The Barrier Breaker

INTRODUCTION Good morning! My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church. If you think about it, there are many ways that you and I and the person sitting by you are different from each other. And one of the big questions of our time and culture is: “To what degree should our differences matter?” We are different ages. You might be a boomer, or from Gen Z I’m a Millennial, whose only a year or so away from being Gen X You and the person behind you could each have a different economic status. Different skin colors. Different theologies Different politics. And how much should those things divide us? Should we hyper focus on our differences or ignore them altogether? There is a lot of talk out there about how we should come together despite our differences, and yet, most studies say we’re just getting further apart from each other. But today, in the Letter of Ephesians, we’re going to see answers for how all sorts of people, from all sorts of backgrounds, can actually come together in unity. JEWS & GENTILES Let’s take a look. Grab a Bible Ephesians 2:11 22 Page 799 We are now in chapter 2 of this remarkable letter from the Apostle Paul, one of the early Christians leaders, to the church at Ephesus. And in the first 10 verses of chapter 2, we get one of the clearest presentations of the Gospel in the Bible…the Good News that we can be saved by Faith, and that we don’t need to earn salvation. And this is an amazing gift. SO amazing that you’re going to notice that the first word of our passage in verse 11 is “Therefore” So the idea behind today’s section is this: “The Gospel is so amazing, THEREFORE, it should change the way you live and interact with others” Let’s take a look (Ephesians 2:11 12) – NIV 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.  (The Barrier Breaker Slide) So Paul starts by talking about two very different groups of people Jews and Gentiles (that’s every other race and people group in the world that is not a Jew) And Paul says that the Gentiles were missing out on a lot. They didn’t know the one true God, or his covenants (particularly circumcision he points out). They didn’t know God’s promises, and thus they were without hope. That is, until they heard about Jesus. And in a moment, Paul is going to talk about these two very different groups can have unity. But it’s important that we first understand how different they were. The Jews, generally did not appreciate, or even like, the Gentiles. The Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people. And at the time of Paul, they saw the Gentiles as their evil oppressors…ruling over them. And the Gentiles, did not like the Jews either. In part because God had given the Jews very exact ways to live (in part to preserve them as a people until the time of Jesus), but that meant that the Jews never adapted into a new culture And they were resented for it And so these 2 groups don’t like each other, but Jesus’ death on the cross changes all of that. Let’s look BREAKING DOWN WALLS (Ephesians 2:13 17) – NIV 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. This is so important for us to understand in America today. Look at verse 14. Jesus has made the Jews & Gentiles one. He has brought them together by destroying the barrier (the wall of hostility) between them. Jesus is “The Barrier Breaker” But how? There are two ways given here. Here’s the first: 2 Ways that Jesus Breaks Down Barriers Between Different Groups #1: He set aside the regulations of the Old Testament law This is V. 15: by setting aside in his flesh, the law with its commands and regulations. Here’s what that means. Bible Scholars divide the OT rules (or Law as it’s called), into 3 major categories: 3 Categories of Old Testament Law: 1. Moral 2. Civil 3. Ceremonial And when the “church” started, when Christianity started, only the moral law (right & wrong, think like the 10 commandments) of the Old Testament remains in effect. But All of the CIVIL regulations about laws & government from the OT, and all of the ceremonial regulations bout sacrifices, and what to wear, and what to eat, were done away with. And that’s because Christianity was going to become a global religion… 2 Ways that Jesus Breaks Down Barriers Between Different Groups #1: He set aside the regulations of the Old Testament law And the removal of the civil and ceremonial laws breaks down a major barrier between the Jews & Gentiles because remember… …one of the main reasons they didn’t like each other was because the Jews had all of these particular customs that the Gentiles didn’t have. But those regulations are done away with now. But there is a second way Jesus is a barrier breaker, and I want to spend the majority of our time here (this is so important, I want you to see this with your eyes) Go to the middle of verse 15 Paul says, “His purpose was to create in himself, one new humanity out of the two (Jews & Gentiles), thus, making peace.” I can’t begin to tell you how important this verse is, and how much we need this way of thinking in our culture. Paul is saying that when you become a Christian, you become a part of this “new humanity.” You become a child of God. …And THAT new identity in Christ becomes THE most important thing about you. No other identifier is more important Not your age, your economic status, your