We're going to be reading through the end of the chapter, but mainly on the first part of it this week, and then we'll get into the second part next week. Let me read from verse 11 through verse 17 before we get started. Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the people received the law, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

And this is clear still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of him, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Let's pray. Gracious Father, we pray for your blessing over this time, and we pray, Father God, that our hearts and our mind are so easily entangled with the things of this world. I pray that your word would continue to guide and lead us, that we would hear your Son's voice, that your children will know it, recognize it, and follow it, Lord God.

I pray for your anointing this time, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. You know, at the beginning of the pandemic, I remember I was given a devotion that I posted online and I mentioned how, you know, with all the things that I've seen and experienced in the years that I've been a Christian, that, I mean, this is one of the craziest things that I've experienced.

And I remember saying that I don't know if this is the end times. It's not wise for anybody to say this is it or this is not it, because the Bible says we would not know. But if it does begin, I would think like this is how it would feel, you know, at least the beginning part of it.

And I remember mentioning that and to consider that it's gotten exponentially crazier since then. And so I know that I've noticed that online that more and more pastors are at least thinking about it, that if Christ's second coming is near, that this is at least what it would feel like in the beginning part of it.

If there's any time in my lifetime, and I think the lifetime of most people who are living now, would say that we absolutely need to be anchored in Christ, it would be now. With all the crazy things that are going on around us and all the different opinions and the tidal wave of emotions and political opinions and the divide, and oftentimes even coming into the church.

And you could see how the church can easily be divided, even, you know, within the people that I know that we are so polarized in our opinions on one end to the other, whether it's political, what's going on with the marches, how we feel, what we should say, who do we get involved with, where do we stand.

And that if we're not careful, if we're not really anchored in Christ, that it can easily divide the church because there's so much strong opinions. You know, in the Old Testament, when we're starting to the book of Leviticus, there's five major gifts that the Israelites were to give on a regular basis.

And out of five, one of them really stands out because it is unlike the other. All the other offerings, you give the offerings and then you're done with it. But this peace offering was the only offering where you gave the parts where you couldn't eat and then they actually had a picnic.

So the offer, the priests and the family members who came with them would actually, after giving the sacrifice, would go on the side of the court and then they would have a picnic. They would actually eat the sacrifice that they made. And so it signified that vertical peace with God would create this horizontal peace with one another.

And that was embedded into the Israelites' sacrifice. It is only when peace with God is established that there will be peace with mankind. We see that even in the Garden of Eden. The very first thing that happens once sin enters into mankind, do you remember the story? Remember what happens?

The first thing that happens is they recognize their shame and the husband and wife cover each other. From who? From each other. So contention comes in. Shame comes in in this most intimate relationship. And so ever since then, there is contention in the heart of man. You know, right now with so much going on with marches and protests and different opinions and articles being written.

And even oftentimes within the church, one pastor's opinion is so vastly different than another pastor's opinion. And even within our church, there's various opinions. If there's any period where we have to absolutely be anchored in Christ, it is now. When you begin to drift, you don't know you're drifting or you wouldn't be drifting.

You drift because of the tidal wave that is around you. When you're living in a time of peace and the waters are calm, even if you're not anchored, the consequence may not be deadly. You may drift a little bit out and then you recognize, oh, shoot, this is not where I want to be.

And you might paddle back in. But in a time of storm, if you drift even a little bit, if you don't pay attention for even a little bit, because the currents are so strong, you don't even know that you're headed into danger until it's already too late. I think we're in one of those periods where if Christians, no matter what level of maturity, if you're not seriously anchoring yourself in Christ, if you're not carefully clinging to Christ, without making any decision, without drawing any lines, you will head toward a certain direction.

In Ephesians chapter 2, 14 through 16, scripture says, "For he himself is our peace," talking about Christ, "who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall." Now, you think that Republicans and Democrats have a divide. If you study how the Jews and the Gentiles hated each other, I mean, they hated each other to the point where just being in their vicinity, they felt like they became unclean.

They would travel days around a particular city just so that they don't have to step into Gentile land. You would never see a Gentile in a Jewish home or a Jew in a Gentile home. That's how much they hated each other. So when he says, "Jesus is our peace," and he took away the barrier, again, you have to understand that within the context of how radical that is.

