WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.679 Confederate monuments, George Floyd, COVID, fact or fiction, mask wearing, vaccines, Trump. 00:00:13.019 --> 00:00:21.679 These are just a few examples of topics that have deeply divided our society over the last year. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:25.240 These are topics that have come between friends. 00:00:25.740 --> 00:00:29.320 They have come between parents and their own children. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.219 They have torn families apart. 00:00:32.480 --> 00:00:39.340 I have members of my own extended family who barely speak to each other because of these topics. 00:00:40.120 --> 00:00:49.379 And all of the research actually suggests that all of this polarization and division is only going to get worse in the foreseeable future. 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:57.760 And as Christians, we believe unequivocally that the gospel alone has the power to unite people. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.619 From every tribe, tongue, and nation. 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:05.840 The problem is, is that all of these issues are also tearing the church apart. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:14.780 So before we can have any hope of sharing or embodying the gospel for the world to see, 00:01:14.859 --> 00:01:20.340 we really need to take a hard look at all of the ways that we may have forgotten it ourselves. 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:27.260 I'll primarily be talking to Christians this morning, although I know some of you gathered with us are not Christians. 00:01:27.520 --> 00:01:30.300 You maybe believe something different or not sure what you believe. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:38.120 Hopefully, this is an opportunity for you to listen in on a conversation that I think needs to be happening within the church all around the world. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:42.960 We're going to be talking about this by looking at the story of Peter and Cornelius. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:44.620 We just read that in Acts chapter 10. 00:01:45.320 --> 00:01:52.620 And even though this is a story about a conversion, it's about Cornelius and his family converting to Christ and being baptized, 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:59.580 the focus of the narrative is really on Peter and Peter's change of heart, 00:01:59.580 --> 00:02:06.900 his change of attitude in the way he sees Cornelius and other people like him. 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:15.120 Because for most of his life, Peter saw people like Cornelius and people like him as the enemy, as the other. 00:02:16.540 --> 00:02:17.980 And he repents of that. 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:22.040 So we're going to ask two questions as we look at this topic this morning. 00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:24.659 What makes division inevitable? 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:29.500 And then what makes unity possible, true unity? 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:30.719 Let's pray. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:38.719 Lord, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the fact that it doesn't depend on us. 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:41.419 Lord, that we can come with all of our distractions. 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:43.000 Lord, I can come with my agenda. 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:45.560 We can come with things that we're thinking about or hoping to hear. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.159 And yet you do your work through your word. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:52.240 And you can do it in participation with us. 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.340 Sometimes, Lord, you can even do it in spite of us. 00:02:55.819 --> 00:03:01.280 And so, Lord, I pray that you and the power of your spirit in the name of Jesus Christ would do your work in us now. 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:07.939 I pray this, that we might grow in our faith and love of you. 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:10.460 And, Lord, that you would be glorified. 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:13.240 That your name would be praised. 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:15.080 Amen. 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:20.640 So, the first question we want to ask as we look at the story of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 is, 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:23.500 what makes division inevitable? 00:03:23.760 --> 00:03:28.340 Why is this something that happens all the time everywhere in societies, ancient and modern? 00:03:28.820 --> 00:03:31.360 In Acts chapter 10, we meet this man named Cornelius. 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:34.140 And Cornelius is a Roman centurion in Caesarea. 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:37.740 Caesarea was a center of Roman administration. 00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:41.060 The Jews hated Caesarea and everything that it represented. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:48.759 Cornelius is described in verse 2 as a devout man who feared God with all his household, 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:54.539 gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 00:03:54.659 --> 00:04:01.360 Cornelius is a man who is earnestly desiring to know the true God, the God worshipped by the Jews. 00:04:02.640 --> 00:04:07.740 And so, God comes to Cornelius in a vision and tells him to send for Peter the apostle. 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:15.820 He says, send your men, invite Peter to come and stay with you so that he can tell you how to have a relationship with me. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:22.600 And this seems to be the answer to all of Cornelius' hopes and prayers. 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:24.460 God said, your prayers have been heard. 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:25.980 Send for Peter. 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:27.400 He'll tell you what to do. 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.460 And then the next day, God also gives a vision to Peter. 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.960 And he tells Peter in this vision to accept Cornelius' invitation. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:39.299 So, Peter travels to Caesarea, to the home of Cornelius. 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:46.479 And as Peter walks into the front door of his house, he looks around and he realizes that all of these people, 00:04:46.599 --> 00:04:48.899 as he knew they would be, are Gentiles. 00:04:49.799 --> 00:04:51.919 They're Caesarean Gentiles. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:53.019 Right? 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:57.120 And we know this because one of the first things he says is, in verse 28, 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:03.480 you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation. 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:04.379 Right? 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:09.439 In other words, Peter's saying, I just got to be clear here. 00:05:09.899 --> 00:05:18.720 All of my life, since I was a little child, it has been drilled into my head that I need to keep myself ceremonially clean. 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:21.199 Meaning I can't eat unclean food. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:25.180 I can't associate with unclean people. 00:05:26.379 --> 00:05:35.039 He says, you know, you just need to know it's against the law for me to even be here, in your house, talking to you right now. 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:38.319 Because this itself makes me unclean. 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:40.919 And all my life, I've been taught that. 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.920 And here's what I want us to see first in this passage. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:52.400 This kind of division, this kind of thinking about yourself versus other people, 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:56.360 isn't just unique to Jews and Gentiles. 