WEBVTT - Tearing Down the Walls– Part 1 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.600 Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe shows us how to 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.199 tear down the walls that separate us from God. 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:12.320 One of the purposes in which Jesus came to fulfill 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:16.200 the mission of His father was the purpose of tearing 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:21.200 down walls. Jesus is a wall breaker, and if we 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.360 are to be the people of God, we also need 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:27.080 to learn what it means to tear down walls. 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.559 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.200 of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:49.879 Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Have you 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:52.320 ever felt like an outsider? Maybe you moved to a 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:54.880 new neighborhood or started a new job. Maybe you're starting 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:57.320 a new school. You may feel like you're on one 0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:00.320 side of a wall and everyone else is on the other. Mark, 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:01.920 let's talk about that here today. 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.800 Yeah, Wayne, there are walls that separate a lot of 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:10.800 people in different ways. One of the most obvious wall 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:14.479 is the one that separates man from God. And that 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:17.600 has to come down first. But when that wall comes down, 0:01:17.600 --> 0:01:20.720 it actually leads to the tearing down of a lot 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:26.200 of other walls around us Jew, Gentile, slave, free men, women, 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:30.040 black and white, Hispanic, Asian God is a wall breaker. 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:32.560 Well, let's see what the Scripture says about this in 0:01:32.560 --> 0:01:36.319 Ephesians chapter two with Mark. Now our message tearing down walls. 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:38.319 Here's Mark job with bold steps. 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:46.160 One of the tools used to tear down walls. It's 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:51.279 called a sledgehammer. You know, walls are interesting, aren't they? 0:01:53.320 --> 0:02:01.450 We build walls normally for protection. We build walls because 0:02:01.450 --> 0:02:05.570 we want something kept out, and we build doors because 0:02:05.570 --> 0:02:08.730 we will. We want to allow something to come in. 0:02:11.130 --> 0:02:14.650 There's famous walls like East Germany from West Germany was 0:02:14.650 --> 0:02:21.250 divided by the Berlin Wall. One of the most famous 0:02:21.290 --> 0:02:26.930 walls was the. Or is the wall in China, the 0:02:26.930 --> 0:02:30.850 Great Wall of China? A year and a half ago, 0:02:30.850 --> 0:02:33.490 I was able to go to China for some studies 0:02:33.490 --> 0:02:35.890 that I was doing, and I actually was able to 0:02:35.930 --> 0:02:39.649 walk on the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall 0:02:39.650 --> 0:02:44.450 of China took 200 years to build. Hundreds of thousands 0:02:44.450 --> 0:02:47.170 of people worked on that great wall made out of 0:02:47.169 --> 0:02:56.690 mud and mud bricks. The wall of China is 6700 0:02:56.690 --> 0:03:00.490 miles long. And if you look at the terrain that 0:03:00.490 --> 0:03:05.930 it was built on. It's just incredible that without tools 0:03:06.370 --> 0:03:09.490 that we have in our modern day world, that they 0:03:09.490 --> 0:03:13.170 were able to create this incredible wall going up and 0:03:13.169 --> 0:03:20.450 down mountains that would span such a large a large cycle. 