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Ephesians pt9 - Access Changes Everything!

Triumph Church Ireland

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  1. You're very welcome to today's Triumph Church podcast.

  2. We pray that you enjoy the message we're.

  3. Going to be continuing our our series here in.

  4. The book of Ephesians. We're in chapter 2 right now.

  5. We're going to be closing out this chapter this morning.

  6. We're going to be beginning in verse 12.

  7. So you can keep your keep your finger in your Bible or go to

  8. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 12 and we'll get there in just a

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  9. just a moment here. Religion has really done.

  10. I'd say a a major disservice to every single person.

  11. In the world religion is Is mankind trying?

  12. To achieve. Their own salvation, trying to

  13. achieve their own righteousness based upon.

  14. What they can do? Right.

  15. But what Jesus came to do was something.

  16. Completely different. Something completely, completely

  17. radical. He didn't come to start.

  18. A religion, Jesus came to establish a relationship.

  19. It's not religion, Christianity. Is not a religion.

  20. There's lots of religions in the world, right?

  21. Christianity. Although.

  22. It's a lot of times lumped in. With all these other things in

  23. the world, but. Christianity is not a religion.

  24. Christianity. Is all about relationship

  25. because. There's nothing that we can.

  26. Do to achieve what? Jesus.

  27. Accomplished. We can't we we.

  28. Never ever had it within our. Capacity to save ourselves?

  29. No one can. Everything is only through

  30. Jesus, only through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

  31. Jesus said I am the way, the truth.

  32. And the life? No one.

  33. Goes to the Father, except through me.

  34. Now the. World may call that narrow

  35. minded. Right where Jesus is saying that

  36. he is the only way to the Father.

  37. Right, that may seem. Narrow minded, you know, and.

  38. Jesus actually said wide is the gate to.

  39. Destruction, but narrow. Is the gate to life right?

  40. Well, why is that narrow? It's because Jesus is the only

  41. way. But why is he the only way?

  42. These are the questions a lot of people.

  43. Don't ask well why. Would Jesus say that he is the

  44. only way? Why aren't all these other

  45. religions in the world? You know, don't we just all

  46. serve? The same God and aren't.

  47. We if we, if we serve. That religion or that God you

  48. know wholeheartedly and follow the all the things and doctrine

  49. of that religion. Can't we then go to heaven too

  50. through that? No, because it's not about

  51. anything that you can do. It's only about what Christ has

  52. done. And the really cool thing about

  53. the series on on Ephesians is it's the apostle Paul really

  54. reveals throughout this book. What it?

  55. Is that Christ has done for. Us and what he has given.

  56. US. Through that.

  57. And so I hope you've been enjoying that.

  58. We only have a couple. More weeks that.

  59. We're going to be doing the book of Ephesians, and there are some

  60. things that I want to move on after we have Easter coming up

  61. here as well. One thing I'm going.

  62. To be doing going into this year.

  63. Is I want to. Do a A series.

  64. Kind of on what's called apologetics, right?

  65. You ever heard of? Apologetics, it's where you're

  66. sharing your your faith, how you can share your faith, you know?

  67. And it's really important, I think the, the church overall,

  68. you know, hasn't. Done the best job equipping

  69. people within their congregations to effectively

  70. share. Their faith.

  71. And so I don't want us. To be one of those.

  72. Churches. I want everyone in our church.

  73. Where you're able to share your faith whether you're talking

  74. with a. Doctor, whether you're talking.

  75. To a. Scientist, whether you're

  76. talking. To a solicitor, whether you're.

  77. Talking. To, you know, just a.

  78. Normal person, right? No matter if someone's well

  79. educated or undereducated, it doesn't matter.

  80. You know how to share your faith, faith in Jesus Christ

  81. with them. So we're going to be doing.

  82. That some point here coming up, and I'm really excited about

  83. that. That's going to be really good.

  84. But in Ephesians chapter 2 at the end here, the apostle Paul

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  85. is making a really important point to us, that we're not

  86. outsiders, that we're family. All right, so let's read through

  87. Ephesians chapter 2 starting in verse 12.

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  88. And we're going to read through verse 22.

