814 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 3 Part 2 Book 68 - But Now - You are Made Nigh - Part 2

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 68 BUT NOW - YOU ARE MADE NIGH – PART 2 Eph. 2:13; Eph. 4:20; Phil. 2:27 We’re just an informal Bible study. We don’t try to push the thoughts of men or denominations. We try to show what the Book says. We find that if people will simply search it out - don’t have to listen to what I say - if they’ll just simply search it in the Scriptures, they call back. I’ll never forget one fellow who called from Columbus, Ohio, and all he could say was, “It’s awesome!” I said, “Well, what’s awesome?” He said, “The way God opened my eyes!” He said, “I’ve never seen this before.” So, that’s my whole argument. You don’t have to go by what I say, but take a look at the Book with an open mind. Get off of those denominational traditions, and maybe you’ll be just as amazed as he was. Okay, let’s go right back to where we left off in our last program. We’re on the “But Now” in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 13. But let’s go back and review verse 12, because that’s basically what we covered in the first half-hour – Why were the Gentiles left in such spiritual darkness? Well, for 2,000 years the whole race of Adam walked everything underfoot in rebellion and wickedness. Finally God says I’m going to do something totally different. I’m going to call out one little nation of people. I’m going to bless them. I’m going to put them above all the other nations of the world, and I’ll work through them to bring salvation to the human race. That’s what we showed, hopefully, in that last program, how that everything was Jew, Jew, Jew until, finally, on the road to Damascus God struck down Saul of Tarsus. Then as we closed our program, He went in and told Ananias, “I’m going to send this man, Saul of Tarsus, far hence to the Gentiles.” Of course, to a Jew this was anathema to have to deal with those morally pagan and physically filthy Gentiles. All right, back to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12. Ephesians 2:12 “That at that time (The time we talked about in those last thirty minutes, while God was dealing only with the Jew and the Nation of Israel.) ye (Gentiles, I’ve got to put that in coming out of verse 11.) were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, (In other words, they had no right.) and strangers from the covenants of promise, (They had nothing to do with them.) having no hope, and without God in the world:” Someone just shared with me at break time over our coffee, that he remembers a fellow years back who has now gone on into eternity, that when somebody read this verse in a Sunday School class he just blatantly said, “I don’t believe that.” Well, we hear it all the time from our listening audience. They show some of these things to pastors or Sunday School teachers and the response is, “I can’t believe that.” But beloved, it’s the Word of God. If you can’t believe one verse, you might as well throw the whole thing away, because then it all falls apart. But this is what it says, that the Gentiles were left destitute of anything spiritual until their day would come. All right, so they were “without God in the world.” Now verse 13, that’s one of our key phrases, “But now!” But what does it mean? This side of the cross! On this side of the death, burial, and resurrection of Israel’s Messiah it’s a whole new ballgame. All right, read the verse. Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye (you Gentiles) who sometimes (at one time) were far off (spiritually) are (What?) made nigh by (What?) the blood of Christ.” Now, let’s stop and analyze a minute. What was the message that God laid upon this next apostle to take, not to Israel so much, but to the Gentile world? All right, go ahead a chapter. Ephesians chapter 3 and you’ll see Paul is always emphasizing that he is the Apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). The Twelve were apostles of Israel. And isn’t it amazing that’s what Christendom hangs on today, for the most part? The Four Gospels, the ministry of Peter and James and John, and I call it a satanic deception, because that’s not where our Gospel of salvation lies. Our Gospel lies in Paul’s epistles. Ephesians 3:1 “For this cause (In other words, what he has just been saying in chapter 2.) I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you (Whom?) Gentiles.” Now, your Bible says that just as well as mine. His apostleship was directed primarily, not exclusively, but primarily to the Gentile world. All right, now verse 2. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible