Taught 10/19/2008
Ephesians 2:16-22
Peace with God
Pray
Intro
√ Peace with God
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 we find the Apostle Paul continues to explain 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
Last week we worked out way through separation, that prior to Christ Gentiles were without…
Christ
Citizenship
Covenants
Hope
God
And half way through reconciliation, what God did for the Gentiles, He…
Reconciled Jews and Gentiles
This morning we’ll finish Paul’s thoughts on Jesus’ work of reconciliation and how He…
Reconciled sinners and God
And, we’ll look at the work of unification between Jews and Gentiles that Jesus has accomplished by His work on the Cross.
Reconciliation ~ what God did for the Gentiles (vs. 16-18)
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.
1) He reconciled sinners & God ~ vs. 16-18
Not only did Jews and Gentiles need to be reconciled with one another…
…they both needed to be reconciled with God!
That’s because all people are born separated from God because of our inherited sin-nature.
While the Jews had the Law, the Law could not save them!
In fact, the same Law that separated Jews from Gentiles also separated all men, Jew and Gentile, from God because we are all sinners…
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ~ Rom. 3:23
That was the Gospel preached by the apostles and it was the conclusion of the Jerusalem counsel that met to debate how a person can be saved.
Remember, the question considered was whether or not Gentiles had to become Jews first in order to be saved.
But Peter testified that…
“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” ~ Acts 15:11
That is, the real question wasn’t whether a Gentile had to become a Jew to be saved…
…but was the Jew was willing to admit he was a sinner just like the Gentiles and could only be saved by faith in Christ!
√ Reconciliation ~ what God did for Jews & Gentiles
So, Jesus made peace between Man and God by His sacrifice on the Cross through which He ended the war between us…
“and that He might reconcile them both (Jew & Gentile) to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” ~ vs. 16
Now that the war is ended, both Jew and Gentile have access to God through the Cross of Christ…
“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” ~ vs. 18
That is, there aren’t two paths to heaven, one for Jews and another for Gentiles…
…there is only one way to salvation and that is through the Cross of Christ.
Ex. The veil in the Temple
At the very moment of Jesus’ death on the Cross the veil in the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (or “Holy of Holies”) was rent from top to bottom!
Matt. 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Matt. 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Under the Law only the high priest could go past the veil into the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year!
The veil symbolized the separation between God and Man.
God is holy, man is not.
But, with Jesus’ death all of our sin that kept us separated from God was atoned for and the penalty of our sin canceled reconciling us to God!
Ap. Have you signed up!?
There isn’t a better offer out there! The very God of Heaven gave His life that we could live ~ not going to pass that up!
Unification ~ what Jews & Gentiles are in Christ (vs. 19-22)
Eph. 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph. 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph. 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
√ Unification ~ what Jews & Gentiles are in Christ
Have you noticed that Paul likes to repeat words and phrases so as to make a point!?
One of the words he repeats here in our text is the word “one”.
He does so to emphasize the unity that Jesus has brought between Jew and Gentile by His work on the Cross.
Note…
“who has made both one” ~ vs. 14
“one new man” ~ vs. 15
“one body” ~ vs. 16
“one Spirit” ~ vs. 18
Paul’s point is that all of the things that once separated Jews and Gentiles are erased by the blood of Jesus.
In Christ, believers are brought together and given an equal footing before God.
We are all brothers and sisters equally loved by God.
So, in our closing verses Paul provides three illustrations to help us understand the unity between believing Jews and Gentiles in the Church.
Ex. The issue in the early Church!
Most of the early local churches were made up of Jews and Gentiles.
They believed in the same Jesus, but they didn’t always get along when it came to how they should practice their faith.
You’ll find that much of what Paul wrote to the churches were instructions and encouragement to get along and to stop judging one another with regard to how the other practiced their faith.
Food & drink
Day of worship
Clothing
Unfortunately the Church didn’t really catch the vision and today it is rare to find believers of Jewish heritage worshipping along side of Gentile believers.
One nation ~ vs. 19a
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints...”
As we have already noted the Gentiles were born without citizenship in the kingdom because God chose Israel from among the nations to be His own special people.
But, through the Cross of Christ God opened the door to citizenship to anyone who would place their faith in Christ.
So, in the Age of Grace believing Jews and Gentiles are untied together in a spiritual nation…
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” ~ 1 Peter 2:9
One nation, under God!
Ex. One nation in Christ
In the Old Testament times the peoples of the world trace their lineage back to the sons of Noah listed in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10…
“Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.” ~ Gen. 10:1
Follow the rest of chapter 10 and you’ll find that every people group on the earth came from one of these three men.
