Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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We live in a world massively divided in every way possible.
And there are dividing lines everywhere we look.
Politics: dividing lines between Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals.
Sports: There’s a dividing line between the conferences, there’s the SEC and everyone else.
There’s a dividing line between teams.
Living in AL I have been told that there is the Crimson Tide and everyone else that doesn’t matter.
Demoninations: We are Baptists.
But there are Methodist, Presbyerians, Pentecostals, Assembly of God just to name a few.
There are dividing lines over what we believe and how we organize the church and practice our faith.
I remember what an elderly lady in another church I pastored said, “I’m Baptist born, I’m Baptist bred, and when I die I’ll be Baptist dead.
As we get into this text, we see that Paul calls us to:
I. Recognize the dividing lines that matter to God. (vv.11-12)
1. Paul says that God recognizes a dividing line between Jews and Gentiles.
The physical act of circumcision is what visibly separated the Jews who were in covenant with God through God’s covenant with Abraham and Moses and David.
The Jews were God’s covenant people.
The Jews called the Gentiles, the uncircumcision as an insult.
It’s kind of like when we call people from the North, “Yankees.”
And when they call us “Rednecks.”
Or when a Southerners are talking about someone and they say, “Bless his heart.”
or “Bless her heart.”
That’s not necessarily words of compassions.
It could be.
Or it could be, “Bless his heart, he’s as dumb as a box of rocks.”
In the same way, there was a dividing line of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles.
They didn’t generally play together well.
2. God recognizes a dividing line between humanity and God.
Paul sees the Jews as having Christ as a Savior that the entire OT pointed them to.
But he points out the dangerous condition the Gentiles where in.
Paul describes what their condition as three ways in v.12, “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise.”
So the bottom line conclusion was, “they were having no hope and without God in the world.”
(v.12b)
Think about this.
Just because they were of nations didn’t believe that they weren’t religious people.
Many were religious and had devote view of their gods, particularly at this time Roman gods.
But even though they were religious and devote, they were still without God.
+It’s very popular today to be called to respect the religion of other people groups from other nations.
We are suppose to be culturally sensitive.
And we should be.
That cultural sensitivity includes respecting their gods.
The Hindus have 1000’s of God.
Islam has one God, but they ignore Christ as Savior.
The culture tells us that we are wrong to say that they are without God and without hope.
+Who are we to say such a thing or make such a judgment?
I’m not anybody.
But the Bible says that the only hope that anyone has whether Jew or Gentile is Christ.
Anyone without Christ is without God and without hope.
+So we must either say we believe the Bible and believe that faith in Christ is the only way to be right with God.
Or, just stop saying that you believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God.
We can’t have it both ways because the Bible is clear on this issue.
Recognize the dividing line that exists between Jews and Gentiles and everyone and God.
II.
Recognize the unifying work of Christ.
Paul says that even though there are these dividing lines, Christ has come to remove the lines and bring perfect unity to them all.
How is this going to happen?
Christ is going to work to conquer the spiritual dividing line between God and humanity.
And in the process, this is going to remove the dividing line between Jews and Gentiles, and the lines between people from all nations.
Gentiles were considered “far off,” but now have been brought near to God because of the death of Christ on the cross.
In v.14, Paul says that he, Christ, is “our peace.”
“Our” the peace of the Jews and the Gentiles.
They were made “both one.”
Because the cross broke down “the dividing wall of hostility.”
The dividing wall of hostility between who?
The dividing wall between the Jews and Gentiles.
In the temple there was literally a warning posted for the Gentiles not to go from the outer court for the Gentiles and the inner court that was only for Jewish men.
When they were put to death, it was on them.
Also, the dividing wall between both Jews and Gentiles and God.
This was seen in believer’s relationship with the law.
What does that mean?
Jesus said he didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
The law was to point out man’s separation from God and give the Jews a means for sacrifice which would be a place saver for Christ who would pay finally for sin.
Believers still recognize the need for righteousness and evil from God’s broken moral law.
But believer are now led by the Spirit.
Some people relate to God by asking, “How close can I get to the line and without breaking the law.
But believers led by the Spirit with our hearts so content on pleasing God that you don’t even ask where they line is.
You don’t care because you are never even going to get close to it.
What Paul says next is critical to understanding the big picture of the gospel, what God is doing in the world.
“that he might create in himself one new man in the place of the two, so making peace.”
(v.15)
Who are two that currently exist?
Jews and Gentiles.
Who is the one new man that will replace them?
The Church!
Paul recognized 3 groups: the Jews, the Greeks, or the church.
Let me put this in context.
God created humanity to carry the image of God as we managed the stewardship of the earth, we would glorify him.
But mankind fell, and then no one worshiped the one true God.
So God created the Jewish nation through which he would bring our world a savior.
Jesus would live a perfect life and then die in the place of sinners who deserve eternal death.
And rose again from the grave.
He did this to create a new humanity.
The old humanity was in Adam.
The new humanity is in Christ.
God is replacing an old humanity with a new humanity.
He is bringing people from every tribe, tongue, people group, and nation to be believers in Christ.
Here’s how we are brought together.
When you put faith in Christ, your background doesn’t matter because you take on a new identity.
You are no longer a Jew.
You are no longer a Gentile.
You are a saint!
You are part of the body of Christ.
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