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We Are All One In Christ · Wetumpka Church of Christ Online

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Good morning, so, great to see everybody this morning.
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We have a beautiful Lord's day and we have so much to be
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thankful for, and it's just great to see everyone and
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several guests with us. And we're thankful for that.
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It sure is great to look at Sea Sister, Margaret and Brother
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Sam. So, great to see you all here.
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This morning when I was in college, I would go home in the
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summer. And spend my Summers working in
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the paper mill. In the Metropolis of client
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Ville, Georgia, just outside of Valdosta brother, Larry.
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And I was issued, when I would get there every summer a yellow
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hard hat and the low-level employees like myself.
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That was the color hard hat. We got was yellow.
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The color hard hat for supervisors.
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I don't think they called those in positions of leadership at
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the paper mill. For remember, right?
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And managers they call them. Advisors in the.
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So the supervisors wore white hard hats.
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And I quickly learned in just the three or four Summers that I
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worked there at the paper mill, that there was an us-versus-them
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mentality when it came to the yellow hats and the white hats.
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And I learned on one occasion when a white hat, I'll just use,
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you know, their terminology had made me do something as you
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know, just bottom of the totem pole, summer worker, that was a
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violation of Union rules. It was a unionized paper mill
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where I worked and I was not part of the Union because I only
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work during the summer time, but there was a man that worked in
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The Wood Yard with me and he had such a beef with this particular
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white. That he was going to use his
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Union influence on my behalf. Not I don't think because he
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cared for me. I don't remember what it was.
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I had been asked to do it was a violation of Union rules, but he
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wanted to, he wanted to go to my behalf to the union head, to get
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this white hat in trouble because there was such a
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dysfunction that existed with some among the yellow hats and
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the white house. So I started learning very
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quickly. In life that you can be at a
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place where you're supposed to all be on the same team, you're
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all working for the same company.
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Your check is getting signed by the same people.
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And yet there was an us-versus-them mentality.
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I spent a few years working at Sam's Club and I worked in the
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freezer cooler department for a while.
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As a stalker. I worked in the grocery section
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for a while as a forklift driver and Stocker and there's
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different departments. If you've worked in Sam's Club
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of Warehouse, you know, you've got your freezer cooler.
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In your grocery and your produce, and your soft lines and
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your hard lines, your electronics and we're all under
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the same roof working for the same company.
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Our checks were all getting signed by Uncle Sam Walton and
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yet there was this US versus they mentality between different
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departments in Sam's Club, and sometimes your be a beef
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between. Usually the freezer cooler on
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the groceries. We like were gangs that form.
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Some kind of Alliance. I don't know what that traced
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back to, but we were usually in us.
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And then the them was the electronics, guys, because we
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thought they were a little soft. They didn't have to stock
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anything heavy and, you know, we just kind of looked at it, but
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they were just all, this us, them mentality.
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We're all under the same roof apparently working for the same
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cause the same employer. And yet, we struggle, don't we,
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as human beings and I have a feeling that my experiences were
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not unique to me. How many of you work in a place
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that has more than probably for employees.
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It might not even take for, for there to be within the employees
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and US versus them mentality. We have a tendency as human
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beings to divide ourselves. We divide ourselves in all kinds
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of weird ways and it's not unique to this country is not
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unique to our culture is not unique to our society.
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And you know, this many of you know, this better than me.
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I know brother. Barry.
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Sure knows this. And some of the places that he's
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traveled and some of the parts of the world that he's being and
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US versus them mentality that exists even within people that
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are part of the same. Country.
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Many of you maybe know about some of the issues that have
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been going on for, I don't know how long in places like Northern
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Ireland. I found this.
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I can't remember where the source of this is, but it was
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someone writing a historian on Northern Ireland.
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And this is what he had to say. In Northern Ireland.
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Everything is political from your name to where you live to
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the pub, you drink in and the drink, you choose to the accent
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and the language that you speak to the football jersey, you Are
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the sports, you play the passports.
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You hold these politics are rigid in archaic, deeply, rooted
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in the past. Yet.
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They continue to dominate the present.
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So you've got all these different ways that small
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country, like Northern Ireland pits themselves against one
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another. Instead of looking at themselves
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with this shared ethnicity. This should this shared
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nationality. Instead of looking at
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themselves, as one nation as one group of people, as we are
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Northern Ireland, know, is this US versus them?
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And there's been so much. Violence that has taken place
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through the years. The French Revolution of the
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late 1700s. Was that people outside of the
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nation of France that were invading France and causing
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issues. These were French that were
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fighting within themselves amongst themselves.
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A lot of it fueled by caste divisions where the Haves and
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the Have Nots. Had pitted themselves against
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one. Another and you had much
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Bloodshed and much violence. We won't belabor this point, but
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just a couple of others I want to share with you.
