RACIAL HARMONY PART 3

A NEW SONG FOR A NEW RACE

Rev. 5:9-10.

Revelation 5:9-10 (HCSB)
⁹ And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals; because You were slaughtered, and You redeemed [people] for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

INTRO:  The last three weeks, we have been dealing with the subject, “Racial Harmony.”  We are endeavoring to show that it doesn’t come through a political or religious system, but it comes through Christ Jesus.

In the first sermon we saw that it is Christ’s peace that truly brings racial harmony.  Last week we asked the question: “What race are you?”  And how as a born again Christian, you and I are a member of a new race, the chosen race.

"I know when apostolic passion has died in my heart. It happens when I don't spend my quiet time dreaming of the time when Jesus will be worshiped in languages that aren't yet heard in heaven. I know it's missing from my life when I sing about heaven, but live as if earth is my home. Apostolic passion is dead in my heart when I dream more about sports, toys, places to go and people to see, than I do about the nations worshiping Jesus." - Floyd Mclung, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

Before we really get into the meat of the sermon this morning I want us to look at two contrasts.  It begins at the place in Scripture that the languages, and maybe perhaps races were separated.

Genesis 11:1-9 (HCSB)
¹ At one time the whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.
² As people migrated from the east, they found a valley in theland of Shinar and settled there.
³ They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They had brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.
⁴ And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
⁵ Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the men were building.
⁶ The Lord said, “If, as one people all having the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
⁷ Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”
⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city.
⁹ Therefore its name is called Babylon, for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

The people, some time after the flood, I believe shared the same sin as Satan did in ages past – pride.  They know God wants them to be scattered across the earth, but they want to build a tower to heaven.  The reason I believe they wanted to build a tower to heaven is because they wanted to try to be like God and try to actually dethrone Him.  But God scatters them by creating the languages so that they could not understand one another.

Now I want us to go back to our Scripture text.  We see that all tribes, languages, and races are brought together through the blood of Christ.  What God scattered, He now brings together and people from every tribe, language, nation, culture and race receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I heard about an African-American who tried to attend a church. Sadly, the church wouldn’t even let him attend a service.
The pastor said, "You just need to pray about it."
About three weeks later the pastor saw him and asked, "Did you talk to the Lord about it?"
The man said, "Yes, and God said, `Don’t worry, I’ve been trying to get into that church for 20 years and I still can’t get in.’"

God’s wants churches to have people of every race possible.  Why?  Because we have a new song to sing that can only be sung together.  Let’s look further at this new song being sung.

1.  The song declares the worthiness of Christ.

Revelation 5:9a (HCSB)
⁹ And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals;

A.     Christ alone is worthy to do what no man can do:  bring all those who put their faith in Him to the Father.

2.  What was the cost to create a new race?

Revelation 5:9b (HCSB) - because You were slaughtered,

     A.  His sacrifice, His blood.

3.  Who were the ones purchased to become part of the new race?

Revelation 5:9c (HCSB) - You redeemed [people] for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.

A.     People from every race, language, tribe, culture, and nation.

B.     Not a group of people were left out.

C.     That word redeemed in Greek also means, “Purchased, to do business, to purchase in a market place, to buy.

4.  What appointment does the new race have?

Revelation 5:10 - ¹⁰ You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

A.     We are a kingdom of priests.

B.     We serve our God.

C.     We will reign on the earth with Christ.

1.      Those who through racism have been put down, attacked verbally, or physically, or maybe had ancestors who were – as Christians will one day reign with Christ upon this earth.

CONCL:  What is the point of this series, racism doesn’t belong in the body of Christ.  We also need to quit looking at man for the answers.  Racial harmony is not found in understanding, but in seeking the mind of Christ.