Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP230030S
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00:01 It's time for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 This Quarter's Lesson is entitled: Ephesians 00:06 and the wonderful book of Ephesians... 00:08 a wonderful study. 00:09 We are now studying Lesson Number 5: 00:11 Horizontal Atonement: The Cross and the Church. 00:14 If you do not have a Quarterly, 00:15 please go to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:18 download a copy for free 00:20 and join us in this exciting study. 00:22 Music... 00:54 Welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:56 This is Lesson Number 5 that we are studying: 00:59 Horizontal Atonement: 01:00 The Cross and the Church... 01:02 an exciting and inspiring study. 01:04 My name is: John Dinzey. 01:06 It's a blessing for me to be with you during this hour 01:09 and I am happy to have part of the 3ABN family with me, 01:11 and I'd like to introduce them. 01:13 To my left is Sister Jill Morikone. 01:15 Thank you, Pastor Johnny, 01:16 I'm excited about this Lesson. 01:17 I have Reconciliation: God's Gift From the Cross. 01:20 Dinzey: Amen... and we have Sister Shelley Quinn with us, 01:24 welcome. 01:25 Shelley: I have Tuesday's Lesson: 01:27 Breaking Down the Dividing Wall. 01:29 Dinzey: Amen... amen, we have Professor Daniel Perrin, welcome. 01:32 Perrin: Thank you, glad to be here 01:34 and there's not one of us who doesn't need Wednesday's Lesson: 01:36 Jesus, Preacher of Peace. 01:38 Dinzey: Amen... and we have Pastor James Rafferty 01:42 way at the other side over there. 01:43 Rafferty: Good to be here, Johnny. 01:45 I have: The Church, a Holy Temple. 01:47 Dinzey: Amen... amen. 01:48 This is going to be an interesting study. 01:49 Hope you are ready... that you have something to write with 01:52 and we encourage you to record it if you can to share with others 01:55 but before we begin this Study, we're going to ask Daniel Perrin, 01:59 can you lead us in our prayer please. 02:00 Perrin: I'd love to. 02:02 "Dear Father in heaven, 02:03 Lord, as we come once again to the book of Ephesians, 02:06 we know that it takes us right to the cross of Jesus Christ 02:10 where our burdens are taken off of our back 02:12 and we receive forgiveness 02:14 and we receive unity in the church. 02:17 Lord, I ask that you bring that unity to the church 02:20 so that your name can be glorified. 02:22 In all things, we praise Jesus for what He's done 02:25 and what He is doing in us. 02:26 Bless us as we study today, we pray in His name, amen. " 02:29 Panel: Amen... 02:31 Dinzey: Amen, thank you. 02:32 So, let's begin this Lesson... it's an exciting Lesson, 02:35 I would like to ask you to join me 02:38 in reading Ephesians 2:13 and 14, 02:41 it says, "But now in Christ Jesus 02:43 you who once were far off 02:46 have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 02:50 For He Himself is our peace, 02:52 who has made us both one... " 02:55 this verse will be discussed during this lesson 02:59 but I want to take you back to the time 03:01 Jesus Christ had passed away 03:04 and the news of Jesus as being a Savior is spreading 03:09 and you are a Greek Gentile. 03:12 You hear about this and you're excited 03:14 and you understand that He's a living Savior in heaven. 03:18 You... before were worshiping idols 03:21 made out of stone or wood 03:22 and now you want to worship the living God. 03:25 Panel: Hmmm... 03:26 Dinzey: So you start making your way to the temple 03:28 but along the way you see the walls 03:31 and you see... you start to hear worship 03:34 and you get interested in joining 03:36 the people of God worshipping. 03:38 However, as you make your way, you find a sign such as... 03:43 more or less as it's written in the lesson, it says, 03:46 "No foreigner may enter within the barrier and enclosure 03:50 around the temple. 03:51 Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame 03:56 for his ensuing death. " 03:59 So, how do you feel at that moment? 04:01 Well, you were excited... you were hoping to get in there 04:04 but now you feel shut out, alienated, separated... 04:08 what do you do? 04:09 You turn around and you go back in sadness. 04:14 But you see, Christ is the One that breaks down barriers 04:18 although Jews that had accepted Jesus would accept you 04:22 as a believer, 04:23 they were struggling with this issue. 04:25 And, you know, even today 04:27 some of the Jews behave in such a way 04:30 that it would be shocking. 04:31 I've heard stories of Jews 04:33 that... as you're walking at the same side of the sidewalk 04:37 as they are, 04:38 they either cross the street 04:40 to not to see a Gentile face to face. 04:43 Some of that still remains for those that are not Christians 04:46 but I encourage you to consider what Jesus offers... 04:50 you to be a part of God's family 04:53 here on earth and in heaven as well. 04:55 I'm reading to you from the Lesson. 04:57 It says in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 11 to 22, 05:01 Paul sees the cross of Christ as making a dramatic difference, 05:05 destroying such barriers and walls. 05:07 Vertically, the cross dissolves alienation 05:11 reconciling humans with God. 05:14 Horizontally, it reconciles people with each other. 05:17 The cross removes enmity and brings peace 05:21 between Jews and Gentiles, 05:23 making of them "one new humanity" 05:27 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 15. 05:30 And together they become a new temple, 05:33 "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" 05:35 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 22. 05:37 During this week's Lesson, 05:40 you're going to see and hear... 05:42 actually hear exciting things 05:44 and we hope that you will be encouraged 05:46 to continue reading God's Word. 05:47 We move to Sunday's portion, 05:49 the title is: Brought near in Christ, 05:52 Brought near in Christ. 05:53 So, in this part we are comparing 05:55 Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1, 2 and 3 05:58 and also, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 11 and 12. 06:02 The question is, "What does he... 06:05 what does Paul accent in his fresh description 06:08 of their past?" 06:10 Ephesians chapter 2 beginning in verse 1, 06:12 "And you He made alive, 06:14 who were dead in trespasses and sins, 06:19 in which you once walked 06:21 according to the course of this world, 06:24 according to the prince of the power of the air, 06:27 the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 06:31 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves 06:34 in the lusts of our flesh, 06:37 fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, 06:40 and were by nature children of wrath, 06:43 just as the others. " 06:45 Paul is bringing to their attention 06:47 that they were once alienated... separated from God 06:50 but Jesus Christ has made them one 06:54 and it is healthy for us to take a... 06:57 a... a moment to examine ourselves 06:59 to see where the Lord brought us from 07:02 and rejoice that we are no longer walking 07:05 in those things of the past. 07:06 Not to dwell in those horrible things we used to do, 07:11 but to be thankful to understand that we were, as it says here, 07:17 separated from God and children of wrath 07:22 but God rescues us and makes us children of God. 07:27 And, of course, Paul gives recognition 07:30 that we have an enemy. 07:32 He is considered the prince of the power of the air 07:35 and the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. 