Building His Church

Paul writes this letter to the Ephesian church around 61AD… It would have been roughly 30 years earlier that Jesus would have His disciples around Him, standing at what some called the gates to the underworld… a center for worship to Satan and many other false gods. It is here that we have the words of Christ recorded in Matthew 16:15-18

Matthew 16:15–18 NLT

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Peter remembering these words of Christ would write in 1 Peter 2:4-5

1 Peter 2:4–5 NLT

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

Paul would later after this letter to the Ephesian church would write to thier pastor Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:14-15

1 Timothy 3:14–15 NLT

I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Last week we looked at the tearing down of walls… some of you have shared with me how difficult some of the walls are that you have allowed to be built up over time. With last week being demolition day… we are now looking at what it is that Christ is BUILDING!!!

BTW… what Christ is building here is NOT A REMODEL… it is a NEW BUILD! … and it is something amazing!

Follow along in your copy of the scriptures as we look at what it is that Christ is building… Ephesians 2:16-22

Ephesians 2:16–22 NLT

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

The Barriers Are Demolished

Some brief reminders about those barriers…

Christ is the One who brought RECONCILIATION

Enemies now made friends

Jew and Gentile

God and Mankind

Christ has put to DEATH… the hostility

Something dead… has no power

Something dead… our hostility should not be active any longer

NOTICE: the peace that comes through and from Christ:

“Good News of peace to those far”

“Peace to those near”

Verse 14 it is Jesus who brings this

Verse 15 Jesus provides peace between Jew and Gentile

Verse 17 peace both horizontally and vertically comes through and from Jesus Christ

THE RESULT OF THIS PEACE… VERSE 18

Access to our Heavenly Father

“All of us” … there is no distinction “same approach” …

This is not Gentiles approaching God as a Jew

This is not Jews now approaching God as Gentiles

It is “ALL” through the “SAME” Holy Spirit!!!

This is new, this is powerful, this is very special…

The New Build!

There is a New building, a New Foundation, A New Family all in Christ. This is a work being done in Christ, and it gives you and I a PLACE in the Heavenlies with God!

This new work of Christ that Paul is informing the church of is also bringing with it… CITIZENSHIP!!!

Notice this is bringing “all God’s holy people” into this citizenship. With citizenship comes: I decided to look into this week what citizenship brings to individuals of a nation and found there are some interesting correlations to our citizenship in Heaven…

Permanent Security

You cannot be deported, this is your permanent residence

You and I are sealed with the Holy Spirit it states in vs 1:14

Participation & Purpose

You now get to be involved, and engage in your new place of belonging

You can work, get involved, have significant functions vs 2:10

Protection

There is a greater power that gives you protection from enemies

“BUT GOD” we have the powerful intervention of God Almighty vs 2:13

Passport

Travel is allowed but you always remember you are identified with your home citizenship and the privilege of belonging. We remember we are just passing through vs 2:19

Being citizens along with all of God’s holy people also allows us to be a part of what Christ is building for us. Paul list three descriptions as he describes Christ’s church:

A Household

In chapter 1 Paul instructs the church that we praise God because we are “adopted into His own family” vs 5

Paul has addressed God throughout this letter as the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” even as he introduces this letter that truth is made evident!

But in vs 18 Paul addresses God as Father… as members of the family of God we too can come to Him as Father!

Paul wrote to Timothy declaring that as members of God’s household there is to be an expected “Conduct”

Well what “conduct” does God want?

Chapters 4-6 are very explicit in God’s expectations

Vs 10 of this chapter is clear that God has a purpose for us

As this chapter wraps up we see that God does have an expectation for us… as the Temple of the Holy Spirit

I won’t belabor the importance and the implications of being in His household but understand… you do not just come into His household and behave any way you please. God does have expectations for His children…

Consider the stability of what Christ is building… look at its foundation…

A Solid Building

Now verse 20 states that “together we are His house” … each one of us contribute to what Jesus is building when He says He is building His church.

Do you know why He states that the gates of hell will not conquer or prevail??? … Because Christ is the Master Architect!!!

We are His house… as Peter states we are “living stones” being built up by the very Son of God!

Look at the foundation… the apostles and prophets!

These were those God used to give us the scriptures

Ephesians 3:5;4:11 speak to thier work in giving this to the church and how God used them

Ephesians 3:5 NLT

God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

Ephesians 4:11 NLT

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

These men were the “foundation”… God’s Holy Word is the foundation on which we build on!

With God’s Word complete we have others now that build on that foundation but no longer Apostles and Prophets

Look at the Corner Stone!!!

This was THE MOST CRUCIAL part of the building

It is also part of the foundation

Carefully placed, the entire building would be built off of this corner stone…

Christ is the Corner Stone, He sets the foundation, He sets the direction, He is perfect and as His church is built up it is magnificient!!!

NOTICE: we (you and I) are built on this foundation… with a foundation like this we are speaking of a solid structure!!! Now verse 21 describes what is being built…

A Holy Temple

“Carefully joined together”… this is not a haphazard work Christ is doing. He is skillfully fitting us together into this one building but also did you see those words… “IN CHRIST” you and I are being fitted into Christ! (We do not do this apart from Him) 2:10

Jesus Christ is Holy! We are being joined together in Him…

“Becoming”… this is an ongoing work of Christ. As new ones (INDIVIDUALLY) place their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, they are added to this Holy Temple Christ is building

Jesus said, “You be holy because I am Holy!” There is an expectation of how this building, this temple should look and function!

Verse 22 states that as we are fitted into this building we are the dwelling of the Holy Spirit!

This is wonderful on one hand… God with us!

This is terrifying on another hand… God with us!

What is it… in our bodies, our lives, our days, our thoughts that we bring into this temple!

Think of this: as one carefully joined together with others in the church and in Christ… what you do say, think now impacts the whole body, the whole building, the whole temple, the whole Family of God!

Do You Believe This?

The indication as we finish our passage today is that this is an ongoing work of Christ building His church.

We “fit together” in His work… the work He is doing in our lives and those around us

We have not only a PLACE in Christ Jesus you and I have a PURPOSE!

How are you contributing to this building called the household of God?

Like last week I asked do you believe this… IF you believe that you are a part of His Family, that you are His Temple where He dwells, THEN you and I need to make sure that our actions, what we say and do reflects this…

As we move forward through this letter we are given some very clear instruction of how this should look in our lives, in His Household!

Salvation yes is an individual act, yet when we join God’s Household we shift from an individual mindset to thinking as being part of a family mindset… from “you” to “we”.

Christ is building His church, has called us into His family… let’s live in such a way that others around us desire to be a part of what Christ is building, let’s be His work on display for the world around us in a beautiful powerful way! Our Belief Creates Our Behaviors…