WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.560 Well let's pray, let's ask God for help as we 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:06.940 look at his word now. Gracious Heavenly Father, 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:11.759 please help us to see how wonderful it is to 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:15.480 be united in Christ. Help us to see the riches 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.859 and the depths of that and we pray that you would 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.539 help us to maintain the unity created in the 00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:25.660 bond of peace by your Holy Spirit. We ask this 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:30.719 in Jesus' name. Amen. Well we lived in Broken 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:33.939 Hill for two and a half years and I can tell 00:00:33.939 --> 00:00:38.119 you it's a unique and fascinating place. But 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:40.479 one thing I'll never forget about Broken Hill 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:45.020 is that in one sense it had its own caste system. 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.479 In Broken Hill they had this thing called A graders, 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:53.799 B graders and C graders. So if you're an A -grader, 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:57.280 you were born and bred in town. If you were a 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.340 B -grader, you married an A -grader and you'd 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:04.099 lived in town for a while. And if you were a 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:08.040 C -grader, you were what was coined from away, 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:12.859 basically anywhere else. And this is a real thing, 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.040 like from the mining boom in the late 1800s and 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:20.060 for many decades, like even... into the 50s and 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:23.519 60s, this was a real thing in Broken Hill. A 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:27.280 -graders would get preferential hiring, preferential 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:30.819 treatment and huge social acceptance that other 00:01:30.819 --> 00:01:34.319 people wouldn't get. And this way of thinking, 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:36.959 whilst it's mostly gone today, there still exists 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:39.099 a little bit of it. I had friends at the hospital 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:41.159 who were saying, there's still a bit of like, 00:01:41.219 --> 00:01:43.959 oh, you're an A -grader, cool. And you get a 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:46.280 little bit of preference and things like that 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:48.319 amongst the nurses and doctors. I don't know 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:50.079 if it's true. I'm just going off what my friend 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:53.400 said. But no matter what you did in Broken Hill, 00:01:53.459 --> 00:01:55.260 no matter how long you were there, for someone 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:58.640 like me, the best I could ever hope for was to 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:02.329 be affectionately called a B -grader. I was never 00:02:02.329 --> 00:02:04.849 going to be an A -grader because I'm not born 00:02:04.849 --> 00:02:09.150 and bred. Ironically, it's not just the ground 00:02:09.150 --> 00:02:11.729 in Broken Hill that's broken. There's a lot of 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:14.370 fracturing, I think, in the place. And this is 00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:18.069 just one small example. But it's not just Broken 00:02:18.069 --> 00:02:23.530 Hill. India has the Varna car system. That fractures 00:02:23.530 --> 00:02:26.009 society, discriminates against people and creates 00:02:26.009 --> 00:02:29.379 toxic tribalism. And even though it was outlawed 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:32.379 in the 1950s, Google tells me it's still influential 00:02:32.379 --> 00:02:35.280 to some degree to this day. And that's just within 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:39.360 India. Think about, broadly, India and Pakistan. 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:42.560 I mean, there's complex and hostile relations 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:45.120 there, aren't there? As with many countries, 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:47.819 Russia and Ukraine, North and South Korea, Israel 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:50.789 and Palestine. And if that wasn't enough today, 00:02:50.990 --> 00:02:52.770 we have all sorts of fun things we're dealing 00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:55.669 with in politics, don't we? There's left -wing 00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:58.889 and right -wing. We've got today other things 00:02:58.889 --> 00:03:01.389 as well, like the battles of the sexes, and we've 00:03:01.389 --> 00:03:04.050 got management and workers often competing for 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:06.770 different things. When you look at it all, you 00:03:06.770 --> 00:03:12.090 go, our world is broken and fractured, isn't 00:03:12.090 --> 00:03:17.919 it? In so many ways. I know, Brendan. you're 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.740 going to do your usual thing. The answer is God, 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:25.860 right? Well, what about religions? Don't they 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:30.800 cause many of the wars today? And churches, well, 00:03:31.379 --> 00:03:34.020 they're all splintered into different denominations. 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.740 Can God really help? I mean, it seems like at 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:42.020 every aspect of society, whether it's religion, 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:45.960 politics, countries, all of this, There's another 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:50.099 crack, there's another division. This fragmentation 00:03:50.099 --> 00:03:52.960 exists in the world and it creates friction, 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:57.979 selfishness and hostility. I just sit back and 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:01.620 I think, why can't we have peace? Why can't we 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:06.259 all just get along? What needs to happen to unite 00:04:06.259 --> 00:04:11.759 people together? Well, our passage today shows 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:16.430 us the way forward. Last week we saw how Jesus 00:04:16.430 --> 00:04:20.050 unites us to God vertically. But this passage 00:04:20.050 --> 00:04:23.310 today is all about how that vertical reconciliation 00:04:23.310 --> 00:04:26.149 with God, that peace with God, has a knock on 00:04:26.149 --> 00:04:30.170 effect where we have peace with each other. Here's 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:34.910 the big thing we see from today. Jesus reconciling 00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:40.329 us to God, Jesus giving us peace with God, creates 00:04:40.329 --> 00:04:44.189 peace with each other. This is what I hope you 00:04:44.189 --> 00:04:46.610 take away from today. Jesus reconciling us to 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:51.389 God creates peace with each other. And we see 00:04:51.389 --> 00:04:53.569 three things in the passage that tell us this. 00:04:54.829 --> 00:04:58.949 You used to be excluded, Jesus tore down the 00:04:58.949 --> 00:05:03.610 wall, and you are now included. So let's have 00:05:03.610 --> 00:05:07.670 a look at the first one. You used to be excluded. 00:05:08.709 --> 00:05:10.810 If you got your Bible open at Ephesians 2, come 00:05:10.810 --> 00:05:15.170 with me to verses 11 and 12. It says, therefore 00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:18.689 remember that formerly you who are Gentiles, 00:05:18.810 --> 00:05:21.410 that's people of all the nations, anyone who's 00:05:21.410 --> 00:05:25.629 non -Jewish, you who are Gentiles by birth and 00:05:25.629 --> 00:05:28.730 called uncircumcised by those who call themselves 00:05:28.730 --> 00:05:31.410 the circumcision, which is done in the body by 00:05:31.410 --> 00:05:35.329 human hands, remember that at that time you were 00:05:35.329 --> 00:05:39.050 separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship 00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:42.800 in Israel, and foreigners, to the covenants of 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:47.259 promise, without hope and without God in the 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:52.519 world. Do you remember as a kid those times where 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.949 you might not have been picked? You know, I don't 00:05:55.949 --> 00:05:59.529 know if it was for the drama performance at school 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:01.970 or for the footy team or whatever it might have 00:06:01.970 --> 00:06:04.269 been or even just at playtime. I mean, maybe 00:06:04.269 --> 00:06:05.629 you're there and you're one of those kids who 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:07.949 got picked for everything. Great. But try and 00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:09.949 imagine what it'd be like if you were one of 00:06:09.949 --> 00:06:13.350 those kids who just didn't get picked. Well, 00:06:13.350 --> 00:06:17.149 that's what it was like for all of us because 00:06:17.149 --> 00:06:19.810 we were Gentiles. Paul's saying you've got to 00:06:19.810 --> 00:06:22.160 remember that. Remember, that's where you came 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:26.540 from. You were all non -Jews. And it used to 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:30.079 be that the Old Testament laws excluded us from 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:34.100 God's people and from all the perks and privileges 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:37.319 that go along with being God's people. I mean, 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.740 we're such beneficiaries of all the work that 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:42.779 Jesus did and Paul did in taking the gospel to 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:45.800 the nations. We often don't stop and think about 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.139 this, but this was a huge issue in the ancient 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:51.420 world. How do you work out how to get Jew and 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:54.279 Gentile together and working together in a church 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:56.939 where traditionally they'd been separated and 00:06:56.939 --> 00:07:01.060 excluded from one another? And so Paul's saying, 00:07:01.420 --> 00:07:03.720 hey, you Gentiles, remember what it was like. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.399 Remember how things were. I'm going to show you 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:08.519 where you've come, but you've got to start with 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.060 the starting point. Remember where you were. 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:13.180 And he's got this great summary. Did you see 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:16.879 that? Where were you? You were without hope. 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:22.319 and without God in the world. One commentator 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.079 I read this week said, the only thing we were 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:30.839 in was in the world. We were without hope and 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:34.860 without God in the world. I mean, we may not 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:38.120 have realised it prior to a conversion, but we 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:41.079 didn't think we were missing out, but we lacked 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:44.839 true hope. We might have hoped for little things, 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:49.000 you know? I hope to get a better car or I hope 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:51.139 to get that house down the road or whatever it 00:07:51.139 --> 00:07:54.800 might be. But we didn't have everlasting hope, 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:59.740 real hope. And we didn't have God in our lives, 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:03.279 a God who loves us and cares about us, who's 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.420 in control of everything, who wants what's best 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:10.779 for us. And because we didn't have hope and God, 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:16.730 it made our world a harsh and hostile place. 00:08:18.970 --> 00:08:21.629 You might not believe this, but sometimes my 00:08:21.629 --> 00:08:26.310 two daughters fight. Occasionally they fight 00:08:26.310 --> 00:08:30.410 over a toy. Usually some silly toy. I remember 00:08:30.410 --> 00:08:32.649 back in Broken Hill, we used to have this little 00:08:32.649 --> 00:08:35.330 wooden laptop that they all loved playing with. 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:38.220 I mean, I looked at it and just, it's the most 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:40.179 boring toy. But anyway, they love this little 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:43.100 wooden laptop and they would shout, they would 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:46.759 snatch, they'd sometimes shove. And I think to 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:49.179 myself, why is it they exhibit these behaviours? 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:54.259 What's driving it? Well, it's their beliefs, 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:58.720 isn't it? They believe nothing better is coming. 