Breaking Down the Barrier, Part 2

When Jesus rose from the grave. His resurrection triggered a number of concurrent miracles today on Insight for living trucks went all sites. One of those historic breakthroughs. It's described by the apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 as part of the old covenant Gentiles were excluded from Israel.

Ephesians 2 Paul explains that Jesus dismantled and un-passable Barry kept them from participating in God's blessing the outcome of his action changed history forever.

Today we're picking up right where we left off on Fridays program titled his message breaking down the barrier 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 lists you are excluded from the commonwealth of Israel were not only aliens from Messiah we were aliens from God's nation we were excluded from the Commonwealth and we were strangers from the covenant.

The fourth word is hopeless aliens to a meaningful future and God blessed see the end of verse 12. Without God, is to pray with her fellow years ago in my earlier years as a believer. He had a wonderful prayer and often mentioned in Lord help me never to forget what it was like outside of Christ. I hope you haven't forgotten.

I hope you haven't forgotten the sleepless nights, the sweaty palms at funerals. I hope you haven't forgotten the futile attempts of prayer and quoting a few verses of Scripture when you were panicked.

Hope you haven't forgotten life without God. I read recently of a small gathering of socialite group they'd come to celebrate of famous actor's performance in a particular film he had done a magnificent magnificent job and they were there to enjoy the moment and applaud him for his work. And as you would expect the group began to prod him to recite something for them. They wanted the pleasure of an an an intimate work of art in front of them as he was so gifted capable happen to be an aging pastor there who wasn't friend of the group and and he looked at the man whom he knew and and the man looked back at him and sorta shrugged his shoulders and the pastor said to him, why don't you just quote for us to the 23rd Psalm you know that. He said yes I do, I'll do that only if after I'm through you.

You'll do that to me said well happy to do that. So the actor began as he recited the shepherds Psalm all six versus WordPerfect with remarkable addiction, dramatic persuasion people sat in rapt silence.

He finished and they all applauded. Then he nodded to the pastor who stood in rather bent in age season and time of serving Christ over the years and not without great addiction or delivery. He began to recite the same 23rd Psalm when he finished, there wasn't a dry in the place, and some looked at the actor and said what's the difference always said that that's that's easy. I know the song. He notes the shepherd when you don't know the shepherd you just know words you just plead hoping that there's somebody out there in space. The listen is the life of those who are priceless and stateless friend listen hopeless God.

Imagine without God. Imagine a terminal illness without God. Don't keep this antiseptic. This is a first century truth to live by.

This is 21st-century counsel to live with but now in Christ Jesus want to scream it. You've heard enough of my screaming for one service so try to preserve you from that.

What difference did Christ make what did he do look at it.

But now this is the this is the contrasty particle that announces a remarkable change were moving from the way we were to the difference. He is made and it's the cross it's the crops it's the blood of the Savior. It's the Lord Jesus Christ death at Calvary for the penalty for all of those sins was paid once for all, so that we are now made right before God. What what an accomplishment. The whole euros of time revolve around BC a D even by those who deny the significance of his death, but now in Christ, you who were formerly far off. Listen to the wall crumble. You were told as Gentiles stay in that outer court. Don't even think about coming up here on the platform preserved for the Jews don't even think about you who were held back from God have been brought nearby the blood of Christ tell you that is an audacious message to announce in the first century for the Jew to hear and even in the 21st century some settings you'd be marked. Don't tell me I'm one with them.

It's the Emancipation Proclamation in the 19th century and still there are Blacks African-Americans who find themselves pushed back and shoved aside is still there are Asians who live under racial discrimination by the church by Christians is Chuck you're getting pretty close to home. Great I love it is getting close to home. I love talking about where the sin lies in all our lives. Those who were once far off have been brought near an amazingly they have found that God is colorblind and racially blind even in his mission's he sees beyond all that, thanks to the cross how it writes it. We have been brought nearby the blood of Christ himself promised I wouldn't yell but I got to at that point if you could read this. In the Greek sentence, you would see a pronoun all by itself, shoved, way ahead in the sentence and it just stands there all alone and isolated screaming for attention because he himself, he alone, no one else.

Christ alone tossed he himself is RP magnificent piece is not found in some monument pieces and found in some song apart to sit through one more halftime of the Super Bowl were thousand people sing about peace in the world.

I really will screen you will find peace in the world, apart from him so we don't pray for peace apart from Christ can't be one wag is put it this way our nations capital has a large assortment of peace monuments we build one after every war, he himself is our peace so not not some document people sign up and break every chlorination of a queen or king. Every election of a president listen for every election year. Listen for the promises of peace. It won't be delivered. They can't do it. He himself alone is RP's if you're hoping to find it in your neighborhood, you'll never do that. You're hoping to find it work.

