amen so you're in Romans chapter 2 and stay there and even when we turn a
little later I want you to stay there too we're gonna come back again but
you're in Romans 2 but I want to before we get into it I want to read to us from
Deuteronomy chapter 1 Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 1 you shall not
respect persons in judgment but you shall hear the small as well as the
great you shall not be afraid of the face of the man for the face of man for
the judgment is God's and so on and so forth and what I want to point out there
is that when it comes to this this idea of respect of persons there's really a
couple ways you can look at it and of course in Deuteronomy saying you're not
going to respect them in judgment when it comes to hearing the small as well as
the great so one area in which people can show respect of persons is when it
comes to this area of you know social standing you know economic standing you
know they're talking about a person maybe who has a lot of wealth versus a
person who doesn't have a lot of wealth that's one form of being a respecter of
persons a God of course we know is warning there that you know you shouldn't
just let somebody off the hook because they've got a lot of money you know the
judge isn't supposed to you know pervert judgment of the law because he's you
know maybe the maybe the got the the rich guilty guy will meet him out back
with a handful of bills you know where he'll get a little kickback later okay
God says he wants a you know a perfect and just judgment he's we're to have a
righteous judgment that does not respect persons so that's one way to
look at respective persons but what I want to focus in on tonight is there in
Romans chapter 2 is where we see there's another form of respecting persons and
it says in verse 10 but glory and honor peace to every man that worketh good to
the Jew first and also to the Gentile now of course he's referring here to the
Jews as in the Jewish nation and we understand also that you know it's
possible for anybody to become a Jew it's not necessarily just a race of
people okay but I believe this is a good example of showing us that there's
one way another way in which we can be a respecter of persons is when it comes to
a person's ethnicity when we can look at a person's that their background their
nationality and and we can become a respecter of persons in this way as well
and we're being warned of that here and he's saying look there is no respecter
of persons with God whether it's in an economic situation whether it's between
the small and the great or whether it's between the Jew and the Gentile if it's
an economic thing or if it's a nationality thing you know God is not a
respecter of persons you know he's not he's not going to sit there and judge
people based on their ethnicity therefore neither should we okay and what
I want to preach the title of the sermon is racism is racism and respect of
persons racism and respect of persons because really that's what racism is you
know racism is something that people form in their minds the feelings that
they have it comes from a place of they they prefer one race above another you
know and I use that word race it's not really a biblical term we all know what
I'm talking about you know when we talk about the races and it's not really
something I like to use because I don't think it's a really good term but it's
out there so we're gonna use it okay really what we're referring to is a
person's nationality their ethnic background okay and some people get this
idea that if they're from a certain ethnicity that somehow they're better
than another person because they're not from that same ethnicity and what that
is is racism okay and there's a lot of it even to this day in this country of
course we know our our history our country has just a horrendous history in
this area where where white people thought they were so much better than
the Africans that they enslaved them and brought them over here and made them and
made them work so this is something we say oh that's over that's gone that's
passed no it hasn't that kind of thing is still out there people still have
this kind of thinking this kind of bigotry in their mind and God doesn't
and God never has and God never will and that's why we need to make sure that we
are not falling prey to this now do I think that there's anybody in this room
that's that has the struggling with this no I don't okay I don't think anyone's
gonna go home tonight and burn across in somebody's yard you know or something
like that you know but hey you know this is something that could creep in you
know we have a lot of young people in the room a lot of a lot of kids and
teenagers you know they that are that are have other influences Jen just
what's going on here at church you know maybe they have a friend or a teacher or
an aunt and uncle who knows they have some other influence in their life that
might start to take them aside and try to teach them hey you know what we're
we're from such-and-such background we're better just because of our
ethnicity and we even you know this is something that people fall into because
man has a very tribal mentality we like to get with other people we like to get
in groups identify we find our identity and in other groups I mean you know
professional football is a great example of this you know I'm for this team I'm
for that team you know and when their team wins it's we won right even though
you didn't do anything right you didn't throw a football you didn't call a shot
you weren't even on the field right but there's this idea of we're part of
something bigger than ourselves a tribal mentality you know and that's kind of an
innocent form of it when it comes to the football and sporting and sports and
things like that but when it comes down to you know I'm gonna get a lot of sense
of pride and belonging because of the color of my skin because of my ethnic
background that I'm gonna lift myself up above another person that's wicked
that's wrong it's respect of persons and Bible says that we are not to be
respecters of persons whether it's an economic situation you know when it
comes to judgment or just in preferring another person above another because of
their ethnicity so where does this come from really where does this come from
like I mentioned to are you are to you already and keep something in Romans go
to 1st Corinthians chapter 3 is it kind of it obviously it's a very what was I
saying it's it's a tribal mentality right this man wants to belong to
something bigger than him and really what it is is it's carnal you know to
