Embracing Unity: Overcoming Prejudice Through Faith

 

Summary

In these challenging times, it's crucial to cultivate a faith that respects everyone, regardless of their differences. Stress and crises, like the ongoing pandemic, often exacerbate our biases, leading to prejudice and discrimination. This is what the Bible refers to as the sin of partiality. It's a sin that manifests as favoritism towards some and bias against others, and it's something God detests. As believers, we are called to rise above these tendencies and embrace a faith that mirrors God's impartial love.

The book of James, particularly chapter two, addresses the issues of selfishness and prejudice head-on. It challenges us to examine our subtle biases, whether they are based on race, economic status, or other superficial differences. The Bible is clear: God shows no partiality, and neither should we. Prejudice is not only a rejection of God's diverse creation but also a sign of ignorance and a violation of the great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.

God's creation is diverse by design, and our differences are meant to be celebrated, not condemned. Prejudice questions God's wisdom in creating us uniquely. It is a serious sin that goes against the very essence of the gospel, which calls for unity and reconciliation. As the church, we are to model this unity and be the answer to the world's divisions.

To combat prejudice, we must learn to see people as God does, focusing on their hearts rather than outward appearances. This requires intentional effort and prayer, asking God to help us view others through His eyes. The church, as the family of God, is uniquely positioned to lead the way in racial reconciliation and unity. Our primary identity should be as children of God, transcending race, nationality, and social status.

Key Takeaways:

- The Sin of Partiality: Prejudice is a sin that God takes seriously because it questions His creation and shows favoritism, which is contrary to His nature. We must strive to eliminate any form of bias from our lives, recognizing that all people are made in God's image. [05:11]

- Prejudice as Ignorance: Prejudice reveals a lack of understanding of God's plan and purpose. True wisdom, as described in James, is free from prejudice and hypocrisy, showing that wisdom is reflected in how we treat others. [12:25]

- The Great Commandment: Prejudice disobeys the command to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus' teaching and the story of the Good Samaritan emphasize that everyone is our neighbor, and we are called to love and respect all people. [13:22]

- Unity in Diversity: The church is called to model unity and reconciliation, breaking down barriers of race, gender, and social status. Our identity in Christ should be our primary identity, uniting us as one family. [23:35]

- Seeing Through God's Eyes: To overcome prejudice, we must learn to see people as God does, focusing on their hearts rather than appearances. This requires prayer and a commitment to view others with God's love and compassion. [19:56]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Series
- [00:40] - Stress and Bias
- [01:35] - Tragedy and Injustice
- [02:19] - A Faith That Respects Everyone
- [03:40] - Subtle Biases
- [05:11] - God's View on Partiality
- [06:05] - James on Prejudice
- [08:32] - God's Creation and Diversity
- [11:17] - Prejudice as Ignorance
- [13:22] - The Great Commandment
- [15:31] - Prejudice as a Serious Sin
- [19:56] - Seeing People as God Does
- [23:35] - The Church's Role in Unity
- [26:19] - Identity in Christ

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. James 2:1-9
2. Deuteronomy 10:17
3. Acts 17:26

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Observation Questions:

1. According to James 2:1-9, what example does James use to illustrate the sin of partiality? How does this example relate to economic prejudice? [06:05]

2. In Deuteronomy 10:17, what characteristics of God are highlighted in relation to partiality and justice? How does this reflect on how we should treat others? [04:51]

3. Acts 17:26 mentions God's creation of all nations from one man. How does this passage emphasize the unity and diversity of humanity? [10:02]

4. What are some subtle biases mentioned in the sermon that people might not immediately recognize as prejudice? [03:40]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the example of favoritism in James 2:1-9 challenge the way believers might treat people based on their economic status? What does this reveal about the nature of prejudice? [06:05]

2. Deuteronomy 10:17 states that God shows no partiality. How can this understanding of God's character influence a believer's approach to justice and fairness in their community? [04:51]

3. Acts 17:26 speaks to the intentionality of God's creation of diverse nations. How might this passage inform a believer's view on racial and cultural differences? [10:02]

4. The sermon mentions that prejudice is a sign of ignorance. How does this perspective align with the biblical call to wisdom and understanding? [11:17]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you may have shown favoritism or bias, even subtly. What steps can you take to address this behavior in the future? [03:40]