07:38 We live in a world... 07:40 remember that Ephesians was for the Ephesians 07:43 but the book of Ephesians is for us living today. 07:46 We are living in the world where we face every day 07:49 children who are children of wrath... 07:52 or people that are people of wrath 07:54 that they are... the evil one works through them 07:57 and we need to be careful 07:58 and we need to, by the grace of the Lord, 08:00 let our light so shine that by our words and our actions, 08:04 we will get them interested in tasting and seeing 08:07 that God is good. 08:09 And so, let's go ahead and read now 08:12 Ephesians chapter 2 verses 11 and 12, 08:15 "Therefore remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh... 08:20 who are called Uncircumcision 08:23 by what is called the Circumcision 08:25 made in the flesh by hands... 08:26 that at that time you were without Christ, 08:29 being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel 08:32 and strangers from the covenants of promise, 08:34 having no hope and without God in the world. " 08:40 That's the past... 08:41 the "present" for them was that they had hope... 08:44 they were part of God's family... 08:45 they were sons and daughters of God. 08:48 And there was an issue back in those days 08:51 still the... the Jews 08:54 who had not given their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, 08:57 they called the Gentiles "uncircumcised" 09:01 and, of course, the Gentiles that were still having issues 09:06 in dealing... they were... 09:07 there was still some bickering going back and forth. 09:09 Ephesians is calling people to unity... 09:12 calling people to be united in Christ 09:15 and today, we are to be united in Christ. 09:18 This is the main focus of the book of Ephesians. 09:21 Lifting up Jesus Christ... 09:23 letting people know that we are saved by grace... 09:25 letting people know that the love of God 09:28 has no... no limits... 09:29 it has no limit... no breadth... no depth... 09:32 it is without limit 09:33 and that we all can be family... 09:37 we all can be one big family 09:39 in Christ Jesus. 09:41 I'm reading to you from the Lesson, it says: 09:42 Gentiles who were now believers in Christ 09:44 and members of His "body," the church, 09:47 were once totally separated from Israel 09:50 and the salvation God offered. 09:51 Paul judges it important to "remember" this past... 09:56 Ephesians 2:11. 09:57 They were then "without Christ," the Anointed One, 10:00 the Messiah of Israel. 10:01 They were "aliens from the commonwealth... 10:03 the state of... the people of Israel. " 10:06 And they were "strangers from the covenants of promise," 10:09 oblivious to the promises of salvation... 10:11 of salvation, God had offered down through salvation history. 10:16 The alienation from Israel 10:18 and the salvation offered through it 10:20 meant that they once had "no hope" 10:23 and were "without God in the world... " 10:25 but all this changes because of Jesus 10:28 and I praise the Lord that for you and for me, 10:31 all of our past that we children of wrath... 10:34 we lived in darkness... 10:35 we can now live in God's marvelous light. 10:39 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 13, it says, 10:42 "But now in Christ Jesus 10:45 you who once were far off 10:48 have been brought near 10:50 by the blood of Christ. " 10:52 Have you been brought near by the blood of Christ? 10:54 Don't let the former things that controlled you... 10:58 don't let those things keep you away from Jesus. 11:01 Come to Jesus just as you are. 11:04 He will receive you... 11:06 remember that we are saved by grace... not of works 11:09 lest any man should boast. 11:11 In this lesson, Dr. McKay brings out 11:16 another thought that I'd like to share with you, it says, 11:18 Ephesians 2:13 however, points to 11:21 something radically different now. 11:24 Paul wrote, "But now in Christ Jesus 11:27 you who once were far off have been brought near 11:30 by the blood of Christ. " 11:31 So, we have peace in Jesus. Panel: Hmmm... 11:34 Dinzey: The wall has been broken down 11:37 and we become one family, praise the Lord. 11:41 In the Seventh-day Adventist book: 11:44 Bible Study or Bible Commentaries, 11:47 it says, "The subject of Ephesians is unity in Christ. " 11:50 And so, we ask ourselves, 11:51 "Do we need unity in Christ today?" 11:54 The answer is "yes. " 11:56 Even now, Satan is trying to divide God's people. 12:00 Even now, Satan is working in people 12:03 to bring every wind of doctrine 12:06 and we must study God's Word. 12:08 This is why I'm glad that 3ABN has the Sabbath School Panel 12:12 to lead us back to the Bible 12:15 and the many Programs on 3ABN... 12:16 lead you back to the Bible 12:18 because we're living in dangerous times 12:21 and we must know what a "thus saith the Lord" is. 12:24 This is an exciting study in the book of Ephesians 12:27 and we continue now with Sister Jill Morikone. 12:30 Jill: Thank you so much Pastor Johnny, 12:32 what a great lesson! 12:33 I love that foundation. 12:35 I'm Jill Morikone and on Monday we look at Reconciliation: 12:40 God's Gift From the Cross. 12:42 You know, I think it's hard for us to 12:46 comprehend 12:47 what it was like for the early Christian church 12:49 and the enmity... the hatred... 12:52 the bitterness that existed between the Jews and Gentiles. 12:56 We can read about it and when you read that 12:58 what... the sign there when you enter the temple 13:01 or get near to that and you see that, 13:03 and to recognize... I can't even imagine being a non-Jew 13:07 during that time and thinking, 13:09 "Ah... but Jesus is my Messiah... 13:10 but I've accepted Him... 13:12 but I want to serve Him... 13:13 but I want to be part of His people... " 13:14 and feeling that separation. 13:16 Even today, God's end-time people... 13:20 there is a separation. 13:21 Now, it might not look the same as Jews and Gentiles 13:24 but there are divisions. 13:27 There are separations. 13:29 Satan loves to come in and bring disunity and disharmony. 13:33 So, I think this Lesson is so vitally important for us. 13:37 As we look at Ephesians 2 verses 1 through 10, 13:41 we see that vertical reconciliation with God. 13:44 In other words, all of us were dead in trespasses and sins, 13:47 and all of us need to be reconciled back to God... 13:51 brought back into right standing. 13:52 Then we look at the passage we're looking at now... 13:54 the horizontal reconciliation. 13:57 Once we're reconciled with God, 13:59 we are automatically brought back into reconciliation 14:04 with our brothers and sisters. 14:05 Today we look specifically at three gifts 14:10 that the cross brought for believers. 14:13 We're going to look at a dual application here, 14:15 the Apostolic times which, of course, 14:18 is the times that Paul wrote it for... the Ephesians there... 14:21 the early Christian church. 14:22 Then, we're also going to have an end-time application 14:26 or an application for us today 14:28 and how does that apply to our life. 14:30 What are the gifts of the cross for believers today, 14:33 not just in Bible times 14:35 but for us today? 14:37 The first gift is that Gentiles 14:41 who were far off... 14:43 now, we're looking at the Apostolic times right now, 14:45 this is Paul's day. 14:46 Gentiles who were far off 14:48 are brought near and made family. 