Ephesians 2:14-18 says,...
Today's verses are Ephesus 2:14-18, which read,
v.14-16 - 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.
There was a great racial divide between the Jewish and non-Jewish people. In the last study we saw that they were labeling each other with titles like "the uncircumcision" and "the circumcision." This was not of God but done with human hands. Christ came to do something different than what man was trying to accomplish. God's plan is always greater than man's plans.
Christ came to make one people out of the Jewish and non-Jewish believers. He came to break down the barrier and abolish with His one sacrifice the work of Satan to divide the one true church, those who profess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. There was an actual barrier in the temple at the time to keep the Gentiles on one side and the Jews on the other but Jesus came to take it down so His church would be one.
Christ came to abolish and put to death the enmity that is mentioned all the way back in Genesis and the garden and the words to the serpent Satan about the Seed of woman delivering a deadly blow to the head of the devil. Christ would be the fulfillment of all the Law so that His church could live in peace with one another and He delivered that through the cross that all come before both Jew and Gentile.
v.17, 18 - And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
The Gospel came to us through Jesus. He brought peace to those were far away, the Gentiles, and those who were near, the Jews. Our access to the Father is through the Spirit that Jesus brought to us through His death and resurrection and therefore we see the beautiful Trinity represented again. The access of the Jew or the Gentile to the Father is only through the Spirit brought upon by Jesus. The church is in unity for the fact that Jesus died and rose again for it to be this way.
Is the devotion this morning for us to look across our respective churches and across the aisles and pews to see fellow followers of Christ no matter how long or how seemingly important or unimportant we make ourselves or each other out to be? Is the devotion for us to view other churches that hold that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God as truly brothers and sisters in Christ in mission together with us to reach the world with the Gospel? Is the devotion for us to see the completeness of the sacrifice that Christ made so that we would be in unity through Him and put down our efforts to make sure others know about our differences and therefore elevate ourselves rather than our Christ?
"Lord, much human effort has been put forth to promote ourselves and not promote You. We have done this within the church and between churches and for that we repent. When we do that, we diminish what You did by bringing down the dividing wall with Your cross. May we experience the peace that You have provided. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.14-16 - 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.
There was a great racial divide between the Jewish and non-Jewish people. In the last study we saw that they were labeling each other with titles like "the uncircumcision" and "the circumcision." This was not of God but done with human hands. Christ came to do something different than what man was trying to accomplish. God's plan is always greater than man's plans.
Christ came to make one people out of the Jewish and non-Jewish believers. He came to break down the barrier and abolish with His one sacrifice the work of Satan to divide the one true church, those who profess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. There was an actual barrier in the temple at the time to keep the Gentiles on one side and the Jews on the other but Jesus came to take it down so His church would be one.
Christ came to abolish and put to death the enmity that is mentioned all the way back in Genesis and the garden and the words to the serpent Satan about the Seed of woman delivering a deadly blow to the head of the devil. Christ would be the fulfillment of all the Law so that His church could live in peace with one another and He delivered that through the cross that all come before both Jew and Gentile.
v.17, 18 - And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
The Gospel came to us through Jesus. He brought peace to those were far away, the Gentiles, and those who were near, the Jews. Our access to the Father is through the Spirit that Jesus brought to us through His death and resurrection and therefore we see the beautiful Trinity represented again. The access of the Jew or the Gentile to the Father is only through the Spirit brought upon by Jesus. The church is in unity for the fact that Jesus died and rose again for it to be this way.
Is the devotion this morning for us to look across our respective churches and across the aisles and pews to see fellow followers of Christ no matter how long or how seemingly important or unimportant we make ourselves or each other out to be? Is the devotion for us to view other churches that hold that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God as truly brothers and sisters in Christ in mission together with us to reach the world with the Gospel? Is the devotion for us to see the completeness of the sacrifice that Christ made so that we would be in unity through Him and put down our efforts to make sure others know about our differences and therefore elevate ourselves rather than our Christ?
"Lord, much human effort has been put forth to promote ourselves and not promote You. We have done this within the church and between churches and for that we repent. When we do that, we diminish what You did by bringing down the dividing wall with Your cross. May we experience the peace that You have provided. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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