Where God Dwells

Ephesians 2:11–22 NIV

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time 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. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, 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.

INTRODUCTION

There were two brothers, ages 8 and 10, who were getting into a lot of trouble. Their mother brought them to see the pastor to see if he could help straighten them out.

The pastor talked with the younger brother first. He looked at the young boy and asked him, “Where is God?”

The boy’s eyes opened wide, but he didn’t answer, so the pastor asked again, more forcefully this time, “Young man, where is God?”

The boy began to squirm in his seat, so the pastor asked yet another time in a very loud voice, “Young man, answer me, where is God?”

At that, the boy leaped out of his seat and ran out the door right past his brother, who was waiting to go in next. The older brother chased him down and asked him, “What’s the matter?” To which the younger brother replied, “We’re in big trouble this time. God is missing, and they think WE did it!”

Where is God indeed?

Where does God dwell? (P)

Boy, how the answer to that question has drastically changed over the last 21 centuries...and I don’t think many realize it to the fullest extent it should be realized.

Sure, we may answer the question correctly with words - God is everywhere! But to understand the depths of that - what it really means...many people aren’t there. (P)

That’s why we constantly have to tackle questions like this.

Why do I need the church?

Why do I need to come to a church building like this one?

Why can’t I just study the scriptures on my own, pray by myself, and just do the church thing solo?

Why can’t I watch services online or on TV when I need that scholarly touch? (P)

So, those are the questions we are going to wrestle with and connect this morning:

Where does God dwell, and what does understanding the importance of the church have to do with it? (P)

The key to understanding this, and to fully grasping the power and importance of the church, given by God Himself, is to first understand this dark and dreary word that Paul uses or implies in this text, depending on the translation you’re using. It’s this word alienation.

What does that mean?

Here are some words that describe alienation well:

Separation

Isolation

Estrangement

Detachment

Imagine a place where you used to belong or should belong, but now you do not.

Many people feel that from their family when a marriage didn’t work out, or there was a falling out between parents and children, and it can be very, very painful. Friendships change through the years, and the solid group you once hung out with may not accept you as they once did.

We have a God who loved us enough to create us, yet the mere existence of sin was enough to alienate us from Him. (P)

And when it comes to God, alienation is where we used to be, as we will see Paul discuss in today’s text, and it’s where many still are. And if Jesus were the medicine to remedy this, which He is, then the church - that place that many people don’t think they need to be a part of - is the syringe, or the delivery system, of that medicine, which will make much more sense when we see what Paul said about how this works in Ephesians 2.

And to do this, he talks about three key concepts.

The first is: {CLICK}

1. The Mission of the Church

Now, Paul uses some fancy words in here, like circumcision and uncircumcision, to describe two different groups of people and two types of relationships, both of which can very easily be substituted in today’s context. (P)

You may remember that the bulk of the earliest converts to what we now call the “Christian faith” were the Jews who walked with Christ, like the disciples, and believed in what Jesus said and did.

They were born and raised Jews, marked among the males by the circumcision that would occur in that eight-day timeframe after birth, which is why they were called the circumcision. The Jews were basically the religious hub, or what we may call the religious in-crowd of the day. (P)

By contrast, the Gentiles were the outsiders to all of this. They had no connection to the Jewish faith - to be fair, they weren’t raised with that, so how could they? Most of them did not believe in God, and those who were starting to come on board were still looked upon very unfavorably by the Jews.

Perhaps you could liken that to the “Christiany, churched in-crowd” today versus people who may show up and sit down in the pews that don’t match the unwritten description of how a Christian should look. (P)

I have to say, I am very pleased with how Codorus treats and welcomes people by and large, but as a pastor, I talk to many other pastors, and I have heard stories.

How do you think many people react when someone sits down beside them who:

Is dirty, maybe smelly.

Maybe there is an odor of cigarette or marijuana smoke...or alcohol.

Maybe there are more tattoos or piercings than they would find acceptable.

Maybe the guest doesn’t fit in the political mold of “the other Christians in that church.”

Maybe they are known to have a criminal background. They did time.

And so, whether it was the Jews or Gentiles in Paul’s day, or the church or unchurched today, for lack of better terms, that’s one of the two relationships Paul talks about that meets with some resistance.

