The Power of One

Open your Bibles if you will to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter two, and I will begin today at verse 11, because we need to set the stage for what Paul has been speaking about if we are going to fully identify and appreciate the conclusion that Paul sets before us in verses 19-22.

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First slide – quote – what we were – what we are – what we are becoming!

Paul has written to the church of the power of the grace of God, and he commands them to never forget where they once were. “Remember” he says, “that you were once separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise. Remember that you had no hope. Remember you had no God.

And then Paul points to the work of Christ and shows them, that they who have believed by faith, have been brought near. Paul tells the Jews and the Gentiles, these people who once lived in bitter hatred of one another, that no longer are they to live as they used to live. It is no longer right to be at odds with one another because Christ has made the two as one. Christ has made One new man, Christ has made one body, Christ has made a way to the Father that is to be enjoyed – but only by One way. By the way of Christ Himself.

And so now, Paul draws on all his previous words and instruction, and he begins the summing up of what he has said and the implications of what has been laid out clearly for those who now believe, and Paul says in verses 19-22:

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Paul immediately sets out to show the believers that they are not what they once were. They are not separated from God, they are not separated from one another. These people now have a position and privilege, Because NOW, in Christ, they are ONE.

So today I want to show you the power of ONE that Paul sets out before us, in light of the One who has done what He has done to create unity, so that those who are living in this world, and who have experienced this power, may show the world the power of God.

Look with me at vs. 19.

The first thing we see here is that we are now citizens of

ONE Kingdom.

Paul tells the believers that because of the work of Christ they are no longer foreigners and aliens, but that they are fellow citizens with Gods people.

As I thought about what it is like to be a foreigner, I remembered the days that I moved from one school to another and how hard it was. I remember when I went to Ukraine, and the country of Georgia 4 years ago, and how hard it was to try and understand the people and their ways.

It was hard because I was ignorant. I didn’t know the language, I didn’t know the customs. I was traveling with men who did know, and who did call those countries home – but I was certainly not in the place where I come from. I was ignorant.

Foreigners, or strangers as some translations use, are people who do not have intimate fellowship with another because they are ignorant of the company they are in. There is nothing that unites them – and you might remember that as a child, you were told “never talk to strangers.”

Paul also writes about the alien – and he says – you are no longer an “alien.”

In Paul’s day they had what was known as par'-oy-kos.

These were people who were known as someone living close to others as a temporary dweller, or they lived in a specific locale as a non-citizen. And they usually paid a small tax to be where the citizens lived – but they were limited to what rights they would have. And at anytime they could be kicked out of the country, for any or no reason.

But now, says Paul, because of Christ – you are fellow citizens with the all the saints.

We need to understand this power of One if we are to live the life before us because Paul encourages those suffering in Philippi that their citizenship is no longer of this world, but that it is in heaven and that the people of Gods Kingdom should live with a great expectation because He has the power to bring all things under His control!

We are fellow citizens of One Kingdom. This means we are subjects under the Lordship of

ONE KING.

We do not have to live as we lived under the old ruler. We do not have to abide by the confines and constrictions of the old country. We are now a royal citizen of a Royal King.

This is the Good news for those who are not what they once were!

No matter where you once called home - and what you once did - and who once ruled you – you are no longer there.

Paul went to great lengths to show us our miserable state in versus one through three, when we lived our lives, dead in sin, and under the power of the prince of the air and as a slave to the desires of the flesh!

But now – we who believe, are under the rule of the One True King. That means that we have all the privileges, rights, and protections of the King!

Think about this.

Paul was a man who understood how powerful citizenship was. He was a Jew first and foremost, and he spent most of his life studying in Jerusalem under Gamaliel – a name that was well known among the people.

But Paul was also a Roman citizen!

In Acts chapter 26 we read that Paul was being beaten by the Jewish people and a Roman Centurion comes and saves him – but in trying to find out what all the commotion was about - the Centurion orders that Paul be beaten until the truth comes out. And once Paul has been restrained, and the soldiers prepare to give him a good lashing, Paul asks them – is this right - that you would beat a citizen?

All at once everything changes! Even the Leader of the soldiers now gives Paul a new respect.

And the next day – when the centurion learns that Paul’s life was in jeopardy from a mob who had taken an oath to not eat until he was killed, it is the Roman centurion who arranges to have Paul taken from town with 200 men – 70 of them on horseback – and even Paul gets a horse to ride!

The Bible tells us that The Lord is my refuge and my strength – a very present help in my trouble. ()

This is the privilege and rights of a citizen! The people have access to things of their homeland that no one else does!

We who believe, by God’s grace, are no longer ignorant to the things of God! We are not unaware of His blessings and His Love. We no longer live on a passport – But as men and women who have been born again by the Spirit of God, we now live under a birth certificate - we really do belong (Stott).

But Paul doesn’t stop there. Look again at verse 19.

Paul goes on and he says – not only are you citizens of One country and One King – but you are members of

ONE HOUSEHOLD I will come back to this picture Paul draws for us – but first I want you to see that if you are of One Household, then you are thereby of

One Father.

