The Modern (Church) Family - Part A

Right now, no matter what you're going through.

Dear Christian, you are accepted in heaven. If you have lost your health for your feeling that loss of health. You are accepted in heaven. If you are excluded by a friend. So what you have been accepted in heaven even cast out by your family accepted and have God loved us so much that he made to bring us into his family and today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares about the soon and diverse family are part of as a believer.

Now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you take your relationship with God to a new level. As you stay rooted in his word, 20, 22, almost here now for your spiritual menu starting in January. This month their offerings to the devotional containing strong for each day the sample from January 1, Martin Luther, one that is alive has it runs after me. As you read each day each day and prepare for the greatest adventure of your life. An excerpt at the direction found in Skip Staley.doc receipt and hardcover dollars or more today this Bible teaching ministry growing playlist messages. I can't find the salt as our thank you. The victim here in the playlist theory to spend energy in life we all do make sure it's about people that you're building up not just projects to give and receive this month. Resource tankage.com or call 892 1888 fusion strap. You know the name drawn from history, you may not know that he was a racist. At one point by his own admission and I know that's a very charged word, especially in our present culture, but understand the John Newton was driven by prejudice, so much so that he sold West Africans in the human slave trade. Over a century ago, but he was reading a book at the time a very famous book called the imitation of Christ by Thomas a compass was convicted.

Long story short, John Newton gave his life to Christ totally transformed stop doing what he was doing joined the church became a clergyman in the church and wanted to contribute to the family of God by writing songs for the church. He wrote over 300 hymns.

The him though that we associate with his name John Newton is a singular song known worldwide, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me know that's not just a word. He threw in their that man believed it to be true. I was able wretch, a racist prejudice wretch and God save on his deathbed, John Newton said my memory is almost gone.

But two things I remember that I am a great center and the Christ is a great Savior, and when it comes down to it that's really all you need to remember your great center in Christ is a great Savior and you bring those two together and you have a winning combination that I remember that I'll never forget that without him.

I noticed the opening words of verse 11 in Ephesians 2 there for. Remember now you know that prejudice is a part of humanity. I think at one time every single one of us has engaged in it said certain things we wish we didn't but were all guilty of it everywhere in the world. Throughout history, it is been the case, you could go over to Northern Ireland and think about what happened historically between the Catholics and the Protestants you go to the Middle East. There is been an ongoing feud prejudicial. Few between, even Muslims in that part of the world. Shiite and Sunni Islam. Also in the Middle East between the Arabs and the Israelis also in Syria between the Kurds and the Druze and the CDs down in Australia between Australians and native Australians aborigines in South Africa. They had apartheid in the United States.

We had a Civil War in Rwanda. There was a tribal feud between the Hutus in the tootsies which decimated millions of lives. That's prejudice.

That's racism now what you need to understand is that the first century, in which Paul the apostle wrote this and other letters was exactly the same. It was a world that was torn by cultural, national, and racial instability. Romans looked down on anybody who was in the Roman Greeks look down on anybody who didn't speak Greek.

In fact, to the Greeks are only two classes of people on earth, Greeks and barbarians. They coined the term barbarians is because if you didn't speak Greek.

It sounded like bar bar bar bar bar. That's where the term barbarian came from the Jews look down on people who were not Jews, so that kind of division was very, very, the answer to all of that was the gospel because in the midst of all of that animosity. The church was born, and in the church were Romans and Greeks and Jews and male and female and slaveowners and slaves and and and in fact, Jesus came and it wasn't like let's celebrate the different cultures.

Now let's eliminate the boundaries that separate us in Jesus came to bring a new community that I will build my church a whole new group a whole new identity. And so here we are different backgrounds, different cultures, vastly different ideologies.

In fact, the truth is, you couldn't get some of us together in the same room were not for Jesus Christ. Somebody once said, there's a lot of different kinds of nuts in the Lord's fruitcake from one not to another. Not welcome to God's fruitcake in factors into be a song in heaven.

The lyrics in Revelation 5 are given to us the go like this for you have redeemed us by your blood out of every tribe and time and people and nation. You've done that several years ago in the year 2000. I had the privilege of being a part of and speaking at what was called Amsterdam 2000 and Amsterdam, 2000.

They got some people from all of the world. Christian missionaries evangelist Christian workers and it was a nine-day conference 10,287 participants.

Christian workers from 209 different nations and territories and all I could think about when I was in that large room with all these different people and languages.

