Taught 10/12/2008
Ephesians 2:11-16
The Peace of God
Open your Bible to…
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Pray
Intro
√ The peace of God
You may have thought from our opening scripture that this is a Christmas sermon!
It’s not, however, the angelic choir that heralded the birth of Jesus communicates in their song part of the mission of the Messiah and that is to bring peace to mankind.
Peace, the dictionary defines peace as…
“Freedom from war, or the time when a war or conflict end.”
And…
“Freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”
While most people on this planet desperately want peace, the unfortunate reality is that the world hasn’t known much peace since sin entered the world!
That’s because sin placed us at war with God and consequentially at war with one another.
Thus, God sent His Son into the world to end the war between Man and God and thereby make peace possible for us…
First with God
Then with one another
Well, in our text this morning the Apostle Paul explains the peace mission of Messiah.
Why it was necessary, and how He accomplished it.
He uses three important words to help us understand the mission of Christ and how He brought us peace…
Separation
Reconciliation
Unification
Paul’s purpose was to help Christians, in Ephesus, and in Rogers, understand and experience peace with God and Man.
Ap. Peacemakers
Our society today is polarized like it hasn’t been since the Civil War!
People seem to have moved from the center of the political spectrum to the extremes on both left and right.
We have red states and blues states, liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican, and too few who recognize that we can disagree agreeably!
Instead it seems like everyone feels it necessary to demonize those on the other side of the fence rather than finding common ground to work from.
Unfortunately that same attitude has seeped into the Church through the so-called “discernment ministries.”
Some of these ministries provide a useful service as they help us understand the beliefs and practices of the cults.
But too many today have become “sounding brass” as they try and ferret out the “dirt” on other Christians.
May I remind you that we can, and should, disagree agreeably with other believers.
That is, we can, as I’ll do this morning, point out what we perceive as errors in doctrine or practice…
…without slandering a brother or calling into question their salvation.
We’re called to be peacemakers by presenting the Gospel of Peace to the lost…
…and by reconciling Christians one to another.
Separation ~ what the Gentiles were (vs. 11-12)
Eph. 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—
Eph. 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
√ Separation ~ what the Gentiles were
In the opening verses of chapter 2 you’ll recall that Paul wrote about the work of God to save sinners.
We were all born dead, disobedient, depraved, and doomed! (now for the bad news! ~ kidding!)
But God, worked through His Son to make us alive, to deliver us from death and doom, and to transform us into the image of His Son!
Those first 10 verses then were written to a general audience, that is to both Jews and Gentiles as we all need a Savior!
But, in our study this morning Paul turns his attention to the specific work that Jesus did for Gentiles.
The reason is that most of the believers at Ephesus were Gentiles.
They knew that under the Old Covenant they were denied access to 5 special privileges God had given to the Jewish people.
So, Paul lists those privileges to help the Gentiles to understand how desperate their situation was before Christ…
…and how blessed they are now in Christ!
Without Christ ~ vs. 12
“that at that time you were without Christ”
Before believing in Jesus the people of Ephesus were pagans!
They worshipped the false goddess Diana and her image, which was nothing more than a strange shaped rock that some claim fell from the sky! (read “meteorite”).
They knew nothing of the One true God or of the hope of Messiah to deliver them of from their sin.
So, before Jesus was preached to them they were without Christ.
Ap. We’re all born without Christ!
Jew and Gentile alike are born without Christ and in need of a Savior! No salvation outside of Christ!
Without citizenship ~ vs. 12
“being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel”
God called a people to Himself from which He built a nation, Israel.
Citizenship belonged to those people who were physical descendants of Jacob.
A Gentile could become a citizen of Israel by converting to Judaism, but he there were some privileges that he could never enjoy…
Couldn’t come into the main Temple courtyard.
Couldn’t serve as a priest.
Couldn’t rule as a king.
In a very real sense the convert to Judaism would always be a second-class citizen because he wasn’t born a Jew.
The point is that God chose Israel as His own nation that simply wasn’t true of any Gentile country.
So, all of us Gentiles are born without citizenship in God’s nation.
Without covenants ~ vs. 12
“strangers from the covenants of promise”
We read in the Old Testament that God made a number of special covenants with the Jewish people…
Abrahamic ~ to create a people and nation
Promised Land ~ to give the nation a homeland
Davidic ~ to give Israel a king (Messiah)
New ~ to give Israel a new heart & spiritual life
The Gentiles by birth were deprived of these special blessings simply because they weren’t physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…
…so they were without covenants which leads to Paul’s next point!
Without hope ~ vs. 12
“having no hope”
The sad reality for Gentiles is that because they were born outside of the blessings that God had given Israel they had no hope for a brighter future!
There was no Messiah to look forward to, no Deliverer to rescue them from sin and death, no kingdom, no heaven and no eternal life.
They were left to themselves to try and patch together some meaning in life and to scratch out some pleasure to brighten their vain existence…
…they were born without hope!
Ex. My life at 18
I remember thinking…
…is this it?!
Without God ~ vs. 12
“without God in the world”
That’s not to say they didn’t have religion and a host of gods, the Gentiles had both!
Ex. Athens & Ephesus
It was said of Athens that…
“It was easier to find a god than a man in Athens!”
Paul himself on his visit to Athens noted that…
“for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” ~ Acts 17:23
The Athenians wanted to cover their bases!
Ephesus was home to the Temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the destination of worshippers from around the world.
But, for all their gods and goddesses the Gentiles did not know the One true God!
So, they were without God and therefore not entitled to any of the blessings available to the Jewish people to whom God had revealed Himself.