There is this horizontal tension that exists between these two groups of people, seemingly on opposite sides of the spectrum. There’s an alienation that exists, the Gentile from the Jew; the unchurched from the churched; stereotypically speaking, the ungodly-seeming from the godly-seeming, seeming being the operative word.

Because then Paul talks about the second type of relationship - the vertical one - the one that exists between people and God, of which Paul says in verse 12 of our text: {CLICK}

Ephesians 2:12 NIV

Remember that at that time 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.

He’s talking to the Gentiles here, but why do you think Paul - a Jew - would be sympathetic to the Gentiles’ plight? (P)

Remember, he was the Jew who used to persecute Christians, who used to hate Christ, who admits in another scripture that he, Paul, was the worst of sinners. The issue is no longer how godly we are over how ungodly we think the outsider is, but how alienated we all are from God because of sin.

It was the very condition that kept even the “best” of Jews from entering the holiest place of the temple in the Old Testament, where God dwelt. It was partitioned off by a curtain, and only the High Priest could enter once per year to offer sacrifices on behalf of the nation of Israel. (P)

And so Paul is trying to remind the Gentile population in Ephesus that it isn’t about being physically circumcised or fitting the mold of the Jewish people. But there was a man who came for all, who could repair the divide between Jews and Gentiles, those with a religious background and those without, those who grew up in the church and those who didn’t.

Furthermore, as we all fall short of God’s standard, we were all bound for eternal death; we were all alienated not only from each other, but also from God, we rejoice that Jesus came to fix that, and to make us one, spiritually, with Him and with each other. {CLICK}

Colossians 2:11–12 NIV

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, {CLICK} having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And it’s what God wanted, for Paul said in the chapter before: {CLICK}

Colossians 1:19–20 NIV

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, {CLICK} and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

And for those in the in crowd who would dare have a problem with this, they needed to be reminded of : {CLICK}

Isaiah 14:1 NIV

The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again, he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.

(P)

And a church seeking to fulfill Christ’s mission in bringing all of this to fruition aids in: {CLICK}

—Turning alienation into reconciliation

(P)

We see a lot of this begin to happen after the exile in the last centuries of the Old Testament, as Jews returned home and many Gentiles had also settled in those regions and began to intermix with them, and indeed, it was an uncomfortable time. But all it did was to set the stage for this coming together of Jew and Gentile that we see Paul describing here, that would ultimately fulfill prophecy, and accomplish the reconciliation God always had in mind to accomplish.

Because the fact is, we are all God’s people, and we all have a purpose, and we all have a place, and we all have potential to use our story and gifts, and background and history, to bring more of those “outsiders” to Christ, exactly as Jesus intended from the very beginning. (P) {CLICK}

I love going by the chocolate factories in Hershey - new and what is left of the old - and I continue to be impressed by the many silo-looking structures you see standing at both, especially when I found out what they were.

It’s where all the different types of cocoa beans from all the different regions were stored - not one of them is local, by the way. As much as we enjoy chocolate, the climate isn’t right around here to grow them - they all come from regions near the equator, especially South America and Africa.

Hershey has worked long and hard to find the right blend of those beans to make the most delicious formula for chocolate.

The best and most effective church is one that is comprised of a blend of people, some who have history in the church, who can offer wisdom to those who didn’t, and people who come from a rough background so they can have a testimony of what God has done in their lives even though they didn’t have that firm faith background, and all the possible backgrounds and mixes you could possibly get. (P)

And the mission of the church is to find those people, welcome those people, find the gifts of those people, and equip those people to work with our people, so we can forever be rid of that us and them language and see ourselves as one people united for the same purpose, which is to introduce others to number 2: {CLICK}

2. The Master of the Church

Because without the master, there would be no mission.

Without the master, people would be right in asking what the point of the church is, and we certainly wouldn’t have to go.

But when Paul talks about the blood of Christ in verse 13 of our text, and how that is the medicine that cures the disease of alienation, we realize just how optional the church is not.

As we alluded to earlier, there are amazing medicines out there, but none of them are worth anything without a delivery system...be it an IV, syringe, or capsule.