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:58.120 Right? 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:04.020 This is partly an outworking of the Old Testament law, which Jesus came to fulfill. 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:09.200 But it's also something that is hardwired into every human being. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:11.620 It's hardwired into human nature. 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.879 And what we see as we look at societies all around the world, including our own, 00:06:15.159 --> 00:06:19.699 is that division and this way of thinking comes naturally to human beings. 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:26.000 If you want to do what is most natural to you, this is how human beings naturally behave. 00:06:26.099 --> 00:06:27.439 It's the path of least resistance. 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:28.939 So we want to ask, why? 00:06:29.919 --> 00:06:32.879 And the answer is the sorting hat. 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:35.860 Not the kind of sorting hat you see in Harry Potter. 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:41.939 The kind of sorting hat that our brains evolved to utilize. 00:06:42.699 --> 00:06:45.900 Our brains evolved to do three things. 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:51.060 Number one, to see people not as individuals, but as members of a group. 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:52.639 Right? 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:55.360 So you're hardwired to group people. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:59.379 To group them and categorize them. 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.980 To create taxonomies of people in your life. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:10.259 Furthermore, our brains are hardwired to group people into two basic categories. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:12.620 Us, people like me. 00:07:12.939 --> 00:07:15.259 And them, everybody else. 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:22.259 And number three, our brains are hardwired to do this with the least amount of time and energy necessary. 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:25.379 In other words, we are cognitive misers. 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:31.620 As soon as we can group and categorize somebody, we are ready to move on. 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:37.759 And your brain does not want to spend one more moment of time, one more unit of energy, 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.899 than it absolutely has to in order to make those determinations. 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:48.299 And because of this, we have a sorting hat that is always in operation 00:07:48.299 --> 00:07:52.239 when we are meeting new people or around people we don't know very well. 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:58.699 And the way that your sorting hat makes these determinations is dramatically influenced 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:03.399 by things like your upbringing, your education, your life experience, 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:06.819 and all manner of social and cultural factors. 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:10.719 So when you meet somebody for the first time, when you see somebody for the first time, 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:12.599 your sorting hat is activated. 00:08:13.980 --> 00:08:14.420 Right? 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:16.860 And it begins looking for signals. 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:19.120 It goes into kind of scanning mode. 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:26.719 It's assessing, and it's looking for signals to let it know which group that person belongs in. 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:27.860 Right? 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:28.620 So what do you look at? 00:08:28.659 --> 00:08:29.560 You look at appearance. 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:32.899 You look at clothing and dress. 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.139 You listen to their accent. 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:38.279 You look at their posture, the way they carry themselves. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:40.120 You look at their behavior. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:42.559 You note their word choice. 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:47.639 And immediately, within a fraction of a second, 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:53.919 your brain begins to make all kinds of assumptions about that person, 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:57.259 to fill in the blanks, if you will. 00:08:57.259 --> 00:09:00.580 You assume things about what class they must be in. 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:06.659 You assume things about their beliefs, what they must think about this or that. 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:11.419 You assume things about their values, what must really matter to them. 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:14.279 Ultimately, your brain is trying to answer this question. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:16.279 Is this person like me? 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:19.039 Or are they other? 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:22.500 Are they in the us category or the them category? 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:28.100 And usually, research shows that within a few seconds, all of that happens, 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.440 your brain delivers the verdict, and moves on. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:32.980 Right? 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:36.440 So as quick as a handshake, that person's in a box. 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:39.580 And probably, you're in a box. 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:42.860 And so we have to ask, why do we do this? 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:47.919 And the reason has to do with threat detection and survival. 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:51.219 You know, long ago, if you had an effective sorting hat, 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:55.539 if you could quickly determine who was in your tribe and who was not in your tribe, 00:09:55.639 --> 00:10:00.379 that theoretically increased your chances of survival and passing down your genes. 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:05.379 So Peter is standing in this living room with Cornelius and his family, 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:08.519 and Peter's sorting hat is going nuts. 00:10:08.839 --> 00:10:10.819 It is sounding the alarm. 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:18.520 You know, Gentile, common, unclean, other, enemy, right? 00:10:18.660 --> 00:10:20.379 That is sounding in his head. 00:10:20.420 --> 00:10:21.700 And this is why he says what he says. 00:10:22.040 --> 00:10:22.900 You just need to know. 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:26.300 Everything in me is saying, get out. 00:10:28.680 --> 00:10:30.860 So now we think about what are some modern examples. 00:10:31.160 --> 00:10:34.420 Most of us haven't grown up with the kind of Jew-Gentile tension, 00:10:34.540 --> 00:10:39.560 that kind of racial ethnic tension in the way that they experienced it in the early church. 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:43.179 But we have grown up in a society with a lot of racial tension. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:45.679 That's one of the most obvious applications of this. 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:48.039 This weekend, we're celebrating Juneteenth, 00:10:48.139 --> 00:10:51.599 which is, of course, the celebration of emancipation, right? 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:55.099 A number of slaves in Galveston being set free 00:10:55.099 --> 00:10:58.899 because of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the war. 00:10:59.119 --> 00:11:02.699 But as we know, and we've talked about this a lot over the last year, 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.659 in particular, after slavery, that was Jim Crow. 00:11:05.979 --> 00:11:08.039 After Jim Crow, there came mass incarceration, 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:13.839 all leading to the ongoing conflict and unrest that we have today. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:15.480 And we ask, well, why is that the case? 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:21.219 Well, I mean, when you have an entire population of black-skinned Africans 00:11:21.219 --> 00:11:24.799 forcibly brought to the country as slaves over several hundred years, 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.319 and then when that is paired with post-Enlightenment pseudoscience 00:11:28.319 --> 00:11:33.019 that justifies slavery by creating the modern conception, 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:34.960 the modern taxonomy of race, 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.679 and then claiming that lighter-skinned Europeans 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:40.240 are inherently superior to darker-skinned Africans, 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:42.759 when that takes hold in the imagination, 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:47.139 that has a powerful and lasting impact on your sorting hat, 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.960 on the sorting hats of everyone in our society. 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:50.899 Right? 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:52.500 It begins to skew your perception. 00:11:52.500 --> 00:11:55.960 It shapes how you make those split-second determinations 00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:58.919 that we were just talking about. 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:00.139 Right? 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.559 So one of the things that we as a society are reckoning with now 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.320 is the fact that, yes, slavery ended, 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:08.700 but the lasting impact of a culture that sorts people 00:12:08.700 --> 00:12:10.860 based on skin color remains. 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:13.440 And as much as we want it to not remain, 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:16.960 as much as we consciously are committed against that way of thinking, 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:19.100 what we're realizing is that there are many ways 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:20.720 in which it nevertheless does remain. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:24.160 And that it may very well take many more generations 00:12:24.160 --> 00:12:25.620 to truly overcome this. 00:12:27.160 --> 00:12:29.620 And these are things that I think that we, 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:32.139 while there are lots of opinions on how to diagnose it 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:32.980 and what to do about it, 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:35.440 underneath, I would hope that almost everybody in this room 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:38.019 could agree that there are ongoing challenges with this. 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:39.399 Right? 00:12:39.420 --> 00:12:41.399 So that's one example, I think one of the most obvious examples, 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.060 but another way that we sort people, 00:12:44.300 --> 00:12:45.540 especially more these days, 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:47.120 is we sort people politically. 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:49.779 We sort people politically. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:51.320 Right? 00:12:52.060 --> 00:12:57.639 Think of the events of January 6th, 2021. 00:12:59.540 --> 00:13:01.440 What do you call what happened? 00:13:05.040 --> 00:13:07.940 What actual word choice do you use to describe it? 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:15.020 Was it a protest over election fraud that got a little out of hand? 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:18.560 Was it a nationalistic insurrection? 00:13:19.280 --> 00:13:19.960 Was it a coup? 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:22.540 Was it an act of domestic terrorism? 00:13:22.539 --> 00:13:25.399 The point I want to make is, 00:13:25.980 --> 00:13:29.959 your word choice will immediately become a signal 00:13:29.959 --> 00:13:33.899 that activates the sorting hat of people around you. 00:13:34.939 --> 00:13:37.279 And if somebody uses a certain, 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.539 one of those choices that I just listed, 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:41.579 A, B, C, or D, 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:45.339 if somebody uses one of those phrases to describe those events, 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:47.719 it will activate your sorting hat. 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.840 And your sorting hat will immediately think, 00:13:51.259 --> 00:13:53.540 either this person is a part of my tribe, 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:56.420 because they use the same word that I would use, 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:59.279 or this person is a part of the other tribe, 00:13:59.680 --> 00:14:02.899 because they use the phrase that I would never use to describe that. 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:04.040 Right? 00:14:04.180 --> 00:14:06.220 So that's how your brain does this. 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:08.040 And so if they say the right thing, 00:14:08.300 --> 00:14:10.220 and you agree, right, 00:14:10.259 --> 00:14:12.200 you feel yourself relaxing around that person. 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:14.500 I can, this is a person I can relate to. 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:19.040 If they pick a different phrase to describe those events, 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:20.960 you don't relax, you recoil. 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:23.920 Oh, I know your kind. 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:25.940 I know where you belong. 00:14:26.020 --> 00:14:27.259 I know the kind of person you know. 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:30.680 I now probably know all of your political opinions about everything, 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:31.560 just based on that. 00:14:32.420 --> 00:14:33.820 And I know we're probably not going to get along. 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:35.360 And you can feel yourself doing that. 00:14:35.540 --> 00:14:37.320 I had dozens of those conversations, 00:14:38.180 --> 00:14:40.000 right, in January and February. 00:14:40.280 --> 00:14:41.580 Dozens of those conversations. 00:14:42.680 --> 00:14:44.580 Where I knew that lines were being drawn in the sand 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:45.740 that were probably going to stay there forever. 00:14:47.640 --> 00:14:48.000 Right? 00:14:48.160 --> 00:14:50.740 So your word choice is a powerful signal, right? 00:14:51.020 --> 00:14:52.759 So it's become, in our society, 00:14:52.900 --> 00:14:57.460 impossible to say anything about anything that is happening, 00:14:57.540 --> 00:15:00.480 because words themselves have become signals 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:03.720 that we use to sort people into us-them categories. 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:07.320 People are listening less to what you're really trying to say, 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:09.160 and they're just listening for your word choice, 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:11.300 just to decide what party are they in, 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:12.799 and do I have anything in common with them? 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:13.899 Right? 00:15:13.979 --> 00:15:16.500 So you can pick the wrong words right out of the gate, 00:15:16.699 --> 00:15:17.479 your first sentence, 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:19.079 and you immediately lose people. 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:21.819 They're not listening to anything else that you're saying. 00:15:22.839 --> 00:15:24.279 And we do this too, right? 