A number of years ago, my wife and I built a fence around our back yard. I can still see my wife and her parents wrestling with the post hole digger while I sat in the air-conditioned house. There was a torn meniscus in my left knee so I was excused from that type of labor.

And boy was I bummed. =-) (Please note the sarcasm)

But that was not really the point. We built this fence. It was quite an undertaking. And the reason we needed to have the fence was to keep my two year old daughter from escaping! She is eight now and has learned not to run away at any given chance! =-)

People build fences, wall, barriers, etc. to keep things out (or sometimes in!). Do you recognize some of these?

The Great Wall of China

The Western Wall

 

The Berlin Wall

Not pictured are Hadrian’s Wall and the Atlantic Wall. These are the famous ones that come to my mind. What walls do you think about?

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In the apostle Paul’s day, there was another wall or barrier. It was in the temple and it seperated the court of the Gentiles from the temple proper. It even had an inscription on it saying that no foreigner can enter. Death will be the result.

Walls are meant for separation. To divide someone or something, you simply put up a wall.

What about the walls that do not consist of brick and mortar? These walls can’t been seen on the internet because they are in our hearts. We build these walls to protect ourselves from harm. There are people and situations that can do damage and so we build walls.

The ultimate wall is sin. This barrier is too big and strong for us to break down.

So I ask you again, what walls are in your heart?

Paul wrote to the Ephesians some words about a wall,

“14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Three words, “destroyed the barrier”.

There is a literal and spiritual meaning here.

• The wall in the temple has been destroyed. Christianity is an international fellowship. Any person can come to Christ. Jesus not only brings peace, he is peace.
• The wall of sin in our hearts has been destroyed. We have the access that sin once prevented. Need peace? Read Three Ps in a Pod. part 3

 

Christ already did the work. So put down the bricks with which you are trying to build a wall.

Let God reign in you. Only He can keep those walls from coming back up. He is good!