[Gary Petty] This is Berlin, Germany.
Behind me is the Reichstag, one of the most
iconic buildings in the entire country.
After World War II, Berlin was a divided city,
occupied by the four great Allied powers:
Great Britain, France, the United States and
the Soviet Union.
The Reichstag was in ruins, pockmarked by
the bullets and bombs of the World War.
Now, if you would have stood here in 1948,
just three years after the war, you would
have been in a city under siege.
The Russian army surrounded Berlin cutting
them off from the rest of the world.
And if you would have been standing here,
you would have heard the almost constant droning
of cargo planes flying overhead to deliver
food and essential supplies to the besieged
citizens.
Allied planes flew hundreds of thousands of
times in and out of Berlin in what became
known as the Berlin Airlift.
The Soviets eventually backed down and the
road was once again opened to allow access
into the city.
For the Communists, the problem still remained.
Interaction between the people living in the
sections of the city now called East and West
Berlin was unacceptable.
In 1961, the people of Berlin faced a forced
division as the East German government constructed
the infamous Berlin Wall.
A wall designed to separate the people of
Berlin.
A wall designed to separate friends and families.
This wall reminds me of another wall.
In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote to the
Christians in Ephesus about a wall.
He wrote that Christ “has broken down the
middle wall of separation” (Ephesians 2:14).
What is this wall that Paul was writing about?
Understanding how Christ tore down the “wall
of separation” is a vital aspect of the
gospel.
We’re going to talk about walls, wall people
build and one wall in particular that was
torn down by God.
Join us in this special edition of Beyond
Today from Berlin, Germany, as we discuss
“Tearing Down the Walls that Divide Us.”
This is a very busy street in what used to
be East Berlin.
This is the Berlin Wall.
If you look at it now, it doesn’t seem like
much.
At one time, it stretched nearly 96 miles
separating the people from East and West Berlin.
Now it’s colored with bright colors, a place
of tourists.
But there was a time when people died to get
over this wall to what was on the other side.
History is filled with stories of people who
built walls to keep out an enemy.
The Great Wall of China was constructed over
the course of centuries to protect China from
invaders who lived in central Asia.
The Roman emperor Hadrian built a wall all
the way across Britain to protect the Romans
from barbaric tribes.
This wall wasn’t built to keep people out,
but to keep people in.
Its purpose was to keep people from leaving
Communist-controlled East Berlin.
It became a symbol of the separation between
communism and the democracies of the West.
In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave
a speech in West Berlin to bolster the morale
of the citizens of this divided city.
The president expressed these famous words:
> All free men, wherever they may live, are
citizens of Berlin.
And therefore, as a free man, I take pride
in the words, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”
Years later U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenged
the Russian General Secretary in another famous
speech calling out, “Mr. Gorbachev, open
this gate.
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
In 1989, people began to literally tear down
the Berlin Wall.
Almost a year later, Germany was reunited
as one country.
One of the reasons the Communists built this
wall was because so many Germans from the
East were immigrating to the West to escape
the harsh realities of Communism.
The result was that by the late 1950’s East
Germany faced a lack of doctors, engineers,
teachers and skilled workers.
The Communist government had to do something
to stop the loss of so many vital people.
So in 1961, they began to construct the wall.
Neighborhoods were cut in half.
Parishioners were forbidden to cross the wall
to attend churches where they had attended
for generations.
It was difficult for families and friends
to even visit each other.
There were several crossing points where people,
with the proper permits, could travel between
the two parts of the divided city.
One was the most famous crossing for the Americans
was known as “Checkpoint Charlie.”
When the wall was constructed, it was immediately
apparent that building this barrier didn’t
stop people from wanting to escape East Berlin
to a better life West.
They jumped over the barbed wire, leaped from
apartment windows into the western sector,
dug tunnels, floated across in a hot air balloon,
or zipped along on aerial wires strung between
buildings.
One daring young man stole an armored personnel
carrier and drove it through the wall in a
hail of bullets.
Although thousands of East Germans escaped,
hundreds of others were captured or killed
by the border guards.
Communist propaganda couldn’t alleviate
the despair of the people living in East Berlin.
All they had to do was look across the wall
into West Berlin to see the prosperity and
freedom enjoyed by their countrymen.
The people of East Berlin felt cut off from
the blessings enjoyed by their brothers and
sisters on the other side of the wall.
Let’s talk about another wall that separated
people.
It’s a wall mentioned in the Bible.
At the time of Jesus, there stood in Jerusalem,
Herod’s magnificent temple.
It was to Herod’s temple that people came
from all over the world to worship the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--the God of Israel.
In the outer courtyard of the temple was a
wall separating the Court of the Gentiles
from the Court of Israel.
