Breaking Down the Barrier, Part 1

Before the new covenant of God was established through the promised Messiah.

The world consisted of two people groups. Those who were Jews and those were Gentiles. But when Jesus conquered death and rose again. He tore down the dividing wall reconciled both Jew and Gentile into one new man today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll guides us through a passage in Ephesians chapter 2 where were given details on this pivotal moment in world history. It's the quintessential peace accord titled today's message breaking down the barrier, the book of Ephesians makes it clear that we were once dead in our sins but God has made us alive through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ of the good news. And this is that we now don't have to live our lives without Christ and without hope the sacrifice of Jesus brought peace between God and people by breaking down the barrier between us.

The sacrifice of Jesus also reconciled Jews and Gentiles the very important point that built us into one body, so that we can worship God together in his son and by the Holy Spirit. This profound doctrine is called reconciliation and the basis for it is found in the second chapter of Ephesians verses 11 to 16.

So that's the place I want you to open your Bibles right now. Ephesians chapter 2 and I'll begin my reading at verse 11.

Therefore, remember that formerly used the Gentiles in the flesh who are called on circumcision by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands. Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought nearby the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in his flesh the enmity which is the law of 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 to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll sure to download his searching the Scriptures study going to Insight world.org/study another message titled breaking down the barrier of father we bow in gratitude to you for who you are and for what you mean to us, not just a song to sing not just a service to attend but Lord, the object of our worship. The subject of our praise.

The purpose of our living. The reason to go on the strength in our weakness. The comfort in our sorrows, the great I am not. I was, not someday I will be but the ever present now in a world that is lonely in the in between eras of time. We thank you for filling in the spaces with your person with the work of Christ with the joy that comes in walking with God. This is your work. It isn't ours. This is your church. It is at its members. This is your day to be praised, so it's to you, we give our gifts is to you. We express our gratitude in these tangible ways, it's you. We love to you. We sing hallelujah to the Lamb who was slain and has been raised and is seated and will come again.

Until then, Lord reign as king and our hearts as you change us to be more like her son and whose great name we pray, God's people say amen great events of a way of cementing themselves in our minds. Have you noticed that travel back with me through a few years of time and see if you don't agree that you can remember where you were and what you were doing when this happened a few of you will remember this December 7, 1941 when I got the attention of about 1/10 of my audience. Now I was seven years old and we were as a family on our way to a little bay cottage down south text just a little below plexus. My dad was driving us in the new 1941 Ford three kids were in the backseat. Mom and dad in the front seat. We have the radio on and suddenly our car pulled over. I didn't understand that much about what it happened but my remember my dad's words like they were said last week, we cannot go on vacation. If our country is at war. We turned around and went back to my hometown within a matter of months we had moved to Houston where my father was involved in the whole process of being a part of the patriotism that marked our country back.

In an era. Many of us will never forget will left you in the in the past. So let me go to a day in November 1963 in the city of Dallas. You might not of been in Dallas at the time but you know exactly where you were, you know what you were doing when you got the news that the president of our country had been assassinated down the streets of Dallas. You remember clearly how you felt. What known at the time in your mind. If that's not clear. Maybe I can take it to well it was a Sunday night in 1969 when our astronaut for the first time walked on the moon. Now you coming along a few more of your smiling saying are you getting closer to my era. I remember that we stopped worship services.

Early that evening so we could get home in time to watch that scratchy black and white television set. As we saw the astronaut take that first great step for mankind not remember. With tears streaming down my face in the early 70s when the televise the first coming home of the prisoners of war from Vietnam I don't think I was ever the same after watching that maybe one of the most moving moments televised in American history. Well, if you're a sports fan I can take it to the winter deep in the winter of 1980 when a scraggly Olympic American hockey team had the audacity to whip those Russians there on the on the ice and I remember how great it was when that goalie wrapped himself in American flag skated out her own children are on our own like we were right there playing that game. It was a great moment. I remember how we felt. Remember what we said.

I also remember a speech by Ronald Reagan our president at this particular era in mind when he said Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall you remember seeing that.

If not at the moment later, is it been televised in documentary since then. And they did they did in every list. I've seen that's come out since the turn of the millennium listing the hundred most important events everyone has included the day the wall came tumbling down. Berlin was open, not just Burgenland but all of those who lived behind what Churchill originally called the iron curtain.

What a difference it made and is still making is the country of Russia struggles to find its way in the land that's no longer captured in the grip of the KGB now learning how to be a capitalistic country as they fight for survival.

