Unity in Diversity: Celebrating Our Oneness in Christ
Devotional
Sermon Summary
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1. "You know, it's just so amazing to look around the room and just to think of how many beautiful cultures there are here. But at the same time, it's so cool because when you look around, there's just so many differences. Like when we break it all down, there are so many differences that we have. But I just want to declare today that in all of our differences, they do not divide. In all of our differences, they create something strong, something beautiful, something that's lasting. So as we go into the Word, we're going to share for a few moments and then at the end, we're going to have communion together. Because there's nothing that unites everybody like the wonderful name of Jesus." [02:02] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "I love that it's amazing to think that this is a true stat, that to think of all of our differences, we are actually still 99% the same. Doesn't matter. You've got all your differences. You get someone from the other side of the world, this side of the world, likes everything completely different. The truth of it is, is we are still 99% the same. Difference in skin color seems so big, and has surely created a whole lot of divide among people. That only seems to be escalating in this day and age. But yet, even in that, there is only 0.2% difference between someone who has fair skin, and someone like me who has darker skin." [03:14] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Because who knows that love, pure love, true love, doesn't differentiate around differences. Come on, it comes and penetrates the heart. We've become so PC that we're fear. We're in fear of offending people all the time, misrepresenting people. An area that has now become cautioned rather than an area that's become, that was once confidence. All of a sudden, the complexities have taken away the reality that we can complement each other so much. It's become competition rather than actually completion. Now, I understand we need to be respectful. I'm not saying anything out of disrespect. But we have to understand that sometimes we do need to learn and grow in understanding." [04:23] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "What I love about God's love, it doesn't look at the image people project. But the image everybody possesses. And in that, everybody is equal. Don't you love that? He doesn't look at the image I project. He looks at the image I possess. What do I possess? I possess the reality I am made in his image. Come on, when God sees me, even when I was running away from him, even when I knew what was right, but I was doing everything that was wrong, it didn't repel his grace. It didn't repel his love. He's, that's my son. He's wayward. He doesn't know the decisions he's making. But my gosh, that's my son. I'm his heavenly father. And it's the same towards every person in society. They might go, I don't believe in God. Doesn't change the fact that God still believes in them. God has a purpose and a plan and he has a hope and it's a future. And I love the fact that Jesus is the great unifier." [07:21] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "See, the reality is that Satan is a separator. He's a divider. Basically, he makes preference the primary. It's a preference thing, but he'll make it the primary thing. What's your political position? Are you a right? Are you a left? And depending on your right or your left, therefore, that's your primary standpoint, who you are as a person. No, no, no, no. That's a preference. That's not a paramount. That's not a principle. That's a preference we have. Come on, the reality of our religion can be a separator. The reality of gender can be a separator. If we had led it over COVID, if you were vaxxed or unvaxxed, the desire that was communicated, that should be a separator. But I'm so proud of a church that declared, come on, it's not about whether you're vaxxed or unvaxxed. Come on, it's the fact that we are a body. It's the fact that we're a family. And yes, it's hard. And yes, it hurts, but we are united together. Come on, under a love that makes a way." [06:25] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "See, this is what I loved about Jesus. He was the great unifier. He was the great leveler. Society was the great unifier. He was the great leveler. He wants to put us on a scale from bottom to top and wherever you fit in what they approve and appease and whatever else is going on in the time. And the pendulum often will swing from side to side, but they'll put you in an order up and down. But what I loved about Jesus is Jesus would lift the low up and he would bring the high down. And he didn't bring the high that you should be down there and the low that you should be up there, but he brought them to a level playing field." [10:56] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "Come on, the reality of our religion can be a separator. The reality of gender can be a separator. If we had led it over COVID, if you were vaxxed or unvaxxed, the desire that was communicated, that should be a separator. But I'm so proud of a church that declared, come on, it's not about whether you're vaxxed or unvaxxed. Come on, it's the fact that we are a body. It's the fact that we're a family. And yes, it's hard. And yes, it hurts, but we are united together. Come on, under a love that makes a way." [06:25] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "I love that Ephesians 2.4-10 says this, He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sin, He gave us life when He raised Christ Jesus from the dead. For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. Because we are united with Christ. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness towards us, as shown that all He has done for those who are united with Christ Jesus. Listen to this, God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this. It's a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things that we've done. No, it's not that any one of us can boast about it. For we are God. We are God's masterpiece. We are created anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things God planned for us long ago." [27:40] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "See, the thing is, the great equalizer isn't where we fit on the pole, but it's whether we come to the cross. It's whether we come to that point where we say, God, I'm sick of doing it on my own. God, I can't carry this anymore. God, I can't navigate this with the blindness of my own vision and my own eyes. No, I choose to surrender to you and say, God, I'm not here to wallow in the defeat of my life, but God, I'm here to receive the wonder of your truth, the wonder of your grace, and to live under the wonder of your name. It's the beauty in of our differences, the truth that comes back to two things. Are we alive? And I love that today we're going to take communion together. So many differences, so many strengths, so many variances, so many but all alive in Christ." [29:11] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "And I just love that. I love that. That whenever we think we're too big, whenever we try and build ourselves up, whenever we think we've got it too together, no, let's just come back, come back to the cross. Whenever we find it too hard to love someone, whenever we find it too hard to forgive someone, whenever we find it like we just want to close off, no, no, come