That if you fell asleep for about five, six years and woke up and you saw the Gentiles and the Jews worshiping in the same church, calling each other brothers and sisters in Christ, you would have thought something crazy happened, which it did. Only the resurrection of Christ could have brought these two groups together.

Right now, the opinions and the divide in our country is so vast that if we don't pay attention, what happens outside the church is beyond our control. But if we're not careful, it can easily divide the church. He said, verse 15, "By abolishing in his flesh the enmity which is the law of the commandments contained in ordinances, so that in himself he might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity." Again, the only peace that you and I believe and profess and sing every single Sunday is that we find peace in Christ and Christ alone.

In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 1, it says, "For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices which they offer continually, year by year, make perfect those who draw near." Now, he said the sacrifices of the Old Testament were never meant for the purpose of curing anything.

It was to point to something. So it's kind of like, you know, maybe some of you guys who have young children may have taken your kids to Home Depot, you know, and teach them how to use the saw or the electric drill, but obviously they're toys. They're made out of plastic.

And then they would pretend like they're cutting things. And why do they do that? Obviously, you know, from Home Depot's perspective, hopefully you'll become their customers at some point, right? But the reason why they do that is to teach them how to use these tools. But these tools that they're using is not real.

It's only so that they can learn when they are old enough to be able to use the real tools to be able to cut real wood and build real stuff. But as they are children, they are given these things so that you turn this on. This is how you are safe, and this is what you do, and this is how you put it away.

All of this so that when they are old enough, they can handle the real tools. In and of itself has no power. But imagine if they became older and they say, "You know what? You know, I really like my plastic saw and this fake drill makes the 'ang' sound, and I want that." The whole point of chapter 7 is to tell us that the whole old system, they were plastic.

It has no power to bring any kind of salvation. It was only there as a shadow to point to the reality that was coming in Christ. Now, some of us may sit here and think, "You know what? That sounds great, and that's good theology, but we're not Jews. We were never under the old system.

So it's good to know, but it's not relevant to us." Well, we may not have ever been under the Old Testament law, but the principle that he teaches is no different today. When we think that somehow our religious activity is going to have some kind of power to bring about true salvation, it's no different than a Jew thinking that if they make the right sacrifices that somehow they can be saved.

You and I know that you can attend church all your life and not be saved. You know that you can be a leader in the church and not be saved. You can go to short-term missions. You can do all kinds of stuff in the church and engage in religious activity and have no idea what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, because in and of itself has no power.

Religious activity, changing the system, has no power. He says in Hebrews 7-11, the first verse that we're looking at, "Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the people received the law, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?" In other words, why do we need Jesus?

If you're a Jew thinking, "We have this system. We have all these things that we're doing and making sacrifices. Why do we need another priest to come to mediate?" The point is, if Jesus was just fulfilling what they were doing in the Old Testament, we don't need one. In fact, he doesn't even fit, because he doesn't come from the tribe of Levi.

But the whole point that he's trying to make is that the system that you are relying on is useless. It has no power to make someone perfect. The word for perfect is a really rich theological term in the New Testament. In fact, when I was in seminary, I did a whole paper just on this word.

It's a very significant word. The word here, obviously in English, it means something without defect. It does have that word. It does have that meaning. But the term teleos, perfect, has a greater meaning behind it. The meaning that is often used in the scripture is to bring about to the desired end of that goal.

Meaning, if somebody started a race and he finishes that race, he's achieved perfection. If you had a goal of starting a business and you started getting the loan, and when you finally purchase it and start the business, you've received perfection. Whatever your end goal is, when you achieve it, it's called perfection.

That's the theological connotation of this word teleos. So when he says the old system has no power to bring about perfection, meaning God's redemptive history of what God is doing with mankind, that old religious sacrificial system has no power to bring about salvation of anybody. So we need to know then, if the old system, if religious activity has no power to bring about the end goal of what God desires, what is the end goal that God desires?

If we don't know what God desires, what his end goal is, you can be at church and be memorizing scripture, be active, leading worship, leading Bible study, and still miss the whole point. Because you could have been the most moral person, you could have been the most giving person, you could have been the most disciplined person, but it had nothing to do with perfection.

