The Household of God

Household - having a householder and one or more additional people who are related to the householder by marriage, birth, or adoption.

Rejection (11-12)

Without - separated, apart from, having no association with

Aliens - shut out from one’s fellowship and intimacy (illegal aliens - undocumented, doesn’t posses required documentation, violated terms in which they could be admitted)

Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:”

Colossians 1:21 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled”

Strangers - without the knowledge of, without a share in

No Hope - expectation of evil, having fear

Without God - denial of God, godless, ungodly, having no fellowship with the true God

The Ephesians worshipped many gods, including the great goddess Diana. Paul is bringing to mind what they used to be in giving themselves wholly over to strange gods.

Reconciliation (13-16)

Now - at this very moment

Middle Wall of Partition - the wall of a house (separates one room from another) prevents two from coming together.

According to the historian Josephus, the veil of the temple was four inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart. When Christ gave up His life on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. WE GAINED ACCESS! (Ephesians 2:16 “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” )

Abolished the enmity - wiped out the hostility, took a wrecking ball to the wall that parted fellowship between us.

Reward (19)

We Have a Family

Romans 9:25-26 “As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.”

John 1:11-13 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (we are immediate descendants of God!

We Have Favor

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Heir - any person properly entitled to inherit the rank of another person.

Everything that Christ has as the Son of God, we have.

Just as a family household, the householder provides for the people in the house.

We Have a Future

John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”