But in Genesis 11 we find that the people of the world were divided and separated by God to distant parts of the earth because of their sin…
…their attempt to build a unity without God and make their own way to heaven.
However, through faith in Jesus all the people of the world are reunited again!
Ex. The path of the Gospel
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in the book of Acts we find…
Acts 8 ~ a descendant of Ham, the Ethiopian eunuch is saved!
Acts 9 ~ a descendant of Shem, Saul of Tarsus is saved!
Acts 10 ~ a descendant of Japheth, Cornelius the Roman Centurion is saved!
In essence we see the power of the Gospel played out in the book of Acts as it unites all peoples together into one nation…
…regardless of our national, tribal, ethnic and genetic differences!
Ap. The true Gospel is for all people
You’ll find many strange groups today that claim to be Christian, but who are also exclusive regarding who they say can be saved.
There are anti-Semitic groups
White Supremacist groups
Identity groups
But, the true Gospel message is one that unites all people in Christ as seen in John’s glimpse of the Church in heaven…
Rev. 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Rev. 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
Sin divided mankind, but Christ unites by His Spirit into One people!
One family ~ vs. 19b
Paul’s next illustration of the unity we have in Christ is that of a family…
“…and members of the household of God”
Reminding us that in Christ we all have the same Father!
That’s important because the chief distinction, and bragging point for the Jews was that they were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Gentiles couldn’t claim Abraham as their father because they were descended from a different line.
In the early church that caused some friction because some of the Jewish believers still saw the Gentile believers as second class citizens in the kingdom.
But Paul, a Jew, reminds us that in Christ our human father is not important because when a person is born-again they become a new person with God as their Father.
One temple ~ vs. 20-22
Paul’s third illustration to demonstrate the unity of believers is that of a Temple…
Eph. 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph. 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
As you study the Bible you’ll find an interesting progression of how God related to mankind.
In Genesis we find that God “walked” with His people ~ like Enoch.
In Exodus we find that God chose to “dwell” with His people by inhabiting the Tabernacle that Moses built.
But, during the time of Eli the people of God sinned greatly and the glory of God departed from the Tabernacle.
Later king Solomon built a Temple in Jerusalem and God came to dwell among His people once more as a sign of His love toward His people.
But, because of Israel’s unfaithfulness God’s presence once more departed from the Temple as recorded by Ezekiel.
We don’t see God dwelling with His people again until the birth of Jesus…
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” ~ John 1:14
But, wicked men nailed Jesus to a Cross and after His resurrection from the dead He ascended back to Heaven.
So, after the Ascension we find that God was not dwelling in the Temple in Jerusalem, nor was He dwelling among us in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.
Instead God chose to dwell in His people by the presence of His Holy Spirit as Jesus promised…
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Today then God dwells individually in the hearts of those who have trusted in Jesus as Savior (I Cor. 3:16 & I Cor. 6:19) and collectively in the Church.
√ A spiritual Temple
It’s important to recognize that the “Church” is not a building, it is the people.
Ex. Where’s your church?
I know what people mean when they ask that, but sometimes I want to play with their mind a bit and respond…
“Well, the church is at Wal-mart right now shopping, and it is also working on a project at Tyson’s, and running the sports program at the Boys & Girls Club in Bentonville”
The bottom line is there’s nothing inherently special or spiritual about the building we meet in because God doesn’t live here…
…He lives in your heart and mine and that’s the real “Church”.
√ Living stones
Paul tells us in vs. 20-22 how the Church is built.
Like all buildings it has a foundation, a corner stone, and other stones that make up the rest of the building
Paul tells us is vs. 20 that the apostles and prophets are the foundation, specifically it is the Gospel message preached by them as Paul clarifies in his letter to the Corinthian church…
1Cor. 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
I Cor. 3:11 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
However, a foundation is only as good as that which it is built upon! The Churches foundation is solid because it’s built on Jesus Christ…
“Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”
vs. 20
In ancient times the cornerstone was the first stone placed from which all the other foundation stones had to line up.
Without the cornerstone the foundation wouldn’t be square or level.
Reminds us that Jesus is the centerpiece of the Gospel we preach and the life around which the Church functions.
With the cornerstone and foundation in place the walls can now go up, Paul and Peter tell us that we are the stones in the building…
Eph. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph. 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
And…
1Pet. 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The illustration reminds us that each of us has a unique and important role to play in the church.
You might not be one of the stones that everyone can see, but none the less you’re just as important as the more obvious parts of the church.
We need every stone in place to do the work of God!
Ex. Calling Jay to inspect an “as is” home
Close
√ Peace with God
Through the Cross of Christ we now have peace with God, and with Man!
But, Satan still works to bring division within the Church so keep your guard up and strive for peace with one another.
We need every stone in place to get the work of God done!