WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.060 Good evening, everybody. 00:00:01.300 --> 00:00:01.780 Thank you. 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:08.900 Let me start by reading a couple of these verses once more so we can focus our attention. 00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:12.240 Galatians chapter 3, verses 26 to 28. 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.580 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:20.740 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:22.400 There is neither Jew nor Greek. 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:24.260 There is neither slave nor free. 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:26.219 There is no male and female. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.900 For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.259 In Paul's culture there were deeply distorted ideas about race and about class and about gender. 00:00:40.019 --> 00:00:44.659 Some of you are familiar with the prayer that was sometimes prayed by Jewish men. 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:45.659 It went like this. 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.960 Blessed be God that he did not make me a Gentile. 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:53.400 Blessed be God that he did not make me ignorant or a slave. 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:57.240 Blessed be God that he did not make me a woman. 00:00:57.240 --> 00:00:59.240 Blessed be God that he did not make me a woman. 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:07.519 When Paul wrote Galatians 3, verse 28, he was directly challenging the distorted ideas that are reflected in that prayer. 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:12.359 What's more, in the letter he is offering something better. 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:23.540 He's showing us how the gospel redeems race and class and gender as a part of the redemption and renewal of us and God's world. 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:36.380 And we're reflecting on this over the next few weeks because we also have deeply distorted ideas in our culture about race and about class and about gender. 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:48.340 And so we're looking at this and we're looking specifically at this verse and we're asking how does the gospel challenge our distorted thinking and then how does the gospel offer us something better? 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:50.340 A vision of renewal. 00:01:51.140 --> 00:01:59.060 And a couple of weeks ago we looked at race and we did as much as we could in the time that we had and I feel like we just barely scratched the surface. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:04.340 But this week we're shifting our attention and we're going to look at class. 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:06.180 Social class. 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:07.320 Social class. 00:02:07.320 --> 00:02:24.800 When you see someone sitting in Whole Foods wearing Lululemon, eating a quinoa and heirloom tomato salad with an NPR canvas tote bag, listening to the serial podcast on AirPod wireless headphones, that's not a coincidence. 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:29.500 You're seeing class markers. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:38.939 You're seeing indicators that this person, and I'm describing anyone here, no offense intended, I'm simply being descriptive. 00:02:40.099 --> 00:02:46.180 You're seeing markers that would indicate that that person is a member of a particular social class. 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:54.020 There's a sociologist named Elizabeth Curried Halkett who says that this is the aspirational class. 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:56.159 And this is how you tell. 00:02:56.159 --> 00:03:03.859 In the aspirational class, we don't show status through our bank accounts or through driving nice cars. 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:09.019 Our status indicators are connected to a shared cultural knowledge. 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:18.340 It's not so much about conspicuous consumption as it is inconspicuous consumption or even conscientious consumption. 00:03:19.079 --> 00:03:23.579 And these class markers are important because they indicate the boundaries. 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:32.840 If you walk into a room full of people who share some of these class markers, that will immediately tell you whether or not you have a shot at belonging. 00:03:33.540 --> 00:03:36.220 Whether or not you will be welcome in that community. 00:03:36.480 --> 00:03:48.100 And we are unconsciously reading these signals all of the time trying to figure out where we stack up next to this person or that person or within any given community. 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:51.519 And this isn't just specific to us. 00:03:51.739 --> 00:03:57.000 Even though I do believe that class is a major factor in society in Washington, D.C. 00:03:57.539 --> 00:03:58.620 Maybe the most divisive. 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:01.479 It's not unique to us. 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.879 And in fact, there are societies all throughout history. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:18.759 Most every society has had some form of caste or class system, which is essentially a status hierarchy based on differences in birth, wealth, privilege, education, etc. 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:22.819 And so Paul is making a very bold claim here. 00:04:22.819 --> 00:04:31.379 He's claiming that because of the gospel, the Christian community is one of profound social equality. 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:33.620 Now I use that term broadly. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:41.199 But he's saying that the gospel makes possible a community where class no longer divides. 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.100 Where the hierarchy is collapsed. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:49.240 Those with wealth and privilege and those without live together as equals. 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:52.660 And so the question tonight that we're asking is, how is such a thing possible? 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:54.540 So we're going to look at this in three parts. 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:56.920 The origins of social equality. 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:00.240 The limits of social equality. 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:05.060 And then we're going to draw out a couple of implications once we've looked at those points together. 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:05.680 Let's pray. 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:08.500 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:12.800 And we thank you for the power that your word has. 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:17.160 Unlike our words and unlike our wisdom, your words have power. 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:20.260 They formed and shaped the heavens and the earth. 00:05:20.460 --> 00:05:25.280 And so we pray that they would now reform and reshape us. 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.240 That you would speak words of recreation. 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:30.960 That would renew our imaginations. 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:33.300 That would renew our hearts. 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:35.900 That would renew our relationships. 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.600 With the hope that is only to be found in the gospel. 00:05:40.780 --> 00:05:42.100 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:42.460 Amen. 00:05:43.200 --> 00:05:45.400 So the origins of social equality. 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:53.779 Some of you may be wondering, well, why are we talking about social class when the passage is very clearly about slavery? 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:54.259 Right? 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:55.519 There's no longer slave or free. 00:05:56.219 --> 00:06:01.319 And the reason is most people don't realize that in the ancient world, slavery was universal. 00:06:02.539 --> 00:06:05.939 In all the great ancient civilizations, slavery existed. 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:10.679 Any society that could afford to have slaves had slaves. 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:12.680 And so it was virtually everywhere. 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:16.900 In Rome, you know, Greece and Rome were two of the first slave societies. 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:20.000 Meaning they were economically dependent on slaves. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:27.120 And in Rome, around the time that Paul wrote Galatians, it is assumed that slaves made up around a third of the population. 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:29.120 So a lot of slaves. 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:32.519 All of the glory and all of the splendor of Rome. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.180 None of that would have been possible had there not been slaves to make it possible. 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:42.220 But unlike the North African slave trade, which is what most of us associate this with, 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:46.800 most slavery in history, in the ancient world, was not race-based. 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:50.100 Some people were born into slavery. 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:55.360 Some people became slaves after military victories. 00:06:55.579 --> 00:06:56.699 They were captured in war. 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:02.120 A bunch of people became slaves to improve their station in life. 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:06.660 It was a way to get an education and to make connections with other elites. 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.139 And maybe give yourself a chance at a better life. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:14.720 Some people became slaves voluntarily to get out of debt. 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:17.160 And there were people who became slaves for a while. 00:07:17.340 --> 00:07:19.240 And they made connections and built networks. 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:21.579 And then they bought their way into freedom. 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:25.420 So lots of different ways that people became slaves. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:28.019 Some slaves were menial laborers. 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:30.019 But also some worked in business. 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:31.859 And some worked in politics. 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:36.759 Most all of the actors and musicians in the ancient world were slaves. 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:40.259 Little different than the Hollywood culture. 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.399 They were all slaves in that society, right? 00:07:43.899 --> 00:07:47.159 The gladiators, the prostitutes, mostly slaves. 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:50.859 And so the point I'm trying to make is, in the ancient world, particularly in Rome, 00:07:51.419 --> 00:07:53.419 a slave was a social class. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:56.740 On the status hierarchy. 00:07:56.740 --> 00:08:01.759 And so when Paul talks about a slave versus a free person, 00:08:01.960 --> 00:08:05.980 these represent very different positions on the social ladder. 00:08:06.840 --> 00:08:09.900 Now one of the reasons that slavery was so widespread 00:08:09.900 --> 00:08:12.980 is that it makes the most economic sense. 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:18.139 There's simply no better way to build a society. 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:23.319 If you're purely utilitarian, purely Darwinian, right? 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:27.159 Then you have this massive free labor force. 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:33.240 And so they're able to produce far more than it requires to feed and clothe them. 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:35.740 And so it makes a lot of economic sense. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.679 But there's another deeper reason why slavery was so universal. 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:41.240 And this is the reason. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:49.220 In the ancient world, notions such as equality, universal human rights, 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:51.460 simply did not exist. 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:53.580 It didn't exist. 00:08:54.379 --> 00:08:55.879 It didn't occur to anybody. 00:08:55.879 --> 00:08:59.340 And if you talked about it, people might have thought you were crazy. 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.100 These were honor-shame societies. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:06.419 The values that these societies were built around were values such as personal strength, 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:10.759 and power, and glory, and honor. 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:14.879 And so, of course, in such a world, the strong trample the weak. 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:16.879 Why wouldn't you? 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:20.120 It's a demonstration of your power. 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:21.120 Why wouldn't you? 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:22.120 Why wouldn't you? 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:27.440 And so when it comes to slaves, people like Plato and Aristotle believed that slaves were, 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:29.139 by nature, subhuman. 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:35.060 They either had incomplete souls or no souls at all. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.860 And so they didn't have rights. 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:40.639 They could be owned like livestock. 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:46.419 And in fact, the argument was made very often that slaves benefited from having masters, 00:09:46.419 --> 00:09:51.179 that a soulless, subhuman slave without a master would be aimless, 00:09:51.599 --> 00:09:53.699 and that a master gave a slave purpose. 00:09:54.899 --> 00:09:56.500 And so, you know, some masters would say, 00:09:56.579 --> 00:09:59.139 well, I'm actually doing my slaves a favor. 00:09:59.319 --> 00:10:01.019 Aristotle at one point writes, 00:10:01.539 --> 00:10:07.099 from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.199 So this is the common thinking in that society. 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:16.039 And this is the society that Paul is writing into, right? 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:18.500 And so the question becomes, why did things change? 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:23.740 If this is basically the way most societies operated, why did things ever change? 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:28.439 Rodney Stark, who's a historical sociologist, says this in one of his books, 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:33.819 of all the world's religions, including the three great monotheisms, 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:41.559 only in Christianity did the idea develop that slavery was sinful and must be abolished. 00:10:43.099 --> 00:10:45.559 And this is because of a couple of things. 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:50.259 Not only did Christians believe, along with the Jews, 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:53.819 that every human being was created in the image of God, 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:59.399 which gave them a certain amount of dignity and worth, 00:10:59.979 --> 00:11:04.639 but Paul goes on to write on top of that in Galatians 3.26, 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:11.219 that in Christ Jesus, both slaves and free people are all sons of God through faith. 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:16.600 In other words, he's saying that slaves and free people alike, 00:11:18.180 --> 00:11:24.879 when they put their faith in Jesus Christ, they gain the ultimate status, the ultimate place in society. 00:11:25.040 --> 00:11:27.500 They are firstborn sons of the living God. 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:33.159 And this was a radical, massive, sort of tectonic shift of a thing to say. 00:11:33.460 --> 00:11:39.360 And so over the centuries, these ideas began to take root, 00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:43.200 and then they began to flower, and then they began to produce fruit. 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:50.200 So the first person to articulate that slavery as an institution is wrong was Gregory of Nyssa in the late 300s. 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:56.300 So you began to see Paul looking, or these leaders looking at Scripture, 00:11:56.500 --> 00:12:01.300 looking at the writings of the apostles, beginning to put these pieces together. 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:04.259 He says we can't abide this institution. 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:12.300 And then by the Middle Ages, we began to see the idea that human beings do have certain inalienable human rights. 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:16.079 The concept of universal human rights begins to emerge. 00:12:16.359 --> 00:12:24.620 And then later on in history, Galatians 3.28 becomes one of the primary inspirations for the abolitionist movement. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:33.359 And so we see this kind of movement through history, a shift in the way people think about what it means to be human. 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:38.439 Now, these days, it's fashionable to point out, and we have to recognize, 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:44.580 that there have been many churches, many religious leaders in ancient and modern times, 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:49.060 who have supported and upheld slavery, supported and upheld racism. 00:12:49.160 --> 00:12:50.680 It continues into today. 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:51.820 We have to acknowledge that. 00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:54.580 But we also have to acknowledge this, 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:57.100 that when it comes to something like slavery, 00:12:57.260 --> 00:12:59.180 our question from our vantage point, 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:01.100 when we look back on that, 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:02.940 we ask, 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:06.020 how could anyone ever think such a thing is possible? 