One Family in Christ: Ephesians 2:11-22
Notes
Transcript
One Family in Christ: God’s Household United
One Family in Christ: God’s Household United
Intro:
Intro:
Exciting Time - Rooted Pittsburg, Baptisms Next Sunday + College Students Back, Anniversary Celebration (vision 5 years)
Exciting Time - Rooted Pittsburg, Baptisms Next Sunday + College Students Back, Anniversary Celebration (vision 5 years)
All of these things are good, and worthy of celebrating, but this is only true because of the gospel. The gospel transcends the seasons of we endure, its the soil we are Rooted in on the Sunny Fall Day, and in the midst of the Spring Storm.
Whether in times like these, or on the day that only five of us are left and the walls are beginning to crumble, our reason to rejoice is unchanging, and that is what we gather to celebrate above all else this Sunday morning.
In our text last Sunday, Paul used powerful language to display the full spectrum of this gospel our hope is Rooted in, he wrote that:
You were Dead (man is born spiritually dead)
Following the prince of the power of the air (real evil)
But God…being rich in mercy (the gospel)
The story of the christian life, is that we were at one time set apart by our own wicked choice, BUT NOW, we have been brought near to God through Christ.
The implications of this are profound. Like a tree that finds nourishment in rich soil, we find the sustenance we long for in the gospel. As our roots grow deeper into its soil, every area of our lives is strengthened and transformed, to the point of bearing fruit that multiplies.
And as we are planted in gospel soil, like spiritual trees we are brought together as a grove of grace! This is the local church!
We have been given the glorious, holy, sacred task of displaying God’s Glory, and thus, spiritual life in the midst of death.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Imagine that for some time, you’ve been lost and stumbling through the desert. Thirst, hunger, and exhaustion weigh you down, and nothing in the barren landscape offers relief. Just when you think you can’t go on, a glimmer of green catches your eye in the distance. You honestly doubt it’s even real? Your skeptical, but a voice calls out to you, you’ve never heard it before, but yet it feels so familiar, so you go and see!
So with what little strength you have left, you move toward it, and as you get closer, and the sight of a grove of trees becomes clear. Vibrant and full of life, they stand in stark contrast to the death and desolation all around you. You can hardly believe it as you enter the cool shade, surrounded by lush foliage and fruit-laden branches.
You collapse under one of the trees, reaching up to grab a piece of fruit. The sweet juice floods your mouth, and immediately, you feel a hint of strength. As you rest, you realize this grove isn’t merely a refuge; it’s a source of life in the midst of the land of death. These trees are rooted deeply into the ground, drawing from a hidden source of power the likes of which you’ve never seen, and thus, they bear more fruit than you could ever consume on your own.
In this moment, you understand that this grove isn’t here by chance. It’s a place of renewal, offering nourishment, shelter, and hope to those who find it, and suddenly you realize that you didn’t stumble upon it by accident, but that voice! That voice brought you here. And now you stand in this place that stands in such stark contrast to everything else you’ve ever seen, and you know, that this place is connected to a better place, a place not of this world.
Friends, this is the church—a beacon of God’s life-giving presence, a refuge where weary souls can find rest and renewal and where the dead can find LIFE!
And so we must ask the question this morning, what is the distinction between a grove of a life giving, fruit bearing trees, and a desolate field of counterfeits?
Well Jesus tells us:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Then the very next verse:
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
And then two chapters later in the same book:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
The gospel produces love! The gospel produces unity than transcends all of the worlds pettiness.
And so when the church is unloving….it causes incredible damage because, it’s a mirage, it reflects a life that doesn’t exist within it’s walls.
(Planting in Joplin 7 years ago - Church Splits)
There is no hurt like church hurt, because when the church operates like the world, we cause damage that goes beyond the surface, down to the soul.
So, while under house arrest, awaiting trial, not knowing how much longer he would live; Paul sends this word to the church he loves. He sends them a cure to restore life to their weary branches and to once again shine the beacon of love that is dimming.
He tells them to:
Remember!
Specifically,
Remember Your Former Separation (11-12)
Remember Your Former Separation (11-12)
Ephesians 2:11–12
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
The term “therefore” connects what is coming with what has been said thus far. Not only verse 10, but all of chapter 2.
You were dead, Christ has given you life, and now you are called to walk in the good works which He prepared for you before time began….therefore, remember! (only command in this text)
Specifically, he tells them to:
Remember that you were once called “the uncircumcision.”
Because of Christ, the church now consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, and Paul reminds the gentile believers of this hurtful label the Jews had applied to them.
In order to understand the weight of what Paul is saying, let’s consider the history of Israel and Gentiles.
God chose Israel from among all the nations, setting them apart as His special possession and bestowing upon them unique promises that were not given to any other people.
Deuteronomy 14:2 highlights this distinctiveness, as Moses reminds the Israelites:
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
In Isaiah 43:1, we see this personal relationship further emphasized:
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
And this personal relationship came with special promises:
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
During the Exodus, God reiterated this promise saying in Exodus 6:7
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
And God’s promise came with profound privileges for His people, as outlined in Romans 9:4-5:
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
God set apart Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as His chosen people through specific covenants, including promises of land, descendants, and blessings. And circumcision served as the physical sign of these covenants, marking them as distinct from other nation, symbolizing their commitment to God and His to them.
And so the Jews were incredibly proud of their religious heritage and they saw themselves as superior to those who were not from Israel, and thus, were non-Jewish. Hence mocking them as “the uncircumcision.”
And in their mocking, there was truth, for even Paul says here that these gentile believers had been:
alienated from Israel
strangers to the promises of God
having no hope in the world
Yet, this letter is not written only to gentile believers, because they aren’t the only ones who need to “remember.”
The Jewish believers needed to be reminded of God’s purpose in saving!