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:02.299 All there is is the wooden laptop. That's all 00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:04.480 I can see. You know, there might have been a 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:06.500 whole room full of other toys. Doesn't matter. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:08.960 All I can see is that wooden laptop and there's 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:13.100 nothing better. And they forget sometimes that 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:15.940 daddy loves both of them, that daddy wants what's 00:09:15.940 --> 00:09:19.460 best for them. In one sense, I think it'd be 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:23.440 fair to say they forget what it means to be in 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:28.100 our family. And people in our world act like 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:31.179 that today. They act like my two daughters. They 00:09:31.179 --> 00:09:34.080 can be very childish. I mean, it's funny, we 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:38.179 pretend to be so sophisticated and proper and 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:42.720 then things go wrong. Do you remember COVID and 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:47.100 all the toilet paper shortages? Amazing how you 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:49.919 can see the worst of humanity when toilet paper 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:55.700 runs out. And why? What drives that? Why do people 00:09:55.700 --> 00:09:59.220 suddenly do that? It's because they're without 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:02.840 God and without hope in the world. They're not 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:05.000 included in God's people. They don't have those 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:08.159 things of God in their life and hope. And so 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:12.779 they act at their worst. See, our world is a 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:16.139 hostile and fractured place because people feel 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:20.659 desperate and alone. Desperate times call for 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.940 desperate measures. And if you are constantly 00:10:22.940 --> 00:10:25.080 desperate, you're going to act desperately all 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:27.970 the time with desperate measures. And that's 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:31.370 what happens in our world. It makes people tribal 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:35.129 and hostile. People go, okay, there's no hope. 00:10:35.309 --> 00:10:37.230 There's no God in the world. I've got to look 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:40.409 out for number one. It's a dog -eat -dog world. 00:10:40.730 --> 00:10:43.990 It's survival of the fittest. You know, I'll 00:10:43.990 --> 00:10:46.049 make some allies so that, you know, things work 00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:49.049 a little better. But far out, you know, I've 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.110 got to look after me. And that's why people are 00:10:52.110 --> 00:10:57.129 at their worst. See people change I think I've 00:10:57.129 --> 00:11:00.190 seen people change when they're included in God's 00:11:00.190 --> 00:11:04.710 people when they have hope and God in their life 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:09.110 and Paul doesn't want these Gentile these non 00:11:09.110 --> 00:11:13.129 -jewish Christians and us To forget life prior 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:17.909 to our conversion He's saying remember. Did you 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:21.809 see he says it twice remember? He wants us to 00:11:21.809 --> 00:11:27.840 see how bad life was apart from God and the hope 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.639 that he gives when we're excluded from God's 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.059 people. Because seeing that will make us more 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:37.419 thankful and appreciative now that we have it. 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:41.340 So if you're here today and you're a Christian, 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:44.600 can you remember life prior to your conversion? 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:49.320 What was it like to be apart from God's people? 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:53.580 Even if you grew up Christian, I'm sure you've 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:56.659 seen that in the world. Just flick on the TV, 00:11:56.779 --> 00:12:02.100 watch the news, see the violence, drive up to 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:05.259 the local shops, see the signs that say, no abuse 00:12:05.259 --> 00:12:09.600 tolerated here. See, people in our world are 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:13.379 tribal, they're fractured, they're hostile, because 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:16.200 there's no hope and no God in the world for them. 00:12:18.830 --> 00:12:22.730 But when you come to know Jesus, things are so 00:12:22.730 --> 00:12:26.769 different. Why are they different now? Well, 00:12:26.769 --> 00:12:28.830 we used to be excluded, but here's what happened. 00:12:29.769 --> 00:12:35.029 Jesus tore down the wall. Have a look with me 00:12:35.029 --> 00:12:42.269 at verse 13. But now, God's done something amazing. 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:46.450 God's taken the initiative. But now, in Christ 00:12:46.450 --> 00:12:50.610 Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought 00:12:50.610 --> 00:12:53.629 near by the blood of Christ, by his death on 00:12:53.629 --> 00:12:58.429 the cross. For he himself is our peace, who has 00:12:58.429 --> 00:13:01.779 made the two groups one. and has destroyed the 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:04.879 barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.700 aside in his flesh the law with its commands 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:10.639 and regulations. His purpose was to create in 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:14.220 himself one new humanity out of the two, thus 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:18.679 making peace. And in one body to reconcile both 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:21.379 of them to God through the cross by which he 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:25.110 put to death their hostility. He came and preached 00:13:25.110 --> 00:13:28.389 peace to you who are far away and peace to those 00:13:28.389 --> 00:13:31.529 who are near. For through him we both have access 00:13:31.529 --> 00:13:37.250 to the Father by one spirit. So the Old Testament 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:40.769 rules and regulations that existed were like 00:13:40.769 --> 00:13:45.450 a Berlin wall. They divided Jew and non -Jew. 00:13:46.140 --> 00:13:48.720 You might remember when Peter Hughes was at family 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:51.259 camp, he showed us this cool picture. Do you 00:13:51.259 --> 00:13:53.879 remember that one? This was at the temple, the 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:57.960 Jewish temple, and there was this part of the 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:00.240 temple that said this, let no foreigner enter 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:03.220 within the parapet and the partition which surrounds 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:06.559 the temple precincts. Anyone caught violating 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:10.440 will be held accountable for his ensuing death. 