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Here's what Indians dot-org had to say about certain Indian
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tribes, who hated one another so much that when the white
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settlers started coming in even though they did not appreciate
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them coming in, even though they had a hatred for those that were
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coming in. They hated some of their other
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tribe. Some of the other tribes so much
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that notice what this historian had to say, when European
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explorers settle the continent, many.
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Tribes who once fought against each other were joined by a
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common enemy. However, some tribes were so at
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odds that they join sellers in a fight against other colonists
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just to fight a little Al just to fight a tribe allied with the
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other side. For instance, during the French
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and Indian War tribes chose to side with the British or French
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bass tone, which tribe was on the opposition.
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Native American history is Rich with such rivalries and
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alliances. So the hatred some of these
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Tribal rivalries, this tribal hatred was so deep.
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That even though they had a common enemy.
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They would steal aligned themselves with the Enemy
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because they hated a tribe that Allied itself with in me more
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than they hated the interview itself.
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I don't know if any of you heard the story about.
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My mind has drawn a total blank on this guy.
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Again. Thank you.
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You could even tell from the back who this guy was Garth
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Brooks. If y'all heard the story about
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the concert that he did in Detroit this past week.
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So he does a concert in Detroit Michigan.
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And this is what he wore and there was an outcry.
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I've read two or three different articles of his social media
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accounts getting blown up by people who were either.
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High-fiving him via social media, or just laying the hate
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down on him through social media because they thought this jersey
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represented Bernie Sanders and that he was making In a
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political statement in wearing this jersey.
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He was performing this concert in Detroit, Michigan, the home
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of Barry Sanders. NFL Hall of Fame, running back
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Garth Brooks and Barry Sanders also went to the same College
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Oklahoma State, and so Garth Brooks, wore this jersey in a
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tribute to Barry Sanders, not Bernie Sanders.
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And yet, there were so many people who were so inflamed in
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Rage. That he would be trying to make
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a political sense. They just assume.
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Oh, that's a Sanders jersey. He's and so there were some
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Hussein good for you Garth. I'm so glad you came and there
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were others. You saying.
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I'm never going to go to your concert again because we've got
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this US versus them mentality in this country.
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That sometimes is so ingrained. How about to trigger a few
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folks? I know some of you are you try
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not to be but you're triggered right now.
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This picture. I pulled from a l.com in an
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article that appeared. If you're not familiar with
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aol.com., It's basically the Statewide internet newspaper for
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the state of Alabama. And so this picture was on an
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article that was posted by Josh Goodman or written by Josh
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Goodman and posted on to the website, just a couple of days
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ago. And the title of the article is
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this Tommy tuberville test loyalties.
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Donald Trump and Alabama football.
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This was not the first time, an article of this topic was
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written on this particular website.
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There was another one where in just a few days ago that was
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similar. And basically the gist of the
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article is this. In fact, I'll give you an exact
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statement that was made that tuberville running for a senate
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seat in. The state of Alabama, is testing
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tribalism within the state of Alabama, where there are some
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who they share. R, A, we mentality with
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tuberville regarding his politics.
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But it's a vey them mentality when it comes to football.
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And so the article goes on to say that that tuberville is
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trying his best to overcome the Obstacle of getting Alabama,
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fans to vote for a former Auburn coach, even though there are
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many who shared the same mentality socially politically
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I'm with you on this and with you on this, but I just can't
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get past that orange and blue. That's that's them.
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It's not us. We struggle, don't we?
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All of us struggle. I'm sure in some way, in some
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part of our life. We struggle with an
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us-versus-them mentality. It's been going on.
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I guess, maybe ever since shortly after well, maybe even
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the beginning of time because I believe Cain and Abel, didn't
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they develop an us-versus-them mentality.
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At least Kane did one of the more tragic events in scripture
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is found in second. Samuel chapter two.
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And this is shortly after the death of Saul.
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And we know that well before Saul's death.
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God had picked David to be Saul successor as king of Israel.
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Well, when Saul dies his captain, his military Captain
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decides that he does not want David to be the next king of
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Israel Abner. The captain of Saul's Army has
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been loyal to Saul and he wants to continue to be loyal to the
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family of Saul. So Abner puts ishka, Chef one of
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Saw. I was on the throne and
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acknowledges him as the one and true king of Israel.
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For the first seven years of David's Reign.
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He was not living in Jerusalem. He was living in Hebron.
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And is because of this division that existed between the people
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you had this us them in tality, you had joab, who was the
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commander of David's Army, and many of that align themselves
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with David that were loyal to him.
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They recognized him as the god chosen, king of Israel, but
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there were others who align themselves.
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And in fact, it was the majority of the nation.
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The majority of the tribes of Israel.
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Align themselves under ishka chef and Sol's.
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Army Captain Abner and so you've got second Samuel chapter two
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and you've got Some of David's men.
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And some of Saul's men who find themselves on either side of a
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body of water. And one calls out to the other.