2. Considering Deuteronomy 10:17, how can you actively work towards being more just and impartial in your daily interactions? What specific actions can you take this week? [04:51]

3. In light of Acts 17:26, how can you celebrate the diversity in your community or church? What practical steps can you take to foster unity among different cultural or racial groups? [10:02]

4. The sermon emphasizes seeing people as God does, focusing on their hearts rather than appearances. What practical ways can you implement this perspective in your relationships? [19:56]

5. How can the church model unity and reconciliation in a divided world? What role can you personally play in promoting this within your church community? [23:35]

6. Reflect on the story of the Good Samaritan mentioned in the sermon. How can you apply the lessons from this story to your interactions with those who are different from you? [14:37]

7. The sermon suggests that our primary identity should be as children of God. How does this identity influence your interactions with others, and how can you prioritize this identity in your daily life? [27:31]

Devotional

Day 1: The Sin of Partiality
In a world filled with differences, the sin of partiality is a significant issue that challenges our faith. Partiality, or favoritism, is a sin that God detests because it questions His creation and shows bias against others. This sin manifests when we favor certain individuals over others based on superficial differences such as race, economic status, or social standing. As believers, we are called to rise above these tendencies and embrace a faith that mirrors God's impartial love. Recognizing that all people are made in God's image, we must strive to eliminate any form of bias from our lives. This requires a conscious effort to see others as God does, valuing their hearts rather than their outward appearances. [05:11]

"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe." (Deuteronomy 10:17, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a situation where you showed favoritism. How can you actively work to treat everyone with equal respect and love today?


Day 2: Prejudice as Ignorance
Prejudice is not only a rejection of God's diverse creation but also a sign of ignorance. It reveals a lack of understanding of God's plan and purpose for humanity. True wisdom, as described in the book of James, is free from prejudice and hypocrisy. It is reflected in how we treat others, showing love and respect regardless of their differences. Prejudice questions God's wisdom in creating us uniquely and goes against the essence of the gospel, which calls for unity and reconciliation. As followers of Christ, we are challenged to examine our subtle biases and seek wisdom that aligns with God's truth. [12:25]

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth." (James 3:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a bias you hold. How can you seek God's wisdom to overcome this prejudice and embrace His diverse creation?


Day 3: The Great Commandment
The great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves is central to the Christian faith. Prejudice disobeys this command, as it prevents us from loving and respecting all people. Jesus' teaching and the story of the Good Samaritan emphasize that everyone is our neighbor, regardless of their background or differences. As believers, we are called to love others as Christ loves us, breaking down barriers of race, gender, and social status. This requires intentional effort and prayer, asking God to help us view others through His eyes and love them with His compassion. [13:22]

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a relationship where you struggle to show love. How can you demonstrate Christ-like love to this person today?


Day 4: Unity in Diversity
The church is called to model unity and reconciliation, breaking down barriers that divide us. Our identity in Christ should be our primary identity, uniting us as one family regardless of race, nationality, or social status. God's creation is diverse by design, and our differences are meant to be celebrated, not condemned. As the body of Christ, we are to be the answer to the world's divisions, showing the world what true unity looks like. This requires a commitment to see others as God does and to embrace the diversity within the church as a reflection of His kingdom. [23:35]

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to unity within your church community, celebrating diversity as a reflection of God's kingdom?


Day 5: Seeing Through God's Eyes
To overcome prejudice, we must learn to see people as God does, focusing on their hearts rather than appearances. This requires prayer and a commitment to view others with God's love and compassion. By asking God to help us see others through His eyes, we can begin to break down the barriers of prejudice and embrace the diversity of His creation. The church, as the family of God, is uniquely positioned to lead the way in racial reconciliation and unity. Our primary identity should be as children of God, transcending race, nationality, and social status. [19:56]

"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Reflection: Consider someone you have judged based on appearances. How can you begin to see them through God's eyes and appreciate their true worth?