00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:16.080 This is serious stuff. It was No, you stay over 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.240 there. You're quarantined from the temple. You're 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:21.100 kicked out. You're over there. You can only come 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:24.379 so far in. But if you were Jewish, you could 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:27.360 go further in. And this was just an expression 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.639 of the Old Testament law. And it was there to 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.059 show that, yes, being part of God's people matters. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:35.820 And some divisions do matter. Some divisions 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:40.480 can be helpful. But now it's opened up to everybody. 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.090 At the cross, Jesus tore down the wall. I mean 00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:50.330 he put hostility to death. How? He fulfilled 00:14:50.330 --> 00:14:54.809 the law. He was sacrificed for our sins. He brought 00:14:54.809 --> 00:14:58.809 us peace with God. And this peace we have with 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:02.889 God has created peace with each other. You can 00:15:02.889 --> 00:15:06.190 think of it like a triangle. So here you've got 00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:09.049 this triangle and as we get closer to God what 00:15:09.049 --> 00:15:12.779 happens with us? We get closer to each other, 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:18.500 don't we? Jesus makes a new humanity of Jews 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:22.039 and non -Jews in himself. As he's brought them 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:24.840 closer to God, they are closer to each other. 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:29.200 The hostility is gone. You can think of it like 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:31.240 this, and please bear with me. I've never done 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:34.460 a rugby league illustration before. I'm an AFL 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:36.940 guy, but I'm doing my best here. But picture 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:40.019 the state of origin players. So they're geared 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:42.899 up for state of origin, the Maroons and the Blues. 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:46.379 And when they play, they put on that jersey and 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:50.159 they go to war, don't they? It's a bit like the 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:53.679 Jew and the Gentile. Like all the divisions and 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:58.460 tribalism in our world. So they're at war. They're 00:15:58.460 --> 00:16:00.539 ready to attack and hurt each other. And I picked 00:16:00.539 --> 00:16:02.960 a photo of the Maroon guy tackling the Blues 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:07.879 guy because I know where I live now. But you 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:12.649 know what? If those same players were to put 00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:16.409 on the green and gold Guernsey, if they were 00:16:16.409 --> 00:16:19.529 picked for the Australian team, what happens 00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:24.309 to that division and hostility? It goes away. 00:16:25.730 --> 00:16:29.129 They're united by something bigger and greater. 00:16:29.889 --> 00:16:33.669 And that's what Jesus does with his people. Yes, 00:16:34.090 --> 00:16:37.070 there are people who are Jewish and non -Jewish. 00:16:37.230 --> 00:16:39.769 There are people who are North Korean and South 00:16:39.769 --> 00:16:41.950 Korean. There are people who are Indian and Pakistani. 00:16:42.269 --> 00:16:44.450 There are A -graders and B -graders. There are 00:16:44.450 --> 00:16:46.769 Aussies and Kiwis. And there's people who are 00:16:46.769 --> 00:16:49.570 left and right wing. And there's management and 00:16:49.570 --> 00:16:51.850 workers and all of that. But if you're a Christian, 00:16:51.870 --> 00:16:55.509 do you know what? You're wearing the same jersey. 00:16:56.690 --> 00:17:01.570 The Jesus jersey. If you're on Team Jesus, all 00:17:01.570 --> 00:17:04.849 those other things don't really matter anymore, 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:09.859 do they? Now this has got massive implications 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:13.380 for God's people today. I mean firstly it means 00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:16.000 that all are welcome if they trust in the cross. 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.339 I mean everyone's welcome at church, of course, 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:22.740 but all are part of the church if they trust 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:26.900 in the Lord Jesus. And then it means we can enjoy 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:31.279 diversity without it becoming a division. We 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:35.299 can become curious about one another, interested 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:39.670 to learn from each other. It also means that 00:17:39.670 --> 00:17:43.609 denominational tithes don't define us. Like, 00:17:43.730 --> 00:17:46.230 I'm glad I'm an Anglican. I love being Anglican. 00:17:46.670 --> 00:17:50.329 And that's cool. But I also love the Preses down 00:17:50.329 --> 00:17:55.210 the road and the Baptists as well. If they love 00:17:55.210 --> 00:17:58.589 Jesus, I've got more in common with them than 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:01.170 an Anglican church where people there don't. 00:18:02.910 --> 00:18:05.690 We can always remember that there is more that 00:18:05.690 --> 00:18:08.589 unites us in Christ than divides us in anything 00:18:08.589 --> 00:18:15.690 else. We share a hope. We share the same God. 00:18:16.509 --> 00:18:19.789 We have got hope and God in our lives and we 00:18:19.789 --> 00:18:22.170 share that together. What's our hope? Our hope 00:18:22.170 --> 00:18:24.410 is that one day we will be gathered around the 00:18:24.410 --> 00:18:28.970 throne of Jesus, a great multitude of people 00:18:28.970 --> 00:18:33.750 from all nations, tribes and tongues. And we 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:38.589 serve that one God now, don't we? The bond Christians 00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:44.599 have runs so deep. And it's this bond that actually 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.200 drives much of the ethical section in chapters 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:50.359 four to six of Ephesians. We'll get there, but 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:52.779 God willing. But the idea of Ephesians four to 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:55.400 six is it comes back to Ephesians one to three 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:57.839 and it goes, okay, here's how you live your life. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.180 How am I meant to live my life? Look back on 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:02.980 what Jesus has done and that's gonna change how 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:08.359 you live now. But here we're seeing that reality. 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:12.460 We're seeing what Jesus has done. So, what's 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.359 that look like? Well, when we walk into church 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:19.480 on a Sunday, what are we meant to see? We're 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:22.079 meant to see that the people around us are people 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:27.200 that Jesus died for. We're meant to go, the differences 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:31.400 don't matter. They're someone that Jesus died 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:35.539 for. They're precious. They're valuable. I mean, 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:39.400 you could be a Blues fan and you could still 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:45.299 be welcome here. And if not, listen to the sermon, 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:50.700 okay? No, you can come. You can come and go, 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:54.359 yeah, I'm loved here. We're meant to see the 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:57.140 closeness. We're meant to see that that Jesus 00:19:57.140 --> 00:20:01.880 jersey matters more than everything else. The 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:05.480 divisions aren't there anymore. They're differences, 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:10.450 but they're not divisions. But there's more to 00:20:10.450 --> 00:20:12.210 this bond that we still need to see. It's not 00:20:12.210 --> 00:20:15.049 just that Jesus tore down the wall. It's also 00:20:15.049 --> 00:20:19.490 you are now included. You are now included. Look 00:20:19.490 --> 00:20:39.750 with me at verses 19 to 23. By the way, you might 00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:41.670 want to ask this at question time, but I think 00:20:41.670 --> 00:20:43.730 there it's talking about New Testament prophets, 00:20:44.150 --> 00:20:46.369 not Old Testament prophets, but I won't go into 00:20:46.369 --> 00:20:49.670 that now. It's built on the foundation of the 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:52.089 apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself 00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:56.230 as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building 00:20:56.230 --> 00:20:59.910 is joined together and rises to become a holy 00:20:59.910 --> 00:21:03.869 temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being 00:21:03.869 --> 00:21:07.089 built together to become a dwelling in which 00:21:07.089 --> 00:21:12.079 God lives forever. by His Spirit. Who are Gentile 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:16.539 Christians? They're not outsiders anymore. They're 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:21.420 not second -class Christians. They're full members 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:25.859 and citizens. They're not this second tier of 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:27.799 Christians either. They're not sort of like, 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:29.819 oh, well, the Jewish Christians, they're business 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:33.160 class and the Gentile Christians, you fly economy. 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:38.000 Hey, be glad you're on the same plane. No. They're 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.599 full members, they're equal citizens together 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:45.819 built into a temple where God lives. Why? Because 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:48.819 the Jerusalem temple has gone. What happened 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:51.480 at the cross? Jesus dies on the cross and the 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:54.619 curtain of the temple was torn in two. It was 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:57.140 foreshadowing what would happen in 70 AD when 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:01.009 the temple would be destroyed. It was not only 00:22:01.009 --> 00:22:04.210 showing that we all now have access to God through 00:22:04.210 --> 00:22:07.309 Jesus' death, it was also showing it was judgment 00:22:07.309 --> 00:22:11.069 on that temple, saying it's no longer needed 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:17.190 because Jesus is now here. And so Jesus is the 00:22:17.190 --> 00:22:20.990 temple and anyone connected to Jesus is the temple. 00:22:21.769 --> 00:22:26.269 The true place where God dwells is every Christian. 00:22:26.890 --> 00:22:31.369 and Christians together in community. And within 00:22:31.369 --> 00:22:35.289 that community, every Christian has equal value. 00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:40.910 I remember as a kid, we used to be members of 00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:44.230 the Sydney Swans. And see, I'm going back to 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:46.170 an AFL illustration. I'm just going back to what's 00:22:46.170 --> 00:22:49.970 comfortable. But we would pay for different tiers 00:22:49.970 --> 00:22:52.789 of memberships. So at one point we had the grand 00:22:52.789 --> 00:22:55.950 final tickets membership and it meant we had 00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:58.569 better seats during the year, we got more merchandise 00:22:58.569 --> 00:23:01.529 in the mail and it meant that we could actually 00:23:01.529 --> 00:23:03.970 get grand final seats if the Swans made it to 00:23:03.970 --> 00:23:08.809 the grand final. It was really sweet. I think 00:23:08.809 --> 00:23:12.950 back in the Geraldton Toy Library... If you did 00:23:12.950 --> 00:23:15.950 more at the toy library, if you volunteered longer 00:23:15.950 --> 00:23:18.670 hours, you had a better tier of membership, you'd 00:23:18.670 --> 00:23:21.250 actually get a discount on your subscription. 