Unity in Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
We discussed last week God’s work in salvation and the idea that it is all work initiated by God flowing from his Mercy, Grace, Love, and Kindness.
Our response to such a great love?
1 - To admit we were powerless to save ourselves
2 - To rest in the works that God created for us. The fruit of our relationship and not the basis of it.
Paul’s thinking is so great! Sometimes I am just amazed and grateful for how his mind works and that God inspired him to write.
Think for a moment about the flow of the book up to this point...
1 - We have been saved, chosen by God, to understand and live under the mystery of God revealed in Christ. We have every Spiritual Blessing, sealed by and held firm by the power of the Holy Spirit.
These works are on display in us, because God revealed his mighty power when Christ was risen from the dead and seated with the father in Heavenly places
Now, we too have been risen spiritually with Christ and given a place alongside him, seated in heaven… And all this was God’s doing.
Unity in Christ
Unity in Christ
Paul now moves from the focus of our alienation with God, to the alienation from the commonwealth of Israel.
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— 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.
We’ve moved from the vertical separation into a the horizontal. From one another, from each other, from people.
At the beginning of Creation God created one race, the “Human Race.” Division and racism was never in God’s original plan. In fact, the main narrative of the Old Testament is God’s choosing of the people of Israel in order to display his glory and bring about the salvation of all men..
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is God’s promise to Abraham… that ALL the families of the Earth would be blessed.
Remember, Paul’s audience here is churches in Ephesus, primarily “Gentile” country.
There was a real hatred that existed in the hearts of Jewish people towards non Jews or “gentiles” as the bible calls them.
Listen to this quote regarding the animosity and pride that filled the hearts of the Jewish people back in Paul’s day.
The Jew had an immense contempt for the Gentile. The Gentiles, said the Jews, were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell. God, they said, loves only Israel of all the nations that he had made … It was not even lawful to render help to a Gentile mother in her hour of sorest need, for that would simply be to bring another Gentile into the world. Until Christ came, the Gentiles were an object of contempt to the Jews. The barrier between them was absolute. If a Jewish boy married a Gentile girl, or if a Jewish girl married a Gentile boy, the funeral of that Jewish boy or girl was carried out. Such contact with a Gentile was the equivalent of death
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (p. 91). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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—
To be clear here..
“gentiles” are the uncircumcision.
‘Jews’ are the circumcision.
As part of the covenant that God established with Abraham in Gen. 17:12, every living male was to be circumcised. In this way, the covenant was “in their flesh”
In Jewish culture, without the circumcision, you could not participate in Passover, Ex 4:24-26
Any Israelite that had not kept this part of the covenant was excluded from society, or “cut off” and alienated. They were outside the covenant of God and considered “wicked, Godless, enemies of God.”
Paul had just addressed that Salvation was by Grace, through Faith, and did not rest in any work of Man.
He is confronting a prejudice that existed within the Church and within society.
Paul’s magnum opus on this topic is really the book of Galatians. He does a masterful job of explaining how the covenant of Abram was a promise to bless the world in his “offspring” singular. Specifically, Jesus Christ.
See, the circumcision, was no longer needed to be in a covenant relationship with God or his people. In fact, Paul feels pretty strongly about this topic!
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
Paul wants to make clear for us that the old things that used to divide us have no relevance.
Anything that we would use as a barrier to unity is an affront to the Gospel. In this case it was separation from fellowship because of tradition.
Nothing we create will make us right with God.
Yes, it is true that we were alienated from God… That’s what Paul says in vs. 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.
But this alienation was not remedied by human hands.
I want to pause here for a moment and ask a question…
Maybe in the words of Elder Mike, “Can anyone think of a time when...” Do you remember what it was like to be separated from Christ?
Imagine for a moment:
You get up and go to a job that never ends
You deal with stress that is always present
Life seems like it is out to get you
There is injustice all around
It seems like sin always wins..
Now, imagine you don’t have hope in Jesus.
For me, Jesus becomes the filter for how I cope in the world.
It can look something like this:
“I have been busting my rump to earn favor from my boss, to put myself in a position to receive that promotion, or that raise.... only to be passed over again and again.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
Life just keeps on hitting. It seems like it is one thing after another and I can’t understand why all these things are happening.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
I don’t know what my purpose in life is! I feel like there is no meaning to anything anymore.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
See, we have the hope of Christ to fall into, but those without don’t have the same hope or benefit of seeing things from eternity.
Instead, when the job is lost - so is their identity
When life is hard, there’s no reason for living
When life seems meaningless - hope is distant an unattainable.
I think we would do well to remember the GREAT Compassion our LORD had towards us and view others through that lens.
Remember the words of Jesus:
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
In other words, does your Love reflect the depth of forgiveness you have been given?
Paul moves into the remedy:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Ephesians is what we call a “prison epistle.” This was written by Paul during a stint in the big house.