Quotes

"Now today we just call it prejudice or discrimination or even bigotry but it's not surprising that during this Kovan 19 pandemic that racial and cultural tensions have actually increased since people are on edge and stressed out last week I wrote to you in our church family about the tragedy of a Matar buries murder here's a young black man named R burry almond armory and he went out for a jog he's unarmed and he's brutally gunned down and murdered by a white guy and his son and then those two men were not even arrested for two months until a video surfaced on social media that outraged the world and none of us want to live in that kind of a culture." [00:01:23]

"The sin of partiality is showing favoritism and bias towards some people and showing prejudice and biased against other people favoritism and bias towards some and prejudice and bias against toward others now I know what you're thinking anything a trick I'm not prejudiced I'm certainly not a racist my church family is Saddleback I mean we're probably the most racially diverse church in America we speak a hundred and sixty-eight languages in our church family if you were a bigot you wouldn't hang around Saddleback very long one of our values in our name the a in Saddleback stands for all nation congregation we want our church to look like Evans gonna look but hang on just a minute and let me ask you to consider some more subtle ways that you might show partiality maybe not racially maybe but let me ask you are you quick to judge people with hairstyles you consider weird or how about people with piercings in different parts of their bodies or how about people who are fat or skinny you just have a little bias toward them against them or they dress differently than you do what about people who have a different religion than you do what if they're an immigrant what about people who are younger than you or what about people who are older than you they're all these subtle subtle biases in our life what about people who make more money than you or about people who make less money than you do you look down on them this is the sin of partiality it's a big deal to God and because it's a big deal to God it should be to us to Deuteronomy 10 verse 17 says God never shows partiality and he cannot be corrupted what does that mean that means God is never unfair God has never unjust God is never prejudiced because God is that way the Bible also says in 2nd chronicles 19 chapter 4 chapter 19 verse 7 God does not tolerate injustice partiality or corruption does God doesn't tolerate it and we shouldn't either why because all three are unfair all three are dishonest and all three are unloving they are the opposite of integrity and humility and generosity." [00:02:30]