0:03:20.450 --> 0:03:26.050 In fact, it's the only man made edifice that is 0:03:26.050 --> 0:03:29.450 able to be seen from outer space with the naked eye. 0:03:31.530 --> 0:03:37.650 You know why the Emperor of China built the wall 0:03:37.650 --> 0:03:43.050 of China protection. He believed that there was going to 0:03:43.050 --> 0:03:47.410 be invasion from Genghis Khan, and that he needed to 0:03:47.410 --> 0:03:52.370 protect themselves from outside forces. And so he created this 0:03:52.370 --> 0:03:59.050 wall for protection. You and I have walls. Oh, they're 0:03:59.050 --> 0:04:04.820 not physical walls with bricks. But everybody has walls. Invisible walls. 0:04:05.980 --> 0:04:09.460 We put up walls towards people in our life that 0:04:09.460 --> 0:04:12.860 have hurt us, towards that family member that you just 0:04:12.860 --> 0:04:16.260 kind of can't stand. And so at a family gathering, 0:04:16.260 --> 0:04:18.380 you got that wall up. Oh yeah, you'll say hi, 0:04:18.380 --> 0:04:20.380 but you know, that wall is up. Hey, don't get 0:04:20.380 --> 0:04:22.300 too close because I know what happened last time. You 0:04:22.300 --> 0:04:26.820 get close. There's walls sometimes in marriages. I just prayed 0:04:27.339 --> 0:04:30.340 with a couple at our last service that is tearing 0:04:30.339 --> 0:04:34.740 down walls. Even in their own marriage. There's walls that 0:04:34.740 --> 0:04:38.700 we have in our life. Sometimes just. We put a 0:04:38.700 --> 0:04:42.420 barrier of walls around us because some people walk with 0:04:42.420 --> 0:04:45.179 a wall around them, thinking that if people really got 0:04:45.180 --> 0:04:47.900 to know you, they wouldn't like you. And so although 0:04:47.900 --> 0:04:50.260 you meet a lot of people, you keep people at 0:04:50.260 --> 0:04:53.060 a distance, never let anybody get too close because you 0:04:53.060 --> 0:04:55.740 feel if they really know the real me, they'll reject me. 0:04:57.380 --> 0:05:03.740 There's walls all around this place. The city of Chicago 0:05:03.779 --> 0:05:08.140 is known for some of its invisible walls. When I 0:05:08.140 --> 0:05:13.980 first came to Chicago, to the southwest side. People showed 0:05:13.980 --> 0:05:17.740 me a neighborhood and they said, you see this viaduct 0:05:17.980 --> 0:05:22.500 on this side of the viaduct? It's all white on 0:05:22.500 --> 0:05:27.099 that side of the viaduct. It's all black now. There's 0:05:27.100 --> 0:05:30.860 no sign that says whites only, no sign that says 0:05:30.860 --> 0:05:34.500 blacks only. But there's like this invisible wall. People know 0:05:34.500 --> 0:05:36.580 you don't live in that neighborhood and you don't live 0:05:36.580 --> 0:05:39.020 in that neighborhood. If you're this color, you don't live 0:05:39.020 --> 0:05:41.500 over here, that color. You don't live over there. It's 0:05:41.500 --> 0:05:46.979 an invisible wall of racial divide, but it's a wall nonetheless. 0:05:50.300 --> 0:05:57.060 The thing about Jesus is that one of the purposes 0:05:58.460 --> 0:06:02.310 in which Jesus Came to fulfill the mission of his 0:06:02.310 --> 0:06:08.990 father was the purpose of tearing down walls. Jesus is 0:06:08.990 --> 0:06:12.790 a wall breaker, and if we are to be the 0:06:12.790 --> 0:06:16.030 people of God, we also need to learn what it 0:06:16.029 --> 0:06:20.110 means to tear down walls. That's what Ephesians chapter two 0:06:20.150 --> 0:06:23.070 is all about. It's really about tearing down walls. And 0:06:23.070 --> 0:06:25.710 I'm going to begin reading in verse 11 of Ephesians 0:06:25.710 --> 0:06:31.230 chapter two, as the apostle Paul talks to these folks 0:06:31.230 --> 0:06:35.150 about the walls that need to be torn down. If 0:06:35.150 --> 0:06:38.590 you're taking notes this morning, just write this down. Breaking 0:06:38.589 --> 0:06:41.589 down walls. What do you need to know about breaking 0:06:41.589 --> 0:06:46.310 down spiritual walls? The first thing you need to know 0:06:46.310 --> 0:06:50.110 is that the wall is a part of everybody's story 0:06:50.310 --> 0:06:54.430 at one time or another. Notice what Paul says. Therefore, 0:06:55.630 --> 0:07:00.790 remember that formerly you who are Gentiles, you know what 0:07:00.790 --> 0:07:08.589 a Gentile is? A Gentile is a non-Jewish person. So 0:07:08.589 --> 0:07:15.710 you who were Gentiles, a non-Jewish person by birth, you 0:07:15.710 --> 0:07:24.350 were called uncircumcised by those who called themselves the circumcision. 