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Let's have some of our men fight before us and so 12, Mighty
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Warriors, from David side, stand up 12, Mighty Warriors from saws
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side, stand up, and for no other reason than this, US versus them
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mentality. They were all Israelites.
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They should have been all under this idea.
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Of we we are Brethren serving under the one true God.
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And yet they had divided themselves into camps.
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We, they us them. And these 12 Mighty Warriors 12
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on one side, 12 on the other meet together at this body of
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water and they simultaneously kill one.
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Another, we're all 24 of them. Drop dead, just senseless
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meaningless, pointless, violence, and death.
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For no other reason. That I'm David, I'm Saul I'm
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David. I'm sorry.
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Everyone was so upset because there's no clear winner.
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I guess they were looking at this as a contest for whose men
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are more Valiant is all 24. Fell down dead.
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What everybody else was mad? We got to settle this one way or
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the other. Before the day was over.
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When you get in the end of second, Samuel chapter two, 379
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men are dead for no reason. Other than this, US versus them
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mentality. Is this kind of mentality
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pleasing to God? If there's an US versus them
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that exists between light and darkness.
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We understand that. But our battle is in the
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spiritual realm. Our battle is with the devil and
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his angels are bad. I don't need to be at the
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throats of one. Another God doesn't want us,
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dividing our self in any shape form or fashion.
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Now, let's go to the passage that land and read for us just a
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moment ago, Acts chapter 10 and we have and I know you remember
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this very well, the chapter begins with Peter.
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He receives this very elaborate Vision that appears to him three
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times. And what God I believe is doing
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in this vision is trying to prepare him for what he's about
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to be commissioned to do and that is to go to a Gentiles
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home. And share the gospel message of
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Jesus Christ with him. I have a pretty loose
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translation of that particular passage Acts chapter 10 and
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verse 28, where Peter says you were, well, aware that is
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against our law. The reason why I chose this
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particular translation, I believing the translation that
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land in red for us. It just says it is unlawful.
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You are. Well, aware that it's against
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our law for a Jew dissociative or visit with a gentile, but God
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has shown me that I should not call anyone.
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Impure, or unclean. Let me ask you a real.
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A question real quick, who's long?
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It's unlawful. I pick this translation for a
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reason because I think it addresses a very important
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matter In this passage did Peter refer to it as God's law, he
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referred to it as our law. This was not God's law. when
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Jesus walked on the Earth, he allowed himself, even though he
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was Master King. He was Master and King, not just
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with people, but of the law, but he allowed himself to be in
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subjection to the law. And then in Matthew chapter 8
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and verse 5, a century, and a gentile comes to Jesus and says
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Jesus. I have a servant at home who's
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grievously ill and Jesus, in verse 6.
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I believe it is says, I'll come to your house and Hill.
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So, Jesus is offering to go into the home of a gentile.
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And he'll the centurions servant Jesus at no point, violated the
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law under, which he allowed himself to be subjected to while
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he was on this Earth in the flesh.
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And so this was not a violation of God's law to go into a
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gentile home. This is a violation of fair, say
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occult law. This is a violation of one of
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the additional addendums that they had put on the original Law
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of God, given to Moses and then distributed to the people.
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And yet, Peter, apparently up to this point in his life, had been
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an adherent to this man-made law.
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I've never said this phrase before, but is it possible?
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Maybe you thought this before that up until this time and
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Peters life, that Peter was a racist?
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Is it possible? That Peter struggled with
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racism, a lot of times, we think about racism, we think about
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skin color and and that that's part of it.
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The racism can also be based on ethnicity nationality.
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So here's Peter who allowed himself to be influenced by this
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man-made law, this law of the Pharisees had attached to added
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to the law of God. The law of Moses where he chose
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not to associate himself in any shape form or fashion by going
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into a home, or fellowshipping with a non-jew.
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And I believe that's why God went to elaborate measures to
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give Peter this Vision to prepare his mind for the journey
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that he was about to make to a gentile home.
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God has shown me. When do you think Peter?
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What what showing do you think Peter is referencing here?
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Jesus had shown him this principle while he lived among
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them and walked with them, but I don't think it ever quite sunk
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in. And so you've got Peter who
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needed this elaborate showing by the Lord through this Vision
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that I don't have a right to try to continue to live under this
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law with this mindset, where I look at people of a different
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nationality, a different ethnicity.
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And I look at them as being less valuable to the Lord than me, or
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I look at them. As someone that I don't need to
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spend time associating with for fellowshipping with we're
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spending time. For loving.
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Acts chapter 10 verses 34 and 35 after Peter asked Cornelius, why
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have you sent for me and Cornelius provides for him?
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What has happened to him? And the fact that he was told to
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send for Peter and In chapter 10 verses 34.
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And 35, then Peter began to speak.
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Now. I really understand again, a
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loose translation, but I think it gets to the heart of what's
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going on here. Now, I really understand that
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God does not show favoritism. But in every nation, the person
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who fears him and does righteousness is acceptable to
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him. When did Peter come to this
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realization? In this awareness.