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:08.699 When we look at the places where slavery still exists today, 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:09.199 all around the world, 00:13:09.259 --> 00:13:12.019 how could anyone ever think that this was possible, 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:14.439 or something that we should be doing? 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:17.100 But the real question, 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:19.199 if you look at history, is the opposite. 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:21.139 The real question is, 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:25.299 why did anyone ever begin to think that it was not okay? 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:27.579 That's the real miracle. 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:31.039 Why did anyone begin to think that it was not okay? 00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:33.419 And the answer is the Christian gospel. 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:37.319 The whole idea of social equality as a value, 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:39.659 the whole idea of universal human rights, 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:41.719 is rooted in the Christian gospel. 00:13:42.939 --> 00:13:44.659 And you see, when Jesus Christ came, 00:13:44.939 --> 00:13:49.639 he completely overturned the social hierarchy of the day. 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:51.819 And it becomes obvious from the start 00:13:51.819 --> 00:13:54.439 that Jesus has come to institute, 00:13:55.459 --> 00:13:58.099 to initiate an entirely new way 00:13:58.099 --> 00:14:01.299 of being human together in the world. 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.500 So even though Jesus was a king, 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:06.240 he lived in a working class family, 00:14:06.339 --> 00:14:08.779 and he worked a blue-collar job for most of his life. 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:12.719 Although Jesus was a great religious leader, 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:14.799 he preferred the company of prostitutes, 00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:17.359 and known notorious sinners, 00:14:17.839 --> 00:14:20.079 over the religious elites. 00:14:20.939 --> 00:14:23.039 And although Jesus could have chosen anyone 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:24.659 to be his primary disciples, 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:25.979 by the end of his ministry, 00:14:26.079 --> 00:14:26.979 people were lining up. 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:28.079 He could have had anyone he wanted. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:30.620 But he picked uneducated people, 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:31.060 fishermen, 00:14:31.540 --> 00:14:32.660 even a tax collector, 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:35.759 one of the most hated classes in his society. 00:14:36.660 --> 00:14:38.600 And so it's clear when you look at Jesus, 00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:39.360 his life, 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:39.879 his ministry, 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:40.560 his relationships, 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:41.320 his priorities, 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:44.000 that he is paving the way for a new humanity. 00:14:45.020 --> 00:14:46.340 But there is a problem. 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:50.740 We talk about the origins of social equality, 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:51.680 but there's also, 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:53.960 when it comes to social equality, 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.480 there are limits that we need to recognize. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:59.340 So now we'll focus a bit on the limits of social equality. 00:15:00.300 --> 00:15:01.820 Since the Enlightenment, 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:07.539 social equality has become its own stand-alone goal. 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:10.100 More and more and more, 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:14.500 our society in the West has taken the fruit of social equality 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.920 and cut it off from the roots of the Christian gospel. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:19.240 And so these days, 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:21.620 especially in a place like Washington, D.C., 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.159 the pursuit of social equality, 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:24.340 the pursuit of social justice, 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:26.279 that has become its own religion. 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:29.079 And so there are many people I know who are not religious, 00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:31.459 who don't believe in God, 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:35.720 for whom the pursuit of social justice has become its own religion. 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:36.699 It's become an identity, 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:38.399 with its own set of values, 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:39.240 its own community. 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:43.100 And there are many people who would hear that and say, 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:43.240 well, 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:44.059 what's the problem? 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:44.779 Social justice, 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:45.459 social equality, 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:46.679 that's going to benefit everybody. 00:15:47.339 --> 00:15:47.539 See, 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.519 most everyone these days wants some form of social equality. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:51.959 Here's one of the problems with that. 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:56.940 No one seems to be able to agree on what social equality is 00:15:56.940 --> 00:15:59.519 or how to achieve it. 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:01.320 What is it? 00:16:01.560 --> 00:16:03.420 Is it equality of opportunity? 00:16:03.620 --> 00:16:05.379 Is it equality of outcome? 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:07.440 Is it something else entirely? 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:10.300 What role should the government play? 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:11.560 Should we have more regulation? 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:13.160 Should we have less regulation? 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:15.400 How much should we tax the rich? 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:20.100 How many advantages should we give the poor and those without privilege? 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:24.319 Should we pursue only free market solutions? 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:27.620 Or are there other options that we should be pursuing? 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:28.620 Right? 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:30.399 Should we try to abolish class altogether? 00:16:31.179 --> 00:16:33.459 That's what Karl Marx set out to do, 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:34.399 a classless society. 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:38.500 Is it true that when the tide comes in, 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:39.399 all boats rise? 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:41.720 Or is it just the yachts? 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:43.699 Right? 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:47.320 These are the conversations that are happening in our society. 00:16:47.420 --> 00:16:49.640 And these are important conversations. 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:53.000 These make massive differences 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:57.500 in how we construct and operate our society. 00:16:58.560 --> 00:16:59.600 But ultimately, 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:03.320 it seems impossible to find a workable solution for everyone. 00:17:04.600 --> 00:17:10.460 And the simple truth is that some people are not born like other people. 00:17:10.580 --> 00:17:11.200 In other words, 00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:12.779 Jefferson was wrong. 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:18.339 People are not born equal in the sense that many of us hope they might be. 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:20.980 People are not born into equal circumstances. 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:24.779 Some people are born with opportunities that other people don't have. 00:17:24.879 --> 00:17:26.119 Some people are born wealthy. 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:27.779 Others are born into debt. 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:32.980 Even if you eradicate all of the racial and financial economic differences, 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:35.180 you still have the issue of IQ. 