EPHESIANS 2:11-18
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 1,264 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
ALIENATION FROM GOD TO RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
ALIENATION FROM GOD TO RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The 1960’s were a turbulent time in the United States surrounding the Civil Rights movement.
Most you in here today will remember the marches, the signs, the hatred that existed between the races during those years.
Do to the sinfulness of the human race we still see the results today— some fifty plus years later.
As bad as it was for the Civil Rights movement in the United States, I don’t think it compares to the visceral hatred that existed between the Jews and the Gentiles in Biblical times.
William Barclay says:
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians Before Christ Came (Ephesians 2:11–12)
The Jews had an immense contempt for the Gentiles. They said that the Gentiles were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell, and that God loved only Israel of all the nations that he had made. ‘The best of the serpents crush,’ they said, ‘the best of the Gentiles kill.’ It was not even lawful to give help to a Gentile woman in childbirth, for that would be to bring another Gentile into the world.
“The Jews believed the Gentiles were created to fuel the fires of Hell.”
Now, lest we think it was one-sided on the Jews part.
The Gentiles had great animosity for the Jews as well.
Plato said that the barbarians (anyone non-Greek) were his enemies by nature.
Today, we still see great animosity toward the Jews — from Nazi Germany to the racial factions of the middle east.
They seek to destroy all Jews today.
But, before we get to much into the history of this division, lets turn in our Bibles to our passage today:
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
In our passage today we will see 2 points:
ALIENATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 11-12)
RECONCILIATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 13-18)
We will start with:
ALIENATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 11-12)
ALIENATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 11-12)
What was the reason for this alienation?
Social?
Cultural?
Neither of those.
It was a Spiritual alienation.
In the first section of chapter two:
We saw that both Jews and Gentiles were alienated from God.
But in this section, we will see Paul tells us the Gentiles experienced a greater alienation.
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
In verses 11-12, Paul tells the Ephesians to “Remember” how they were alienated.
They were alienated Five ways:
1. CHRISTLESS (v. 12)
1. CHRISTLESS (v. 12)
“… remember that you were at that time separated from Christ...”
Because they were not part of the religion of the Jews— they did not have a Messiah to look forward too.
The pagan religions did not have the hope of a Messiah.
2. STATELESS (v. 12)
2. STATELESS (v. 12)
“… alienated from the commonwealth of Israel...”
They were not part of God’s nation. Israel was a nation under God, a theocracy, the Gentiles had no part of this.
3. COVENANTLESS (v. 12)
3. COVENANTLESS (v. 12)
“… strangers to the covenants of promise...”
They were not part of the covenants given to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
God had said he would being blessings upon Israel and through Israel.
Barclay says:
This covenant relationship involved not only privilege but also obligation. It involved the keeping of the Law. God’s choice of Israel was not favoritism, for it was choice not for special honor but for special responsibility.
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians Hopeless and Helpless (Ephesians 2:11–12 Contd)
This covenant relationship involved not only privilege but also obligation. It involved the keeping of the law.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Gen 12
Paul knew the Jews had a unique place in history. He knew they were an instrument of God to reach the Gentiles.
4. HOPELESS AND GODLESS (v. 12)
4. HOPELESS AND GODLESS (v. 12)
“… having no hope and without God in the world.”
The Greeks were thought of as cheerful, optimistic people, but there poets speak differently:
Theognis wrote:
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians Hopeless and Helpless (Ephesians 2:11–12 Contd)
I rejoice and disport me in my youth; long enough beneath the earth shall I lie, bereft of life, voiceless as a stone, and shall leave the sunlight which I loved; good man though I am, then shall I see nothing more.
Rejoice. O my soul, in thy youth; soon shall other men be in life, and I shall be black earth in death.
No mortal is happy of all on whom the sun looks down.
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians Hopeless and Helpless (Ephesians 2:11–12 Contd)
I rejoice and disport me in my youth; long enough beneath the earth shall I lie, bereft of life, voiceless as a stone, and shall leave the sunlight which I loved; good man though I am, then shall I see nothing more.
Rejoice. O my soul, in thy youth; soon shall other men be in life, and I shall be black earth in death.
No mortal is happy of all on whom the sun looks down.
The Gentiles were without hope because they were without God.
Even when Israel was in sin, they still had the Hope of God.
The pagan world of antiquity was indeed religious in everything.
One just has to look at the great temples to see they were religious.
Even today, our world is religious—but godless.
The scriptures affirm that false religions are godless.
Christians need to believe the scriptures.