Get this.

tells us that we have access to the throne room of Grace and that we can approach it with great confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Nothing should give us greater comfort than knowing that the King who sits on that Throne is not just the ruler of the land I live in – but He is the Father – the Daddy of the home where I reside!

A Further picture of the power of One is seen when we see we are under -

One Father in One Family

We have Father who knows what we need before we ask. He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. His greatest care is my greatest need in the moment in which I live. His greatest desire is to have me call upon Him, and to pour my heart out, and to sit with Him in the quiet of the day and hear His voice. He loves me as His very own, and all that He has is mine. He loves me as a Father, and He disciplines me for my own sake. He gives me gifts I cannot earn and does not hold against me the many times I have forsaken Him, when I run to Him and turn from my foolish ways.

As a Father – He has done more than I can imagine, and He has loved me without limits. When I ran off into a far country - He sat and waited patiently, and when I came to my senses – He ran out to meet me and to walk me home by His very own Hand. And He threw a party in Heaven where even the angels proclaimed praise to His Name.

In we are told “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I am not merely a citizen of One country, with One king – but I am the Royal Prince of a Royal Father and I can go to my Daddy any time I want.

And it is in this One father that I am part of

ONE Household or the one family.

And it is in this One family that we are told in that 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ!

In this One family I am a co heir with Christ – and all that is His, is mine.

All that I need has been provided in this family.

There are in my family, those who pray for me and intercede on my behalf (). There is in my family One who continues to make a way for me and who has lighted my path and protects me when I am tempted. And in this family a place has been prepared for me and I will never walk alone.

And in this family, I have the assurance that there is a great crowd of witnesses who have gone before me. And they stand and sing praises to the name of the Father.

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And then Paul tells us in verse 20 some great words when he tells us that this One household, this One family, is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”

So let me break this down for us so that we can continue to be uplifted by the theme of the power of One that Paul continues in.

First Paul says that this household, this family, is built on:

The foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.

Let me put this in 21st century vernacular for us today – and make this a word picture that I believe Paul is trying to draw for us –

Paul is saying that the household is built on a foundation, and that foundation is sturdy because it is created by and built upon

ONE WORD.

There is much that can be said about this because there are those who teach that the church is built on the office of the apostles.

For example, it is a common teaching of the Roman Catholic Church to say that Peter was the first Pope, and as such he was instrumental in the church and its direction and building, and in light of that fact, they say that the Popes office is a succession that carries great significance.

But turn with me to .

It is in this familiar passage that we find Jesus asking the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter responds, and look at what he says:

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Then look at what Jesus says here:

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Understand this if you are going to keep this Scripture in its context.

Jesus is not telling Peter that He will build His church on Peter – No! Jesus is telling Peter:

“It is on the proclamation that you said that I will build my church! You are correct Peter!” and it is on those words I will build my church that hell cannot overcome.”

Allow me to share some other passages to make the point clear that the foundation of the apostles and prophets is The Word.

In we read: 1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets (HOW) in the Holy Scriptures.

John Stott points out that “the churches foundation is not built on the persons, or on the office of persons – but on their instruction!”

He goes on further to say that “we are to think of the Apostles and prophets of both the Old and the New Testaments as inspired teachers, organs of Divine Revelation, bearers of Divine authority . . . What they taught they expected the church to believe and to preserve, and what they commanded they expected the church to obey. Both the Apostles and Prophets were those who were recipients of the Gospel by experience as eyewitnesses or by Divine revelation,” (Stott p.105, Gods New Society… 1979) and thereby the church is not built on sand that can be washed away – but rather on the One Testimony of those who knew the Rock, our Lord and Savior, intimately.

And here is the next point of Paul’s picture of the power of One when we understand that the Word always points us to the work of the:

ONE MAN

There was no illusion and no contradiction on the part of the apostles and prophets concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the freedom that men would have as they believed on His work alone and repented of their sins.

speaks clearly as Peter and John proclaim again, the One Word about the One Man when they proclaim with great boldness before the powerful religious leaders who have called them to account:

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11Jesus is

“ ‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’ a

12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

And this brings us to the next point of the power of One when we see that there is only

ONE CORNERSTONE.

Everything the Bible teaches us is of no value if there is no firm foundation on which the one household rests.

The Prophet Isaiah speaks to a people who have boasted in making a covenant with death and believed that they had a protection in from a foreign god, and the Lord rebukes them and makes it clear and says in Chapter 28:16

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.”

So see quickly three things concerning the ONE CORNERSTONE so that we may enjoy the foundation prepared for those who are in the One household.

First, there is the recognition that we are talking of a stone and not sand.

In Jesus teaches that if the house is built on the rock it will stand when the waves of life come crashing in and the wind blows.

Secondly, there is the recognition that this isn’t just any stone – this is the cornerstone. The corner stone was placed with the greatest of care! It was on this stone that the structure stood or fell – there can be no building where there is no cornerstone.

I once had a friend who hired a man to lay a foundation for his house and after the block was laid and the man had left – the entire thing was found to be out of square by 18” and the entire thing had to be removed and done over – because the corner had not been set right – nothing else would fit.