It won't be there to find it to the person peace in your heart and hopefully peace in the next brothers heart so that we will be one in Christ Jesus. At least in the boundaries of the church, at least here. He brought the piece.

He stopped the hostility I read recently of a World War II scene where the American soldiers were firing on a German home in the country, the German family had rushed away to the barn for safety is that German troops occupied and they were firing back and forth a three-year-old daughter of the German family in a moment of panic lost her restraint and got away from her mother's arms and raced out into the yard between the firing of the Americans and the German. Strangely, all firing stopped. The little child turned bewildered until the mother raced out and grabbed her in her arms and carried her back to the barn safety in the starting of the fire all over again.

I thought as I read that unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, the government shall be on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, the everlasting father, the piece prints.

Remember, the piece prints the PC brings doesn't stop the peace we try to manufacture is just as momentary as a child running on the yard at the piece he gives his permanent. He is RP's look at this, who made both groups into one circle that one who broke down the barrier of the dividing wall listen to the wall came timely jobs are no longer standing outside like dogs ready for the crumbs from the table. There is much a part of it is those Jews who have come to Christ, not Jews. Nationally, but Jews who had been converted converting to Christ in this era and since Christ died brings us into one family, one body, one unified force one family and in that family.

There is peace because the wall has been broken down. I love it by abolishing in this place. That's a reference to the cross.

That's when his body hung on the cross. That's when he died he abolished in his flesh the enmity which is the law of the commandments contained in the ordinances so that in himself. There's that word again he might make the two into one new race if you will. One new man, thus establishing peace.

Now we try our best to make it in the flesh, but it won't work outside of Christ. I remember reading about bus driver in Australia and he had on his bus every day. Both whites and Australia as well as aborigine's were black and the bickering never stopped. It kept going and there were sometimes skirmishes and fistfights and he just got full evidence pulled his bus over one day at the side of the country road and he said as he looked at the white fellows and gals. He said what color you and they said what you said no on my bus your green your green know what color are you rather reluctantly feeling a little foolish.

They said well over were green. You look at the aborigines.

He said no, what color you were were black. He said not on my bus your green everybody on this bus is green. What color are you well were green great turnaround got back began to drive any herd after a few miles down the road.

One of the fellows in the back saying okay light green on the side.

Dark green on that side. We don't get it. He lay the difference.

Let it sink in your southern mind. I fellows Southerner plead with you raised as you were raised. Don't give me that answer back.

We cut our teeth. Learning how to discriminate stop it in the family of God. If this says anything it says the wall has come tumbling down and in Christ and only in himself, or we made one.

Some of you are thinking man's window how liberal can you get just as liberal as the Scriptures because I found the God is a lot easier to live with than anyone of us were we grateful for having read what Jesus is done destroyed the wall. Having seen where we were alienated from him it's it's pretty clear why take your pencil once again encircle the word reconcile for the great words of the Bible 16 and might reconcile them.

We are grateful because we have been reconciled. Don't miss it. God has not been reconciled to man mankind has been reconciled to God. It's an earth to heaven arrow not a heaven to earth. Remember that when he hung on the cross, he became the satisfaction for sin is called the doctrine of propitiation.

First John two verses one into God was satisfied with the death of his son, and God smiled on that dad knowing that it meant now we are able to pull them together in one body in Christ look at it. Verse 50 by abolishing in his flesh the enmity which is the law of commandments verse 15, EMC made the two into one new man, thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body still marking Mark one new man verse 15 one body.

Verse 16 he broke down the wall between the Jew and the Gentile, and since it was a double wall. He broke down the wall between man and God. One new man, one body, and he established in himself the place of peace which is through a relationship with Jesus Christ see the word reconcile. Let me teach this word to you if you don't know the meaning it means to bring from hostility to friendship. One of my mentors used to say, from enmity to enmity is not good from enmity to enmity. If you still got the cross drawn in your Bible.

Put enmity on the left side put enmity on the right side draw an arrow through it from being enemies. We were made friends so that I can even call him father Gentile. That's a long ways to come from a dog in the street. I got a couple of questions I want to ask you. In this application. They're not complicated and they're not tricky. They're designed to make you think question number one. Do you really believe what you have heard to go back over and we were alienated. Christ paid the penalty for that alienation in our sins, and he destroyed the wall and were now reconcile.

You really you really believe that you know what I think if I handed out 3 x 5 cards are little post-its and you wrote yes or no. I think the yes would have it by vast majority. I think I probably wouldn't get 1520 knows from this entire group is large number of people. I think we really believe that it's the summary of our salvation. Your saved you believe that there's a certain question. Do you really live that you knew I'd come back to this didn't you. This is at the heart of the gospel, the love of Jesus Christ changes her heart cancels out color does a number on prejudice and racism and putting us together on one level plane.

