For example:
(1) What we know can be helpful in our security.
For example, when you travel into certain countries it is very important that you know there are some parts of certain cities that you do not travel.
Illus: A preacher in South Carolina tells how that he and his wife were in a foreign country, and they decided to go sightseeing where they were lodging.
They hired this taxi driver in front of their hotel to carry them sightseeing and this taxi driver drove them into a very dangerous area of this city.
They were horrified later when they were told this was a very dangerous area to travel and was advised not to go there.
WHAT WE KNOW CAN BE VERY HELPFUL TO OUR SECURITY AS WE TRAVEL.
(2) WHAT WE KNOW CAN BE HELPFUL IN OUR FINANCES.
Life is filled with people who know things to invest in and not to invest in.
Illus: For example, in 1979 in the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Hershey, Pa. the stock crashed immediately. Of course, many of these investors in the nuclear plant was devastated when they heard the news that they had practically lost all of their investment.
However, an investor in Columbia, S.C. immediately invested 10,000 dollars in the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and within twenty-four hours his investment made him $40,000 dollars.
Some people KNOW how to make good investments.
What we KNOW IN LIFE can be very beneficial to us FINANCIALLY.
We all know the value of knowledge of certain things.
But do we know the danger of not knowing somethings can be devastating to us.
Illus: I think of a dear Christian woman who attended our church but has gone to be with the Lord.
She went to the doctor and found out that she had stage four cancer in her body. The doctor told her if she had known this a year before and if she had come to him, she probably could have been cured.
• What we KNOW can be very helpful to us
• What we DO NOT KNOW can be devastating to us.
I want to address in this sermon what WE DO NOT KNOW SPIRITUALLY CAN BE DEVASTATING TO US AS CHRISTIANS.
It is amazing what the Lord has done for us AND MANY DO NOT KNOW WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR THEM.
Illus: That reminds me of a man that was driving along in his old beat-up old Dodge truck, when suddenly it broke down.
• He was parked on the side of the road trying to fix it when a man driving a Jaguar pulled up in front of him and offered to help.
• After a few minutes the two men obviously weren't going to get the old truck going again, so the Jaguar driver offered to tow the Dodge to the nearest garage.
• A few minutes later the two had hitched up the old Dodge truck to the Jaguar, and they agreed that if the Jaguar driver was going too fast the man in the old dodge truck should do two things
(1) Blow his horn
(2) And flash his lights
To get him to slow down.
With that the two men got into their vehicles and the Jaguar driver started to pull away with the old beat-up Dodge truck behind him.
However, at the first traffic light, a Ferrari pulled up beside the Jaguar and started to rev his engine provocatively.
As soon as the light turned green the Ferrari and the Jaguar hit their accelerators and took off forgetting about the driver in the old dodge truck.
• Before long the two cars were racing down the road at over 120 mph.
• As the cars sped along, they passed through a police speed trap.
• The officer couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the two cars and the old dodge truck go by, and he decided that he couldn't catch them all by himself, so he decided to radio for help.
• He said, "You won't believe what I just saw! I saw a Ferrari and a Jaguar doing 120 mph side by side, and an old beat up old Dodge truck behind them flashing his lights and blowing his horn trying to pass them!"
We have that same kind of amazement when we look at the things the Lord Jesus has done for us.
(1)If the lost world could comprehend what we have in Christ, they would be running to the Lord.
But the Bible tells us in John 12:40 “He (Satan) hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”
The lost world has no idea what they are missing out in life because Satan has blinded their eyes to what the Lord has done for them.
This is why it is so difficult to get the lost to come to Christ.
Satan has…
• Blinded their eyes
• Hardened their hearts
To keep them from becoming converted.
If they knew what the Lord has done for them and could do for them, they would come running to the Lord.
(2) Also if Christians could comprehend what we have in the Lord they would be seeking Him daily for such blessings.
The devil has got them pursuing other things in life.
Let me show you some things we need to consider what the Lord has done for us.
Let’s look first at-
I. OUR PAST
Before a person can appreciate what, we have in the Lord in the future, they need to remember the life the Lord saved them from in their past.
