← ArchiveProverbsSunday, July 17, 2016DateJuly 17, 2016Speaker—TextProverbs 14Passages in this sermonProverbs 148:541 John 3:1510:381 John 4:2011:29Luke 1016:43Proverbs 2219:18Proverbs 2920:19Colossians 124:20Galatians 326:21TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00...cannot comprehend ideas like racism and classism and eugenics. Christian-ism looks at the black man and the not-so-black man. You categorize the world how you want to, I categorize the world how I want to. But it's okay that you're not black like me.0:30God loves you just like you are.0:51And the question always comes, well, if that's the case, it's always hovering, even when people don't ask it. The question hovers, it lingers. I don't like lingering and hovering questions. I say let's get it over with. Here's the lingering and hovering question. You say that in the context and confines of this Christian theism, there is no room for this kind of racism, but we know for a fact1:18that there have been cultures who claimed on the one hand this allegiance to Christian theism, and on the other hand, they embraced racism and slavery. What are you going to do with that? I don't have to do anything with that. Narrative is not normative. Just because it happened doesn't mean it was right.1:48Here's my issue. It stopped. What made it stop? What was the underlying worldview that rose up and said, this is inconsistent? What was the underlying worldview that says, we are an exercise in cognitive dissonance here? What was the underlying worldview that rose up and said, you cannot on the one hand claim allegiance to Christian theism, and on the other hand, despise men because of the color of their skin?2:18Was it wrong? Yes, it was wrong. But by what standard? By the standard of the supremacy of Christ.2:39Secular humanism can't grasp this truth. But when we grasp the supremacy of Christ, we can't escape this truth. Who am I? Who are you? The crown and glory of the creation of God. I don't care what anyone has ever said to you, what anyone has ever told you. I don't care if your mother and your father look you in your eye3:09and told you that you were a mistake. You are the crown and glory of the creation of God.3:23We will again today look at a difficult subject. We've been walking through the Proverbs and asking God to give us wisdom. And I firmly believe that the world does not inform our view of God. God should inform our view of the world. So today we are going to look at racism square in the face and say, in Jesus Christ, you have been defeated. Proverbs are short sayings that give us wisdom. And we know that the beginning of wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord.3:51So we desire that. And if you've been awake for the last month or so, you should realize that we still have this tension in the world that we live in. If you look different than I do, and so there has to be a tension between us. That's what the world says. That's not what Jesus Christ says. We're going to look at what God's word says about prejudice. And really, my sermon is entitled this,4:20The Foolishness of Prejudice. The Foolishness of Prejudice. From the beginning of time, men have hated men. So pastor, how do you know that? By the second generation, Cain killed Abel, his brother. And we don't know how many people were alive at that point. Maybe 10 max. There were nations fighting nations.4:50This was brother on brother. I hate you because of something you have done. In the 5th century BC, the Peloponnesian War had gendercidal rampages throughout the Greek isles. Ben Kiernan, a Yale scholar has labeled the destruction of Carthage in 150 BC, the first genocide. In the 13th century, you might know this man,5:19Genghis Khan and his Mongol horsemen would go through and annihilate whole nations based solely upon their race and leave nothing but empty ruins and bones. The Armenian genocide following World War I was implemented through wholesale massacres and deportations where men were forced to march under conditions designed to lead them to their death. And may we not forget the Holocaust and World War II.5:47Throughout history, we see that men have hated men. And recently in our country is reminded of the same that we still live in a day where men hate men. And I ask you this, if knowledge and education is the answer, why do we still hate each other? If we are evolving every day to be something better,6:16should not our societies evolve also? It's not the answer. We have a president, we have the first African American president in the history of our country. And I would argue that racial tensions are at a heightened sense in our place, which tells me this, a man is not the answer. Jesus Christ is.6:45We have in our nation thousands of excellent military, excellent law enforcement, yet tensions are high. Then what is the answer to prejudice? Where are God's people? Where is the church? Because the only answer for any type of prejudice in our life is the grace of Jesus. The only answer for our hearts is Jesus Christ.7:13And so we're going to get uncomfortable again. Last week I preached on sexuality. Some of you were uncomfortable. Some of you were like, let's do this. Let's see what God's word says. But we're going to look at our hearts today and it's going to be uncomfortable again because if we're honest with each other, we all hate someone at some time. And may God cleanse us from that. We've been washed in the blood of his sacrifice. Lord, make us clean. Let's pray. Father, as we look at your