14:51 Pastor Johnny read that verse, Ephesians 2:13, 14:54 let's read it again, 14:56 Ephesians 2:13 and we're going to combine it with verse 19, 14:59 "But now... " I love that... 15:01 we did that last lesson this "But now... " 15:04 when you see that, the Gentiles were in one place, 15:07 they were alienated, they were separated, 15:09 "But now in Christ Jesus 15:12 you who once were far off... " 15:15 this is the Gentiles he's speaking specifically to, 15:17 "have been brought near... " why? 15:20 by the cross... 15:21 "by the blood of Christ. " 15:23 Jump down to verse 19, 15:25 "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, 15:29 but fellow citizens with the saints 15:32 and members of the household of God. " 15:35 As Pastor Johnny referenced, 15:36 the Gentiles were not allowed 15:38 into the inner courts there of the temple. 15:40 They were excluded from that worship. 15:43 But now they are brought near through the blood of Jesus... 15:47 through the cross... 15:49 they're brought near God and His people. 15:50 We see this horizontal reconciliation taking place... 15:54 they're made fellow citizens of the church. 15:57 Gift Number 2: 15:59 The enmity or the hatred 16:02 between the Jews and Gentiles is put to death 16:05 because of the cross. 16:06 We're in Ephesians 2 verses 16 and 17, 16:10 "That He might reconcile... " this is Jesus, 16:13 "might reconcile them to God in one body... " 16:16 how? 16:18 "through the cross, 16:19 thereby putting to death the enmity... " 16:21 that word "enmity" in Greek means hatred... 16:24 hostility... enmity... verse 17, 16:28 "And He came and preached peace to you 16:31 who were afar off 16:33 and to those who were near. " 16:35 You can see the long-standing hatred 16:37 between the Jews and Gentiles is put to death. 16:40 The "axe" is buried... 16:42 this long-standing feud we have 16:44 like the Hatfield and McCoy's right? 16:47 The long-standing feud is put to rest. 16:50 Remember in John chapter 4 16:51 when Jesus visited the Samaritan village 16:54 and the woman was there at the well 16:56 and she was surprised why? 16:58 That Jesus would speak to her. 17:01 In fact, she says in verse 9, John 4 verse 9, 17:04 "Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. " 17:07 This is a long-standing issue. 17:09 In Galatians chapter 2, we find the New Testament church, 17:14 the brethren... Peter eating with the Gentiles 17:18 and we see, "Wow, those barriers are really being broken down. " 17:21 But then when the brethren came down from Jerusalem, 17:24 the Bible calls them "the circumcised... " 17:27 these are the Jewish believers. 17:28 What did Peter do? 17:30 "Oh no, I'm not going to eat with the Gentiles, 17:32 oh no... that wall's going to come back up. " 17:35 This is a long-standing issue 17:37 and yet, he had already had this vision in Acts, 17:41 of... as far as the gospel going to Cornelius, right? 17:44 The gospel going to the Gentiles, 17:46 and yet still, old habits die hard. 17:48 Some of that enmity... some of that animosity 17:53 rises its ugly head again. 17:56 In Galatians 3 verses 27 and 29, 17:59 I love this passage, Paul's speaking, 18:00 "as many of you as were baptized into Christ 18:03 have put on Christ. 18:04 There is neither Jew nor Greek, 18:05 there is neither slave nor free, 18:07 there is neither male nor female; 18:10 we are all one in Christ Jesus. 18:12 If you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed... " Shelley, 18:15 "and heirs according to the promise. " 18:18 You see, race, ethnicity, background, status, 18:22 money, position, religion, 18:25 all of that doesn't matter, 18:27 because all of us can be adopted in Christ Jesus. 18:31 The cross puts to death that enmity. 18:36 Gift Number 3: 18:38 Reconciliation takes place through the cross. 18:43 You see, we can put aside the feud 18:45 or put aside the hatred 18:46 but we don't just want that. 18:48 We want reconciliation... 18:50 we want healing. 18:52 Verse 16, Ephesians 2:16, 18:54 "He might reconcile them both to God in one body 18:58 through the cross, 19:00 putting to death the enmity. " 19:03 In the place of hostility, is now, reconciliation. 19:06 We're reconciled through the cross. 19:08 We know we're vertically reconciled to God 19:10 through the cross, 19:12 2nd Corinthians 5:18 says, "All things are of God, 19:15 who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ... " 19:19 but now we're also reconciled horizontally to each other 19:23 through the cross. 19:24 Unity in the church... unity in the family... 19:27 unity in society between Jews and Gentiles, 19:29 husbands and wives, 19:31 parents and children, 19:32 all of that comes through Jesus Christ. 19:36 What about our present-day application for here... 19:39 for today? 19:40 What are the gifts of the cross that we have here? 19:42 Number 1... Gift Number 1: 19:44 God brings other people into the church 19:48 and then, they are brought near by the blood of Christ. 19:52 Pastor John always says, 19:54 "There's no standards for fellowship... 19:57 standards for membership... 19:59 and high standards for leadership. " 20:01 But oftentimes, we put high standards on even fellowship. 20:05 We say, "You don't smell like I do. " 20:07 "You don't look like I do. " 20:09 "You don't dress like I do. " 20:11 "You don't eat like I do, 20:13 therefore, I'm going to push you aside. " 20:15 But no... they are to be brought near by the blood of Christ. 20:20 Panel: Amen. 20:22 Jill: None of that makes any difference in Christ. 20:24 Number 2... Gift Number 2: 20:26 Bitterness between members in the church 20:29 can be put to death through the cross. 20:32 Bring your unforgiveness to the foot of the cross. 20:36 Have you ever been in a church 20:37 where people walk up different aisles 20:40 because they don't want to look at each other? 20:42 They don't want to say, "Happy Sabbath" 20:44 to their brother and sister 20:46 because there's bitterness... because there is unforgiveness. 20:50 Matthew 5, Jesus puts it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, 20:53 Matthew 5:23, "if you bring your gift to the altar, 20:56 and remember your brother has something against you, 20:59 leave your gift there at the altar, 21:01 go your way. 21:02 First, be reconciled to your brother, 21:04 then come and offer your gift. " 21:07 Is there bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart 21:11 toward a brother or a sister? 21:13 Go to God... 21:14 go to the foot of the cross and ask Jesus 21:18 to grant you His forgiveness. 21:21 The blood of Jesus at the cross 21:23 can reconcile us as brothers and sisters 21:27 and break down the bitterness that unfortunately does exist 21:31 in places in the church. 21:33 Finally, Gift Number 3: 21:34 Reconciliation can take place through the cross. 21:39 Unity comes in Christ... 21:42 not apart from Christ. 21:44 1st John 1:7... "If we walk in the light 21:47 as He is in the light, 21:48 we have fellowship... " or Koinonia... 21:51 spiritual fellowship with one another 21:53 and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us 21:56 from all sin. 21:59 What does that mean? 22:00 If you're walking in the light, 22:01 that means, you're walking in Jesus. 22:03 You're vertically reconciled to the Father 22:06 and your brother or sister in church 22:08 is also walking in the light and vertically reconciled to God. 22:11 You're automatically going to be horizontally reconciled 22:15 to each other. 22:17 If there's differences, go to each other, 22:19 ask for forgiveness 22:21 and know that those barriers can be broken down 22:24 by the blood of Jesus. 22:26 Panel: Amen... amen. 22:27 Dinzey: Amen, yes, barriers can be broken down 22:30 by the blood of Jesus. 