The Equalizer

Terry Siverd
07/05/20 - Sun AM

Link to sermon video: The Equalizer - T Siverd

THE EQUALIZER

Sermon By Terry Siverd / July 05, 2020 / Cortland  Church of Christ

Due to an uptick in the virus, our Sunday AM Worship Gatherings have been suspended throughout the month of July.  While we are hoping for a resumption in August, plans remain tentative and will be reassessed at that time.

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Sometime many years ago I attended a seminar that featured Jerome Williams leading singing.  I shall never forget his spiced up version of that old spiritual song, “No Not One”.  The words of the song are beautiful - -

There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one!  No, not one!  None else can heal all our soul's diseases, No, not one!  No, not one!  No friend like Him is so high and holy, No, not one!  No, not one!  And yet no friend is so meek and lowly!  No, not one!  No, not one!  There's not an hour that He is not hear us, No, not one!  No, not one!  No night so dark but His love can cheer us, No, not one!  No, not one!  Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide till the day is done; There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one!  No, not one!

While thinkingy about the racial unrest that we are witnessing in our country lately, I have been drawn back to Paul's words recorded in Rom.3:10 - - there is none righteous, not even one.  As human beings (regardless of the color of our skin or nationality), we ALL have a few things in common.

First of all, we humans are all created by God.

Our nation's founding fathers are to be commended for recognizing this marvelous truth.  They wrote (as noted in our nation's Declaration Of Independence):  We hold these truthsto be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...  Our founding fathers had a measure of genius about them, but as we all know they were not perfect.  The ideals they proclaimed were not always put into practice.  Our founding fathers did not fabricate this declaration out of mid-air.  It was a truth woven deeply throughout the pages of the sacred text called The Bible.  Acts 17:22f tells of an occasion when the apostle Paul stood in the midst of the Athenian Areopagus.  Athens was a melting pot of ancient people - - perhaps the very epitome of DIVERSITY.  Athens was the capital of Greece, which had become a home to many of the nations of the world of its time - - a genuine hub of multiculturalism, sophistication and enlightenment.  It was there in that dramatic setting, a city polluted with throngs of idols representing false gods,  that the apostle Paul made this salient observation (Acts 17:26):  (God) made from one (blood), every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth...  With this pronouncement the apostle Paul showed himself to be a man clearly ahead of his time.  This is not so much a boasting about Paul's intellectual prowess as it is a testimony to the revelation of God.  In 1Cor.15:8, Paul noted concerning himself that he was born out of due season or untimely born.  Some might argue that this untimely birth refers to Paul being a johnny-come-lately apostle.  I rather think that it speaks of a premature birth, in that His fuller understanding of the horizontal ramifications of the gospel of Christ Jesus outdistanced His fellow apostles.  cf.  1Cor.12:1-7 with 2Pet.3:16.  Paul's advanced comprehension of eschatological matters also revolutionized His grasp of social distancing.  This is witnessed in the theology of Paul recorded in Eph.2:14  - - the coming of Christ was working in the breaking down of dividing walls.  In particular, the barrier between Jews and Gentiles was being eradicated by God's ultimate plan of salvation.  ALL would be reconciled in ONE BODY to God through the Cross (Eph.2:16).  It took a couple of miracles for the apostle Peter to come to grips with this truth. He heard God's Voice in a vision (Acts 10:9ff).  Peter's miraculous epiphany, coupled with that of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-5) served to cement Peter's thinking:  I most certainly understand that God is not One to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears (God) and does what is right, is welcome to Him (Acts 10:34).

Secondly, we humans are all bound by physical death.

Our journey upon this earth is rather short and then we pass on to the hereafter.  This we have in common, we are all going to taste of physical death.  Notwithstanding the eternal nature of the human soul, physically speaking, all of us humans were made from dust and to dust we shall return.

 Thirdly, and lastly, we humans are all sinners.

This truth is undeniable, regardless of the color of our skin.  Here again, we refer to Paul's words in Rom.3:10 - - there is none righteous, not even one. In this text Paul is quoting from the psalms of King David (Ps.14:1-3 and Ps.53:1-3).  Being sinners in need of a Savior is the great equalizer that puts ALL MANKIND on the same level.  Of the three commonalities that we humans all share, this is the one that demands complete humility.  Here is where we struggle the most.  Many of us freely acknowledge that God is the creator of ALL.  Red, yellow, black, brown and white - - we are come from the same Almighty God.  And most of us quickly come to terms with our physical constraints (we are just here for a brief while).

I know it boarders of being overly idealistic, but I think these three truths can unite us all.  The realization that we all need a SAVIOR puts us all on equal footing, our race notwithstanding.  What a transformation we could see in our society (our country and our world) if ALL OF US could fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (Heb.12:2).  Without faith in Christ Jesus it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6).  Without faith in Christ and His atoning death on our behalf we are all lost and undone.  I wish that I could wave a magic wand and fix the world's racial tensions and inequalities.  I can't.  None of us can.  But I am convinced that the starting place for fixing our problems is for ALL OF US to look to Jesus.  Let us all do our part to promote unity in the midst of diversity.  God is our common father.  And Christ Jesus is our only Savior.  And it is well worth noting that Jesus came as a suffering servant.  He was humble and lowly in heart.  He went to the cross on our behalf.

In the kingdom of Christ, there is NO ROOM FOR HAUGHTINESS on the part of any of us (Prov.6:17).

Dear heavenly Father:  Give us this rare combination of humility and wisdom as we work to address tensions of inequality among us, whether they be falsely perceived or real to the core.  Help us to put to death any air or attitude of superiority or high-mindedness as we work to break down barriers.  May the cross of Jesus serve as a daily reminder to all of us that we stand on common ground.  Through Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray.  Amen.