race, your job, your family… And that new, shared, identity breaks down the barriers between us. So here’s the 2nd way Jesus is The Barrier Breaker: 2 Ways that Jesus Breaks Down Barriers Between Different Groups #1: He set aside the regulations of the Old Testament law #2: He gives us a new and higher identity Let me give you an example of this. I’ve traveled overseas for missions to Africa a lot in the last 10 years, and when I’m in East Africa, preaching the Gospel…often my translator is absolutely nothing like me according to the categories the world would prefer to put us in. For instance, one afternoon, my translator was 20 years old (half my age) A woman. With black skin. Her native language was Portuguese and her local tribal language. She knew more languages than me, but I had more formal education than her. She lived in the 5th poorest country in the world, I live in America. And I could go on… And by the world’s standards we had almost zero categories in common. And YET…having made so many wonderful friendships in Africa, I can tell you that, honestly, I can relate to that translator… …better than I can to the guy just down the street from me in Blaine who checks all the same categorical boxes as me. There could be someone who is 41 years old, white, educated, suburban, male…and yet, if they’re an unchurched atheist… And if I have a conversation with them…even though we may look just like each other, he sees the world completely differently from the way my Christians friends in Mozambique and I look at the world. I think of, probably the biggest series we’ve done since we opened this building 2 years ago, “Life’s Biggest Questions” (Show Life’s Biggest Questions 5 Topics Slide) I encourage you to listen to this on the app or website if this predated you coming here. But we covered the 5 biggest questions of life. Where did we come from? How do we determine right and wrong? What happens when we die? And see, on the big questions of life, my neighbor who looks just like me, doesn’t agree with me on any of them, but my young CHRISTIAN friend from Mozambique and I, are on the exact same page. That’s the deep (not surfacy), but DEEP unity you have in Christ! And it’s deeper than even that. We aren’t just “thinking the same,” we’re in the same family. We’re brothers & sisters in Christ…who’ve all been adopted by the King. And when the King adopts a bunch of kids into the castle…and they’re out talking to other kids… The main way they now identify themselves, is not by how they look, or how they old they are, but by the fact that they are now royalty! God has given us a higher identity: children of the King! Elsewhere, in Galatians, Paul says that because we are now children of God…. (Galatians 3:28) – NIV 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  There is a new & higher identity! That doesn’t mean, that those other categories, like your gender, or your race, don’t exist anymore, or don’t matter. They do! And God paints a beautiful tapestry with our different cultures. But it does mean that at the deepest level, we aren’t ultimately, defined by our biological markers or by our earthly status. (Barrier Breaker Slide) And because this is true, it means that we can and should walk across to people who look different than us, or run in a different social circle than us, and befriend them. Especially in the church! But we have to see our identity in Christ, as the most important thing about us! Is that true of your life? Or is your economic status, or the size of your house…the most important thing to you? Or your career? Or is your age the identifier that you would most commonly use to group yourself with people? I think back to the early years of this church…back when we were in Northpoint Elementary School (the first time!) I planted this church when I was 27 years old, so in the early days, almost everyone was in their 20’s or early 30’s. But every once in a while, someone 50+ would come. And after a few months, they would almost always have the same conversation with me: They’d say, “We love this church. It’s so great to have Bible preaching and see people come to Christ!” BUT (here it comes), no one else looks like us. Everybody is so…..young. And so we can’t stay here. And see for them, the #1 way they saw themselves wasn’t as “Christ follower, but it was their age There was a barrier up, in their mind towards young people…who, couldn’t understand what their lives were like. And here’s the truth: You will always build barriers when you see anything other than Jesus as your main identity. If your main identity is your race…you’ll divide the world by race…and say, “That person couldn’t understand me because, they’re not me” If your main identity is in how much money you make (or don’t make), you’ll say, “That person, in my small group, or in my extended family, they can’t understand me because, they’re not me.” You will always build barriers when you see anything other than Jesus as your main identity. But when you do see Jesus as your main identity, He can break any barrier. And you can watch these barriers come down even on contentious issues like race. And let me say: The Bible absolutely condemns racism as sinful. But understand…when the Bible talks about racial unity, as its talking about in this very passage, its solution to unity is very different