Sermon - Ephesians 2:11-22 - Littleby Baptist Church - September 23, 2018

Last week as we were looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and it started out painting a bleak picture of how we are all sinners. Every single one of us has fallen short in one form or fashion. We could be trying to have the same toys as the next guy, trying to fit in with our co-workers, or putting our wants ahead of God’s Plan for our life. We weren’t created to do those things, we were created to be God’s children. Thankfully God out of his infinite wisdom, mercy, and love gave us an amazing gift of grace.

This amazing gift is given freely and received simply by having faith. As His children we have been elevated from our place as sinners to co-heirs with Christ. We are to no longer be who we used to be and do what we used to do. We need to focus fully on Jesus and the path He has for us. Remember an heir or co-heir not only gets the benefits of their position, but also has a responsibility to do their part in the family. For us that means we need to be living our lives the best we can, being a witness wherever we go, and making disciples… in short, we need to be Loving Others.

Let’s see what Paul has for us today, starting at:

Ephesians 2:11-12

“¹¹ So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. ¹² At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.”

The Letter to the Ephesians was written to the Gentiles, or non-Jewish, believers just like those of us sitting here today. Gentiles were not decedents of Abraham and did not practice the act of circumcision. They Jewish people saw the Gentiles as separate, unclean, and in many ways inferior. Circumcision was a physical sign to show that the Jewish people were set apart as God’s children. The Law and Sacrificial system was for God’s chosen people and the Gentiles had no part in it at all.

The Gentiles had no part of the coming Messiah Jesus Christ, they were not part of the Nation of Israel, they were excluded from God’s covenants with Israel which means they did not have a future in Glory with God. The Gentiles worshipped many man made gods which gave them no real hope for the future and they had no connection to the One True God.

Being a Gentile before Jesus’ time on earth really stank. There would have been no way to connect to God. You could not be cleansed by going to the temple and offering sacrifices. You had no part in the coming Messiah and really only lived for the day and if things turned south you would have had no Hope to focus on. 

If you think about it, that is exactly what those who do not know Jesus today live like. They are not even thinking about where they are going to spend eternity. They are focused solely on today’s needs and wants and a false belief that if they are good enough they are set. They do not see a purpose for their lives and when things are going rough there is no Hope to hold onto.

We have witnessed this when going through medical issues in the past. Alexis and I held on to Jesus during our challenges, but we had friends who did not understand, and did not want to hear about who we had faith in. They would get mad that we had faith in God and were comfortable that He would carry us through whatever challenge we faced. They in turn became bitter and angry as they went through their own medical challenges. Without Jesus they had no hope, they could not see the light that was available to them. With our faith in Jesus we have more Hope than we could ever need. Without faith in Christ, you have nothing.

Ephesians 2:13

“¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

You were once separated from God, unequal to the Jews, but now that has all changed. Through God’s Master Plan you are now included, a piece of art, part of God’s family.

Ephesians 2:14-16

“¹⁴ For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, ¹⁵ he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death."

It is no longer Jew or Gentile, child of Abraham or from the world; it is simply one big family of God. The wall that existed before Jesus’ sacrifice that kept us Gentiles separate from God’s chosen people is gone. Through Jesus’ blood all who believe are one big family. All that matters is believing that Jesus is the Messiah, that He died for your sins, and that your salvation comes from His death as the ultimate sacrifice and His resurrection gives you new life.

Jewish ancestry no longer mattered, following the Law of the Old Covenant was not needed, only Faith in Jesus will bring life, hope, and peace. Faith in Jesus makes the Jew and the Gentile brothers and sisters in Christ. One group is no longer better than the other. One group, one path to salvation, one mission, and one family.

Sadly, too often today you will hear people talk about how those Baptist have all these rules to follow. Or you might hear that those Charismatics are practicing something that we do not understand. If we all believe in Jesus Christ, who He is, what He did, and what it means for those of us who choose to follow Him, the rest of that stuff does not matter. We practice the Lord’s Supper and water baptism. The Quakers don’t feel the need to do those things. The Pentecostals will speak in tongues during their services and the Charismatics might dance while they are worshipping.