word,7:43we know that your word is living and it is active. And Lord, I know, as we've already seen Pastor Vody preach, that there are people that are sitting here right now that the world has told them they are nothing and they will amount to nothing. Lord, let them know that they are the crowning glory of your creation today. Lord, and if there is anyone in here with hatred in their heart, Lord, if I am that person,8:13Father, break us of our prejudice, that we will see the foolishness of it. And remind us again that there is neither slave nor free, nor Greek, nor Greek, male nor female. That in Jesus Christ, we are all equal because we are all loved the same. Lord, guide our discussion today. Father, cleanse us from the error of our ways and lead us in paths of righteousness this morning. I pray this in Jesus' name.8:42Amen and amen. Forgot to say this. Some of you are expecting it. If you have your Bibles with you, please turn to Proverbs, the book of Proverbs chapter 14. If you don't know where that is, take your Bible, fold it in half. That should get you close. You're probably in Psalms. Turn to the right a little bit and you'll see the Proverbs. Psalms Proverbs chapter 14.9:16Proverbs says this about our prejudice. Proverbs 14 verse 21. He who despises his neighbor sins, but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. So he who despises his neighbor sins, he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. Here's the first thing that we see from God's word about prejudice, the foolishness of prejudice.9:44You cannot hate others and love God. I cannot hate and love God. You say, well, pastor, where did you get that? Verse 21. He who despises his neighbor's sin. The Hebrew is saneh. That word actually means to hate. So he who hates his neighbor, he who hates his neighbor sins. And this is what God's word10:13is reminding us of. That if I am judging my neighbor by my standard, I'm going to judge wrongly and incorrectly. I will be guilty of my own arrogance and violate God's standards. You say, well, that's pretty harsh. If I hate someone, if I hate my neighbor, if I despise him, then I sin. Well, the New Testament even goes further. I want you to listen to 1 John 3.15. John says, and John knows something10:44about being loved because John is the beloved apostle. So for you and I to hate someone means that we have murdered someone. And for me to continue with murder in my heart means that you and I cannot grasp eternal life. Well, pastor, you say,11:15I've heard if I just pray this prayer, then I'll be saved. Yeah, but if you contain hate in your heart, God, the presence of God and the presence of evil do not dwell together. 1 John 4.20 continues. You might say, well, I love God. I don't hate anyone. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,11:44how can he love God whom he has not seen? So if we have hatred in our heart, John is very clear of two things. You're a liar and you're a murderer and you do not have eternal life. That's harsh. But that's reality. And you say, well, I don't hate my neighbor. Well, how do we know? We say, I do not hate anyone. I think God's word says, do you act in a way that you are hateful? Do you shun others12:14who look, think, act differently than you? Do you shun people who smell differently than you? Do you shun people who cheer for different teens than you? You say, well, that's not hateful. Yes. If you are prejudiced, if we are shunning people based on anything that is in my heart, I know that the heart of man is evil continually, Genesis says. Do you say or repeat jokes12:45that are hateful? Do we laugh at things that people say that are stereotypical, but yet not godly? Do we perpetuate things on Facebook that are hateful? You say, well, I didn't write that. Yes, but for me to share it is me to stamp with my stamp of approval on it. You cannot hate others13:13and love God. Hate and the love of Christ do not occupy the same residency. Where hate exists, there is murder. Where hate exists, there is no eternal life. And that person who hates is a liar. So Lord, fill our hateful hearts with your love. Fill our hateful hearts with our love. The seeds of prejudice come from hearts that are filled with hate and hearts that are filled with hate are not filled with the love of God. That's why prejudice13:44is so foolish. Because I cannot be prejudiced and love Christ at the same time and in the same breath. And we struggle with this because we see with eyes of flesh. When you see me right now, you're seeing a white person because I am. But I'm thankful that God looks at the inside and man looks at the outside. I'm reminded that every time someone looks at me and says, are you sure you're a pastor? You're way too young. Some of you have been around me14:15because of the grace of God has kind of watered over me. My first response is, who are you? You don't even know me. Back up, right? I'll show you. Let's go. That's my non-righteous, sinful response. Because if you were around me 24-7, you would realize I hear that 24-7. But some of you have been around me recently and you know my response is this. Man looks at the outside,14:44God looks at the heart. Because every time I hear that, I need to hear that. Because we can't help but just look with our eyes and you look differently than me. And that feeds sometimes our heart that looks differently and sees differently. That's where prejudice is a fool because it breeds hate if we're not careful. You cannot hate others and love God. Secondly, prejudice is hateful