sit there and say that I'm better than somebody because of my ethnic background
because of my race you know that's a very carnal mind to look down another
person or say disparaging things about another person's ethnicity comes from a
very base and carnal person it's a very it's a very carnal thing that's where it
stems from is that a carnal mind look here in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 and
verse 1 Paul wrote and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but
as unto carnal saying look I wanted to talk to you like a grown-up I wanted to
talk to you about spiritual things I wanted to discuss the deep things of God
with you I wanted to impart some spiritual gift unto you but I could not
lie because but I had to speak of carnal things and why was that why was it they
had to speak of carnal things even as unto babes in Christ he said I have fed
you with milk and not with meat for hither to you were not able to bear it
neither yet now are you able for ye are yet carnal and where there is whereas
there is among you envy and strife and divisions are you not carnal and walk as
men so they had a lot of things going on here they had envying they had the
strife but one of the other things that they had going on in the Corinthian
Church that Paul rebukes here is their divisions and where was it that they
were dividing what was the dividing line we'll look there in verse 4 for a while
one saith I am a Paul of Paul and another I am of Apollos are you not yet
carnal now nuts I don't think they were dividing over because Paul was you know
a Jew and Apollos was a Greek maybe that was going on I don't know it was
probably just a matter of they they like one guy's preaching more than
another and so they're having this division in their church and and who
knows maybe there's you know I don't know exactly what that division was that
caused one to go to Paul one go to Apollos be saying it ought not be there
and he's saying he says when you say I am of Paul and another I am of Paul is
are you not got not yet are you not yet carnal are you not carnal when you have
this division over men in your life when you're preferring one person above
another you're being a respecter of persons he's saying who is Apollos who
then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministered by whom he believed even as
the Lord gave to every man so Paul had the understanding and knowledge that you
know he was nobody and that to lift him up and exalt him as somebody you know
and to to to prefer him over another person was meaningless it was and what
was it what did he call it he called it carnal so that so for us to sit back you
know and to prefer another person for whatever reason you know over another
person and treat them better than we might somebody else is a carnal mind
it's a very carnal thing to do it's base quite frankly it's childish and really
that's that's where we see most you know when it comes to this idea of racism and
preferring people's ethnicity or poking fun at people's ethnicity or saying
disparaging things about certain ethnicities you know that comes where do
you normally find that type of thing when do you start to learn about that
and hear these off color jokes usually like junior high high school I mean
that's where I heard them that's where I heard some of just you know I look back
now and say man those are the worst jokes in the world those you should
never even repeat that that's wicked you know I would never I would never want to
repeat that even even if even amongst you know people of the same you know
skin color like let's joke about this no because it's immature not only just
carnal and stupid and wicked it's coming from a childish place it's not and it's
not clever you know it's not it's not a it's not a wit type of thing it's a very
base type of humor right so and that's what Paul's pointing out here look when
you have these divisions when you're preferring people above another person
it's a carnal thing it's a childish thing it's as a babe in Christ would and
really that's what racism prejudice you know and biased based on these carnal
reasons it's a sign of a person's immaturity you know when they're
dividing lines you know along you know the skin color or their their ethnic
background you know what it's showing you is that person is very immature and
they haven't grown their their you know their mental horizons do not expand very
far and I mean what could be more childish what could be more carnal than
to be biased towards somebody over the pigmentation of their skin and that's
all it is it's just pigment it's just skin color but I'm going to say that
this person is less than me that I'm better than this person I'm gonna
separate from this group forbid my children from marrying this person
because of skin color what could be more carnal what could be more childish
what could be more base than that you know when I'm sure that we could think
of some things right the point being you know the emphasis I'm trying to make
here is that that is a very carnal and childish thing mentality to have look
there in verse 6 and he goes on and he says and these things brethren I have in
a figure transfer to myself and to Apollos for your sakes that you might
not that you might learn in us not to think above men that which is written
that no one that none of you know one of you be puffed up for one against another
for who make it theta differ from another and what has thought that that
doubt it's not received now if thou didst receive it why does thou glorious
thou hast not received it I mean why would we look down on somebody or
disparage somebody about their skin color their ethnicity as if they had any
choice in the matter as if they had any control over what family they were born
into as if they had any control what color they're going to be you know
Michael Jackson aside of course okay he couldn't figure it out I'm not gonna go
off on that I promise but that that's the point I mean who that's what Paul
had a Paul saying who may get theta differ from another why are you glorying
in men you know why are you puffing yourself up in this matter if you didn't
receive that you couldn't do anything about it to change it if you wanted to
and quite frankly you go over to Titus chapter 1 if we see this type of
attitude creep in if we hear somebody expressing this kind of an attitude even
in a joking manner now I get it we all there's stereotypes we poke fun about
certain things that are harmless but there's a line and we all know where it
is we know where that line is and it where you know when it's going too far
