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ALIENATION FROM GOD TO RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
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 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:
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)
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.
In verses 11-12, Paul tells the Ephesians to “Remember” how they were alienated.
They were alienated Five ways:
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)
“… 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)
“… 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.
This covenant relationship involved not only privilege but also obligation.
It involved the keeping of the law.
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)
“… 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:
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.
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.
The Gentiles were indeed without hope and without God.
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:
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)
“… by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances...”
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