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:37.859 Some people are born with an IQ of 80. 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:40.639 Other people are born with an IQ of 145. 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:47.320 That's going to profoundly impact your ability to pursue and to have a good life in this society. 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.859 It makes a massive difference. 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:52.659 Right? 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:54.919 So figuring out how to level the playing field, 00:17:55.159 --> 00:17:58.500 figuring out how to bring the right set of circumstances into place 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:01.859 so that everybody has a reasonable shot at a good life, 00:18:01.939 --> 00:18:03.519 that's incredibly hard to do. 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:04.839 It's incredibly complicated. 00:18:05.379 --> 00:18:06.599 Now, I don't have to tell you that. 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:10.519 In fact, I know that many of you here understand these things, 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:13.139 and you study them, and you write about them, 00:18:13.139 --> 00:18:15.719 with a level of complexity that goes way beyond where I can go. 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:19.419 But here's the thing that we need to see. 00:18:21.139 --> 00:18:22.740 Liberal, conservative, doesn't matter. 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:24.159 At the end of the day, 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:30.240 any pursuit of true social equality that is cut off from the roots of the gospel 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:31.960 will be limited. 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:36.200 It will be limited in what it can do. 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:38.740 Because true social equality, 00:18:38.840 --> 00:18:43.000 the kind of social equality that Paul is talking about in Galatians 3.28, 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:44.440 is fruit. 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:51.120 It's a byproduct of the renewing power of the gospel in the human heart. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.099 In other words, 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:59.779 social equality is the fruit of spiritual equality. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:03.299 So what do I mean by spiritual equality? 00:19:03.419 --> 00:19:05.219 Well, I mean three things. 00:19:05.919 --> 00:19:07.559 The gospel says first, 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.179 that every single human being is equal 00:19:11.179 --> 00:19:14.000 in that we all bear God's image. 00:19:14.739 --> 00:19:15.619 What I said before. 00:19:16.639 --> 00:19:20.119 God has imprinted himself on every human being. 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.159 Which means there is no such thing as a subhuman. 00:19:24.439 --> 00:19:26.119 Every human being deserves dignity. 00:19:26.959 --> 00:19:29.259 Every human being is infinitely valuable. 00:19:29.459 --> 00:19:33.039 Every human being deserves certain rights 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.479 simply by virtue of the fact that they are a human being. 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:36.399 Right? 00:19:36.459 --> 00:19:39.199 So that's the first way the gospel declares that we are equal. 00:19:39.339 --> 00:19:41.719 The second way the gospel declares that we're equal is this. 00:19:41.979 --> 00:19:43.919 Every single human being is born sinful. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.379 We're all born guilty. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:49.579 We're all born broken by sin. 00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:51.740 Now, you might hear that and say, 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:53.559 well, that's not very uplifting 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:55.960 and I wouldn't prefer to really focus on that. 00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:57.879 And that may be true for us. 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:00.519 But for most of history, 00:20:00.699 --> 00:20:02.919 if you were a person who was oppressed 00:20:02.919 --> 00:20:05.259 or poor or powerless, 00:20:05.379 --> 00:20:07.039 you were at the bottom of the social ladder, 00:20:07.699 --> 00:20:11.059 it was assumed that when you looked up that ladder 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:14.079 at the wealthy, the elites, the kings, the rulers, 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:17.559 that they were up there because they had divine favor. 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:18.220 Right? 00:20:19.539 --> 00:20:23.379 The king is the king because the gods chose him to be king. 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:24.799 The wealthy are the wealthy. 00:20:24.899 --> 00:20:28.019 The elites are in power because that's the divine will. 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:31.879 They're up there because someone in heaven has looked down on them 00:20:31.879 --> 00:20:34.159 and given them a special blessing. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.819 And if I'm down here, it means that I must have screwed up 00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:39.720 or my family ancestors screwed up. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:42.359 And God doesn't think very highly of me. 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:46.699 Most of history, most societies, that's how you would think. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.240 And the gospel says that's absolutely false. 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:52.159 The gospel says no one is born, 00:20:52.679 --> 00:20:54.799 no one can earn divine favor. 00:20:55.419 --> 00:20:57.219 There's no such thing as divine favor. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:20:59.740 The gospel says at the end of the day 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:02.240 that no matter where you are on the social hierarchy, 00:21:02.419 --> 00:21:04.139 if you're up here or down here, 00:21:04.379 --> 00:21:05.419 that you're all equal. 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:08.019 No one deserves grace. 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:09.740 No one deserves favor. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:13.039 And then the gospel says that your only hope, 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:17.160 your only hope is the free gift of grace. 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:19.099 It doesn't matter who you are. 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:20.779 It doesn't matter what your resume says. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:22.839 That's your only hope. 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.019 Which leads us to the third form of spiritual equality. 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:29.200 The gospel says that this grace is available to all people. 00:21:30.359 --> 00:21:30.839 Everybody. 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:31.880 Right? 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.880 It says that Jesus, who had all the power, 00:21:35.299 --> 00:21:36.559 who had all the privilege, 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.599 who had all of the status, 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:42.319 gave all of that away, 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:45.699 sacrificed himself to deal with sin, 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:48.019 to offer this opportunity of free grace 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:49.480 to anyone who asks. 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:50.699 Anyone at all. 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:51.759 Right? 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:53.699 And so you hear this and you realize 00:21:53.699 --> 00:21:57.119 how profoundly equalizing this is. 00:21:57.199 --> 00:21:59.500 It doesn't matter if you're a king or a commoner. 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:02.799 It doesn't matter if you wear royal finery or rags. 00:22:02.919 --> 00:22:04.500 Everyone has to go down on their knees. 00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:08.240 And you have the commoner and the king next to each other on their knees, 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:09.700 both crying out for mercy. 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:13.359 And Jesus gives it to them both. 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:16.960 Rich or poor, 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.440 well-educated or uneducated, 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:21.759 morally upright or morally bankrupt, 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:23.759 anyone can come and receive grace 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:24.960 on the same terms. 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:28.440 It doesn't get more equal than that. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.539 Paul says in verse 27, 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:32.559 for as many of you as were baptized into Christ 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:33.559 have put on Christ. 