We exult in the one who reconciled us. I saw saving Pvt. Ryan as many of you did magnificent film, though, a veteran, I will tell you that part of the first 30 minutes. I had to close my eyes to pretty raw. If you didn't see… It's a wonderful story of a family that was going to be bereft of a continuing of their name because Ryan was the last soldier still living the family have lost the other members, and so they needed to say. Pvt. Ryan from being killed in action in so a small squad of soldiers were dispatched to do that it involve risk, interesting adventures, and even more importantly, life and death threatening situations until they finally located Ryan. I will remind you who saw it and you didn't. You need to know that the group began to grouse and complain as time moved on, because of the dangers connected with all of this attention and effort given to one soldier. I mean after all they said to their leader. After all, we we went there there there.

There's a war to fight, there's more involved in one man and he stayed with you.

Remember it was almost mutiny a timer to and they found that they weren't that thrilled because of what they had gone through because their name wasn't Ryan. It wasn't that exciting to them that they had done the heroic thing the right thing.

I thought as I sat with my son-in-law looking at the film. I thought what if he had been black. Stay with me all of them in the crew were white.

What if they had found after the risk and the effort and even the loss of a buddy or two in the process of searching. What if they had found him to be black. What if all of them had been Gentile, and they discovered when they saved was it you or if all of them had been Jewish and they found he was a Gentile. We go a step further. What if they had all been Protestant, and they found that they had saved a Catholic, it's interesting.

Not long after that I read a true story of soldiers in battle who lost their buddy. He died in the battle was ebbing and they didn't want him to die and just or just remainder on the ground in the case of the one to bury some sense of decency, so they carried his body to a local cemetery happened to be a Catholic Cemetery in and they laid him down, and they talk to the priest and the priest asked was he Catholic they had thoughtfully looked at the but the call the dog tags.

The tags around his neck and found he was.

He was Protestant priest said no you can't bury them. This disease is not a Catholic, stumbling away from the cemetery and disillusionment to discouragement.

They got just outside the cemetery fence and they dug a hole in the buried in their covered them over and somebody said a prayer in verse or two and not far away. They spent the night.

The open got up early the next morning to pay their last respects and they went back in a confined degree that they look all over for so they knocked on the door of the priest and they found him rather disheveled coming to the door and and they said, do you happen to know where were the gravies.

He said he said the first part of the night of felt sorry for what I told you in the second part of the night I spent moving the fence when Christ died he moved the fence and included you and me didn't make any difference. It included you and me aren't you grateful for you been hiding out thinking that somehow you weren't worthy are good enough for wasn't really all that important. You had your eyes open today. You've learned some things and more importantly, you've found it. God move the fence you can come to know his son Jesus Christ by the simple act of faith. Don't let anybody tell you any different. You don't have to earn your way in order sacrifice some great substance or prove yourself over the period of the next six months Christ paid the penalty. He picked up the tab. The banquet is now being held.

It is an insult to offer to pay God for what his son is already taken care of what you need to do is accept the gift. It's the gift it's the gift of getting inside the fence do that now, but in the world are you waiting for better crisis eternity.

Thank you father thank you for your grace and giving us what we don't deserve and could never repay you for thank you for blotting out the transgressions that were written against us.

Thank you for destroying the wall of separation that kept us from you and kept us from one another. Thank you for reconciling means making his friends in Jesus name and meals not only move the fan broke down the walls you're listening to Insight for living in a message from Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll's topic today breaking down the barrier and to learn more about this ministry.

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As you can see through the message today. Ephesians contains far more than historical facts about first century faith is filled with deep theological truths that impact our lives in very practical ways. Today to learn more, I'll remind you that Chuck wrote an in-depth commentary on Ephesians affect this particular volume includes Galatians as well. It's hard bound and more than 300 pages in length and the format is laid out in a matter you'd expect from Chuck clear, practical, and with helpful illustrations and ideas for personal application to purchase windows living inside commentary on Galatians and Ephesians. Call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online Insight.org/store. Grace is a major theme in Ephesians and it's a motivating force of insight for living as well. Those who give month by month to Insight for living ministries have a ministry all their own, bringing God's message of grace to their communities through this radio station. These monthly companions are helping us deliver Chuck's Bible teaching all around the world vision 195 to become a monthly companion right now to get a one time donation colors glistening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 phone number once more, 1-800-772-8888. Thank you for your generous support of this nonprofit ministry. I'm Davis my there's more good news ahead when Chuck Swindoll describes the privilege of living in God's household. Tomorrow 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 R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited