God's Dwelling Place Ephesians 2:11-22
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: Talk about the Temple, circumcision, the dividing wall and how God’s spirit dwelled there. But it was destroyed.
History and meaning...
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—
12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Transitional Sentence: God’s Spirit dwelled the the Temple of Solomon, but now because of Christ Jesus His Spirit dwells in His children.
Our passage begins with one of the wonderful conjunctions - therefore. It is tying together what was said previously with what is about to be said; and what is about to be said is pointed towards those who were gentiles in the flesh. Those who were considered far off from God.
But why? What’s the big deal?
The near and the far-off (verse 11-12)
Well there are Jews and Gentiles. As Paul says here the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision. This was a point of segregation for the Jewish people for them to follow the law and to help them differentiate between people and how they would treat them. Good Jews wouldn’t touch a gentile if they could avoid it, they wouldn’t go into their homes and they wouldn’t associate with them if at all possible. This difference was distinguishable by how they dressed but it was also made in the flesh of the males through circumcision. It was a completely outward sign performed by human hands in the flesh of the person.
Paul is bringing this up to remind the members of the church, especially those who were Gentiles that there used to be a difference between them. Before Christ Jesus the law was the only way to draw near to God and a primary point of the law was circumcision. Without circumcision there was rejection.
Paul goes on to remind the gentiles that they were:
Strangers to the covenants of Promise (Genesis 17:1-14)
That’s right the Gentiles or uncircumcised people were strangers to the covenants of promise.
First of all - what is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement or a contract. This contract was made between God and Abraham. Like any good contract each party signing the contract made a promise and that promise was guaranteed in some way.
So, way back in the beginning of the bible is the story of a man named Abram, who later became Abraham. This story tells about how and why circumcision began and when his name was actually changed by God. This story is in chapter 17 of the book of Genesis. It tells us about the covenant of promise.
Genesis 17:4-5 says:
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
This is the beginning of the covenant; to make Abram a father of many nations and to prove it God changed his name. But that isn’t the big deal of the covenant. Genesis 17:7 is the big deal.
Genesis 17:7 (NASB95)
7 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
Here God says that the covenant will be between Him and Abraham’s descendents. It will be everlasting from generation to generation. The big promise is to be God to you and to your descendents. That’s the big deal. God is saying that Abraham is His and he is God’s - forever and all those who are descendent from Abraham.
That’s God’s side of the deal - so what is Abraham’s side. Genesis 17:10-11 says:
10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
Every male among you shall be circumcised. This includes babies from the age of eight days up to adulthood. Generation after generation. They didn’t even have a choice - well they did have a choice. Genesis 17:14 says
14 “But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Cut off from God’s people, they are the ones who are far away. The gentiles, strangers. As strangers they were outsiders, cut off from God.
As strangers they were not allowed in God’s holy Temple. They were segregated and not allowed past the dividing wall. This dividing wall created strife between God’s people, the Jews, and the Gentiles. It kept the Gentiles far away and gave them no hope.
The Gentiles had No Hope because they did not have God. They did not have the hope that was derived from the promises.
Hebrews 11:8-10 says:
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Abraham walked by faith. Chapter 11 of Hebrews tells us of a whole list of those from the past who walked by faith. They were looking for a land of their own. They were looking for that place were they could dwell with their God and be His people. That is the hope. The hope that we will be with God in a city that He built.
Hebrews 11:16 says:
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
He has prepared a city for them. Well that same city is waiting for all those who walk by faith. The question is: Do you walk by faith? Have you received the gift of God’s grace through faith. Which will give you hope that you will be a part of the city that God built.
We know the city is there, Jesus said: John 14:1-2
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
Not only is there a city waiting for us but Christ Jesus has prepared a house for His disciples. Even if you have a hard time with hope at least have the hope that these promises of God in Christ Jesus will come to pass.
This faith and hope in which the ancients walked are the things that make the difference between the near to God and the far from God. You too can walk by faith you just need to believe in Christ Jesus by faith.
2. Peace through the blood (verse 13-18)
But now… here goes Paul again, tying the way things were with the way things are now. Those who were formerly far off are now brought near to God. But how can this be you may ask? Through the power of the blood of Christ Jesus. In being brought near to God, you now have peace with God. Isaiah 57:19 says:
19 Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
There is a new near. The blood of Christ Jesus brings healing and peace with God. You don’t need to struggle with God anymore. You don’t need to try and please God by living by the law. Believe and walk by faith.
Two things that peace with God brings is an end to the dividing wall and enmity.
The first thing is the breaking down of the Dividing wall. The people who were near to God, the Jews, had the Law. Those who were far from God had nothing. The law divided the people; the law didn’t allow the Jews to associate with Gentiles. This worked in their lives; people with people and in the Temple; People with God. In the Temple the Gentiles, those who were uncircumcised had to remain in the court of the Gentiles. They weren’t allowed any closer, they were far off. However the Temple also set up a dividing wall to prevent anyone from drawing near to God. The great veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Only a properly prepared priest and only on the proper day of the year. Everyone was far off.
