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 Weekly message for 9-20-2020

Meditation of the week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Ephesians 2:11-22

Title of the Word: Power of the cross of Christ which made Gentile sinners the family of God

         The Holy Spirit said through King David’s mouth, saying, ” Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:20). This Word of God  seems to be true seeing  the unsaved people living in the 21st century. That’s right. Although man was created to be more honorable than other creatures, but knowing man is only one that sinned against God; there is no way to deny the word of God.  In addition, even countless Christians who are not saved even attending the church on Sunday but just following their lusts unto the way of destruction.  

        The word of one American pastor man of God in Christ reminds me saying,   “America is now full of  people living like dogs and pigs. Even many church are changed as zoo filled with dogs, pigs cows and so on making their own voices in the church.” That’s right! It is undeniable that if man does not realize that he lives with sin, he has no choice but to live a life worse than the beasts. Millions of people are addicted to alcohol, drugs, money, and sex, but not even realizing it. It is no exaggeration to say that this world is full of addiction. No matter how much we want to deny, this is the current address of Gentile sinners.

          When a Gentile woman from Phoenicia came to Jesus and asked to heal her devil-possessed daughter,  Jesus said something so harsh:

”  It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” (Matthew 15:26).

         We are able to see how people who live with pride in this age will react when they hear such kind  word of insult.

        But this woman said something so amazing to Jesus:

” Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15:27).

        Now, we should be able to find the truth in what Jesus said to the woman:

“ O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28).

        We must meditate deeply and realize how Jesus said to the woman, “Great is thy faith.” At that time, the Jews who were physically circumcised according to the law given by God did not believe in Jesus as their Savior, but this woman believed in Jesus as the Lord. However, at that time, before Jesus died for the sins of the world and resurrected, it was in the dispensation of the Age of Law, so at that time only the Jews were recognized as God’s people under the Law. However, this woman must have known  that the Jews would deny Jesus and crucify him. And even she knew Jesus to resurrect; in the future, the gospel of Christ for her salvation.   Jesus must have known of this woman who believed herself to be grafted into the branch from which the Jews are broken off for a while to eat the crumb which fall from master’s table.    

          Even in the Age of Grace, only small number of people believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and call on the name of the Lord. This woman knew this before the Age of Grace to come and called Jesus as the Lord. This woman had the same faith as the one who hung on the cross with Jesus and confessed to Jesus, ” Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42).

        All of us, who were sinners of Gentiles, were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers wandering in the world from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world until Jesus shed blood and died and then resurrected and sent the Holy Spirit.  In addition, the law given to Israel became an unbreakable wall that separated us Gentiles from the Jews. And we were neither able to know Christ revealed in the law nor see him either.

        Until Jesus shed blood, and  died, and resurrected, we were all Gentiles who had nothing to do with God. We are able to find this from what Jesus said while sending his disciples:

”  Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:5-7)

        Apostle Paul testified to the Ephesians who were once Gentile sinners before:

” For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15Having 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;

16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father..” (Ephesians 2:14-18)

      Apostle Paul testified that this great grace of God is revealed in the gospel of Christ:

” For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

       That’s right. Although the Jews received the law, they neither understood of themselves as sinner, nor realized that they should be saved through faith in Christ revealed in the law. And the Gentiles were ignorant from Christ either. Therefore, whether the Jews or the Gentiles were not able to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit given through Abraham. This is the reason why Jesus Christ had to abolish the law that confine them all in sins.  The only way to abolish the law, God made Jesus begotten Son of God a man, and transferred all sins of the law unto his flesh, and judged his body so cruelly. Apostle Paul testified to the Saints in Rome of this:

” For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4).

         When Jacob fell asleep in the wilderness, through a dream, God foreshadowed that he would do the work of reconciling between heaven and earth through Christ, his seed:

” And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;.” (Gen. 28:12-13)

        When Jesus Christ, the seed of Jacob, shed blood on the cross to take away the sins of the world, God set a ladder that would make peace between the heavens and the earth, so that the angels would rise and fall up and down the heavens and the earth. He showed in advance that he would raise believers in Christ to heaven.

          We must deeply meditate and realize the meaning of the great confession of faith that Apostle Paul confessed:

 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified..”(1Cor. 2:1-2)

      If both Jews and Gentiles do not deeply understand that Jesus Christ was crucified for each one of them, no matter how much knowledge of the scriptures is known, it is useless. Because Apostle Paul was deeply aware of this truth, he was able to completely deny himself for the sake of Jesus Christ and follow him and be willing to lay down his life for the gospel of Christ. Jesus was forsaken by God for each one of us, and his whole body on the cross became like a barbecue that was burned to be as red bloody worm. He was judged for the sake of our spirit, soul, and body in a miserably. He made for us to give the eternal redemption shedding his blood and waters for us.

          The cross of Christ became a ladder to reconcile the Jews and the Gentiles unto God who believe in Christ without discrimination. And it has made all of us to be the family of God dwelling with him forever. And the two wings of the cross extending from the left and right represent the Jews and the Gentiles to be one in the church of God through abolishing the law, that was the enemy through the blood of Christ. Secondly, there is the commandment to love neighbors.  

Amen! Hallelujah!