  89. OK, So stay with me here, starting in verse 12.

  90. And it says in those days you were living apart from Christ.

  91. You were excluded from citizenship among the.

  92. People of Israel. And you did not know the

  93. covenant promises God had made to them.

  94. You lived in this world without God and without hope, but now

  95. you have been united with Christ Jesus.

  96. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought

  97. near to Him through the blood of Christ.

  98. Verse 14 for he himself. Is our peace he has.

  99. Made both 1 and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

  100. having abolished in His flesh the enmity that is the law of

  101. commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in

  102. himself one new man from the 2 and thus making peace in verse

  103. 16, and that he might reconcile. Them both to God.

  104. In one body, through the cross, therefore putting to death the

  105. enmity, verse 17, He brought the good news.

  106. Of peace to you. Gentiles who were far away from

  107. him and. Peace to the Jews who were near.

  108. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same holy.

  109. Spirit because of what? Christ has done for us, so now

  110. you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners, you

  111. are citizens along with. All of God's holy people, you

  112. are members. Of God's family.

  113. Together we are his house. Built on the foundation of the

  114. apostles and the prophets and the cornerstone is Christ Jesus

  115. himself. We are carefully joined together

  116. in Him becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

  117. Verse 22 Through him you are being made into a dwelling place

  118. for God. Who lives in you by his spirit?

  119. Now this is a a massive passage. Not just because we read.

  120. A lot of scriptures. Right.

  121. But what the Apostle Paul is revealing here, what did he,

  122. what he's? Saying and showing us there's

  123. three things from this that I'm going to pull out from these

  124. scriptures today. The first thing is that Jesus.

  125. Came to bring us peace. That's good news, isn't it?

  126. We all love peace, right? You go to any any like I.

  127. Don't know some kind of? Award ceremony or whatever.

  128. What does everyone always say? You know we want World Peace,

  129. right? Peace is important.

  130. To us, the second thing is the access that.

  131. Jesus gives us changes everything.

  132. And then the last thing, the Third Point is going to be.

  133. We were born to live. In God.

  134. So let's look at the first thing Jesus brings.

  135. Peace. Let's read again, Ephesians.

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  136. Chapter 2, we're going to read verse 14 and verse 17.

  137. Verse 14 it says again. For he himself is our peace who

  138. has. Made both 1 and has broken down

  139. the middle wall of separation and then in verse 17.

  140. It says He brought this good news of peace to you.

  141. Gentiles who were far away from him and.

  142. Peace to the Jews who were near. So Paul is saying here that.

  143. Jesus himself is our peace. He didn't just come to bring a

  144. message of peace, right? Jesus Christ is our peace and

  145. that Jesus brought. The good news of this?

  146. Peace to us, those who were far. From God, those are the

  147. Gentiles, right? And those who were near.

  148. I want you to understand the context.

  149. Of who the. Apostle Paul is writing this.

  150. To right, He's writing to. To.

  151. Gentiles, you know what a Gentile is.

  152. It's those people who. Are non Jewish right?

  153. That's most of. Us here, I'm sure, right?

  154. Non Jewish, we're gentiles. Those were people.

  155. That under the Old covenant were shut out from the covenant, that

  156. God. Made with Israel, they.

  157. Couldn't be part of that. The covenant didn't pertain to

  158. the Gentiles. But to the Jewish people?

  159. Only, and what's interesting is there was actually a literal

  160. wall in the temple in Jerusalem. Right, it was called the.

  161. The Court of Gentiles and the Gentiles weren't.

  162. Allowed to go beyond that wall at all.

  163. They had to stop there if they went beyond that.

  164. Wall. They could actually be executed.

  165. Right. The Gentiles were being

  166. excluded. Right.

  167. They could only go so far in things with with God.

  168. But Paul says that we're no longer strangers and foreigners.

  169. He's making a major. Point and there's so many things

  170. in Scripture. That we can just read.

  171. Past it and it may not make a lot of sense to us.

  172. And we may not really realize what is being being said.

  173. But what the Apostle Paul is? Saying here the statement.

  174. That he's making in that. Day would blow the roof off of a

  175. building like this is a big deal.