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You may be reading from a translation where it says for
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now, I perceive gave you a little bit.
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We won't get into the all the different definitions of that
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word. That is translated perceive or
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in this translation, that's on the screen.
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Now, I really understand, but it seems to be there's, there's an
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intimation in the Greek that this was something that Peter
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had just experienced. This understanding, this
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knowledge is something that Peter had.
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Just then that day after receiving those Visions before
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going to Cornelius house. It finally sunk in this lesson
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that God had been trying to teach his disciples.
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Why would he send them into a Samaritan Village to buy food?
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See, one of the things that the Pharisees had commanded Jews
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during the time of Christ. That was a command in violation
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of or was not a part of the law of Moses was, you don't buy
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anything, purchase any goods from a non-jew.
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And yet God Jesus In the Flesh, while being submissive to the
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law of Moses, not violating X command had no problem sending
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his disciples John for into a Samaritan Village to buy food.
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Why? Because it was not a violation
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of God's command. It was a violation of fear
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saying, cool, man-made Doctrine. So Jesus was continually trying
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to get this point home. But it like a lot of things
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wasn't Jesus while he was in the flesh continually trying to get
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the point home to his disciples that he had come here for.
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Specific purpose and that purpose would culminate with his
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death burial and Resurrection. Didn't he try to hammer that
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point home and up until the time that it actually happened.
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They still didn't understand and up until the time that he
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actually ascended back into heaven to be with the father in
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Acts chapter 1. They still didn't understand.
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There's a lot of things that Jesus tried to hammer home.
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That it never fully sunk in until a later time.
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And so Peter, the other Apostles those who had walked with Christ
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while he was in the flesh. They'd been shown this.
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They'd been modeled it by the Lord, but it had not been sunk
21:53
in because there was just this long-standing deep.
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This deep hatred, that existed between Jews and non-jews.
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Where Jews looked at non-jews as being of less value in the eyes
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of God. And not worth the time of
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associating with, or spending time or especially showing
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compassion to we did lesson a while back.
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Maybe chapter 18, the Canaanite woman.
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You remember have the severely demon-possessed daughter.
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And we were talking about the ways in which Jesus tested her
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faith, but I think it was more a test of the Apostles that it was
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a test of that woman. And remember one of those four
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tests that Jesus gave the woman that he was also testing his
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Apostles. At the same time, was when she
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was pleading for help. This Canaanite.
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This Gentile woman for her severely demon-possessed
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daughter. One of the things Jesus said, I
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was only sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
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And this occasion comes, well, after the occasion in Matthew
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chapter 8 where Jesus had offered to go into a gentile
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Manna centurions, home and heal. His servant, Jesus has already
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modeled through his behavior, his willingness to show
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compassion. And care for gentiles.
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And so when Jesus made this statement, I was only sent to
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the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
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He was not just testing the endurance and the faith of that
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woman. He was testing his Apostles.
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Have you learned anything from what I have modeled to you so
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far? Have you learned anything?
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About how I am teaching you that I have loved for every human
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being. Yeah, I'm spending the bulk of
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my time with the Jewish Nation to the Jew first and also to the
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Greek Luke 24:47 because of the promises made to Abraham.
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That was the order in which things went.
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But while Jesus was Walking In the Flesh, he did not.
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To choose to never offer any help or assistance to a non-jew.
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He had modeled that behavior. He'd shown that behavior.
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I think the only reason why Jesus made that statement on
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that occasion to the Canaanite woman or any of these folks
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going to speak up and say, well, Lord.
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Actually, we have seen you help a gentile before we have seen
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you show love and compassion Gentile before this woman has a
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daughter severely demon-possessed.
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I think the Lord was testing. These Apostles are one of you
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going to show me that you have learned anything. what I've been
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teaching up to this point are one of you going to stand up and
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show a little love and compassion for this woman, who
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is so, Vexed. In her spirit because of the
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condition of her daughter. And she is so desperately this
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loving mother seeing her daughter in this difficult
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situation suffering from demon possession, and she's wanting
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help for this as a mother wanting help for her daughter.
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She's not come to the Lord asking for some personal favor.
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She's come on behalf of her daughter.
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And the Lord I think is just waiting for one of these
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Apostles to speak up and say, Lord.
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I think what you've shown us, you're willing to help Gentiles
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this woman desperately, her daughter.
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Desperately need some help. I think he was allowing just one
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of them an opportunity to show that they learn something about
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the fact that God loves everyone, the same.
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So Peter began to speak. Now, I really understand.
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I think it finally Dawn's now it's Peter completely cured of
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this. Well, the other passage that was
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read for us this morning. We see that there's going to be
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times where I think Peter continues to struggle with this
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ingrained mentality. This mentality that he was
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probably taught from birth that we as Jews are special, because
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of who we are. We mentioned in Wednesday night
25:44
class, A couple of Wednesday nights ago.