You didn't get to what God's intention is. See, he says in Hebrews 7 verse 19, "For the law made nothing perfect, and on the other hand there is bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God." So what is the end goal of our salvation?

To bring us near to God. That's the end goal. Again, you and I know that you can come to church all your life and never get closer to God. You can study the Bible and know the intentions of what the Bible says, and you've never drawn any closer to God than the first day that you were at church.

You can teach the Bible, you can share the gospel, you can lead, and never draw near to God. You know, a lot of people come to Christ because they want to fill this emptiness, or they feel lonely, or something is missing in their life, and so the church fulfills that.

So church is very important to them, but for the wrong reason. Some people come to church because they want to find purpose. They feel empty. They have money. They have friends. But I need some kind of purpose. So you come to church and you find some direction and purpose in your life, and the church is good for that.

But you completely missed the point. Or for some people, life is hard. You've gone through some hardship, and it's good to have a Savior that loves you unconditionally. And so the church serves that purpose, so you come to church. Or a lot of people come to church because they don't want to go to hell.

Just in case that there's a hell, I want to make sure that I have proper insurance. So they come to church and it fulfills that, and it's not hard to do because this is where my friends are, my kids grow up together, good morals are taught, this is where I feel purpose and direction.

All of these things may be fulfilled in the church and never find perfection. Because that was not the purpose of the church to begin with. All of those things are byproducts of the church. But not the end goal. The end goal in 1 Peter 3, it says, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God." Why did Jesus die?

Why did the just experience injustice to bring the unjust to salvation? So that he may bring us to God. So the whole point is to restore our relationship with God. Because the Bible says in the book of Acts, he says, "For in him we live and move and have our being." In him.

So if you're not reconnected with the author of life, you may find an alternate life in the church, you may find an alternate life outside the church, but it has nothing to do with perfection. It has nothing to do with God's end goal. And that's why people can be at church all their life and at the end when they stand before Christ and he said, "You call me Lord, Lord, but your heart was never with me.

Had nothing to do with me. All your activity, all the Bible study, all the church had nothing to do with me." Because we missed the whole point. You know, you could be a great student and spent hundreds of hours doing a paper on Abraham Lincoln and you think you're going to get an A+ and then you come to the professor and he said, "No, I wanted a paper on George Washington." Now if it was on Abraham Lincoln, you would have gotten A+++.

But because it was on Lincoln, you got an F. It had nothing to do with what the professor wanted. So, we missed this point of what God wants. God's whole purpose and why he did what he did, why he's doing what he is doing, and why he will continue to do what he continues to do.

All our efforts could easily be for nothing. And he says, "Your whole old system has no power." It doesn't say it has some power, but it's not enough. He says, "No, it has no power." In fact, the term he uses is worthless and useless when it comes to bringing us to Christ.

The end goal is to have this relationship restored. That's why if you look at verse 12 through 16, it describes how Jesus Christ comes in a completely different priesthood. And when there is a change of priesthood, there's a change of law. And he doesn't come in the order of Aaron.

In fact, his priesthood is completely different. So the whole point of verse 12 and 16, whole point of it is he's saying it's completely useless. There needs to be a whole different system. Now why is this relevant? It's relevant because anything that you and I have confidence in, that we think somehow if we do a better job, if we can market the church better, if we can organize better, or if we can change the system, have the right leaders, if we can just tweak certain things that we can have what God desires.

He says, "No, that old system, you can have the best priest, best organization. You can have the best animals, best sacrifices. You can have the best temple, but it would still be useless because all of it was simply a shadow to point to what was to come in reality of Christ." At some point, everybody drives a car, and at some point you try to fix this and fix that.

At some point you have to make a decision, you cannot salvage this. And so once you go up to that point, you have to buy a new car. You change the tires, the alternator, everything that you could possibly do, but at some point you cannot salvage the car. Well, that's what's happening here in Hebrews chapter 7 because the Jews are drifting back to their old system.