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
The Gentiles were indeed without hope and without God.
RECONCILIATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 13-18)
RECONCILIATION OF THE GENTILES (vv. 13-18)
Paul starts out in this section by telling us that once the Gentiles were far off, but have now been brought near.
To us, that phrase does not make since until we place it in the 1st Century.
It was directed to the Jews who would understand it well.
It comes from:
creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.
When a Gentile converted to Judaism, the Rabbi would say the convert had been “brought near.”
The story is told of Rabbi Eliezer when asked but a sinful Gentile woman to be “brought near” he refused, he shut the door in her face.
“But now...”
No longer will the door be shut.
For in Christ Jesus we have been brought near.
How? By the Blood of Christ.
Because of His shed blood, we are able to be brought near to God because Christ Himself is our peace.
He is the peacemaker between us and the Godhead.
Notice with me the phase in verse 14:
“… has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility...”
What is Paul talking about here?
It is a graphic illustration of a wall that was found in Herod’s Temple.
The wall was dividing the space where a Gentile go in the Temple complex from the area where the Jews could go.
Paul is telling us that the wall of separation was removed making way for the creation of a new man, i.e., the Christian.
Before it was Jew and Gentile.
Now it is Jew, Gentile and Christian.
Now wee have access to God and we have spiritual unity.
What does all this mean?
1. CHRIST ABOLISHED THE LAW (v. 15)
1. CHRIST ABOLISHED THE LAW (v. 15)
“… by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances...”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
He came to fulfill the moral law.
He abolished the ceremonial law.
We now have access through His grace:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians
2. CHRIST CREATED A NEW HUMANITY (v.15)
2. CHRIST CREATED A NEW HUMANITY (v.15)
“… that he might create in himself on new man in place of the two...”
Preaching the Word: Ephesians—The Mystery of the Body of Christ Reconciliation — "Brought Near" (vv. 13-18)
Bishop John Reed tells about driving a school bus in Australia which carried whites and aborigines. Tired of all the squabbling, one day far out in the country he pulled over to the side of the road and said to the white boys, “What color are you?” “White.” He told them, “No, you are green. Anyone who rides in my bus is green. Now, what color are you?” The white boys replied, “Green.” Then he went to the aborigines and said, “What color are you?” “Black.” “No, you are green. Anyone who rides on my bus is green.” All the aborigines answered that they were green. The situation seemed resolved until, several miles down the road, he heard a boy in the back of the bus announce, “All right, light green on this side, dark green on that side.”
Bishop Reed had the right idea. What was needed was a new race, “the greens,” but he couldn’t pull it off!
What Bishop Reed could not do—Christ did.
Kent Hughes says:
“Jesus didn’t Christianize the Jews or Judaize the Gentiles. He didn’t create a half-breed. He made an entirely new man.”
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are a new race in Christ.
“Jesus is the answer to alienation, to racism, to prejudice, to hatred, to estrangement.”
3. CHRIST RECONCILED THE NEW HUMANITY TO GOD (v. 16)
3. CHRIST RECONCILED THE NEW HUMANITY TO GOD (v. 16)
“… and might reconcile us both to God in one body...”
How was this done?
Through the death of Christ on the Cross.
Prior to this time, the Gentiles had no access to God.
Now the Gentiles along with the Jews have direct access to God.
Eph 2:
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
We who were far off have been brought near.
Both those far off and those near have peace preached to them.
4. CHRIST GIVES US ACCESS TO THE TRINITY (v. 18)
4. CHRIST GIVES US ACCESS TO THE TRINITY (v. 18)
John Stott says:
Preaching the Word: Ephesians—The Mystery of the Body of Christ Reconciliation — "Brought Near" (vv. 13-18)
“The highest and fullest achievement of our peacemaking, reconciling Christ is the Trinitarian access of the people of God, as through him by the one Spirit we come boldly to our Father.”
For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Access through Christ in one Spirit to the Father.
This provides us peace—true peace with those who also have access.
This peace is the peace of the church— not the world.
The world seeks a peace that is not possible to achieve outside of the peace Christ provides.
This is why it is so important that you and I who have the Peace that comes from Christ share this with world in need.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Someone might be here today who is alienated from God.
You might feel the hopeless that comes from a Godless life.
We can help you today to know what True Reconciliation is like.
Allow of that chance to share Christ with you.
Maybe you are here today and you know Christ.
Do you know one who does not?
Maybe some one in you family...
Maybe a neighbor...
Will you take time this week to share the Love of Christ with them?