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:26.699 During this sermon, 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.839 the fact that I made a reference to racism 00:15:29.839 --> 00:15:31.879 was a signal to some people. 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:33.559 Right? 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:34.480 Some people heard that, 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:36.379 they thought, again, they're bringing this up. 00:15:36.459 --> 00:15:38.839 This guy's, this church is just becoming more and more liberal. 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.000 I made a reference to evolution. 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:43.200 That's a signal to some people. 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:44.420 This church is becoming liberal. 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:46.960 Last week I said in the sermon 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:48.519 that one of our main goals in this church 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:50.160 is to see more adult conversions, 00:15:50.620 --> 00:15:52.580 more people becoming followers of Jesus, 00:15:53.060 --> 00:15:54.240 more adult baptisms. 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:56.980 If this is your first time here and you heard that, 00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:57.940 you would say, 00:15:58.180 --> 00:15:58.780 that's a signal. 00:15:58.920 --> 00:16:01.019 This person sounds like a conservative evangelical. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:03.700 I'm in a conservative evangelical church. 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:05.120 That's a signal. 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:06.320 Right? 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:08.620 Our timeline for reopening the church, 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:11.019 our mask wearing policy, 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:13.000 our social distancing regulations, 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:15.960 all of those were activating people's sorting hats 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:16.700 over the last year. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:19.299 People were observing these decisions 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:21.279 and deciding based on that information alone, 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:23.120 sometimes this church is too conservative 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.639 or this church is too liberal. 00:16:26.899 --> 00:16:28.500 And by the way, this isn't just Advent. 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:30.360 This is happening everywhere. 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:33.000 This is happening everywhere. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:34.539 Churches all around the country, 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:35.399 this is happening. 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:36.439 And by the way, 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:38.679 we're all doing this all the time. 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:39.079 Right? 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:41.319 Even this week as I was thinking about this, 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.919 I caught myself doing this again and again and again. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:46.860 Last night I was at a big gathering of people 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:49.240 and I caught myself doing this in conversation 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:50.860 as I was thinking about preaching this morning. 00:16:51.219 --> 00:16:52.219 So it's automatic. 00:16:53.719 --> 00:16:54.240 Right? 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:58.899 And because this is linked to threat detection and survival, 00:16:58.959 --> 00:17:02.159 in other words, sorting is a survival tactic, 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:07.259 what do you think happens when we're feeling a lot of fear as a culture, 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.000 when we're feeling a lot of anxiety as a culture, 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:13.220 when we're feeling like the nation may be crumbling, right, 00:17:13.220 --> 00:17:15.099 when we feel like things are coming apart, 00:17:15.159 --> 00:17:16.940 or when we're overloaded with information. 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:18.879 What do you think that does to your sorting hat, 00:17:18.940 --> 00:17:20.180 which is a survival mechanism? 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:22.819 Well, it kicks it into overdrive. 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:26.500 And so I think this is one of the things that is driving 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:30.000 all of the polarization that we're experiencing in recent years. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:31.759 I think everybody's in survival mode 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:34.619 and we are sorting as though our lives depend on it. 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:39.200 And so the reason that division is inevitable 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:40.700 is because of our sorting hats. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.960 We are hardwired to sort people into us-them categories. 00:17:45.139 --> 00:17:45.259 Right? 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:46.299 So now we have to ask, 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:47.939 what makes unity possible? 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:49.460 What makes unity? 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:51.700 If we are going against our own nature, 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.400 what makes unity possible? 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:55.600 Because what that would say is, 00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:57.380 unity is actually unnatural. 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:01.000 What is natural is tribalism. 00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:05.519 What is natural is a taxonomy, 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:08.100 a sordid groupings of people, 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:10.120 like attracting like, 00:18:10.380 --> 00:18:11.480 and repelling difference. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:12.980 That's what comes naturally. 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:17.160 So what makes unity possible? 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:18.660 Well, generations ago, 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:19.519 if you were to go out in the street 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:20.279 and ask somebody, 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:22.560 what makes unity in our society possible? 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.519 A lot of people would point to national identity. 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:25.620 They would say, 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:26.700 well, we're all American. 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:30.060 And it's our American identity that unifies us. 00:18:31.080 --> 00:18:31.680 And they would say, 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:31.900 you know, 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:34.220 the idea that we can, 00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:35.900 the kind of American dream 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:37.600 that you can come from any nation, 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:38.500 from any class, 00:18:38.580 --> 00:18:39.180 from any creed, 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:40.660 and you can come here 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:42.220 and here we're all Americans. 00:18:42.320 --> 00:18:42.540 They would say, 00:18:42.580 --> 00:18:43.600 that's what unifies us. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:45.659 But more recently, 00:18:45.939 --> 00:18:47.959 we've begun to see what happens 00:18:47.959 --> 00:18:51.339 when that common ground of unity fades. 