0:07:26.310 --> 0:07:29.750 Remember that at a time you were separate from Christ, 0:07:29.750 --> 0:07:33.550 excluded from the citizenship in Israel, foreigners to the covenant 0:07:33.550 --> 0:07:38.190 of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. Well, 0:07:38.190 --> 0:07:41.910 the Apostle Paul wants to remind these believers that he's 0:07:41.910 --> 0:07:44.870 talking to. He wants to remind them that at one 0:07:44.870 --> 0:07:48.550 time they were on listen, they were on the other 0:07:48.550 --> 0:07:53.350 side of the wall. All of us at one time 0:07:53.350 --> 0:07:58.150 have been outsiders. How about it? You say? Well, not me, pastor. 0:07:58.550 --> 0:08:01.920 And I'm like the ultimate popular insider. No no no no. 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:06.640 You've been an outsider, too. Everybody's been an outsider at 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.160 one time or another. Hey, when you transferred to the 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:13.480 school in the middle of the school year, class had 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:18.240 already started. Everybody knew where they were seated immediately at 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:22.160 a lunch table. The clans and cliques all sat together. 0:08:22.160 --> 0:08:25.760 But there you were with your lunch tray. The new kid, 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:29.560 the outsider wondering, should I sit at that table or 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.480 that table? Will they accept me? Where do I belong 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:35.600 and where do I fit in? Anybody know what I'm 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:39.360 talking about? The outsider. Maybe you were new at that 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:41.920 job and just hired. And when you got to that 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:45.000 floor and all your coworkers were there, you knew you 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:48.719 were the outsider. You knew that everybody had their friends 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:52.319 and talked a certain language, and they knew the system. 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:55.200 But you didn't know the system because you're what? You're 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:59.800 the outsider. Or maybe you moved into that neighborhood and 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:03.199 And everybody seems to have lived in that neighborhood forever. 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.680 And everybody knows each other's kids and everybody knows each 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.720 other's names. But you drive up and suddenly the conversation 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:14.240 gets quiet and no one seems to acknowledge you. You see, 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.840 you're a foreigner. You're an outsider. You don't belong. You're 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:22.520 on the other side of the wall. There's nothing more 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:28.400 intimidating than going to some events and walking in by yourself, 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.000 and everybody's talking and cliques and groups of people. But 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:36.679 there you are, not really knowing anybody in the room, 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:40.959 feeling a little bit like, I don't want to just 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:44.560 stand here and look dumb. The best thing to do 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:49.200 in those situations get a cup of coffee. At least 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:53.280 you are doing something. Something about just having something in 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:55.360 your hand that feels like at least I'm not just 0:09:55.360 --> 0:10:00.850 standing there like this. I'm sipping my coffee. But there's 