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:35.319 There's neither slave nor free 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:38.340 for you're all one in Christ Jesus. 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:40.519 That's what I mean by spiritual equality. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.500 Christianity is the great equalizer. 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:47.960 So the origin of social equality 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:50.160 is the Christian gospel. 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:53.720 This is where those ideas were planted in history. 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:57.160 But as we talk about social equality today, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.620 it has limits. 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:02.839 If we try to pursue it apart from the gospel, 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:04.059 it will always be limited. 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:06.500 Now this does not mean that the work that we do, 00:23:06.579 --> 00:23:07.380 the work that many of you do, 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:08.079 is not important. 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:09.160 As I said before, 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:10.960 it makes a major difference 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.620 in the quality of life. 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:14.220 And some ideas are better than others. 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:15.900 Some policies are better than others. 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:18.360 But at the end of the day, 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:22.100 all of those efforts apart from the gospel 00:23:22.100 --> 00:23:22.740 will be limited. 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:24.660 So now we want to ask, 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:26.019 well, what does this mean for us, 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:28.019 practically speaking, as the church? 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:30.200 And I want to offer a couple of applications 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:31.440 that come out of this 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.360 that hopefully will counterbalance each other. 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:35.900 The first is this. 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:39.279 The primary focus of the church 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:42.360 should not be social equality. 00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:44.940 It should be gospel ministry. 00:23:46.299 --> 00:23:48.100 The primary focus of the church 00:23:48.100 --> 00:23:49.779 should not be social equality. 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:51.180 It should be gospel ministry. 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:53.360 It is very tempting to look at verses 00:23:53.360 --> 00:23:54.840 like Galatians 3.28, 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:56.799 extract a principle, 00:23:58.160 --> 00:23:58.960 social equality, 00:23:59.340 --> 00:24:00.620 and then to pursue that principle. 00:24:01.820 --> 00:24:02.900 And there are a lot of churches 00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:03.680 that have done that, 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:04.259 that say, 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:04.519 well, 00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:06.500 this is what we're about, 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:08.140 and we're going to pursue this 00:24:08.140 --> 00:24:09.400 no matter what, 00:24:09.620 --> 00:24:10.560 and this is what Jesus 00:24:10.560 --> 00:24:11.279 really would have wanted. 00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:13.660 But what we need to understand is 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:14.500 there's a reason 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:16.160 why this verse 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.500 shows up at the end of chapter 3 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:20.799 as opposed to the beginning of chapter 1. 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:22.279 Right? 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:23.160 Paul knew 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:26.200 that the major issues in Galatia 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:27.140 were issues of racism 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:27.880 and classism 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:28.640 and gender discrimination. 00:24:29.099 --> 00:24:29.859 He knew that there was 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:30.700 all kinds of division, 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:31.839 but when Paul set out 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:32.500 to write this letter, 00:24:32.680 --> 00:24:33.339 he didn't write, 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:34.839 like Galatians chapter 1, 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:35.339 verse 1, 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:36.500 stop being racist. 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:38.720 Stop being classist. 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:40.400 Stop discriminating. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:41.660 Be one. 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:42.500 Right? 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:43.880 He didn't take that approach. 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:44.980 In fact, 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:47.540 he takes three full chapters 00:24:47.540 --> 00:24:48.780 to explain 00:24:48.780 --> 00:24:49.760 and to clarify 00:24:49.760 --> 00:24:51.500 exactly what the gospel is. 00:24:51.580 --> 00:24:52.860 Let me remind you 00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:54.660 what the gospel is. 00:24:55.960 --> 00:24:56.980 Let me make sure 00:24:56.980 --> 00:24:58.360 you're clear on that. 00:24:59.120 --> 00:25:00.420 And then once you're clear on that, 00:25:00.460 --> 00:25:01.860 and once that seeps 00:25:01.860 --> 00:25:02.780 into your blood 00:25:02.780 --> 00:25:03.340 and your marrow 00:25:03.340 --> 00:25:04.100 and your bones, 00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:07.100 then Galatians 3.28 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:08.280 begins to emerge 00:25:08.280 --> 00:25:09.580 once you are centered 00:25:09.580 --> 00:25:11.420 on the equalizing power 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:11.980 of the gospel 00:25:11.980 --> 00:25:13.020 for all human beings 00:25:13.020 --> 00:25:13.700 before God. 00:25:14.860 --> 00:25:15.880 Then you will begin 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:17.040 to rethink your relationships 00:25:17.040 --> 00:25:18.880 with those people around you. 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:20.060 It's the only way 00:25:20.060 --> 00:25:21.140 it works. 00:25:22.560 --> 00:25:24.260 So we can't make the mistake 00:25:24.260 --> 00:25:25.880 of offering political solutions 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:28.200 to spiritual problems. 00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:29.940 Right? 00:25:30.020 --> 00:25:31.940 If we aim at social equality 00:25:31.940 --> 00:25:33.020 without the gospel, 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:35.040 we're not going to get the gospel, 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:36.240 and we're not going to get 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.200 social equality. 00:25:39.580 --> 00:25:41.180 I think this is one of the reasons 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:42.940 why Marxism failed 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:43.940 so spectacularly. 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:46.820 It was an attempt 00:25:46.820 --> 00:25:47.900 to compel 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.360 a way of life 00:25:50.360 --> 00:25:52.840 that is only able 00:25:52.840 --> 00:25:53.380 to be found 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:53.980 as fruit. 00:25:55.360 --> 00:25:55.820 Right? 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:57.059 The fruit of a heart 00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:58.320 that has been utterly transformed. 00:25:58.720 --> 00:25:59.720 You can't compel 00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:00.640 that kind of thing. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:02.440 And any subsequent attempt 00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:03.720 to compel that 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:04.340 in people 00:26:04.340 --> 00:26:05.840 has been met 00:26:05.840 --> 00:26:06.460 with disaster. 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:08.740 This is fruit. 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:10.559 We can't legislate it. 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.799 We can't force it. 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:12.980 It has to come 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:13.740 from a heart 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.680 that has been renewed 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:16.240 by the equalizing power 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:16.819 of the gospel. 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:18.480 Right? 