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:53.259 Right? 00:18:53.379 --> 00:18:54.500 And we've come to realize 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:56.379 that if national identity alone, 00:18:57.459 --> 00:18:59.539 if that's your only foundation for unity, 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:00.459 it's very fragile. 00:19:02.339 --> 00:19:04.259 And there are very few examples in history 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:05.079 of any nation, 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:06.319 as diverse as ours, 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:07.299 having unity 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:09.759 based on national identity alone. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:11.599 Right? 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:13.839 And so people are starting to ask hard questions. 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:15.940 Well, who gets to define American identity? 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:17.819 And then who benefits from that definition? 00:19:18.579 --> 00:19:20.400 What is the impact of globalization 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:22.700 and our relationship with other nations? 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:25.240 What happens when faith 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:26.400 in our public institutions 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.420 and government leaders 00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:28.460 starts to crumble? 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.099 Well, then what? 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:32.000 Well, all of the common ground 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.259 of our national unity 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:34.259 begins to fade. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:34.940 And what happens? 00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:37.180 Well, we regress into tribalism. 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:39.259 We regress into identity politics. 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:41.819 Which is what comes most naturally 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:42.599 to human beings. 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:46.839 I think this is a great opportunity. 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:49.640 Because it makes two things 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:50.940 crystal clear for us. 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:54.279 One, the reason that we have 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:55.879 this propensity toward division 00:19:55.879 --> 00:19:58.019 is not simply because 00:19:58.019 --> 00:19:59.200 we're hardwired to do it 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.160 because we are evolved creatures. 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:03.579 The real reason is sin. 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:07.000 The real reason is a profound brokenness 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:07.640 that sits at the heart 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:08.519 of every human being. 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:11.660 And this is not a problem 00:20:11.660 --> 00:20:12.619 that we can solve. 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:14.519 The answer has to come 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:15.839 from outside of us. 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:18.680 And that brings the second thing 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:19.680 into sharp focus. 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:21.440 There's only one real hope 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:23.220 for unity that is unshakable 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:23.759 and eternal. 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:24.859 And that's the gospel. 00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:27.000 And that's what we see happening here 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:28.579 between Peter and Cornelius. 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:29.960 God gives Peter this vision. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:32.059 Peter sees all kinds of animals 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:33.299 that the Jews consider 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:35.559 to be ceremonially unclean. 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:38.079 And it descends down on this cloth. 00:20:38.399 --> 00:20:39.079 And God says, 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.379 rise, Peter, kill and eat. 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:42.559 And Peter refuses. 00:20:43.419 --> 00:20:44.480 And Peter is horrified. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:45.819 He says, I've never eaten anything 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:46.919 that is common or unclean. 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:49.220 You know, is God testing him? 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:51.779 And the voice responds, 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.200 what God has made clean, 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:57.099 do not call common. 00:20:57.099 --> 00:21:00.259 And this happens three times. 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:01.859 Anytime something happens 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:02.799 three times in the Bible, 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:04.159 it means it's extremely important. 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:06.599 Then this leads, Peter, 00:21:06.679 --> 00:21:08.179 to the two great realizations 00:21:08.179 --> 00:21:09.339 that I think sit at the heart 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:10.419 of this entire passage. 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:12.899 Here's the heart of this passage. 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:13.959 Verse 28, 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:15.279 God has shown me 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.339 that I should not call 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:19.099 any person common or unclean. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:21.279 And then verse 34, 00:21:21.439 --> 00:21:22.419 truly I understand 00:21:22.419 --> 00:21:24.399 that God shows no partiality. 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:26.080 In other words, 00:21:26.120 --> 00:21:27.160 he shows no favoritism. 00:21:28.360 --> 00:21:29.740 Before Jesus came, 00:21:29.860 --> 00:21:31.100 it was easy to imagine 00:21:31.100 --> 00:21:32.460 that God had a favorite people. 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:34.340 It was easy to imagine 00:21:34.340 --> 00:21:35.900 that God had a favorite language, 00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:37.460 that he had a favorite culture, 00:21:37.600 --> 00:21:38.400 that he had a favorite nation, 00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:39.960 that maybe he had 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:41.080 a favorite political party. 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:42.440 It was easy to imagine 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:43.720 that God played favorites. 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:46.259 A lot of the Jewish identity 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:47.700 was built around the assumption 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:48.720 that God plays favorites. 00:21:50.080 --> 00:21:51.380 But when Jesus Christ 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:52.160 came into the world, 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:53.460 it changed everything. 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:55.700 And I cannot emphasize that enough. 00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:56.940 Jesus comes, 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:58.460 and he exposes, 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.140 he exposes the truth 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:02.900 about all of the ways 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:04.120 that we divide ourselves 00:22:04.120 --> 00:22:04.920 against each other. 