Interestingly, we know why Paul was in prison.
crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
Why is this such a big deal, and what does it have to do with vs. 13-14?
I believe Paul had in his mind a picture of the temple when he used the term “Dividing Wall of Hostility”
The temple built by Herod the Great was a magnificent building in Jerusalem.
The temple itself was constructed on an elevated platform
On this elevated platform you had:
The Holy of Holies
The Alter
The Court of Israel for Men
The Court the Priest
The Court of Women
Then, below this elevated platform, separated by a large wall, was the court of the Gentiles.
The gentiles could only look up and see the courts of the “Chosen.”
They were “cut off” by a one and half meter stone barricade.
There were warnings on the wall written in Greek and Latin, “Trespassers will be executed.” How’s that for a church slogan.
In fact, to bring a gentile into any other court was a capitol offense.
This is the accusation against Paul, and the reason for his imprisonment.
I think Paul, in his minds eye, was looking at the temple those kept from accessing his promise and declares that “This dividing wall of Hostility has been torn down!”
What Paul is declaring here is a complete social revolution!
There is no longer two people separated by religions or temple walls. Jesus has created a new Humanity!
The Message of Ephesians 4. A Single New Humanity (2:11–22)
in which alienation has given way to reconciliation, and hostility to peace. And this new human unity in Christ is the pledge and foretaste of that final unity under Christ’s headship
The new wall that separates is not a physical barrier in some temple, nor is it circumcision of the flesh, but it is a matter of the heart. It is the walls of fear, hate, selfishness, pride, and isolation that divide us now.
None of this is greater than the Blood of Jesus Christ!
What we need now is not a circumcision of flesh at the hands of men, but a spiritual circumcision of the heart at the hands of Jesus.
Why must we let things divide us?
Why must we allow politics to divide?
I never thought I’d reference an Austin Powers movie… honestly, something I couldn’t watch in good conscience now.
But, there’s a line in the movie that just cracked me up every time.
Michael Kane, playing the father of Austin Powers, says, “There are two things I hate in this world, people, who are intolerant of other peoples cultures… and the dutch.”
Man, if that isn’t some accurate commentary on our day!
Christians, “ Jesus is the savior of the world, the redeemer of all men… but I struggle to say and validate that Black Lives Matter.”
We have become a people who are unable to listen to one another..
So much of the devastation we have experienced over the last year finds it’s root in the old dividing wall of hostility.
Can I speak to my white brothers and sisters for a moment?
Before you start labeling me as “woke” I want to share something with you:
Over the last year, if you have found yourself offended: Did you stop to ask yourself why?
What exactly were you offended by?
I had to stop and ask this question of myself over the past 5 years.
Here are some things that help me process:
Is my perspective rooted in Scripture?
As evangelicals we proclaim the inerrancy of God’s word and as the final authority on all things regarding life and Godliness.
What would the Gospel demand of me?
The gospel, as we have learned, is not just the story of redemption, but the “good works” that our God has prepared for us.
When I started asking these two questions my perspective began to adjust.
Unfortunately, in our world right now, dissent from any political ideology is written off as “brain washing.”
There are people that I have befriended, pastored, and done life that have decided to not listen to what has been on my heart these past few months. I’ve always thought, if someone I know, love, and trust has a different perspective on something that me… I’ll at least listen with a genuine heart.
Why? Because the Gospel demands it of me.
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
I mean, I’m willing to listen to me..
I’m trying to stay in my lane. But if nothing else, we as followers of Christ are called to “walk in the same manner in which he walked.”
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
And how did He walk?
With purpose in the will of the Father
With compassion on the social outcast who were written off
With selflessness laying down his life for the sake of others.
Don’t build another wall of hostility out of pride, ignorance, or selfishness.
Ultimately, God has done something amazing here!
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, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Listen, through the cross God has created a new humanity.
I want to quote my Tony Evans study bible for a momentL
“This new group - this one new man that incorporates Jews and Gentiles is called the church. Heaven’s new community is a new race, reconciled to God in one body through the cross.”
Dr. Evans goes on to say:
“The reason we have racial, ethnic, gender, and class divisions in the church is that we have not fully and properly understood the cross. Christians divided along such lines don’t see themselves as part of the “one new man”. All barriers based on factors such as race and gender are obliterated by the cross. This doesn’t mean that distinction doesn’t exist; instead, these distinctions are absorbed into something bigger.”
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Friends; the message of Christ is a message of hope and peace.
Do you know the first words of the resurrected christ?
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
Divisions still exist and will continue to do so until Jesus returns to this earth.
Until then, we, his people, are to not only preach peace, but live peace. To be a visible representation of the Peace our God came to preach and demonstrate.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have at Harvest to serve as pastor here. I pray that we can become a beacon of hope to our world, and an example of how the peace of God overcomes.
Church! Don’t forget, you are Loved.