"James chapter 2 verse 9 in the passage we're looking at today says this if you treat people according to their outward appearance how they look he says you're guilty of sin and God's law condemns you as a law breaker now that's pretty clear but you know what as I've traveled around the world I think I've been in a hundred and sixty something countries I have come to the conclusion that prejudice particularly racial prejudice may be the world's most prevalent sin because no matter where you go in the world somebody doesn't like somebody else the northern people in this country don't like the southern people in this country and one tribe doesn't like another tribe and this dark skin and light-skinned group in the same nation don't like each other and on and on you can find it everywhere everybody has a scapegoat everybody has a prejudice the racial reconciliation and getting this out of our hearts is not some minor issue to God it's at the heart of the gospel it's at the heart of the gospel those of you who read my letter this last week on this I said it like this racism is a problem of sin not a skin it's not a skin problem it's a sin problem and it is a sin that the Bible says we will all give an account to one day forgot to God Romans chapter 14 verse 10 says this so why do you judge your brother now I'm not just talking about racial judgment I'm Dharma economic judgment or how they look or how they talk or their accent or where their from why do you judge your brother and why do you say that you're better than he we will all stand before God one day and he will judge us all you see the problem is every one of us grew up being raised to distrust what is different we are raised to distrust what is different being different doesn't mean it's demonic Dean never just means it's different you naturally feel most comfortable with people like you that's just normal that's human nature so how do we root out the sin of partiality the sin of prejudice racism of bigotry of having having ideas of favoring certain groups and being opposed to other groups how do we root out this prejudice out of our lives well it's a very complex issue and a single message like this could only start you thinking I could easily give you a dozen steps to work on next week by the way we're going to look at that verse and we just covered again where it says love your neighbor as yourself and I'm gonna do a message on how do you love your neighbor as yourself during a pandemic when we're social distancing and you're wearing a mask and you're supposed to stay at home how do you love your neighbors yourself during that time but but let me just leave you today with one action step for you to work on this week okay just one simple action step to be a little less biased a little less prejudice of people that are different from you whether it's religion or race or economics or anything else here's the first key we must learn to see people as God does we must learn to see people and look at people the way God does now I don't do this naturally you don't do this naturally you have to learn it but you can learn it and you're gonna need to ask God for help how do I learn to see everybody who comes into my life the way God does well let me share some scripture first Samuel chapter 16 verse 7 says this the Lord does not look at the things that man looks at man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart we've got to look at the heart you know studies have shown that people tend to make judgments about you when they see for the first time in the first thirty seconds you know not only are books judged by their covers houses are judged by their curb appeal and people are judged by how they look how they dress how they behave how they how they talk Jesus says in John chapter seven verse 24 stop judging on mere appearance stop judging on mere appearance make a right judgment he's saying don't be shallow learn to see people the way God sees them you know the Bible is really full of examples of cultural prejudice and racial prejudice those of you a part of Saddleback Church knows last year we did a series on Jonah that books about prejudice Jonah hated the people God was sending him to to preach he was he was he was racially prejudiced against them even Peter you know one of the greatest disciples had to overcome his prejudice against non-jews he'd been raised as a strict Jew and and in a strict you couldn't even touch a non Jew which were called Gentiles and so in order to spread the gospel God had to give Peter a dream to break through his his prejudice against people that weren't like him God gave him a dream to prepare him to reach non Jews around the world Acts chapter 10 verse 28 then Peter said to Cornelius his household that Cornelius was a non non Jew so he was a and Peter goes to his house which is really illegal for a Jew to do in those days and he says you know Cornelius the Jewish law forbids us from associating with people of another race but he says God has shown me that no race is inferior or unclean Wow that's 2000 years ago God has shown me that no race is inferior unclean as God got that message through to you yet Acts chapter 10 verse 34 and 35 Peter continues he says I now realize that God does not show favoritism but he accepts men and women from every nation who fear Him and do what is right so I'm gonna ask you this week to start asking God to help you see people differently look at that teenager differently look at that person with the strange clothes in your opinion or hairdo or the number of tattoos they've got or whatever look at them the way God sees them now I mentioned this earlier but I want to come back to it I believe that God's plan to bring people together is the church it's the family of God we are called as a church to model unity reconciliation and fellowship to the rest of the world when the world is divided the church is called to be united and Paul explains this in first Corinthians chapter 12 verses 13 and 27 he says this about the church you know in the church he says some of us are Jews and some of us are Gentiles some of us have been slaves and some of us are free but we have all been baptized into one body through one spirit and we have all received the same spirit now all notice how many times says all now all of you together are Christ's body and each of you is an necessary part of it did you know that you're needed in the body of Christ you're needed in the family of God you're needed in a church home we need each other for many many reasons one just give you a couple of them the reason why we need each other why we need a church family why you need a church families first because none of us are completing ourselves we all have weaknesses none of us can have all of the gifts second we can't model reconciliation by ourselves I mean it's easy to love people who are like you who are lovely and cool but if God's gonna teach you real love he he's gonna put you around some unlovely people or people who are not necessarily an lovely just different we cannot model reconciliation by herself we have to be in a group or people are different all right so we are reason zwei we need to church another one is because we find our identity in relationships you might write that down we find our identity in relationships you know because friend our world is fracturing more and more and more into many many different divisions and it's it's literally crumbling in all kinds of divisions there is a crisis of identity in the world it is probably the most common crisis in modern culture people go on I don't know who I am Who am I what am i you know what gender am I what what person am i what culture am i what race am i we see this struggle literally everywhere in race and sexuality in your place in the world what's my place in this world why because when relationships are broken people don't know who they are now what God says in in this next verse on your outline is probably the most radical statement you've ever heard Galatians chapter 3 verses 26 to 28 says this so now what's he talking about now that you've been saved