The Real Church II - Total Destruction by Jesus
The Real Church II – Total Destruction by Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-22) NV 7/18/04 AM
OS: A I’m going to share with you one of those truths that transcends time. Adam dealt with this no doubt from Cain and Able when they were little, and so did Abraham with Isaac I’m sure. We cherish this truth and love our children but they tend to tear up what their parents have. For some destruction is the word – Let me give you an example: Give a strong 9 year old boy some idle time, and leave a shovel in a place it can be found and this is what you get…B
The title of our lesson this morning is “Total Destruction by Jesus” C
I. Some destruction is good.
A. Typically we like to use different terms;
1. Get rid of – when destroying unwanted pests in our homes, yards, or crops.
2. Clear off – when destroying trees and rocks in order to build a house.
B. Overcome – when we’re discussion barriers to becoming more like the person we want to be.
TS] I want you to picture in your mind this morning a wooded lot, full of trees, and an old falling down house. And you want to build a new house there. Now, there are all kinds of barriers that must be destroyed if you’re going to build that house. Everything from clearing trees to clearing building permits.
II. What is your preferred future (that’s the dream house)?
A. We all have things we would like to change about ourselves – whatever is holding us back is a barrier that must be destroyed in order for us to enjoy that preferred future.
1. Loose weight, make more money, start our own business, etc.
B. As a congregation we have a preferred future – A vision of a greater tomorrow as a church, a real church that belongs to God.
1. Whatever is holding us back is a barrier that must be destroyed.
2. Listen, Jesus is in the destruction business when it comes to barriers that hold His church back, or His people back from being the kind of people He intends for them to be.
III. Text – We discover some barriers that Jesus destroyed so that a real church could be built.
A. Don’t forget about the Jew and Gentile problems of the early church.
B. Background –
1. 1:1-14 Spiritual Blessings
2. 1:15-23 Prayer for understanding and power, and reminds that the church is the body of Christ.
3. 2:1-10 God, by grace through faith has saved us, and we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
C. Read Text (Ephesians 2:11-22)
D Therefore, you must remember that in the past, you Gentiles in the flesh, the ones called ‘uncircumcised’ by those called ‘circumcised’ (concerning that done by the hands of men), you must remember that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and foreigners of the covenants of the promise, having no hope and godless in the world. But now, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
E For He is our peace, the One making the two one, and tearing down the dividing wall of partition, the enmity by His flesh, the law of commandments with its regulations He nullified, in order that He might create, from the two, in Himself, one new man making peace and He reconciled them both in one body to God through the cross, putting to death the enmity in Himself. And when He came He proclaimed good news of peace to you, those far away, and peace to those who were near; that through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
F Therefore, because of all this, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s house, having been built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the Chief Cornerstone, in whom the whole building being joined together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, and in whom you are being built into a dwelling place of God in Spirit.
TS] (handout) G He made us all the same size so He could stack us up and build a house for God to live in. In this text we have items that we must have if we are going to be the real church. Jesus has provided for the destruction of every barrier that would hold us back from being real Christians, and a real church!
H Last week – Real church = the body of Christ. The Heart of the real authentic church of the Bible is centered on Christ! Jesus becomes flesh all over again.
The church is Jesus incarnated in this world all over again. Not in His flesh, but in the flesh of His assembly.
US: Within this text God reveals some things we’ve got to have to be a real church:
I. I Peace with People of all kinds.
A. Jew and Gentile Prejudice. (ex: middle east)
1. Preacher by the name of Washington said the following: “When I was born, I was black. When I grew up, I was still black. When I go out in the cold, I'm still black. When I go out in the sun, I get more black. When I'm sick, I'm black, and when I die, I'm sure I'll still be black. But I found out that when white people are born, you're pink. When you grow up, you become white. When you go out in the cold, you turn blue. And when you stay out in the sun, you turn red. When you're sick, they say, "You look green," and when you die, you turn purple. Now what I want to know is why do they call blacks "colored people?"
2. Regardless of your color, race, where you come from, how much money you have, what kind of car you drive, clothes you wear, you have a soul, and Jesus died on the cross for you.
B. At the cross Jesus absolutely destroyed prejudice, and made peace.
1. If prejudice exists today its our own home made problem and barrier to being at peace with all people.
2. There are other kinds of prejudice: Cartoon for special interest bible study, “and on Thursday morning at eleven, our Women Against Evolution, Day Care Centers, Beards, Guitars, and Humorous Messages on the Preacher’s answering machine will hold their weekly Bible study.”
3. The real church understands that truth and there peace.
US: Within this text God reveals some things we’ve got to have to be a real church: 1st – peace with others and Jesus has destroyed the barrier of unrest even between different races of people through the cross…
II. J Secondly, we must have Peace with God.
A. Sin is the greatest barrier of us all being the disciples and the church that God wants us to be.
1. Text: We both have access to the Father.
B. The good news of the gospel
1. Sin separates from God. There is a heaven and a hell.
2. The Death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – the shedding of His blood – is for the forgiveness of our sins.
C. Too good to need Jesus?
1. If you can start the day without caffeine; if you can get going without pep pills; if you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains; if you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles; if you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it; if you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time; if you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when through no fault of yours something goes wrong; if you can take criticism and blame without resentment; if you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him; if you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend; if you can face the world without lies and deceit; if you can conquer tension without medical help; if you can relax without liquor; if you can sleep without the aid of drugs; if you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, or politics; then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.
2. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
D. Here peace equals access –
1. Previous passage – His power is available to us, because we have access to Him.
2. We could have a series of lessons on what a blessing it is to have access to the Father.
US: Within this text God reveals some things we’ve got to have to be a real church: 1st – peace with others and Jesus has destroyed the barrier of unrest even between different races of people through the cross…2nd we got to have peace with God, and Jesus has destroyed the barrier of unrest (sin) between us and God…
III. K To be the real church we must have a being built attitude (an appreciation for what we have, where we are, and where we are going.)
A. “Be patient because God isn’t finished with me yet.”
1. Sometimes we expect to much of ourselves and others.
2. Sometimes we expect to much of the church.
3. K1 I thought you would like this cartoon… “I’ve stopped expecting you to make leaps of faith, but it would be nice to see a hop now and then.”
B. Point: K2 We don’t have to be there to be a real church, but we have to be on our way.
1. The story is told of the foreman on a building site who asks one of the builders what he is doing. The builder replies, "I'm breaking rocks." Another worker is asked the same question, and he answers, "I'm earning for my family." The question is posed to a third worker. With a glint in his eye, he responds, "I'm building a cathedral."
2. Let’s do our part, and build a house of God.
C. Real Church definition: A Real church is a house of God – A place where God lives in Spirit.
1. L 1 Corinthians 3 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
2. M 1 Corinthians 6 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
D. O Let us allow the Father to build in us His house. Follow Him, Trust Him, Pray to Him, Worship Him, Thank Him, Serve Him, Love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as ourself.