1 00:00:01,159 --> 00:00:05,559 Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's 2 00:00:05,599 --> 00:00:10,400 food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:15,359 some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manner the word of God to keep 4 00:00:15,439 --> 00:00:20,079 us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:25,120 of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:30,800 live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,560 author speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:34,679 --> 00:00:39,439 It's Tuesday, July twenty five, two twenty three. Hello, my 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,159 name is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is 10 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,799 your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today 11 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,280 is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book 12 00:00:51,359 --> 00:00:57,640 of Ephesians. Our caption for today is breaking down the dividing Wall. Breaking 13 00:00:57,719 --> 00:01:02,039 down the dividing Wall. We'll get into that in just a moment, but 14 00:01:02,119 --> 00:01:04,719 first I'd like to say welcome to you. And it's a wonderful tuesday to 15 00:01:04,799 --> 00:01:08,200 be alive, especially to be alive in Christ. One of my friends and 16 00:01:08,239 --> 00:01:12,040 sisters used to say that from the podium regularly. It's a great day to 17 00:01:12,079 --> 00:01:15,799 be alive, and it's a great day to be alive in Christ. I 18 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:22,879 hope that you find that to resonate with you. We will get into our 19 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,439 study in a moment, but I want you to go over first to your 20 00:01:26,519 --> 00:01:29,959 Daily Portion dot com or at least take note of the site, join our 21 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,719 online community, and also pick up our your Daily Portion book. If you 22 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:37,400 have picked it up, please go ahead and indicate in the chat with a 23 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,319 one. If you have not picked it up and intend to do so, 24 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,760 please type two. All right, your Daily Portion dot Com. Let's go 25 00:01:46,799 --> 00:01:49,640 ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven, 26 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,439 thank you for giving us this new morning and getting us thus far into our 27 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,760 work week. I pray that you will give us understanding, that you will 28 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,560 teach us how to love you and to serve you. That we will follow 29 00:02:00,599 --> 00:02:06,599 you with everything we are and everything that we have, and join in with 30 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:12,639 you to break down all walls, all barriers that may separate us. In 31 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:19,360 Jesus name, I pray, Amen and amen again. Breaking down the dividing 32 00:02:19,879 --> 00:02:23,960 wall. We're going to begin with a question, what action does Paul say 33 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:32,360 Christ took toward the law of commandments expressed in ordinances. Now let me just 34 00:02:32,479 --> 00:02:37,560 start right here while we are getting our thinking caps on. This is not 35 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:43,800 about the Ten Commandments. It says clearly the law of commandments expressed in ordinances. 36 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:49,919 This is shooting straight to the target. This is about the sacrificial system, 37 00:02:50,039 --> 00:02:53,360 or some may call sacerdotal system. Okay, so this is the system 38 00:02:53,360 --> 00:03:00,039 of sacrifices, the sanctuary that led us to understanding Christ and salvation better. 39 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:07,080 The epitome of all of what makes us holy and salvation is Christ. But 40 00:03:07,199 --> 00:03:12,439 he's saying, well, what is it? What is it about breaking down 41 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:19,680 that? Like breaking down those that law of commandments expressed in ordinances. I'm 42 00:03:19,719 --> 00:03:23,159 going to read it from the King James version first, and then from the 43 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:29,439 Bourian Standard version, and the Bible reads in verse fourteen of Ephesians chapter two. 44 00:03:29,879 --> 00:03:34,199 For he is our Peace. I love that I have sat on that 45 00:03:34,319 --> 00:03:38,199 point with you a couple of times. For he is our Peace, who 46 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:45,159 hath made us both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition 47 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:52,319 between us, so that that big barrier that could be visibly seen as people 48 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,960 were to enter into the temple in back in the day, and the gentiles 49 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,039 were put on notice basically, you're not welcome here. You're not welcome here. 50 00:04:00,719 --> 00:04:04,520 And God is saying that he's breaking that down. He's breaking that down. 51 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:10,520 But look at verse fifteen, having abolished in his flesh the enemity. 