0:10:00.850 --> 0:10:04.089 something extremely intimidating about being in a place where you 0:10:04.090 --> 0:10:06.890 don't know people, and it doesn't seem like people want 0:10:06.929 --> 0:10:11.010 to know you because you're on the other side of 0:10:11.010 --> 0:10:14.609 the wall, the other side of the wall. You're the outsider, 0:10:14.610 --> 0:10:20.250 not the insider. Paul is talking to believers. He's talking 0:10:20.250 --> 0:10:25.850 to Christian, Gentile, non-Jewish people. And he's reminding them, never 0:10:25.850 --> 0:10:28.970 forget that at one time in your life, you also 0:10:29.010 --> 0:10:32.290 were on the other side of the wall. Never forget, 0:10:32.570 --> 0:10:36.090 now that you're an insider. Never forget what it felt 0:10:36.090 --> 0:10:39.530 like to be an outsider, because it wasn't that long 0:10:39.530 --> 0:10:43.449 ago that you were on the outside of the wall. 0:10:43.650 --> 0:10:48.370 It wasn't that long ago that you didn't really understand 0:10:48.370 --> 0:10:51.530 the things of God, that you didn't really have Christ, 0:10:51.530 --> 0:10:55.050 that you didn't understand his promises, that you were without 0:10:55.050 --> 0:10:57.730 the hope of God in the world. It wasn't long 0:10:57.730 --> 0:11:00.730 ago that people looked at you. There was a divide, 0:11:00.730 --> 0:11:05.810 by the way, between the Jews and the Gentiles. And 0:11:05.809 --> 0:11:07.650 in order to understand this, I have to give you 0:11:07.650 --> 0:11:11.329 a little bit of historical perspective. Of course, you know 0:11:11.330 --> 0:11:15.970 that Jesus was born a Jew, right? I know you've 0:11:15.970 --> 0:11:19.170 seen the paintings. He looks like a German with blue 0:11:19.170 --> 0:11:21.329 eyes and blond hair. But let me tell you, that's 0:11:21.330 --> 0:11:25.730 not what Jesus looked like. Oh, that's a medieval painting 0:11:25.770 --> 0:11:30.250 of Jesus. I can guarantee you Jesus wasn't white, blond 0:11:30.250 --> 0:11:35.410 and blue eyed. That wasn't Jesus. He was probably more 0:11:35.410 --> 0:11:43.130 than likely olive complected skin. Dark hair like you would 0:11:43.130 --> 0:11:48.449 find in a in a middle eastern culture, Jewish individual. 0:11:48.450 --> 0:11:53.689 And that's the image, really, of Jesus. He wasn't movie 0:11:53.730 --> 0:11:57.170 star looking either. The Bible says he had no stately 0:11:57.210 --> 0:12:01.180 form or majesty that we would gaze upon him. It 0:12:01.179 --> 0:12:04.580 wasn't like he was. Whoa! Here is the latest Jewish 0:12:04.580 --> 0:12:09.460 movie star either. He was just a normal, natural individual, 0:12:09.940 --> 0:12:13.900 physically speaking. But he was born of Jewish descent. You 0:12:13.900 --> 0:12:16.540 could trace his roots all the way back to the 0:12:16.540 --> 0:12:20.940 lineage of King David. And when Jesus was born, he 0:12:20.940 --> 0:12:25.339 never really traveled beyond 60 miles from his hometown. The 0:12:25.340 --> 0:12:30.500 12 disciples that he chose were Jewish men. He ministered 0:12:30.500 --> 0:12:35.620 primarily in the context of Jewish people. Why? Not that 0:12:35.620 --> 0:12:39.820 Jesus wanted to exclude non-Jewish people, but he came unto 0:12:39.860 --> 0:12:43.900 his own, first of all, to give the message to them. 0:12:44.179 --> 0:12:46.340 And the Bible says, he came into his own, but 0:12:46.340 --> 0:12:51.260 his own received him not. And then to them he 0:12:51.260 --> 0:12:54.739 gave the right to become the sons of God, to whoever, 0:12:54.740 --> 0:12:57.820 whoever believed on him. So he came first of all 0:12:57.860 --> 0:13:00.579 to the Jewish people who were the chosen people of 0:13:00.580 --> 0:13:05.179 God from generations previous. Through Abraham. He came to the 0:13:05.179 --> 0:13:09.820 Jewish people and he gave them the first opportunity to 0:13:09.860 --> 0:13:14.180 respond to his message. But he always the gospel always 0:13:14.179 --> 0:13:17.180 came first to the Jew, but then it expanded to 0:13:17.220 --> 0:13:21.860 the non-Jewish, to the Gentile. And you have to understand 0:13:21.860 --> 0:13:24.140 that as you read the New Testament, because a lot 0:13:24.140 --> 0:13:27.579 of the writings of Paul are directed in that direction. 0:13:32.820 --> 0:13:35.180 We'll continue our message in just a moment here on 0:13:35.179 --> 0:13:38.020 Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. But first, Mark, if you'll 0:13:38.020 --> 0:13:39.740 permit me, I want to share something that's been weighing 0:13:39.740 --> 0:13:42.740 on my heart lately. I've been thinking about how throughout history, 0:13:42.780 --> 0:13:45.820 God has always raised up people who prioritized his mission, 0:13:45.820 --> 0:13:49.260 even during some very turbulent times. Whether it was the 0:13:49.260 --> 0:13:52.780 early church during persecution or believers during world wars, or 0:13:52.780 --> 0:13:56.140 missionaries in hostile territories, there have always been those who 0:13:56.140 --> 0:13:59.940 kept their focus on advancing the gospel despite everything happening 0:14:00.030 --> 0:14:02.590 around them, and we've got a lot happening around us 0:14:02.590 --> 0:14:03.190 right now. 0:14:03.710 --> 0:14:06.870 And Wayne, oftentimes it's in the midst of a lot 0:14:06.950 --> 0:14:11.469 of turbulence and turmoil that people start looking to the 0:14:11.470 --> 0:14:15.550 heavens in special ways. And I believe that we live 0:14:15.550 --> 0:14:17.790 in a moment like that. And I just want to 0:14:17.790 --> 0:14:20.430 say that as a pastor, I've been a pastor for 0:14:20.430 --> 0:14:24.430 over 30 some years in the city of Chicago. I 0:14:24.470 --> 0:14:28.790 have never seen the openness that I've seen. Now that's incredible. 0:14:28.830 --> 0:14:33.350 I'm having these conversations, especially with young people we've seen 0:14:33.350 --> 0:14:36.270 at our church. Over a thousand people come to Christ 0:14:36.270 --> 0:14:39.750 and get baptized in the last 24 months, mainly under 0:14:39.750 --> 0:14:45.590 the age of 35, many that had no religious background 0:14:45.590 --> 0:14:48.990 and are just hungry for God. And I think the 0:14:48.990 --> 0:14:51.790 turbulence of the world has caused them to say I 0:14:51.790 --> 0:14:56.590 need something. And many of us as believers, we're getting 0:14:56.630 --> 0:15:01.080 too distracted by what's happening and not focused enough on 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:04.040 the gospel. And so I want to bring your attention 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:06.720 back to the opportunities that you have around you. That's 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:10.080 what Bold Steps is all about. Regardless of what's happening 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:12.720 in our world, we believe that the greatest news that 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:15.720 needs to be proclaimed is the good news that Jesus 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:19.400 Christ is here. He's the Savior, and we do not 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:22.480 want to miss this window of opportunity of so many 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:28.800 people being open. So join us as we continue to boldly, passionately, powerfully, 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:32.600 24 hours a day through moody radio, proclaim the good 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:33.720 news of Jesus. 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:36.640 And at Moody, we're sending workers into that harvest, aren't we? 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.880 We are. And so excited about that as well. Uh, 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:44.120 we're sending people focused on the gospel. Bold steps, as 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:48.600 you know, is making sure that we include a call 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.960 to the gospel on a regular basis. And so excited 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:53.760 to see people coming to Jesus. 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:56.560 Well, you who are listening can invest your resources in 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:59.760 sharing God's life changing truth. To make a gift, simply 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:03.160 go online to Bold Steps org or our phone number 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:11.040 is 800. That's (800) 356-6639. And your partnership makes an eternal 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.680 difference and will send you, by request, a special bold 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:16.760 step gift as a token of our appreciation. We'll talk 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.680 more about that gift later in today's message, but consider 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:22.840 partnering with bold steps. Now back to the message. Here 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:23.760 again is Mark. 