Racism, Reconciliation & Healing

James 2:1-9 TPT

INTRODUCTION

As a younger minister I had an older minister (much older) make a statement to me one day that opened my eyes and made me realize that racism does exist in our world today and that I would have to work to heal it throughout my lifetime. The statement was this:

“Jonathan, the sooner you learn this the better off you will be. God created people differently. Some He created to jump. We find these in our sports institutions. In fact, they have an extra muscle in the calf of their leg that causes them to jump higher than white people. It’s the same muscle that a monkey has. These people were not created to think. White people were created to think. That’s why white people are smarter when it comes to business than any other race. The people that were created to play sports should just play sports and let the white people run the world.”

I WAS ENRAGED! He was serious. He believed this nonsense! I can’t begin to explain to you how angry this made me feel. And then to think… this individual claimed to be a minister of the gospel and wanted to be one of my mentors! Needless to say, we parted ways that day…

• Evil thoughts are sinful and lead us to act in ways that are sinful. Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”

• In light of all that has been going on in our world these last few weeks I have felt led to take on the subjects of Racism & Reconciliation today.

VIDEO ILLUSTRATION by Jackie Hill Perry – writer, speaker, and hip-hop artist – discusses how churches can seek to uproot the sins of racism and insensitivity that can persist in a church: by creating a community that values the image of God in all people.…

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/churches-can-address-hidden-feelings-prejudice-racism

I. RACISM

Racism – prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

A. Racism is the judgment of one person that he or she is better than another based on race. What does the Bible say about this?

1. Racism is a sin that has no place in the heart of a believer. As Christians we should work to dispel the hurt and the pain of racism in our society and promote the love of Jesus for all humanity. ALL LIVES MATTER

a. Red and Yellow, Black and White… We’re all precious in His sight… Jesus loves the little children (and the grown-ups) of the world!

B. God created “all men” and “every nation” and He is near to all of them! – Read Acts 17:24-27. There are other passages as well:

1. John 7:24 “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment."

2. Romans 2:11 “For God does not show favoritism.”

3. Esteeming one race over another was/is not God’s will for humanity. We need to identify this racial injustice and work to get rid of it.

II. RACISM IS HATRED

Racism is rooted in hatred for another person based on race. Let’s see what the Bible says about hatred.

A. Hatred is a worldly activity.

1. John 15:18 - If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

2. Luke 6:22 - Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

B. We are commanded to love one another!

I John 4:20-21

20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

1. Hatred is an emotion, an action and a choice. Hatred is Sin! It does not represent anything that is God-like or even God-approved.

I John 2:9-11

9. Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now.

10. Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin.

11. But he who hates (detests, despises) his brother [in Christ] is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying and does not perceive or know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.