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:19.220 So, you know, 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:19.880 the last thing 00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:20.480 I'll say about this 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:21.079 is remember 00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:22.460 the striking words 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.180 from Jesus 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:25.600 in John chapter 12 00:26:25.600 --> 00:26:26.600 where Jesus says, 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:27.899 the poor 00:26:27.899 --> 00:26:29.619 you always have 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:29.980 with you 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:31.919 but you do not 00:26:31.919 --> 00:26:32.599 always have me. 00:26:33.879 --> 00:26:34.259 Right? 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:34.779 You read that 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:35.000 and you say, 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:35.779 well, what in the world 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:36.659 does he mean by that? 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:39.319 He doesn't mean 00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:40.240 the poor don't matter. 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:40.939 In fact, 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:41.719 on every page 00:26:41.719 --> 00:26:42.219 of the gospel 00:26:42.219 --> 00:26:43.159 you see Jesus' 00:26:43.379 --> 00:26:44.379 profound concern 00:26:44.379 --> 00:26:45.240 for the poor 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:45.759 and the marginalized 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:46.419 and the oppressed 00:26:46.419 --> 00:26:46.919 and the vulnerable. 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:49.199 What he does mean 00:26:49.199 --> 00:26:50.000 is get your priorities 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:50.359 in order. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:52.240 What he does mean 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:52.619 is 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:54.899 get your own 00:26:54.899 --> 00:26:55.859 oxygen mask on 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:56.339 before you help 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:57.219 the person next to you. 00:26:58.239 --> 00:26:58.419 Right? 00:26:58.479 --> 00:26:59.399 What he does mean 00:26:59.399 --> 00:27:00.179 is the only way 00:27:00.179 --> 00:27:00.679 you're going to have 00:27:00.679 --> 00:27:01.779 anything to offer 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:02.919 a world full of 00:27:02.919 --> 00:27:04.099 brokenness and poverty 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:05.359 and injustice 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:06.579 is if you're 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:07.919 one with me. 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:09.219 If you have 00:27:09.219 --> 00:27:10.439 the spiritual power 00:27:10.439 --> 00:27:11.319 that I impart. 00:27:11.419 --> 00:27:11.719 If you have 00:27:11.719 --> 00:27:12.659 the changed heart 00:27:12.659 --> 00:27:13.959 that I can offer you. 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:14.939 That's the only way 00:27:14.939 --> 00:27:15.359 you'll have anything 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:15.819 to offer. 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.219 Right? 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:18.939 So the first thing, 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:19.579 the first point, 00:27:21.459 --> 00:27:21.919 our church 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:22.680 cannot primarily 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:24.960 focus on social equality. 00:27:25.100 --> 00:27:25.700 We have to focus 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:26.400 on gospel ministry. 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:27.220 Second point 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:28.360 counterbalances that though. 00:27:29.080 --> 00:27:30.560 If we are a church 00:27:30.560 --> 00:27:31.440 that is focused 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:32.420 on gospel ministry 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.620 then we should be 00:27:33.620 --> 00:27:34.779 a place of social equality. 00:27:35.860 --> 00:27:35.980 Right? 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.400 In other words, 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:37.480 if we're actually serious 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:38.620 about gospel centered ministry 00:27:38.620 --> 00:27:39.920 then one of the qualities 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:40.940 that should emerge 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:41.900 in our community 00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:42.960 is that we would be 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:44.480 a place of profound 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:46.400 social equality. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:47.180 You know, 00:27:47.259 --> 00:27:48.440 Jesus tells this parable 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:49.480 in Luke chapter 14 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:50.860 about the wedding feast 00:27:50.860 --> 00:27:51.539 and about people 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:53.099 jockeying for places 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:54.519 of honor at the table 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:55.099 and at the end 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:56.079 he says in verse 11 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:56.819 for everyone 00:27:56.819 --> 00:27:57.899 who exalts himself 00:27:57.899 --> 00:27:58.740 will be humbled 00:27:58.740 --> 00:28:00.579 and he who humbles himself 00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:01.700 will be exalted. 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:02.639 And essentially 00:28:02.639 --> 00:28:03.180 what he's saying 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:03.619 is this, 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:04.740 to all those people 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:05.519 at the wedding 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:06.259 who are climbing 00:28:06.259 --> 00:28:07.139 the social ladder 00:28:07.139 --> 00:28:09.960 he says for Christians 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.319 for my followers 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:13.779 you no longer live life 00:28:13.779 --> 00:28:16.960 on the social ladder. 00:28:18.139 --> 00:28:19.680 You come off the ladder. 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:21.940 that for us 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:23.140 life is lived 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:23.980 at the foot of the cross. 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:26.299 That's a very different 00:28:26.299 --> 00:28:26.840 way to live. 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:28.920 The gospel calls 00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:29.480 each of us 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:30.680 to see our place 00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:31.880 in society 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:33.200 in light of the cross. 00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:34.640 Right? 00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:36.019 If you're on the lower rungs 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:37.140 of the social ladder 00:28:37.140 --> 00:28:38.940 then you look at the cross 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:39.920 and you glory 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:41.100 in your exaltation. 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:42.039 Right? 00:28:42.080 --> 00:28:43.140 You glory in the fact 00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:44.060 that society 00:28:44.060 --> 00:28:45.140 may look down on you 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:46.299 society make you feel 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:47.039 like nothing 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:48.100 make you feel like 00:28:48.099 --> 00:28:48.819 you're worthless 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:49.319 and have nothing 00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:49.779 to offer 00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:50.980 but look what the God 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:51.439 of the universe 00:28:51.439 --> 00:28:52.259 did for me. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:53.779 And now I've been 00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:54.519 lifted up 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.339 I've been exalted 00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:55.839 I've been given 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:56.419 a place 00:28:56.419 --> 00:28:57.639 at the head of the table 00:28:57.639 --> 00:28:58.839 in the kingdom of God. 00:28:59.059 --> 00:28:59.619 And guess what? 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:01.079 This life is a blip. 