Look who's coming over

A few weeks ago, I told you that all of our sermons were planned out for all of august. About 2 weeks, I picked verses in Acts ...

A week after the horrorible Saturday and Sunday in our nation, we come to the sermon the Lord gave me week’s ago, all about race.

Acts 10:34–36 CSB

34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.

Acts 10:24–25 CSB

24 The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

Acts 10:34–35 CSB

34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Wow, right? We have a perfect topic for this horrific time, as our nation deals with the horror of murder in the name of racism.

In this verse Here Peter begins the process of repenting of racism with a new understanding of God. Peter finally comes to understand what God has always practiced Judgement based on character not race or ethnicity.

You might be surprised that Martin Luther King’s definition of a proper relationship among people ,

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” - Dr. King

I believe is extremely similar to Peter’s statement here in Acts.

Acts 10:34–35 CSB

34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Why does it matter and is shocking to me? Not that Dr. King would get something from scripture,

What’s shocking is the definition is from a racist.

A racist who is being transformed as we all are by the salvation of Jesus Christ. When we come to know Jesus and follow him, we are not immediately fixed and right.

We all need more of Jesus today to take on His attitude.

So let’s get into this and take on more of the attitude of Christ Jesus that Peter took on .

Acts 10:34–35 CSB

34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Background of the story.

The apostle Peter grew up in a time and to a people who had served as a testimony of the greatness of God to everyone.

can be argued that Jewishness was at its height as a religion

the temple had been improved. However the building of King Herod. (Kind of like President Trump building the Democratic National Committee Headquarters) and the Roman’s occupied the land as invited. It was a time of oppression but also uneasy peace.

Some were converting to Judaism, but because Judaism is both an ethnicity, a nationality but also a religion, a person could become a Jew from being a pagan. It was not easy, a man could convert but that included circumcision.

Many of the early followers of Jesus still assumed that if someone wanted to be a follower of Jesus they needed to become a Jew first.

God through a vision to Peter of food forbidden to Jews to eat that God then said eat, told Peter something new was coming. When Peter woke from the vision he found 3 men were at his door requesting him to come meet with a Roman soldier named Cornelius, exactly as God told him would happen. God also told Peter to Go so he went.

When Peter arrived he heard about God already moving in Cornelius life, He eventually shares Jesus with him and sees a powerful display of the Holy Spirit’s power.

All of this shocked Peter because Cornelius was still very much Roman, a gentile but was spoken to by God, the same God that spoke to him.

The Jews who come from a long ancestral line from Abraham, are to be a testimony of God as is revealed over and over in the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet instead of seeing themselves, Abraham’s children, as a testimony, an example of God’s love, justice, and generosity. There were many, in Peter’s day, that saw themselves as privileged, better than everyone else and that just because you were born a Jew you were good with God.

Deuteronomy 28:1 CSB

1 “Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:15 CSB

15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:

The Jews who come from a long ancestral line from Abraham, are a temporary testimony as is revealed over and over in the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet instead of seeing themselves, Abraham’s children, as a testimony, an example of God’s love, justice, and generosity. There were many, in Peter’s day, that saw themselves as privileged, better than everyone else and that just because you were born a Jew you were good with God.

Genesis 3:15 CSB

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Ge n 3:15

That

Similar to what some might think today when we think about how wonderful our church going grandmother or parent is, see how nice our life is, and think God must be cool with us because we are a child of such a wonderful person. Yet they are them and me is me and I will be judged by God for me not my amazing Grandma.

John the Baptist spoke to the Jews about this false spiritual privilege. The Jews would call themselves Sons of Abraham, as a way to exert their privilege, John the Baptist said to this line of thinking,

Luke 3:8–9 The Message

8 It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. 9 What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.”

Luke 3:7–8 CSB

7 He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.

Please here this is not an anti-Jewish sermon. Peter was a Jew, who was also unaware that his racism was not of God, an experience some of us might not know. But do know that the Jews are God’s chosen people, Jesus revealed himself as a Jew. You who follow Christ are God’s chosen adopted children, children by choice of the one true God, but no one is right without action.