He said, "You do not know that there's nothing to salvage there. It's finished." And when he is saying that there's nothing to salvage there, that it is finished, he's not just talking about Old Testament system. For the Jews, that's what they were clinging to. Whatever worldly principles, whatever worldly leaderships, whatever legal institutions that you think that if you can just tweak it, you can bring heaven on earth, you missed the whole point.

All of creation, all of it has been tainted. If we put our confidence and hope in anything else outside of Christ, you will be disappointed. Now he explains why they are worthless and useless in the coming verses. First of all, the old priesthood was weak and useless because the priests were weak and useless.

He said the priesthood came without an oath, without an oath meaning that God didn't appoint them. God just created a system and then you were born into it. So these mediators that was mediating for the nation of Israel and the world, basically they were men because they were just born as a Levite in Hebrews 7, 20 to 21.

As much as it was not without an oath, for they indeed became priests without an oath. In other words, they were just born into it. So imagine what the country would be like if every president became president because you were born in the right family. You might have some good presidents and you might have some horrible presidents.

So that's what he's saying, the weakness of the system is they're not even anointed. They just came into being. But not only do they come in like that, every single one of them is limited because they're going to die. Hebrews chapter 7, 23. The former priests on the one hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing.

So just by the limitation of the priests themselves points to the limitation of the priesthood. So again, I want you guys to be able to bridge the gap. I don't want to get you in the mindset, it's like, "Oh, you know, those are talking about Jews and I've never worshipped at the temple so this is not relevant to me." This is as relevant as it can get because what he is saying is any human system, anything that is dependent upon human beings, whether it is government, relationship, counseling, finance, whatever it may be, it will always be limited by that human being.

And the priesthood will also be limited because of that. And so their finiteness pointed to the finiteness of the system. But the real reason why it was weak and useless is because the priest's own weakness and sins. Hebrews chapter 2, 27, it says, "Like those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins." Even though he was appointed, a priest was appointed to mediate for the sins of the people, he himself was a sinner.

He himself was a criminal. So he had no power within himself. You know, there's a story about some young people who went up to a camping trip and a lot of times, you know, when they get to a camping trip late at night, they'll tell scary stories to each other.

And then they told stories about ghosts and things. So at the end of the camping trip, late at night, they're coming home and one of the girls who were coming home remembered these stories and she got freaked out. She parked her car far from her apartment and so she was walking and then she heard strange noises and she turned around and she saw a white ghost behind her and she freaked out.

She was already scared. So she started running as fast as she could. Then after a while, she doesn't hear anything. So, "Oh, I must have run away from that." So she turned around. She didn't know where the ghost was. Again, right behind her. She runs as fast as she could.

And then after a while, she said, "Surely, you know, she's a track star. So she must have outrun this ghost." And she turns around right there. Right there. She didn't gain a foot. So she ran into her apartment, closed the door, locked the door, went to the bathroom and locked the door thinking, "Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?" And then she looks into the mirror and she sees a little piece of white rice right on the tip of her eyes.

Okay. Most of you are Korean. This sounds better in Korean. So the whole time she was running from the ghost, it was just a little piece of rice stuck on the, you know, tip of her eyes. And she couldn't run from it. And the reason why she couldn't run from it is because it was on her.

You can't run from sin. You can't legislate sin. You can't eradicate sin by standing in the shower and washing longer and using the right soap. Let me tell you plainly, racism is sin. You can't eradicate that by tweaking the system. Because as long as sinful men are involved, there will always be sin.

You're not going to legislate sin out of anything that human beings do. You know, the dilemma of mankind is that God has made us social, so we desire companionship. Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert. An extrovert may enjoy being around large groups of people, and maybe an introvert wants to be around a small group of people.

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, God made us social. And that's why we long to be married, because we want companionship. But you know what's interesting? Now that we've been in isolation for three or four months, people are eager to get out. Go out, play basketball, go to the gym, to the beach, and hang out, come to church and fellowship, rub shoulders.

And then there's a group of people who've never been isolated. They're around people, dealing with their bosses all this time, and they are eager to get some vacation time, to get away from people. That's the irony and the dilemma of mankind. God made us social. And so we desire to be with people, but then when we are with people, it becomes a problem.