This wall was designed to keep non-Jews from
entering the section of the temple that was
reserved for Jews only.
Along the wall was placed stone plaques inscribed
with “No stranger is to enter within the
balustrade, round the temple and enclosure.
Whoever is caught will be responsible to himself
for his death, which will ensue.”
It was a death penalty for any non-Jew to
cross the wall.
The apostle Paul was criticized by both those
who practiced Judaism and by some Christians
because he taught that gentiles who worshipped
the God of Israel and accepted Jesus as the
prophesied Messiah, didn’t have to become
full participants in Judaism to have a relationship
with God.
It is important to understand that Paul’s
teaching about non-Jews didn’t mean that
he gave up his Jewish heritage.
Maintaining his own loyalty to Judaism led
Paul to an incident that took place at the
separation wall in the temple.
In the book of Acts, we have an account of
how the apostle--this was late in his life--traveled
to Jerusalem to participate in a temple ritual.
Now Paul had with him some companions and
he was falsely accused of bringing gentiles
into the Court of Israel.
Some Jews were so disturbed by this that they
violently dragged Paul out of the temple and
were going to kill him.
Some soldiers from a nearby Roman garrison
arrived just in time to take Paul into custody
and save him from being stoned.
The wall in the temple separated Jew from
non-Jew.
Now it didn’t mean that non-Jews couldn’t
worship God, but it did mean that in the eyes
of devout Jews, gentiles were not totally
accepted as equals in their relationship to
God.
With this in mind, let’s look at what the
apostle Paul wrote to the non-Jewish Christians
in Ephesus:
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles
in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision
by what is called the Circumcision made in
the flesh by hands--that at that time you
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” (Ephesians 2:11-13).
Now what is Paul actually saying to these
non-Jewish Christians?
He mentioned circumcision because that was
a mark God placed on the men of Israel as
a sign that they were His people.
Early in the history of the Christian Church,
it was decided that non-Jews didn’t have
to be physically circumcised to be participants
in the New Covenant.
It is important that we remember that Paul
is writing to non-Jewish Christians in Ephesus,
who before they became Christians had been
pagans.
He explained to them that while they were
pagans they had been cut off from God’s
covenants; “having no hope and without God
in the world" (Ephesians 2:12) Israel--the
physical descendants of Abraham--were chosen
by God to be a special people, a nation of
priests dedicated to His service.
Most of the Old Testament is the history of
these people.
God made a special covenant with them on Mount
Sinai and gave them the Ten Commandments.
He also promised, through prophets throughout
the ages, that He would in the future make
a New Covenant with them.
Part of the New Covenant was a promise that
a descendant of Abraham, through Israel, and
specifically through the tribe of Judah, would
come into the world as the prophesied Messiah
or Christ.
This Messiah would not only come to bring
peace between God and Israel, but He would
come to bring peace to all humanity.
The prophecies of Isaiah contain many references
to the Servant of God who “will bring forth
justice to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1)...and
“bring light to the Gentiles…[and] salvation
to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
Isaiah was inspired to write that the Messiah
would “stand as a banner to the people,
for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting
place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).
When Jesus came the first time, He partly
fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah--prophesies
that promise all people access to God through
the Messiah.
Now to fulfill these prophecies, Jesus would
need to tear down a wall and construct a new
temple.
In Ephesians, Paul told the non-Jewish Christians
that when they were pagans, they had been
separated from the God of Israel and the covenants
He had made with the descendants of Abraham.
Now let’s read what he then wrote to them,
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far off have been brought near by the blood
of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made
both one, and has broken down the middle wall
of separation...”
(Ephesians 2:13-14).
The greatest symbol of the separation between
Jew and non-Jew was the “wall of separation”
in Herod’s temple.
Because Jesus is the prophesied Messiah, He
came to fulfill the promises God made in Isaiah.
Jesus Christ is to “stand as a banner to
the people, for the Gentiles shall seek Him,
and His resting place shall be glorious”
(Isaiah 11:10) and to bring “salvation to
the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
Everyone--no matter what nationality, race
or ethnic background--who responds to God’s
call and follows Jesus as the Christ, has
the opportunity to be one of His special people.
Paul continued, “...having abolished in
His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained in ordinances, so as
to create in Himself one new man from the
two, thus making peace, and that He might
reconcile them both to God in one body through
the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity...”
(Ephesians 2:15-16).
Paul wrote that it is God’s intention to
bring Jews and non-Jews together, into one
body, or one church, and to destroy the enmity
that is between them.
Now, there has been controversy over the years
about what Paul meant by “the law of commandments
contained in ordinances” (Ephesians 2:15).
