The Hope of Christmas - Part 1 (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Announcements

Don’t forget that every Wednesday at 7pm, we have a Bible Study & Prayer time. Join us as we continue in our series on the book of Psalms and as we seek to pray together as a church. Starting at 6pm on Wednesday, we offer a light dinner for those that care to join us. This week’s dinner is homemade turkey and rice soup.

On occasion, I like to remind everyone of volunteer opportunities that are available as a church. Some of those volunteer opportunities involve community outreach, some include internal ministries, it just depends on what is needed for the time being.

Currently, we’re looking for a treasurer starting immediately—if you’re interested in serving in that way, there are a few requirements—you must be a member in good standing, you need to be comfortable utilizing a computer, and you need to be willing and able to talk with the bank on the church’s behalf. If you’re willing to serve as a treasurer, come and talk with me as soon as possible.

In addition, we’re always looking for volunteers to sing, play instruments, and help in different elements of our public worship. This includes reading Scripture, leading in corporate prayer, or really anything else that we might need. Note, that the musical volunteers will need to be available each week, whereas, the volunteers for readings, prayer, and whatever else, will be placed on a schedule with other people.

Please be aware of the following dates. On Wednesday December 22nd and 29th, we won’t have a Bible Study & Prayer time. Instead, please join us for the following special events:

Christmas Eve, at 7pm in the Auditorium, we’ll gather together for Carols & Lessons. This is an old tradition that you might not be familiar with, but essentially, we’ll sing several carols together and interspersed with the carols, we’ll have a brief lesson from Scripture as we trace the redemptive storyline in the Bible. Following Carols & Lessons, we’ll move back to the Activity Room for dessert and fellowship. I’ll give you more details about this as we get closer to the event.

On New Year’s Eve, we’ll plan on gathering together from 7pm-12am our New Year’s Eve celebration. This is really just a time to fellowship with one another and enjoy food as we watch the ball drop. Of course, you’re more than welcome to come and go as you please.

Let me remind you to continue worshiping the LORD through your giving. To help you give, we have three ways for you to do so: (1) you can give in-person through the offering box in the front of the room. This is where you would give cash and check giving—checks should be written to Grace & Peace and if you’d like a receipt for your cash gifts, please place it in an envelope with your name on it. If you’d prefer, you can also give with debit, credit, or ACH transfers either by (2) texting the number 84321 with your $[amount] and following the text prompts or (3) by visiting us online at graceandpeacepa.com and selecting giving in the menu bar. Everything you give goes to the building up of our local church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship (Psalm 36)

Our Call to Worship this morning is from Psalm 36, which is a psalm of David that focuses significantly on the contrast between the evil or the wicked and the loyal love and righteousness of God. David, despite experiencing the wickedness of unbelievers finds relief in his knowledge of the nature of the LORD, who brings blessings to all believers. Please stand and read Psalm 36 responsively with me—I’ll read the odd-numbered verses; please join me in reading the even-numbered verses:

Psalm 36 ESV

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord. 1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Congregational Singing

Joy Has Dawned

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Scripture Reading (Luke 1:5-25)

Our Scripture Reading over the next four weeks will look at passages concerning hope and Christmas. I’ve asked Stacey to read our Scripture reading and as she comes up, let me just give a brief synopsis of what we’re about to read. The passages for the next four weeks are all out of the first chapter of Luke, which shows us prophecies concerning the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, it shows us the response of the people to these prophecies, the births themselves, and the response of the people towards those births.

These passages will show us an example of hope in the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus, and the expression of hope from Mary and the other parents. Stacey please read Luke 1:5-25 for us.

Luke 1:5–25 ESV

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Sermon

Introduction

This morning’s sermon is the start of our Christmas series as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; and this year, we’ve chosen to do a sort of modified advent series. We’re still following the traditional themes that have been utilized in the past, but instead of changing themes each week, we’re going to focus on one theme every year. This year’s theme is the theme of hope. And because we’re spending the next four weeks talking about the theme of hope in conjunction with Christmas, I wanted to utilize this morning’s message to do two things: (1) I want us to walk away with a firm definition of what hope is and (2) I want us to fully understand why we can have hope as we remember the birth of Jesus; but I do want to state, that as an advent message, this might be considered a little unusual because our methodology for advent is a little unusual this year.

I would liken this to what someone does when they get to the edge of a swimming pool—they sort of cautiously dip their toes in the water. In many ways, today’s message is just us dipping our toes into our Christmas series and that’s evident in a number of different ways, but probably the most distinct way, is simply that I’m not preaching from what would typically be considered an advent or Christmas text. I’m preaching out of Ephesians 2:11-22, which if you have your Bible, please turn to it. And while you’re turning there, let me give you a bit of context.

Our text for this morning is Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians is a smaller epistle written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Ephesus. The purpose of Paul’s writing of Ephesians was to show the scope of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. In other words, the letter exists to show how the spiritual blessings of God were planned and given to those who believe, with the ending of Ephesians showing us the implications of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. In Ephesians 2; Paul is still expressing the scope of God’s plan of salvation and he explains this by utilizing the imagery of the temple, but you’ll notice as we read the text, that the temple is only mentioned by name in the last few verses. However, my argument is that Ephesians 2 is all about the temple and to properly understand Ephesians 2, we need to understand the temple. So, let’s read Ephesians 2 in its entirety and then I’ll explain how we’ll work to understand this passage:

Ephesians 2 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 11 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— 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 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, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 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.

Now, I’ve already hinted that we’re going to look at this a little bit differently and the reason for that is due to the main idea of this text—the temple. The Christians reading this text in Ephesus would have had a decent understanding of the temple, which would’ve helped them in understanding what Ephesians 2 is about. Christians today, typically don’t have a solid understanding of the temple, so they miss a lot of what Ephesians 2 is about. (1) So, the first part of this message is going to be focused on discovering what the Bible teaches us about the temple, particularly in the Old Testament, The Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple and then the second part of this message is going to be a breakdown of Ephesians 2:11-22, The New Testament Temple. So, the first section will give us a systematic introduction to the temple from the Old Testament and the second section will give us an expositional understanding of Ephesians 2:11-22 in light of our understanding of the temple. Doing so will help us to see what Paul means when he states that believers are made into the temple of God and it will give us an understanding of why we can have hope as we reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Illumination

The Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple

It is difficult to consider the temple imagery found in Ephesians 2 without first discussing the temple itself (and of course, its predecessor, the tabernacle). The tabernacle is first described in detail in Exodus 25-31 in which the LORD tells Moses to take up a contribution from the people for the building of the sanctuary, that God may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8); the idea of God dwelling amongst his people is important for the understanding the purpose of the tabernacle and the temple.

God wanted to dwell amongst his people and to help accommodate his dwelling with them, he has them build a place that fits his specific requirements and details.

Now, we don’t have time to work through the specifics of all those details, but I do want us to note that God was very specific concerning all the details of the tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the table, the lampstand, altar, court and even those who served in the tabernacle and what they wore.

I also want us to note that God wasn’t just specific concerning the details of the physical building itself, but he was particular about what the Israelites were to do in the tabernacle, who could do what, and when these different rituals were to be done.

And again, although we don’t have sufficient time to work through these details, it is important for us to note the specificity of the LORD in the creation of the tabernacle because it emphasizes two key details: (1) that God wants to dwell in the midst of his people, but (2) his people cannot dwell with him according to their own ideology or man-made system, they must dwell with God in the manner that God has set forth for them.

Of course, as you continue reading through Exodus, it isn’t until the 40th chapter that the tabernacle is completed in which Moses describes an amazing event that wraps up the book of Exodus. In Exodus 40:34-38, Moses describes this cloud that covers the tent of meeting and the glory of the LORD filling the tabernacle. And he tells us that every day, throughout the journeys of the Israelites, “the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” (Exodus 40:34-38)

It’s very clear then, that the tabernacle served as a dwelling place for God on earth.