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.280 Now, what you may not understand is that there was 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:37.000 an extreme bias, prejudice and racial divide between Jews and non-Jews. 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:40.520 In fact, if you read some of the Jewish literature 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:44.360 of the time, some of the Jewish writers of the 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:49.600 time indicated that God had created Gentiles for the sole 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:54.960 purpose of fueling the fires of hell. It was unlawful 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:58.680 for a Jew to help a Gentile woman give birth 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.880 for the this, for simply the fact that he would 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:06.520 be helping another Gentile into the world. In the days 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:10.120 of Jesus, a Jewish man would pray this prayer in 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.600 the synagogue. He would say, thank you, Lord, that you 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:17.360 did not, that I was not born a Gentile. And 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:20.040 thank you, Lord, that I was not born a woman, 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:25.080 because there was extreme bias towards women as well in 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:29.120 the days of Jesus. If you went to the temple, 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:36.600 even the temple itself showed that there was division. The 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:40.800 temple had the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.719 was a place divided by a curtain, a heavy curtain. 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:50.400 Behind that heavy curtain in the Holy of Holies area 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:55.080 was the Ark of the covenant that had the tablets 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:58.400 of the Ten Commandments and a few other artifacts that 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:01.130 had been part of Israel's history, and it was a 0:18:01.170 --> 0:18:04.170 sacred place, a place which was considered the place where 0:18:04.210 --> 0:18:08.850 God would dwell in a manifest, special way. Only the 0:18:08.850 --> 0:18:11.490 high priest would allow to go into the Holy of 0:18:11.490 --> 0:18:15.090 Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. Before 0:18:15.090 --> 0:18:17.010 he went into the Holy of Holies, he had to 0:18:17.010 --> 0:18:21.010 sacrifice and make sure that he was cleansed. He wore robes, 0:18:21.010 --> 0:18:24.369 and at the bottom of that robe there were little bells. 0:18:25.410 --> 0:18:28.810 The bells would indicate movement. As he moved around. People 0:18:28.810 --> 0:18:31.290 knew that he was busy. About once he went behind 0:18:31.290 --> 0:18:34.810 the curtain, you could hear the bells moving as he 0:18:34.810 --> 0:18:39.770 went about his sacrificial duties, but they also would tie 0:18:39.770 --> 0:18:45.570 a rope around his ankle, just in case he had 0:18:45.570 --> 0:18:48.450 not done everything right, and he was struck dead by 0:18:48.450 --> 0:18:51.330 the power of God, and no one could go in 0:18:51.330 --> 0:18:53.850 to retrieve the body. They had a rope around the 0:18:53.850 --> 0:18:56.810 ankle so that they could drag the body out in 0:18:56.810 --> 0:19:01.220 case God struck him dead. I mean, not a job 0:19:01.220 --> 0:19:06.820 that everybody would want. Definitely discouraged church attendance nowadays, right? 