We can’t expect others to enjoy the vertical healing of Christ until we are willing to achieve the horizontal healing with them, where we can be willing to go to them, or welcome them in here, and deliver the life-saving gospel. (P)

And that is the peace that Paul talks about in verse 14. {CLICK}

Ephesians 2:14 NIV

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.

(P) That was the first goal of the Master: {CLICK}

—He destroyed the dividing wall.

That is the law that nobody is able to follow - Jew or Gentile; lifelong Christian or searcher...the law that brought us condemnation. (P)

Now that doesn’t mean the law isn’t important anymore, but remember, there were two main types of law in the Old Testament.

There was the ceremonial law.

Those were things that were specific to the Jewish faith - circumcision, sacrifice, guidelines of clean and unclean, certain things they could or could not eat - the things that the Gentiles had no connection with whatsoever - one of the reasons they were considered outsiders.

That was gone because of Christ. Notice we never light any fires up here, or make any of you sit out in the courtyard if you come in with certain health conditions. Most of us eat pretty much anything we want. (P)

And then there was the moral law.

Those things are based on the ten commandments and all of the offshoots - the things we consider right and wrong.

Those things are still valid, and it’s still sinful when we don’t follow them, but Jesus offers us a way out of condemnation through His blood.

And so that was the second goal. The Master: {CLICK}

—Reconciled believers to God.

Reconciliation is the antidote to alienation.

Verse 17 of our text says: {CLICK}

Ephesians 2:17 NIV

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

The outcome was what you heard in verse 13: {CLICK}

Ephesians 2:13 NIV

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

{CLICK}

And that promise is available to all people, because all people need it, and so no one is better than anyone else.

And so that was the Master’s third goal: {CLICK}

—Reconciliation between people.

And that’s exactly what peace is - the bringing together of groups of people that would otherwise not be able to do so, the results of which are even more profound.

Paul says in the next chapter: {CLICK}

Ephesians 3:6 NIV

This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

And that’s how the famous Christmas prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 became fulfilled: {CLICK}

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

{CLICK}

And that peace is what brings everyone to a place of commonality. (P)

It’s as John Scott once said:

“Christ’s church is a hospital of sick, wounded, and afflicted people.”

We are all in that boat. And so no person within the church gets to say to those seeking to come in, you do not belong, and no one considering church attendance gets to say, I won’t go there because of the hypocrites.

People can say those things, but good luck justifying them to God when we have to answer for those attitudes.

He will simply remind us what Paul already told us in Romans 6: {CLICK}

Romans 6:5 NIV

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

(P) We were all in the same boat, we all have the same gift of salvation offered through Christ’s blood, and now we all have the same responsibility - to be the Church Jesus Himself established, so this pattern can continue. We are to be the newly rebuilt temple Jesus spoke so often about - that spiritual structure is to rise in us. (P)

Jesus already gave the blueprints for this, and that’s what number 3 is about: {CLICK}

3. The Make-up of the Church

And as in any good and solid structure, the church must have an unbreakable cornerstone, a solid foundation, and sturdy walls, and Paul describes what that looks like in verses 19-22 of this Ephesians 2 text.

First, he talks about: {CLICK}

—The Cornerstone: Jesus Christ

Incidentally, the enemies of Jesus thought they had done away with this threat they saw in Him.

Interestingly enough, it was much the same attitude people have today that we’ve been discussing. Jesus didn’t fit into their mold; He threatened their preferred way of doing things, and He was taking away all their fame. (P)

Even the Psalmist centuries before knew this would happen, and recorded it in the 118th Psalm: {CLICK}

Psalm 118:22 NIV

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

And since that day, it has been a hot subject among the Apostles.

Peter: {CLICK}

1 Peter 2:4–5 NIV

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— {CLICK} 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.

We’re about to talk about that. (P)

Paul: {CLICK}

Ephesians 2:19–20 NIV

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, {CLICK} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The cornerstone is the Guidestone off which the rest of the foundation is connected and made straight. It is fitting then that Jesus would be the cornerstone, the guide, having direct contact with the Apostles, who would start the church, and the prophets, who would have that supernatural connection to share the truth of Jesus, who then becomes the next level of the structure: {CLICK}

—The Foundation: Apostles and Prophets

It’s where we get the direct writings and experiences of the New Testament, which then direct the operations of the church, as we are doing right now.