The second thing is the abolishing of Enmity in His flesh. Enmity is that lack of peace that comes about because of the law. The blood of Christ Jesus on the cross made a way for God to justify all those who believe in His Son. This brings about that wonderful peace between God and man and those who are far off and those who are near.
By abolishing the enmity and bringing peace Christ Jesus took two groups and made them one.
Two people are now one people, one body, the church. But belief in Christ Jesus brought about new problems. The circumcised, Jews who believed by faith and the uncircumcised, gentiles were meeting together as a part of this new faith. The problem was that there was still enmity between the two groups. Christ Jesus broke down the dividing wall that separated the two groups, but the hearts of those who were a part of the church didn’t always let go of the old ways. Titus 1:10-11 says:
10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
It had to stop and it has to stop now.
Do you ever see this same type of behavior or attitudes in the church? Someone causing trouble because of the way someone looks, something they wear or do? Do you ever do it? If you do then stop, Christ Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we could create dividing walls to keep people from becoming a part of the family.
One other thing that tearing down the dividing wall brought about. Remember that veil that divided the Holy of Holies from everything else. God tore it in half when Christ Jesus died on the cross. This act of great love gave all those who believe in Christ Jesus by faith access to the Father. No one had simple, continuous and personal access to the Father before that time. No one in either group could simply talk to the Father. The near and the far off were all brought even nearer. God allowed such personal access for all by giving all His Spirit.
This began the process of building a whole new Temple. Not one like before where He dwelled in a building, but one of flesh. The flesh of those you believe.
3. The New Temple (verses 19-22)
So… Paul is connecting what he is about to say to what he just said about enmity and the dividing wall. Since the dividing wall has been torn down those in Christ Jesus are no longer strangers or aliens.
How many of you know what it is like to be a stranger? It’s your first time walking into a group, a new job, a new neighborhood, a new bar or even a new church. You don’t know anyone and you don’t know what is going on or how things work in this thing that is new to you. But everyone else knows what is going on. It can be hard, especially if people judge you or make assumptions about you that keep you isolated and alone. That might be the way things work in other places but that’s not the way the church should be. We are a family. There are no dividing walls - or even lines for that matter. Here there should be unconditional acceptance. I’ve been to churches that don’t practice unconditional acceptance. It hurts, especially if you know the scriptures and know that there are no strangers or aliens in God’s household. We are all brothers and sisters - even those who have not accepted Christ Jesus. Unconditional acceptance shows the love of Christ Jesus that helps bring the lost to Christ that they to may come to saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.
That’s why God built us into a new building. Not just a building a temple.
When the Temple of Solomon was present in Jerusalem and active the Spirit of God dwelled in that place. Over time things happened, the spirit left and the temple was destroyed. God no longer dwelled in a brick and mortar building. But then Christ Jesus died on the cross and all those who believe became His dwelling place. All of His children became a temple of the living God and every Temple or building has to start with a foundation which has to be squared up by a cornerstone. For the church that’s Jesus. The cornerstone is the part of the building that everything is based on. If the cornerstone isn’t square and level the rest of the building will be out of whack. Have you ever seen a building that isn’t level and plumb, By the time you reach the end of the wall things can be looking pretty bad. That’s why Jesus is the cornerstone, it’s His church, no one else can be the part of the building that everything else is based on.
With a square and level cornerstone the foundation will follow along, just like in the church. The Apostles are the foundation. They spent the time with Christ Jesus, they taught others what it means to walk with Jesus.
(Hold up the Bible) So we have the cornerstone and the foundation right here. The bible, the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Without this there is no church, the building wont stand without it. All of it. If you pick and choose what you want to build with then you get a building that is all out of whack. There will be holes in the walls or the foundation will twist and bend. That’s when you get something other than the church.
As individual temples we are all being built into the church. This is a church building where we can meet together, worship, have fun, fellowship and grow in Christ Jesus. As a building this place had to be built from the ground up. It needed a foundation, walls, windows, a roof, pews, carpeting, all the pieces and parts that make a building a building.
The church, not the building; but the people, needs to be put together in the correct way too, so that we can serve God and each of you can use your gifts and talents to glorify God. As a building we need a foundation, walls, windows, a roof, pews, carpeting and the the pieces and parts that make a group of people a church. Each one of you is a different part of the building and all of you have a role to play. God is at work in this place and in each of you.
Since you are the church, the temple of God you are where His spirit Dwells. In the distant past God dwelt in a building here on earth where people could come and worship Him. But with Christ Jesus everything changed.
1 Corinthians 3:16 says:
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
God wanted a new place to dwell! So He chose His children. He now dwells in you, if you believe in Christ Jesus. You are a dwelling place for God, and God is making each one of you into a better dwelling place today than you were yesterday. As He works on each of you He is working on the whole church to fit each of you together into a dwelling place for Himself.
Exit: So remember the blood of Christ Jesus brings reconciliation and peace to those far away from God and to those near. His blood tore down the dividing wall so that each of you can be a new dwelling place for His Spirit. And His blood destroyed the enmity that existed between man and God since the beginning.
Stop being a stranger or an alien be a child of God. Believe in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior and become a dwelling place of God. A place where His Spirit dwells and His power can be made manifest in the flesh.
Pray!