Built into a Temple

As I started writing this sermon, I realized I was starting from the wrong end. If you follow the daily readings, you know how we traced temple imagery in the NT. The church of Jesus sometimes gets described as a building, specifically a temple.

Jesus introduces this word picture in the gospels after Simon Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:17–18 (NIV)

Paul uses building imagery in his 1st letter to Chr. in Corinth:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 3:10–11 (NIV)

Peter picks up the temple metaphor in his 1st letter:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. I Peter 2:4–5 (NIV)

Taken together as a whole, the Church is the temple of the HS. Believers are living stones in God’s temple built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, w/ Jesus as the cornerstone. It’s a powerful image of how the members of the church are dependent on each other. W’ Jesus as the cornerstone, the whole Church falls apart if Jesus is not there, bearing the weight of the whole structure.

But focussing on the image doesn’t help us understand the point that God’s word is illustrating. The real question we need to ask if we’re going to understand this passage in Ephesians is, “What does this temple imagery illustrate?”

Paul starts by reminding the Chr. in Ephesus of how far they were from God and his grace. Most of the Chr. living in Ephesus were not Jewish. Gentiles were excluded from citizenship in Israel. The starting point for Gentiles presents a grim picture:

You were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12 (NIV)

All this changed w/ their introduction to Jesus as Saviour:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2: 13 (NIV)

How were they brought near by the blood of Christ?

We started reading at v. 11. The paragraph begins with “therefore.” When you read the word “therefore” in the Bible, the Q to ask is: “what is that ‘therefore’ there for?”

In this case, “therefore” shows a connection in Paul’s teaching. Everything Paul is about to say in Eph. 2: 11+ builds on what he said in Eph. 2: 1-10.

In verses 1-10 of Eph. 2, Paul reminds his readers – then and now – that “all of us were dead in transgressions and sins.” Not just Gentiles or Jews, not just new Chr. or lifelong Chr., but ALLof us disobey God. Being far from God, we were already dead, cut off from the Lord of life.

We can’t fix the problem by ourselves. Dead people can’t help themselves – or others. B/c of sin, we’re stuck w/o help. So, God helped us:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4–5 (NIV)

At the cross God the Father put all the punishment for human sin on Jesus Christ. Jesus bled from the whipping, from the nails, and from the spear. Jesus’ blood makes believers pure and holy. His shed blood cleans us from sin. That’s why Paul writes to the church:

Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)

In our culture, we’re accustomed to thinking of ourselves as individuals. We value our independence, our privacy. We talk about keeping good boundaries. This makes the Bible a little uncomfortable for us to read b/c God’s word doesn’t talk much about independence. The Bible emphasizes interdependence. God’s word doesn’t say much about individual faith; God’s word primarily talks about faith within a community.

Yet there was a problem in the early church. Jewish Chr. were so accustomed to thinking of Gentiles as aliens, outsiders, and unclean. It took a while before Jesus’ instructions to make disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth caught on.

The first Church Council in Jerusalem addressed the question of whether Gentiles were required to become Jews before they could become Christians. Paul and Barnabas were sent as delegates to that meeting from the church in Antioch. You can read all the details in Acts 15. Gentiles rec’d the Holy Spirit, just like Jews, therefore Gentile believers are included in the Church.

Years later, Paul is in prison and hears how the same debate has reared its ugly head among the Chr. in Ephesus: “Can Gentiles really be considered equally Chr. as people w/ Jewish heritage?” That question is one of the reasons for this letter.

So Paul writes how all of us were dead and made alive in Christ. He reminds them how formerly some were Gentiles, excluded from citizenship, and far away: w/o hope and w/o God. Paul reminds his readers that they have all been brought close to God by the blood of Christ.

We’re reminded of the same thing. All of uslived among sin-stained people at one time. We were far away, w/o hope and w/o God. You have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ! Being included in God’s promises through Christ is something to celebrate!

Together, regardless of our background or heritage, we’ve all been brought near to God the Father through by the blood of Jesus and through God the HS, who has been poured out on all believers. That connection to God, that unity with each other is something to celebrate!

This is where Paul introduces building imagery. It’s where the question, “so what?” gets answered.

Consequently, [as a result] you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:19–22 (NIV)

It’s a powerful word picture:

There are no foreigners, strangers, or second-class citizens!

Apostles and prophets are foundation

Why?

They’re sent w/ God’s Word!

Christ Jesus is the chief cornerstone

the Church is built around Jesus,

whole Church aligned in relation to Jesus.

In Eph., and in Tburg, we’re being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The imagery of a temple, stones mortared together into one solid structure, challenges the individualism of our culture. We’re not just loose stones scattered through a field. We have been built into a beautiful temple; a building of living stones. You’ve been mortared together into one awesome building where God himself lives!

It means all believers are dependent on each other. We lean on each other. We rely on one another. Nobody can say you don’t need the rest of the church. Each person is carefully fitted into a place that only they can fill.

It’s a terrible loss when someone opts out of the Church of Jesus. At Crosspoint, we have had such losses over the years. It hurts to see someone go. Seeing people leave is something we lament.

But amid our lament, amid our regrets – all the woulda, coulda, shouldas, we keep on going. We press on, resolved to keep living, working, believing, and serving God together. We resolve to be even more upbuilding to one another.

It’s also lamentable when congregations don’t recognize, respect, and work together with other Chr. congregations.

We had a beautiful taste of the unity among Chr. in Tillsonburg this summer when we worked with 5 other congr. to provide Kids’ Bible Camp for children in Tillsonburg. It was a busy but enjoyable week as we sang, played, and studied the Bible together w/ Chr. from other traditions, backgrounds, and congregations.

For me, the highlight of the week was gathering together for a massive worship service in the park. In some ways it’s too bad there’s no building big enough in Tillsonburg for all of us to gather 2-3X/ year.

Let’s keep on going, building up the church of Jesus, finding opportunities to connect and work together with other believers.