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:05.980 Jesus comes, 00:22:06.860 --> 00:22:08.460 we compare ourselves to Jesus, 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:09.940 and we realize 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:11.200 that all of the lines 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.740 that we are drawing in the sand 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:13.819 are arbitrary, 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:16.059 and meaningless, 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:18.600 and ultimately ridiculous. 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:22.380 It exposes the emptiness 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:23.259 of our division. 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:25.299 Because when Jesus comes, 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:26.759 here's what becomes very clear. 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:28.960 The real dividing wall, 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:32.420 the real dividing wall 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:33.340 that we should really 00:22:33.340 --> 00:22:34.240 be concerned about 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:36.940 is the one that we have built 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:38.940 between ourselves and God. 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:41.420 That was the reorientation 00:22:41.420 --> 00:22:42.900 that the Jews needed. 00:22:43.100 --> 00:22:45.000 Because every human being 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:46.920 has rejected God, right? 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:48.160 We looked at this last week, 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:48.980 Paul's conversion, 00:22:49.140 --> 00:22:50.160 Paul coming to realize 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:52.460 there's no difference. 00:22:53.360 --> 00:22:54.340 We've all sinned 00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:55.000 and fallen short 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:55.800 of the glory of God. 00:22:55.860 --> 00:22:57.100 That transformed Paul's heart. 00:22:57.360 --> 00:22:57.900 It transformed, 00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:58.940 it's about to transform 00:22:58.940 --> 00:22:59.600 Peter's heart. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:03.100 Because of that wall, 00:23:04.100 --> 00:23:05.240 all other walls 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:06.300 that we may draw 00:23:06.300 --> 00:23:07.240 between ourselves, 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:08.320 those just fall away. 00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:09.040 They're meaningless 00:23:09.040 --> 00:23:10.279 in compared to that wall 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:10.700 that we built 00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:11.920 between ourselves and God. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:13.100 And yet, 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:14.240 the gospel says this. 00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:15.460 Here's what the gospel says. 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:17.799 God only has one favorite. 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:21.200 And it's his own son. 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:24.720 But his son was willing 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:25.600 to take our place. 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:27.640 He was willing to take our sin. 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:30.200 He was willing to be cast out. 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:33.660 He was willing to allow God 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:34.720 to draw that line 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.539 between himself 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:36.519 and his own son. 00:23:37.660 --> 00:23:39.400 He was willing to be labeled other, 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:41.200 labeled outsider, 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.920 labeled forsaken. 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:46.080 And Jesus was willing 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:46.840 to do that, 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:48.800 not only so that we could be forgiven, 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:50.380 but actually welcomed in. 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:51.100 You know, 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:52.120 Paul says in Ephesians 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.180 that when Jesus did that, 00:23:53.360 --> 00:23:54.160 he brought down 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:55.420 the dividing wall of hostility 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:56.539 in his own flesh. 00:23:56.620 --> 00:23:58.160 That wall came crashing down. 00:23:59.120 --> 00:24:00.220 And then Peter goes on 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:01.120 to say in verse 43, 00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:02.500 to him all the prophets 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:03.019 bear witness 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:04.539 that everyone who believes in him 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:06.060 and receives forgiveness of sins 00:24:06.060 --> 00:24:07.000 through his, 00:24:07.100 --> 00:24:08.240 everyone who believes in him 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:09.340 receives forgiveness of sins 00:24:09.340 --> 00:24:10.140 through his name. 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:12.800 In other words, 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:14.940 the gospel says 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:16.539 that no matter how many walls 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:18.680 we put between ourselves and God, 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:20.080 no matter how many times 00:24:20.080 --> 00:24:21.100 we try to build walls 00:24:21.100 --> 00:24:22.240 between ourselves and God, 00:24:22.600 --> 00:24:25.039 Jesus relentlessly tears them down 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:27.360 because that's what he came to do. 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:32.279 What this means 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:36.880 is that every single person you meet, 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:39.840 no matter who they are, 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:41.340 no matter where they're from, 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.899 no matter what they believe, 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:45.059 every single person you meet 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:47.720 is a person God created 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:48.679 to bear his image 00:24:48.679 --> 00:24:51.119 and a person for whom 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:52.139 Jesus gave his life. 00:24:53.659 --> 00:24:55.039 Every single person you meet. 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:57.539 And they don't have to believe that 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:58.279 for that to be true. 00:25:00.159 --> 00:25:01.399 And so God says, 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:02.539 based on these two things, 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:04.279 how dare you call such a person 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:05.179 common or unclean? 00:25:05.180 --> 00:25:07.660 How dare you? 00:25:08.860 --> 00:25:09.980 I created that person, 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:12.080 my son gave his life for that person. 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:12.940 How dare you? 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:15.360 So Peter has to repent 00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:16.039 of his attitude. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:18.140 And then Peter sees 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:19.080 with his own eyes 00:25:19.080 --> 00:25:19.980 the Holy Spirit 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:21.200 fall on them. 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:21.840 The whole family, 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:22.880 they come to faith 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:23.720 and Jesus says, 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:25.039 we have no choice. 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:26.200 They're obviously, 00:25:26.340 --> 00:25:27.360 God is present 00:25:27.360 --> 00:25:28.759 and active in their life. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:30.299 We have to baptize these people. 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:32.859 And when they baptize 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:34.440 Cornelius and his family, 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:37.279 they become the same family. 00:25:38.619 --> 00:25:39.700 Whatever vestige 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:41.659 of a division 00:25:41.659 --> 00:25:42.359 might have remained 00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:42.960 is eradicated, 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:43.599 it's washed away 00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:44.579 with the waters of baptism. 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:47.659 So how do we think about this? 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:49.059 Well, 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:50.159 I just want to bring 00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:50.960 these things together. 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:53.220 The gospel, 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:54.339 as it really sinks 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:55.000 into your heart, 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:56.019 as you really reflect 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:57.359 on what God has done for you, 00:25:57.419 --> 00:25:58.940 it begins to change 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:00.400 the way you see 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:01.799 and the way you sort 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:03.440 other people in your life. 00:26:04.600 --> 00:26:05.580 The sorting hat, 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:06.259 as we said, 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:07.220 is hardwired. 00:26:07.340 --> 00:26:08.500 It comes naturally 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:09.799 to group people 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:11.279 based on the tiniest 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:12.299 bits of information. 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:13.279 That comes naturally 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:15.279 because of sin. 00:26:16.860 --> 00:26:18.180 And what that means, 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:19.019 if that's the way 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.740 you live your life, 00:26:19.860 --> 00:26:20.640 here's what you're doing. 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:22.080 You're living your life 00:26:22.080 --> 00:26:23.019 in low resolution. 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:25.519 You're seeing 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:26.940 everybody around you 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:28.840 as a low resolution snapshot. 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:30.779 You're grouping 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:31.920 and categorizing them 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:33.700 based on blurry pixels, 00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:36.059 very little information. 00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:38.220 And you're assuming 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:39.200 you know everything else 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:39.680 about them. 00:26:40.860 --> 00:26:41.700 It's blurry, 00:26:41.840 --> 00:26:42.660 but I get the gist. 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:45.059 I know this kind of person. 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:47.900 But this is not 00:26:47.900 --> 00:26:48.720 how God sees you. 00:26:50.019 --> 00:26:51.120 When God looks at you, 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:51.660 he doesn't see 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:53.120 a blurry low resolution image. 00:26:54.580 --> 00:26:55.660 God sees you 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:57.559 as an irreducibly complex 00:26:57.559 --> 00:26:58.619 individual 00:26:58.619 --> 00:26:59.839 of infinite worth. 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:02.619 God sees in 4K 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:04.859 to risk pushing the metaphor 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:05.619 a little too far. 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:08.919 So if you want to see people 00:27:08.919 --> 00:27:10.279 the way God sees you, 00:27:11.639 --> 00:27:13.259 that means committing yourself 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:14.539 to seeing other human beings 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:15.379 in high resolution. 00:27:16.839 --> 00:27:18.500 And that takes a lot more work. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:20.599 It's a lot harder to stop 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:22.200 and to put the effort 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:23.859 into seeing more and more 00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:25.079 and more fine grain, 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:26.359 fine pixelation, 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:26.899 right, 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:27.839 more and more color, 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:28.919 more and more detail 00:27:28.919 --> 00:27:30.259 that you might have missed 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:31.699 had you just moved on. 00:27:31.799 --> 00:27:32.919 It takes a lot of energy 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:34.659 to see each person 00:27:34.659 --> 00:27:35.519 in high resolution. 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:36.899 That's right, 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.099 low resolution works 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:38.599 a lot better. 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:41.240 But if you want to commit yourself 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:42.539 to seeing in high resolution, 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:45.399 it means these four things 00:27:45.399 --> 00:27:46.019 at least. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:48.019 Number one, 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.240 never reduce people 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:52.019 to groups or categories. 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:54.680 But see each person 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:56.720 as an irreducibly complex individual 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.480 of infinite worth. 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:00.920 Don't see people 00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:02.220 in groups and categories. 00:28:03.539 --> 00:28:04.099 Number two, 00:28:04.660 --> 00:28:06.059 never make assumptions 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:07.299 about other people's motives. 00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:10.160 I rarely say words 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:11.039 like always and never, 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:12.839 but I don't know 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:13.599 that there's ever, 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.940 there's ever a good reason 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:17.099 to assume you know 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:18.839 why somebody is saying 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:19.480 or doing the things 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:19.980 that they are. 