No matter what we or they do, the only important question that needs to be asked and answered is how is one saved. If the answer is through faith in Jesus, the rest of that stuff that separates us, does not matter.

Now there are those who will tell you that you have to go to confession for your sins to be absolved, or that if you are not water baptized you are not truly saved. Some will say you have to worship in one of their temples only and go through their classes to be saved. Some will say you have to be on the membership role of a church to get to heaven. When people do that, they are saying that Jesus blood and resurrection were not enough.

My Bible tells me that to be saved I need to have faith in who Jesus is and what He did for me. If I believe, I am saved and belong to God’s family. If we believe, it does not matter if we sing the old hymns, dance during worship, speak in tongues, or honor our Lord by water baptism and the Lord’s supper. Our faith saves us and makes us part of God’s family. One Body, One Church.

Ephesians 2:17-18

“¹⁷ He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one spirit to the Father.”

Paul is letting everyone know that the Good News and Peace are for all humankind. It does not matter if you were Gentiles who were far away from God or for Jews who were God’s chosen people. The message is for all of us.

1 Corinthians 12:13-14

“¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Indeed, the body is not one part but many.”

A reminder to us that Jesus is for all mankind. We better not build up walls to keep people out. We don’t need a bunch of rules that make it hard on people. Jesus took care of all of that when His blood was shed for us. Nationality, skin color, rich, poor, young, old, Muslim, Hindu, farmer, biker, professional, homemaker, and any other group of people you can think of… all need to hear the Good News. All are saved by Faith. Jesus died on that cross for absolutely anyone and everyone. No matter where you started, no matter what you have done, no matter what you used to believe we all receive true peace, salvation, redemption, hope, and unity through Following Jesus.

Ephesians 2:19-22

“¹⁹ So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”

In verse 19, Paul reinforces what we have been seeing already that we Gentiles are no longer outsiders. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God along with all who believe. We are saved, redeemed, and united as a Child of God.

One of things I have enjoyed over the last 10-15 years is that I have served in one form or fashion in a wide variety of churches. Assembly of God, Disciples of Christ church, Quaker, charismatic, a cowboy church, and 4 or 5 Baptist churches. All have accepted and welcomed us even though some knew we disagreed on a few of those minor things. Why, because we all are members of the family of God. The things we don’t agree on really don’t matter. It is the things that we do agree that matter. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that unites us.

Paul is painting a picture for us in these verses. He is saying that Jesus is the corner stone of this great Holy Temple of the Lord. He is the first piece put in place to start the process and everything else is built out from there. The apostles and prophets, those who were around during Jesus’ ministry, walking with Him, learning from Him, and carrying His message forward made up the rest of the foundation.

1 Peter 2:4-5

“⁴ As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— ⁵ you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is the beginning, His apostles continued by laying the ground work or foundation and then it spreads. Every person who has every believed, Jew, Gentile, male, female, rich, poor, every race… anyone who chose to follow Jesus is part of this Holy Temple. Every person here who has made Jesus their Lord and Savior are stones in the temple. Everyone who comes after us, will be part of this temple.

Gives a new meaning to being part of the ‘C’ Church. Not only are we the hands and feet with jobs to do, but we also have a place to fill that builds the Church. Each of us are a living stone that serves a purpose in building up God’s Church. If we don’t step up and do our part people may not hear about the gift of Grace. If we do not take our place as part of the Church their will be gaps in the walls, which ultimately weakens the Churches influence and limits its ability to reach the lost.

All of this fits within the God’s Master Plan in which each one of us as co-heirs with Christ need to do our part. As the Holy Spirit leads the Church, we are to follow our guide and do the things that leads to the Lord’s kingdom to grow. Our walking in faith will lead us to invest our Love in others and help build a stronger Holy Temple.

Pray for unity among all who believe.

Pray for your eyes open to what you need to be doing.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring people into your path so that you can pour Love into them.
Pray that He gives you the words you need to share the gift of Grace with others.

God Bless,

Robert