I thought of heaven because we were singing songs. Everybody knew the melodies to because of the same melody across different cultures and languages. But when we started singing amazing Grace, each in their own heart language.

It was just like okay this is what happened is going to be like we are in Ephesians chapter 2 and were looking at. The second half of Ephesians chapter 2 where Paul introduces for us the modern family not like the ancient family, not a singular group that God made a covenant with but a covenant that includes everyone every tribe, every tongue, every nation and so what Paul does is remind them his readers who they were. What Jesus did for them and what they have now become this new society, and what I want to show you his three great changes that happen to them in and thus three great changes that have happened to us.

We were out now wherein that's one we were separated. Now were integrated. That's too and we were foreigners, but now her family that's three and so Paul is sort of saying the same thing, but he does it in a few different ways. He sort of builds on this theme and unpacks that idea for us.

The first being we were out but now were in. Let's look at verse 11.

Therefore, remember that you once Gentiles, to get to that in just a moment. Once Gentiles in the flash, who are called on circumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time you were without Christ, being alien aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought nearby the blood of Christ. This is our past life. This is RBC experience before Christ. For most of us know granite. Some of you might have a Jewish background. Some of you may have been Orthodox Jews.

But for the most part I'm looking at a group of non-Jewish people Gentile people self included and so the people at Ephesus were also the Jewish word for us Gentiles is going ever heard the term gory at the Hebrew word goi is a Gentile boy theme is the plural Hebrew plural, and it literally means the nation so the Jews divided the world up into Judaism and the world the nations going green now.

According to Paul the apostle being Jewish brought with it some advantages many advantages. He lists them in Romans chapter 9 is what he writes.

They are the people of Israel chosen to be God's special children. God revealed his glory to them.

He made covenants with them and gave his law to them.

They have the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Their ancestors were great people of God and Christ himself was a Jew. As far as his human nature is concerned.

Now that's the list of the advantages a Jewish person has God's given them the Scriptures, God is given them the patriarchs, God has given them the temple worship God gave them the sacrifices, thus God gave them the approach to himself, God gave them the priesthood, God promised to them the Messiah so from a spiritual standpoint they had all we Gentiles, on the other hand, had nothing. We were, as Paul describes here with out without we were without Christ, we are without the covenants we are without God we are without hope.

But the Jews.

Unfortunately, instead of using their position to attract Gentiles into God's kingdom, which is what God's plan all along and told them all along in the Old Testament, plain as day. They use their exalted position to look down their nose at people who were not like them derogatorily. Note in verse 11, Paul being a Jewish rabbi would've understood this. Therefore, remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh to watch this, who are called on circumcision by what is called the circumcision, the circumcision refers to Jewish people. They use the term on circumcision as a derogatory divisive term. Those uncircumcised Philistines in order not like us. We are insiders there outsiders and it was a point of pride to them. Did you know 2000 years ago and it's written in the records that Jews believed some of them Jews believe that there was one reason God created non-Jews. One reason to make hell harder. That's a purpose in their words to Kindle or stoke the fires of Elsa God disorder wants to keep the temperature going. Maybe increase a little bit so it makes more Gentiles throws him and throws him and throws him. That's why God created Gentiles. Strict Jews would not even walk down the street. If a Gentile were coming the other direction. They just take a different route. It was not lawful for these Jews to help a Gentile woman who was pregnant in her hour of need in delivering a baby. They were not allowed to help her because if they did they would be guilty in helping bring another Gentile in the world. If a Jewish girl got married to a Gentile boy. Oftentimes her family would conduct her funeral the same day to just say she's dead to us. She doesn't live. She doesn't exist. There is a story in one of the rabbinical sources about a Gentile woman who came to a famous Rabbi Rabbi Eliezer, and she came in she confessed that she was a sinner and that she wanted to live a righteous life and she wanted to be admitted into the Jewish faith, and so she came up to Rabbi Eliezer and said Rabbi bring me near bring me near that was the term of let me into Judaism. I know that I'm a far-off bring me near Rabbi Eliezer said no you cannot come near and he closed the door on her face so look back at verse 12 because we have a summary statement of the problem. Our plight says having no hope without God in the world is as low as you can go.

Having no hope without God in the world. Historians tell us that at that time in the world. The Gentile world. There was a pervasive cloud of hopelessness that more than ever before people started feeling let down by their gods by the belief system, whether they were Greeks or Romans all of the polytheism they had believed in, let them down. They felt vulnerable.