0:19:07.500 --> 0:19:09.740 But outside of that court, the Holy of holies. And 0:19:09.740 --> 0:19:12.260 there was another court. It was a court of men, 0:19:13.060 --> 0:19:16.420 Jewish men. Only Jewish men were allowed to go into 0:19:16.420 --> 0:19:19.220 that court of men. They were permitted to go into 0:19:19.220 --> 0:19:21.899 that court and further away from the Holy of Holies. 0:19:21.900 --> 0:19:24.860 Then there was the court of women. Jewish women were 0:19:24.859 --> 0:19:27.619 allowed to enter into that court, but not into the 0:19:27.619 --> 0:19:30.100 court of men and not into the Holy of Holies. 0:19:30.100 --> 0:19:33.540 And then further out, way out here there was the 0:19:33.540 --> 0:19:36.939 court of Gentiles. If you were a non-Jewish person, you 0:19:36.940 --> 0:19:39.780 were only allowed into the court of Gentiles, not into 0:19:39.780 --> 0:19:42.300 the court of women, not in the court of men, 0:19:42.300 --> 0:19:45.500 not into the Holy of Holies. You were way out 0:19:45.500 --> 0:19:49.940 there in the court of Gentiles, if you so happen 0:19:49.940 --> 0:19:52.340 to be someone that said, I want to get closer 0:19:52.340 --> 0:19:55.780 to the Holy of Holies, but yet I'm Gentile, and 0:19:55.780 --> 0:19:58.060 you would go into the court of women or go 0:19:58.060 --> 0:20:03.380 into the court of men. Jewish law prescribed that you 0:20:03.380 --> 0:20:09.700 would be executed for violating that law. 0:20:16.580 --> 0:20:20.100 You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching of Mark job. 0:20:20.420 --> 0:20:23.380 Today's message is titled Tearing Down Walls, and you can 0:20:23.380 --> 0:20:26.020 hear part two of the message on Friday's program. So 0:20:26.100 --> 0:20:28.980 listen in then. In the meantime, we encourage you to 0:20:29.020 --> 0:20:31.580 visit our website and check out all the special resources 0:20:31.580 --> 0:20:34.660 and opportunities we have available by going to Bold Steps 0:20:34.660 --> 0:20:38.020 dot one. Resource we really encourage you to check out 0:20:38.020 --> 0:20:41.140 is this month's exclusive Bold Step gift and to tell 0:20:41.140 --> 0:20:43.380 us more about the book. We've got the authors right here, 0:20:43.420 --> 0:20:45.580 Aaron and Jason Davis, to speak with us. 0:20:45.619 --> 0:20:49.660 Jason, you mentioned in your book Lies Boys believe that 0:20:49.660 --> 0:20:52.540 one of the most harmful lies that boys can fall 0:20:52.540 --> 0:20:56.020 for is that reading the Bible just isn't for me. 0:20:56.820 --> 0:21:01.460 And in an age of declining Biblical literacy. How can 0:21:01.500 --> 0:21:04.860 parents help their sons develop a love for God's Word 0:21:04.859 --> 0:21:06.220 and really want to read it? 0:21:06.859 --> 0:21:09.660 I think that you're right on and it is a 0:21:09.700 --> 0:21:13.420 real issue. But an exciting thing is that searches for 0:21:13.900 --> 0:21:19.980 Bible related content, uh, have skyrocketed over the last several months. 0:21:19.980 --> 0:21:23.219 So I think there's a resurgence of interest in things 0:21:23.220 --> 0:21:27.740 of Scripture. But, uh, when we're dealing specifically with young men, 0:21:28.060 --> 0:21:31.340 I think that, yeah, it can be daunting, especially if 0:21:31.340 --> 0:21:34.580 they just randomly open up their Bible. And it's a, 0:21:34.619 --> 0:21:40.379 you know, numbers and they're just reading these chains of content. Uh, 0:21:40.380 --> 0:21:44.540 and that's important content, but it's probably more appropriate for 0:21:44.540 --> 0:21:48.060 somebody that has a better grasp on the full scripture. 0:21:48.060 --> 0:21:52.020 So where I think families should start is with something 0:21:52.020 --> 0:21:56.899 simple like lies, boys believe something to spark an interest 0:21:56.900 --> 0:22:01.750 in Scripture and then challenging their their son. Hey, did 0:22:01.750 --> 0:22:04.710 you read the Bible today? Did you? Can you tell 0:22:04.710 --> 0:22:07.910 me about an adventure that Jesus had? Or tell me 0:22:07.910 --> 0:22:11.750 about a challenge that Jesus faced? Tell me what the 0:22:11.750 --> 0:22:16.270 disciples were up to and make it relatable to story 0:22:16.510 --> 0:22:20.710 instead of just facts and figures and boys will relate 0:22:20.710 --> 0:22:24.070 more to the story, especially when it involves adventure or 0:22:24.070 --> 0:22:26.510 challenges and overcoming those challenges. 