Look at Ephesians 2:11-12 he is addressing the Gentiles.
We read, “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”
These verses in Ephesians are all about RACISM.
DEFINE: Racism often stems from an inflated sense of self-importance and a belief in one's own superiority.
The REASON for RACISM is pride. It makes a person feel SUPERIOR if they make themselves more important than someone.
But anyone who knows anything about history knows that RACISM has always been a problem with mankind.
For example, the Jews had tremendous hate for the Gentiles.
Illus: Remember how shocked the Jews were when Christ went through Samaria and talked with the woman at the well.
Look at John 4:5-9, "Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, how is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which is a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."
The Jews despised the Samaritans, and the Samaritans knew it!!!
When the Jews were traveling rather than go through Samaria, they would go several miles out of their way to avoid being around the Samaritans.
WHO WERE THE SAMARITANS?
• The Samaritans were descendants of the Israelites of the northern kingdom who had intermarried with foreign settlers after the fall of Samaria.
• As a result of this racial intermarriage, they were no longer considered to be truly Jewish and were hated by the Jews.
And when the Jews were traveling, they would go several miles out of their way to keep from going through Samaria.
• They make me think of some today who can be walking down a sidewalk, and they see someone coming down the street they dislike, and they cross the street to keep from walking on the same sidewalk.
• They make me think of some today who will sell their home and move out of a county or neighborhood miles away because of racial reasons.
The Gentiles knew how the Jews hated them.
Illus: Remember in John 4:7-15 The Samaritan woman asks Jesus how he – a Jew – has the nerve to ask her – a despised Samaritan – to draw some water from the well for Him.
Racism can be traced back through history and the Word of God.
The word "racism" is not used anywhere in the Bible, but we can see it clearly in practice in James 2:1-9:
We read, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Notice verse 9: "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."
Did you notice that three times in that passage the scriptures warned against showing RACISM?
James is teaching that racism is a horrible sin.
WHY IS IT A HORRIBLE SIN?
Because in Psalm 139:13-14, David writes, "For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well."
This passage reminds us that every human being is created in the image of God, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
We are all fearfully and wonderfully made, and every life deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
But racism seeks to:
• Diminish that dignity
• To dehumanize
• And marginalize certain groups of people.
It is a sin that has been perpetuated throughout history, and it continues to plague our society today.
WHY IS IT A HORRIBLE SIN!!!
The reason it is a horrible sin is because WE DESPISE SOMEONE THAT IS FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY CREATED BY GOD!!!
HOW THE DEVIL MUST LAUGH AND REJOICE WHEN A MORTAL WILL TAKE SOMETHING GOD HAS CREATED IN HIS IMAGE AND DESPISE IT!!!
This is an a horrible sin in the sight of God.
Look what God has to say about that in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
This passage reminds us that in Christ, there is no distinction between:
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Or gender.
We are all one in Christ, and we are all equal in the eyes of God.
The only difference between any of us some have more melanin in their skin than others. Our bodies are the same and the only difference is the more melanin someone has in their body the darker their skin is.
Illus: For example, if you are in the hospital and you need a blood transfusion and you need blood, they go to the blood bank and the blood you receive might be from a black person, white person or Hispanic.
Illus: They say the most segregated hour in American is at Eleven O’clock in the house of God on Sunday morning.
Today all over America we still have WHITE CHURCHES and BLACK CHURCHES which is no more than the problem we still have RACISM IN AMERICA.
And what is sad about these churches:
(1) They have white pastors preaching hate.
(2) They have black pastors preaching hate.
But it is a sinful thing when a so-called preacher stands in the pulpit and preaches someone God has fearfully and wonderfully created is not worthy to enter their church service. JUST WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE TO MAKE SUCH An EVIL DECISION!!!
Illus: These churches remind us of an old black man who entered a white church, and the ushers told him he was not welcome at the door.
• The old black man felt bad about being rejected and got on his knees and cried out to God.
• God spoke to his heart and told him not to feel bad He has been trying to get in that church for years and they want allow Him in also!!!
I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE IN THE SHOES OF SOME WHEN THESE PREACHERS AND CHURCH MEMBER STAND BEFORE THE LORD.