25:46
What the Jews often struggled with in scripture, was they
25:49
confused these two words who? What?
25:54
The Jews thought they were special in the eyes of God,
25:56
because of who they were. We are blood descendants of
26:00
Abraham that makes us special. That makes us better.
26:04
That makes us more important than everybody else.
26:06
What they didn't understand is they were special because of
26:08
what they were. When they allowed themselves to
26:13
submit to the one true God to have nothing to do with the
26:16
idols of the Pagan lens around them, to acknowledge that one,
26:19
true God, and him along to serve him to follow his word, then
26:22
they were blessed. But when they chose to embrace,
26:25
the idols of the Pagan lands, when they chose to do
26:28
participate in all the Pagan practices of the idolatrous
26:31
Nations around them. Were they treated any different
26:35
than when God will pronounce judgment on those Pagan Nations.
26:38
What did he say to them? Through Moses near the end of
26:42
the book of Deuteronomy, those blessings and cursings that are
26:46
there near the end of the chapter.
26:47
He said, as long Moses speaking to the people, he says, as long
26:50
as you submit to God, as long as you serve him, follow him.
26:54
Bay him, love him. Your enemies will come at you
26:57
One Direction and they'll scatter 7 Ways.
27:00
But let me tell you something. If you choose to be like the
27:03
Nations around you, if you choose to reject me, if you
27:06
choose to embrace idolatrous practices.
27:09
If you don't put me first, then your enemies are going to come
27:12
at you. One Direction and you'll be
27:13
scattering seven ways. There was no difference in the
27:18
punishment, in the ramifications, in the
27:20
consequences of not being a follower of God, whether it was
27:22
a Jew or whether it was a pagan, a gentile.
27:26
And so, the Jews were blessed when they acknowledge God as
27:29
their one true God, they were cursed.
27:32
They suffered when they chose not to those in the Pagan World.
27:36
When they chose not to acknowledge the god of Israel.
27:39
They were punished. They were cursed.
27:41
When they chose to acknowledge the god of Israel, as in the
27:46
case of Rahab as in the case of roof.
27:50
Weren't they blessed? Just like as if they had Jewish
27:53
blood, Abraham's blood running through their veins?
27:57
It was never a matter of who was always a matter of Wyatt.
28:02
Yet. Peter has struggled because he's
28:04
been taught differently as had most of the Jews that were alive
28:08
during his day and there's still a segment of that mindset that
28:12
exist among the Jewish Community, even to this very
28:14
day. Just saw a commercial last night
28:18
when you and I was commercial about helping Jews biological
28:22
Jews and Ukraine, and they said, God blesses, those who bless the
28:27
Jewish Nation. As if.
28:30
So, they're wanting us to send money to these people who are in
28:34
Desperate Financial circumstances, these Jews and
28:37
desperate Financial circumstances in Ukraine.
28:40
And, and here was the point at the end.
28:43
God, blesses, those who bless the Jewish Nation.
28:47
Well, God blesses those who bless others regardless whether
28:50
the Jewish Nation or not. There's no special blessing that
28:54
comes from blessing, a particular group of people or
28:56
particular race of people or particular, ethnicity, or
28:58
particular, nationality. God didn't give extra blessings.
29:02
O you, you provided a blessing to my favorites.
29:06
So I'll give you an extra blessing for that.
29:09
What Peter was finally realizing, though?
29:11
It had been model though. It had been communicated.
29:15
It took that vision of that sheet with those animals clean
29:19
and unclean. It took that happening three
29:21
times and he starts putting two and two together.
29:24
I've got it now. Now, I understand I perceive I
29:29
have now grass time. I've got it.
29:32
Lord. Thank you.
29:33
It took you hitting me over the head with a hammer a few times,
29:36
but I've got it. God is no respecter of persons.
29:42
Not knowing Galatians chapter 3. The other passage that was read
29:44
for us this morning. A lot of the issues the trouble,
29:49
the conflict by no means am. I downplaying.
29:53
The problem with the judaizers, trying to impose parts of the
29:58
law of Moses, onto those Gentile Christians, and I know a lot of
30:01
the issues and the problems and the motivations of what was
30:05
going on in the book of Galatians is in large part due
30:10
to that this, this value, that Jewish Things were still placing
30:17
on this obsolete outdated, no longer in effect law, but I
30:23
believe Summit was fueled when you read Galatians, and you get
30:27
to Galatians chapter 3 where this patches on the screen is
30:30
given to us. You have a journey that you go
30:33
through the Holy Spirit, inspiring Paul to write that
30:35
letter where it seems to be that, a lot of this is fueled by
30:39
this us them mentality. This Jew, Greek mentality, this
30:46
Jew, Gentile mentality. I believe, maybe there was a
30:49
little less compassion, a little less Love, A Little Less Mercy.