Ap. It’s not God’s fault!
Before we move on to what God did for the Gentiles, it’s important to note that it wasn’t because God didn’t love them that they were without God.
Rather, as Paul demonstrates in Romans chapter 1 the Gentiles began with God…
…but chose to reject Him and to worship the Creation, rather than the Creator.
We see that truth played out in Genesis chapters 3-11 where the Bible traces the downward spiral of mankind from the knowledge of God to Man’s vain attempt at the Tower of Babel to build a unity without God.
It’s no coincidence that in the chapter following Man’s rebellion against God at the Tower of Babel…
…that we find God stepping into history to separate a people for Himself through Abraham ~ the father of the Jewish people.
God’s plan was to bless both Jews and Gentiles through a descendant of Abraham…
…Jesus the Messiah who would bring real unity among all peoples through His work on the Cross.
Reconciliation ~ what God did for the Gentiles (vs. 13-18)
Eph. 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Eph. 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
Eph. 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
Eph. 2:16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Eph. 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
Eph. 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
√ Reconciliation ~ what God did for the Gentiles
I read through vs. 18 because it’s all part of one thought, however…
I’m going to push vs. 17-18 to our study next week so that we don’t rush through the important truths that Paul share with us.
Back to vs. 13, notice how it begins…
“But now”
Just like the “but God” back in vs. 4.
Both speak of God’s gracious intervention into the human experience to save sinners…
…Jew and Gentile alike!
But here in vs. 13 Paul has in mind only the Gentiles and what God did to reconcile us so that they could share in all of the privileges given to the Jews!
The word “reconcile” means…
“To bring together again”
God created us to be together, with Him, and with one another.
But sin separated us, first from God, then from one another.
We see that sad truth played out all around us in our daily human experience.
On the one hand every one of us is desperate to belong, to be loved, and to be in union with God and other people…
…yet we have this perverse self-centered sin-nature within us that drives us apart!
So, through the work of God Jesus brought peace so that we might be reconciled with Him and with one another.
He reconciled Jews & Gentiles ~ vs. 13-15
In addition to the separation that sin causes, with God’s selection of Abraham and his descendants to be His chosen people He then put a difference between Jew and Gentile.
God’s purpose for the distinction was to make the Jewish people a visual aide to the rest of Mankind.
The differences in their religion, dress, diet and laws were meant to show the world that God desired a people who were separated from the world system unto Himself.
The Jews were supposed to be a light to the world to point the Gentiles back to God.
Additionally the God-given differences were put in place to preserve the line through which Messiah would come, the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles.
But, once that salvation came and God’s purposes were accomplished then there was no longer any need for a difference between Jews and Gentiles!
√ Reconciliation
In verses 13-15 Paul tells us how God reconciled Jews and Gentiles and brought peace between us, it was by the blood of Christ by which He…
Brought Gentiles into the kingdom and made us equal participants in the covenant blessings of Israel.
Broke down the wall (the Law) that separated Jews and Gentiles so that we might worship God together.
Made us, believing Jew and Gentile, one body (the Church) so that in Christ we are no longer two groups, but one!
By His blood Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of the Law and took upon Himself the punishment for all our sins…
…thereby removing the legal barrier that separated Jew and Gentile!
√ No more difference
So, after centuries where there was a difference between Jews an Gentiles, today there is no distinction!
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” ~ Romans 10:12-13
And as Peter declared at the Jerusalem counsel…
“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we (Jews!) shall be saved in the same manner as they.” ~ Acts 15:11
That is, there is only one way for people, Jews and Gentiles, to be saved…
…through trusting in Jesus Christ!
Ap. Contrary to the doctrine of men
The Roman Catholic Church on John Paul II said that the Jewish people do not need to be evangelized because they already have a relationship with God.
John Hagee, a popular Protestant TV preacher says…
“Trying to convert Jews is a “waste of time,
Everyone else, whether Buddhist or Baha’i, needs to believe in Jesus, he says. But not Jews. Jews already have a covenant with God that has never been replaced with Christianity, he says.
“The Jewish people have a relationship to God through the law of God as given through Moses,” Hagee said. “I believe that every Gentile person can only come to God through the cross of Christ. I believe that every Jewish person who lives in the light of the Torah, which is the word of God, has a relationship with God and will come to redemption.
“The law of Moses is sufficient enough to bring a person into the knowledge of God until God gives him a greater revelation. And God has not”
“I’m not trying to convert the Jewish people to the Christian faith.” ~ Houston Chron. 4/30/88
Apparently no one told Jesus and His apostles that the Jews didn’t need to accept Christ to get to heaven!
My point is that both of these examples show a serious departure from the Word of God and the historical Gospel preached by Jesus and His apostles.
Our text this morning, along with the record of the Jerusalem counsel, and the record of Peter and Paul’s preaching in the Book of Acts clearly demonstrate that both Jews and Gentiles need Jesus as a Savoir!
There is no other way to heaven! Peter, preaching to the Jews at the Temple said…
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ~ Acts 4:12
So, be a Berean and test what you hear by the Word of God.
Close
√ The peace of God
We live in a world desperately in need of peace…
First with God
Second with other people
Jesus was sent to bring us peace by ending the war that Man began with God.
Have you experienced that peace?
If not, give your life to God today and you will!
Christian, are you at peace with others?
If not it may be because like the Jewish believers in the early church you don’t like the way other Christians practice their faith.
May I encourage you to follow Paul’s exhortation to the Christians at Ephesus…
Eph. 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph. 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph. 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.