The Prejudiced: Looking Beyond The Earth Suit
The Least Of These, part 3 of 3
(Possibilities to help – Compass Care (abortion), Our Denomination (AIDS), Racial Prejudice group)
A third group that is sometimes referred to as “The Least Of These” are those who are prejudice. Often we look at a person’s vulnerability or skin color and make judgments about them which are often unfair and/or unkind. The two main issues we will look at in this talk are racial prejudice and vulnerability prejudice (vulnerability including those that are unborn, and those that are very aged). By addressing theses issues we will help people understand the value of all life, the value of the fact that we all came from Adam and Eve, and the value that only God can determine when a person lives or dies simply because of their earth suite or age. We will provide principles on how we can avoid prejudice in our life and take proactive steps to bring an end to it in the Christian world.
Pastor Vince DiPaola
Download the notes.I The plaguing problem of prejudice
1. We prejudice based on people’s ethnicity.
“Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:4, NIV)
2. We prejudice based on individual vulnerability.
“Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many of you were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things. “ (1 Corinthians 1:26–28a, NIV)
3. We prejudice based on disease generalities.
“As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance.” (Luke 17:12, NIV)
II. A proper perspective on prejudice
1. God celebrates ethnicity: He intentionally created it!
God created all people out of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1–3)
and created the nations (Genesis 10–11).
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus .” (Galatians 3:28, NIV)
“…and with [Christ’s] blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9b, NIV)
2. God creates & sustains all life: Who are we to end it?
“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life , and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7, NIV)
” When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb “ (Luke 1:41, NIV)
“The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.” (Proverbs 20:29, NASB)
3. God healed sinners: Why wouldn’t we comfort them?
“[Jesus] healed all the sick.” (Matthew 8:16b, NIV) (see Luke 17:11-19)
” ‘Then neither do I condemn you .’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin .’” (John 8:11b, NIV)
“I was sick and you looked after me.” (Matthew 25: 36b, NIV)
III. The prejudice-overcomer’s promise
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me .’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)