0:22:26.869 --> 0:22:28.710 And if I could just talk to the mom or 0:22:28.710 --> 0:22:32.310 the grandma listening, it looks different for our husbands and 0:22:32.310 --> 0:22:35.109 our sons than it does for us. Uh, for me, 0:22:35.109 --> 0:22:37.669 it's a quiet morning with my Bible open and a 0:22:37.670 --> 0:22:39.830 cup of coffee nearby. I gather with a group of 0:22:39.830 --> 0:22:42.510 women in a circle every week, and for a long 0:22:42.510 --> 0:22:45.229 time I had that expectation for Jason, my husband and 0:22:45.230 --> 0:22:47.790 my sons. And it looks different for them. Jason and 0:22:47.790 --> 0:22:50.110 I teach boys and girls Sunday school, so he teaches 0:22:50.109 --> 0:22:52.550 the boys. I teach the girls. We're on the same hallway, 0:22:52.869 --> 0:22:56.150 and the girls literally are sitting quietly in a circle 0:22:56.150 --> 0:22:59.430 with their Bibles open, reading the verses out loud, and 0:22:59.430 --> 0:23:01.750 we can hear the boys all the way down the hall. 0:23:01.750 --> 0:23:04.590 I don't know what they're doing, but they're they're loud. 0:23:04.630 --> 0:23:05.710 And Jason. 0:23:07.750 --> 0:23:10.109 Jason's taught me that it's important that those boys love 0:23:10.150 --> 0:23:12.750 church and that they walk out of Sunday school going, 0:23:12.790 --> 0:23:15.590 that was a great time. And they're getting the Bible, 0:23:15.710 --> 0:23:18.109 but it looks different than it does for us. And 0:23:18.109 --> 0:23:21.830 that's part of celebrating the differences between boys and girls. 0:23:21.830 --> 0:23:24.710 And so I just think as moms, we can sometimes 0:23:24.710 --> 0:23:27.990 have an expectation that our sons interactions with the word 0:23:27.990 --> 0:23:31.949 will be quiet and they will exegete with us and 0:23:31.950 --> 0:23:34.990 they will want to dialogue. And that just isn't always 0:23:34.990 --> 0:23:36.830 how it happens. And they should have the freedom to 0:23:36.869 --> 0:23:39.830 explore the word in the ways that are meaningful to them. 0:23:40.150 --> 0:23:42.830 Yeah, and I love that you're pointing out the differences 0:23:42.869 --> 0:23:46.949 with how boys and girls typically learn. There's always exceptions 0:23:46.950 --> 0:23:49.429 to that. But thank you so much. This is a 0:23:49.430 --> 0:23:53.790 great resource. I'm encouraged by the way, Jason, you mentioned 0:23:53.830 --> 0:23:58.550 that there's an uptick in biblical literacy. They say 22% 0:23:58.710 --> 0:24:02.800 sales of Bibles have gone up. And I'm also encouraged 0:24:02.800 --> 0:24:06.760 that we live in a season where there's an upsurge 0:24:06.760 --> 0:24:10.920 also in young men going to church, and I do 0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:12.600 think that some of it has to do with the 0:24:12.600 --> 0:24:15.560 lies that they've been raised with, and they're looking for truth. 0:24:15.920 --> 0:24:19.400 Absolutely. They'll find it in Scripture. They'll find that truth. 0:24:19.520 --> 0:24:24.240 So let's get them started. Young lies, Boys Believe by 0:24:24.280 --> 0:24:27.120 Aaron and Jason. Thank you for this tool. I think 0:24:27.119 --> 0:24:29.960 it's going to be a blessing to a lot of families. 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:31.800 And we will send you a copy when you give 0:24:31.800 --> 0:24:34.640 a gift of any amount to support this ministry, just 0:24:34.640 --> 0:24:42.200 call 800 D.L. Moody. Again, that's (800) 356-6639 or donate online 0:24:42.200 --> 0:24:46.760 and request the book when you go to boldsystems.org. If 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:49.159 it's easier, you can send your donation and request for 0:24:49.160 --> 0:24:51.919 the book in the mail. Our address is simply bold. 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:58.680 Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. 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And Wayne Shepherd, 0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:38.199 we'll see you back here tomorrow for part two of 0:25:38.200 --> 0:25:42.320 Mark's message on tearing down walls. That's coming up Friday 0:25:42.320 --> 0:25:46.800 here on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is 0:25:46.800 --> 0:25:50.639 a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.