Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW020221S
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00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:24 "I can't breathe." 00:26 "Black lives matter." 00:28 "No justice, no peace." 00:32 Racism has become a big, global issue in recent times. 00:36 But, of course, racism isn't a new issue. 00:39 We're going to look together at some of what the Bible says 00:42 about racism. 00:44 We'll see that God has plenty to say on the subject. 00:46 In fact, there's a well-known Bible story that speaks directly 00:50 to the subject of racism. 00:52 Now, it's usually told to make another point altogether, 00:56 but we'll look at it, and we'll see what God wants us to see. 00:59 The deaths of African-Americans 01:01 during interactions with law enforcement officials 01:03 have shone a bright light 01:05 on the much larger and wider problem of racism. 01:09 In the United States, racism goes back a long way, 01:13 as do protests about racism. 01:16 In the early 1990s, Los Angeles erupted in riots 01:21 after the acquittal of four white police officers 01:23 who'd been caught on film 01:25 beating a black motorist named Rodney King. 01:29 But of course, we can go back much further than that. 01:32 The discussion about racism is much larger than incidents 01:36 involving law enforcement officials. 01:38 Jim Crow laws were local and state statutes that enshrined 01:43 racist practices in law, 01:46 and they existed in the United States 01:48 all the way up to the 1960s. 01:51 African-Americans were prevented from voting, 01:53 from staying at or eating in certain establishments. 01:56 There were separate drinking fountains, 01:58 separate waiting rooms, separate dining rooms, 02:01 and so much more. 02:03 Even churches practiced that kind of discrimination. 02:07 Rosa Parks took a stand against racism when she refused 02:11 to stand and give up her seat on a segregated bus. 02:15 Groups like the Ku Klux Klan 02:17 have flourished in the United States. 02:19 Simply a racist terror group, trafficking in fear, 02:24 injury, and death. 02:26 Now, we must be careful not to think that racism 02:28 is only confined to black-white issues. 02:32 Immigrants from Ireland, Poland, and Italy 02:34 were frequently the targets of bitter racism in America. 02:38 Racist episodes concerning Jews continue to occur. 02:43 The treatment of Native Americans 02:44 was monumentally racist. 02:46 The Trail of Tears was just one example of this: 02:49 the forced removal of thousands of Indians, who were taken 02:53 off their ancestral homelands in the Southeast 02:55 and marched almost a thousand miles to Oklahoma. 02:59 Slavery stands out as the national sin 03:02 for the United States, 03:04 the high-water mark for hate and racism. 03:07 The vast majority of the racial problems 03:09 in the United States today stem back to the sin of slavery, 03:13 which existed in this country for hundreds of years 03:15 until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865. 03:19 In the grand scheme of things, that's not very long ago. 03:23 But let's look a little more broadly. 03:26 Slavery existed in Great Britain for hundreds of years, 03:29 up until the 12th century. 03:31 And Britain was deeply involved in the international slave trade 03:34 from around 1640 to 1807. 03:38 Around 3 million slaves were trafficked by Britain. 03:41 While exact numbers aren't easy to find, 03:43 it's generally believed that between almost 400,000 03:46 and 600,000 Africans were enslaved in the United States. 03:50 Brazil had slavery for hundreds of years 03:53 before the practice was ended in 1888. 03:56 By then, it's said that close to 5 million people 04:00 had been enslaved in Brazil, by far the greatest number 04:03 of slaves that came to the Americas. 04:06 The German Nazi government endeavored to eliminate 04:09 an entire race of people. 04:11 Millions perished. 04:13 Australia's handling of its aboriginal peoples was, 04:16 for many years, shockingly racist. 04:18 But what's less often mentioned is that 04:21 the Australian government had an official White Australia policy 04:25 that didn't come to an end until 1973. 04:29 It aimed to do just what it sounds like it would do: 04:33 keep non-whites from emigrating to Australia. 04:37 Slavery was practiced by native New Zealanders 04:40 before white settlers arrived-- who confiscated native lands 04:44 and themselves practiced various forms of discrimination. 04:49 In Fiji, there have been such tensions between native Fijians 04:52 and immigrants from India that political coups were staged 04:56 in an attempt to counter Indian influence. 05:00 And, of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 05:04 Look back even further. 05:06 Slavery existed during the time of the Roman Empire. 05:09 Passages of the Bible reflect that slavery was common 05:12 during Bible times. 05:14 And racism continues today. 05:17 Search for a definition of racism online 05:19 and you'll find something like this: 05:21 "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against 05:25 "a person or people on the basis of their membership 05:29 "of a particular racial or ethnic group, 05:31 typically one that is a minority or marginalized." 