You can find RACISM in white churches and black churches.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger led a black fellow to the Lord, and he started attending his church and they became very good friends.
They were such good friends that they could talk about anything and one day they were talking about segregation.
• Dr. Belger said, “Charlie, I know that there are some white people that are racist, but sometimes I can't help but to think that the black folks are more racist than the white people."
• To prove his point he said, "I have invited many black folks to attend our services and they will not attend.”
• Charlie said, “Pastor, I do not think so and let me tell you why I do not think so.”
• To prove his point he said, “You see, for centuries we black people have been told you white folks did not want anything to do with us, and we still have not gotten use to the fact that now you want us in your churches.”
We all know something about racism, and the Samaritans knew a great deal about racism in the days of the Apostle Paul.
Illus: For example, we are told that the Jews considered the Gentiles so filthy and disgusting that if they were eating some food and a Gentile walked by and the shadow of the Gentile fell across their food, they would throw away their food.
Illus: They referred to the Gentiles as “dogs”! And dogs during this time did not have the status that dogs today have.
Race relationships have always been a problem with mankind.
To help deal with this problem, they have designated February as BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
There are a number of reasons why this month has been set aside.
• To explain how the black race has made a contribution to our society.
• To help the white race to understand the conditions that many black folks were raised in.
We all know about the wall that was once erected in this nation between the blacks and whites.
Illus: In 1949, following the defeat of Nazi Germany in WW II and the re-organization of Europe, the nation of Germany was divided into East & West.
• At the height of the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan visited the Berlin wall that had been erected.
• To encourage freedom and a new peace, he stood before this wall and had the courage and said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Much of Paul’s ministry was directed to tearing down the wall between the Jews and the Gentiles.
But this brings us to a question, and that is, "WHY WAS HE ADDRESSING THE GENTILES?"
God had chosen the Jews to be the missionaries to the world.
But the Jews failed miserably in their effort at doing this.
They classified everyone who was not a Jew as, “the Uncircumcision.”
Look at verse 11, “…Who are called the Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision…”
Instead of leading Gentiles to the Lord, they threw up barricades in front of the Gentiles to keep them from coming to know the Lord.
Look at verse 12, we were aliens, “…Having no hope, and without God in the world.”
That simply means we Gentiles were not God’s people.
That was OUR PAST as gentiles, but look now at-
II. OUR PRESENT
Look at verse 13, we read, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were FAR OFF are made NIGH by the blood of Christ.”
• Look at the words, “Far off”. This refers to our past when we were aliens, far off from God.
• But notice the words, “But now…” This means things have now changed.
• We now are IN CHRIST!!!
You can't get any closer to God than this. We are IN CHRIST.
Illus: One advantage that mothers have over fathers is that the child that is born…
• Lived within the mother womb for 9 months.
• The child lived off her body
• The child fed off her body
A child has an intimacy with their mother they do not have with their father.
Illus: Speaking of childbirth, a little girl was writing a report for school on childbirth, and so started to ask her parents questions about how she was born.
• "Well..." said the girl's mother, slightly embarrassed, "the stork delivered you to the cabbage patch at the bottom of the garden."
• "Oh," said the girl. "Well... how about you and daddy -- how did you get born?" "Oh, well, the stork brought us too."
• The little girl continued with her questions.... "How were grandpa and grandma born?" "Well honey", said the mother, "the stork brought them too!"
• The next day the girl went off to school and handed in the report to her teacher, who started to read the first few lines... "This report has been very difficult to write because there hasn't been a natural childbirth in my family for three generations."
The Bible tells us after we come to know the Lord as OUR SAVIOR we are IN CHRIST.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
In the Old Testament, as we previously stated they were missionaries, we were dependent upon the Jews to tell us about the God of their salvation…THEY FAILED MISERABLY!
BUT NOW, CHRIST HAS COME TO BRING US INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD.
HOW DOES HE DO THAT?
The scriptures are clear and unmistakable in declaring that it is by the “Blood of Christ.”
• In the Old Testament, the Jews would go to the temple with their sacrifices and offer them up as a sacrifice for their sins.
• The blood was symbolic of the perfect Lamb of God that would come one day and shed His blood for the sins of mankind.