and and you know stereotypes definitely come from a you know there's a
grain of truth in all of them that's where they stem from so I'm not saying
you know if you make some some you know joke about some stereotype I've probably
made six this today alone but you know they're all escaping me now but you know
none of them were off color none of them were disparaging of another person's
ethnicity none of them were trying to put somebody down or make them feel bad
or or disrespectful you know there was all good fun and and and they were
harmless but when it gets to this base just childish carnal just slanderous you
know just you know just out of line you know it needs to be rebuked we don't
just go you know that's the way they are it ought to be rebuked when we hear it
we got to rebuke it and tell that person to grow up and not just think oh well
you know that's that's just the way it is because it's not funny you know that
person needs to grow up you know not more for their sakes than anybody they
need to they need to grow up and quit being a base carnal babe and get a
spiritual bone in their body and start to learn that there's more to life than
just making fun of other people and and making you know trying to make yourself
feel better by putting other people down I mean I we learned that in like the
fifth grade you know I could still remember being sat down in the class and
learn about warm fuzzies and cold pricklies who remembers that you know
when somebody said something to you that you didn't like that was mean you
know say hey that's a cold prickly you know it's not a nice thing to have said
I want to hear some warm fuzzies out of you you know we learned that in the
fifth grade I still remember that today just basic things and then when so when
we see somebody expressing this kind of an attitude of just being disparaging
crude you know what is I don't have to sit up here I'm not gonna start giving
examples okay but when you know you know when somebody's cross the line in
this area it needs to be rebuked harshly that's what it says in Titus chapter 1
look at verse 10 he said for there are many unruly and vain talkers and really
that's what it is unruliness people just start running their mouth and blowing
off their mouth and start to say things they shouldn't be saying they have no
control over their mouth and we should we'll talk about that in a minute and
what is it that comes out of their unruly mouth vain talk you know that's
what a lot of this this this type of attitude is it's just a lot of vain
talking it's not edifying to the here to the here's it's not going to help them
in their spiritual growth the whole purpose of what's being said is to make
them feel like dirt or try to make them feel inferior it's vain it's vanity he
says there are many unruly and vain talkers you know we don't need more of
them there's only many out there let's not let's not add to that that group and
he says especially they have the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped
who subvert whole households teaching things they ought not for filthies
lucre's sake one of themselves even a prophet of their own said the Cretans
are always liars evil beasts and slow bellies so what Paul is saying here he's
testifying to what one of these people of the circumcision said one of their
own prophets and this prophet is he's quoting him or saying saying the
Cretans are always liars you know what is he basing that on you know maybe his
personal experience with the creation here and there the Bible says for all
you know you know we're all liars you know everyone's told a lie you know but
he's saying look Cretans are always liars you know those Cretans which is
you know a certain country people nationality they're all liars what if I
got up here to say got up here today and just said you know just picked on a
country or maybe just a state or an ethnicity and just said you know such
and such people they're always liars more that's way worse than just me just
saying hey so-and-so is a liar you know and they're not just saying he's a liar
but just saying always liars just painting with this huge broad brush and
just disparaging a whole group of people the Cretans are always liars do you
really think that's true that the creed like every Cretan was just constantly
lying they'd never get anything done they just be everyone would be you know
if that were the case how would they even function as society you know but
that's what this guy said hey they're they're always liars they're evil
beasts you know the the think about he's saying a beast he's dehumanizing them
they're evil you know there's no nothing good about them they're they're animals
and that's what you see a lot of when it comes to this area of you know ethnicity
and race when one group of people is being oppressed by another that's
exactly what they do they say they're not human they're subhuman it's you know
it's okay to treat them like this it's okay to you know just slaughter them
it's okay to just put them in chains it's okay to just you know steal from
them because they're not even human and there's you know the I don't want to go
on and on about it but that's exactly what this guy is doing here he's just
saying well we could talk about the Cretans however we want because we all
know they're just a bunch of evil beasts right we all know it's okay to just go
over to Africa and just put them on ships and who cares if they you know
half of them die on the way over here and then we'll just you know put them
into slavery and a hard bondage for their whole life for generations
because we all know that you know they're not even human you know they're
subhuman you know they're they're like what you know and that's the you know
this let me go off a little bit that's what kills me about Darwin's book the
origin of species you know that's not the full title go read the full title
friend origin of species or how does it go or the the survival of the preferred
races something like that but it has the preferred races you know everybody
that's not a white European should probably take offense to that everyone
that wasn't the same color as Charles Darwin should probably say no thank you
know burn that book for many reasons you know that's the mentality that people
creep in and have that creeps in they say well you know we can treat this
certain race of people a certain way because they're not human it doesn't
matter they're evil beasts they're slow bellies now what does slow belly mean
you know you tell me after the service I'd love to know right I've always
wondered about that one and then he goes on and Paul says this witness is true