A purpose God declared in Isaiah 49:3:
And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
As much as the Gentile believers needed to remember that they were once not a people, but had been made a people by grace, so the Jewish believers needed to remember the same! They were not saved because of anything great about them, but God redeemed a broken, selfish, unfaithful people for HIS GLORY!
Thus earlier in this chapter Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
And so Paul calls the church, both Jew and Gentile, to:
Remember Their Reconciliation (13-16):
Remember Their Reconciliation (13-16):
Ephesians 2:13–16 (ESV)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Both Jew and Gentile have been Brought Near by the Blood of Christ.
He Himself is our Peace!
Through Jesus, people from every tribe, tongue and nation have been made members of the family of God! This means that:
Whether you grew up in the church, or are coming in these doors for the first time, Christ has reconciled us both to God!
Whether you were saved as a child, or if God opens your eyes this very morning, Christ has reconciled us both to God!
Democrat or Republican, Rich or Poor, Blue Collar or Office, Educated or Roughneck, North or South, Bulldog, Eagle, Cardinal or Dragon, we have been reconciled!
Not on the basis of our agreement about earthly matters, but on the basis of Christ’s shed blood!!
For He, has drawn us, not based on our works, but for the purpose of His Glory!! His glory now transcends every other earthly matter, and thus, it is no longer our earthly allegiances or ethnicities in which we now boast, but His righteousness! Everything else was left behind at the cross.
For even Israel, despite all their privilege and status, had been unable to earn salvation by their own works.
God had given them a law. He had given them rules that if kept, would demonstrate righteousness.
But Paul says in:
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
In other words, every man who seeks to earn salvation by his own merit fails! Over and over again, every time.
But, for the one who is not seeking righteousness, but attains it as a gift, well that woman has found peace through the One who has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.
For the promise made to Israel, and the covenant that accompanied it, was the shadow of something even greater.
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Christ is a Superior Priest,
Who serves in a Superior Temple,
And offered a Superior Sacrifice,
and thus, He has made us a Superior Promise!
Many of us read the Old Testament and we find it hard to understand, and at times, difficult to take in. But that is because we fail to see the form from which the shadow is cast:
The Temple made by Moses was a Shadow of the Temple of God, that is His people.
The sacrificial lamb offered by the priest was a shadow of the Lamb of God, this is His Son.
The Priests who offered those sacrifices were but shadows of the One who would sacrifice Himself, who is our Savior!
And the covenant through which the temple, the lambs, and the priests were ordered, was a shadow of the Gospel! God’s better Promise.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
God’s covenant with Israel was not a mistake, as God doesn’t make mistakes. However, it wasn’t complete or faultless—it was never meant to be the ultimate means of salvation but served a purpose beyond what Israel could have imagined.
Consider the terms of the agreement:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
The first covenant—the Mosaic law—was ineffective, but not because of God, for the commands rightly reflected His holiness.
The problem was that that the people had bad hearts, like us, they were born spiritually dead.
And God was incredibly gracious and patient with them. Time and time again Israel left Him, worshipped counterfeit gods and even longed to return to their captors. Yet God remained faithful. But despite His grace, the people weren’t changed for the most part. And that’s because this covenant was made between God and a nation that included both saved and lost people. The rules required external obedience but didn’t internally produce life. Obedience had to be accomplished by ritual and will power, but the people failed, and without the Holy Spirit, they didn’t understand.
And God sovereignly withheld the revelation He has now given us through Christ:
This is seen in Deuteronomy 29:4-6 when Moses, reflecting on 40 years of ministry in the wilderness says this of the people of Israel:
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.
The old covenant wasn’t like my old truck, a machine in need of repair, it’s insufficiencies were rooted in it’s incompleteness.
The Old Covenant was a shadow intended to prepare God’s people for the FORM, the Savior would give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
Through generations of rebellion, and stubbornness, God’s people were being prepared for the arrival of a Better Hope, one that would be ushered in the by the Mediator of a Better Covenant
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
These words quoted in Hebrews actually come from the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the 31st chapter of the book that bears his name. All the way back then, God was telling us that it was not uniformity, ethnicity, or works that would make us family, but the grace of a God who would “remember our sins no more” through Jesus.
Jesus is the form from which all shadows are cast, it’s always been about Him:
The shadow of the Old Covenant was to discover sin and condemn it.
The Form of the New Covenant declares the love, grace, and mercy of God.
The shadow was presented to the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob according to the flesh
The Form is extended to all nations and races under heaven.
The first covenant created the nation of Israel,
but the new covenant birthed The Church, a diverse family, known by love, and united by the gospel alone.
Church, God delights in you. It was always His plan to save you, that you might be adopted into His family of Grace.
This morning, I leave you with a call to remember your true identity, and specifically:
Remember Your Restoration (17-22)
Remember Your Restoration (17-22)
Closing
Closing
Ephesians 2:17–22
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
God’s people were unable to save themselves, and yet, God did not leave us. He came, and He preached peace both to those who sat at His feet, Jew and Gentile alike. And He preached peace not only to them, but through the gift of His word He preached also to those who would gather 2,000 years later in a building in Carl Junction.
In Him, God’s glorious plan has been made known, that all of God’s people, would have our hearts enlightened to know the truth, and to have access to Him through the Spirit.
And this access, is not limited to those who appear to have it all together, or who come from the right side of the tracks (Brennan Manning Quote in bible)
Through Christ, we have become, Fellow Citizens of the Kingdom of God, Members of the King’s Family.
Would nothing of this world separate what Christ has brought together by His blood - Let us pray to that end
Communion
Communion
As Son’s and Daughters of a better promise, God has not left us wondering as to His future plans for our family:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Next week we’ll wait to take communion - new family members, would you be one?
