Sermon Tone Analysis

Division

Paul who was called and set apart by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles never forgot his Jewish roots and Jewish heritage.

Paul in our passage tonight is going to draw a contrast between the life of the Gentile and the Jew.

(Slide) Jews had a contempt for the Gentiles - they considered them to have been created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell.

They could not even assist in the birth of a Gentile child that would be considered bringing another Gentile into the world.

(Slide) Jew marrying a Gentile resulted in a Jewish funeral - If a Jew married a Gentile then there would be a Jewish funeral held for the Jewish person for they were to be considered dead.

(Slide) A Gentile in Jews home would defile the home.

- Even the other way if a Jew entered the home of a Gentile the Jew would consider himself unclean.

As you can see there were some serious barriers there, walls that needed to come down for there to be peace.

It would seem that most peace missions fail, but this is Christ’s peace mission we are talking about tonight and that one is eternal and can be summed up three words

(Slide) SEPARATION, RECONCILIATION AND UNIFICATION

I. Separation

Ephesians is written to Christians who were mostly Gentiles at one time.

Eph2:1-10 dealt with salvation of sinners in general be it Jew or Gentile, but the focus tonight changes to speak to the heart of the Christians who were formally Gentiles.

The Jews contempt of the Gentiles for centuries separated them, though the physical circumcision was proof of the covenant with God it was no proof of faith.

Rom2

Those who have put their trust in Christ have received the spiritual circumcision.

Originally there was no difference in man at all, from days of Adam to the calling of Abraham when things changed and the Hebrews were set aside to be God’s chosen ones to bring the Messiah.

It was never God’s intention for the division to last forever, though the Jews had that mindset ritually but not morally for they did not act as the people of God the chosen ones.

Except the choosing was the way of the Messiah so the Jews could be His channel of Salvation to all nations as promised to Abraham in Gen12.

Speaking of separation there is one theme that sticks out in our passage here now

(Slide) OUTSIDE OR WITHOUT

(Slide) Without Christ - there were many god’s of the Ephesians but we see one that was exalted more Diana of the Ephesians (see Act19:28) There are many who claim their religion is just as acceptable to God has Christianity but that is not true, without Christ you are without your citizenship in heaven and you are condemned.

(Slide) Without Citizenship -God called the Jew’s, set them apart, made them a nation, gave them His laws and His blessings.

No other peoples could claim that.

No other people were called God’s people, so they were without citizenship and left in despair without hope.

(Slide) Without Hope - A great hopelessness when philosophies were empty, traditions were disappearing, religions were powerless to helping people face life or death.

Oh how people wanted hope, but there was none

1Th

LOOK UP AND READ 1The4:13-18 (not on the screen)

People want a hope and without Christ we do not have God.

(Slide) Without God - There were god’s a plenty in Athens and you can read about that in Act17:16-23 on Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill.

Another place Paul mentions it in

1Cor

This was not just a thing in Paul’s day, in Psm115 you can see the contrast of heathen god’s and the Lord.

Is this not the plight of today too?

The Hindu’s with many god’s and Jesus is just one of them.

The Gentile plight was not caused by God, but by their own sinful behavior, sinful choices; for God had always made Himself evident as noted in Rom1:18-23 but let me just highlight it and you can read the passage on your own.

Speaking of Gentiles.

(Slide) men who were suppressing the truth (v.18)

(Slide) God had mad himself evident (creation, eternal power and divine nature) (vv.19-20)

(Slide) Did not honor God though they knew Him (v.21)

(Slide) Claimed to be wise, but exchanged the incorruptible image of God for the form of corruptible man (vv.22-23)

(Slide)“Religious history is not a record of man starting with many gods (idolatry) and gradually discovering the one true God. . .

Its a sad story of knowing the truth and deliberately turning away from it, it is a story of devolution, not evolution!”

- Warren Wiersbe (Bible Exposition Commentary)

Salvation is of the Jews (re: Jn4:22) but not just or the Jews, it was for all nations, all people who come to believe.

God deposited His Word, and through the Jews he gave the world the Savior (re: Rom9:1-5) They were to be a light, unfortunately they were a dim light and did not shine out.

(Slide) The plight of the church today is being a dim light instead of a lighthouse warning and guiding people to safety today.

II.

Reconciliation - What God did for the Gentiles

(Slide) Let’s turn and read Eph2:13-18

(Slide) God and His grace stepping in for the lost sinners (But God Eph2:4 and but now here in Eph2:13)

(Slide) Formally far off

(Slide) Enmity

(Slide) Reconciling and making peace

(Slide) Enmity (n) the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

In this passage it is two fold

(Slide) Enmity between Jews and Gentiles (vv.13-15)

Enmity between

(Slide) Enmity between man and God (vv.16-28)

(Slide) Christ does not just reconcile man to God but man to man too, to form one body the Church!

To reconcile is “to bring together again” (THESE ARE NOT ON A SLIDE)

a wife to her husband she left

A mother to her wayward daughter

A lost sinner needs to be reconciled with God

(Slide) Jesus work on the cross abolished the enmity between Jew and Gentile, between lost sinners and God

(Slide) The enmity between Jews and Gentiles (vv.13-15)

God had made a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles to bring His plan of salvation.

When that was accomplished the enmity was done away with.

By Christs work of reconciliation on the Cross.

God had made a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles to bring His plan of salvation.

When that was accomplished the enmity was done away with.

By Christs work of reconciliation on the Cross.

It was not an easy thing to grasp and there were battles along the way you can see the issue in Act15 at the Jerusalem council after they had already had issues with Peter and Gentiles in Act11.

Both of these we will get more into another time, another day.

(Slide) The cause of the enmity is the Law (v.15)

The enmity was a wall, in the temple it was a literal wall separating the Gentiles from the Jews.

There were signs on the walls in the court of Gentiles saying

(Slide) “No foreigner may enter within the barricade with surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure .

Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.”

Jesus by fulfilling the demands of the law by His righteousness and bearing the curse of the law in His death, he abolished the legal barrier that separated the Jew and the Gentile, but let me back it up with Scripture

(Slide) The richness of God’s peace through Christ Jesus is available to all who call on His name (re: Rom10:12-13)

(Slide) He is our peace (Eph2:14)

(Slide) He brings peace to those who were far off (Eph2:13, 17)

(Slide) He abolished the Law and created a new man, the church, the body of Christ (Eph2:15-17)

(Slide) Let me summarize a few things real quick

(Slide) Previously without Christ - now in Christ (1:3)

(Slide) Previously aliens - now a holy nation (1Pt2:9)

(Slide) Previously strangers - now no more strangers (Eph2:19)

(Slide) Previously no hope - now called in One hope (Eph4:4)

(Slide) Previously without God - now with God the Father (Eph1:3)

That now brings us to the other part of the two part enmity.

(Slide) The enmity between sins and God (vv.16-18)

Reconciliation between man, Jew and Gentile was important but both needed to be reconciled to God and that was of the utmost importance.

Echoing the conclusion of Jerusalem conference regarding salvation of Gentiles and Jew, Paul brings this in this passage, but let me give you the one from Act15

A Jew putting himself in the same class as a Gentile, a sinner, was a big deal, but it is clear that there is no distinction, both are sinners in need of being reconciled to God

See a God of love wants all men, all sinners, to be reconciled to Himself, but a God of holiness is just and sin must be judged.

Hence why the God of love, loved us so much He sent His Son to be the acceptable sacrifice for Sin.

God through His Son is the God of reconciliation