The very thing that we long for becomes the most difficult thing to deal with. God made us to be social. That's why when Adam was created, he said it's not good for him to be alone, so he created a companion to be with her. But as soon as sin came in, what happened?

The relationship between husband and wife became contentious. And the relationship between husband and wife is representative of all other relationships. Whatever mankind is involved in, no matter what party that you are in, no matter what legal things that we change, as long as human beings are involved, there will always be sin.

Because the problem is not with legislation. The problem is not with a system. That if we just change the system, if we tweak the system, somehow we can reach perfection. And he says it is absolutely worthless and useless to think that tweaking things are going to make things perfect.

That is our human dilemma. That's why he says, "The old system is gone. Behold, the new has come." All the systems of the world are weak and useless because of weak and useless mankind. But the new system, the new priesthood that Jesus brings, on the other hand, is a better system because we have a better priest.

In Hebrews chapter 7, 22, "So much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." Hebrews 7, 21, "For they indeed became priests without an oath, but he with an oath through the one who said to him, 'The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

You are a priest forever.'" You know what anointed means? Anointed means that he was set apart. He was chosen. He was prepared. And that's why in Ephesians chapter 1, it says repeatedly over and over and over again that our salvation was his will. It is his purpose. It is his election.

It is the one, he is the one who predestined. He didn't simply tweak the system. He anointed Christ to bring in a completely different priesthood. Ephesians 1, 9, "He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his kindness and intention which he purposed in him." Over and over and over again, it's saying Jesus is the anointed one.

He is the only king priest. He is the only king of righteousness and the only king of peace. That's why in 1 Timothy 2, 5, it says, "For there is one God and one mediator also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." He's not the best mediator. He's the only mediator.

He's not the best priest. He's the only priest. I hear some people saying, "You know what? That's what the apostle Paul did. He venerated Christ and he started sharing all this stuff and Jesus never said that." Of course he said that. In John 14, 6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way.

I am the truth and I am the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." You know what the key term in that statement is in John 14, 6? The word "the." I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Not a way, not a truth, not a life, but the.

The only. That's what he means when he says he's the only anointed, only purposed, only predestined one who is able to perfect sinners to salvation, to bring us to him. Not only is he the only one, he's the only eternal one. Since we have the only one that fits that category, now that we have him, there is no need for another.

That's what it means when Jesus says it is finished. There's nothing more to wait for. Now we have Christ, so now let's work on something else. He said, "No, if you have Christ, you have everything." Jesus is the answer. He's not the beginning of the answer. He's the answer.

You know, a lot of Christians start with him and think we need to move and mature beyond him. And that's the mistake that a lot of Christians get into. It's, "Oh, we have Christ. Since our salvation is secure and we're no longer going to hell, now let's work on our society.

Now let's work on poverty. Now let's work on politics. Now let's work on the family structure." When he says, "I am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father but through me," and when he says it is finished, he's not saying, "I've started the finish.

I pointed you to the finish." He says, "It is finished." Remember what happens when Jesus gives up his breath and he finally physically dies? Do you remember the first thing that happens? The curtain is torn. Remember what the curtain is? The curtain is what separated the holy from the holy of holies.

Meaning our access to God was opened permanently. Period. That our answer is Christ all the time. You say, "Well, Christ is the answer to hell." No. Christ is the answer to poverty. Christ is the answer to loneliness. No, Christ is the answer to racism. Christ is the answer to war.

Christ is the answer to politics. Christ is the answer to the family. Christ is the answer to our economics. Christ is the answer. Because whatever life that you try to find outside of Christ is just an imitation and it is completely worthless and useless. Because as long as sinful man is involved, you will never eradicate or legislate sin out of that system.

Because it's in that person. It's in the person who is in power and it's in the person who is protesting. It is in all of us. And the answer is only found in Christ. In Hebrews chapter 7, 16, "Who has become such not on the basis of the law of physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life." Because it's based on an indestructible life, our union with Christ is also indestructible.

And because our union with Christ is indestructible, the life that you and I have received is also indestructible. It is permanent and it is final. And whenever Christians think, "Well, we have Christ now. Let's work on something else." You have drifted. Hebrews 7, 23-25, "The former priests on the one hand existed in a greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing.