05:36 Now, in Jesus' day, there was a lot of racism, 05:41 and it was deep, and it was bitter. 05:45 Jesus was surrounded by racists during His time on earth. 05:50 There was deep racial hatred in His country 05:53 and in His community. 05:55 Some of His closest friends, those in His inner circle, 05:59 were deeply racist. 06:00 It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the 12 disciples 06:04 of Jesus could easily have been called the 12 racists. 06:08 There was an entire people group that they loathed. 06:12 Now, my guess is that someone's going to say that this was 06:14 merely religious discrimination, but it was much more than that. 06:20 Let's look at this together. 06:22 We'll start in Luke 9, and this is verse 51: 06:26 "Now it came to pass, when the time had come 06:28 "for Him to be received up, 06:30 "that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 06:33 "and sent messengers before His face. 06:35 "And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, 06:39 to prepare for Him." 06:41 Jesus was traveling from Galilee, 06:43 where He'd been born and raised, 06:45 to Jerusalem. 06:46 He would die on the cross in about six months. 06:48 Jews traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem would often go 06:52 the long way around. 06:54 They'd travel east and then go south towards Jerusalem 06:58 on the far side of the Jordan River. 07:01 It was a lot of extra traveling, 07:03 but that way they would avoid the Samaritans, who they hated. 07:08 The Samaritans may have been descendants of the 10 07:11 northern tribes which went into captivity around 722 B.C. 07:16 They claimed to worship the true God. 07:19 But there'd always been animosity between the Samaritans 07:22 and the Jews. 07:23 The Samaritans had built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. 07:27 So when James and John arrive in a Samaritan village, 07:31 you might not expect things to go well. 07:35 They didn't. 07:36 I'll show you that in just a moment. 07:38 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 07:48 >>John: It's the challenge that confronts every human heart: 07:51 evil. 07:52 How can you be kept from sin? 07:54 And why do everyday people commit truly despicable acts? 07:58 Get the free offer, 07:59 "Evil: The Challenge of the Sinful Heart." 08:02 Simply call now: 800-253-3000, 08:05 800-253-3000. 08:07 It's yours free. 08:09 Visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 08:13 Call 800-253-3000. 08:18 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me today 08:19 on It Is Written. 08:20 We're talking about Jesus and racism. 08:24 Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem. 08:27 If He was going to travel by the direct route, 08:29 He'd have to travel through the heart of Samaria, 08:32 and the Jews and Samaritans were sworn enemies. 08:35 He sent James and John up ahead to prepare things. 08:38 Luke 9:53, 08:40 "But they did not receive Him, 08:42 "because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 08:46 "And when His disciples James and John saw this, 08:49 "they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down 08:54 from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?'" 08:59 Now, it's worth taking our time to make sure we really get this. 09:02 There was James--and John, who wrote the Gospel of John; 09:06 First, Second, and Third John; and the book of Revelation. 09:09 He's described in the Bible as the disciple Jesus loved. 09:13 And these two, two of the three closest to Jesus, 09:17 ask Jesus if He wants them to call fire down from heaven 09:23 and burn up everyone in the Samaritan village. 09:26 No wonder James and John were called "the Sons of Thunder." 09:30 The Samaritans didn't want Jesus and His followers around 09:33 simply because they were Jews 09:35 and they were going to worship in Jerusalem. 09:37 This was sectarian hatred, 09:39 like Northern Ireland during the Troubles 09:41 or like rival street gangs in a major city. 09:45 "Let's burn them up!" 09:48 Now, think about that. 09:50 But Jesus "turned and rebuked them, 09:52 "and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirt you are of. 09:56 "'For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives 10:00 but to save them.' And they went to another village." 10:03 "You know not what manner of spirit you are of." 10:07 The spirt that promotes hatred based on race 10:11 is the spirit of the devil. 10:13 Jesus was clear. 10:16 And we're going to see this get even clearer. 10:19 In Luke 10, the very next chapter, 10:21 Jesus shares a parable, saying in verse 30, 10:24 "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 10:27 "and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, 10:30 [wounding] him, and departed, leaving him half dead." 10:34 Both a priest and a Levite passed the man by 10:36 and failed to help him, refused to help him. 10:39 He was Jewish. 10:41 The priest and the Levite wouldn't even help 10:43 one of their own. 10:45 But then, Jesus said, "a certain Samaritan, 10:49 "as he journeyed, came where he was. 10:51 "And when he saw him, he had compassion. 