now what he's saying in verse 13 is not yeah that's true about the Cretans he's
saying what I'm telling you about this prophet who's just slandering the
Cretans is true he's saying my witness this witness of what one of their own
said is true that's what verse 13 means and what does he say when he says look
when I'm telling you it was the truth this is what they say this is their
attitude what does he tell them to do just shrug it off he says rebuke them
sharply that they may be sound in the faith for their own sake not because the
poor little Cretans you know he wants to make sure that they feel okay he
wants that guy rebuked because you know he needs to get sound in the faith he
needs to grow up and quit being so carnal and quit being such a babe so we
see you know where does racism or respecting of persons in the area of
this ethnicity stem from it stems from a carnal mind it stems from a very base
and childish person a very immature person especially spiritually and we see
also that it should be rebuked I mean do we not see that that's what Paul said
when you see this type of attitude creeping in we're hope people are just
disparaging ethnicities rebuke it don't tolerate it and why is that because
racism and respect of persons is a sin it just it's a sin it's not just oh they
come from a different generation things were different back then you know it's
okay for your 70 year old grandpa to drop the n-word because you know that's
just what they called him when he was growing up he needs to change he needs
to snap out of it you know and and and and because it's a sin go go over to
James chapter 2 game James chapter 2 because you can't sit there and tell me
that being racist isn't being a respecter of persons I mean what could be
more respect your persons I think we all saw that in Romans right where he said
that you know that that to every man that work is good to the Jew first and
also to the Gentile for there is no respecter of persons with God you're
going to James chapter 2 and I'll read to you from 1st Timothy chapter 5 I
charged thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ the elect angel so this is
a charge not a suggestion now hey you might want to try this out and see how
it works for you I charge thee he says that thou observe these things without
preferring one before another and doing nothing by partiality you know we
shouldn't be preferring each other and doing it things by partiality you know
well I'm gonna do things this way so that so-and-so benefits I'm gonna do
things this way so so-and-so doesn't benefit I prefer so-and-so's you know
company or they're you know they give me nice and we do whatever you know that
whatever you prefer somebody for some reason so now you're gonna do things
with partiality with them in mind and you're gonna put other people out you
know he's saying don't do that he's charging you not to do that and you know
that that can be more than just you know you could apply that in so many areas
you know and how we ought to treat one another but look there in James chapter
2 verse 1 we'll see that racism or respect of persons when it comes to a
person's ethnicity is partiality and it is sin he says my brethren verse 1 have
not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of
persons for if they're coming unto your assembly a man with a gold ring and got
a godly apparel and there come also a poor man in vile raiment and you have
respect to him that where at the gay clothing and saying to him sit out here
in a good place and say to the poor stand out there or sit under my footstool
are you not then partial in yourselves are you become and are you
become judges of evil thoughts jump down to verse 8 he says if you if you fulfill
the royal law according to the scripture thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself
you do well but if you have respect of persons ye commit sin having respect to
persons for whatever reason whatever area of life whether for whatever reason
you're preferring somebody else above another and putting another person you
know disadvantaging them or disparaging them you know it's a sin my friend I
mean the Bible couldn't be any clearer than that and it's interesting that both
of these books address this issue about not preferring doing nothing by
partiality about not preferring one before another about not having a
respect of persons they both address this issue right and they also both
address the taming of the tongue they also talk about the tongue and that's
really you know that's became and I don't think that's a coincidence you
know because here's the thing you know most puffed up racist fools they can't
help but let people know I mean think about it if you think that you're just
a superior you are the master race right you are just superior I am better than
every other race you know you think you're gonna keep able to keep that to
yourself waking up every day just knowing I'm better than everybody I'm
better than a whole group of people every other race is inferior those
people they can't help they're like like vegans you know if somebody's a vegan
you don't tell you don't have to they'll tell you like a person who's run a
marathon right you know if I how persons run a marathon you don't have to tell
them they'll tell you right you know a person's a flat earther flat earthers
can't keep it in either just got lit it up man it's the same thing with with
people who are who you know think that they're better because of their
ethnicity well I'm better it's gonna come out it's the it's gonna come out of
their mouth I mean it's no coincidence that both these books deal with both of
these issues not referring people above another not putting other people down
and taming the tongue right go back over to Romans chapter 12 so why should we
even be concerned with this tonight why should we even you know listen to the
preaching and consider what the Bible says on the subject well one because you
know we want to grow up you know if we know somebody or we ourselves are caught
up in this type of carnal base thinking you know we need to remind ourselves or
that person that hey maybe you should grow up a little bit maybe you should
quit being so carnal and and base and perhaps you know even other things you
know just add a line and vulgar it should be rebuked and we should listen
to because it's a it's a sin to be racist it's a sin to have respect of
persons to be partial in yourselves and and not only that you know but racism
and this this dividing along these lines and any line really but tonight we're
specific specifically talking about dividing over you know what shade of