  176. We are no longer strangers. Or foreigners to God because

  177. Jesus. Tore down that wall of

  178. separation. That's good news to all of us,

  179. but people have all sort. Of really.

  180. Wrong ideas about God because they don't really know him and

  181. and they haven't read the Bible. You know, and they're.

  182. Outside of God's family. So it's kind of like someone

  183. who's looking in the the window of someone's home and they don't

  184. really know what's going on. In there they can.

  185. See some things but it doesn't. Really make a lot of.

  186. Sense. To them, so people have.

  187. A lot of wrong ideas. About God.

  188. People think that God is judging.

  189. The world right that Jesus came to judge us to judge.

  190. Sin in our lives. But.

  191. That's not scripture. That's not what Jesus.

  192. Came to do Jesus, actually. Said this in John 317.

  193. I love the scripture. We all know John 316, right?

  194. The scripture. Immediately following.

  195. Jesus said that God sent his Son into.

  196. The world. Not to judge the world and that

  197. good news. Jesus didn't come to judge you.

  198. That's. Great news, isn't it?

  199. Jesus went on to say. But to save the world through

  200. him the gospel is good news, sin.

  201. Was already. Judged Jesus took the penalty of

  202. our sin through His. Death on the cross, that's.

  203. When sin was judged, Jesus took that judgement upon himself so

  204. that you and I wouldn't have to take that.

  205. Punishment that judgement upon ourself.

  206. Jesus did that for you. This is a big.

  207. Deal and what Paul is emphasizing in verse 14.

  208. Is that Jesus is our peace. He didn't come for judgement,

  209. but he came for peace. Listen to what else Jesus said

  210. and why he came in Luke 1910. Jesus says that he came to seek

  211. and to save the lost. In Mark 1040. 5 Jesus says that

  212. he came to give. Life as a ransom for many in

  213. John 1010. Jesus says that he came to give

  214. life and all of these things are a result.

  215. Things that happen in our lives as a result.

  216. Of the peace that. Jesus brings, but it's really

  217. more than that. Jesus is our peace.

  218. Everything that we have, we live.

  219. And move and have. Our being in Him right this.

  220. Is a a a theme? All through Ephesians, here in

  221. Christ, through Christ, by Christ, everything that we have

  222. is through him where we're supposed to.

  223. Live in our lives where we're supposed to abide is not outside

  224. the temple, right? No longer in that temple of

  225. Gentiles removed from the. Holy of Holies.

  226. But we're going to look at some things, but we now have

  227. complete. Access.

  228. We can go directly into the Holy of Holies, God's.

  229. Presence way back when. If if a priest.

  230. You know, well, I'm going to get ahead of myself.

  231. I don't want to do that. Let's let's look at Philippians

    Philippians 4 chapter mention

  232. chapter 4 and verse 6:00 and 7:00 because this is a great

  233. portion of scripture about the the the.

  234. Peace that that we have through. Christ Ephesians chapter 4 and

    Ephesians 4 chapter mention

  235. verse 6 it says be anxious for nothing.

  236. How many of? You are anxious at.

  237. Different times you can just leave your hands down, it's OK.

  238. I'll raise, I'll raise. I'll.

  239. Raise the hand for us, right There's times that we're all

  240. anxious about things in our. Lives right there's.

  241. Situations. There's circumstances.

  242. That we have anxiety about. Right, but scripture says.

  243. Be anxious. For nothing that means no matter

  244. what. You're dealing with no matter.

  245. The circumstance or situation that you're.

  246. Facing the position that you should.

  247. Stand in is that of. Not anxiety, right?

  248. And it says, but in everything by prayer and supplication with.

  249. Thanksgiving let your requests requests.

  250. Be made known to God and then in verse 7 it says in the peace of

  251. God, which surpasses all understanding.

  252. Sounds a lot like that, that Scripture.

  253. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own

  254. understanding, right? When you're abiding in Christ.

  255. In that place, in that position, when you're abiding in the

  256. shadow of of his wing, like everything in your life, you're

  257. just staying right there, right wherever.

  258. Christ goes wherever Christ. Moves.

  259. I'm moving with them, right? Like, I don't care how awkward

  260. it is, whatever it feels, wherever Christ is.