52 00:04:11,159 --> 00:04:17,120 Even the law of Commandments contained an ordinances for to make in himself of twain 53 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,399 one new man, so making peace. Let me read it now from the 54 00:04:21,439 --> 00:04:26,839 Borean version of the Bible. And again, for he himself is our peace 55 00:04:26,959 --> 00:04:31,480 verse fourteen. Who is made, who has made the two one and has 56 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:39,639 torn down the dividing wall of hostility. So if there is hostility between humanity 57 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,720 and God, he broke that down. But in the context he's also broken 58 00:04:43,759 --> 00:04:48,560 down that which would have separated Jews from gentiles, gentiles from Jews. And 59 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:55,920 actually in Isaiah Isaiah chapter fifty six, verses one through just about seven, 60 00:04:56,319 --> 00:05:00,079 we see where God is teaching us that any of these walls like you're called 61 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,000 a stranger, you, you're called a dry tree, you're a eunuch, 62 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:10,680 you are anyone who would be considered an outcast like you. If that is 63 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,480 you, then what we're saying is if you are adjoining a joining yourself to 64 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:21,199 God, you are keeping covenant with God. And of course, in Isaiah 65 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:26,839 fifty six it adds also, if you are making it a point to keep 66 00:05:26,959 --> 00:05:31,160 the holy seventh day Sabbath holy, then I'm going to give you a name 67 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:35,759 and a place, a place within my walls right, and a name that 68 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:40,639 is greater, that is better than of sons and of daughters. It is 69 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,759 a name that will remain forever. I'm going to give you a place within 70 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,480 my wall. So he's breaking that down through the plan of salvation. But 71 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:57,079 it also says verse fifteen, by abolishing in his flesh, okay, the 72 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:02,920 law of commandments, and of course we're talking about the ones contained in ordinances. 73 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:09,920 He did this to create in himself one new man out of the two, 74 00:06:10,519 --> 00:06:16,759 thus making peace verse sixty now and reconciling both of them to God in 75 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,680 one body through the cross. Oh, I thought, I think I'm getting 76 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:27,240 it clear clear now. Through the cross by which he extinguished their hostility, 77 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:35,240 So every barrier to salvation, Jesus decimates everything that would keep people from being 78 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:45,120 transformed. He decimates Jesus in his body, in his flesh, in the 79 00:06:45,199 --> 00:06:50,600 ministry that he lived for thirty three and one half years on planet Earth when 80 00:06:50,639 --> 00:07:00,879 it all culminated in the Cross, when Jesus voluntarily gave his life a ransom 81 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:08,879 for many. It was in that moment that he broke down ultimately that wall 82 00:07:08,879 --> 00:07:17,560 of hostility. He fulfilled all of what was required in the law and ordinances. 83 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:24,720 The sacrificial system was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And in Matthew chapter twenty 84 00:07:25,759 --> 00:07:30,160 seven, in verse fifty one, we see that the veil, the veil 85 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:33,839 in the temple was rent in two. It was ripped in half from top 86 00:07:34,079 --> 00:07:41,800 to bottom and revealed what would have been considered the most holy place. And 87 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:46,560 it's like whoa Nobody's supposed to see or experience that except the high priests, 88 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,800 and then even only once per year. And God was saying that what I'm 89 00:07:50,879 --> 00:07:59,680 doing is fulfilling this law. And I am making manifest that Jesus Christ is 90 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:05,160 your great high priest. Yes, I am making manifest that Jesus Christ literally 91 00:08:05,199 --> 00:08:07,920 paid it all, just like the hymn writer penned all to him. I 92 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:11,040 owe sin has left a crimson stain, and he washed it white as snow. 93 00:08:11,079 --> 00:08:16,079 And I thank God that when Jesus died and then he rested in the 94 00:08:16,279 --> 00:08:20,600 tomb over the hours of the Sabbath. According to the commandment, he did 95 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,439 not stay there. He is not still there resting no Jesus. On the 96 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,079 first day of the week, just like the prophecy would have foretold, he 97 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:33,200 came out of that tomb with all power in his hands and healing in his 98 00:08:33,279 --> 00:08:39,440 wings. And so Jesus now ministers. He ministers in order to deliver you, 99 00:08:39,639 --> 00:08:43,840 dear brothers and sisters, from any sinful tendencies toward evil, whether you 100 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:50,000 inherited them or cultivated them or both. God is able to give you the 101 00:08:50,159 --> 00:08:54,759 right to become His children if you will receive Him by faith. And I'm 102 00:08:54,799 --> 00:09:01,559 thankful that if He can break the wall of hostility between God and humanity down 103 00:09:01,639 --> 00:09:07,399 by forgiving us and cleansing us from all righteousness, cleansing us from all unrighteousness, 104 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:13,720 then there is nothing on planet Earth that should separate us from the love 105 00:09:13,759 --> 00:09:18,360 of God. Isn't that a wonderful thing? What tensions among believers do we 106 00:09:18,519 --> 00:09:26,080 see now that we need to confront. That's something that you need to consider, 107 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,600 that we need to confront and overcome. Why should our common love for 108 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,960 Christ be enough to overcome these tensions and of course, when I say tensions, 109 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:39,240 I'm talking about artificial ones. When God teaches us his word, we 110 00:09:39,399 --> 00:09:43,000 continue in his word and remain faithful to his truth. Have a wonderful day, 111 00:09:43,279 --> 00:09:48,519 peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot 112 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:52,320 live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of 113 00:09:52,399 --> 00:09:56,200 God. This has been your daily portion with L. David Harris. Make 114 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,840 it a great day.