color your skin is which is so carnal you know that opposes unity how is that
gonna be unity what you know if we're to say if you guys were to come in here
next Sunday and say okay you know I'm gonna have a little color chart like you
know like this paint samples you know and I'm gonna hold it up next to your
face and I say oh you sit over here oh you sit over here oh you're in the back
oh you come right up front you know that would be causing division wouldn't it
wouldn't you feel divided wouldn't you feel kind of like put out of society or
not part of the group if you know like like we used to do this country you know
if you were African if you were black you had to get in the back of the bus
no you're the wrong color back of the bus that's division and we shouldn't
have that we shouldn't have that in our thinking you know especially when the
house of God are you in Romans 12 did I have you go there look at Romans 12
verse 16 be of the same mind one toward another mind not high things but
condescend to men of low estate be not wise in your own conceits go to
Ephesians chapter 4 should I go there Ephesians chapter 4 he's like sick he's
saying look be the same mind one toward another don't sit here and have these
divisions don't sit here and have this this preferring one above another for
whatever reason it's carnal and it opposes unity within the church you know
that kind of a thing that's why we have to be careful with what comes out of our
mouth you know and often if what comes out of our mouth it falls into this
category if it's racist if it's if it's just an out-of-the-line over-the-top
statement you know that's coming from the heart out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh and when that happens when things go out you know what
said can cause division and people then people gonna say well you know I don't
want to do that guy and rightly so you know maybe until he changes his ways or
shows me something better out of him out of his mouth or says something edifying
or convinces me otherwise I'm just not gonna do that person well what if that
happens within the local church that's not good that's that's not what we want
we are to be endeavoring to keep the unity look there in Ephesians chapter 4
verse 1 I therefore Ephesians 4 verse 1 the prison of the Lord beseech you that
you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called with all
lowliness and meekness you know lowliness and meekness with long
suffering forbearing one another endeavoring to keep this unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace you know that you're not exactly endeavoring to
keep the unity of the spirit when you're when you're disparaging somebody because
of their race you know and it can happen even in churches I mean do we not I mean
was there not segregation in this country correct me if I'm wrong but I
wasn't there a time in our country where white folk drank from the the white
fountain or though this fountain and the black folk drink from the black fountain
you know the Jim Crow laws you know we can vote because we're white you can't
because you're black you know the last place we want that is that anyway we
don't want that anywhere we definitely don't want it in a church you know now
let me just say this I will say that you know it churches can divide based on
your primary language I don't think there's anything wrong with having a
Korean Church or a Hispanic Church if they're speaking Spanish if they're
speaking Korean you know it's for that language not we're a Korean
Church because we only let Koreans in here that's that's the wrong reason and
churches divide along that line right there there are churches that just say
well this is we go to this church because everyone there is the same color
as me that's why I go there you know the house of God should be a mix and praise
God this church is you know we have a mix you know faithful word in Tempe is a
mix of of ethnicities I love that that's why it's so stupid when people accuse
our pastor of being racist because news flash being a sodomite is not a race
you're you're you know you're you're how do I say this without saying that word
how about this yeah your proclivity to being a faggot there we go how does that
how is that a race that's not a race friend oh it's born that way no you
weren't it doesn't exist it's not true you've been lied to you believed a lie
there is no gay gene fag gene sorry I got corrected in the preaching glass
don't use that word to talk about these people gay that's God's Word it's bring
it back the fag gene is what I meant to say all right that's why it's so dumb
when people accuse our pastor of being racist because they want to take you
know the filth of homosexuality and say well this is this is a race of people
no they're not you know if there are any race it's in a race to hell so he's
saying look you got to endeavor to keep the spirit you know and racism and
ethnicity and preferring one above another and you know we can apply this
just beyond skin color you know maybe we just don't like somebody or we put
somebody else down in our minds or treat them poorly because of just whatever
reason you know that's not endeavoring to keep the spirit of unity which is
what we're supposed to be doing how about how about this you see that this
is a sin here's a perfect example how this type of thing plays out this type
of base carnal thinking is when people start to oppose interracial marriage now
look if you have that preference for yourself that's fine you know and I'm
not even gonna I wouldn't even go so far as to say is you should if you have a
preference for your children I don't necessarily agree with that but that's
your household you do what you want okay for me and me and my house you know they
can they can marry any skin color they want and does not matter to me okay but
people will oppose interracial marriage and say it's a biblical stance it's not
that is not a biblical stance at all you can't you can't show me in the scripture
it says that white people should only marry white people and black people
should only marry black people and brown people should only marry brown people
it's not there go to Acts chapter 8 Acts chapter 8 and again it just come it's
just so stupid this whole idea of you know holding somebody accountable for
the color of their skin or putting them down or or based or judging them based
on this the Bible says in Jeremiah 13 can the Ethiopian change his skin or the
leopard his spots can the Ethiopian change his skin is what it says in
Jeremiah you know Ethiopians you know are from Africa it's talking about black