10:54 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, 10:57 "pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, 11:02 brought him to an inn, and took care of him." 11:05 Now, this was a big deal: 11:08 a Samaritan helping a Jew, going so far as to say, 11:13 "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, 11:16 when I come again, I will repay you." 11:20 Jesus was impressing on His followers: 11:23 Accept all people. Everyone is your neighbor. 11:28 In some of His very last words to His disciples, 11:31 after His death, in fact, Jesus said, 11:34 "But you shall receive power 11:36 "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; 11:38 and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, 11:41 and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 11:45 Notice that? 11:46 Take the gospel to Jerusalem, and all Judea, and Samaria. 11:53 No nationalistic distinctions. 11:55 Racism in their hearts would have made it impossible for them 11:58 to share salvation with people different to themselves. 12:01 When it came time to share the gospel with the world, 12:05 well, the disciples were going to have a major impediment. 12:08 That impediment was racism. 12:11 So Jesus gave a spectacular vision for the singular purpose 12:16 of rooting racism out of the hearts of His followers. 12:20 It seems that most people miss the real meaning 12:23 of this teaching. 12:25 It's very often misinterpreted. 12:26 So let's look at this. 12:28 It's crystal clear, and it's the racism-killer. 12:34 The men Jesus left to lead the Christian church were racist. 12:39 That group included Peter, and Peter was a tough nut to crack. 12:43 You'll remember that Peter once cut a man's ear off. 12:47 Now, you might say, 12:49 "He was simply a product of his generation." 12:51 You might say that his attitudes were simply environmental. 12:55 Now, you can make any excuse you want, 12:56 but the fact is Peter was a racist. 12:59 Now, that was normal in that society, 13:01 and it was culturally acceptable. 13:04 But it wasn't acceptable to God. 13:07 Let's look at how God got through to Peter 13:10 and to the rest of the early church to convince them 13:13 that racism should not be a part of their modus operandi. 13:18 We'll look in Acts 10 at a passage of the Bible 13:20 that is often misinterpreted. 13:24 "There was a...man in Caesarea called Cornelius, 13:27 "a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 13:30 "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, 13:34 "who gave alms generously to the people, 13:37 and prayed to God always." 13:40 Even one of this man's soldiers is described as "devout." 13:44 But, Cornelius was a gentile. 13:48 He was a Roman citizen, not a Jew. 13:51 So in the eyes of people like Peter, he was the enemy, 13:55 an outsider; in fact, Cornelius was considered unclean. 14:00 Verse 3: 14:01 "About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision 14:05 "an angel of God coming in and saying to him, 'Cornelius!' 14:10 "And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, 14:12 "'What is it, lord?' 14:14 "So he said to him, 'Your prayers and your alms 14:17 "'have come up for a memorial before God. 14:20 "'Now send men to Joppa, 14:22 "'and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 14:25 "'He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, 14:27 "'whose house is by the sea. 14:29 He will tell you what you must do.'" 14:32 Cornelius was a sincere follower of God. 14:35 But there were some real gaps in his knowledge 14:37 and in his experience. 14:38 He needed to know more, 14:40 and Peter was just the man to tell him. 14:43 But Peter, a Jew, 14:46 no way would Peter ever go and tell a gentile about Jesus-- 14:50 or about anything else. 14:52 And you've got to have a pretty hard edge about you 14:54 to have such animosity towards someone 14:56 that you wouldn't even tell him about Jesus. 14:59 So Cornelius sends two servants and a soldier, 15:02 and they set out to find Peter, who was about 35 miles 15:05 south of them, straight down the Mediterranean coast. 15:08 When they arrived in Joppa, it was around lunchtime, 15:11 and Peter was praying up on the roof of the home. 15:15 The Bible says that he was very hungry, 15:18 and that while the meal was being prepared, 15:20 "he fell into a trance," and he had a vision. 15:25 So what did this have to do with racism? 15:28 Well, the answer to that is...everything. 15:31 And that's coming up. 15:32 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 15:42 >>John: It's the challenge that confronts every human heart: 15:44 evil. 15:46 How can you be kept from sin? 15:48 And why do everyday people commit truly despicable acts? 15:52 Get the free offer, 15:53 "Evil: The Challenge of the Sinful Heart." 15:56 Simply call now: 800-253-3000, 15:59 800-253-3000. 16:01 It's yours free. 16:03 Visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 16:07 Call 800-253-3000. 16:12 >>John: The Trail of Tears: entire people groups 16:16 forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands 16:20 and marched hundreds and hundreds of miles to a new land, 16:26 thousands of people uprooted and relocated, 16:30 thousands of people dead. 16:33 The Trail of Tears. 