  261. Going I want to. Be right there with them,

  262. because in that place there is peace.

  263. That surpasses all understanding.

  264. There's a lot of things going on in this world right now that.

  265. People are freaking out. About right, but not us.

  266. We don't need to freak out. About anything going on in this

  267. world, we can have that peace that surpasses all

  268. understanding. But God, this could affect.

  269. This in my life or or it could cause this to happen in my life.

  270. Don't be anxious for anything right?

  271. You don't abide in anxiety where you abide.

  272. Is in Christ in that? Position there's peace.

  273. Thank God for the peace of Jesus.

  274. Peace really should be the hallmark of a believer right?

  275. Because if we're a Christian, Christian just means Christ.

  276. Like right people should. Look at us as a.

  277. Christian and they should see us.

  278. Christ like in our life. Well, what's the?

  279. Hallmark of being Christ like walking in perfect peace when

  280. people are experiencing anxiety and you're walking.

  281. In. Perfect peace, peace that

  282. surpasses. All understanding.

  283. People want to be around you. They want to be.

  284. Around that why? Because.

  285. There's peace in your presence. Because you're Christ, like

  286. you're, you're just breathing that you know it's just

  287. emanating from you. Peace.

  288. Peace there's. Calm.

  289. There, there's a lot of storms that people deal.

  290. With right, but when they have a friend, when they have a work

  291. colleague, you know when they. Have a relative that they always

  292. walk in peace like in in everything.

  293. Who are they going to phone? Who are they going to to ask for

  294. for prayer? For them, that person that.

  295. Carries that peace of Christ right?

  296. That should be the. Hallmark in our life, the second

  297. thing we want to look at is access changes everything in

  298. Ephesians. Chapter 2 and verse 18.

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  299. The Apostle Paul says now all of us can come to the Father

  300. through the same holy. Spirit because of what?

  301. Christ. Has done Paul's describing

  302. access here right. Access to God, he says.

  303. Now all of us. Can come to the Father.

  304. And it's something that that. Takes the entire Trinity, you

  305. know? The Father, the Son and the and

  306. the Holy Spirit. Now here's the biblical

  307. principle I want you to understand is under the Old

  308. Covenant, and this is what I was going to mention earlier, is

  309. that only the high? Priest could enter into the Holy

  310. of Holies, right? There was a, a, a, a.

  311. Curtain. And it's not like the.

  312. Blinds in your, you know your your.

  313. Your light blocking blinds. That you have on your window,

  314. right? This was a.

  315. Massive, thick curtain and it. Separated the Holy of Holies.

  316. From everything else, right. And you'd have a priest that

  317. would that would go. In there and make atonement.

  318. For for the nation once a. Year on a specific day and they

  319. would have these bells. That would be on their robe.

  320. And they would. Have a rope tied.

  321. To them because if they. Weren't if they went.

  322. Into the Holy of Holies and they went weren't.

  323. Right if their heart wasn't right.

  324. And they went into the the holy. Presence of God, they die.

  325. They'd hear those bells stop. Ringing.

  326. They'd hear a thud. The bells would stop.

  327. Ringing, you know. And, well, they'd have to.

  328. Pull out the straws. And see who who drew the short

  329. straw. Or whatever.

  330. Well, you're the next one in line.

  331. Right, you're you're going to be going in to make.

  332. Atonement for the for the nation next year didn't go so well this

  333. year, right? But what's amazing is now we

  334. have access to that place like the Holy.

  335. Presence of God. Like, do you realize, like what

  336. the Apostle Paul? Is saying here.

  337. Like we can get all religious about things, but each and every

  338. one. Of us.

  339. Can go directly into what previously?

  340. Was only one person. Was.

  341. Allowed to go into each and every one of us now can go to

  342. that place. Like it's so holy.

  343. And you know. We can be so reverent.

  344. We should be reverent about that place.

  345. And This is why it's amazing when the Apostle Paul is talking

  346. about, you know, us. Being the temple of the Holy

  347. Spirit, like we've become in our.

  348. Lives. We've become that holy of

  349. holies, that place. Where God lives, where God

  350. abides, and the. Apostle Paul talks about be.