back to the cross. Come back to the cross. Come back to the place where life flows. Come back to the place where hope flows. Come back to the place where forgiveness comes. Come back to the place where freedom's found. Come back to the place where you're restored again. Come back to the place where God makes all things new." [29:11] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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2. "I love that it's amazing to think that this is a true stat, that to think of all of our differences, we are actually still 99% the same. Doesn't matter. You've got all your differences. You get someone from the other side of the world, this side of the world, likes everything completely different. The truth of it is, is we are still 99% the same. Difference in skin color seems so big, and has surely created a whole lot of divide among people. That only seems to be escalating in this day and age. But yet, even in that, there is only 0.2% difference between someone who has fair skin, and someone like me who has darker skin." [03:14] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Because who knows that love, pure love, true love, doesn't differentiate around differences. Come on, it comes and penetrates the heart. We've become so PC that we're fear. We're in fear of offending people all the time, misrepresenting people. An area that has now become cautioned rather than an area that's become, that was once confidence. All of a sudden, the complexities have taken away the reality that we can complement each other so much. It's become competition rather than actually completion. Now, I understand we need to be respectful. I'm not saying anything out of disrespect. But we have to understand that sometimes we do need to learn and grow in understanding." [04:23] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "What I love about God's love, it doesn't look at the image people project. But the image everybody possesses. And in that, everybody is equal. Don't you love that? He doesn't look at the image I project. He looks at the image I possess. What do I possess? I possess the reality I am made in his image. Come on, when God sees me, even when I was running away from him, even when I knew what was right, but I was doing everything that was wrong, it didn't repel his grace. It didn't repel his love. He's, that's my son. He's wayward. He doesn't know the decisions he's making. But my gosh, that's my son. I'm his heavenly father. And it's the same towards every person in society. They might go, I don't believe in God. Doesn't change the fact that God still believes in them. God has a purpose and a plan and he has a hope and it's a future. And I love the fact that Jesus is the great unifier." [07:21] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "See, the reality is that Satan is a separator. He's a divider. Basically, he makes preference the primary. It's a preference thing, but he'll make it the primary thing. What's your political position? Are you a right? Are you a left? And depending on your right or your left, therefore, that's your primary standpoint, who you are as a person. No, no, no, no. That's a preference. That's not a paramount. That's not a principle. That's a preference we have. Come on, the reality of our religion can be a separator. The reality of gender can be a separator. If we had led it over COVID, if you were vaxxed or unvaxxed, the desire that was communicated, that should be a separator. But I'm so proud of a church that declared, come on, it's not about whether you're vaxxed or unvaxxed. Come on, it's the fact that we are a body. It's the fact that we're a family. And yes, it's hard. And yes, it hurts, but we are united together. Come on, under a love that makes a way." [06:25] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "See, this is what I loved about Jesus. He was the great unifier. He was the great leveler. Society was the great unifier. He was the great leveler. He wants to put us on a scale from bottom to top and wherever you fit in what they approve and appease and whatever else is going on in the time. And the pendulum often will swing from side to side, but they'll put you in an order up and down. But what I loved about Jesus is Jesus would lift the low up and he would bring the high down. And he didn't bring the high that you should be down there and the low that you should be up there, but he brought them to a level playing field." [10:56] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "Come on, the reality of our religion can be a separator. The reality of gender can be a separator. If we had led it over COVID, if you were vaxxed or unvaxxed, the desire that was communicated, that should be a separator. But I'm so proud of a church that declared, come on, it's not about whether you're vaxxed or unvaxxed. Come on, it's the fact that we are a body. It's the fact that we're a family. And yes, it's hard. And yes, it hurts, but we are united together. Come on, under a love that makes a way." [06:25] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "I love that Ephesians 2.4-10 says this, He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sin, He gave us life when He raised Christ Jesus from the dead. For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. Because we are united with Christ. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness towards us, as shown that all He has done for those who are united with Christ Jesus. Listen to this, God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this. It's a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things that we've done. No, it's not that any one of us can boast about it. For we are God. We are God's masterpiece. We are created anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things God planned for us long ago." [27:40] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "See, the thing is, the great equalizer isn't where we fit on the pole, but it's whether we come to the cross. It's whether we come to that point where we say, God, I'm sick of doing it on my own. God, I can't carry this anymore. God, I can't navigate this with the blindness of my own vision and my own eyes. No, I choose to surrender to you and say, God, I'm not here to wallow in the defeat of my life, but God, I'm here to receive the wonder of your truth, the wonder of your grace, and to live under the wonder of your name. It's the beauty in of our differences, the truth that comes back to two things. Are we alive? And I love that today we're going to take communion together. So many differences, so many strengths, so many variances, so many but all alive in Christ." [29:11] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "And I just love that. I love that. That whenever we think we're too big, whenever we try and build ourselves up, whenever we think we've got it too together, no, let's just come back, come back to the cross. Whenever we find it too hard to love someone, whenever we find it too hard to forgive someone, whenever we find it like we just want to close off, no, no, come back to the cross. Come back to the cross. Come back to the place where life flows. Come back to the place where hope flows. Come back to the place where forgiveness comes. Come back to the place where freedom's found. Come back to the place where you're restored again. Come back to the place where God makes all things new." [29:11] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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