16:35 The land that would become the United States was already home 16:39 to millions of native peoples when Europeans arrived, 16:43 real people with real lives, who over the next several centuries 16:48 would endure real suffering. 16:50 Join me for "The Trail of Tears." 16:53 We'll visit the places where the Trail of Tears began. 16:57 And we'll look forward to a day when God will wipe away 17:00 all of our tears. 17:03 "The Trail of Tears," 17:05 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 17:07 ♪[somber music]♪ 17:12 >>John Bradshaw: God wanted to root racism 17:15 out of the early church. 17:17 To do so, He gave a vision to Peter 17:20 that would radically change the church. 17:22 Peter "saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet 17:28 "bound at the four corners, 17:29 "descending to him and let down to the earth. 17:32 "In it were all kinds of four- footed animals of the earth, 17:35 "wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 17:39 And a voice came to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'" 17:45 Now, this was shocking for Peter. 17:47 As a Jew, there was no way he would eat an unclean animal. 17:50 Now, the Passover lamb was considered clean, 17:53 but pigs and camels and horses and rabbits and tigers 17:57 and elephants and hippopotami, and so on-- 17:59 no way, never. 18:01 They were unclean. 18:03 Peter wouldn't eat a frog or an oyster or an eel or a possum 18:08 or a crab or a catfish for the same reason. 18:12 But here's God telling him to rise, kill the unclean animals, 18:18 and eat them. 18:20 "But Peter said, 'Not so, Lord! 18:23 "For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.' 18:27 "And a voice spoke to him again the second time, 18:29 "'What God has cleansed you must not call common.' 18:33 "This was done three times. 18:35 And the object was taken up into heaven again." 18:39 Peter didn't understand why God would tell him 18:42 to eat unclean animals. 18:44 Verse 17 says, 18:45 "Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision 18:49 "which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been 18:52 "sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, 18:56 "and stood before the gate. 18:57 "And they called and asked whether Simon, 18:59 "whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. 19:02 "While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 19:06 "'Behold, three men are seeking you. 19:09 "'Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; 19:14 for I have sent them.'" 19:16 Now, notice, the vision was given to Peter three times, 19:19 and that's because three men were there to see him. 19:23 God was using this vision to tell Peter it was okay 19:27 to go with the three gentiles. 19:30 When he got to the home of Cornelius, 19:31 Peter interpreted this whole thing for us 19:33 when he said in verse 28, 19:35 "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man 19:39 "to keep company with or go to one of another nation. 19:44 "But God has shown me that I should not call any man 19:49 common or unclean." 19:52 Now, we saw that together. 19:53 Often, all you hear about this passage is that God said 19:56 it was okay to eat pork and lobster. 19:58 But that's not what God's saying here at all. 20:01 "I should not call any man," Peter said, 20:04 "common or unclean." 20:06 If you're not sure about that, just look six verses later: 20:10 "Then Peter opened his mouth and said: 20:13 "'In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 20:18 "'But in every nation whoever fears Him 20:21 and works righteousness is accepted by Him.'" 20:25 Now, this passage has nothing whatsoever to do with food. 20:28 It has to do with racism. 20:31 Don't think that this wasn't huge. 20:33 The next chapter, Acts 11, starts by saying, 20:37 "Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard 20:40 "that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 20:43 "And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, 20:45 "those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, 20:48 'You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!'" 20:52 Peter was in trouble. 20:54 So he told them about the vision he received three times, 20:57 how three men were at the door for him, 20:59 how he went with them, how Cornelius and others spoke 21:03 with other tongues as the Holy Spirit descended upon them. 21:07 "When they heard these things they became silent; 21:10 "and they glorified God, saying, 21:13 "'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles 21:16 repentance to life.'" 21:18 And in chapter 15, 21:19 Peter refers to this thing again at the Jerusalem Council, 21:23 where the church officially recognized that gentiles 21:26 may receive the gospel and be part of the church. 21:31 We've come a long way since then, haven't we? 21:35 Have we? 21:36 In Acts 17, Paul said that God "has made from one blood 21:41 every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth." 21:46 That person that you're tempted to despise, 21:47 owing to the color of their skin or the shape of their eyes 21:51 or the accent that they speak with, 21:54 you're related to that person. 21:56 We're all the descendants of Adam-- 21:59 actually, of Noah. 22:01 Humanity is one. 22:04 Hatred on racial grounds is-- 22:07 it's senseless, and it isn't Christian. 