  351. Careful what you do with this body, because you're.

  352. Now the Temple of the. Holy Spirit, there's things that

  353. you shouldn't do. There's things that you

  354. shouldn't allow yourself to be positioned in because it's like

  355. that priest. Going in and his heart's not not

  356. right. And I'm not saying you're going

  357. to drop dead. Right, but there should be.

  358. A A reverence in a respect, and an honor with our life, with

  359. our. Bodies like where are we taking

  360. this thing? Where are we?

  361. Placing this. What are we allowing this body

  362. to be? Around the apostle Paul talks

  363. about a lot about that, and we'll talk about that in another

  364. in another message sometime. But we should have a.

  365. Reverence and a. Respect for God, but we can go

  366. directly to the throne of God anytime we want.

  367. But that curtain in Matthew chapter 27 and verse 51, the

    Matthew 27 chapter mention

  368. moment that Jesus died on the cross, it says that at that

  369. moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was.

  370. Torn in two from. Top to bottom and it's not

  371. anything that a person could. Tear right, you get the.

  372. Strongest person in the world. There is no way they're tearing

  373. this curtain it. Was like thick, really thick.

  374. Massive like it was a miracle split from the from the top down

  375. and the reason why it's. Split like if we.

  376. Were to split something, we'd probably split it.

  377. You know the point that's easiest for us to get to because

  378. it. Was a massive curtain, right?

  379. We'd grab it from the bottom. And try to try to RIP it but.

  380. God's making a point. Here it's God that split.

  381. That curtain signifying that you now have access.

  382. That what Jesus did he. Tore down that middle wall of

  383. separation. You have access to God the

  384. Creator. Of everything that changes

  385. everything. In your life.

  386. There is now you don't have, I know in some religions, you

  387. know. You go and you confess your sins

  388. to to. Someone right And they can.

  389. Absolve you of your sins and things you don't.

  390. Have. That mediator.

  391. That's. Gone.

  392. Jesus is the mediator. He's.

  393. The one that God sent scripture. Says that he's the mediator.

  394. Between God and mankind, there's no person that can be that

  395. mediator, right? We're all in the exact same

  396. shoes. We're all sinful and have

  397. fallen. Right, but because of Christ,

  398. right we. Now have direct access.

  399. To the King of Kings. The Lord of Lords, the creator

  400. of everything. You can go directly to God and

  401. ask him yourself for what it is that you have need of.

  402. You can pray to God directly. You don't need.

  403. Someone else to pray? For you, right, we can.

  404. I can pray. For you, right?

  405. But I'm not the mediator. Jesus is the mediator you.

  406. Now have direct access. To God.

  407. That's amazing, isn't it? In Hebrews chapter. 14 and verse

  408. 16 it says so let us. Come boldly to the.

  409. Throne of our gracious God. Like my kids don't come to me,

  410. you know, if they didn't. Want something you know he's not

  411. on his hands and knees? You know father, Father, right?

  412. He has direct access to me, doesn't he?

  413. He can come directly to me and ask me.

  414. Whatever he wants, you know? And if I'm able to?

  415. Then now give him. Whatever.

  416. He. He.

  417. Wants right? Like that's my.

  418. Heart we're able to go directly to God.

  419. Our Heavenly Father. Come boldly to God's.

  420. Throne right and and. Days a long time ago if you

  421. were, if you were to go before a king, and you went.

  422. Unannounced and you were uninvited.

  423. Right, you'd be put to death. Right in the Bible.

  424. When when you have the. Esther, right?

  425. Do you know that? That story where the the.

  426. Israel. There's someone who?

  427. Really hated the Jews and he was.

  428. He was scheming to have all of the Jews killed.

  429. It's interesting how the devil keeps trying that over and over

  430. again, right? It's the same story over and

  431. over again. And her, her uncle said, you

  432. know, she had a lot of favor with the king.

  433. And he said, you know, you need to go to the king and tell him

  434. like what's? Happening.

  435. And she's like, well. I could be killed for that, you

  436. know? And he said.