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:24.930 I think that's just how we do memberships today, 00:23:24.930 --> 00:23:27.849 isn't it? It's, you know, even Netflix now. You 00:23:27.849 --> 00:23:29.690 don't just buy Netflix. It's like you get the 00:23:29.690 --> 00:23:31.410 good one without the ads or the one with the 00:23:31.410 --> 00:23:34.750 ads or whatever. But membership in God's people 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:39.279 is different. It's flat. It's equal. There was 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:43.339 one costly price to get you in. But once you're 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:46.460 in, there's no higher tiers. There's no sort 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:49.819 of second class, first class, any of that. It's 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:54.599 all equal. And again, this has huge implications 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:58.759 for God's people. See, what's foundational to 00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:04.079 this new temple and what makes it grow? It's 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:10.000 the Lord Jesus. It's been connected to him. And 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.220 so I want to say, yes, some divisions are necessary. 00:24:14.359 --> 00:24:17.740 If a church is not connected to Jesus, if a Christian 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:19.839 is, or someone who says they're a Christian, 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:23.519 is not connected to Jesus, they're not a church. 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:27.339 They're not a Christian. So any church that doesn't 00:24:27.339 --> 00:24:30.740 preach Christ, make no mistake, they're not that 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:35.170 temple. We need to be connected to Jesus. And 00:24:35.170 --> 00:24:37.470 another implication of that is it breaks my heart 00:24:37.470 --> 00:24:41.230 when people leave our church and don't find a 00:24:41.230 --> 00:24:44.549 new church. If you're going to leave, please 00:24:44.549 --> 00:24:47.130 come. Have a conversation. Tell me, you know, 00:24:47.410 --> 00:24:48.930 all the reasons why you want to leave. I don't 00:24:48.930 --> 00:24:50.630 want you to leave, but if you want to leave, 00:24:50.809 --> 00:24:53.809 come tell me why. But then make sure you find 00:24:53.809 --> 00:24:57.349 a new church. Because how are you going to survive 00:24:57.349 --> 00:24:59.849 if you're not connected to Jesus and his people? 00:25:02.250 --> 00:25:05.990 But you know what else makes it grow? In chapter 00:25:05.990 --> 00:25:08.150 four we see quite clearly it's that they're connected 00:25:08.150 --> 00:25:11.809 to each other. They're connected to Jesus but 00:25:11.809 --> 00:25:15.549 they're connected to each other. And within the 00:25:15.549 --> 00:25:17.690 church they guard against anything that creates 00:25:17.690 --> 00:25:20.430 a two -tiered Christianity or any form of division. 00:25:22.869 --> 00:25:25.410 What are the things that could create division 00:25:25.410 --> 00:25:30.730 or a two -tiered Christianity? It'd be easy to 00:25:30.730 --> 00:25:34.039 have sort of divisions that, I mean, you know, 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:36.519 it's hard because some things you need to have 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:39.980 a little bit of differences, but they can turn 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:43.480 into visions. So you could have, you know, clergy 00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:46.519 versus laity, that could become a division rather 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:49.680 than a difference. You could have people who've 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.480 got mystical spiritual gifts, you know, we see 00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:55.099 that in Corinthians, you know, I speak in tongues 00:25:55.099 --> 00:25:57.380 and I can prophesy and I can do all of this, 00:25:57.660 --> 00:25:59.920 but you guys can't, you know, there's like a 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:02.210 two -tiered Christianity there. But you can have 00:26:02.210 --> 00:26:04.769 things in churches where people have some casual 00:26:04.769 --> 00:26:11.390 racism, some casual sexism, some casual ageism. 00:26:12.730 --> 00:26:17.289 All sorts of things can create division or tiered 00:26:17.289 --> 00:26:21.109 Christianity rather than just united differences. 00:26:23.470 --> 00:26:26.769 And so what's the best protection within a church? 00:26:28.809 --> 00:26:33.569 It's appreciating who you are in Christ. It's 00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:37.190 growing in assurance of who you are in Christ. 00:26:38.609 --> 00:26:44.549 That God has fully included you. Such secure 00:26:44.549 --> 00:26:50.910 joy leads us to be patient, gentle and curious. 00:26:52.029 --> 00:26:58.599 To even celebrate our differences. I think that's 00:26:58.599 --> 00:27:01.339 something really special when the church gets 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:06.680 that right. All right, well, let's draw some 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:10.960 threads together. We started by asking, why can't 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:14.720 we have peace? Why is the world so fractured? 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:18.279 And I hope you saw it's because we live in a 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:22.819 world without hope and without God. I mean, hope 00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:25.819 and God exist, but so many in the world reject 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:30.819 that. And that's what creates conflict. When 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:34.680 people are excluded from God's people, self -excluded 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.839 because they won't come in and trust in Jesus, 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:41.119 it leads to a world that is tribal and hostile. 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:47.299 But no one has to be excluded. Jesus tore down 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:51.339 the wall. There is now peace. You used to be 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:54.549 excluded. Jesus tore down the wall. you are now 00:27:54.549 --> 00:27:58.049 included. Here's the big thing, Jesus reconciling 00:27:58.049 --> 00:28:03.150 us to God creates peace with each other. Jesus 00:28:03.150 --> 00:28:06.210 reconciling us to God creates peace with each 00:28:06.210 --> 00:28:09.349 other. If people could see that Jesus is Lord 00:28:09.349 --> 00:28:12.990 and Saviour, that He's the only way to God, well 00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:14.970 religion wouldn't divide us anymore, would it? 00:28:15.950 --> 00:28:18.809 If people could submit to the Lordship of Jesus 00:28:18.809 --> 00:28:21.529 and go, what does Jesus say on this? You wouldn't 00:28:21.529 --> 00:28:23.450 really have left -wing or right -wing anymore, 00:28:23.470 --> 00:28:25.930 would you? You'd have people going, what does 00:28:25.930 --> 00:28:31.430 Jesus say? If people could go, hey, I'm in Christ, 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:34.569 I'm wearing the Jesus jersey, your tribal differences, 00:28:34.890 --> 00:28:36.690 where you're from, your background, it wouldn't 00:28:36.690 --> 00:28:38.690 be a thing anymore, would it? It'd be like, wow, 00:28:38.710 --> 00:28:41.789 that's so cool. You eat what? I want to try that. 00:28:42.029 --> 00:28:44.549 It wouldn't be people angry at each other, hating. 