A new humanity (Part 1): Racial reconciliation in the church.

1. A new humanity (Part 1):Racial reconciliation in the church. Eph 2:11-18

2. The Gospel to the Church

3. Remember. • 11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)- • 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenant of the promise, without hope and without God in this world.

4. 11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)- • 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenant of the promise, without hope and without God in this world. Jews separated from Gentiles Gentiles separated from God

5. 11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)

6. 11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)

7. What “uncircumcised” means. • “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” Acts10:27

8. Barriers between Jews and Gentiles. • Racial-Jews trace their bloodline back to Jacob, not Esau, Isaac not Ishmael, and Abraham, not any other father. • Religious- Jews had the Mosaic Law, Gentiles were mostly Pagan worshippers. • Social- Jews practiced strictly many ceremonial laws, Gentiles lived wildly abandoned lives .

10. “I was, in those years, manifestly racist. As a child and a teenager my attitudes and actions assumed the superiority of my race in almost every way without knowing or wanting to know anybody who was black, except Lucy, our family cleaner lady”. John Piper - Bloodlines: Race, Cross and the Christian.

11. “it’s in the air we breathe”

12. “it’s in the air we breathe”

13. Racism begins with corrupting good gifts from God. • The Jews were given the Mosaic Law to be a blessing to others (Abraham’s Covenant). • Instead they turned it into an exclusive barrier hostile to other races. • With sinful man, special privileges often turn into special rights which are hard to let go.

14. Racism comes through a comparison apparatus. • Superiority complex- “circumcised vs. uncircumcised”. • Leads to despising other cultures and races- “the wall of hostility”. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11, prayer of the Pharisee.

15. How we view ourselves affect how we view others.

16. 1.A superiority complex. This element of the triple package is the easiest to define: a deeply internalized belief in your group’s specialness, exceptionality; or superiority. It can be religious….It can be rooted in a story about the magnificence of your people’s history and civilization, as in the case of Chinese….At the first Passover Seders, Jewish children hear that Jews are the “chosen” people; later they will be taught that Jews are a moral people, a people of law and intellect, a people of survivors. Amy Chua, Chapter 1, page 1. The Triple Package.

17. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you”, but say to the poor man “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet”, have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:1-4

18. Leads to the wall of hostility Overtly dependent on hand outs insecure lazy ungrateful disrespectful unpatriotic Self centered gullible materialistic Money minded hypocritical

19. It is human to hate. For self definition and motivation people need enemies: competitors in business, rivals in achievements, opponents in politics. They naturally distrust and see as threats those who are different and have the capability to harm them. Samuel P. Huntington, pg 130, The Clash of Civilizations.

20. 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenant of the promise, without hope and without God in this world.

22. Whose rights are more right?

24. The Gospel brings racial reconciliation. • 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with it’s commandments and regulations.

25. 1. Born again to be a new humanity. • 15a. His purposes was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. • The text begins with describing Jews and Gentiles separated, and ends describing Jews and Gentiles united. • There are no 2 separate roads to salvation for Jews and Gentiles.

26. “KetuananKristus” • My identity is first and foremost as a Christian. • Everything else (my race, social status, family name, etc) is a very distant second. • To be a new humanity is to go beyond preventing racism in the church. It is to work together for the Gospel. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Gal 6:16a

27. 2. Viewing everyone through the eyes of grace. • For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:8-9 • But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and “sinners”? Jesus answered them “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:30-21 • Who do we prefer to eat and drink with in Globe Cafe?

29. How should a upper middle class corporate cultured christian view others?

30. 3. Chosen not because of my ethnicity. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestines us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will ”. Eph 1:4 “…God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right”.Acts 10:35

32. Christianity is not a white man’s religion. (Is FBC a westernized church which appears hostile to other peoples group?)

33. 4. Diversity glorifies grace. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestines us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace ”. Eph 1:4-6

34. vs And with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Rev 5:9a

35. 5. The Gospel reminds us of the cost for racial reconciliation. 15a-17 His purposes was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. • Reconciliation between racial and social groups will cost us, as it cost Jesus much more on the cross. • What are you prepared to sacrificed to make minority groups feel more welcomed in FBC?

36. Reconciliation begins with prayer. Father God, we pray:- • that you forgive us when had discriminated against others, intentionally or otherwise. • we in FBC display to the world a new humanity of racial and social unity. • the Gospel becomes the basis for our identity. • that we are obedient to the Great Commission to bring the good news to all nations. In Jesus name, Amen.