Now, of course, we know that the tabernacle was temporary—I think it is fairly obvious that it was always meant to be temporary considering the materials that it was made of and its ability to be taken apart and moved. And, of course, it makes sense for the tabernacle to be like this, because at this time, Israel didn’t have a permanent land and thus, the tabernacle would need to be mobile.

It isn’t until 1 Kings 5 when Solomon drafts thousands of people to build the first temple of the LORD.

Solomon utilizes the tabernacle as a model to build the temple, so the temple is built in a specific manner with specific materials, which again, we don’t have sufficient time to comb through:

However, I do want us to consider Solomon’s prayer as he dedicates the temple—in 1 Kings 8:22-53 there’s a lengthy dedication for the temple given by Solomon.

Solomon starts this prayer in 1 Kings 8:23, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants” and then a few verses later, Solomon says, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”

In the parallel account of the dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6-7, we’re told that when Solomon finished his prayer, a similar even occurred as when the Israelites finished the tabernacle. 2 Chronicles :1-2 tells us that “when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the [temple]. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s [temple].” (NASB)

Again, just like with the tabernacle, it’s clear that the temple served as a dwelling place for God (at least until a certain point in time. (Ezekiel 20 tells of the glory of God leaving the temple)

Of course, we do have to remember that the temple had other purposes as well:

It was the primary location for worship during the centuries that it stood—though, obviously, the Israelites weren’t the greatest at properly worshiping the LORD, which is why we read about King Josiah pulling down statues of false gods within the temple and removing the temple prostitutes in 2 Kings 23. (That is also why God’s accusation against the Israelites in Malachi and the other prophets focus so much on the Israelites’ worship being incorrect).

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices

It housed the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the Ten Commandments (and according to the author of Hebrews), Aaron’s rod and a pot of manna.

It was the primary location of many of Israel’s feasts and celebrations, and I would argue that the reason for the temple being the primary location for sacrifices, worship, feast, celebrations, and the location of the Ark of the Covenant is simple—its where God chose to dwell on earth amongst his people.

And it is through the institution of the tabernacle, the temple, and really through the Law of God that shows us a glimpse of true shalom (true peace) and man’s complete inability to obtain peace apart from God.

The New Testament Temple (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Fast forward a few hundred years and we read John making the argument that the Word, who was with God and was God, “became flesh and dwelt among us.”

There is that word again, dwelt.

And I don’t know how much of a theological point we can make from this, but I personally love the fact that dwelt in John 1 translates the word σχηνοω (skenoo), which comes from the root σχηνη, which is translated as tabernacle. John 1 literally tells us that the Word became flesh and tabernacled amongst us.

And of course, John makes it clear through the testimony of John the Baptist that Jesus is the Word made flesh that tabernacled among us.

This idea of God dwelling with us or tabernacling with us is seen throughout the Scripture with the New Testament explaining how this idea is possible through Jesus and his substitutionary atonement for our sins.

In a handful of place throughout the New Testament (like our text this morning, in Ephesians 2), we see this idea with the imagery of the temple overlayed.

The primary section of the chapter concerning temple imagery is Vs. 18-22, but again, to help keep it in context, let’s re-read Vs. 11-22 because without understanding the context, we won’t understand the temple imagery.

Ephesians 2:11–22 ESV

11 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— 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 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, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 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.

In chapter 2 or Ephesians, Paul emphasizes the fact that prior through salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we were dead in trespasses and sins; but by grace we have been saved through faith as a gift of God. And in Vs. 11-12, he emphasizes the significance of our death in trespasses and sins.

It’s a common modern-day ideology that mankind really isn’t that bad. You’ve heard it on television, the radio, and it’s written in books that man is genuinely a nice guy who sometimes make mistakes. but Paul starts this section of Ephesians 2 with the statement that at one time we were all separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants as those without hope.

