MAIN POINT

One day, people from every nation, tribe, and tongue will worship before the throne of heaven.

Watch Session 5: Race video by David Platt (30 minutes)

INTRODUCTION:

• Where did you grow up? How has your experience shaped your own views on race?
• How do we show a tendency, even with the gospel and our churches, to believe that we should focus on people like us?

When we speak about race, we often do so using terms the Bible does not use. We think of each other in terms of our differences rather than our similarities. Fundamentally, we are all apart of the same race, the human race. When we realize this, we are free to celebrate our equality, unity, and diversity. There is coming a day when people of all races will be shouting in all languages praised to the Lamb. In that day, we will no longer be separated by arbitrary divisions, but united in the worship our God.

UNDERSTANDING

• What race were Adam and Eve? Why do we equate race with skin color?
• In this session, David began by reading a quote from Thabiti Anyabwile. Do you remember what he said? Why is defining people by race difficult but eventually impossible?

Read Genesis 10:32.

• How does this verse reshape our view of race?

All people share a common ancestor, and we have no idea what they looked like. Were they white or brown or somewhere in between? Or could they have even been different colors? We do not and cannot know the answers to those questions, but today we think about people in that way. We focus on what makes us different rather than the common unity we have as human beings made in God’s image. Revelation 7 points to a day when these divisions will be obliterated.

Read Revelation 7:9-12.

• Where is this scene taking place? What type of diversity is represented here? 
• What unity do we see?
• What seems to be the occupation of this multitude as they stand before the throne?
• David mentioned there are 6,500 ethnic groups who are unreached with the gospel, and more than 2,000 without the Bible in their own language. What must change about the way we do church in order to get to this scene in heaven?

John’s vision of heaven included people from every nation and language worshiping the lamb of God. On that day, we will be fully united despite our differences. Christ shed His blood for every language and every people. With the reality of a desperately lost world, we must seek to go to all nations in difficult places, motivated by our zeal for the glory of God. The gospel that compels us to take a stand in our own culture urges us to go to every culture in the world to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Read Revelation 7:13-17.

• Look at verse 14. What did it cost God to secure these people for Himself? •  How do we spurn this sacrifice when we create divisions that God does not make?
• What does the symbolism of robes washed white represent? Read Romans 3:21-26 for help.
• What qualifies this white-robed crowd to stand before God? What is their new role?
• What is the future place that God is preparing for those who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb? What future blessings are promised to them in verses 15-17?

God gave His Son to claim a people from every imaginable race for Himself. The Lamb occupies the central place in God’s plan of redemption—in the center of the throne. Heaven is not a place to be around only people like us, so we should give ourselves to helping our churches become more like heaven. Christ is not a tribal deity, but a global Lord and Savior worthy of infinite praise.

APPLICATION

• Examine your own heart and attitudes about race. Is there anything you need to change as a result of our study today?
• Think about your conversations about race over the last few months. Do you focus on unity or diversity? How does the gospel unite and reconcile your own relationships with people of different races?
• With 6,500 ethnic groups still unreached with the gospel, what will you change about your life to see that all people of all races have access to the gospel?