people you know and if you've known any people from Africa I mean they are black
people there's like black and then there's you know you're from Africa
black right so this is what that's what we're talking about here black people
you say why are you bringing that up you're already getting nervous right
well because Moses married an Ethiopian woman and news flash Moses wasn't black
I don't think he was white either you know he was probably in the Middle
Eastern look if he had to guess but he certainly wasn't black and he certainly
wasn't an Anglo-Saxon European now look there in oh you're an axe I'll just read
to you and remember in Numbers chapter 12 and Miriam and Aaron spake against
Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he married for he married an
Ethiopian woman people say see right there but that doesn't say God
disapproved of it that's just telling you what Miriam and Aaron did and by the
way you know shortly thereafter Miriam was struck with leprosy for a time and
Moses had to pray for God to recover her so God doesn't disapprove of this God's
not saying he shouldn't have done that that was carnal base people and really
if you know that story what was really in their hearts is that they wanted
Moses's position they wanted to be have the rank and clout that he had that was
just their excuse to try and bring him down but look there in Acts chapter 8
we'll see another Ethiopian of course this is a story about the Ethiopian
eunuch Acts chapter 8 verse 26 and the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip
saying arise and go toward the south under the way that goes down from
Jerusalem unto Gaza which is desert and he arose and went and behold a man of
Ethiopia and eunuch of great authority on Candace Queen of the Ethiopians who
had charge of all his treasure so the Holy Spirit's telling Philip you know go
down and preach the gospel to this Ethiopian to this black guy okay again
he's not black Philip so why are you bringing this up well oh I don't know
because there's some people that believe that black people don't have souls I've
heard people testify that they were going in to witness in some in some
ghetto somewhere and someone's like why are you wasting your time they don't
even have souls but here you have a biblical example of God specifically
taking an individual he's one of his preachers one of his prophets at telling
him and singling out this this Ethiopian this black guy and say go preach in the
gospel so we know again this kind of thinking this racist this bigotry when
it comes to people's ethnicity is not biblical and it stems from a carnal mind
that doesn't understand spiritual things because if they were spiritual they'd be
reading their Bible and they would have read this and they would have said oh
black people do have souls so he sends them down here to the Ethiopian who had
come to Jerusalem for to worship he was returning verse 28 and sitting in his
chariot read as I is the prophet which is Isaiah then the spirit said unto
Philip go near and join thyself this chariot and Philip ran thither to him
and heard that him heard him read the prophet Isaiah's and said understand
understand us that thou what thou readest and he said how can I accept man
some man should guide me and he desired Philip that he would come up and sit
with him so you know this opposition to you know people based on their race just
is not biblical it's not there and you know Philip gets up in the chariot and
preaches in the gospel because because God loves him yeah because God is not a
respecter of persons God doesn't care that he's from Ethiopia God doesn't care
that he's black God doesn't care that he's not the same color as Philip
doesn't matter you know and and there's there's whole groups of people out there
today that think that they're special to God because of their ethnicity because
they're supposed lineage and it's just it just not true God does not prefer
people over another group of people because of who their daddy was or who
their granddaddy was you know we should never have that type of an attitude
where you know if we find ourselves in a neighborhood around people that are not
like us so I can't wait to get out of here I can't wait to get back to the
people that are more like me so I can preach them the gospel we should be
willing to preach to anybody even if they're different from us you know
Philip didn't get up there into the in the chariot we imagine he got up there
and said oh you got to sit in the back Ethiopian is that his attitude no got up
and preach the gospel and the man got saved so why talk about all this oh well
because you know people need to grow up and quit being carnal because because it
should be rebuked because racism is impartiality in any form is a sin
because it opposes unity in the in the local church and it still exists today
as I mentioned earlier why bring it up because it still is going on even today
you know it comes up in people's personal bias all the time I mean I'm
sure people struggle with that you know sometimes people especially if you came
up in a household that promoted it you know if you're around people that your
parents taught you that this type of you should not be around this type of people
or all these you know all these creations are all like this you know
just made some generalized just you know wide and there's painting of the wide
brush about just some group of people and you were influenced like that as
your childhood you saw how your parents behave towards people of certain
ethnicities you know you might struggle with this you might have to come up and
say whoa my thinking has been affected by you know my parents or culture or
something like that it still exists today probably if we were honest you
know maybe in some of us even in our own personal biases you know we see somebody
of a certain ethnicity we instantly think oh they must be like this oh they
must be like that it comes up it exists today in public policy you say no we
freed the slaves you know you know we got rid of Jim Crow laws you know you
know I don't want to go on on about this but I've read about this subject you
know Jim Crow laws have not gone anywhere they've they exist in another
form today it's called the the the the felony penal system you know in our in
our own justice system we have a form of Jim Crow laws if you're a felon you
can't own a gun if you're a felon you can't vote if you're a felon a lot of
the same things that they opposed upon in the form of Jim Crow laws you know
are still opposed today on felons and guess who makes up the vast majority of