22:31 We will continue in a moment, we'll be right back. 22:33 Music... 22:39 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 22:43 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 22:46 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 22:51 A clean design makes it easy 22:53 to find the Program you are looking for. 22:55 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 22:59 so you can follow along. 23:00 Sharing is easy. 23:02 Just click "Share" and choose your favorite social media. 23:05 Share a link... 23:07 Save a life... for Eternity. 23:09 Dinzey: Welcome back. 23:10 We continue in this hour of blessing 23:12 with Sister Shelley Quinn. 23:14 Shelley: Oh... and it is my blessing... 23:16 my name is Shelley Quinn. 23:17 I have Tuesday's Lesson: 23:19 Breaking Down the Dividing Wall. 23:22 I hope you have your Bibles open to Ephesians 2 23:25 because we will look closely at the context 23:28 of what Paul is saying. 23:30 Paul, in his writings, uses the word "the law... 23:35 the law... the law... " quite a bit. 23:37 Sometimes he's referring to the book of the law 23:41 excuse me, to the law of Moses... 23:43 the first five books of the Bible. 23:45 Sometimes he's referring to the book of the law 23:47 which was Deuteronomy. 23:49 Sometimes he's referring to the Ten Commandments 23:53 or to a natural law that kind of controls our flesh. 23:58 So, we're going to look at Ephesians 2:14 through 16 24:02 because he's talking about law here. 24:05 We want to make certain we understand 24:07 which law is he referring to. 24:10 Ephesians 2:14 through 16, 24:12 "For He... Jesus... Himself is our peace... " 24:16 hallelujah... 24:17 "who has made both one... " both Jew and Gentile one, 24:22 "and has broken down the middle wall of separation... " 24:26 that you were talking about... 24:28 "having abolished in His flesh the enmity... " 24:34 Jill, that you were talking about... 24:36 but then, get this... 24:37 "having abolished in His flesh, the enmity... " 24:41 now he's going to explain what was that enmity... 24:44 "that is, the law of commandments 24:47 contained in ordinances, 24:51 so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, 24:56 thus making peace, 24:57 that He might reconcile them both to God 25:00 in one body through the cross, 25:02 thereby putting to death the enmity. " 25:06 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 25:07 What does he mean... 25:09 "the law contained in ordinances"? 25:11 Some people tried to say that Paul teaches 25:15 that the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross. 25:19 The Ten Commandments weren't contained in the ordinances, 25:22 so let's look at this. 25:24 Ephesians 2:15... 25:26 these laws contained in ordinances 25:30 were unique to the Jewish nation. 25:34 This is the Old Covenant 25:37 that he is speaking of 25:40 and when God did away with the Old Covenant 25:45 and made the New Covenant... renewed the covenant, 25:50 what happened is that horizontal reconciliation 25:54 bringing Jew and Gentile together. 25:57 As Johnny was telling us earlier, 25:59 in Herod's Temple, there was this fence barrier... 26:04 it was called a balustrade 26:06 that was around the Court of the Israelites. 26:10 Gentiles couldn't go in. 26:12 But... what? Why couldn't they? 26:16 The Gentiles did not have... 26:20 did not operate by the Old Covenant. 26:22 Do you know what the Old Covenant was? 26:24 The Old Covenant is recorded actually 26:28 in Exodus 20 verses 22 26:32 to Exodus 23:33. 26:34 The Old Covenant was civil, 26:38 social and ceremonial laws 26:41 that contained all these ordinances 26:44 about food and drink offerings 26:47 and festivals and annual Sabbath days... 26:51 those were feast days 26:54 that were symbolic of the ministry of Christ. 27:00 This Old Covenant that God dictated to Moses 27:06 was the constitution for the new nation of Israel 27:10 and then Moses ratified that with the people. 27:15 Now, it's interesting because as that group... 27:20 we're working our way through Exodus, 27:23 they wandered for forty years in the desert, 27:26 and as they reach the edge of the Promised Land... 27:30 first generation's died off... 27:33 it's the second generation. 27:35 What did God do? 27:37 He adds and enhances some of these ordinances 27:41 and Moses writes them in the Book of the Law. 27:46 Open your Bibles to Deuteronomy... 27:48 I want to show you this because it's so important. 27:52 Moses is adding all of these in the Book of the Law... 27:57 God's additional requirements 27:59 Deuteronomy 31... 28:01 Deuteronomy 31 says... 28:05 we're going to begin with verse 24, 28:08 "So it was, when Moses had completed 28:11 writing the words of this law in a book, 28:15 they were finished... " 28:16 Now, when he first wrote the... 28:18 the Old Covenant it was called: The Book of the Covenant 28:22 but now listen, that Moses commanded the Levites 28:25 who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord saying, 28:28 "Take this Book of the Law... " 28:32 from here forward, it's either called: Book of the Law 28:35 or Book of the Covenant. 28:36 "Put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. " 28:42 What's on the inside of the ark? 28:45 Panel: Ten Commandments. 28:47 Shelley: The Ten Commandments are on the inside because 28:50 that's God's charter of rights for His government of love, 28:53 it's a foundation of His government of love. 28:55 But Moses is saying, 28:57 "Take this Book of the Law... this old constitution 28:59 and all of these ordinances contained in the commandments... 29:03 put it on the side of the ark of the... your God 29:05 that it may be there as a witness against you. " 29:08 "What? 29:09 What do you mean as a witness against us?" 29:12 Well, because God's giving all of this to Moses 29:16 then afterwards He says, 29:18 "Yeah, I already know what they're going to do... 29:20 they're going to serve pagan gods, 29:22 they're going to sin against Me. " 29:24 So, He gives Moses all of these curses 29:27 that are included in this Book of the Law 29:30 that... I mean, there are blessings if you obey, 29:33 but there are curses for disobedience. 29:35 It was put on the side of the ark 29:37 as a temporary placement 29:40 and it was a witness against them, 29:42 so now, what happened to that? 29:45 What was nailed to the cross? 29:49 I want to give you three things that I see 29:51 that was nailed to the cross. 29:54 In 1st Peter 2:24 the Bible says 29:56 that Christ bore our sins in His body, 29:59 He paid our sin-debt at the cross. 30:02 There's no doubt there's any certificate of indebtedness 30:06 against us for sin, 30:08 was nailed to the cross. 30:10 His precious blood blotted that out. 30:14 Romans 6:6 tells us 30:18 that our old man was crucified with him 30:20 that the body of sin might be done away with, 30:23 that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 30:26 So, this old fallen, human nature 30:30 was nailed to the cross. 30:31 But what else was nailed to the cross? 30:34 The Old Covenant Book of the Law was nailed to the cross. 30:39 We looked how Paul said 30:43 in Ephesians 2:13, 30:45 these ordinances are abolished at the cross. 30:48 "But now in Christ you who were once far off 30:51 have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 30:54 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one. 30:57 He has broken down the middle wall of separation. " 31:01 No more distinction between Jew and Gentile. 31:05 All these unique Jewish things... nailed to the cross 31:08 having abolished the law of commandments 31:13 that is in ordinance. 