God's New Home

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Introduction and Scripture Reading

Scripture Introduction

Last week we saw that Jesus has crushed the dividing wall of hostility between man and God, and one another, Jesus is bringing peace to everyone who is in Him, making one new man.

Paul concludes this section with three metaphors, encouraging Gentile believers that they are united in God’s kingdom, God’s family and God’s temple, building up to the beautiful reality that God in the Spirit makes his earthly home, or sanctuary, in the church, where he takes up permanent residence as Lord.

Scripture reading

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Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Prayer

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Proposition

As fellow citizens in God’s kingdom, members of God’s household, and those growing together into God’s temple, we must all be active in building the local church, where God’s Spirit dwells through us.

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I. In Christ, we are fellow citizens in God’s Kingdom (19a)

So then

“So then” sounds like the next step in a logical argument. But Paul puts these two Greek words together (one of which means “a lively feeling of interest”) because in a sense he can’t wait for them to see the point he’s making about what it means for us to be in Christ.

Remember we talked about what it means for us as individuals to be in Christ, but now Paul is extending that out to it’s logical conclusion for us.

ILL: It’s one thing for many individuals to have access to the same thing. Cherilyn and I have a Sam’s Club membership. We’re club members! (So exciting.) We one of thousands here who have access to the same products. But I’m not fellow citizens with them. There’s nothing relationally binding us together. When we shop we don’t all get together and say, “Hey, let’s take a group photo!” No. We each go, do our shopping, and aside from a smile or maybe a quick conversation we each do our thing, put up with each other and leave :)

As we say last week, Paul is drawing out the beautiful reality of what it means for us to all have access to God the Father, through Jesus in one Spirit together.

You are no longer strangers and aliens

“All y’all” Gentiles are no longer

When Paul addresses their identity, he uses two words to communicate one idea: strangers (foreigners) and aliens.

A “stranger” is someone from another tribe or country.

In v. 12 he reminded them that they “were 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.”

Paul expresses negatively that they are no longer temporary foreigners or permanent aliens of a state that was once foreign to them.

You’re no longer strangers in God’s kingdom.

An “alien” are those who live in a land as foreigners.

Their citizenship is in another land, but they live and move freely inside another country. They live there, but they do not have rights and privileges of citizens.

You’re no longer aliens in God’s kingdom.

See how he begins with the negative and moves to the positive.

You are fellow citizens

Not merely citizens, but fellow citizens.

Because of the reconciliation brought by Christ’s sacrifice, Gentiles who were described as “strangers” are now “fellow citizens.”

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1 Peter 2:9–11 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

We are fellow citizens with the saints who’ve gone before us in the faith.

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II. In Christ, we are members of God’s household (19b)

We’re family! Paul now shifts metaphors from the political realm of citizenry and its rights to the intimacy of a family and home. It is not simply that Jews and Gentiles are fellow-citizens under God’s rule: they are now (and we are now) children together, brothers and sisters, in God’s family.

As wonderful as it is to be citizens given full privilege, being family is a far deeper kind of intimacy.

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1 John 3:1 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

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III. In Christ, we are the temple of the Lord (20-21)

We are...

The “apostles and prophets” are the foundation of the church through their inspired teaching that is now the canonized Word of God, part of the 66 authoritative books of the Bible.

Listen to how Paul describes this in 1 Cor 3:9-17.

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1 Corinthians 3:9–17 ESV

9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Paul and other Apostles are seen here as laying the foundation, which is that salvation is found in Christ alone.

We are God’s building, a building which is still under construction, and which we must help build, and build carefully with the right materials (message).

Commentator Peter O’Brian points out:

Paul most likely means that “Christ is the vital cornerstone on whom the building is constructed. The foundation and position of all the other stones in the superstructure were determined by him. He is ‘the one from which the rest of the foundation is built outwards along the line of the proposed walls’.

Accordingly, the temple is built out and up from the revelation given in Christ, with the apostles and prophets elaborating and explaining the mystery, which has been made known to them by the Holy Spirit (which we’ll see more of next week in Eph. 3:4–11, esp. v. 5).

‘But all is built on Christ, supported by Christ, and the lie or shape of the continuing building is determined by Christ, the cornerstone’ ” (O’Brien, Ephesians (Ephesians 2:11–22), 217–18).

We should not try to build the church on our own understanding, but on Christ alone and through the expressed means given in the Word of God alone.

(We hear a lot of, “Well, I think the church should be...” usually referring to something they don’t like int he church.)

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IV. In Christ, we are being built into God’s new home (22)

This is really the function of the new temple we’re being built into.

When Solomon blesses the Lord in 1 Kings 8, after they’ve brought the ark into the newly built temple, he speaks of God’s dwelling in the temple (13) but later also speaks of God’s dwelling in heaven (“hear in heaven you dwelling place”).

Now God’s dwelling place is neither in a liter temple in Jerusalem nor simply heaven, but in the Church, a living organism which both Jewish followers of Jesus and Gentile followers of Jesus are a part.

I believe that all national distinctions, all spiritual privileges, all grounds for separation and alienation based on one’s ancestry have been abolished by the blood of the cross.

In making the Church God’s new home, a person’s genetic history no longer has bearing or weight or significance in the sight of God.

The focus of God’s presence and power is a spiritually united Church who share a common faith.

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Restate Proposition

As fellow citizens in God’s kingdom, members of God’s household, and those growing together into God’s temple, we must all be active in building the local church, where God’s Spirit dwells through us.

Conclusion and Transition to Communion

After I pray, the worship team will lead us in musical worship as we celebrate communion. You can either come right away, or take a moment to pray or sing and then come. As they lead us, and when you’re ready, make your way to one of the four communion stations, then return to your place to eat and drink the elements. Or you may choose to pray with someone in our church family. If you come forward as a family you may even steps to the side and pray together before eating and drinking the bread and cup.

If you’re unable (or initially don’t want to) to come to one of the servers, we have servers available to come to you. Please lift your hand and we’ll be glad to come serve you.

As you come to a server, they’ll simply say, “The body and blood of Christ given for us” as a verbal reminder of the emblem’s representation.

Remain standing as we praise the Lord for the wonderful love He’s shown us.

If you’re with us this morning, and you aren’t sure that you’re trusting Jesus alone for your salvation, we invite you to focus this time in your seats in prayer, or come tap me on the shoulder and I’d be glad to pray with you or answer any questions you may have.

Prayer

Communion