so now that you're in the family of God now that you're a Christian now that you're part of the the body of Christ so now you are all children of God you're all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus and all who have been united with Christ in Baptism have been made like him so here's the radical part there is no longer any Jew or Gentile slave or free or male or female for you are all Christians one in Christ Jesus whoa whoa let me ask you this question he said have you put your trust in Christ and joined his family if you have put your faith in Christ if you're a child of God and you put your trust in him you join us family then your primary identity listen is not your nationality Saddleback's a multinational church your primary identity is not your economic status I'm wealth wealthier I'm poor or whatever your primary identity is not your race your primary identity is not even your gender I'm a man I'm a woman the Bible says if I've been saved my primary identity is this I belong to God's family I belong to God's family and when I'm asked to describe myself I don't first say I'm a white older American male no if I'm truly biblical in my identity when I'm asked to describe myself I say I'm a child of God I'm a part of God's family and when I get up in the morning my first thought is not to be I am a whatever okay a white guy I am a I'm a blonde losing my hair I am overweight I am what no no my first thought is to say I'm a child of God and I'm a part of God's family now you know what that means it means that I have more in with a black female African Christian than I would with a white American male cuz I'm not in the same family with every white American male but if a black female African Christian is in the family god she's my sister or an Asian female follower of Christ is my sister I have more in common with those who are part of the family of God then I have people my own nationality of my own race of my own economic status of every other thing because those things aren't gonna last I'm not always gonna be an American but I'm always gonna be in God's family for trillions and trillions of years here's what it says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 11 in this new life listen to this this will blow your mind in this new life Colossians 3:11 one's nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant such things mean nothing whether a person has Christ is what matters and he's equally available to all that friends is the radical foundation of racial reconciliation only the injustice of what was done to Jesus on the cross is powerful enough to stop all the injustice in our world now I want to lead in prayer cuz it says he's available to all if you're not in the family of God if you've never received Christ you can do that today and I want to say to those of you if you have been mistreated unjustly because of your race because of your age because of your heritage because of your sex because of your economic status I want you to know that you have a savior who understands because he was treated unjustly - and I want you to know that you are welcomed and wanted in the family of God if you don't have a local church home saddleback can become your church home now every week we do three things at the end of the service the first thing we do is RiRi commit our lives to Christ if you've never done that I want to lead you in a service a prayer right now and maybe all of us could recommit ourselves to being what God wants us to be a little less biased and a little more forgiving and a little more loving and a little more like Christ let's bow our heads Heavenly Father I want to thank you for the people who've listened to this message and now I'm gonna ask you to listen to their prayers as they pray now you pray a simple prayer say Jesus Christ thank you for making me who you made me to be just say that thank you for making me to be who you made me to be you chose my race you chose my parents you chose my nationality you chose my sex I had nothing to do with any of these and you made me to be me thank you for loving me thank you for dying on the cross for me Jesus Christ as much as I know how I asked you into my life I want to begin a life of love with you and a life of purpose and a life of meaning and I want to follow you from this day forward in your name I pray amen you know if you prayed that prayer I want you to let me know about it at the end of this message on the screen will be how to contact me and if you would like Newstart materials that information will be at the end after this song now another thing that we do is we express our gratitude to God through giving giving back and I just want to say again this week friends your generosity of giving online is now feeding tens of thousands of people who are out of work through Saddleback Church you're serving the needs of people literally not just a Southern California but on four different continents because our churches on four different continents so you can go online to Saddleback comm and give your gift you can actually make a regular contribution you can set up an an automatic account it matters and this is one of our ways of saying thank you to God and thank you for helping so many people in need in these days third thing we do is we meet online each week in small groups for support we normally meet in homes but right now we're meeting in online groups if you're not in a group we'll help you get in one at the end after the after this next song they'll all the information for how to make contact will be on the screen now let me just say two quick things about this week and next week this next Tuesday night and I think almost all of our campuses almost all of our campuses gonna be able to do this we're gonna have a drive-through communion service at each campus Tuesday night when we do our together Tuesday's we normally do them on zoom' and we'll still do it on zoom' and if you can't drive to your campus what you will do is you drive to the campus roll down your window and we'll have people there to serve you Communion and pray a prayer blessing for you and then you can drive on out why we just want to see you at the different campuses if you can't make it out or you need to stay home that's fine you can tune online to your together third Tuesday to your campus and you could participate in communion that week this next Tuesday then in two weeks on Tuesday we're gonna do our first baptism by appointment at Lake Forest campus just the Lake Forest campus I will be there and here's what you do if you want to be baptized you let us know and we'll set we're gonna set up a time that about every five minutes there'll be a different baptism in that evening we'll send you all this in the mail and you come it already changed in your baptism clothes whatever you wanna go wet in bring your own towel so there's no changing you won't have to touch anything if you have somebody in your family who's already been baptized they can baptize you all right I'll be there and we will all make the pronouncements and we'll do the prayers but somebody in your family can baptize you that that evening if you haven't don't have anybody in your family who's available to do that you can come and we'll teach you how you can kneel down in the water yourself and gently lower yourself into the water and be baptized there's nothing in Scripture no theology says that a pastor has to touch you to be baptized alright so if you've seen a lot of the movies about Jesus John the Baptist goes Jesus goes down to John the Baptist and Jesus kneels down and dunks himself it's okay to do that we'll only take the first 40 names because that's all we can do to keep the social distancing but that'll be not this Tuesday but a week from Tuesday you can call the Saddleback Church office and get information on that I love you I thank God for you next week we're gonna be on how to love your neighbor as yourself in the middle of a pandemic god bless you everybody listen to this song and then see the information" [00:15:31]

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