We have friends who live there who tell tragic stories of that which is transpired since we celebrated the, the falling of the wall we Americans thought this would solve it all, but it hasn't. Well I will tell you that had we lived in the first century and had we come to know Christ remarkably through the presentation of someone's message of the gospel to us. We would be celebrating another wall that fell down. It was clearly the most significant wall that has ever been erected in the history of time. It was a wall of religious, political, ideological, yes racial barrier.

It was a wall that we Gentiles, and we Jews would never have dreamed would come down. In fact, it didn't literally come down in the temple until finally the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. 70. As a result of Titus invading Jerusalem and destroying the temple so that no stone was on another, but that wall though it didn't fall literally in the temple about tell you fell in God's timetable. Most of us aren't Jewish none of us lived in the first century, so this sounds like theory something a preacher would get excited over rather than normal people. When we hear about something like this with a well big deal.

Believe me, big deal. Had you been a Gentile living in the first century you would have been known to the Jews as a dog.

In fact, it was believed by many of them that if you aided in the delivery of a Gentile baby you only introduced another heathen who would provide fuel for the fires of hell to this world were talking prejudice. If a Jew married a Jew, then you celebrated till the end of the day in some time till the end of the week. If a Jew married a Gentile, you had a funeral.

You and I can hardly imagine the line of separation between those born to, and those uncircumcised Gentiles prejudice ran deep. In fact, it still does. Why Jews are God's people, to the Jew was given the law of Moses friend of the Jews came the great prophets who declared the truth of that wall for the Jews were rules and regulations that set them apart from many of the diseases and plagues that would sweep a country almost off the mat.

The Jews were protected and they were precious in God's sight with the Jew was God's protection and blessing and therefore that you never forgot it never failed to teach that to his children. You don't go into a Gentile home anymore than you dare touch the corpse don't go there.

The rules the established rules were there. There was not only a wall of separation. There was a double wall wall between Gentile and Jew in the wall between God and Gentile, why do you think Jonah made such a stink when God said I want you to go to Nineveh and preach the message I give you why Jonah didn't want to go to those Ninevites. The city full of Gentiles, so he took off for Tarsus, which is sort of like going to Berlin by way of Honolulu. You don't get there.

That way, Jonah didn't want to go there even though that great missionary message was go declare my message to them.

He finally went first amphibious landing ever recorded in Scripture. He went but he didn't have his heart in it. All of this sets us up for this magnificent section of Scripture in the heart of Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians you're still reading it. Are you anybody who has to search for Ephesians has stop reading it. You gotta go back stay at it every week. Read the read the letter to the Ephesians, or you'll miss out. If you remember reading as we have been through this first part of chapter 2 you'll remember the importance of the words, but God you were dead. Verse one chapter 2 but God verse four, chapter 2, he set us apart into himself. He made us alive in Christ and we are verse 10. His poetry in motion we are his artists tree on display. We are God's point came on God's workmanship, but Paul isn't true. He wants to go to another contrast in this one is not between the living of the dead. This one is between the Gentile and the Jew he wants to clarify what is been accomplished by Christ at Calvary. It wasn't just another death of just another good man. It was the line of demarcation or the wall came tumbling down. In fact, if you read the text correctly. In other places you'll see that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. It was as if God said come on in, on the end where you have been held back. Come on in. The Jews didn't believe it.

Then the Jews don't believe it. Now you question that travel to Israel and watch them as they curled her lips.

When you speak of Palestinians, or any of the Gentiles. You see, they've never believe the message Paul is telling us members of the church. Now the church of the 21st-century. Get rid of the prejudice letting go, don't go there. There is no separation between Jew and Greek bond are free, male or female in the church in the family.

We are one in Christ Jesus.

And this is one of the few places where the ground stays level may give you a simplified outline is the only kind I know and that's the only kind I remember.

So why not where we were. Verses 11 and 12 what Jesus did, 13 and 14. Why were grateful 50 to 60 elementary can you get where we were at the past. That's alienation. What Jesus did, 13 and 14 that's destruction, the destruction of the wall. Why were grateful. That's reconciliation, 15, 16. I love this letter.

Therefore, remember verse 12. Remember he's looking back the new King James version says remember at that time. Looking back, the new living version renders this.

Don't forget, in those days so understand everyone looking back before the cross.

You like to draw little symbols in your Bible. I sometimes do that draw across put an arrow going back and put verses 11 and 12. This is the way we were. This is how life once was. And it's not a pretty picture. We were alienated, BC. We were alienated from God. Remember you Gentiles you were called on the circumcision by the so-called circumcision and the Jews haven't had a way of saying that that sounded sarcastic. We admired David and his courageous stand against Goliath and we should but you remember a lion. When he looked out across the valley of a law he saw this giant on the other side, parading back and forth blocking the armies of of Israel, and he said who is this uncircumcised Philistine to say that you said you we habitat words that we use for people were prejudiced against all now days were little more cautious in using them bubbly. We got him we were born with, and we were taught them. We learned them. Prejudice is a learned sin. Paul is writing back in former days you Gentiles, who were the uncircumcised.