30:53
Shown not just because we love the law of Moses and we want to
30:59
make sure that you incorporate circumcision.
31:03
And some of these other things there are still holding onto
31:05
from the old law, but there was an issue, still in the minds of,
31:10
so many of those Jews. Christ has broken down that wall
31:15
of separation. You regulations chapter 2, where
31:21
Paul says, I had to, I had to get in Peters face and rebuked
31:24
him because he would eat with the Gentiles.
31:27
The uncircumcised Gentile Christians.
31:29
He'd have no problem fellowshipping with them
31:32
spending time with them. But when the judaizers were come
31:34
in those who were still struggling this, US versus them
31:38
mentality mentality when it came to aspects of the Old Law and
31:41
circumcision and so Peter would withdraw himself and no longer
31:46
eat with those Greek. Christian's those uncircumcised
31:50
brothers in Christ. Even so much that I think Paul
31:54
was shocked by this. You can almost see the shock in
31:57
his writing emails. So Barnabas was caught up in
31:59
your hypocrisy man. You got Barnabas to go along
32:03
with you on this. They really tell me worried
32:06
about Barnabas in scripture. He's always making the right
32:08
call doing the right thing saying the right thing.
32:09
But it was such a problem such an issue that that Peter will
32:13
withdraw himself from sitting with these Grecian brethren.
32:17
And pull Barnes Barnes. We can't put a bunch of those
32:21
judaizers just came in. You know, how they feel about
32:25
the uncircumcised. We got to sit over here with him
32:27
act. Like we don't know those guys,
32:29
this years after Acts chapter 10. so, Peter still struggling
32:35
and so Paul in this beautiful letter gets to the culmination
32:41
of the point that he wants to make.
32:44
This inspired point from the Holy Spirit.
32:48
There is neither Jew, nor Greek. There is neither Bond nor free.
32:52
There. Is neither male nor female for
32:54
We Are All One in Christ Jesus. Coming on the heels of what he
32:57
said. In verse 27 of chapter 3 for as
33:00
many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.
33:03
So what is the effect? What are the ramifications of
33:09
this? Baptism this putting on of
33:12
Christ will. Here's what happens when we
33:15
become children of God, when we become followers of Jesus
33:19
Christ. All this we they us them.
33:23
That's my tribe. Those are my people.
33:26
That's not my tribe. Those are not my people.
33:29
I am or more value than you are. My status is of more relevance
33:33
in society, and to God than yours is all of that.
33:37
All those ways that we try to divide ourselves, go out the
33:40
window. When we are baptized into Christ
33:46
and begin from that day forward to wear him as our savior.
33:51
There's now look at what the Holy Spirit through Paul does.
33:55
He addresses some of the biggest ways that we choose to divide
33:59
ourselves. Some of the biggest camps that
34:01
we fall susceptible to, with this us them with a mentality.
34:05
He deals with racism, with nationality, with ethnicity.
34:11
He says this, when you're in Christ, it's not Your this
34:16
tribe, I'm that tribe. Your this color.
34:18
I'm that color. We're of equal value.
34:21
We're on the same playing field. There's no difference.
34:24
We're all love equally by God and we should all love one
34:27
another equally as well, whether or not that person shares, our
34:31
skin color or ethnicity or ethnicity or nationality or not.
34:36
So, here's the Holy Spirit, addressing three of the main
34:38
ways that we divide ourselves. Through race.
34:42
Nationality, ethnicity through class, socioeconomic status.
34:50
The Holy Spirit through James address this when you see people
34:53
come into your assembly and they are dressed.
34:57
In such a way, where you realize, okay, this this person
35:01
is of means this person has some money and you show favoritism to
35:04
that person more so than the one who comes in and rags.
35:09
It was an issue in the first century.
35:12
As we talked about before, the Lord, never wasted his time when
35:15
he inspired these men, to write these words that we have telling
35:20
them in writing, what we have to write things down that come
35:24
naturally to us. Nowhere in scripture.
35:26
We use this illustration. We are nowhere in scripture.
35:29
You have a verse that says, make sure you, inhale, and exhale, a
35:32
certain amount of times every 60 seconds in order to further your
35:37
physical life. We don't have to think about it,
35:40
right. How many of you have been
35:43
thinking about this morning? How many have I have I inhaled
35:45
at least five times in the last 60 seconds.
35:49
I better breathe real quick. No God didn't spend any time.
35:54
Giving us instructions in Scripture that come naturally
35:57
that we're just going to do whether we're told to do or not
35:59
that that are instinctive. When God gives us things to do
36:03
in scripture, usually it is because it does not come
36:06
naturally. It's not something we're going
36:08
to do voluntarily without being instructed properly to do.
36:13
So. And so there were issues with
36:17
favoritism there issues with the vision, when we start talking
36:19
about division where we've not even gotten, we don't have time
36:22
to get into this morning. The ways that the New Testament
36:26
Church, the first century Church in Corinth were dividing
36:28
themselves. What we see today in the
36:33
denominational world. All these divisions, all this
36:36
us. They are this hyphenated.