31:15 In ordinance... see when Christ ratified the New Covenant, 31:21 it's a renewal of the everlasting covenant. 31:25 The "covenant promises" that the Gentiles couldn't take place in 31:29 actually were given to the Patriarchs 31:33 before there was ever a Jew. 31:35 It was righteousness by faith... 31:37 salvation by grace 31:39 and they didn't understand this 31:42 but what happens? 31:44 Let me turn to Colossians 2, we've got to get this in. 31:47 Colossians 2:14 through 17, 31:50 says... he's talking about at the cross 31:55 that Christ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 32:00 that was against us. 32:01 What stood against them? 32:03 Not only their record of sins. 32:05 But that Old Covenant that had all those curses for sin 32:09 was there to stand as a witness against them. 32:12 He said, "He has taken it out of the way, 32:14 having nailed it to the cross. 32:16 Having disarmed principalities and powers, 32:19 he made a public spectacle of them, 32:22 triumphing over them in it. 32:24 So... " here's your purpose statement, 32:28 "therefore, let no one judge you... " 32:32 since these things have been nailed to the cross, 32:34 get this context, 32:36 "let no one judge you in food or in drink... " 32:38 he's talking about the ordinances of food and drink offerings, 32:42 "or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths" 32:48 he's talking about the annual Sabbaths... 32:50 "the annual feast days 32:53 which are a shadow of things to come, 32:58 but the substance was Christ. " 33:00 The Old Covenant pointed to the coming Messiah. 33:05 When the Messiah arrived, 33:07 He nailed that Old Covenant along with our sins... 33:11 along with our sinful, fallen human nature, 33:14 to the cross. 33:16 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... amen... amen. 33:17 Perrin: All right, thank you, Shelley. 33:19 I heard the word "covenant" over and over again 33:21 and I also heard the word "cross" 33:24 over and over again... the two things 33:26 that you and I... just bring us together with God 33:28 and with each other. 33:29 I'm Daniel Perrin and I have Wednesday's Lesson. 33:32 Jesus, Preacher of Peace. 33:35 And we do see the cross for the first time in words 33:40 there in Ephesians 2:16 the word "cross. " 33:43 Paul hadn't mentioned it before 33:44 but it had been there all along: 33:45 blood... 33:47 redemption... 33:48 purchased grace... 33:50 salvation... 33:51 but he now says explicitly 33:52 it's through the cross and that leads to action. 33:54 We were just in verse 17, 33:57 Ephesians 2:17 and 18, 33:58 "And He... Jesus... came and preached peace 34:02 to you who were afar off, 34:04 and to those who were near. 34:06 For through Him, we both have access by one Spirit 34:11 to the Father. " 34:12 There are a lot of wars going on. 34:15 Conflicts in homes... 34:17 conflicts in marriages... 34:19 conflicts in churches between brothers and sisters in Christ 34:23 and you might be involved in one of those conflicts right now. 34:27 My wife and I went to a restaurant the other day 34:29 and talked a little bit in the Parking Lot 34:32 and when we opened our doors, we heard the sound of yelling 34:35 and swearing 34:36 from a... an adult mother... 34:38 a mother to her... back and forth with her adult child. 34:41 It was just so destructive... so unpeaceful. 34:45 We went into the restaurant and a few minutes later, 34:47 both of them came in and ate and another person came in 34:50 and we prayed for them from our own table 34:52 because you could just sense the conflict between the two of them. 34:56 Jesus did not say that we would not be a part of conflict, 34:59 in fact, He said that we would. 35:01 I love in the Beatitudes, Matthew chapter 5 verse 9, 35:04 Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, 35:07 for they will be called the sons of God... " 35:09 and where are you when you're making peace? 35:11 You could do it from the side but most often 35:14 you've got to get right in the conflict. 35:17 That's one of the paradoxes of the Bible is that 35:19 we can have peace in the midst of conflicts 35:22 and differences and personalities 35:24 that are not identical. 35:26 And that's what Jesus did... that's how He preached, 35:29 not from an exalted pulpit, 35:30 but He came down in the midst of the pews and the gutters 35:34 and the conflicts and He preached. 35:37 The word "preached" is evangelize... 35:39 to draw people in. 35:41 It's illustrated here in verse 17, 35:43 "He came and preached... " or 18... 35:46 "For through Him... Jesus... 35:47 we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. " 35:51 In the Godhead... perfect unity illustrated for us 35:56 to be lived out by us. 35:58 And what did He preach? 35:59 He preached peace... 36:01 verse 14 tells us, "He Himself is our peace... " 36:06 so He preached Himself... 36:08 He preached Himself. 36:10 If somebody spends a lot of time talking about themselves, 36:13 you might get kind of tired of it 36:15 and think, "Wow! that's a lot of vanity! 36:17 Lot of selfishness... he's always talking about himself. " 36:22 But not so... not vanity with Jesus because we need peace 36:26 and He is our peace. 36:27 He doesn't just give us peace or bring us peace, 36:30 but He is that peace. 36:32 Panel: Amen. 36:34 In 1962, some of you may know this story. 36:36 Don Richardson went as a missionary to Indonesia 36:39 with his wife and seven-month-old child 36:41 to the Sawi tribe 36:43 and they were a tribe that was known for treachery. 36:46 Nobody wanted to go there and he felt God calling him. 36:49 And as he worked with this tribe and told them the story of Jesus, 36:53 here's a group of people who valued treachery and deception 36:57 as their highest virtue and ideal. 36:59 And so, he tells the story of Jesus 37:01 and then when he got to Judas who got into the inner circle 37:04 and through a kiss betrayed Him, 37:06 ah, they thought this was the hero. 37:08 "So, tell us more about Judas, 37:10 man! I'd be proud to give my daughter in marriage to... " 37:13 There's no way that the gospel can come through to this people 37:17 and to make matters worse, 37:19 the tribes that were warring were now coming closer 37:21 to be nearer to him, 37:23 and wars were... battles were being fought 37:25 in front of his house daily 37:26 and people being killed on occasion 37:29 and, you know, bloodied. 37:31 He said, "I can't stay here any longer... " 37:32 he told them, "if you can't make peace, 37:34 I'm going to leave. " 37:35 "We don't want you to leave. " 37:37 So, the next day they said, 37:38 "Don, we'll... we'll make peace. " 37:40 And so, they brought him... 37:42 and the two tribes faced off in front of each other. 37:45 And he thought, "Oh no, they're going to do something. " 37:48 And sure enough, one of the men of one tribe 37:50 took the baby out of the arms of his wife... 37:53 a six-month-old baby... his only son 37:55 and he went running across the field 37:57 and then delivered the baby into the hands 38:00 of the opposing tribe, the chief, 38:02 and Don Richardson thought, 38:03 "Oh no, they're going to sacrifice a child. " 38:05 "No... no... just watch... just watch... " they said, 38:08 and all the men of the tribes 38:10 came and put their hands on that baby 38:12 and said, "This is the peace child 38:14 that is... that we now will have peace. 