Ephesians 2:11

Ephesians 2:verse11-22

INTRO

Ephesians 2:11–13 NKJV

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

prior to these verses , paul just taught about

How God has made the belivers spirit alive through faith

You were at one time dead in sin

Now your Alive to Christ

Therefore!!!

remember where you came from…

Paul is directing these verses to gentiles

Who is a gentile?.... a non Jew

they are called the uncircumcision..

and Jewish people were called the circumcision…

circumcision--

this was a practice done by Israel

where on the eight day of a male babies life

they would cut off the extra foreskin away from the penis

This would become a picture of the cutting away of sin

from ones life when they repent and put their faith in Christ

this practice,

as well as many other ordinances were done to distinguish

Israel from the rest of the pagan nations

we see paul is explaining that the gentiles---non jews were

without Christ

the worst thing that can be true of anyone

aliens from the commonwealth of Israel—

strangers of the covenants of promise

no hope

without God in the world

We see in scripture that Mankind has consistently turned its back on God

Noah was one of 8 people in the world that had faith in God

as the Lord sent a flood to start the world over

because everyone had turned against Him

after the flood

it didnt take long for noahs descendants

to build a tower to heaven

and turn their back on God

over time

God still needed to keep His promise to Adam and eve

that one day he would send a savior to destroy sin and death

Here He calls and saves Abraham

and through his family line He establishes Israel

and from Israel

He brings forth the promises and hope of a messiah

GOD WITH US

He establishes his presance in Israel

and the rest of the world is

without God

and hopeless

this is the plight of the gentile

this plight is because mankind is dead in spirit

and by nature enemies of God

there was no hope

but God....

In Christ Jesus you who were far off

you non Jewish people

are brought close to God

by the blood of Jesus

HAllalujah

Jesus brought us into relationship with God

Q. Now how do you think the Jewish people must have felt?

Story----

grandpa coming with candy

my neighbor said they wanted to call him grandpa

I was mad… thats not your grandpa Hes mine....

I didnt want to share my grandpa

I didnt think they deserved my grandpa

I was prideful and selfish

in the same way

the Jews did not think that gentile sinners should be allowed to come to God

they were uncircumcised, they were generally pagan and worshiped false Gods,

they were looked at as enemies and dirty

yet God loved them

and although they were far from the living God

Christ brought them near by his blood

because He died for the world ,

not just for Israel

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He loved the World

and offers salvation to whosoever

to the Africans, the Egyptians , the russians, the Ukranians, the palestinians, the Jews

Ephesians 2:14–18 NKJV

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

We have been brought near to God by the sacrafice of Christ

for He died for sinners

and He himself is our peace

between Us and God and between eachother

In the cross He abolished the emnity,, meaning the

thing that created discord between the 2

The Jews were identified by the law of moses

Exodus - Leviticus

Here Israel obeyed the commandments that included

ceremonial laws - regarded sacrificial system , purification , feasts, festivals

judicial laws — judgments and punishments for breaking the laws

moral laws— basic morality of God- dont murder, love your neighbor, love God with all your heart and soul…

What the Jews were tempted with was to make the gentiles live like Jews in order to receive salvation...

But What God did in the cross was fulfill the law

Matthew 5:17 NKJV

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

in that fulfillment

God became the perfect sacrafice

all of the law pointed to the coming of Jesus

and it was finished when he paid for our sin

in its fulfillment

a man in not right with God through adherence to His law contained in ordinances

but a man is right with God by faith

there is now no longer a jew and a gentile

but He has made for himself one new man

a christian

its like if God took the jew a preciaus yellow gold and melted it down

and the gentile a precious white Gold and melted it down

and we have been joined and unified by Christ into a new man

united in Him

both jew and gentile are reconciled to God by faith in Christ

we are made right with God by faith..

so

the law for the Jew was to keep them close to God

and prepare them for Jesus to come

the law for gentiles is to expose us as sinners

now that He has come and paid the sacrafice for sin

we all have access to God by the same holy spirit…

its like we all have been given the same credit card

with unlimitated funds on it

Gods blessing of faith , hope, and love

overflows and is accessible

to all who put their faith in Him

Go and mine the gold that is in Christ

for you have access to the everlasting God

Ephesians 2:19–22 NKJV

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Christ has brought us close by His blood

therefore we are no longer strangers

but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

we get grafted into the people of God ,,

together we are the church ..

this people group has been built upon the teachings of the 12 apostles and paul and the prophets who prophesied throughout scripture..

this foundation has its cornerstone in Jesus Christ

all of the teachings revolve around magnifying and glorifying Christ

He is our cornerstone---the first stone at which the rest of the building is built off of

it starts with the Lord Jesus Christ

and is built up with Jewish believers and gentile believers

the church is built together into a dwelling place for God

and this is Gods heart

to build His Church

the people of God

into a holy temple in the Lord

so that God would dwell in us

as a church

and as individuals

He does this by bringing us together in unity

by breaking down all of our differences

and unifying us in one

We are united together as Christians

as one body of believers

Because of What Christ did

We can live knowing we have peace with God

remember you have been brought near to God by Christs blood

your relationship to God is as your dad

Christ took all of your sin on the cross

and now you have a family relationship with God

and you have peace....

illistration ----- steal a lunchable from publix --

Imagine a cop catches you

imagine your dad catches you

both would be bad ---

Dad - discipline out of love

Cop- would punish

you have peace with God in the way of Love

you can draw close to Him in Love

because you have peace with Him

We can have peace with eachother

the closest thing I can think of

hostility between two groups is

team kamala vs team trump

this is how the jews and gentiles were

but they were brought together in Christ

they still stayed in their cultural traditions

meaning Jews still celebrated their feast days

we still celebrate the holidays that make us american

but what joins us together to God is Christ

therefore we must strive to have unity with our christian brothers

Galatians 3:28–29 NKJV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

whats your nationality---- irish— christs before your irish

whats your last name —michala — your a christian before your a michala

together we are the people of God

let that bring peace to love eachother deeply

we can live united AS ONE IN CHRIST

HIGH PRIESTLY PRYAYER

John 17:11 NKJV

Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

This is Gods prayer for the church

That we would be in unity of the faith

coming together as a family to worship God

Lets focus on being one with eachother in here

and love eachother as we love ourselves…

lets pray

john ch 17 prayer that they all be one