  437. Well, there's a. There's a.

  438. Reason why, you know, he said. There's.

  439. There's such a time as this. That's why she was there.

  440. That's why she was. Positioned.

  441. That's why God gave her favor with this king because of this.

  442. And so she approached the. King not trusting the Lord that

  443. he wasn't going to kill her, but she wasn't invited.

  444. That could have happened, right? But God is saying, come boldly

  445. to his throne. You don't even need to like

  446. blink at it. You don't need to think about

  447. it, right? Just go boldly to the throne,

  448. whatever it is that you have need of.

  449. And what's great is He. Goes on to say, here, let us

  450. come boldly to the throne of our.

  451. Gracious God, there we will receive His mercy.

  452. Thank God for His mercy. I need the Lord's mercy every

  453. single day. In my life, and I'm thankful for

  454. His mercy. In my life, we don't.

  455. Have to approach God perfect a lot of us think we we have to

  456. while I need to fix. This in my life.

  457. Before I can approach God, I need to do.

  458. This or better myself, Listen. Approach God how you.

  459. Are because there's mercy there right there's it says he's

  460. gracious let us come. Boldly to the.

  461. Throne of our gracious God. And there you will receive his

  462. mercy, and we will find. Grace to help us when we need it

  463. most. Man that access.

  464. Changes everything in your life. Not everyone has.

  465. That there's millions and millions of people.

  466. That are bound in. Dead and empty religion.

  467. They do not believe that they have access to God at all.

  468. They believe that if I do this, if I better.

  469. Myself, if I'm a good person. Right.

  470. Maybe God will look. On me kindly.

  471. And maybe I'll have some. Favor with him and maybe.

  472. Possibly we have that guarantee all those who believe in Christ,

  473. who are in Him, who have made him their Lord, who have made

  474. their him their Savior, we are guaranteed eternal life with

  475. God. He sent the Holy Spirit, right?

  476. As our. Guarantee we talked.

  477. About that in the 1st. Chapter of Ephesians right he

  478. sent the Holy Spirit as. The guarantee for this massive,

  479. amazing inheritance that Jesus has given us.

  480. You have access to God, right? Now, and the last thing I want

  481. to talk about is a house you were born to live in.

  482. This is where I want to focus a little bit on in verses 19 and

  483. 20 or 19. Through 22 because.

  484. Paul just doesn't stop at peace and access, but he.

  485. Tells us what we're actually born into in Ephesians chapter

    Ephesians 2 chapter mention

  486. 2, that's what we're. Going to read 19 through 22

  487. again, it says. So now you Gentiles are no

  488. longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all

  489. of God's holy. People you are.

  490. Members of God's family. And together we are his house.

  491. Built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets and

  492. the cornerstone is Jesus Christ himself.

  493. Verse 21 We are carefully. Joined.

  494. Together with him becoming a holy temple for the Lord

  495. through. Him you are being made into a

  496. dwelling place for God who lives in you by His Spirit.

  497. So Paul uses 3 layers here. I don't want you.

  498. To to miss what Paul? Is saying here, he says.

  499. Firstly, that you are. Citizens, citizens of heaven,

  500. that means that. You have legal.

  501. Standing right if you're a citizen of Ireland.

  502. You have rights, right, according to the laws of this

  503. government, don't you? You're a.

  504. Citizen, you have rights. Well, you belong to God's

  505. Kingdom, right? You have access, you have

  506. rights, right? Are you getting what I'm saying

  507. here? You're in the registry, you're

  508. on the list. You're citizens of heaven.