NOW THAT DAY HAS COME!
The ultimate sacrifice for sin has come and now He has shed HIS BLOOD FOR EVERY LOST PERSON WHO HAS EVER LIVED ON THIS EARTH.
• Look at 1 Peter 1:18-19, we read, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Today we are no longer aliens, FAR AWAY from God, WE NOW HAVE THE POSITION OF BEING “In Christ”.
We have looked at:
I.OUR PAST
II.OUR POSITION,
But Paul wanted to remind these Ephesians of something else-
III. OUR PEACE
Look at verse 14-15, we read, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.”
Notice, the Bible says, “For he is our peace…”
Notice, that Paul told these Gentiles that the Lord, “…Hath broken down the middle wall of partion between us..."
When Christ died, He died for our sins, not His.
We were “far off” from God. Our sins separated us from God’s presence, and we were at enmity with God.
But when the Lord shed His precious blood for us, we were no longer the ENEMIES OF GOD, but we became the “CHILDREN OF GOD.”
It is because of what the Lord did for us on Calvary that HE BECAME OUR PEACE!
Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21, we read, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
If it were not for Him, we would still be at enmity with God.
Because of Him, two things have transpired.
(1) ALL MEN NOW APPROACH GOD IN THE SAME WAY
Look at verse 14, we read, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”
The Jews do not have any advantage over us Gentiles because of Him. NONE!
• They have to approach God the same way we Gentiles do, through the blood of Christ.
Notice, the scripture says in verse 14, speaking of the Jews and
The Gentiles, they are now, “both one.”
• This means not only nationally, but also individually. It does not matter what race or gender a person has in society; they all have to come through the blood of Christ.
The Collingsworth Family - Blood of Jesus [Live]
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What the Lord Jesus did for us makes all men equal; we all come the same way through the blood of Jesus!!!
(2) CHRIST’S COMING BREAKS DOWN ALL BARRIERS
Look at verse 14, we read, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”
This alludes to the temple where the Jews worshipped.
The temple was surrounded by a series of courts. Each court had a high wall separating it from the other courts.
1) As you approached the temple, you came to the outer court which was the Court of the Gentiles. Also, this is where the buying and selling of animals took place.
2) Then there was the Court of Women. A Jewish woman was limited to this court unless she had come to make a sacrifice.
3) The next court was the Court of the Israelites. This is where the whole congregation assembled on feast days and where sacrifices were handed over to the priest.
4) The Court of the Priest was next. This area was considered to be sacred and only the Priest could enter.
5) In the midst of the temple, we have the Holy of Holies. This is where the presence of God dwelt. Only the high priest could enter this court, and only once a year at the great Passover Feast.
Partition after partition separated the various courts.
There were warnings placed in the Gentile courts saying that if any Gentile walked into any other court he was to be put to death.
But the Lord’s coming made all men equal.
Look at Matthew 27:51, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.”
Because of the blood of Christ every one of us now has access to the holy of holies.
The death of Christ not only made us all:
• EQUAL AS WE APPROACH GOD FOR SALVATION,
• But His death also made us equal as we enter HIS PRESENCE!
Look at Acts 10:28, we read, “And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”
Look at Romans 10:12-13, we read, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
We were at enmity with God, but now because of Christ, we are at PEACE WITH GOD.
He is truly OUR PEACE.
Look at verses 16-18, we read, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Look at the word “reconcile”. Because of Christ, we have been changed from ENEMIES to FRIENDS.
The thing that separated mankind from God was sin. But the Lord, on the cross, took care of that sin problem.
The Bible says in verse 16, “…Having slain the enmity thereby.” We now have access to God the Father.
Conclusion:
I want to remind you that Paul, in this passage of Scripture, wanted to make sure that the Ephesian Christians KNOW WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR THEM.
GOD WANTS US TO KNOW WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US!
How often do you stop and meditate on what this wonderful Savior has done for you?
WHAT WE KNOW CAN BE BENIFICIAL TO US IF WE WILL COME TO CHRIST.
We have looked at:
I. OUR PAST
II. OUR POSITION
III. OUR PEACE