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:03.539 That reality 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:04.059 is the only one 00:29:04.059 --> 00:29:04.599 that matters. 00:29:06.099 --> 00:29:06.319 Right? 00:29:06.399 --> 00:29:07.219 So if you're 00:29:07.219 --> 00:29:07.659 at the bottom 00:29:07.659 --> 00:29:08.019 of the ladder 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:09.379 you will be lifted up 00:29:09.379 --> 00:29:10.179 you can glory in that. 00:29:10.399 --> 00:29:11.059 If you're high up 00:29:11.059 --> 00:29:11.539 on the ladder 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:13.419 then glory in 00:29:13.419 --> 00:29:14.199 revel in 00:29:14.199 --> 00:29:15.219 your humiliation. 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:17.259 And what I mean 00:29:17.259 --> 00:29:17.640 is this 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:18.059 is that 00:29:18.059 --> 00:29:18.920 out there 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:20.039 people may think 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:21.420 that you're 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:22.160 a pretty big deal. 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:23.200 You know 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:24.140 you have the education 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:24.799 you have the credentials 00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:25.500 you have the network 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.579 people are impressed 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:27.519 and they want to be 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:27.960 your friend 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:28.720 and they want to hang out 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.019 with you 00:29:29.019 --> 00:29:29.920 and your social calendar 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:30.420 is full 00:29:30.420 --> 00:29:31.500 for months. 00:29:32.100 --> 00:29:32.180 Right? 00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:33.539 Everybody wants you 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:34.279 to come work for them. 00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:38.640 But the truth about you 00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:39.079 is that 00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:42.160 you were so wretched 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:43.779 so hopeless 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:46.180 such a lost cause 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:48.240 that it took nothing 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:49.059 less than the death 00:29:49.059 --> 00:29:49.779 of the Son of God 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:50.619 to give you any hope. 00:29:51.899 --> 00:29:52.259 Right? 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:53.099 And so the cross 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:54.660 brings those 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:55.319 who are high up 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:55.660 on the ladder 00:29:55.660 --> 00:29:56.099 down. 00:29:56.220 --> 00:29:57.139 The cross lifts 00:29:57.139 --> 00:29:57.960 those who are low 00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.579 down on the ladder 00:29:58.579 --> 00:29:59.259 up. 00:29:59.379 --> 00:30:00.440 This is the equalizing 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:02.220 power of the cross. 00:30:03.619 --> 00:30:04.660 And so this transforms 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:05.579 the way we see ourselves 00:30:05.579 --> 00:30:06.240 it transforms 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:06.920 the way we see 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:08.119 people around us 00:30:08.119 --> 00:30:09.240 and as a church 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.139 I believe that we are 00:30:10.139 --> 00:30:11.059 meant to be salt 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:12.079 and light 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:13.119 in the world. 00:30:13.799 --> 00:30:14.500 Many of you work 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:15.159 on these issues 00:30:15.159 --> 00:30:16.359 and there are times 00:30:16.359 --> 00:30:17.679 when political battles 00:30:17.679 --> 00:30:18.399 need to be fought. 00:30:18.399 --> 00:30:18.759 Right? 00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:19.939 Like slavery. 00:30:20.379 --> 00:30:20.479 Right? 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:22.019 There are times 00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:22.479 when Christians 00:30:22.479 --> 00:30:23.279 need to step out 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:24.419 we need to make a stand 00:30:24.419 --> 00:30:25.459 we need to fight the fight 00:30:25.459 --> 00:30:25.819 these are 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:27.339 and all through history 00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:28.479 you see those times. 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:31.179 But the primary calling 00:30:31.179 --> 00:30:31.679 of the church 00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:32.739 is to be salt and light. 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:33.979 In other words 00:30:33.979 --> 00:30:35.359 to be spread around the world 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:36.319 communities 00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:37.899 within communities 00:30:37.899 --> 00:30:39.259 where people 00:30:39.259 --> 00:30:40.639 from the outside culture 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:41.500 come in 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.520 and experience 00:30:42.520 --> 00:30:44.060 a completely different 00:30:44.060 --> 00:30:45.280 way of life. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:47.420 Because out there 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:48.500 especially in this city 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:49.700 is a meritocracy. 00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:52.480 It is a meritocracy. 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:54.000 If you have 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:54.840 the right education 00:30:54.840 --> 00:30:56.000 if you have 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:56.780 the right parents 00:30:56.780 --> 00:30:57.580 the right family 00:30:57.580 --> 00:30:58.060 if you have 00:30:58.060 --> 00:30:58.720 the right connections 00:30:58.720 --> 00:30:59.259 and credentials 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:00.160 if you have 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:00.920 the wealth 00:31:00.920 --> 00:31:01.620 if you have 00:31:01.620 --> 00:31:02.680 the right color skin 00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:04.100 you're going to be okay. 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:06.799 You have a good shot 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:07.500 at a good life. 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:09.379 But if you don't have wealth 00:31:09.379 --> 00:31:09.879 if you don't have 00:31:09.879 --> 00:31:10.439 the education 00:31:10.439 --> 00:31:11.059 if you don't have 00:31:11.059 --> 00:31:12.699 the status markers 00:31:12.699 --> 00:31:13.480 if you don't have 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:14.779 the right color skin 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:17.179 it's going to be 00:31:17.179 --> 00:31:18.079 a very different story. 00:31:18.819 --> 00:31:19.559 And for many people 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:21.319 you're told 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:22.599 every single day 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:23.519 every single day 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.299 in a thousand 00:31:24.299 --> 00:31:26.319 different subconscious ways 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:27.399 that you don't matter. 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:30.579 That you haven't achieved 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:32.619 anything worth valuing. 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:34.219 And so you're not worth 00:31:34.219 --> 00:31:35.139 valuing. 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.959 But when you enter 00:31:37.959 --> 00:31:38.679 the church 00:31:38.679 --> 00:31:40.259 who you are 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:40.939 out there 00:31:40.939 --> 00:31:41.959 ceases to matter. 00:31:42.199 --> 00:31:42.959 All of those 00:31:42.959 --> 00:31:43.859 status markers 00:31:43.859 --> 00:31:45.759 whatever we wear 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:47.119 and whoever we go to 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:47.979 for our news 00:31:47.979 --> 00:31:49.779 it all just drops away. 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:50.819 Where we buy our food 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:51.799 none of it matters. 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:53.179 Right? 00:31:53.219 --> 00:31:54.119 Because in the church 00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:55.119 the church is a place 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:56.199 where a slave 00:31:56.199 --> 00:31:57.279 may very well be 00:31:57.279 --> 00:31:58.539 in spiritual authority 00:31:58.539 --> 00:31:59.279 over his master. 