“New Humanity”
Pastor David Moore
Old Testament reading: Genesis 17:9-14
Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
In today’s sermon we continue with Paul’s theme looking at bigger issues, a bigger view of Christian Faith and the relationship of Christ and the Church. The fundamental problem with humanity has and always will be the division between each other.
New testament reading: Ephesians 2:11-18
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)– remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who had made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The way we get an identity is to take something good about ourselves, something distinct and lift it up, over value it, then judge others who do not have it. ~D. Moore
How hard it is for people to live without someone to look down upon-really to look down upon. It is not just that they feel cheated out of someone to hate. It is that they are compelled to look more closely into themselves and what they don’t like about themselves. ~Martin Luther King
God’s solution is to being about peace by creating a new humanity. ~D. Moore
Because of Jesus death on the Cross, He is who I am first, I am a Christian first and human second. This is why Christianity was feared all over the world. God brings people together no matter what the differences are. The Bible has always been against racism, all people are created in the image of God.
In Genesis 12, God does not show favoritism or discriminate on the basis of class or race but accepts all who fear Him from every nation. ~D. Moore
God begins a new work in us as He changes our heart. God takes our comparison mind set, out of our heart and replaces it with love and peace toward others.
2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Ephesians 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.
When Christ comes into a follower’s life (heart), that person’s life is re-shaped. The divisions between men (race, money, nationality, eye color, tall, short, male, female, education, etc.) does not matter in God’s eyes and in the Christian’s as well. All mankind is lost without Christ, as Christians we are to be citizens of this world, meeting the needs of all people in need, because of the love in our heart from what Christ has done for all.
God bless, have a good week.