38:17 See... " they said, 38:19 "as long as this child is living, 38:21 they give their child to this tribe 38:23 and as long as that child is alive, 38:25 there will be peace. " 38:27 And then, he realized, here is... here is something 38:30 that God has preserved in this culture 38:33 the seeds of the gospel to be able to illustrate to them 38:36 what God wants to do with us. 38:37 He said, "Jesus Himself was God's peace Child 38:42 who came down with us. " 38:43 "What? And Judas betrayed a peace Child? 38:47 Ah... how could he?" 38:48 And all of a sudden, this was a door opening 38:51 that they could see and we can see illustrated... 38:55 God doesn't only give us peace, He gives Himself. 38:57 Panel: Amen. 38:59 Perrin: And that presence of Jesus 39:00 then reconciles us to God 39:02 and creates reconciliation for each other 39:04 and sure enough these... these two tribes 39:06 lived together peacefully after that. 39:09 And this is why Isaiah says in chapter 9, 39:12 "Unto us, a Child is born, 39:15 unto us a Son is given; 39:17 and the government will be upon His shoulder. 39:20 His name is Wonderful, 39:21 Counselor, 39:23 Mighty God, 39:24 Everlasting Father, 39:25 and Prince of Peace. " 39:27 "And the angels sang, 39:28 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth... peace... '" 39:30 all right, specifically, how does He do that? 39:33 Through the cross. 39:35 And if you're looking at a cross, 39:36 it doesn't look peaceful. 39:38 Panel: Hmmm... 39:39 Perrin: It looks violent and destructive and bloody, 39:42 and you have to say, "This here... what He did... 39:45 what He went through, brings peace between us 39:49 and then between each other. " 39:51 And then, Jesus lived it out. 39:53 He didn't just speak it in words, 39:56 He lived it out and He invites us to do the same thing. 39:59 He brought Samaritans and Jews together. 40:02 He brought men and women together 40:04 and I love Acts 2 where people say, 40:06 "We... Oh, you're preaching the gospel 40:09 and we all hear it in our own language, 40:11 in the same place, the same gospel message. " 40:14 Verse 18 says, "For through Him we both have access. " 40:19 Access is... to approach. 40:22 It's to have the way opened 40:24 all on the same basis of sinfulness, 40:26 none of us can claim no sin, 40:28 and all on the same terms of forgiveness. 40:31 One salvation... one moral code... 40:33 one access... 40:35 and I think it was already said, 40:37 I think, Jill, you might have said it 40:38 but we've all got to go down the same aisle. 40:41 And I love this... this access... 40:44 we've all got to go to the one cross 40:47 and maybe you've thought that, "I'll... 40:48 I'll wait till they go in first 40:50 and then, I'll go in after them. " 40:52 No, we've all got to be united. 40:54 one cross... one approach. 40:56 Equal-opportunity faith... 40:58 no caste system... 41:00 no segregation... 41:02 no tears of membership or seclusion 41:04 because those things all indicate 41:07 that we're comparing ourselves with each other... 41:10 "Well, she is more of this than I am 41:12 and he's less of that than I am. " 41:14 And so, when Jesus preaches Himself, the reason is... 41:17 is because we stop looking at ourselves and each other 41:20 and we start looking at Him. 41:21 We all realize we're united... 41:23 united on the same basis. 41:25 And so, this then becomes a call to you and to me 41:28 to check our attitudes. 41:29 Do we have barriers that we're erecting 41:32 in the way that we're thinking about people 41:35 or we're exalting ourselves... 41:36 barriers in the church or in our families. 41:39 Has Jesus brought peace to you? 41:42 And one of the tragedies in the Christian church 41:45 is that there is so little peace 41:48 and especially when we have these promises, 41:50 Isaiah 26 verse 3, 41:52 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 41:54 whose mind is stayed on You, 41:56 because he trusts in You... " 41:58 in the cross. 41:59 And that perfect peace is not just a feeling of tranquility, 42:03 it's referring to this concept as well 42:05 of uniting us in what Jesus has done. 42:08 Psalm 119 verse 165, 42:11 "Great peace have those who love Your law, 42:14 and nothing causes them to stumble. " 42:16 Jesus... in John 14:27, "Peace I leave you, 42:20 I leave with you... 42:21 My peace I give to you; 42:23 not the peace that the world gives. " 42:25 In Romans 5 verse 1, 42:27 I have to say that I love this verse, 42:28 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, 42:31 we have peace with God. " 42:33 That's the... the vertical version, 42:35 no longer at conflict with God, 42:37 we're going in the same direction. 42:39 He and I both agree that I'm a sinner, 42:41 and I can't help myself 42:42 and He is the only help... 42:43 we're in agreement on that, 42:45 there's peace now with God. 42:46 And the function of peace, then, 42:48 in preaching peace is that He invites us to be a part of that. 42:52 Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains 42:55 are the feet of him who brings good news... " 42:58 and we hear the word one more time, 42:59 "proclaiming peace brings glad tidings... " 43:03 and so, we're to live this out 43:05 and I know, I know Jill already mentioned this, 43:07 it's in my notes and I want to say it one more time 43:09 because one of you is needing to hear this who's watching, 43:12 "If you're bringing your gift to the altar, 43:14 and there remember your brother has something against you, 43:16 leave your gift there at the altar, 43:18 and go your way. 43:19 First, be reconciled to your brother. " 43:22 If God's putting that on your heart right now, 43:24 go and do that today. 43:26 Ask God, "How can I say those words... 43:28 how can You bring the reconciliation 43:30 you've already brought to me, 43:31 between me and my brother or sister in Christ. 43:34 Panel: Amen... 43:35 Rafferty: Amen, thank you, Dan... 43:36 thank you, Shelley... 43:38 thank you, Jill... 43:39 thank you, Johnny. 43:41 Beautiful, beautiful lesson here that we have 43:42 while... I'm looking at verses 19 through 22, 43:44 my name is James Rafferty and I have Thursday's Lesson 43:46 which is entitled: The Church, a Holy Temple. 43:50 Verses 19 through 22, 43:52 "Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, 43:56 but fellow citizens with the saints 43:57 and of the household of God. " 43:59 There's no more sign that says, "You can't enter here... " 44:01 right? 44:03 There's... there's reconciliation that the... the... 44:06 the... the enmity has been taken out of the way... 44:09 we're all going down that same aisle... 44:11 we're all fellowshipping together... 44:12 we have peace in Jesus Christ. 44:14 "And you are built upon the foundation of the apostles 44:17 and prophets, 44:18 Jesus Christ, Himself being the chief corner stone; 44:20 in whom all the building fitly framed together 44:23 grows unto an holy temple in the Lord: 44:25 in whom you also are builded together 44:27 for an habitation of God through the Spirit. " 44:30 How did we get... 44:31 how do we get from a temple that Gentiles can't enter 44:35 to a building that they're now part of? 44:37 Panel: Hmmm... amen. 44:39 Rafferty: That not only can they enter this building, 44:41 they're part of the building. 44:42 Jesus is the chief cornerstone and they're part of the building 44:45 and this analogy is not used by Paul in Ephesians only. 44:48 He uses this in 1st Corinthians chapter 3, 44:50 the Quarterly brings out, 44:52 he uses it also in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, 44:54 in 1st Peter chapter 2, 44:56 again and again and again, he talks about 44:59 the... the body of Christ is Jews and Gentiles 45:03 that are making up a holy temple. 