in this way and foolish. Our attitude towards others shows your heart.15:14Your attitude towards others shows your heart. Verse 21 again of Proverbs. He who despises his neighbor sins, but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. So how do I know if I love someone? What does Proverbs answer to my love? It's in my actions. He who has mercy. So not showing mercy is hate. Showing mercy shows grace.15:44shows grace. So my actions then show my heart. They show my heart. The sinner evaluates his neighbor by his own depraved preferences, not by God's evaluation. And I know some of you have this question then. Well, pastor, I have a loophole. Who's my neighbor? Because my neighbors look like me. Both neighbors on both sides sort of look like us. So pastor,16:14So pastor, I get a break. Who's my neighbor? And if you were here with us on Wednesday night, we looked at how Jesus answers that question. An expert of the law stands up and says, Jesus, who's our neighbor? And he says, let me tell you a quick story. Here's the story. A man was traveling from Jericho up to Jerusalem. And by the way, he was a Samaritan. I mean, this guy was a Jew, sorry. And he gets hurt, half dead. He's not dead. He's half dead, Luke says, Luke 10. So a priest comes by16:44and sees this half dead individual. He walks around him. We don't know why. Don't make excuses for him, by the way. It's a hypothetical. Jesus didn't make excuses for him. You shouldn't either. Then a Levite comes by and he kind of goes around because, you know, hey, the robbers could still be there. This could be a setup. And then this man, a Samaritan comes by. This guy is despised by the Jewish community. The scum of the earth. He's a half-breed and then they're not even17:13allowed to worship where we can worship. And this man takes time out of his journey, picks this other guy up that's injured and carries him to the inn on his own ride. And he looks at the innkeeper and says, here's 24 days worth of rents. And by the way, if he's not well, if he needs to stay longer, here's a blank check. Charge it to me. And Jesus then asked this expert in the law,17:43you tell me who's his neighbor? And you know the man's response? The one who showed mercy upon him. So here's where it's difficult for the Christian. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, we don't have non-neighbors. We don't. And if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you don't even get to ask the question anymore. We don't get to ask the question, God, who's my neighbor? He says, they are. That's who our neighbors are.18:15So the way that we treat others is a direct outflow and overflow of our heart. We should not accept jokes or even coarse language that perpetuate ungodly stereotypes in our life. shame on me for listening because if I listen, what I listen to gets in my heart. And you say, well, how do you know that?18:44That's what we tell of our youth. Don't listen to that music and they say, why? I like the beats. Because if you listen to it, it'll get into your heart. Well, is it not the same for the adults? Don't watch that because what you see with your eyes will get into your heart. Well, why do we fester and foster these ugliness that the world dumps upon us? Your attitude towards others shows our heart.19:13Prejudice is foolishness. Turn with me to Proverbs 22. The foolishness of prejudice, truth number three. Prejudice in my life displays a lack of understanding about creation. Displays a lack of understanding about creation. The rich and the poor19:41have this in common. Now, you notice it doesn't say black and white or anything else. But there is more class tensions then than there are now because the rich looked down upon the poor and almost kept the poor in a position that they would stay poor. That way they could look down upon them. So the tensions they were having, they're still carried over to today. So whoever we don't like, go ahead and fill in that blank. Verse two. The rich and the poor20:11have this in common. The Lord is the maker of them all. Proverbs 29, 13 says this. The rich and the poor have this in common. The Lord gives light to their eyes. So here's the foolishness of prejudice. It displays a lack of understanding about creation. Here's the truth about creation. One, everyone in here is made in common. Made in common. If you're really smart,20:41answer this. What race was Adam when he was made? Anyone want to tackle that? What race was Adam when he was made? Now, let me just kind of be open with my heart here. Most of us growing up thought that Adam looked like them, didn't we not? When we were young, if I was going to draw a picture of the Garden of Eden, you know who Adam was going to look like? He was going to have blonde hair and blue eyes. You know why? Because that's the person21:12drawing the picture. And so this is why racism is foolishness. This is why prejudice is foolishness. Because we are all created in common. And so for me to hate anyone based on what they look like or what they wear or what class they're in is foolishness because God tells me is foolishness because we have this in common. Our creator is the same creator and we are all created in the same image. Here's the truth about our lack of understanding.21:42of understanding. We carry the mark of our creation. Sin, not the Lord, creates an order of economic oppression. Sin, not the Lord, creates an environment where we hate each other based on the color of our skin or the accents or the sports teams that we root for. And let me just say this, football season is like 48 days away or something like that. Thank you, Lord. I love football.22:13But I have seen more hateful things said about someone based on the team that they cheer for than anything else. May we not buy into that lie. May we not buy into it. That is a lie from hell itself. So may we not elevate what team, what look or anything else greater than the mark that God has put upon all of us, the mark of His creation. Here is the truth22:43about prejudice. To vandalize or defile the creation is an attack on the artist and the creator. To defile or hate the creation is a slap in the face of the one who made it. So for you to look at me and say, I don't like the way you look, Pastor. You have the problem with the one that made me. Your problem is not with me. You have a bigger problem because I'm not your judge. But the one23:13who judges judges with fire and will refine us. May we not be so foolish to judge each other and to spit on the artist. You know, our God is such an artist. Look around. Look at the differences. That God has created us all unique but He's created us all in common. And we're going to get to the point today where we say, well, how do we live this out? So I get it, Pastor. I'm not to hate. I'm not to be prejudiced but I struggle with that.23:43How do we live this out? I'm glad you asked. Here's the foolishness of prejudice. It comes from Colossians in the New Testament. Racism, classism, eugenics, and anything else that you can put in this place has been destroyed by the gospel. That's why being prejudiced is foolishness because Jesus Christ has destroyed that.24:13He has destroyed that for those who should follow Him. Colossians 1, verse 20. Verse 19 says this. I'm going to back up one. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell and by Him to reconcile, circle that word reconcile, all things to Himself24:42by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by the wicked works, yet now He has reconciled. It is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross that brings the world reconciliation. And the word reconcile here means to reunite something25:11something that we're strangers. And is that not what prejudice does? Hey, don't come near me because I don't like you because of fill in the blank. We're strangers. And yet Jesus Christ says that He has come to reconcile the world to Himself. That if I follow Christ, there are no strangers. If I follow Christ, I don't have non-neighbors. And the truth is this, for me not to seek25:41Jesus Christ means I'm a stranger to God and that He died to reconcile because I was an enemy of the cross when I was living in my sin. Being prejudiced is foolishness. And you say, well, pastor, I can't believe you called me a fool. You can thank me later. I'd rather hurt your feelings now and you find salvation than me fluff your pillow and you go to hell. So I can't believe26:10you said that. You'll thank me later because we should be people who do not tolerate this ugliness of the world. Galatians 3, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you were once baptized into Christ Jesus have put on Christ. Galatians 3, 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.26:40The gospel shatters earthly chains that we live in. And you might say, well, I can't do much because my parents told me I wasn't going to amount to anything. Yes, but Jesus Christ can shatter that. Well, I can't do things because I look this way. I'm this race. Jesus Christ breaks down those barriers. Well, Pastor,27:10Well, Pastor, you don't understand. I can't. Yeah, I grew up poor so I can't. Jesus Christ breaks those chains. This is not a black and white, poor or rich. This is a, are you a son and the daughter of the king? That's the foolish of prejudice because it has been destroyed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. So then, how do we live? If being racist, if being prejudiced is such foolishness, how do we live out the truth of Jesus Christ in our life?27:40Because I think that's where we struggle. Most of you would probably say, well, I know that I'm not supposed to hate my neighbor, but it's hard. How do I do that? It's difficult. Pastor, I know football season is coming and when they cry War Eagle and just something wells up within me and I want to, I want to hate them. How do we deal with that? One, that probably says that football is an idol because I used to be that person. I grew up in Mississippi28:10and when I knew that someone cheered for the other team, something were well up in me that was ungodly and hellish. And you know what it took in my life? I think, honestly, I think it took God removing me from that, taking me out of the state, saying you can't watch your precious football as much. And it took a temper tantrum, a spiritual temper tantrum that God said, you'll be all right. Because if you're going to hate someone, if you're going to shun someone based on that, how dare you call yourself28:40a child of the king? How do we live this out? One, put your trust in Jesus Christ. You say, is it that easy? Believe with your heart, the Bible says. Because we know that racism is a heart problem, we know that hate is a heart problem, and we know that Jesus Christ transformed hearts. Trust in Jesus Christ. If you believe in your heart, if you confess with your mouth, you will be saved.29:09Why does Jesus hit our heart? Why does he attack our heart? Because he knows how ungodly our heart is. Trust in Jesus Christ. I was getting