Unity among the peoples

 

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Tim's audio Intro


Isaiah 2:1-5

 This is what Isaiah (son of Amoz) prophesied about Judah and its capital Jerusalem:

2 There will come a time in the last days
when the mountain where the Eternal’s house stands
Will become the highest, most magnificent—
grander than any of the mountains around it.
And all the nations of the world will run there,
wanting to see it, feel it, fully experience it.
3 Many people of all languages, colors, and creeds will come.

People: Come! Let’s go to the Eternal’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
So that we might learn from Him how best to be,
to go along in life as He would have us go.

After all, the law will pour out from Zion,
the word of the Eternal, from Jerusalem.
4 God will decide what’s fair among nations
and settle disputes among all sorts of people.
Meanwhile, they will hammer their swords into sickles,
reshape their spears into pruning hooks.
One nation will not attack another.
They will not practice war anymore.

O house of Jacob—people of the promise—come, come walk with me
by the light of the Eternal.

Isaiah sees an amazing picture of the future, a future which only God can create. In that vision, Jerusalem and the temple of the only God will sit on the highest mountain at the center of the world. In that day, all the nations of the world will stream to the holy city and seek God’s guidance and instruction. God will sit as King and Judge, dispensing real justice—not some man-made counterfeit—not only in international but also local matters. Perhaps, most amazingly for a world weary of war, this will be a time when war is a thing of the past and its lethal instruments are turned into tools for life and peace.- The Voice

Video on The Temple of God

Ephesians 2:11-22

11 So never forget how you used to be. Those of you born as outsiders to Israel were outcasts, branded “the uncircumcised” by those who bore the sign of the covenant in their flesh, a sign made with human hands. 12 You had absolutely no connection to the Anointed; you were strangers, separated from God’s people. You were aliens to the covenant they had with God; you were hopelessly stranded without God in a fractured world. 13 But now, because of Jesus the Anointed and His sacrifice, all of that has changed. God gathered you who were so far away and brought you near to Him by the royal blood of the Anointed, our Liberating King.

14 He is the embodiment of our peace, sent once and for all to take down the great barrier of hatred and hostility that has divided us so that we can be one. 15 He offered His body on the sacrificial altar to bring an end to the law’s ordinances and dictations that separated Jews from the outside nations. His desire was to create in His body one new humanity from the two opposing groups, thus creating peace. 16 Effectively the cross becomes God’s means to kill off the hostility once and for all so that He is able to reconcile them both to God in this one new body.

17 The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away. 18 By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit. 19 And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household. 20 You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries[a] with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. 21 The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.

Footnotes
2:20 Literally, apostles

The relationship between faith and works is often misunderstood. Some think that salvation is God’s reward for good deeds. If that’s true, then it can’t possibly be a gift. If it were a reward, then heaven would be a place where people might compare notes on what they did to make it through the gates. But Paul is confident in the truth of the gospel. The truth is that salvation is God’s gift through Jesus. Grace and faith make salvation real in us. When we are transformed by grace, then we become His new creation and begin to live out the good works He has planned for us. Works, then, aren’t the cause of salvation; they are its result. To put it another way, works aren’t the means of salvation; they are its presence.- The Voice

All the nations, also known as Gentiles, were once separated from Israel’s temple. Literal walls kept them from accessing God’s presence on earth. But it was always God’s plan for Israel to be a light to all the nations, so that everyone could have access to his life and love. Though Israel failed to faithfully shine this light, Jesus carried Israel’s story forward by tearing down the walls of division and rebuilding the temple. But instead of building with bricks, this time he built a whole new temple made of both Jews and Gentiles. Now God’s presence can live inside of a unified multiethnic group of people.- Tim Mackie

Question 1:
What stands out to you as you read these words from Paul's Letter to Ephesus?

Question 2:
What is hindering unity in the relationships within your family, church, and city? How has Jesus addressed those barriers with his death, resurrection, and ascension?

This Next Week:
Ask God to bring one person he wants to reach to your mind this week. Who is he/she? How will you reach out? Is there anything you need to repair in the relationship? Consider asking him/her to show you where God's power and presence is at work in their life. Listen and seek a connection.

Copyright © 2020 The Bible Project 1302 SE Ankeny St Portland, OR 97214 Church at Home series Jon Collins, Tim Mackie, Carissa Quinn

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.