45:06 Now, you have to think about this a little bit 45:08 because the temple at large... 45:10 the one in Jerusalem was still standing 45:12 perhaps when Paul wrote this. 45:13 It wasn't destroyed until 70 A.D. 45:15 and we know that Paul lived at least until the 60s so... 45:18 so, Paul's writing these words 45:20 and the Jews that have become Christians 45:23 and even the Gentiles who have become Christians, 45:25 are well aware that there's this building 45:28 that was ordained of God in the Old Testament 45:30 that they cannot enter even to that time 45:34 and some of the converted Jews 45:36 are kind of trying to bring some of those restrictions 45:39 into the church. 45:40 How do you deal with this? 45:41 How do you process this? 45:43 How do we understand this? 45:45 Well, John, you talked about 45:47 you know, putting yourself in the place of a Gentile. 45:50 You know, you believe in Christ, 45:51 you go to the temple 45:53 and you want to worship God but there's this sign 45:55 and I thought it might be good for us to put ourselves 45:58 in the place of a Jew 46:00 going all the way back to the beginning 46:01 when God assigned them the symbolism of the Sanctuary 46:05 and He told them, "Now, these are the parameters, you know, 46:08 only the Levites can touch the ark... 46:10 so, you can't touch the ark 46:11 and only the priest can go in there and sacrifice, 46:14 you can't go in there and sacrifice. 46:15 And you have to take the fire from off the altar 46:18 they have in... in a vial... 46:19 you can't be taking that strange fire. 46:22 We've got parameters here, 46:23 you've got to take your shoes off, 46:25 we don't want any to... " 46:26 God is holy. 46:27 Panel: Amen. Rafferty: God is holy 46:29 and these parameters here are put up. 46:31 We don't even want the Gentiles helping to build... 46:34 to reconstruct the temple after they're in captivity. 46:37 No... this... excuse me, the Samaritans can't help. 46:40 You can believe in God 46:41 but you've got some compromise taking place, 46:43 you can't be part of this. 46:44 And then, Jesus comes and He's talking to a Samaritan woman! 46:47 Like, why is He breaking down... 46:49 it took us 100s of years to finally get to the place 46:53 where we're not going to compromise. 46:55 We're not going to compromise. 46:56 We're not going to let anyone in this temple, 46:58 we're not going to intermarry... 46:59 we're not going to... 47:01 we're going to make sure we keep all of the laws... 47:02 all of these ordinances... 47:03 we're going to make sure we keep them perfectly 47:05 and then... a guy claiming to be a Messiah comes 47:07 and he starts breaking down all these... 47:09 He's going to... He's going to get us to start 47:11 compromising with the Gentiles again. 47:13 He's got to be stopped... 47:14 He's got to be stopped. 47:15 At all costs, He's got to be stopped. 47:17 And how did we... how do we transition? 47:20 What we recognize... 47:22 what we realize as you brought out, Shelley, 47:24 is that all of these ordinances 47:25 and all of these laws that were set up 47:29 regarding worship and approaching God in the temple 47:31 all of them pointed to Jesus. 47:33 Amen. 47:35 All of them are fulfilled in Jesus 47:36 and Jesus comes and He becomes the perfect fulfillment 47:41 of everything that was needed to approach God... 47:44 everything that was needed to approach God. 47:47 Jesus, now, has fulfilled all of that 47:49 and He hands that to anyone who'll believe in Him. 47:52 "If you want to approach God, you just need Me... 47:55 and when you have Me, 47:57 you can come directly to the Father. " 48:00 Panel: Amen. 48:01 Rafferty: "I am the holiness 48:03 that was required in that temple. 48:04 I am the... the... the sacrifice without blemish 48:07 that was required to approach that temple. 48:09 I am everything that was needed, the purification that was needed 48:12 to approach God 48:13 and I am what you need to be reconciled with God. " 48:17 This is the point that Paul is making here in Ephesians 2 48:20 and he also makes it again in other portions of the Scripture, 48:23 for example, 1st Corinthians chapter 3. 48:26 In 1st Corinthians, we have a church that is sanctified... 48:29 that is called in Christ... 48:32 and I mean, Paul just... just announces this 48:34 as he introduces... 48:35 let's just look at the verses here in 1st Corinthians because 48:37 they're very powerful 48:39 when you contrast them with the condition of the church itself. 48:42 1st Corinthians chapter 1, Paul says, 48:45 "Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 48:48 through the will of God, 48:49 and Sosthenes our brother, 48:51 unto the church of God... " verses 2, 48:52 "which is at Corinth, 48:54 to them that are sanctified in Jesus Christ, 48:55 called to be saints, 48:57 and all in every place that call upon the name 48:59 of Jesus Christ our Lord, 49:01 both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, 49:03 and peace, from God the Father, 49:04 and our Lord Jesus Christ. " 49:06 And then he goes on to tell them, 49:07 in 1st Corinthians chapter 3, 49:08 "You guys are carnal... you're carnal. 49:11 You guys are fighting over the food at the Lord's Supper 49:15 and you're taking each other to... to court 49:16 and you... you've got sexual immorality among you, 49:19 it's not even mentioned among the Gentiles. 49:21 And if... in the Jewish mind, going back to pre-cross, 49:24 in the Jewish mind, 49:25 these people are not worthy to come to the temple. 49:27 These people cannot even approach God in any way, shape, or form. 49:31 But in the gospel, Paul says, 49:34 "You have standing in Christ, 49:37 and God, in Christ, is going to allow you to approach Him 49:41 but 'in Christ' means 49:43 that you have to listen to what I have to tell you 49:45 because people that are in Christ 49:47 don't live the way you are living. 49:48 You're called to be in Christ 49:50 and this is the way you should be living. 49:51 You should not be following people. 49:54 You should not be following 49:55 Apollos or Cephas or Paul 49:58 and saying, you know, that you're... 50:00 you should be following Christ... " because he goes on to say here, 50:02 "Christ... " 1st Corinthians chapter 3, verse 11, 50:06 "Christ is the foundation... " verse 10, 50:08 "and there is no other foundation that can be laid 50:10 but that is laid which is Jesus Christ. " 50:12 You see, the temple can only be built 50:14 upon the foundation of Jesus. 50:16 The temple can only be built 50:18 in the cornerstone of Jesus Christ 50:20 and the only way we can be part of that temple 50:22 in our less than sanctified... less than perfect condition, 50:27 is if we come in Christ 50:30 because in Christ we have the holiness and the purity... 50:33 in Christ we have fulfillment of all those ordinances 50:36 that restricted us from access to the temple 50:39 if we were a Gentile 50:40 and even caused us to, at times, to die 50:43 because we... we violated those prohibitions, 50:46 we violated those principles and those ordinances 50:49 that taught us how to approach God. 50:51 But in Christ, we have life. 50:53 In Christ, we are quickened, 50:54 in Christ, we're made alive 50:55 because Christ has fulfilled all of that purity and holiness 50:58 and when we cling to Him, 51:00 we have the covering of Jesus Christ. 51:01 Panel: Amen. 51:03 Rafferty: Which does not cover us 51:05 so that we can keep on sinning... 51:07 and keep on being in transgression to God 51:09 and keep worshipping idols, 51:11 so, when Paul brings this out in 1st Corinthians, 51:13 oh! he just... he just goes through. 