I love the image Gregory Elder shares:

Growing up on the Atlantic Coast, I spent long hours working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath my hands. One year, for several days in a row, I was accosted by bullies who smashed my creations. Finally, I tried an experiment: I placed cinder blocks, rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of my castles. Then I built the sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. When the local toughs appeared (and I disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match.

He goes on to say:

Many people see the church in grave peril from a variety of dangers: secularism, politics, heresies, or plain old sin. They forget that the church is built upon a Rock (Mt. 16:16), over which the gates of hell itself shall not prevail. 

(P)

If we try to build a church apart from Christ, or apart from the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Himself inspired in the New Testament, we aren’t building a church. We’re just building a funhouse for heathens, and unfortunately, many of us can name some examples of that in our world today.

And we therefore must be careful how the spiritual walls of the church are built. And that’s where the third level comes in: {CLICK}

—Building Blocks: You and Me

You heard that 1 Peter 2.

We meld together in unity to build the church on the solid foundation of Christ and his teachings. You can’t build that wall anywhere else and expect it to properly complete the church Jesus is trying to build. (P)

The details of what all of this looks like will be shared in the coming weeks as we look at several different aspects of the church and its operation. That’s why I only breezed through this part for this morning. But more details will come.

We’ll talk about things like:

What it means to be a body, particularly the body of Christ

What it looks like when that body isn’t operating under good health, as opposed to what it looks like when it is

We will build upon this concept of unity that we started with today

We will talk about the very specific detail of membership - what does it mean and why is it important?

We will talk about our individual gifts and purposes

And we will discuss community - what is the difference between seeing our part in the church as a member of a community as opposed to just an audience member? (P)

CONCLUSION

But all of these components are simply designed to optimize our primary purpose - to be the means by which people who are alienated from God, as all of us once were, can be connected to the One who can bring them near, either for the first time, or once again if that person had been close and then slipped away. (P)

And the reasons we are able to do this and are expected to do this are because of the incredible shift humankind has experienced that I alluded to at the beginning...knowing that we, who were once unable to even approach God, have now become His dwelling place.

That’s why we are becoming that temple, that church. Because of the work Christ has done in us, because we are the bearers of HIs kingdom, as we talked about when we spoke of what it meant in the Lord’s prayer to say They Kingdom come.

The kingdom is wherever Christ dwells, and He dwells in the hearts of those who let Him in, and therefore we bear Him and carry Him to one another.

We who were once far off now carry Him with us to a world in need. (P)

Charles Spurgeon says it this way, and we will wrap up with this:

I passed a church the other day, and I saw on one of its doors the words, “The house of God.” I thought, “Is it?”

On the next door, I saw the words, “The gate of heaven,” and I said to myself, “It is not so, any more than any other door is.”

Is this tabernacle God’s house? While we worship him here, it is, but it is not any more holy than our own house is. One place is as sacred as another, for God’s presence has consecrated it all: “The Most High does not live in houses made by human hands” (Acts 7:48).

Every part of my garden, as I meditate on God in it, is as holy as the aisles of the most venerable cathedral. Your bedroom, as you kneel in prayer before you lie down to sleep, is as sacred as the temple of Solomon. Every spot where there is a devout worshiper is the abode of Deity; it is no more and no less so in one place than in another.

The building is not the church; you are.

That does not mean that we do not have to come here; it means we do come to this building to learn how to be the church, which is a direct command from Christ Himself, and you can’t do that if you aren’t a part of the fellowship He established. (P)

More on that as we proceed in the coming weeks. But you can’t be the dwelling place of God if you are still far off - if you are still alienated by sin that has not been removed because you have yet to seek a relationship with Jesus. You have yet to say yes to Him when He offered to take your sins and to throw them on the cross with everyone else’s.

That is a key first step in becoming the church, but even more importantly, it is the key step in your reconciliation with Him, in which your sin is forever removed from you, and a place is reserved at His banquet table, and you experience a freedom in Christ you have not been able to experience otherwise.

If that is you, come forward or find someone to pray with you, and make today, the first day of March, 2026, also the first day of a relationship with Christ and a life with Him that will bless many on earth, and that will never end in Heaven.