when contrasted with secular solutions. In fact, let me show you two main ways that secular theories for solving racism fall short in comparison with Scripture. Two Ways Secular Theories for Solving Racism Fall Short #1: Secular theory presses deeper into our differences So many secular books and trainings done on this issue (and honestly any other hot button issue) focus their efforts NOT on how we’re similar, but how we’re different. And yes, we’re different, and that’s great. It’s beautiful. But hear me, the pathway to bringing people together isn’t by putting the focus on the differences that have kept them apart And in many ways, I fear that racism will tragically get worse in this country if we leave gospel solutions behind and only press deeper into telling people they are different. And worse, that their differences should be the primary way in which they identify and express themselves. Especially in the church this won’t work…because remember that is who Paul is writing to here. Paul doesn’t tell the Ephesians that they should first think of themselves as a Jew or Gentile, but that they should remember (v. 14) that Christ came to make their two groups, ONE!... …by making them a new humanity. And Paul says THAT is the way to peace. Two Ways Secular Theories for Solving Racism Fall Short #1: Secular theory presses deeper into our differences #2: Secular theory sees racism as a problem of the mind It sees racism as something that can be solved through education. The idea is if people could read the right books, go through the right trainings at work, have the right classes growing up in school, we could make racism a thing of the past. Listen, I’m all for education (if it’s done well), but we can’t TRULY fix the sin of racism solely through education because racism isn’t ultimately a problem of the mind, but a problem of the heart. And this is where Christian thought is VERY different from secular thought. This is Genesis 3…and the fall of humanity. As Christians, we believe that people are naturally sinful…not just good people who only need to be educated. Do you see how our understanding of humanity leads to different solutions? But because we’re naturally sinful without God, through history, our natural position as humans (without the Gospel) has been to divide. It’s to build walls. It’s to look with suspicion at anyone older than us, younger than us, poorer us, or a different skin color than us. And education, while important, can not give you a new heart. But what does Paul say put to death this hostility towards other groups? That was verse 16. He says, “What puts it to death…is the cross!” It’s your belief in Jesus, the Bible says, that gives you a new heart, and makes you a new Creation, and gives you the Holy Spirit. Which allows you to look at people who are incredibly different than you, and love them like they are in your family. (The Barrier Breaker Slide) A great case study of this is the Azusa Street Revival, which I read a fascinating book on last year. The Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles back in 1906 is the revival that birthed that modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. But if you think about it, 1906, was an incredibly racist time in our history. And yet, the thousands of thousands of people getting saved at this revival in LA, were incredibly diverse. And as these black, white, Asian, Hispanic people were coming to Jesus, history tells us that they all rallied around each other, arms around each other…coming together in brotherly & sisterly love. All in a time of serious racial division. But how, and how so quickly, were they able to overcome their differences? It’s because they experienced God in such a profound way, that their deepest identity now became not what made them different, but what made them the same: …that no matter what they looked like, THEY WERE A CHILD OF GOD! One new humanity, Paul says, thus making peace. TOGETHER IN THE SPIRIT And in the next 5 verses Paul discusses how no matter what we look like, or what we do, we are all a part of this holy temple of God. Because God’s Spirit resides in all of us. And none of this means that coming together in unity is easy. But it means it’s actually possible through Christ. But it still takes work. It wasn’t easy for the Jews & Gentiles in the early church. You can see this by how often Paul has to instruct them in cultural disputes even about food at their get togethers! But Jesus IS the Barrier Breaker. And church, this is an important way we can show the beauty of God’s truth to the culture around us right now. Our culture is literally looking for solutions to this exact issue, and only finding more problems as we splinter people into more and more groups and identities. But we, through Christ, have the ability, to come together. And set aside all of these different categories, and say, to a watching world, “This is my brother. This is my sister in Christ. Yeah, we look different. Yes, you probably wouldn’t ever think we would be friends, but we are.” Because of what Christ has done in us. And that bonds us together more than anything else ever could. Copyright: David Sorn Renovation Church in Blaine, MN You may use this material all you like! We only ask that you do not charge a fee and that you quote the source and not say it is your own.