You remember verse 12. Five things to give you five words that describe life BC okay, first of all, you were at that time separate from Christ.

We were Christ less put that down. We were Christ less Gentiles in the first century had no thought of the Messiah. He was the Jews whole bad Messiah. They had no claim on upcoming anointed one.

We were Christ less right next the word state less you were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel.

We were not only aliens from Messiah we were aliens from God's nation Israel was a theocracy, not a democracy for all us reigned over Israel. God was there. Lord, not to the Gentiles. Try to find any hope in the history of Gentiles related to the God, the creator of man. You won't find it. We were excluded from that state. We had no part in the French are franchise in that nation. Third, we were friendless. See the word strangers. We were excluded from the Commonwealth and we were strangers from the covenant God had bound himself unconditionally to the blessing of Israel. In fact, you other nations will be blessed because of their treatment of you, other nations will be cursed. I swear by my name, I make a covenant with you people, beginning with Abraham, and from then on. To this day. Gentiles were friendless we we had no part in the covenant. Had we lived in that day. Those would be strange words to us. We were outside that bond was no relationship with a covenant making God, we had no God we had God's. We were taken to the core, not monotheistic, polytheistic, or perhaps a theistic. The fourth word is hopeless, never coming closer to home.

We were aliens to a meaningful future aliens to the Messiah, priceless aliens to God's nation stateless aliens to the covenants friendless aliens to a meaningful future hopeless.

Did you know the first century was an era of numerous suicides. Tacitus, one of the writers states that a man killed himself out of indignation that he had been born. That was reason enough to take one's life. I mean Gentiles history was going nowhere fast. The Jews in the future, and a whole no different today social Darwinist Herbert Spencer of the previous generation wrote my own feeling, respecting the ultimate mystery, meaning death is such that I cannot even try to think of it without some feeling of terror so that I habitually shun the thought Spencer isn't alone very few friends of yours without Christ find delight in talking about death. Psychologists tell us that's the last pay place.

People want to see themselves inside a coffin's most frightening thought a person without Christ without hope could ever entertain. I'm going to be there. It's called hope less in God list see the end of verse 12. Without God aliens to the creator. What what a lineup aliens to Messiah priceless aliens to the covenants aliens to God's nation stateless aliens to the covenant friendless aliens to any kind of meaningful future hopeless aliens to the creator God himself. God bless. If you want a classic illustration today of that travel abroad go to a country that has never worshiped the living God, and has erected its idols, its shrines, stand back and watch the ceremony.

It is heart breaking. The shrines are dirty. The rituals are empty. The prayers are futile. The actions are repetitious your heart as the heart of a child of God will break as you watch idolaters trying to gain relief from their idols, hoping to assuage their anger with their gifts or their incense or their sacrifices and they never get the piece that comes from the instant they would know in coming to Christ. God's you really don't have to go overseas. Just remember your own past Chuck Swindoll titled today's message breaking down the barrier and there's much more teaching ahead here on Insight for living. To learn more about Pastor Chuck Swindoll in this ministry.

Visit us online@insightworld.org.

Today's program features just one slice of a much larger series. It's a verse by verse study. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Chuck is titled becoming a people of grace and to complement your study in this New Testament book you want to order a copy of Chuck's commentary on Ephesians I should expect from Chuck.

The commentaries laid out in a format that's practical, easy to read and filled with opportunities to apply what you've learned to everyday life. Plus, this particular volume comes with Chuck's commentary on Galatians as well. It's called Swindoll's living inside commentary on Galatians and Ephesians. To purchase this 300 page hardbound commentary right now. Go to Insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 just before we sign off for the weekend begins.

All of us at Insight for living, would like you to know that we're praying this study and Ephesians will inspire you to become God's agent of grace in a world that's craving to feel a touch of his kindness 2020 will go down in history as a year filled with uncertainty, fear, and even disrespect because Jesus has torn the curtain doing so broken all barrier.

It's all the more reason to become people of grace. In that spirit, we are inviting you to join us in taking God's message of grace all across the country and even around the world vision 195 to give a one time donation today because listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or discover one of the best ways to maximize your giving by becoming a monthly companion by giving a donation every month you'll have 12 times the impact over the course of one year become a monthly companion go to Insight.org/monthly companion study, becoming a people of right here on Insight for living. The preceding message breaking down the barrier was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles Arsenault, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited