You Belong Here

Ephesians 2:11-22

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Ephesians 2:11–22 | A Journey Through Ephesians

Main Idea: Through Jesus, we are brought near to God and brought together as a family.

INTRODUCTION — “AT LEAST I LOOK LIKE A GOLFER”

Some of you know I’ve been getting into golf.

And there’s a difference between playing golf and being good at golf.

I am currently participating.

Golf is funny because you can buy everything you need to look like you know what you’re doing.

Get the polo. Get the golf shoes. Put the glove on.

Standing in the parking lot, you look pretty impressive.

Unfortunately, eventually somebody expects you to hit the ball.

Imagine being the inexperienced guy playing with people who are actually good.

They’re talking about wind speed and which club they need.

You’re thinking, “Which one gives me the best chance of making contact?”

They step up and hit the ball straight down the middle.

Then it’s your turn.

Suddenly everybody gets quiet and watches.

Which is unfortunate, because you were really hoping nobody would witness this.

You take a practice swing. Beautiful.

You take another one. Still beautiful.

Apparently, the ball is the problem.

[PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER]

Then you hit it, and it takes a hard right toward the trees.

Everybody else is playing golf. You’re beginning a nature walk.

But underneath all the jokes, there’s a real feeling:

“Am I slowing everybody down?”

“Are they regretting inviting me?”

“Do I actually belong out here with these people?”

TRANSITION — THE FEAR OF NOT BELONGING

You don’t have to play golf to understand that.

Maybe you’ve felt it walking into tryouts.

Or hanging out with people who already have their own inside jokes.

Or coming to church and thinking everybody else knows their Bible better than you do.

You start thinking, “If I could just be good enough, maybe I would belong.”

And sometimes we bring that same thinking into our relationship with God.

“Once I get my life together…”

“Once I know enough…”

“Once I stop struggling with this…”

RECAP AND CONNECTION

Last week, we saw that salvation is a gift of God’s grace. You can’t earn this.

Tonight, Paul shows us that this grace also brings us into a family.

Our problem before God goes much deeper than being inexperienced or embarrassed. We need forgiveness and reconciliation.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus provides what we could never provide for ourselves.

Our title tonight is “You Belong Here.”

That doesn’t mean everyone automatically belongs to God’s family simply because they attend church.

It means that everyone who trusts in Jesus truly belongs to his people.

Your background cannot make you a second-class member of God’s family.

Main Idea: Through Jesus, we are brought near to God and brought together as a family.

[READ EPHESIANS 2:11–22 — CSB]

Transition:

To appreciate where Jesus has brought us, Paul first asks us to remember where we started.

1. REMEMBER HOW FAR AWAY YOU WERE

Ephesians 2:11–13

EXPOSITION

Paul is addressing Gentile believers—people who were not Jewish.

God had given Israel his covenant promises and set them apart as his people. Circumcision was the physical sign of that covenant.

But the distinction between Jew and Gentile had also become a source of contempt.

These Gentile believers knew what it meant to be treated as outsiders.

Yet Paul points to something deeper than hurt feelings or social rejection.

Before Christ, they lacked the relationship with God and the hope found in his promises.

Here is what we need to understand: Our deepest problem is separation from God.

We naturally measure our lives by how well things are going.

“I have friends.”

“My grades are good.”

“I made the team.”

“My family comes to church.”

Those things can be good gifts. But none of them can forgive sin or bring us into a right relationship with God.

A person can have a full social calendar and still be spiritually lost.

A person can know how to act at church and still need to trust Christ.

Some of you cannot remember a time when you weren’t around church. But being familiar with Jesus and belonging to Jesus are different things.

Then verse 13 gives us the turning point.

Their former distance from God has been overcome through Jesus’ sacrificial death.

Notice who makes the difference.

Their acceptance doesn’t rest on their ethnicity, their religious achievements, or how successfully they have changed their lives.

Jesus is the reason they can come near.

That continues the truth we saw last week: You can’t earn this.

Christ took our sin seriously enough to die for it.

God’s welcome is gracious, but it was costly. Our forgiveness was purchased through the cross.

Why does Paul tell Christians to remember their past?

Remembering our need keeps us grateful.

It also keeps us humble.

We cannot look down on someone who needs the same mercy we needed.

ILLUSTRATION — THE WRONG DESTINATION

Imagine getting on a bus after a school event.

You find a seat, put your headphones in, and start scrolling.

The seat is comfortable. Your phone is charged. You even have snacks.

Everything seems fine.

Then you look out the window and realize you don’t recognize anything.

You got on the wrong bus.

At that point, how comfortable you feel doesn’t change where you’re headed.

You need help getting to the right destination.

We can do something similar spiritually.

We assume that because life feels comfortable, our relationship with God must be fine.

But comfort cannot tell you whether you know Christ.

This illustration only goes so far: our spiritual problem is more serious than an innocent travel mistake. We have sinned against God.

We need the forgiveness and new life that only Jesus can give.

APPLICATION

1. Ask whether your confidence is actually in Jesus.

If I asked, “Why are you right with God?” what would your answer be?

Would you point to your parents?

Your church attendance?

The fact that you’re better behaved than some other people?

Or would you point to Jesus—his death and resurrection—and say, “My hope is in him”?

You don’t have to pretend tonight.

If you have questions about your salvation, talk with me or one of our leaders. We want to help you understand the gospel.

2. Let remembering produce gratitude instead of superiority.

Think about the student you find easiest to judge.

Maybe they curse constantly. Maybe their home life is messy. Maybe they don’t know anything about the Bible.

Your need for grace puts you on the same level.

Remembering where Jesus found you should change how you treat people who still need him.

Transition:

Jesus brings us near to God. But Paul also shows us that the cross changes our relationship with one another.

2. LET JESUS TEAR DOWN THE WALLS

Ephesians 2:14–18

EXPOSITION

CONTEXT — THE DIVISION BETWEEN JEWS AND GENTILES

The division Paul addresses is between Jews and Gentiles.

This went much deeper than different hobbies or personalities. It involved deeply rooted religious and cultural tensions.

Jewish practices concerning food, circumcision, and worship set them apart from Gentile society. Those differences could become sources of suspicion and contempt on both sides.

Not every individual hated the other group, but the hostility was real.

Even Peter needed God to show him that he should welcome Gentiles rather than regard them as unclean. 

Acts 10:28 “Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner, but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean.”

There was also a physical barrier in the Jerusalem temple. Gentiles could enter the outer court, but inscriptions warned them against crossing into the inner sacred area under penalty of death. Temple warning inscription

In Acts 21, the accusation that Paul had brought a Gentile across that boundary helped spark a violent attack against him. That is how explosive this division could be.

Now imagine believers from those backgrounds hearing Paul explain that Jesus has made them one people.

Through Christ, they have access to the same Father and belong to the same family.

People once separated by hostility are now joined together through the cross.

JESUS IS OUR PEACE

Into that division, Paul announces: “For he is our peace.”

Peace begins with Jesus himself. His work creates a new relationship between people who had been separated. [Ephesians 2:14, CSB]

Verse 15 can sound confusing when Paul talks about the law.

He is not saying that Christians are now free to ignore God or decide right and wrong for themselves.

Later in this same letter, Paul will give clear instructions about holiness, honesty, purity, and love.

Here, the issue is the law as a covenant that marked Israel off from the Gentiles.

Through his death, Jesus removes that covenant barrier. Gentiles do not have to become Jews to belong to God’s people.

Both groups come to God through Christ.

Jesus does not establish one entrance for religious people and another for everyone else.

Everyone needs his saving work.

That means the person who grew up hearing Bible stories and the person who heard about Jesus for the first time tonight need the same Savior.

Paul also makes clear that both groups need reconciliation with God.

The Jewish people’s covenant privileges did not make personal salvation automatic.

Religious background cannot replace faith.

Jesus forms one people whose shared identity is found in him.

Their differences do not all disappear. But those differences no longer determine who has access to God or who belongs.

Notice the picture of God at work in verse 18:

Through the Son, believers approach the Father in the Spirit.

Our unity rests on what God has done.

Now think about what that means for our student ministry.

We can gather in the same room and still keep one another at a distance.

We can sing the same songs and then spend the rest of the night ignoring certain people.

The point heading says, “Let Jesus tear down the walls.”

Jesus has already accomplished the decisive work through the cross.

Our responsibility is to live consistently with the peace he has created.

We should not nurture contempt toward people Jesus calls us to love.

ILLUSTRATION — THE GROUP PROJECT

Imagine your teacher assigns a group project.

You look at the list and immediately think, “Please tell me I can switch groups.”

One person talks too much.

One person never talks.

One person is someone you already don’t get along with.

You all sit at the same table, but nobody works together.

You divide into little sides. You complain about each other. You hope the teacher notices that the problems are somebody else’s fault.

You share a group name, but you refuse to act like a group.

We can behave that way in church.

We say we belong to Jesus, but we still organize our relationships around who is popular, useful, familiar, or easy to like.

The church is much more than a school assignment.

Christ has united believers through his own death.

That gives us a far greater reason to love one another than simply getting through a project.

APPLICATION

1. Cross one social barrier this week.

You don’t have to stop enjoying your closest friends.

But Christian love should reach beyond them.

Talk to the student who usually stands alone.

Learn the name of someone new.

Make room beside you.

Refuse to join the conversation that makes somebody else the joke.

Here is a question to ask: “Who do I regularly overlook because they aren’t part of my group?”

Welcome is something we practice.

A great way to do this is to invite someone to church.

A person should be able to see our love in how we treat them.

2. Take responsibility for your part in a conflict.

Maybe the wall is between you and someone you used to be close to.

Have you gossiped?

Have you embarrassed them?

Have you refused to admit what you did?

You cannot control their response, but you can confess your sin and seek peace.

A sincere apology might begin, “What I said was wrong. I hurt you. Will you forgive me?”

Forgiveness does not make harmful behavior acceptable, and rebuilding trust may take time.

If a situation involves bullying or threats, bring a trusted adult into it.

But don’t let pride keep you from taking the step you know is right.

Transition:

Paul has shown us our former distance and the peace Jesus brings. Now he describes the place we have among God’s people.

3. LIVE LIKE YOU BELONG TO GOD’S FAMILY

Ephesians 2:19–22

EXPOSITION

Paul closes this section with three pictures: citizenship, a household, and a building.

Together, they describe a secure place among God’s people and a shared life with them.

First, think about citizenship.

A citizen has a recognized place in a community.

Believers from a Gentile background are not on the edge of God’s people, hoping they might eventually qualify.

In Christ, they belong.

Then think about a household.

Paul moves from the public picture of a community to the personal picture of family.

God’s saving grace brings believers into a relationship with him and with one another.

You are not merely a face in the room.

Your life matters to the people God has called to love you.

And their lives should matter to you.

For some students, the word “family” brings comfort.

For others, it brings pain.

The church will not live this out perfectly. We still need repentance, patience, and forgiveness.

But our heavenly Father is faithful, and his character should shape the way his children treat one another.

Finally, think about a building.

Paul describes a structure grounded in the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as its cornerstone.

The church rests on the message God revealed through his appointed witnesses, with Christ determining its shape and direction.

That matters because we do not get to reinvent the church around whatever is popular.

We listen to Scripture.

We submit to Jesus.

He determines what we believe and how we live.

Paul’s building picture also emphasizes that believers are joined together.

Christianity includes a personal response to Jesus, and it also includes a shared life with his people.

You need encouragement.

You need people who will pray for you.

You need people who will lovingly tell you the truth.

And other people need those things from you.

God is forming a people among whom he dwells by his Spirit.

That gives our life together a purpose much deeper than filling a Wednesday night.

ILLUSTRATION — THE FAMILY PHOTO

Imagine visiting a friend’s house during a big family gathering.

After dinner, somebody says, “Everybody outside! We’re taking a family picture.”

People start gathering on the porch.

You step to the side because you assume you aren’t supposed to be in it.

Now imagine a child who has recently been adopted doing the same thing.

Everybody gathers, but the child stays back.

A parent notices and says, “Come here. You’re in this picture. You’re part of our family.”

That child does not need to earn a spot by being impressive enough.

The parent is helping the child understand a relationship that is already real.

Some Christians keep standing at the edge of church life.

“Those people are more important.”

“They know more than I do.”

“I’m just a student.”

“I don’t really have anything to offer.”

If you belong to Jesus, you have a place among his people.

You can begin participating and growing right where you are.

APPLICATION

Take one step from attending to participating.

Showing up matters. Start there.

Then ask, “How can I help care for this family?”

You can pray for another student.

You can encourage someone who is struggling.

You can help a new person feel comfortable.

You can serve when something needs to be done.

You can speak honestly in small group instead of hiding behind “I’m good.”

You do not have to wait until you’re older to contribute.

You also do not have to handle your struggles alone.

Let’s serve and be a part of the church family.

Serving at the Fall Festival is a great way.

You can greet people on Sunday morning.

You can greet people on Wednesday night.

Let a leader know what is going on. Give other believers the opportunity to care for you.

Belonging carries both comfort and responsibility.

You are loved, and you are called to love.

Transition:

Remember the question we started with: “Do I belong here?” Let’s bring that question back to what Jesus has done.

CONCLUSION — A PLACE THROUGH JESUS

We laughed earlier about standing on a golf course, hoping your next swing proves you belong.

But trying to prove your worth can become an exhausting way to live.

Some of you feel that pressure every day—with friends, at school, and even at church.

You try to be funny enough.

Attractive enough.

Talented enough.

Easy enough to like.

Then you bring that same pressure into your relationship with God.

You assume you must impress him before he will receive you.

Through Jesus, you can stop trying to earn your way into God’s family and begin living in the grace that brings you there.

Last week we saw that salvation cannot be earned.

Tonight we have seen the family that grace brings us into.

Remember how far away you were.

Let that memory keep you humble and thankful.

Let Jesus tear down the walls.

Live out his peace in the way you treat other people.

Live like you belong to God’s family.

Participate, receive care, and care for others.

RESPONSE FOR THE STUDENT WHO HAS NOT TRUSTED CHRIST

Your deepest need tonight is to be reconciled to God.

We have all sinned against him, and we cannot repair that relationship through good behavior.

Jesus, the Son of God, lived without sin, died for sinners, and rose from the dead.

He is able to forgive and save everyone who comes to him in repentance and faith.

Turn from your sin and trust him.

You do not have to manufacture an impressive religious story.

You need the Savior.

If you want to talk about what that means, come speak with me or one of our leaders tonight.

RESPONSE FOR THE BELIEVER

Maybe you need to thank Jesus for the grace you have started taking for granted.

Maybe you need to apologize to someone.

Maybe you need to notice the person you have been ignoring.

Maybe you need to stop carrying a struggle alone and let your church family help.

As we pray, identify the next faithful step you need to take.

Closing thought:

Through Jesus, you are brought near to God and brought together with his people. You belong—and you have people to love.

How should remembering our own need for God’s grace change the way we treat someone whose life or background looks different from ours?

Jews and Gentiles had a history of deep division. What did Jesus accomplish for both groups through the cross? Why does this matter to us today? 

Why is admitting you were wrong so difficult? What could taking a first step toward peace with someone look like this week?

What is one way you could participate and serve in our church family going forward?