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:47.210 You'd be like, hey, let's share what we have. 00:28:47.329 --> 00:28:52.240 Welcome, come to our country. But it doesn't 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:54.799 exist like that today because people are without 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:57.039 God and without hope in the world. Now I'm not 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:59.059 saying we be stupid. I'm not saying we open our 00:28:59.059 --> 00:29:01.079 borders to everyone. I'm not saying, but I'm 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:03.880 saying this is the thing that unites humanity. 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:10.059 It's the Lord Jesus. There's nothing better than 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:14.599 Him. Nothing else can unite people like Jesus. 00:29:16.259 --> 00:29:20.359 And if you haven't been included into God's people, 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:23.079 Can I say to you, anyone can join. That's why 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:27.500 Jesus died. So that no matter who you are, no 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:30.220 matter what background you have, no matter what 00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:33.859 you've done in your life, you can enter into 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:39.759 God's people today. You can have hope and God 00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:43.640 in your life. And it doesn't matter what you've 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:49.200 done, grace and mercy is available to you. So 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:52.000 if you want to be included today, if you haven't 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:55.099 been, please come up the front and pray up the 00:29:55.099 --> 00:29:59.880 front with me or with anyone else. Come and pray 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:07.960 and enter into God's people today. But for those 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:10.980 who are already included, for those who are Christians 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:15.200 who trust in Jesus, there are four important 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:17.180 implications I want to share with you today. 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:21.279 Aw, the arrow didn't match up with the words. 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:24.519 That makes me sad. I like things that are aesthetically 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:31.539 pleasing. Anyway. So the first one. Where to 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:35.720 reach out with the message of peace. Seeing the 00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:39.920 vertical and the horizontal peace Christ brings 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:43.480 should move me to share this message with the 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:49.380 world. What a world where a new humanity of peace 00:30:49.380 --> 00:30:51.680 is coming. And the church is the foreshadowing, 00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:55.819 the prototype of that. And people don't have 00:30:55.819 --> 00:31:00.779 to be excluded. So let's be people that are on 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:04.420 about mission. Let's pray for that. Come to Revive 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:06.599 prayer meeting Friday morning, seven o 'clock, 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:09.279 wipe the sleep from your eyes, get up, get over 00:31:09.279 --> 00:31:13.960 to 119 Camarunga Road and pray with us. Pray 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:16.420 that people would be united to Christ and each 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:21.980 other. and share and invite people to church. 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:24.740 Share Jesus with people, invite them to church. 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:28.779 You might want to think of some one -liners about 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:32.160 church and about Jesus. Something like, Jesus 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:35.339 is far more inclusive than people realise. Or, 00:31:35.339 --> 00:31:40.680 I love my church, it's so varied yet united and 00:31:40.680 --> 00:31:45.099 caring. Just think of some creative ways to explain 00:31:45.099 --> 00:31:48.619 Jesus and church to people. Let's reach out with 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:51.200 this message of peace. If we had a cure for cancer, 00:31:51.700 --> 00:31:53.180 we'd want to tell that to everyone, wouldn't 00:31:53.180 --> 00:31:57.160 we? Let's do the same with the message of peace 00:31:57.160 --> 00:32:01.559 that we have in Jesus. Secondly, this is going 00:32:01.559 --> 00:32:06.079 to be a fun one. Israel's priority is order, 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:11.650 not value. Now, some Christians have a dispensational 00:32:11.650 --> 00:32:14.549 Christian Zionist way of reading the Bible. If 00:32:14.549 --> 00:32:16.509 you don't know what that means, that's okay, 00:32:16.849 --> 00:32:20.690 Google. But, and then there's other Christians 00:32:20.690 --> 00:32:22.769 who have a thing called replacement theology. 00:32:23.569 --> 00:32:25.490 Now, they're kind of two ends of the spectrum. 00:32:26.630 --> 00:32:29.890 The first one, the dispensational one says Israel 00:32:29.890 --> 00:32:33.849 and the church are distinct and carry on as distinct 00:32:33.849 --> 00:32:37.049 after Jesus coming. The replacement one says 00:32:37.930 --> 00:32:40.710 Jesus and his people, really the Church, has 00:32:40.710 --> 00:32:44.150 replaced Israel. Israel's not a thing now and 00:32:44.150 --> 00:32:48.049 it's only the Church that's a thing now. And 00:32:48.049 --> 00:32:50.269 I want to say I don't agree with either of them. 00:32:51.670 --> 00:32:54.450 I think God's promises to Israel aren't going 00:32:54.450 --> 00:32:58.789 to be literally fulfilled. Some would say they 00:32:58.789 --> 00:33:00.670 are. Some would say, hey, we've got to constantly 00:33:00.670 --> 00:33:03.670 pray for Israel, the country. We've got to send 00:33:03.670 --> 00:33:07.980 money to them. We've got to lobby for them. Now, 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:10.119 if that's your view, that's great. I'm so glad 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:13.660 you're here at church. If that's you, I want 00:33:13.660 --> 00:33:16.480 to say to you today, this shouldn't divide us. 00:33:17.299 --> 00:33:20.660 Your theological difference here, whilst it's 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:22.319 something that we should talk about and think 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:24.339 through, it shouldn't be something that divides 00:33:24.339 --> 00:33:27.859 us. There's more that unites us in Christ than 00:33:27.859 --> 00:33:32.140 divides us. But I also want to humbly suggest 00:33:32.140 --> 00:33:35.400 that I think the New Testament should guide how 00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:39.700 we read the Old Testament. I think this is saying 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:45.940 the promises we have in the Old Testament are 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:49.480 fulfilled in Christ and the new humanity he brings. 