my oil changed at a local establishment Friday, and I was reading letters from a Birmingham jail by Martin Luther King, and I was preparing this sermon, and I asked a gentleman that's a different color than me,29:39I said, look, obviously I'm a white guy preaching to a church. If I could say anything, what would you want me to say? And he said, I don't really know. And before I got in my car to leave, he came and grabbed me, and he said, if you could tell them one thing, here's what we should tell them. Teach your kids not to hate. And so I really believe, how do we live a life that is gospel saturated? We teach our kids30:08the way of righteousness. Because the truth is, some of us have been handed down things that weren't righteous. And sometimes those, they well up. We're in Alabama. I grew up in Mississippi. There are things that we have been passed down on both sides of the racial spectrum that are not biblical, that are not gospel centered. And sometimes those creep up at the most inopportune times. But yet, I don't have to pass those30:37pass those on to my kids. Martin Luther King said this, I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls. I don't know where that came31:07from.31:30But on Wednesday, in our gym before my little white boy left, one of his little black friends said, Eli Waite gave him31:59gave him a big hug. Not knowing what his dad was going to preach today. And if I could write a letter back to that jail, I would say in Birmingham, Alabama, that dream is realized in Jesus Christ. Because we don't have to pass it on to our kids. We live32:30We live in a world where our little black children, our little white children can leave daycare and say, hey, before you leave, I want to hug. Because I don't see the world as your dad and your grandparents see that that dream can be realized in Jesus Christ. Thirdly, how do we live out the grace of God? We speak up and we speak out in the face of injustice. Martin Luther33:01Martin Luther King in that Birmingham jail said this, we will have to repent in this generation, not merely for the hateful words and the actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. And I think there are times in our life where it's easier for us just to stay quiet. And believers, we have no right if we see injustice to stay quiet. And you33:31And you say, well, pastor, you don't understand. I'm going to be ridiculed if I speak up good. If we have to walk to the fire because we are standing up for Jesus Christ, may we do it. And I think there are points in our life where we have stayed silent too long because the world has said, be quiet, it's none of your business. We must be people who stand up for injustice. And I'm thankful for a church in a world where our34:01where our little kids of different color can love each other and we don't tell them, hey, don't do that. That we encourage that, that we foster that because the grace of Jesus Christ transforms us. And the truth is here that most of us have nothing in common but Jesus. But if we have Jesus in common, we have everything. Glory be to God, we have everything. So I want34:30to ask you this morning this morning, who do you hate? I don't think the question is, do you hate? I think if we all look at our hearts long enough, we'll find some hate there. Who do you hate and why do you hate? And may God cleanse us of that. Maybe during our time of invitation, you just need to come to the altar and say, Lord, I just need to get that out. And maybe as apparently for me, just a second ago, seeing my kid hugged that little girl was healing35:00healing for me. Maybe you know someone that's struggling with racism or sexism or classism and on their behalf, you need to come to the Lord and say, Lord, I'm just going to pour out my heart because they don't understand your grace because if they understood your grace, they wouldn't have hate in your heart because we know if I have hate in my heart, I cannot have the love of God. But maybe you're here and you've never actually trusted35:30trusted in Jesus. You've grown up in church, I grew up in church and you have not put your faith in him. You're still trying to do it on your own. You can't do enough to earn your salvation. You can't do enough to make the world a better place. Only Jesus can do that. It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that we find salvation. So if you have never36:00never taken steps, if you never believed in your heart that he is who he says he is, who does Jesus say he is? He says he was the son of God. He says that he is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through36:21for the first time. I would love to encourage you in your faith and do that. I can't do that for you. It's only something that you can. Something that you do in your seat. Something that you do in your heart. But may you find forgiveness. Maybe you live in a neighborhood in a world where you still see racism and you've passed on jokes that you should never have even listened to. Maybe there are people you need to go to and say I'm sorry that I said that. I'm sorry that you don't know36:51know this but I'm sorry that I thought that. I can't apologize for everyone else but I can apologize for my heart. I'm going to do because that's what the Lord calls me to do. Who is our neighbor as a Christ follower everyone is. Lord cleanse our hearts. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.← Previous in ProverbsSunday, July 10, 2016Next in Proverbs →Sunday, July 24, 2016More sermons on Proverbs →