Why does Paul make this statement? Because he’s reminding both the Gentile and Jewish believers in Ephesus of the truth that prior to their belief in Jesus, they were utterly separated from God.

They had no hope and they were utterly without God in the world. And in Ephesians 2, Paul is specifically focusing on the Gentiles, that the Gentiles were completely separated from Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers of the covenants.

Despite common modern-day ideology that mankind really isn’t that bad, Paul makes the statement that mankind without Jesus is without hope and is completely separated from God.

Which if you think of this in that light, it adds significance to what he’s about to say. If you understand the extreme depth of destruction that we find ourselves in prior to belief in Jesus Christ, you gain a better understanding of just how significant Ephesians 2 and the imagery of the temple is.

The Bible says that before our salvation, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. The Bible says that prior to salvation, we’re completely and utterly unable to pull ourselves out of our sins and trespasses

Through repentance from sins and belief in Jesus Christ, we gain life and he begins to make us new.

But until we receive salvation from Jesus, we are completely and utterly separated from God. And that’s how it’s been for every person since Genesis 3—each person is born in original sin, each person is separated from God, but just like what we see in the book of Genesis, God still wants to dwell with his people.

So, he has made a way for him to dwell with his people. Vs. 13-18 teaches us that despite our complete separation from God, God still wanted to dwell with us so he made a way for those who would believe to do so. Vs. 13 says that “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 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.” Now, I realize there’s a lot being said here, so let’s pause and break down the text:

Vs. 13 tells us that those that were once far off, read separated from God has now been brought near by the blood of Christ.

And notice that this is a work done entirely by Jesus, we don’t do this, Jesus has done it for us, which is why the preaching of the cross is so important—Paul writes to the Corinthians, “And I, when I came to you . . . did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Or in other words, Paul didn’t come to them with elegant words and human ideology, he intentionally came and preached Jesus and Jesus’ crucifixion.

Just prior to making that statement in 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul says, “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” And in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, he reiterates that point by saying the “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Or in other words, some people are looking for miraculous events and others are looking for human wisdom, but those who truly believe preach Christ crucified. And to those who are seeking signs and wisdom, the simple preaching of Christ crucified is foolish, but in reality, it is the very power and wisdom of God.

The preaching of the Gospel is so vitally important because the Gospel explains what Ephesians 2 is teaching—that prior to salvation you had no hope, but because God desired to dwell with his people, Jesus through his blood brought us near to God.

That’s done because it is through Jesus that brings us into peace or shalom with the Father. It’s done because Jesus has broken down the hostility that God has for our sins.

While on this side of eternity, we’ll always face a struggle against sin, our legal position in front of God has been declared righteous in the sight of God because Jesus has made peace for us with the Father.

Jesus has reconciled us to God. The idea of reconciliation is the restoration of a friendly relationship and let me be abundantly clear with this. God is not reconciled to man; man is reconciled to God—God is immutable, he doesn’t change, thus, it isn’t God that needs to be restored, it’s man that needs to be restored into a relationship with God.

Or in other words, just like God created a way for man to dwell with him in the tabernacle and in the temple, Jesus has made a way for man to dwell with God in the New Testament.

And that’s done through the redemptive work that Jesus has accomplished for those that believe. It’s done through the shalom that he provides for us.

Vs. 17-18 says that “[Jesus] 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.”

And this is what Paul is driving at—the Ephesians believers struggled with the idea that both Gentiles and Jews were now part of the same group of people. They’ve been made one body because of the cross. There is no Jew or Gentile in light of the cross.

Because Jesus by the cross has made them one body and reconciled that one body to God through his blood.

So, Gentile believers and Jewish believers both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

And here’s where the imagery of the temple comes into play. Vs. 19-22, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross and through his blood, Gentiles and Jewish people are no longer strangers and aliens, but rather they are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

This is significant especially when you consider the position that Gentiles had in contrast to Jewish people. Remember with me, the temple of Yahweh. The temple of Yahweh was built with multiple sections to it with the innermost section of the temple complex being the Holiest place or the Holy of Holies that God dwelt in.