  509. We're not of this world, right? I was born in America, right?

  510. In Aurora, IL. Just outside of Chicago, right?

  511. I'm a citizen, I have a passport, an American passport.

  512. Working on getting my Irish. Passport.

  513. Pastor Amy. Already has hers, Sierra.

  514. Already has hers. Aveline.

  515. Has her Irish passport but Aiden and I were were next right.

  516. We're going to become Irish. Citizens working on that.

  517. OK, but I'm not a citizen. Of America.

  518. On paper, I am right. I might be becoming naturally.

  519. A citizen of Ireland. Right, but I'm a citizen.

  520. Of heaven. I belong to Christ, no one on

  521. this earth. Owns me Jesus does my life I've

  522. given to him, dedicated to him. I've made him my Lord, capital

  523. L, my Lord, and my Savior if. Someone's the Lord of your life.

  524. That means you're completely subject to them.

  525. Right. I've made Jesus Christ my Lord.

  526. Have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life?

  527. You're a citizen of heaven. The second is you are family,

  528. right? Apostle Paul says you're a

  529. citizen, but then he goes. On to say that you're a family,

  530. you're not a servant, you're not a visitor, but family you're

  531. not. Tolerated, but you're loved and

  532. cherished by God. But the amazing thing is, is

  533. that family has access that no one else has, right?

  534. If you're part of my family, there's things.

  535. That you have access of. In my family that no one else

  536. has access of, you know it's the same thing with your.

  537. Family, anyone who's. Part of your family, everyone in

  538. that family has access that everyone outside doesn't.

  539. Have access to, well, we're. A part of the family of God in

  540. the 1st. Chapter of Ephesians here it

  541. says that we've been adopted into his family right we.

  542. Are in the. Family of God meaning we have

  543. access to the things of God. We can go directly to his throne

  544. of grace, right? Jesus has.

  545. Given us access. The third thing is, and this is

  546. a wild one, Paul says that you have become a dwelling place for

  547. God. When you commit your life to to

  548. Jesus. Making him the Lord and.

  549. Savior the Holy Spirit. Comes to dwell.

  550. Within you as the guarantee of all.

  551. This inheritance, the things that Christ has purchased for us

  552. to. Live in and.

  553. Abide in now in this. Life, but also those things that

  554. we're going to experience. Throughout eternity.

  555. We just tasted a little itty bit.

  556. Of that inheritance. It's going to be so amazing in

  557. verse. 22 It says through him you are being made into a

  558. dwelling. Place for God who lives in you

  559. by. His Spirit.

  560. Everywhere you go, God is with you.

  561. Whatever it is that you're dealing with, God is with you.

  562. Whatever it is that you're walking through in your life,

  563. God is with you. You're now Co joined.

  564. You're the temple. Of the Holy Spirit God is living

  565. within you think about that like what does that mean when the

  566. devil. Tries to mess with.

  567. Me. Who's he messing with?

  568. Who? Who has your back?

  569. Who's in your corner? And This is why when the when

  570. scripture says. Greater is he who is in you than

  571. he who is in the world. When the.

  572. Apostle Paul says that we're. Conquerors.

  573. Not only that, but we're more than conquerors.

  574. Right. Like picture what the Apostle

  575. Paul is really meaning and referring to.

  576. When the devil is picking on you, he's picking on a.

  577. Child of God. Right.

  578. And when we put our faith in that, knowing that God has our

  579. back. Right.

  580. So I'm going to close with this. You don't.

  581. Stumble into God's family. You're not an accident, right?

  582. Don't tell Eileen, you know. But she wasn't.

  583. A planned pregnancy. Right.

  584. But she's a miracle. She's why?

  585. We're still in this country. On our visa that we we were.

  586. On you know, we. Could stay a.

  587. Maximum of five years. We were, you know, it's

  588. supposed. To be a three-year visa, you're

  589. allowed two. Extensions and then after that

  590. you know bye. See you later.

  591. You know, and we're like, OK, Lord, if you want us to stay in

  592. this country, we don't believe we're done.

  593. Here we believe. You sent us here for a plan and

  594. for. A purpose.

  595. But if you want us to stay here, you're going to have to.

  596. Perform a miracle. Again, it's the trust in the

  597. Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own

  598. understanding. How are you going to do this

  599. miracle? Lord, I don't know.

  600. I don't know how you're going to do it.

  601. I'm just putting my faith and trust and hope.

  602. In you. And bada Bing bada boom.

  603. Hey, there's Aveline, right? She was the answer to that

  604. prayer. She is the miracle.

  605. That allowed us to then. Be able to.

  606. Stay in this country and change. Our our visas to a a residence

  607. visa. And then now.

  608. Of course, three of our. In our family are are citizens

  609. and they deny our next on there right.