They felt empty and arcane cues writes the first century was an age of suicide, so depression was of suicide was people felt let down people. People felt hopeless and as I started reading this week about the Gentile world and this description having no hope without God in the world.

I thought, talk about a contemporary description that sounds so similar to right now. I just don't mean modern world. I mean right now the time in which we live.

Before covert, 19 hit. There was a Washington Post article from 2019. That said, this is right before the virus. It Americans are facing a rising tide of despair that was then I was before covert, a rising tide of despair. The article talk about hopelessness over and over and over a year later, the LA Times put this out.

Signs of depression have tripled in the United States in scope with 19 having no hope without God in the world that is a description of what is all around us right now me think about how many people do you know that genuinely enjoy life. How many people do you know that really love their job.

You can even get people back to the job to enjoy how many people you know are still excited about their marriage. How many people do you know who live in enthusiastic live, having no hope without God in the world as the description that's being outside. Look at verse 13. But now there's hope in those two words, but now it's like, it's like John Newton and in the song I once was blind but now I see was lost but now I'm found but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought nearby the blood of Christ. I remember how it felt when I was in high school and on my classmates would stand on the basketball court and pick teams.

I do remember them doing that. I remember how it felt, not being picked your knee not been picture 658 pick you like.

First, no, you haven't seen me play. They had sides or stand over there and felt really bad as they would take everybody else even the guy was like this policy okay but I also remember how good it felt, when there's like a new kid at school when he picked me first really felt good. I remember how it felt when I would get letters from colleges saying no vernacular admit you adore college and I remember how good it out. The day that I opened up the letter that said, you are welcome in our facility exclusion never feels good. Inclusion always feels good. Paul said you were an outsider. But now you're an insider, because you are in Christ. I've always loved the guy by the name of G. Campbell Morgan century ago expositor of the word in London when she Campbell Morgan was younger he was trying out for a church. He wanted to be a pastor and became a great one. But at that time he was candidate in for a church that time they had a board of people who would listen to a sermon in grade him and accept or reject well. He did make it and he was so despondent that he wired his father so this is the day before computers and and and texting. He had to go find a telegraph and iron you got charged by the word, so he gave his dad one word rejected reject his father. He immediately wired him back. This response rejected on earth accepted in heaven rejected on earth accepted in heaven right now. No matter what you're going through. Dear Christian, you are accepted in heaven. If you have lost your health for your feeling that loss of health. You are accepted in heaven. If you are excluded by a circle of friends know what you have been accepted in heaven. If you been cast out by your family are accepted in heaven. You been demoted at work accepted and have you been pushed off social media scorned by your friends. You are accepted, and that you are in on the greatest plan ever hatched herein on with some a song around this joint. The really good song. I am chosen not forsaken.

I am who you say I am you are for me not against me. I am who you say I am, you need to wake up tomorrow and sing that song you are accepted, but now in Christ you were once a far off have been brought nearby the blood of Christ, so that's the first change we were out now were in. Here's the second change that is happened.

We were separated but now were integrated with adverse 14 for he himself, that is Jesus Christ. He himself is our peace, who has made both one. Both mean Jew and Gentile is made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity and he came and preached peace to you were far off and to those who were near for through him we both have access by one Spirit that Skip the message from the series now screen right now want to share about an exciting opportunity you have. To take your knowledge of God's word even deeper. If you're ready to study God's word beyond going to church is personal Bible study ready for Calvin College secure in your life's purpose to the next level with an education is biblical studies registration for the 2022. Spring term is over noise. Now classes have an on-site Calvary church Albuquerque and online classes like biblical counsel. A study of the end times in the history of authenticity of the five was theological studies is a doctoral man, sin and salvation, college partners with Veritas international University and Charlie Chaplin University. You can learn at accredited undergraduate or graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of God and his word. Your application for the 2022 splinter is available right now. Classes start January 10 apply to the Catholic Church. College.com Calvary church College.com every day, people everywhere are connecting the clearance. The truth of God's word, not just on the radio online and it's all possible because of your support. Listen to this note.

One person sanding. Thank you for generously providing the whole archive of sermons helped me so much and I direct others to them. I'm grateful for your contextual first diverse teaching in a sea of confusion. Your support means more people around the world can hear God's word and solid foundation visit connexus.com/donate to help reach even more listeners like you cannot escape.com/Downey, 819 team 819 thanks you soon again tomorrow for Skip Heitzigs of shares about the significance of your new standing as part of God's family. Be sure Skip presentation of connection communications to God's unchanging truth, ever-changing time