36:38
Chris time that hyphenated. We don't have time to get into
36:40
all the problems in the issues and the harm that is done to the
36:44
cause of Christ. No, male nor female.
36:49
In other words. God does not view one as more
36:52
important than the other. There are still God's not
36:56
blurring the lines of roles where they're still Jews and
36:59
Greeks. After this was written.
37:02
Yes. We're there still males.
37:03
And females. Yes.
37:04
God is not just evaporating the lines that exist. he's
37:09
evaporating the lines of inequality that existed not of
37:14
role or You all know what the relationship was between males
37:21
and females during the time of Christ where they were literally
37:24
view the females were, and many ways as second class citizens.
37:28
It's I believe it was very intentional by the Lord to
37:30
appear first to a female when he was resurrected from the dead.
37:36
And to one female. Do you know how much weight her
37:40
testimony carried concerning the resurrected Lord in the eyes of
37:43
most males during the time of Christ?
37:48
Zip. When the women came back to tell
37:51
the apostles. We saw the empty tomb, we saw
37:54
angels in there with the Lord's, burial clothes.
37:57
Neatly folded beside them. They told us he's resurrected
38:00
and gone into the city. And what does it say?
38:03
The Apostles reaction of what they said, it seemed to them as
38:07
what idle Tales. They might as well have been
38:11
talking about Jack In the Beanstalk.
38:13
They put no, no confidence. No thought in part.
38:18
Because of this, this mindset that existed and still in many
38:24
ways exist in the Middle East to this very day.
38:27
The inequality between male and female.
38:30
And so the Holy Spirit through Paul addresses, some of the main
38:33
ways, in which we choose to divide ourselves and he says
38:35
listen in Christ Jesus. We are all one.
38:42
Let me share with you just a couple of comments that I
38:46
thought just worded. The things we can take away from
38:51
Galatians 3 and verse 28. This comes from Myers commentary
38:55
after you've just put on Christ, the distinctions of your various
38:58
relations. Of Life.
39:01
Apart from Christianity, have vanished from the standpoint of
39:05
this new condition. They have no further viability
39:08
anymore than if they were not to have ever existed.
39:13
God just blows up these lines of inequality these lines of Us
39:19
Versus Them the camps that we choose to divide ourselves into.
39:23
He blows them away. When we put him on in baptism
39:28
and I like cocks commentary. He said, there's this verse the,
39:31
neither Jew, nor Greek Bond or free male or female.
39:33
This verse marks the immense tried made by Christianity and
39:36
sweeping away, the artificial distinctions, which had been the
39:39
bane of the ancient world and aren't they still to this very
39:42
day. We just looked at a few examples
39:45
and introducing this topic this morning of the ways that we
39:47
divide ourselves. Some of them are trivial and
39:49
silly and ridiculous. Some of them have to do with
39:52
ethnicity, nationality, skin color, all these ways.
39:55
The way, That is what the world does.
39:59
The world chooses to divide. The devil loves that because the
40:02
house divided against itself cannot stand.
40:04
So if he can keep the human race and conflict with itself.
40:08
Always putting itself in various camps parties.
40:12
We, they us them having this mentality.
40:14
Then the devil knows that he can be very effective in what he
40:16
does. Because division leads to
40:19
weakness and weaknesses. The Devil's Playground.
40:26
Christianity is sweeping away. The artificial distinctions
40:28
would have been the bane of the ancient world and prevented any
40:31
true feeling of Brotherhood. Springing up in SE the world
40:33
cannot produce a situation and environment that leads to Unity
40:38
that leads to Oneness. That leads to it's no longer.
40:41
We've they us them. It's us, we're all one in Christ
40:44
Jesus. The world does not produce an
40:47
environment that allows that mindset to take place only
40:51
Christ. Christianity at one stroke
40:56
established the Brotherhood and abolished the distinctions.
41:01
That's that's what the blood of Christ does.
41:05
This should be inside. This building, we know there's
41:11
nothing holy about this building.
41:12
But the people that are represented here, followers of
41:15
Jesus Christ. This should be the most unified
41:18
group of people on the face of the Earth.
41:23
When we walk through that door, when we see one another, their
41:26
never should be us, they them, we it's all us.
41:34
We should be the most color blind people in the world.
41:37
We should be the ones who focus on ethnicity.
41:42
Nationality on Race. Those should be of no
41:47
consequence, socioeconomic status, all the ways that we
41:53
choose to divide ourselves. All those things should go out
41:57
the window at the foot of the cross.
42:01
We Stand level. All the same equal footing at
42:07
the foot of the cross. And once we become children of
42:11
God. Man, it isn't it a relief?
42:16
Because, you know, it gets tiring.