A racist believes that because of the color of my skin or the culture I am from, or some other thing that I was born with or into, I am special and better than another and no action of mine will change that. No action or attitude of another person will raise them to be as important and valuable as me. This is pure racism.

I’m thankful of Charles Talbert, who researched the historical debate of The Jews of Peter’s time were having, one Rabbi Eliezer, ...said, “None of the Gentiles has a portion in the world to come, as it says, ‘the wicked shall return to Sheol, all the Gentiles who forget God’ (). ‘The wicked who shall return to Sheol’ are the wicked Israelites.”

Gentiles, you and me who are not Jews, were not even considered in the world to come he thought. Other Rabbi’s had different opinions but Peter appears to came from this mindset, Jews are spiritually privileged, and others aren’t, can’t be. Until God gets a hold of him and shows him.

Like all racism and bigotry I am simplifying what is actually very complex and rooted in generations of history.

The same kind of issue that you and I still struggle with, a culture that allowed sin to reign in the form of slavery along with racial bigotry even though God told us through Peter among others that character is not determined by skin color or by gender.

Galatians 3:2 CSB

2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

Galatians 3:28 CSB

28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:28

The sins of slavery and racial bigotry are not just our cultures but they have tremendous power in our lives. In my parent’s life time schools were desegregated. In my lifetime, sections of Stockton were open up for non-whites to buy homes. In my lifetime, busing to desegregate Stockton schools was still going on. Like Peter we can be unaware of how the sins of our own culture affect us very, very personally.

Yet sin is not a one way street. Cultural sin, like segregated schools, seems like so long ago and a problem for politicians and protesters not me.

Yet it can creep in to our lives in simple ways. Like

How different are your friends from you?

When Jury consultant was a newer poisiton I remember hearing a story told by the value of a consultant in uncovering hidden bias.

A woman was being questioned for a jury and the defendent was a native american. She was asked ...

We must ask God to heal us and our land from Racism and bigotry

It is very easy to do what everyone else is doing and therefore think we are not racist.

It’s very easy to say we are not racist. Because we just change the definiton

Peter even after this revelation of the value of people other than Jews in God’s sight still struggled, Paul, the guy we talked about the last 3 weeks once had to correct Peter about who Pater chose to eat with

Galatians 2:11–14 The Message

11 Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. 12 Here’s the situation. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. 13 Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade. 14 But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: “If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you’re not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your old Jerusalem cronies?”

What’s right? What’s wrong? What’s just different?

You see unless we care about this subject, purposefully ask the Lord to seek our hearts as we do about our addictive sins it is so easy for all of us to slip into the sins of our culture

Sample Prayer - God search my heart for racism and bigotry, thank you for your forgiveness, clean my life, guide me to love others as myself. In Jesus Name Amen

Proverbs 14:12 CSB

12 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.

Now, we are so blessed, I am so blessed that many of you would label yourselves differently than me.

Our labels and their historical oppression come with a big temptation.

My daughter and I got to go on the hike yesterday ...

student’s arguing over whether a person can be racist against whites.

That temptation is to use the sins of others to continue sin of hatred, judgement, and bigotry by judging all those who share the same label as that person, by excusing our sin, and being filled with bitterness and rage.

Ephesians 4:26–27 CSB

26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity.

Ephesians 4:26 CSB

26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,

As Pastor Harry preached awhile ago, one of the first ways to escape the power of racism is forgiveness

Matthew 6:14 CSB

14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.

Before we hold on to the offense remember Jesus died on the cross because of us, and while he was dying he said,

Luke 23:34 CSB

34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots.

Luke 23:24 CSB

24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand

Luke 23:34

You can’t let racism eat at you, God tell us

Ephesians 4:31 CSB

31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.

After forgiveness, take corrective action

Uncle Tom’s cabin

Galatians 6:1 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.

Gal 6:1

Every time I have been called a racist it was from someone who had no interest in restoring me and helping me.

— by someone trying to get something over on me

by someone who misinterpreted.

tells us to submit to the government because it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

To battle racism purposefully befriend people not like you.

To battle racism in yourself, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger

Ask for more of Christ in each and every relationship.

Learn to