  610. You never know what the Lord's going to do.

  611. She might not have been intentional.

  612. For Pastor Amy and I, all right, but you going into becoming part

  613. of God's family. He was intentional in that.

  614. He wanted you in his family. He prepared for you.

  615. To be in his family. He made provision for you to be.

  616. In his family, I don't know if you remember Ephesians chapter 1

    Ephesians 1 chapter mention

  617. and verse 4. It says even before he made the.

  618. World, right? Before any of this existed.

  619. It says that God loved us and chose us in.

  620. Christ to be holy. And without fault in his eyes.

  621. He chose us, He chose you. And of course I don't know if

  622. you know Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse.

    Jeremiah 1 chapter mention

  623. Five, it says before. Or says I knew.

  624. You before you were. Formed in your mother's womb.

  625. Before you were born, I set you apart.

  626. You're special. You're special to God.

  627. He was very. Purposeful and very intentional

  628. you're. In his family, right?

  629. Because he wants you in his family.

  630. Scripture says that he's not. Willing that any would not, he's

  631. not. Willing that any would perish,

  632. but that all would come to repentance.

  633. Right, he wants. Every person.

  634. To be in his family, he's chosen each and every one of us, right?

  635. But we have. To make that decision.

  636. We have to make that choice. Yes, I'm going to be part of

  637. God's family, but when we do. Wow, it is.

  638. Amazing. It's really cool to.

  639. Have testimonies, you know, like Joshua this morning, you know,

  640. when, when we're part of God's family.

  641. There's perks that this world. Doesn't have access to because

  642. they're not part of God's family, but when you're in God's

  643. family. We can just walk.

  644. In in that complete. Trust that peace that surpasses.

  645. All understanding and though. The devil may come to to steal,

  646. to kill. And cause destruction in our

  647. lives. Jesus gives us that peace, but

  648. he also gives us life we have access to, healing we have

  649. access to. All sorts of things in in this

  650. inheritance, he tells us in the scripture like everything you

  651. know, I I gave out in this in this series, there was a card.

  652. If you didn't get. One, you know, let me know and

  653. I'll get you one. But it's all the in him

  654. scriptures. All the all the through Christ

  655. scriptures, all the by by Christ scriptures, all these things

  656. that Jesus did for us like that's.

  657. Our inheritance, that's as a citizen, as a family member of

  658. God like. Those are our rights, right?

  659. We can say, well, how can you say that?

  660. That's a right that I. Have a right?

  661. To healing in my life. How can you say that I have a

  662. right for? All of my.

  663. Need to be met? Well, because that's what

  664. Scripture says, right? It's not.

  665. Based on what? Pastor Brad.

  666. Hopes for your life, what I desire for your life, or even

  667. what you desire, right? We have God's word on it.

  668. He's already told us what. He wants for us.

  669. All's we need to do is trust in him with.

  670. All of our heart and lean not on our own understanding and just.

  671. Speak. That over our life and believe.

  672. Him that he's going to. 'Cause that natural to change.

  673. By his supernatural right, He's well able, isn't he?

  674. Do you believe that? Well, if you're a believer.

  675. You're not an outsider. Looking in, you're a family.

  676. Member Now I want us all to close our eyes and I want you to

  677. pray. Pray this after me, you know

  678. sometimes. Prayer Prayers can be a a.

  679. Declaration like we're declaring things.

  680. Over our lives speaking. God's word over our lives.

  681. That's a part of of our prayer. It's not just asking a a list of

  682. demands or wants or needs that we have.

  683. Sometimes it's. It's.

  684. Declaring what God's Word says over us.

  685. So let's all pray this together. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank

  686. you that I belong, that I'm not a stranger, that I'm not a

  687. foreigner, that I'm a member of your family and I.

  688. Receive the peace that Jesus. Preached And I come boldly to

  689. your throne today, and I declare that your Spirit lives in me and

  690. I take my place in your house in Jesus name, Amen.

  691. Thank you for listening to the Triumph Church podcast this

  692. week. If it was a blessing to you,

  693. share it with someone you know. For more information on Triumph

  694. Church, you can visit us at www.triumphchurch.ie.