From Grace to Race

Tell us what is to deal with sin, but we want to spend all of talk about skin Dr. Tony Evans is when God is dismissed from society, harmony and unity cannot be achieved if we are not fixing the problem race because we haven't fully understood the glory and grace. Celebrating faithfulness. This is the alternative Dr. Tony Abbott, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the urban alternative is not uncommon these days to hear talk about racism. Dr. Evans points out, it's not a new thing. The Bible records it addresses it and shows us that cultural evils are always rooted in spiritual stands. So if we truly want to overcome the sin of racism on a personal and societal level, we need to embrace a lesson God teaches us at the cross of Christ. Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2 as he explains when writing to the church at Ephesus. Paul spends the first level the chapter talking about the grace of God tells us we are saved by grace through faith tells us that in the ages to come.

God wants to manifest his grace comes in verse 10 says it's because of his grace, that we are now workers. We need to get to work and get the job done. Now that we been redeemed by Jesus Christ but curiously, when he finishes talking about grace he goes to race closer grace the race and he says that the first work of saved people of people named Jesus Christ to be the work of racial reconciliation. He says that the very first thing because the birthday he tells us about our work. But then, beginning in verse 11, all the way through verse 22.

He talks about race that grace should lead to fixing the problems of race or to put it another way, if you want. If I'm not, it will not fixing the problem of race is because we haven't fully understood the glory of grace and he comes and he opens it up to the biggest racial problem in the New Testament is the problem between the Jews and the Gentiles. Therefore, based on the grace of God that on produce the work in the people of God. Remember that you formally the Gentiles in the flesh called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands uncircumcised with the Gentiles. The circumcised were the Jews that like the Berlin wall that separated may come from Warsaw that was a division not to be crossed, the Jews rejected the Gentiles. They were not racially pure. They were not religiously acceptable, and that was a bit by between the two, but now both were claiming the same faith. Paul speaks into this calamity and he says now that you say you got to fix this now that your believers, you gotta solve this now that you name the name of Christ. The problem was, even though they were on their way to heaven yet learned can we all get along on earth is like the saying goes to live above with saints we love all that would be glory but to dwell below with saints we know that's a whole different story. Somehow the thought that we going to okay up there. Doesn't translate well to as being okay down the yet Paul is not willing to wait for us to get the glory. To fix this thing and to make it right.

But the problem of race that leads to racism and other form and all of its form of inequities is because we bring our histories with us. The Gentiles only knew how to be Gentiles in the Jews only knew how to be Jewish, yet they find themselves sharing the same faith and not belonging to the same church but they brought their past with them. You and I know it's not easy to let go of yesterday, especially when you use to it.

Or maybe there's pain in it, but yet now you this new creature in Christ and how do we fix this. Rather than have it go on year after year, decade after decade, century after century, he says, but now verse 13 of Ephesians to see that. But now, in other words, there is a whole new situation as a whole new reality as a whole new circumstance.

Our problem today is we've got too many Christians trapped in their own racial identity because that trap they missed but now he says, but now in Christ Jesus you formally were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, making both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing it in this flesh, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so that in himself he might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace. That is a Christians right but they weren't at peace. They were in conflict with one another four times between these verses up through verse 17 he uses the word peace peace peace peace and he says that this is comes with an understanding of what you are now. I do a lot of marriage counseling. The reason I do marriage counseling is because couples come to me in conflict.

There's no peace in the relationship that at each other's throat.

They were talking about divorce does anger, misuse, abuse, insensitivity, and they come to me to help them sort out their marital difficulties. I have discovered they never understood marriage to Matilda.

They never understood what they got into an because they brought their past with what their mamas that is taught them what their previous singlehood was like they did not understand that the two become one and what that means and how that looks. And because they never understood the root of marriage, then living in the fruit of conflict because Christians across the racial line, color lines, cultural lines and class lines have not understood the root of what has happened.

When you come to Jesus Christ. We bring all that stuff and fight over it because we're not going back to the root. He says when you come to Christ. God is not trying to fix something oldish. He's trying to make something new.

He calls it one new man, not fixing to all racial people. He does not mean by this, you lose your identity what he is saying is your previous identity is no longer your point of reference that we say that again.