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:53.339 So I don't think it's as simple as the church 00:33:53.339 --> 00:33:56.339 replaces Israel, but I don't think they carry 00:33:56.339 --> 00:34:00.660 on parallel together. I think it's that Gentile 00:34:00.660 --> 00:34:04.440 Christians are incorporated into the people of 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:07.380 Israel. Who are the real people of Israel? It's 00:34:07.380 --> 00:34:09.820 the Jewish Christians, isn't it? It's the ones 00:34:09.820 --> 00:34:13.340 who trust in Jesus. And it's not replacement. 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:15.860 It's not they're just two separate things. I 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:18.860 think it's they're united together in Christ. 00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:22.579 And some of the implications for that is I'd 00:34:22.579 --> 00:34:26.980 go, I want to say, yeah, pray for Israel. But 00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:30.139 just as much pray for Palestine. Pray for peace 00:34:30.139 --> 00:34:33.699 in the Middle East. And more importantly, pray 00:34:33.699 --> 00:34:38.860 for conversions. Because if there's fighting, 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:41.840 if there's conflict and people die, they are 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:45.320 facing God's judgment for eternity. What could 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.440 be more important than people in Israel and Palestine 00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:50.980 and anywhere else in the world coming to know 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:56.079 and love the Lord Jesus? Now, if you want to 00:34:56.079 --> 00:34:58.059 know more about this, you can come ask me personally 00:34:58.059 --> 00:35:02.239 or ask in Q &A and we can talk more about it. 00:35:02.699 --> 00:35:07.099 I'm happy to do that. Number three, we are no 00:35:07.099 --> 00:35:10.619 longer under the law. We're not saved by the 00:35:10.619 --> 00:35:14.980 law. In fact, the law set aside, as the NIV says, 00:35:15.019 --> 00:35:18.519 or is abolished in the ESV, it's not there anymore. 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:21.300 So what do we do with it? Should we throw out 00:35:21.300 --> 00:35:25.679 the Old Testament and all of that? No. Hands 00:35:25.679 --> 00:35:27.539 up if you've watched West Wing. Anyone watch 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:32.000 West Wing? Okay, cool. Well, us three will enjoy 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:35.690 this. If you haven't watched West Wing, please 00:35:35.690 --> 00:35:40.230 do. It's like top TV. There's a famous scene 00:35:40.230 --> 00:35:43.449 in West Wing with President Bartlett and these 00:35:43.449 --> 00:35:47.090 conservatives come into the Oval Office and he 00:35:47.090 --> 00:35:50.809 berates them because they're saying, you know, 00:35:50.809 --> 00:35:54.349 we should all be anti -gay, but he says, well, 00:35:54.349 --> 00:35:56.550 you guys don't keep the Sabbath and you guys, 00:35:56.550 --> 00:35:59.030 you know, have two crops in your farms and all 00:35:59.030 --> 00:36:00.510 of that. You're not keeping the Old Testament 00:36:00.510 --> 00:36:03.780 laws. And he's trying to show how inconsistent 00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:06.039 they are with their reading of the Bible. And 00:36:06.039 --> 00:36:09.760 it's great rhetoric, but it's a poor interpretation 00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:14.280 of the Bible. Because in Christ the law is fulfilled. 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:17.960 So we still read the Old Testament, it expands 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:22.119 our moral imagination. It teaches us about Christ. 00:36:23.159 --> 00:36:25.559 But we need to see we're no longer under the 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:30.639 law. If we love as Christ loves, we fulfil the 00:36:30.639 --> 00:36:34.619 law. and do what it really says. So that's an 00:36:34.619 --> 00:36:36.280 important thing just to help you with your Bible 00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:40.559 reading. And then finally we must maintain the 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:46.039 bond of peace. We don't create our unity, Jesus 00:36:46.039 --> 00:36:49.400 already did that, but in Ephesians 4 it tells 00:36:49.400 --> 00:36:56.000 us we need to maintain it. How? Humility, gentleness, 00:36:56.679 --> 00:36:59.599 patience, bearing with one another in love, being 00:36:59.599 --> 00:37:04.679 eager, to maintain the unity we have. I remember 00:37:04.679 --> 00:37:07.360 years ago being in a church where we were in 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:10.780 a growth group and someone walked out of our 00:37:10.780 --> 00:37:12.920 growth group that night because there was an 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:16.139 argument about the Olympics and something left 00:37:16.139 --> 00:37:18.139 wing and right wing and they got all upset and 00:37:18.139 --> 00:37:27.920 they walked out. And it was so sad. I want to 00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:30.480 ask you, where do you need to work things through 00:37:30.480 --> 00:37:32.099 with other brothers and sisters? Where do you 00:37:32.099 --> 00:37:34.420 need to work things through where differences 00:37:34.420 --> 00:37:39.500 have become divisions? I hate seeing things like 00:37:39.500 --> 00:37:42.159 that. So let's make sure we work those things 00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:46.300 through. Calmly talk about it, raise it. Be gentle 00:37:46.300 --> 00:37:49.539 with each other and show love to one another. 00:37:52.230 --> 00:37:54.369 Because our world, whether it's Broken Hill, 00:37:54.429 --> 00:37:57.389 whether it's India, whether it's Cairns, is a 00:37:57.389 --> 00:38:02.210 hostile and fragmented place. And it's the Lord 00:38:02.210 --> 00:38:07.849 Jesus that unites people. And it's such a joy 00:38:07.849 --> 00:38:12.889 when Christians get that right. So let's display 00:38:12.889 --> 00:38:16.650 to the world how deep and wonderful peace in 00:38:16.650 --> 00:38:24.840 Christ truly is. Let's pray. Father, help us 00:38:24.840 --> 00:38:30.579 to put our trust in Jesus, to see the peace that 00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:33.300 we have not just with you, Father, but with one 00:38:33.300 --> 00:38:38.840 another. Please keep us from division. Help us 00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:43.219 to celebrate our differences and help us to love 00:38:43.219 --> 00:38:48.019 one another, maintaining the unity we have in 00:38:48.019 --> 00:38:52.219 the bond of peace. We ask this in Jesus name. 00:38:53.239 --> 00:38:53.519 Amen.