51:15 He becomes the true... 51:16 Jesus Christ becomes the true witness. 51:18 Right? 51:20 He becomes the true witness 51:21 and as a true witness, 51:22 He does what the law once did. 51:24 He points out our need for Him. 51:26 He points out where we're failing. 51:28 He, in love, because... 51:29 because the Lord says, 51:31 "As many as I love and rebuke and chasten in love... " 51:33 He brings out the need we have 51:36 to... to... to be reconciled to God 51:39 in every aspect of our lives. 51:40 Every particle of dust is getting removed from our feet 51:44 through Jesus Christ. 51:46 But at the same time, He covers us 51:47 so that we can approach God... 51:48 so that we can... 51:50 so that we can have that place in this holy temple... 51:52 in this temple that is... 51:54 that is the very habitation of the Spirit of God. 51:57 1st Corinthians chapter 3, 51:59 then 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, 52:01 and then, 1st Peter chapter 2, 52:03 all of those verses describe this temple building 52:07 as the body of Christ... Jew and Gentile... 52:09 and all of them connect that temple to Jesus. 52:12 There is no way we can be part of that temple... 52:14 there's no way we can approach that temple 52:16 without Jesus Christ 52:17 and that is really the point that Paul is making here 52:21 in Ephesians chapter 2 52:22 that Jesus Christ is the way that we come 52:25 and by the way, Revelation chapter 21 verses 9 and 10, 52:27 "The city is the bride of Christ. " 52:31 Revelation chapter 21 verse 12, 52:33 The city gates are named after the twelve tribes... 52:35 Revelation 21:14, 52:36 the city foundations are named after the twelve apostles. 52:38 John 14:1 through 3, 52:40 the city has a place for every one of us. 52:43 That city is a representation of God's people. 52:46 God's people are the bride of Christ. 52:49 That city is representation of all those who are in Christ, 52:54 all of those who have had access to Jesus Christ 52:56 who is the foundation... who is the Chief Cornerstone 52:59 and that city includes both Jews and Gentiles. 53:03 Those who refuse the blood of Christ 53:06 are outside the city. 53:07 They're not part of the city. 53:08 But those who want to be part of that city 53:10 don't have to go now through a sign... 53:12 they don't have to be excluded 53:13 because of certain barriers that have been set up... 53:16 certain prohibitions that have been established by Christ 53:20 because Jesus Christ has taken all of those down Himself 53:23 and now the only requirement... 53:25 the only way and the truth and the light 53:27 to get life... to get into the city, 53:29 is Jesus Christ Himself. 53:30 Jesus Christ becomes the foundation 53:33 by which we have access to the Father 53:36 and Jesus Christ longs for us to have that access through Him. 53:40 Not only us but every single person who would believe 53:43 to have that access to the Father through Him. 53:46 Friends, we're just... we're pleading with you 53:49 as we look at this lesson we're... 53:50 we're pleading with you, 53:52 go to Christ. 53:53 Don't allow any of those artificial barriers 53:56 in your own life... your own guilt... your own sin 53:58 to inhibit you 53:59 from coming directly to God through Jesus Christ. 54:01 Panel: Amen... amen... 54:03 Dinzey: Amen, praise the Lord, thank you. 54:04 Well, we have a few moments 54:06 to share final thoughts you may have. 54:09 We start with Sister Jill Morikone. 54:10 Jill: What an incredible lesson! 54:12 I've been so blessed by this. 54:13 On Monday, we looked at Reconciliation 54:15 which is God's gift from the cross. 54:17 I want to read again a verse that 54:19 probably almost all of us have read 54:21 but this is Ephesians 2:13, 54:23 "But now in Christ Jesus 54:26 you who once were far off 54:29 have been brought near by the blood of Christ. " 54:32 It doesn't matter where you are, 54:35 it doesn't matter what you've done. 54:36 It doesn't matter where you come from. 54:40 God says, "In Christ Jesus... " 54:43 at the foot of the cross we're all made one. 54:46 What an incredible gift we have in Jesus. 54:49 Shelley: Amen... 54:50 my mind is going in a thousand directions right now, 54:53 but Tuesday's Lesson was breaking down the dividing wall. 54:57 Let me ask you, 54:59 What is walling you off 55:01 from the Lord? 55:03 Do you ever feel like you've hit the wall 55:05 and you can't go beyond it? 55:07 If you will go to Jesus... 55:09 I love the... the Scripture from 1st Corinthians 1:30, 55:14 that it says, "You are in Christ who... 55:18 Christ has become our wisdom from God... 55:22 our righteousness... 55:24 our sanctification and our redemption. " 55:28 If you feel that you can't approach God, 55:32 just go say to the Lord, "Show me what this wall is 55:36 and bring down that dividing wall. " 55:38 He will... 55:40 He wants to live in your heart. 55:42 He wants your heart. 55:44 Panel: Amen. 55:45 Perrin: Wednesday's Lesson lifts it up... 55:47 Jesus again as preacher of peace 55:49 and you might say to yourself, 55:51 "I'm not a preacher... I can never preach. " 55:55 But I've talked to all sorts of people 55:57 who say this... 55:59 that they came to Christ... 56:00 surely heard the words that someone said 56:03 but it wasn't until they saw it lived out. 56:06 They saw the way someone treated people. 56:09 They saw the way they treated them 56:11 when they gave them a hard time 56:12 and that's what gave them the picture... 56:15 the real picture of what Christianity 56:17 and the love of Jesus is all about 56:19 and that's what Jesus did. 56:20 He didn't just speak but His words gave life... 56:22 but He lived out the peace that He offers to you and to me. 56:26 Rafferty: Amen... amen Friends, read these words again 56:30 with new eyes, Ephesians chapter 2 verses 17 and 18, 56:34 "And He came... Christ came and preached peace to you 56:37 which were afar off, and to them which were nigh. 56:41 For through Him... Jesus Christ... 56:42 we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. " 56:46 It is through Jesus Christ that we have access to the Father 56:50 because He is our purity... our holiness... 56:53 our righteousness... 56:55 and we, each one of us, can come to the Father 56:57 through Jesus Christ. 56:59 Let that be your experience, Friends. 57:01 Panel: Amen. 57:02 Dinzey: Amen, thank you each and every one of you. 57:03 This has been a wonderful, marvelous study 57:06 and we hope that you have been encouraged 57:08 and drawn to the Lord. 57:10 And I want to remind you as we finish, 57:12 Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, 57:14 and it says, "And you He made alive, 57:18 who were dead in trespasses and sins. " 57:21 If you find yourself dead in trespasses and sins, 57:24 if you find yourself that you think you have no hope... 57:28 there is hope in Jesus. 57:29 He is able to draw you near 57:33 and today, the door of mercy is still open. 57:35 We encourage you to give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. 57:40 He will take all those sins and all those wicked things 57:44 away with His blood. 57:47 By His blood, you are drawn near. 57:50 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 57:51 Dinzey: We encourage you to do that. 57:53 This is a... a study that will continue next week. 57:56 We are continuing in the book of Ephesians 57:58 and it will be Number 6... Lesson Number 6: 58:01 The Mystery of the Gospel. 58:03 We hope to see you then. |
Revised 2023-10-30