He's not saying Jews and Gentiles are Gentiles because he talks about Jews and Gentiles throughout all of his letters. What he is saying is that this will say this new relationship is your starting point for everything else in your experience with one another and how you want to view yourself. The moment that this new relationship in Christ is not the starting point for your racial identity you will forever live in racial conflict and confusion and debate in crisis watch because you're starting at the wrong place. He says he himself is our peace.

What we have not discovered in our racial conflict and confusion is that when messing with Jesus Christ because he is our peace. He is our point of reference, he is the one who has established one new man or to put it in everyday language.

You are Christian first and your, your culture must adapt to that.

This type of the church of Jesus Christ to create something new to create something that the world has never seen to create a brand-new church under the Lordship of Jesus Christ without losing our uniqueness, but creating something new because Jesus is our peace.

He is the one who establishes a whole different way of operating so that people from different backgrounds can still sit next to each other so that the PhD of the GB can still hang out together.

Why because they belong in their loyalty to Jesus Christ and he sits in the seat of their relationship and he can overrule them, see we got too many black Christians. Jesus came over will. We got too many white Christians.

Jesus can overrule. We got too many Christians of every hue that Jesus can overrule and you know it's because they will quickly go back to the coaches. Well, I think I feel I was raised this way and will then revert back on you real quick, which means they don't understand Jesus is creating something new one new man and he uses this concept is true to let us know that verse 16 he might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, Jesus Christ wants to reconcile these two races.

He wants to bring harmony, unity and togetherness and he wants to do it through the crossing across is not a 2000 year old relic. It is a contemporary LT why because the cross was establish to deal with sin. Dr. Evans will tell us how to go about reconciling work of Jesus Christ when he returns in just a moment. Stay with us black lives matter racial reconciliation white privilege racism race relations are at a boiling point in America today. We know racism is a sin, but how does our society fix it in his book one is embraced reconciliation the kingdom and our stir together. Dr. Tony Evans turns to both his real-life experiences and what he's learned from Scripture to show you how to strive for unity across racial and socioeconomic divides. The time is now. Learn more about what is embraced@tonyevans.org Tony Avenue and.org. Today's message from Grace to race is part of an historic collection. We put together called Tony Evans top 4040 of his most powerful sermons over the last 40 years. Some originally preached for decades ago.

Some, like today's that are practically brand-new for limited time volumes three and four of this for volume collection can be yours as a way of saying thanks when you make a donation to help keep this listener supported broadcast coming your way make the arrangements today and will get this great collection of audio messages on CD or digital download into your hands right away are resource centers open around the clock to help you. Just call 1-800-800-3222 day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222 or visit us online at Tony Avenue and's.org or you can browse through a huge collection of resources and sign up for Tony's free weekly email devotional other Peter contact information after part two of today's lesson in this verse I went to the holy land made the reality of the Bible jumble and become an experiential Dr. Tony, I think. Scene experience can be yours. Thanks to a big-screen event coming to theaters near you journey with Jesus just actual places where Bible history but it's far more than just a travel down taking the site surrounded the Scripture surrounded with practical applications for your life because one is this not just to be a sightseeing but to be a spiritual experience. Much the Bible come alive and we never felt before joining Tony on a journey with Jesus coming to a theater near you. November 16 and 17th is our prayer, hope and expectation seen the movie night religions Tony Evans.org today sometimes and more info.

Tony.org the cross was established to deal with sin, but we want to spend all of time talk about skin and if you spend all your time talk about skiing you go missense because the only reason of the problem with skin is because we will address the sin you don't reconcile by simply say let's all get along, let's meet together, you must identify the sin applies across address listing through repentance, so that the reconciling work of Jesus Christ can be at night. It holds we do we we mentioned the cross but the cross is not the final say so, having been built together.

He says in verse 20 on the foundation of the apostles of the prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

The cornerstone was the alignment stone that you lined up all the other stones with in-line things up like a survey off lines things up. The cornerstone line things up and he says based on what's this, the apostles and the prophets. Now the apostles and the prophets were set up for the writing of the word of God.

We talked about the prophets and apostles are not just people. They are biblical authors here say if you're going along with Christ you have to live with the word of God affixes race problem. The Bible is God overrule you.

We got foregoing the sociology books before they go to the Bible, we got folk starting critical race theory before they go to the Bible.