42:20
Mentally. When you're always, I mean, look
42:24
at our look at our current culture and the ways that we've
42:27
chosen to polarize ourselves, particularly with it.
42:31
When it comes to politics. I mean, there's so much hatred.
42:36
I saw a post from a Christian brother.
42:39
I think he's a minister somewhere up in Virginia.
42:43
And he said, I wonder. If I have got Brethren that
42:49
cannot love me because of the love that they have for a
42:53
particular politician. And that love for that
42:56
politician exceeds their love for me as their brother in
43:00
Christ. We can't let these kinds of
43:05
things. In the Lord's Church.
43:08
Divide us. It's not a, I'm an Alabama fan.
43:11
You're an Auburn fan. I'm a, I'm from European descent
43:15
or I'm from, you know, I'm from the Middle East or I'm from
43:19
Africa, wherever I'm hyphenated person.
43:22
I mean, this particular camp, this particular tribe.
43:25
Jesus has stop that. Stop that.
43:29
Be a light to the world. Where you can be the one place,
43:35
I love what Ellicott had to say in his commentary and
43:37
relationship with 3 verse 20. It's the only place that exists
43:41
where Oneness can truly be achieved because the world does
43:45
not provide. These politicians, we've got
43:48
nowadays. Are continually trying to divide
43:54
us into various camps and pit us as we should we have this common
44:01
connection through Noah. We all came from the same
44:04
family. So we have that commonality.
44:08
And we have this, this commonality as Christians, that
44:10
were all Brethren. That's what Paul went on to
44:12
segment. Look at what we have because we
44:15
are now wearing Jesus Christ. We are now all Children of
44:21
Abraham with you got Jewish blood running through your veins
44:24
or not. We're all joint heirs, according
44:26
to the promise. Adopted children of God.
44:32
All level at the foot of the cross.
44:35
We constantly got society and culture.
44:37
We've got our politicians got leaders.
44:39
We've got various people. That's us, they we them.
44:43
Let's be different. Let's be what God calls on us to
44:46
be and stop falling into these Temptations of dividing
44:50
ourselves into camps weather there.
44:55
It's really based on some sports team.
44:56
We follow or blood running through our veins or the color
45:00
of our skin. We're all one.
45:03
In Christ Jesus, if you're not a child of God this morning, then
45:07
you're missing out on the opportunity to be in that place
45:10
in that environment that provides Oneness.
45:13
And it's that place, that provides a promise.
45:16
A promise of being a partaker of The Inheritance reserved for the
45:21
Son of God, we get to share in that inheritance.
45:27
One of the promises that Jesus. And I've used this illustration
45:29
before, brother. I know you like this one because
45:32
I know you have a special chair in your house.
45:36
One of the promises is given to one of the seven churches in
45:38
Asia, Revelation Chapter 2 and 3.
45:42
Jesus says, I'll let you sit with me in my chair.
45:47
In my throne. You allowed that we've talked
45:51
about this before? Have you allowed that to sink
45:53
in? One of the reasons why, you
45:57
know, the spiritual world is eternal.
45:58
It's going to take a long time for every one of us to get a
46:01
turn. But every one of us are going to
46:03
get a turn. There's going to come a time in
46:06
heaven for all of us that are there where Jesus is going to
46:08
come and say, hey, it's your turn.
46:12
Come sit with me in my throne. You could hang out with the
46:16
Lord. In his seat, not on the other
46:21
side of the room, not in a chair, two feet lower, not in a
46:30
rickety old chair with one of the legs about to fall off.
46:34
Now, you need to sit with me. In my throne.
46:40
And all of us, regardless of what our status was in this
46:44
life, we have an opportunity to spend eternity with the Lord.
46:48
And hopefully by submitting to his will, all of us, will we get
46:53
a chance? Every last one of us to sit with
46:58
him in his throne. You only get that opportunity.
47:03
If you're there. It's a prepared place for a
47:06
prepared people by faith this morning, if you've not already
47:10
done, so you can repent of your sins confess, Jesus Christ, as
47:13
Lord, be immersed into Christ. That's what led into Paul
47:17
prefaced. What he said about this Oneness,
47:20
with what he said right before for his.
47:22
Many of you has been baptized into Christ.
47:23
Have put on Christ. That's what enables this
47:26
unification process to take place.
47:28
Not just one another, but with our father in Heaven, be
47:32
baptized into Christ. Have your sins washed away as
47:34
Romans chapter 6, verses 1 through 4, says, three in action
47:37
of the death burial and resurrection of Christ, you die
47:39
to your old self, your be read to your sins.
47:41
You come out, a new creation, ready to walk in newness of
47:44
life, if you've done that, but you've left your first love, you
47:48
need encouragement. You need prayer.
47:51
Maybe it's not a sin issue that you're dealing with.
47:52
Maybe you just need encouragement from your
47:54
brethren. Whatever your need is, if we can
47:56
help you in any way, please come as together.
47:58
We stand in.