felons in this country or in prison inmates black people and you know what I
don't say that disparagingly I don't say that to to put them down I say that
because that's just the way it is unfortunately because they are caught in
a system that targets them they're caught in a culture that promotes that
type of lifestyle and they still suffer from it you know go read go read on the
subject you know it still exists today even in our public policy in the form of
our federal penitentiaries you know and it affects probably every group of
people you know it's funny whenever you talk about you know we bring up racism
you know we instantly think of all the racist white people probably right we
instantly think of the Ku Klux Klan the Nazis and stuff like that but you know
what I found in my time on this earth is that it every race every ethnicity has
racist people in it and I've even I've even heard somebody say well you know
this ethnicity is even more racist than this ethnicity that's kind of a racist
statement that's kind of like saying you know the creations are all always liars
right they're slow bellies but it's true it affects every people group every
single you know every other you can find the racist Hispanic guy you can find the
racist black guy you can find the racist Puerto Rican you could probably even go
find a racist you know Inuit up in Alaska you know every people group is
going to think they're gonna have people among them that think that their
ethnicity is better and that should prove to you right there that nobody's
is you know if everybody's ethnicity is better than the other person's then
obviously nobody's is how can you all be right and so racism you know I want to
kind of round it up but just you know I think I've proven today that God's
against it that God disapproves of it that it's a form of respecting persons
and we're not to be that God just flat-out calls it sin and that it
opposes unity in a local church and in our own lives but it's an unbiblical
concept you know go over to Revelation chapter 14 and I and I just want to let
everyone know even even if even if you're not necessarily maybe you don't
like brother Corbin not because of you know my face or the color of my skin
maybe it's nothing to do with my physical appearance at all maybe you
just like don't like me for you know my personality which I just can't imagine
why you would right but maybe there's just something about me you don't like
well you know what you better get used to me because I'm gonna be around for a
long time and so are you because we're all headed in the same place now I will
say this there's gonna be a lot of people in heaven and if there's somebody
you don't like down here it's probably pretty easy to lose them you know if you
want to shake them in heaven you probably have a pretty easy time of it
right but we might as well just go ahead and start getting used to each other you
might as well just go ahead start getting used to the way that person
looks you might as well just go ahead and get used to you know that shade of
skin you might as well just go ahead and get used to it the way that called that
color of hair those color of eyes because it's not going to change you
know sorry Mormons we're not all going to end up white and delights them you
know if we live right we're not all gonna get to heaven and be white cherubs
you know we're gonna have we're gonna I think we're gonna maintain our ethnic
identity to some degree up there and I'm glad for it you know I it'd be
boring if everybody looked the same way you know if everyone was as pasty and
pale as me that'd be a sad existence in heaven right amongst other things that I
am but look here in Revelation chapter 14 verse 6 and I saw another angel fly
in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel but to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth to every nation and kindred and tongue and people
saying with a loud voice fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his
judgment is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and
the fountains of water he preached to the whole earth friend he preached to
every nation he preached to every kinder to every tongue every language and
people he didn't just say I had an exclusive message for a certain ethnicity
he preached to everybody because everybody you know regardless of what
their background is has an opportunity to get saved you know the black guy can
go to heaven just as easily as the white guy the Hispanic guy can go to heaven
just as easy as the black guy the Japanese guy the Chinese guy the the
Asian they can all go to heaven just as easily as anybody else that's why God
preaches to everyone that's why this this immature idea of thinking that some
people are inferior to you because of their color of skin it just deserves to
flat-out be rebuked and it's something that just should not be tolerated did
Jesus not say mark 6 to 16 go and do it all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature not just the ones that you like the way they look go to
Revelation chapter 7 you know when we get there we're all gonna we're all
gonna maintain our our ethnic identity I believe that you know we're gonna be
able to look at other people and say oh they must have been from this part of
the world because we because look here in Revelation chapter 7 verse 9 and
after this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of
all nations and kindred and tongue and peoples and people in tongues stood
before the throne and before the lamb clothed with white robes and palms in
their hand so John there what is he doing he didn't go up and ask every one
of these people hey could you tell me where you're from because they all look
the same I didn't know what part of earth or what nation they were I thought
they were all European he didn't say that because they all it turns out when
you get to heaven everyone's a certain color no he just beheld them a great
multitude and he said that he saw all nations and all kindreds and people and
tongues before the throne he's able to just look at them with his eyes and see
oh everybody every ethnicity has an opportunity to be here that God is
indeed not a respect of persons it's an unbiblical concept friend to be sit here
and prefer people because of their ethnic background because of their race
one because we see everybody's going to be where they're at that everybody from
every race is going to be in heaven so it's on biblical right there but we
could also look back and see that everybody came from the same people
that's what people need to get we all came from the same people go to Acts