No, the Bible sits on top of all those other things, and there may be great benefits and studying all of those reality as long as the word of God sits on top of it and is the point of reference for with Jesus Christ being the final decision-maker of it. The book of John chapter 17 verse 24 says perfect women unity so that they will see my glory. You know what a children thing God's glory is because we illegitimately racially divided. We use our culture and our race as an excuse not to reconcile, and as a result, the world doesn't have a model to look at. So we fight live here there fight not there. Every Christian who names the name of Jesus Christ must be actively purposefully involved in reconciliation because like a football team, the different races, but is only one beautiful different cultures but only one beautiful different backgrounds but only one uniform wife because they all headed toward one goal line will have toward one goal line. The exultation of Jesus Christ was reconcile body with the cross and the teachings of the word of God having the last word that what you want to talk to you daddy tortures which a culture torture unless it agrees with what God says I love the way Scripture says in Colossians 1 verses 19 to 23 that if you want to see God you better focus on reconciliation because Christ came to reconcile people reconcile people vertically reconcile people horizontally to one another. It's time for racism to end. It is time for the racist to confess their sins. It is time for those who refuse to forgive, to confess the sin of unforgiveness. No justice, no peace got that no forgiveness, no peace, you better get that both must be signed simultaneously troll for the one new man. Why, because of the Scripture. In second Corinthians chapter 5, beginning in verse 16. Therefore, from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh, we don't look at people like that I was the old life as how helmeted people first, he says now that you know Jesus Christ that's never the starting point. He says, but now if people are in Christ.

They are new creatures. None of the birds they teach.

Now all things are from God, that's out reference point, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us here is the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, not ambassadors in the basilar somebody who goes to another country on behalf of their country to represent their country on foreign soil.

Your order that the foreign country, but you are an ambassador from heaven, and what you ambassadorship about the ministry of reconciliation and let's give the world something to see, that overrides racism that overrides evil, whether it's individual structural that demonstrates what the kingdom of God looks like when people held that standard movies they show you previews of coming attractions. These are the hot clips of the upcoming show always love seeing the fight scene of the Tracy don't always a hot clips go they wanted to live based on the previous one that is a big show, the town God is the produce of the Holy Spirit is DirectX Jesus is the superstar on his mobile worldwide production, but in the meantime, please love you and me here as previews of coming attractions were supposedly hot clips of the upcoming show people oppose and see how we live and how we relate to one another as a clip of the kingdom minister, when I see how hot the clip is through the church of Jesus Christ across racial lines and cultural lines, then they might ask where can I buy a ticket to the home show course as we can tell them you have to buy a ticket price has already been paid. Did you know the price for you is already been paid. Jesus died on the cross in your place for your sins to pay the price for your rebellion against him.

The price has already been paid simply by acknowledging your sinfulness to a holy God and by placing your faith alone in Christ alone as your substitute your sin bearer keyboard your sins on the cross and he will exchange his goodness for your evil and make you acceptable to a holy God. Yes he will and will charge 1/4 of the price has already been paid. We go to Jesus Christ right now. Would you acknowledge your sinfulness and your need for Savior. Let the Lord know Laura Mussina and I choose Jesus Christ and his substitutionary death as payment for my sin. Thank you for forgiving me, I would now receive the free gift of eternal life if you by faith will accept him, he will give you salvation like to learn more about what it means to accept that salvation and become a member of God's kingdom through Christ visit Tony Evans.org today and follow the link that simply says Jesus there. Dr. Evans will explain everything you need to know about what being a real Christian is all about. Again that's Tony Avenue and start org what Tony will come back in just a moment with a final challenge for believers.

But first, a quick reminder, you can get the full-length version of today's lesson is a part of Tony Avenue and stop 40, a collection of his best and most powerful messages of all time. Remember volumes three and four of this four volume collection can be yours right now with our thanks for your donation to the urban alternative.

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Over time, our love for God either tends to grow more rich or more routine on Monday. Dr. Evans explains that when that second one happens not only leaves our hearts empty.

It leaves our church is empty to right now though his back with his closing challenge for each of us. If you are a believer maybe you can help racially, culturally, maybe you see injustices and inequities rather than just complain about it become a minister of reconciliation become an ambassador let the Lord know that he can use you this week to heal the wound in somebody's life to their people been wounded by racism or reverse racism or the misuse of power injustices and immediately you will be a healer, not just the instigator or complaint you tell Jesus Christ that this was what the cross is all about. Thank you for reconciling you to him and thank you for not making a minister of reconciliation.

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