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:22.079 Number three, 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:24.120 always look for the presence 00:28:24.120 --> 00:28:26.120 and the work of God 00:28:26.120 --> 00:28:27.680 in other people's lives. 00:28:29.400 --> 00:28:29.519 Right? 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:31.120 Peter is seeing God 00:28:31.120 --> 00:28:31.960 in a place 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:33.440 he would least expect it, 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:35.160 in Gentiles. 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:37.420 I would love for you 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:38.120 to think about 00:28:38.120 --> 00:28:39.539 the person 00:28:39.539 --> 00:28:40.380 or the group, 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:41.519 the people, 00:28:42.360 --> 00:28:43.579 where you least expect 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:44.420 to see God working. 00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:48.519 and then watch 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:50.440 and see if you don't detect 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:52.340 evidence of God at work 00:28:52.340 --> 00:28:53.860 in that person's life. 00:28:55.120 --> 00:28:55.720 And then number four, 00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:57.560 always find common ground 00:28:57.560 --> 00:28:58.460 wherever you can. 00:28:59.900 --> 00:29:01.320 Always find common ground 00:29:01.320 --> 00:29:02.060 wherever you can. 00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:03.539 This was Martin Luther King's strategy. 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:04.920 You know, 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:05.779 he says this, 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:06.900 every time somebody 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:08.360 tries to draw a line 00:29:08.360 --> 00:29:10.980 between themselves and me, 00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:12.460 every time somebody 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:13.380 tries to draw a line 00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:15.100 that divides us, 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:17.340 I always draw a circle 00:29:17.340 --> 00:29:18.900 around us. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:20.680 Right? 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.200 Because we're, 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:24.120 we're all human beings. 00:29:24.620 --> 00:29:26.000 We all bear God's image. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:27.920 So if you're looking 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:29.120 for reasons to draw lines, 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:29.819 you're going to find them. 00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:31.380 The good news is, 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:32.360 if you're looking for ways 00:29:32.360 --> 00:29:33.100 to draw circles, 00:29:33.600 --> 00:29:34.680 you're going to find them. 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:36.700 So the next time 00:29:36.700 --> 00:29:37.480 you meet someone 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:38.519 for the first time, 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:39.600 the next time you pass 00:29:39.600 --> 00:29:40.120 by somebody 00:29:40.120 --> 00:29:41.140 that you sort of know, 00:29:42.060 --> 00:29:43.140 and you realize 00:29:43.140 --> 00:29:44.140 that you're seeing them 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:45.100 in low resolution, 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:47.640 and you start to put on 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:48.380 the sorting hat, 00:29:49.560 --> 00:29:50.200 catch yourself. 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:52.200 And I actually pray 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:53.500 that we would become better 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:54.840 at catching ourselves 00:29:54.840 --> 00:29:55.400 in the act. 00:29:56.360 --> 00:29:57.120 And then I want you 00:29:57.120 --> 00:29:57.680 to do this. 00:29:57.799 --> 00:29:58.799 I want you to remember 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:01.019 that if God did that 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:01.600 with you, 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:04.679 if God did that with you, 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:05.559 you would have no hope. 00:30:06.179 --> 00:30:07.079 I would have no hope. 00:30:08.159 --> 00:30:09.939 Jesus Christ gave his life 00:30:09.939 --> 00:30:11.099 so that one day 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:12.719 there will be no us 00:30:12.719 --> 00:30:13.939 and them. 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:15.759 All of those lines 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:17.619 will be wiped away 00:30:17.619 --> 00:30:18.919 because one day 00:30:18.919 --> 00:30:20.539 we will all be one 00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:22.299 in him. 00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:23.799 Let's pray. 00:30:26.219 --> 00:30:27.199 Lord, we thank you 00:30:27.199 --> 00:30:27.899 for your word. 00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:30.159 And as we, 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:32.019 as we hear it, 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:32.759 we know there are things 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:34.320 that may not be of you, 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:35.720 and we pray that you would 00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:36.759 allow those to fade 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.240 from memory. 00:30:38.360 --> 00:30:39.480 Whatever is of you, 00:30:39.540 --> 00:30:40.200 and in particular, 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:41.500 the people, 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:42.759 the assumptions, 00:30:43.040 --> 00:30:43.480 the groups, 00:30:43.600 --> 00:30:44.400 the conversations, 00:30:44.600 --> 00:30:45.259 the experiences 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:47.120 that may have come to mind, 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:50.380 Lord, I pray that you would 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:52.620 underline and highlight those 00:30:52.620 --> 00:30:54.000 in our minds. 00:30:54.759 --> 00:30:55.660 That you wouldn't let us 00:30:55.660 --> 00:30:56.240 forget them, 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:57.720 but that your word 00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.500 would continue to prod us. 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:02.019 Lord, 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:03.180 to highlight for us 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:05.380 ways of doing these things 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:06.160 to glorify you. 00:31:06.320 --> 00:31:07.259 And I pray that in this 00:31:07.259 --> 00:31:09.480 we would be a peculiar people. 00:31:10.800 --> 00:31:11.160 Lord, 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:11.920 that this would be a part 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:12.580 of our witness 00:31:12.580 --> 00:31:14.019 to a divided world. 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:17.440 And we pray this for our good 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:18.060 and your glory. 00:31:18.340 --> 00:31:18.560 Amen. 00:31:18.560 --> 00:31:18.660 Amen. 00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:18.700 Amen. 00:31:18.700 --> 00:31:18.740 Amen. 00:31:18.740 --> 00:31:18.759 Amen. 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:18.800 Amen. 00:31:18.800 --> 00:31:20.800 Amen. 00:31:20.800 --> 00:31:20.820 Amen. 00:31:20.820 --> 00:31:20.840 Amen. 00:31:20.840 --> 00:31:22.720 Amen. 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:22.759 Amen. 00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:22.820 Amen. 00:31:22.820 --> 00:31:22.860 Amen.