Many Christians have concluded that by this
statement, Paul abolished the Ten Commandments.
Was it Paul’s intention to abolish the Ten
Commandments given by God?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Do
not think that I came to destroy the Law and
the Prophets” (Matthew 5:17).
So, what is at the heart of the issue Paul
is writing about?
It is the enmity between Jews and non-Jews.
The non-Jews Paul is addressing remember,
people in Ephesus, are Christians who follow
the God of the Bible and believe that Jesus
is the Christ.
“You shall not have any other gods before
Me...”
“You shall not commit murder...”
“You shall not commit adultery...”
“You shall not steal...”
(Exodus 20:3; Exodus 20:13-15).
These moral laws of God which are given in
the Ten Commandments don’t separate anyone
who is a true follower of God.
“...the law of commandments contained in
ordinances” doesn’t refer to the Ten Commandments,
but to all of the restrictions and ceremonies
that separated Jews from gentiles including
circumcision, ceremonial laws, the Jewish
oral law and traditions, all symbolized by
the temple’s “middle wall of separation.”
What was happening in Ephesus was a common
problem in the early Christian church.
On one hand, there was an issue with some
Jewish Christians who felt superior to non-Jews,
and attempted to enforce circumcision and
other requirements on them.
On the other hand, there was an issue of non-Jews
who were envious or resented what they saw
as sort of Jewish privilege.
Paul taught that Jews and non-Jews who accepted
Jesus as the Christ became “one body.”
He then made these remarkable statements:
“Now, therefore, you, “--Remember he is
talking to non-Jewish Christians--“...are
no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God...”
Non-Jewish Christians are no longer strangers
and foreigners to the covenants and promises
God gave to Israel.
This is the wonderful truth Paul is explaining.
Now he continued, “...having been built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner
stone, in whom the whole building, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the
Lord, in whom you also are being built together
for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”
(Ephesians 2:19-22).
Paul shows that under the New Covenant, followers
of the Jewish Messiah, form a new people drawn
from every nationality, race and ethnic group.
These people are being constructed as the
new spiritual temple of God, without hatred,
without prejudice.
This doesn’t mean that God has abandoned
the promises He made to Israel.
It does mean that the biblical prophesies
to include all peoples into the family of
God are beginning to be fulfilled in Jesus
Christ.
Herod’s temple, with its wall of separation,
was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Yet, a temple of God still exists today, not
made of stone and mortar, but of people.
People called together to receive God’s
Spirit and become the dwelling place of God.
We’ve seen that the “middle wall of separation”
has been torn down in the new spiritual temple
of God.
Reality is that we still live in a world where
walls, sometimes literal walls like the Berlin
Wall, still separate us.
In other ways, we are divided by religion,
politics, national interests.
Families and friends construct emotional walls
that can last a lifetime.
No matter what we do, we don’t have the
power or abilities to tear down all the walls
that divide us.
Earlier in the program, I read from some Messianic
prophecies about how the Christ will “bring
light to the Gentiles…[and] salvation to
the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6), and
“stand as a banner to the people, for the
Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place
shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).
When Jesus came to earth the first time, He
died for our sins.
Sin is the actions, thoughts and emotions
that truly divide us, not only from each other
but from God.
This message is a call for you to turn to
God and ask Him to tear down the wall that
separates you from your Creator.
Read the Bible to uncover the truth of how
God wants to break down the barrier between
you and Him.
The Bible clearly shows that Christ is returning.
At that time the prophecies from Isaiah will
be completed and the walls that separate us
from God and from each other will be finally
torn down.
We’ve been doing this program about the
wall separation and we’re using the Berlin
Wall as a perfect example.
And I know for me, personally, going to the
Berlin Wall, seeing it, touching it, was a
remarkable experience.
What was it like for you, Darris?
[Darris McNeely] It was again, you go to Berlin
today, you see the fragments of the wall,
a few sections still intact.
I had been there when the wall was operative,
several years ago.
And, you could see at that time the bleakness
of East Berlin.
And, that represented this division between
two peoples who were the same German peoples.
To see Berlin today now, a united city, a
united Germany, is a much, much better situation
but they’ve kept those walls and it’s
a reminder of how quickly divisions can come
up between people, but it was much better
to see it this way.
[Steve Myers] I think one of the things that’s
pretty amazing about it, is it certainly is
a reminder of how quickly some of these things
can come about.
Even at the end of the war, though there were
divisions, it seems that once that Cold War
began, the walls went up.
And, we have a tendency to think that it’s
not going to happen again, but it certainly
shows the way that mankind is and how quickly
and willingly we’re ready to build walls
and take sides, and do the things that really
divide us.