And thirdly, notice that this is not just the cornerstone – but this is the chief cornerstone!

Remember John and Peter’s proclamation – “There is no other name by which man can be saved!”

Everything rises and falls in Christ Jesus and in a pluralistic society that preaches there are many ways to God – we must never forsake the chief cornerstone – or else all we have is of no consequence.

This brings us to the next picture of the power of one that is before us. We must never forget that there is only:

ONE BUILDER

In verse 21 Paul tells us that “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy Temple in the Lord.”

The building is done by only ONE builder – the Lord Himself!

We need to grab this truth if we are going to cherish the position we have, because the Gospel saved me when I could do nothing – and there is security in knowing that the Gospel will do its work in me still – even when I have stumbled and fallen.

In we are told that those in the family were meeting together and fellowshipping and worshipping and learning the Word and spending time in prayer – but then we are told in verse 47 that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

You didn’t do it – I didn’t do it – God did it. Rest in that.

In Solomon sings: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.”

And we are told of Abraham that 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

And Paul exhorts those in Philippi that they should “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” .

PAUSE

And now we see what we are becoming in the power of One.

Paul says that you – who are in the One family – the one Household – you are becoming not just any thing – but you are becoming the Holy Temple.

In the Greek this reads much more specific and it tells us that – because of the power of One – you are being built – still and continually – into the Holy of Holies.

And this is powerful in this theme of the power of ONE because it was the

ONE PLACE

Do remember that place?

It was the ONE PLACE where God dwelled among His people. It was the One place that men could call upon Him and seek Him, and offer prayers and petitions for the people.

But NOW – in the power of one – you who are being built on the foundation have access to God – not because YOU can go to where He is – but because He can now dwell with you and He can dwell with every other believer on earth and in heaven.

Listen to the power of One as Paul tells those in Corinth

He says “By the grace of God I laid a firm foundation” – that is He has preached the Gospel – not some of it - but all of it. And then he goes on to say – that “others should be careful how they build because there is a day that the building will be tested with fire – and if the work is right it will reap a reward – but if the work is done recklessly it will be consumed, and the builder will suffer loss.”

And then Paul delivers these sobering words in “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

So we see here the conclusion of all that Paul has been telling us since we first began in Ephesians chapter 2.

We were dead and there was no hope – but God did everything necessary so that we were united, and so we could see the power of ONE.

The power of ONE Kingdom

The power of One King

The power of One Household or One family

And the Power of One Father.

The power of One Word, One Man, One Cornerstone, One builder, and One Place.

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So turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 2.

I want to begin to close today sharing with you the greatness in which you who belong to this power of One now stand.

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Peter shows us that there is one last Power of One that must be addressed before we end-

The

ONE PURPOSE

God has One purpose in all of the power of One in which I pray you have experienced.

The purpose of those who are being fitted together is that we may declare the praises of Him who has called us into the light from a place of terrible darkness.

And here we see that we have a duty and a responsibility to God.

This is our responsibility as citizens of heaven who are here on earth.

This is our responsibility as a family of the One household.

This is our responsibility as children under One Father.

This is our responsibility as people governed by One Word.

This is our responsibility as those who are built on the Cornerstone,

so that the world may see the privilege that is to be had to be disciplined by the One builder who dwells in the One Place, that He has made.

So the question for everyone of us here today is how will we respond?

How will we live as we work through this new union of “One” that we have been brought to?

Will we live so the lost can see the salt and light of the earth as we embrace one another?

Will we march forward – arm in arm - as Christian soldiers?

Will we reveal the magnificent work of God to others who are lost and dying as we display the ONE thing that will be all that there is when this life is finished?

We are now one family and one church.

The only Ruler is Jesus, and the only power that is here, is God’s One and Only Spirit.

We have a duty as all families do to one another, to care for – to pray- and to share in the joys of this life. We are bound to confess the love of Christ and to be patient and considerate, and to lift one another as we carry each other’s burdens and weep with those who weep.

We have no excuses.

We have only the power of the One who bled and died and was placed in the tomb – but three days later He was resurrected, and now sits at the Fathers right hand interceding on our behalves.

May the world see the Power of a Holy God when He does His work on their behalf – as we step out today – United under the power of ONE.

Dr. John MacArthur said this, “Through the blood, the suffering flesh, the cross, and the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, aliens become citizens, strangers become family, . . . .”

idolaters become the temple of the true God, the hopeless inherit the promises of God, those without Christ become one in Christ, those far off are brought near, and the godless are reconciled to God. Therein is the reconciliation of men to God and of men to men.”[i]

[1] MacArthur, J. (1996, c1986). Ephesians. Includes indexes. (83). Chicago: Moody Press.

**The Ephesians were sitting under the shadow of the great Temple of Artemis, and the worldly fortunes that she was blessed for bringing upon them and here we see Paul pronouncing that there is only ONE.

[i] MacArthur, J. (1996, c1986). Ephesians. Includes indexes. (83). Chicago: Moody Press.