Overcoming The Wall Of Separation

1. Opening Prayer of Gratitude: (1min)

2.Introduction: (20 min.)

a) Opening comments and introductions

b) Ask participants: Please go to the book of Ephesians chapter 2 verse 14 - 20.

(2:14) "For He is our peace, who hath make both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."

(2:15) " Having abolished in the His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandment contained in ordinances; for to make himself of twain one new man, so making peace."

(2:16) "And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby."

(2:17) "And came and preached peace to you which were a far off, and to them that were nigh."

(2:18) "For through Him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father"

You may be seated…

Now in this portion of scripture, Paul reminds us of how Jesus IS the believer’s source of peace…

He is our source of tranquility

He is our source of Harmony and Serenity

He is our Source of Peace for a man or woman of God…

And He says this so that we would be reminded of the fact that it has been the Son himself who has broken down the MIDDLE WALL of separation.

He has broken down that middle wall of division

He has remove the partition between us…

He has removed the Divider that is between man and woman…

Now Theologically, in this passage Paul was describing and e diagramming the wall in the temple that partitioned off the court of the gentiles from the areas accessible only to the Jews.

And the commentary says that Paul referred to that wall symbolical, emblematically and representatively to describe and relate to social, religious and spiritual separation that kept one group from another.

The wall represents the separation that keeps Kinloch folk’ fellowshipping with fegurson folks…

New Christians with seasoned saints…

The haves and the have nots…

The saved from the lost…

The young and the old…

That wall of separation that now that we are married, keeps us from friends and family that we used to have fellowship with…

We used to socialize with…

We used to communicate with…

And according to the text, it would be this same separation

This same partition…

This same spirit of division…

That would negatively impact the social, religious, and spiritual growth and development of a people…

This brings us to our final topic for the year…

Because some of us have created walls in our lives, in our marriages and even in the church…

Just like the church of Ephesian, we have created partitions…

We have created distances between one another and among certain people…

Now I’m not saying that some distance isn’t good, and the Lord knows that their some folk that we need as much distance as possible from…

But the idea here is that as a couple, It is important for us not to create artificial partitions with friends and associates….

We don’t want to create social separations or divide just because we are married now…

And God gave us the tools and talents to break down those walls. And that’s what we want to talk about today…

You see, as couples, we are all created with the need for close interpersonal relationships…

God not only provided our immediate families and children for those close relationships.

He not only provided relatives for these relationships…

He not only provided folks at your job for these relationships…

But he also provided the church…

And I know what you might be thinking, " Well I/we want to be alone"…

And that may be true, but you see, there is a great difference between being alone and being lonely…

To be alone comes from the Hebrew meaning to escape…

It actually means to "escape as to be slippery"…

Meaning when you want to be alone…

You are making a conscious effort to find peace and tranquility…

When you want to be alone, you are seeking a quiet moment were the internal and external disturbances of life can not make their way into your spirit…

There were times were Jesus just had to be alone…

He needed a little time for with the Father…

He needed a little time to rest…

He needed a little time to handle His Fathers business…

Sometimes you need to be alone…

Sometimes we need to get away to our quiet place…

Sometimes we need to be isolated from the kids…

Isolated from the work…

We need to find that place of peace…

But when you are lonely…

You are in entirely different place…

When you are lonely….

That is synonymous with feelings of seclusion, lonesomeness, and even a feeling of abandonment…

And there are many in the church that are experiencing these feelings not only on Sunday…