But Jesus on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds the priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able also to save forever, permanently. Those who draw near to God through him since always, since he always lives to make intercession for them." Always. Not just until we get to heaven, but for eternity, he will always be interceding on our behalf.

And Hebrews 10, 10, "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Let me conclude with this. Racism. Right now, I mean, you go online and you put up what, in any position, and you're going to have war breaking out on Facebook.

No matter what you say, because somebody is going to have very militant views on the other end. One end or the other. Racism is really at the core of our rebellion. If you look at the core of our rebellion, it's being self-centered. It's me. Adam and Eve saw what God had and said, "Oh, I want that.

Let me eat some of that." And I wanted to be like him. Tower of Babel, as soon as they were organized, "Hey, let's build this thing. I want to be like him." And in Romans chapter one, it says they worship the creation rather than the creator. Creation that looked like them.

So it's self-centeredness. And that's why Jesus says, "If you want to live," what did he say? "To deny yourself, pick up your cross. He who finds his life will lose it. He who loses his life for my sake will find it." And that's why he says, when he says, "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, love your neighbors," what?

As yourself. He assumed you love yourself because he knows at the core of human rebellion is self-centeredness. So you know what happens with self-centered people? Self-centered people want to be surrounded by other people who are like me. Who looks like me, smells like me, you know, does what I do, eats what I eat.

And so racism is basically not being -- not wanting to be around people who are different. And it happens both ways. Typically, we don't call racism when we categorize a different race in a higher light. Right? You say, "Wow, Asians are really intelligent. How dare you?" I say, "Thank you." Right?

Usually racism is we see somebody who's different and we see them lower. They're not as moral, they're not as intelligent, but when we elevate them, we don't consider that racism. It's a compliment. Right? Either way, we look at a group of people and we judge them, and so if we think they're higher than us, what happens?

We covet it. Right? Coveting happens in their hearts. And when coveting turns negative, you say, "Why? Why do they have something I don't have?" Right? It turns ugly. So even if it is a good compliment, there's racism in there. And then it turns ugly when it's the other way.

We have a tendency, even within the church -- that's why when the Bible says one of the qualities of an elder is hospitality, hospitality basically means to love strangers, people who are different than you. So you can be hospitable with people who are like you all the time in your house.

That's not what hospitality is. Hospitality is surrounding yourself and reaching out to people who aren't like you. How do we eradicate that? How do we change that? Would that change simply because we changed the law? Don't get me wrong. I think we live in a great country, that we have the freedom to be able to protest, that we have the freedom to be able to go and vote and say, "I don't want that.

I don't agree with that." We can change the leaders. We have the freedom to do that. And you say, "Well, you know, all democracies have that." On paper, yes. Not in reality. If you've been around enough countries, you can call it democracy, but the people who are in power don't easily let go of it.

And the rule of law doesn't work. You can call it democracy, but it's not actual democracy. In the United States, it's actual democracy. You can say it's not perfect, but it works better than any other country that I've been to. And so if we see injustice, we should speak out.

If it's wrong, get to the polls and vote them out. If something is wrong and we have something that we can do about it, we should do it. We should speak out on it. But don't be caught up like the rest of the world, thinking that if we tweak the system, heaven is going to be brought on earth.

You and I have different values, different set of beliefs, different places where we put hope. Tweaking the system isn't going to change. We have the power to tweak the system, but to believe that if we tweak the system, we're going to eradicate racism is very naive. In fact, it's unbiblical.

The hardest thing about church, you know, people ask me, "Isn't it hard being a pastor?" I think it's hard being human, no matter what you're doing. It's hard being a mom. It's hard being a dad in this generation. Hard being a student. Hard being a female. Hard being an Asian male.

Hard being white. Hard being Mexican. I mean, I think it's just hard being human. So people ask, "Isn't it hard being a pastor?" I say, "Yeah, there are some parts of it that's hard." And people would ask me, "What's the hardest part about being a pastor?" People. People. You know, "What's the hardest thing about being an accountant?" People.

"What's the hardest thing about being a police officer?" People. "What's the hardest thing about being a, you know, a lawyer?" People. That's the hardest. Unless you have a job where you don't deal with people at all. And then you long for people. Right? Which is our human dilemma. You know, we get together, we sing, but you know, usually all the, most of the dramas that are hard and draining is usually deals with people.

But also the greatest part about the church is also the people. It's when sinners are redeemed and you see people changing. You see people loving people that they would not normally love. Doing things that we wouldn't normally do. And we start to reflect Christ in our lives. So the hardest part about the church is the people, but also the best part about the church is also the people.

The difference is what's going on in here. This difference is what's going on in here. And let me give you a practical example. How God deals with racism. When you're a kid, you know, when you're a kid and you get a present, I'm talking about a really young kid, right?

And what's the latest, I'm trying to make this illustration relevant. Let's say, okay, you get an Xbox. Did I miss the mark? Is Xbox the big thing? Switch. Okay, let's use Switch, okay? Let's say you're a little kid. You're not old enough to really appreciate the Switch, okay? So you're like two years old.

So those of you who have kids, you know what I mean. You get them this gift and you put it in a nice box and they don't know what it is, so what do they end up doing? They play with the box. They play with the box. You spend all that money and you save it to give it to them and then they're climbing inside the box, outside the box.

They're putting, you know, little holes in the box. And imagine they're starting comparing, saying, "Hey, how come he has a red box? And he has a blue box and they have a polka dot box and they're all comparing the boxes." It's like, wait a second, that's not even the gift.

The gift is the Switch. But after a while, you get a little bit older and you understand what the gift is and what makes that gift really valuable is not the package but what's inside. And so it could be a yellow box, it could be a paper box, it could be trash.

But once you open it, it's a Switch. So all of a sudden, it doesn't matter the package. It doesn't matter what package it came in because the gift is the Switch. And only a child would be comparing the package. See, if we try to eradicate racism by changing our mindset, ourselves, it doesn't happen.

You get justice for one person which creates injustice for another person. But what is attractive about an individual is not the package. It's the Christ in that person. So you can be a 13-year-old child in Africa who loves Christ and I have more I can relate to that person than middle-aged Korean American who immigrated here, who has older brother, younger brother, grew up in a Christian home and speaks Korean and English.

I have more in common with that 13-year-old in Kenya than I do with this man because I know the Christ that she has in her. I don't want to be around people like me. I'm trying really hard to get rid of some of this stuff. I'm trying to shed the package that I'm in.

I'm waiting eagerly for the redemption of this body so that I can be with the Lord and be with him forever. And so my paradigm completely shifted when I met Christ. All that I longed for in this world became rubbish in the light of Christ. So now the people who are the most attracted to me are not the package that it comes in, but the Christ in that person.

And that's what he means when he's taken the Jews and the Gentiles who had hostility toward one another. He didn't all of a sudden change the law and the system and tweaked it and had seminars with one another. They were radically transformed inwardly. And so what happens to a Christian when he meets Christ is what is beautiful changes radically.

That's how peace with God establishes peace with man. So it is dangerous for Christians to be caught up in the tidal wave that is coming upon our generation to think that if we can just change the package that we would somehow learn to love one another. This is why we preach the gospel, because we believe there's only one anointed high priest who intercedes for us and who has the power to bring perfection.

So my challenge and encouragement to all of us, be careful when the tidal waves come. Watch carefully. Examine everything. Test everything. And make sure, is this coming from Christ or is this coming from the world? Like I said in the beginning, if there's any time in my lifetime where we need to be absolutely anchored in Christ, it is today.

Let's be anchored in Christ. Let's be a light in this dark world that what they are really screaming for is for Christ. Let's stand in that gap and intercede on their behalf. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we pray to you. And we know we're always desperate, but even now, Father God, especially now, be merciful to us.

Be merciful, Lord God, to our families. Be merciful to our generation, to churches, to pastors, to Christians. Help us, Lord God, to fix our eyes upon Christ, author and the perfecter of our faith. I pray that as the world becomes darker, that our love for you would become stronger.

Lord God, bring revival. That at the end of all of this, that we would have redeemed a time to proclaim Christ and him crucified. In Jesus' name we pray.