Imagine...Living Life in Peace

Hi again.

It has been several weeks since I sent you my sermon thought for the week. Hope you missed them.

I vividly remember that day, June 12, 1987, when our President, President Reagan, stood at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the 750^th anniversary of the founding of the city of Berlin, and lay out the challenge that reverberated throughout the globe.

“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

The apostle Paul mentions walls in our text for this Sunday, Ephesians 2:11-22. Jesus Christ has torn down the main wall, the wall that keeps people from possessing peace with God. This same wall brought a religion of elitism and isolation. We will take a look at this wall on Sunday. But there are also other walls that branch off from this wall which are harmful. Some that come to mind for me are greed, selfishness, religion, arrogance, success, and fear. I am sure that you can add to this list those things that hinder you from a harmonious relationship with God and people.

This Sunday we look at dividing walls, lasting peace and a new way of relating in community.

Pastor Charlie

Notes

• Dividing Walls (v. 11-13): Exodus 19,20; Matthew 5:20
• “Hostility” – enmity, hatred. A strong anti posture, feeling and thoughts; to stand against. Luke 18:18
• “abolished” – to render inactive, to put out of use, to cancel. Matthew 5:17, 18; Colossians 2:14
• Lasting Peace (v. 14-17)
• “Peace” – harmonious relationships with others. John 14:27 & 16:33; Romans 5:1; John 3:36
• “Reconcile” – to restore to a harmonious relationship. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
• Equal Access (v. 18)
• “access” – a title for the official in an oriental court who introduced visitors to the potentate. The word does not refer just to liberty of approach, but to an actual introduction. John 3:16; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:16
• New Community (v. 19-22) James 4:1-4; Colossians 3:11-15