00:32:00.979 --> 00:32:02.539 The church is a place 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:04.240 where you may 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:04.920 very well see 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:06.259 a former prostitute 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:07.240 serving the chalice 00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:07.779 to a priest. 00:32:09.379 --> 00:32:09.899 You know 00:32:09.899 --> 00:32:10.759 the church is a place 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:12.200 where the rich 00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:12.940 wash the feet 00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:13.420 of the poor. 00:32:14.659 --> 00:32:15.740 The church is a 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:17.440 completely different society. 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:18.920 Because in the church 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:19.680 you're not defined 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:20.899 by your achievements 00:32:20.899 --> 00:32:21.980 you're defined 00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:23.500 by Christ's 00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:23.980 achievement 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:25.180 alone. 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:27.519 Everybody's equal. 00:32:28.379 --> 00:32:29.220 We all have 00:32:29.220 --> 00:32:30.039 the same resume. 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:32.099 Jesus Christ. 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:33.799 It's his name 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:34.279 at the top. 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:37.039 So you're told 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:37.519 in the church 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:38.119 again and again 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:39.200 not that you don't matter 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:41.539 but that you're loved 00:32:41.539 --> 00:32:42.159 unconditionally 00:32:42.159 --> 00:32:43.379 and infinitely 00:32:43.379 --> 00:32:45.259 irrespective of anything 00:32:45.259 --> 00:32:46.119 that you've achieved 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:47.139 or failed to achieve. 00:32:48.440 --> 00:32:49.339 So church 00:32:49.339 --> 00:32:51.200 I think this is our calling. 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:53.339 I think this is who 00:32:53.339 --> 00:32:54.099 we are called to be 00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:54.659 in this city. 00:32:54.940 --> 00:32:55.899 And I think people 00:32:55.899 --> 00:32:56.920 out there are longing 00:32:56.920 --> 00:32:58.120 for they're starving 00:32:58.120 --> 00:33:00.039 for a refuge 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:01.080 from the meritocracy 00:33:01.080 --> 00:33:03.120 where it's never enough 00:33:03.120 --> 00:33:04.340 where you're always 00:33:04.340 --> 00:33:05.279 having to strive 00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:06.779 where you're only as good 00:33:06.779 --> 00:33:07.440 as your latest 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:08.519 great achievement 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:09.720 where you're always 00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:10.860 having to prove yourself 00:33:10.860 --> 00:33:11.680 where you're never 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:12.580 feeling good enough. 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:13.920 The church is a refuge 00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:14.660 from that place. 00:33:15.060 --> 00:33:15.980 The church reminds us 00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:17.200 that this earthly life 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:17.960 like I said before 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:18.880 is just a dash 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:20.060 between two dates. 00:33:20.059 --> 00:33:24.359 And in the eternal reality 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:25.399 of the kingdom of God 00:33:25.399 --> 00:33:27.139 we all have an opportunity 00:33:27.139 --> 00:33:28.700 to have the place of honor 00:33:28.700 --> 00:33:30.899 alongside Jesus Christ. 00:33:31.779 --> 00:33:32.259 And you know 00:33:32.259 --> 00:33:33.799 in my preparation for this 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:35.679 I've become painfully aware 00:33:35.679 --> 00:33:38.179 of my own status markers 00:33:38.179 --> 00:33:41.319 and my own class indicators 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:42.639 and the fact that 00:33:42.639 --> 00:33:43.980 every time I'm up here 00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:46.240 I am doing things 00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:48.579 that are communicating to people 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:50.159 either you could belong here 00:33:50.159 --> 00:33:52.559 or you probably won't belong here. 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:54.519 And I'm very conscious 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:55.000 of the fact 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:56.139 that my limitations 00:33:56.139 --> 00:33:57.859 could very easily become 00:33:57.859 --> 00:33:59.240 the church's limitations. 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:01.259 Right? 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:02.480 That who feels welcome here 00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:03.460 could be limited by me. 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:06.319 And so if you leave it up to me 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:08.679 it's going to get worse. 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:10.079 Right? 00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:11.119 The only way we become 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:11.880 the kind of church 00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:13.460 where anybody can feel welcome 00:34:13.460 --> 00:34:14.960 regardless of education 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:16.019 regardless of skin color 00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:17.779 regardless of achievement 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:21.800 is if every single person here 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:24.140 is willing to proactively 00:34:24.140 --> 00:34:26.380 cross those barriers 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:28.840 and to proactively love 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:30.320 in self-sacrificing ways. 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:31.680 And the way I know 00:34:31.680 --> 00:34:32.580 that strategy works 00:34:32.580 --> 00:34:33.260 is because that's what 00:34:33.260 --> 00:34:34.160 Jesus did with us. 00:34:35.180 --> 00:34:35.900 And so I think that 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:36.980 that's what we're called to do. 00:34:37.120 --> 00:34:37.620 It's going to take 00:34:37.620 --> 00:34:38.320 every one of us. 00:34:38.840 --> 00:34:40.019 And of course it will take 00:34:40.019 --> 00:34:41.780 the powerful working 00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:43.580 of the Holy Spirit in us 00:34:43.580 --> 00:34:44.140 because ultimately 00:34:44.140 --> 00:34:45.360 this is not about our glory 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:46.760 but it's about God's glory. 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:49.880 So Lord we pray 00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:51.040 that this would be 00:34:51.040 --> 00:34:51.940 a reality 00:34:51.940 --> 00:34:53.340 not that we bring about 00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:55.700 or impose on ourselves 00:34:55.700 --> 00:34:58.280 or strategize into being 00:34:58.280 --> 00:34:59.940 but rather that this would be 00:34:59.940 --> 00:35:02.040 a fruit 00:35:02.040 --> 00:35:03.820 of the work 00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:05.040 of your Holy Spirit 00:35:05.040 --> 00:35:06.920 in our hearts and lives. 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:09.360 that the gospel 00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:12.980 would saturate this community 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:14.500 and impact us so deeply 00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:15.260 and so profoundly 00:35:15.260 --> 00:35:16.539 that it would transform 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:17.900 how we see ourselves 00:35:17.900 --> 00:35:19.240 and how we measure ourselves. 00:35:19.440 --> 00:35:20.260 And it would transform 00:35:20.260 --> 00:35:21.559 how we see those people 00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:22.559 around us 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:24.260 in a city that is riven 00:35:24.260 --> 00:35:25.720 by class division 00:35:25.720 --> 00:35:26.480 and race division. 00:35:26.619 --> 00:35:26.740 Lord, 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:28.220 I pray that we would be 00:35:28.220 --> 00:35:29.480 an instrument of unity 00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:30.579 and reconciliation. 00:35:30.659 --> 00:35:31.139 Lord, 00:35:31.139 --> 00:35:32.860 a refuge from the meritocracy. 00:35:32.860 --> 00:35:35.400 We pray this, 00:35:35.680 --> 00:35:35.840 Lord, 00:35:35.960 --> 00:35:36.720 in the name of your Son, 00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:37.380 Jesus Christ. 00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:37.840 Amen.