[Gary] We’ve used the Berlin Wall just as
an example, sort of an allegory of the wall
of separation that was in the Jewish temple,
and the apostle Paul says that Christ came
to tear down that wall.
And, that is a very important part of the
Gospel.
[Darris] Oh, absolutely.
Paul wrote about the fact there was no distinction
between Jew and gentile which was a major
issue in that time.
Those were obviously two different ethnicities.
What’s interesting about the Berlin Wall
is that it was a wall that separated people
of the same ethnicity, same language, same
culture.
And again, the real lesson there is that yes,
different races, different languages, different
ethnicities will divide, but at the heart
of division is a spirit--it’s a spiritual
problem regardless of who you are.
And, when a spirit of evil comes in that separates
people’s hearts, then that’s a big problem,
and the only solution to that is the gospel.
It is the truth of a relationship with God
through Jesus Christ and that’s what cleanses
the heart and that’s the essence of the
message that Paul was talking about.
[Steve] It works on so many different levels.
That, what it’s like in my relationship
with God?
Is there a wall?
Is there a barrier there?
And through God’s calling, He’s opened
up that wall so that I have access to Him.
And I better take advantage of that.
And I think standing at the wall, looking
at the circumstances there, it also causes
you to ask, “well, do I build walls in my
personal life as well?
Do I shut out others or do I tear those walls
down in my personal relationships as well?”
So I think those are important concepts that
we all have to consider.
[Gary] I couldn’t help but think about as
we’ve done this program, when Jesus Christ
returns, all the walls that separate people--walls
of religion, walls of nationality, walls of
race that separate peoples--what’s He going
to have to do to tear down all those walls
to create God’s Kingdom on this earth?
[Darris] Remove the source of those walls
and that comes down to the spirit of Satan;
a spirit of evil, the god of this world that
works in the hearts of men.
Without that being finally removed, that’s
a big lesson that you see from all that we
have observed with the wars that have ravaged
Europe, the religious wars, the political
wars.
Ultimately, you have got to remove the source
of hatred and evil and that is the removal
of Satan from the influence over mankind.
[Steve] And even mankind himself.
We have this nature within us, that it opposes
God.
It opposes His way.
That tends to build walls.
And I think it’s also a reminder that in
order for that to accomplish, to be accomplished,
Jesus Christ has to return and the right kind
of government has to be established.
And so, He is going to establish God’s government
on this earth and that will be a borderless
society, in that sense, that He will establish
God’s way and those walls have to come down.
[Gary] That’s why we end every one of our
Beyond Today programs by asking people to
pray, “Your Kingdom come.”
The Berlin Wall is one of many walls designed
to separate people.
Because of violence, fear, and our inability
to deal with conflicts, we have been building
walls of separation for all of human history.
Not only do we build literal walls--like this
one here in Berlin--but emotional and mental
walls that separate us from our families,
our loved ones and our neighbors.
Christ came to tear down a wall.
He is returning to tear down even more walls.
When Christ returns to set up God’s Kingdom
on earth, there will no longer be walls created
by different religions, different national
interests, racial divides, or separation by
social class or wealth.
The biblical prophecies say that Christ will
bring peace and prosperity through one world
government and one world religion where all
people will worship the one true God.
This is humanity’s only hope for the future.
A time when walls like this will have no purpose--will
not exist.
For Beyond Today I’m Gary Petty.
Thanks for watching.
> Jesus Christ promised that He would return
to establish God’s Kingdom on this earth.
When He does, He will tear down the walls
that divide us.
The story of the Kingdom of God is told throughout
the pages of the Bible.
To help you in your study of the Kingdom of
God, we want to offer you a free Bible study
aid titled, The Gospel of the Kingdom.
The best way to use this study guide is to
have your Bible open as you read it.
Look up each Scripture.
Prove to yourself the truth of what the Kingdom
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>> Hi, I’m Steve Myers.
I’m the pastor here at the United Church
of God Cincinnati-East congregation.
We have hundreds of congregations around the
United States and across the world.
I’d like to welcome you to come and join
us on this great spiritual journey.
We’re committed to growing in our relationship
with God the Father and Jesus Christ as well
as fellowshipping with each other.
If you’re looking for a home that encourages
living what the Word of God really teaches,
you’ve found the right place.
We’re a family--a family of Bible believers
committed to following Jesus Christ in everything
we do.
We’ve found God’s way is the best way
to live.
We’re happy that you’re looking into what
God is doing in our efforts to bring His message
to the world.
God is certainly pleased that you’re looking
into knowing Him better.
And we’re here to help.
We would love to have you come and visit and
worship with us.
We’re looking forward to meeting you soon.
Come and join us.
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