chapter 17 actually you know what just um no good acts 17 we'll go there I'll
wrap it up but we all it's unbiblical because every nation kindred and tongue
is going to be in heaven it's unbiblical because of the fact that every nation to
kinder tongue all came from just a few people more than once by the way you
know Noah would be the first example right remember how God destroyed
everybody except Noah and his sons and their wives that means we all came from
Noah you know so what does it matter what color we are we all have a common
ancestor his name's Noah and even before that we go back to Adam before the flood
you know all the racist the pre-flood racists were a bunch of idiots too
because they all had an Adam as one common ancestor and look here in Acts
chapter 17 look at verse 24 God verse 24 God that made the world and all things
therein seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth not in temple made
with hands neither is worship with men's hands as though he needed anything
seeing it he giveth light all to all life and breath and all things and hath
made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth
got every single nation that you see every group of people every ethnicity
are all made of one blood one person we all have that same source of where we
came from you go back far enough down your family tree not that you can it's
impossible to do because it just gets so mixed up and just there's no there
aren't records right but if you weren't able to go back that far you know what
we're all related to some degree we all come from the same person we all come
from one blood and you know what here's the thing go to Psalm chapter 133 I'll
end in this thought you know I'm glad that we have different ethnicities in
this world I'm glad that we have different backgrounds because variety is
the spice of life right and I was thinking about you know what I'm trying
to make the point I'm trying to make here is that you know we can all be
different in our backgrounds you know we can come from we can all be have a
different ethnic ethnic background but we can all still be united in the same
belief you know why you know I can I can go soul winning with my soul winner
who's black I can go soul winning with a friend who is Hispanic I can go soul
winning with the white guy I go soul winning with any ethnicity because we
all have the same motive the same belief so our ethnic backgrounds you
know to divide on those lines it's carnal it's base it's in it's not right
and I'm glad that we have ethnicities I'm glad that God hey quit talking right
now shut your mouths I'm glad that we have that background and I was trying to
think about the best way to express my gratitude for this and really there's
just no other better way for a Baptist to express that one and then when it
comes to area food they get about all the foods you love how do we describe
the foods that we love oh I don't know Mexican food Italian food Chinese food
Japanese food although no but if you like it that's fine right I don't know
what white people food is I guess maybe Italian you know that would be that but
you know Midwestern food burgers like that's exactly what I was thinking now
can you imagine if we were just all Midwesterners that there were no you
know carne asada that it was just steak I mean steaks good but just steak and
meat potatoes and steak and meat potatoes and burgers just all all this
beef but then I got to thinking it's kind of good illustration because the
Midwesterner you know they have beef you know they have their steak they have
their version of it but then so do Mexicans you know they have the carne
asada they do it a different way you know and every culture that I you know
Chinese have their form to fried chicken you know you can get the the honey dip
fried wings at a Chinese restaurant mmm they're good but every culture every
ethnicity has a form of fried chicken but you know what at the end of the day
it's all fried chicken you know we can all you can agree on the fact that it's
fried chicken so you know we have a lot of different varieties but at the end of
the day it's all the same thing you know we all have different takes on beef but
it's still beef at the end of the day and it's kind of the same way with you
know us as human beings you know we might look different we might have a
different seasoning right we might be prepared a little differently maybe
we're served up and we appear a little different you know we come might come in
the form of a hot dog or in a tortilla shell or with noodles you know what I
mean but at the end of the day it's meat that's in there it's still beef it's
still the same substance it just looks a little different is that not a good
analogy damn you were really struggling until I put it to you like that right
now you get like I see yeah perfect right look there in Psalm 133 this is
the problem with partiality whether it's along the lines of ethnicity or
economic standing or whatever you want to divide over you know is that it
causes division where there shouldn't be any and look at Psalm 133 verse 1 and
when we don't have divert divot when we have division we miss out on something
very good in unity unity is a great thing it's how you get things done and
how you have you develop you know dear relationships that are meaningful in your
life look at Psalm 133 verse 1 behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity and there's an exclamation point at the end you know
I didn't do it justice he's saying behold how good and pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity it's a good thing it's a pleasant thing we
should want it and not say and do and think things that are gonna cause
division along any line whether it's skin color or education or income
whatever it is he says in verse 2 it is like the precious ointment upon the head
that ran down upon the beard even Aaron's beard that went down to the
skirts of his garments as the dew of Herman as the dew that descended upon
the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life
forevermore what a beautiful passage a beautiful moving poetic passage the word
of God about what about unity so we need to value unity and we need to to
you know shun if there's anything we're gonna shun it should be this this carnal
thinking of preferring one above another and division you know we need to embrace
what makes people unique in whatever area and focus on the work that we've
been given focus on what brings us together the gospel the preaching to
every kindred and every tongue and every nation under earth let's go ahead and
pray