22:11 Jesus said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 22:17 And look at what John wrote. 22:18 Remember, this is the man who wanted to burn up a village 22:21 full of people. 22:22 First John 2, verse 11: 22:24 "But he who hates his brother is in darkness 22:29 "and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, 22:33 because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 22:37 Chapter 3, verse 15: 22:39 "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, 22:42 "and you know that no murderer 22:44 has eternal life abiding in him." 22:49 Jesus one day met a woman at a well. 22:53 She had a...colorful sort of past. 22:58 As Jesus talked with her, she said, 23:01 "'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, 23:07 a Samaritan woman?' 23:09 For Jews have no dealings with [the] Samaritans." 23:13 But after she realizes that she has encountered the Messiah, 23:17 she runs to the city, and she says, 23:20 "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. 23:26 Could this be the Christ?" 23:29 When she met Him, Jesus was "a Jew." 23:33 When her heart had been changed, He was "a Man." 23:38 Racial distinction didn't matter to her anymore. 23:43 So how is it with you? 23:44 If there's prejudice in your heart towards others 23:47 based on race, God wants to work with you on that. 23:52 When Jesus comes into your heart, racism disappears. 23:57 If racism hasn't disappeared, 23:58 then this is a spiritual problem for you. 24:02 The history of the world is littered with examples 24:04 of hate and injustice carried out in the name of race. 24:09 But that's not God's way. 24:13 Can I ask you to ask God to search your heart 24:18 and work in your life and remove anything 24:23 that shouldn't be there? 24:25 Racism is a spiritual issue, a spiritual problem. 24:29 The solution for racism is Jesus. 24:33 Jesus died on the cross to give you and me a new heart. 24:38 You know that "God so loved the world, that He gave 24:41 His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him"-- 24:45 black, white, brown, and everything in between-- 24:50 "should not perish, but have everlasting life." 24:54 Jesus said this: 24:57 "By this all will know that you are my disciples, 25:01 if you have love for one another." 25:04 That's John 13:35. 25:07 And when He said "for one another," 25:10 He meant "for everyone." 25:13 Jesus died for you. He died for all. 25:17 And He died to make you new and give you hope. 25:21 Do you have hope in Jesus right now? 25:23 You know, He can change the hardest heart. 25:26 He can remove the heaviest guilt. 25:29 He can remake the most broken heart. 25:32 If you've never done so, give it all to God. 25:36 Give Him your heart. 25:38 Let Him lift you up. 25:40 And on that day when Jesus returns, 25:42 He will take you up to be with Him forever. 25:48 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 25:50 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 25:54 To support this international life-changing ministry, 25:57 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:01 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:03 to the address on your screen 26:04 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:08 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:11 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:15 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:19 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:21 Our Father in heaven, today we turn to You 26:24 and ask You to remove out of our hearts 26:26 anything that should not be there. 26:28 And we thank You that Your Spirit is so powerful 26:30 that You can do just that. 26:33 Today as we have discussed Jesus and racism, 26:36 we might have been reminded that it is within every one of us 26:40 to hate on the basis of race. 26:42 It's within every one of us to treat others as inferior 26:47 based on race. 26:48 It's within every one of us to manifest distrust and malice 26:54 based simply on race. 26:57 Lord, we've got to be better than that. 27:00 And You can do something in our lives to take away 27:03 that kind of attitude. 27:04 Friend, as God speaks to your heart, 27:07 is racism an issue with you? 27:09 Can you pray and ask God, 27:10 "Lord, take it away, and let me love everyone 27:15 as You love everyone"? 27:17 Well, friend, maybe there's something else, 27:19 some deep-seated sin. 27:21 There might be something else that you're hanging on to, 27:23 or that is hanging on to you, and today you need to say, 27:25 "Lord Jesus, take it away. 27:27 "Heavenly Father, take my heart. 27:29 "Forgive me of my sins. 27:32 "Create in me a clean heart. 27:34 Renew a right spirit within me." 27:37 We look to the Jesus who died on the cross 27:39 and thank You that one day 27:40 He will return in the clouds of heaven. 27:42 Until then, keep us, we pray, 27:44 and we thank You, in Jesus' name, 27:48 amen. 27:49 Thank you so much for joining me. 27:51 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:54 Until then, remember: 27:56 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 28:01 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:05 ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-10-13