
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18 is a gift.
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 The gift
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 is free.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 The righteousness
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 of Christ
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 is free.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 And so I
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 call on you
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 tonight.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 Will you
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 receive it
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 as the hope
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 and treasure
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 of your life?
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 And if you
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 do, you
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 will reign in
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 life through
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 the one man
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 Christ Jesus.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 Jesus.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:41 Jesus has
00:28:41 --> 00:28:44 reconciled you
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 to God.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 And in
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 Ephesians 2,
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 which Sam
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 also read
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 out,
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 it's a
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 description
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 of how
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 the death
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 of Jesus
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 reconciled
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 us to one
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 another
00:28:58 --> 00:29:01 across racial
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 lines.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 Ephesians 2,
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 if you want to
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 go there in
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 your Bibles,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 Ephesians 2
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 verse 11,
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 is a description
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 of the
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 division between
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 Jews and
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 Gentiles.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Verses 19
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 to 22
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 of Ephesians 2
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 is a description
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 of the
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 reconciliation
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 of Jews
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 and Gentiles
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 together.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 Now keep
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 in mind here,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 the division
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 between Jews
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 and Gentiles,
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 it's not
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 small,
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 it's not
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 simple,
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 it's not
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 shallow.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 It is huge
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 and complex
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 and deep.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 It was
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 religious,
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 it was
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 cultural,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 it was
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 social,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 it was
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 racial.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 The divide
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 between Jew
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 and Gentile
00:29:36 --> 00:29:38 was as big
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 or bigger
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 than any
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 divide on
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 the face
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 of the
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 human world
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 today.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 And so
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 what happens
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 between verse
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 11 and
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 verse 19
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 that brings
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 about this
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 reconciliation?
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 There it is.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 Jesus Christ,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 the Son of God,
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 died and he
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 died by design.
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 You see it there
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 in the word
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 blood in
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 verse 13,
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 second half
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 verse 13,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 you who
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 formerly were
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 far off
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 have been
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 brought near
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 by the
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 blood of
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 Christ.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 You see it
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 in the word
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 flesh in
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 verse 15,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 abolishing in
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 his flesh
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 the enmity.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 And you see it
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 in the word
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 cross in
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 verse 16,
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 and might
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 reconcile
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 them both
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 in one body
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 to God
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 through the
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 cross.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 And the rest
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 of this text
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 is Paul's
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 explanation of
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 how the
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 blood of
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 Christ,
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 his death
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 in the flesh
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 on the cross
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 removes the
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 enmity between
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 God and
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 Jew,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 God and
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 Gentile,
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 and Jew
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 and Gentile.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 All the
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 dividing walls
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 have been
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 broken down.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 And therefore,
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 by implication
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 between every
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 ethnic group of
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 Christians who
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 are in Christ,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 from many
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 different blood
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 lines,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 through the
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 blood of
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 Jesus,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 we have been
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 brought into
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 one blood
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 line.
00:30:57 --> 00:31:03 God
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 ordained the
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 death of
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 his son to
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 reconcile
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 alien people
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 groups together
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 to each
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 other as
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 one body
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 in Christ.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 Friends,
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 Christ died.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 There's massive
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 implications for
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 the death of
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 Christ.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 Here's one.
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 Christ died to
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 take pride away
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 from our hearts
00:31:21 --> 00:31:23 towards all
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 other people,
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 whatever their
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 race might be,
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 and whatever
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 their status
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 in Jesus
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 might be.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 Racial
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 tensions are
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 rife with
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 pride.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 The pride of
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 white supremacy,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 the pride of
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 black power,
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 the pride of
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 intellectual analysis,
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 the pride of
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 anti-intellectual
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 scorn,
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 the pride of
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 a loud verbal
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 attack,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 the pride of
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 a despising
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 silence,
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 the pride that
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 feels secure,
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 the pride that
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 masks fear.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 Where pride
00:31:50 --> 00:31:52 holds sway,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 there is no
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 hope for the
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 kind of listening
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 and patience
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 and understanding
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 and openness
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 to correction
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 that mature
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 relationships
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 require.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 The gospel of
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 Jesus breaks
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 the power of
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 pride.
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 It reveals the
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 magnitude and
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 the ugliness and
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 the deadliness of
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 it, even as it
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 provides deliverance
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 from it.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 Jesus' death on
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 the cross for our
00:32:19 --> 00:32:21 salvation is pure
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 devastation for
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 pride.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 pride.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 Nick read it
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 out to us,
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 I'll read it
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 again.
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 For by grace
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 you've been saved
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 through faith,
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 and this is not
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 of your own
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 doing, it is a
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 gift from God,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 not a result of
00:32:32 --> 00:32:34 works, so that
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 no one can
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 boast.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 Jesus saves us
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 by grace alone,
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 so that we would
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 boast in him
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 alone, and that
00:32:44 --> 00:32:46 verse shatters
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 pride.
00:32:46 --> 00:32:52 imagine what
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 ethnic and racial
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 controversies would
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 look like if all
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 the participants
00:32:58 --> 00:33:00 were dead to
00:33:00 --> 00:33:02 pride and deeply
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 humble before God
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 and each other.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 Imagine what it
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 would look like for
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 us as a church if
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 we took seriously
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 our core value
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 written on the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 wall out there
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 called humble
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 authenticity.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:19 God's plan is not
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 just that the
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 gospel will go to
00:33:20 --> 00:33:22 all peoples, but
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 that all peoples
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 would be brought
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 together through the
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 gospel to form one
00:33:26 --> 00:33:28 people in Christ.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 And God is calling
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 the peoples of this
00:33:31 --> 00:33:33 world to share in a
00:33:33 --> 00:33:35 community that
00:33:35 --> 00:33:38 includes their worst
00:33:38 --> 00:33:42 enemies and
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 reconciles them
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 with those who
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 worship and
00:33:46 --> 00:33:48 live in other
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 ways than them.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 And if this is the
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 design of God,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 then we will not
00:33:54 --> 00:33:57 display and we
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 will not magnify
00:33:58 --> 00:34:00 the cross of Christ
00:34:00 --> 00:34:02 better than by
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 more and deeper
00:34:03 --> 00:34:05 and sweeter ethnic
00:34:05 --> 00:34:07 diversity and humble
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 unity in our
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 worship and our
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 life together at
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 St. Paul's.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 The gospel demands
00:34:13 --> 00:34:15 that it gets
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 proclaimed to all
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 peoples of all
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 ethnicities, but it
00:34:19 --> 00:34:21 also demands that
00:34:21 --> 00:34:24 all old culturally
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 driven worldviews
00:34:25 --> 00:34:27 regarding racial
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 prejudices be
00:34:28 --> 00:34:30 completely abandoned
00:34:30 --> 00:34:32 by the new people
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 of God.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 And we're going to
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 explore that a
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 little bit more in
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 the coming weeks.
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 Amen.