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| /Peace in Christ/ |
| 01/25/09 |
\\ INTRODUCTION
I invite you to take your Bible and open it to the book of *Ephesians CH2*.
Those of us who are in Christ Jesus, who are “/called…by His own glory and excellence/” (cf. 2 Pet.
1:3), know the gift of our salvation.
We know it to be of God.
I am reminded of Jonah praying to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish saying: “/Salvation is from the Lord/” (cf.
Jonah 2:9).
We could also be reminded of Paul’s words in *Eph.
2:8-9* –
\\ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that *not of yourselves*, /it is /the gift *of God*; \\ 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
\\ \\
Salvation is totally of grace and nothing of human effort.
That is but part of /the salvation story/.
That is not the end.
We know the gift our salvation – one of grace.
/But do you know/ my beloved /what God did in saving us/?
Not only did He save us from “/the wrath that is to come/” (cf. 1 Thess.
1:10), not only did it /place His grace & goodness on display/, but *He placed us in His body*.
As believers, we are not left alone but are united with other believers into a corporate unity called the “/body/” – “/His body/.”
Paul has already alluded to this in the very first chapter of Ephesians.
Look back at *Eph.
1:22-23 *–
\\ 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to *the church*, \\ 23which is *His body*… \\ \\
The most distinctive metaphor for the church is the body of Christ.
Later Paul will speak of the oneness of this body in* Eph.
4:3 *–
\\ 4/There is /*one* body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; \\ 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, \\ 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Being part of the body of Christ is who you are as a believer.
Body is *more than a metaphor*.
It is your identity as a believer.
Now you share that identity with other believers who are placed in that same body – of which we call /corporate unity/.
We know and love what it is to be united with Christ, but /do we know and love what it means to be united with other believers/?
This idea of “/oneness/” is found all throughout the NT.
For example Paul writes to the Galatians in *Gal.
3:28* –
\\ 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all *one in Christ Jesus*.
\\ \\
Whatever your /race/, /creed/, /nationality/, or /language/; whatever your background, when you become a Christian, you become one with every other believer.
If you are one with Jesus, you are one with each other!
This idea of “/oneness/” is also found in our current passage from *Eph.
2* –
* /Verse 14/ – Christ “/made both groups into *one*/”
* /Verse 15/ – Christ made “/the two into *one* new man/.”
* /Verse 16/ – Christ reconciled them both “/in *one* body to God through the cross/.”
\\ \\
This oneness is a dominant theme in Paul’s epistles.
Here in Ephesians he speaks of “/oneness/” in that we are placed in the Body of Christ!
In chapter 2 alone, Paul emphasizes our individual unity with God (i.e.
“/by grace we have been saved/” – v. 8) and our corporate unity with one another (i.e.
“/made both groups into one/” – v. 14).
Now he expresses that union in this way.
Look back at *vv. 12-13* –
\\ 12/remember /that you were at that time *separate* from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
\\ 13But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were *far off* *have been brought near* by the blood of Christ.
\\ \\
He speaks of “/separation/” (Gr.
χωρίς – a great degree of separation).
He speaks of having been “/far off/” (Gr.
μακράν – a great distance in position).
But now in Christ, you “/have been brought near by the blood of Christ/.”
Beloved, this is what union is all about – /being brought near /(Gr.
ἐγγύς, /engys/).
Now we can come near, take off our sandals from our feet, and stand on holy ground, as Moses did (cf.
Ex. 3:5).
David had to ask himself this question in *Ps.
15:1* –
\\ 1…O Lord, *who may abide in Your tent*?
*Who may dwell on Your holy hill*?
\\ \\
The answer comes in the following verses, but let me highlight *v.
2* –
\\ 2He who walks with *integrity*, and works *righteousness*, And speaks *truth* in his heart.
\\ \\
/Who is able to live such a life apart from God/?
It is only by the blood of Christ that we can even draw near to God, let alone live right before Him.
/Integrity/, /righteousness/, and /truth/ are all an outflow of my relationship to Christ.
/Why so/?
* There is none righteous, not even one (cf.
Rom.
3:10-11).
* There is none who does good, not even one (cf.
Rom.
3:12).
What a great reminder to us all:
/The Christian life cannot be lived apart from God/.
Apart from God we cannot draw near.
Apart from Christ we can do nothing (cf.
Jn 15:5 – Jesus says “/apart from Me you can do nothing/”).
How many of us forget that they only reason we are able to *stand in his presence *is because of what Christ accomplished on the Cross?
How many of us forget that the only reason we are able to *do good works* is because God prepared them beforehand for us to do – before time began?
Beloved, this is at the core of who God is…He Himself accomplishes your salvation, your sanctification, and your glorification.
Anything you achieve in this lifetime that is of worth; your position in Christ is brought about by God Himself on the basis of His grace.
Paul has already stated /God’s motive/ in all of this in *Eph.
2:7* –
\\ 7so that in the ages to come He might show *the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus*.
\\ \\
It’s all about showing off His GRACE! Oh how you have tasted His kindness, my beloved…all because of the wonderful salvation in Christ.
Now that union with God not only means that you /have been brought near/, but that you /have been united with other believers/ into a corporate unity.
In short we have obtained union with God and with others because of Christ – His life, His death, and His resurrection.
*Read* Ephesians 2:14-18.
\\ \\
CONTENT
This is an important portion of Scripture for us to understand,
Ø for it gives us insight into /how this union was accomplished/
Ø and it gives us insight into /the deep rift between the Jews and the Gentiles /
Ø and /what God did in Christ to bring the two entities into one entity/.
Now it is hard to imagine that there could ever be a rift between two groups of people, but let me just say that IT EXISTS.
/ /
/One Illustration/: You might recall there was a huge split in the nation of Israel.
The 10 tribes to the North said this when the split occurred in *1 Kings 12:16* –
\\ 16…“*What portion do we have in David*?
/We have /no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel!
Now look after your own house, David!”
So Israel departed to their tents.
This was a deliberate, willful rebellion against the house of David (cf. 1 K 12:19).
They basically said: “/there isn’t anything keeping us together, see ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!/”
\\ That rift which was created in *931 B.C.*, continued to the time of Christ.
The players may have changed (i.e. the Romans & Jews; Pharisees & Sadducees), but there were still various kinds of bitter internal strife and factionalism taking place.
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