So, the innermost section of the temple is the place in which God dwelt and it was a place that what windowless with a large veil or curtain covering it from the rest of the people. The only person that could enter that section of the temple was the High Priest on the Day of Atonement (what the Jewish people call yom kippur).

The next innermost section of the temple was called the Holy Place and this is where the priests would gather to do the work necessary in the temple.

Then the inner court and then the outer court. And it was in the outer court that all the people assembled to worship God.

By the time of Jesus’ life, King Herod had added to the temple significantly to the point that there was a separate court of women, and separate court for the Jewish men, and then furthest away from the temple was a court for the Gentiles who believed.

I think just understanding the courts of the temple and seeing the significant difference in treatment between those who weren’t Jewish and those who were, helps to see how what Paul’s saying in Ephesians 2 is such a big deal.

Those who were far off in light of the temple imagery would be the Gentile people who couldn’t come anywhere near the building. Those who were near were the Jewish people who could come right up to the temple.

But in Jesus, there is no distinguishing between Jews and Gentiles, they’ve been made one. They are fellow citizens and they are part of God’s household.

And as one body, they form a new temple. “You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”

Paul writes of this new temple that’s being built and it’s clear that unlike the tabernacle, unlike Solomon’s temple, and now unlike Herod’s temple, this isn’t a physical temple. This is a spiritual temple.

This new, spiritual temple isn’t built on a stone foundation with a sturdy, physical cornerstone. No, this new temple is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as that sturdy cornerstone, which simply means that this new temple is built on the foundation of what was taught by the apostles and prophets (which we have in the Word of God) and this new temple is held up by Jesus Christ.

And this new structure built on this foundation and this cornerstone is made up of all the saints and members of the household of God is the new holy, temple of the LORD.

Which we know from elsewhere in Scripture that this group of people is also called the church. Thus, we can rightly say that the universal church—all that truly have repented and believed in jesus, is the temple that God now tabernacles in. God dwells in the universal church as a means to dwell with his people.

Now, making this realization means that there are tons of implications that we can draw from the temple imagery of Ephesians 2. And it is those implications that are going to form our application. Because this morning’s message is all driving at a singular point, we’re not going to break things into sections for our application, we’re going to look at the whole for our application:

Application

Just in what we’ve already discussed today, the implications are that it would seem that if the universal church is now where God dwells, then the universal church has specific roles that have been given to it—just like the temple and the tabernacle had specific roles. And just like the temple and the tabernacle had specific requirements, to be a part of the universal church there are specific requirements. So, why don’t we start with those requirements and then we’ll move into the roles that the universal church has:

This new temple or what we sometimes call the universal church has specific requirements and thankfully, Paul has already given those requirements to us in Ephesians 2. We read them, but we didn’t focus on them this morning.

They’re found in Ephesians 2:1-10. That prior to salvation, you were dead in your trespasses and sins—you were following Satan, even if you didn’t realize it. You weren’t a part of the church even if you regularly attended a local expression of the universal church.

But because of God’s mercy, he made those that believe alive together with Christ and Paul reiterates that point by stating, “by grace you have been saved.”

And as Paul continues into Vs. 11-22, which was our text for this morning, it becomes very clear that those who formerly didn’t believe that now believe—those that have experienced God’s grace and mercy and have been made alive by Jesus, those that were once separated from God, but are now able to commune with God are this church.

But did you catch the requirements? Maybe hearing what Paul says to the Romans might help to solidify it for you. Romans 3:21-25a, “Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. . . For all have sinned and fall short of he glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

How do we become part of the universal church, this spiritual temple? We become part of it when we’re justified by his grace as a gift. We become part of this universal church, this spiritual temple when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ. And until we repent and believe, even if we regularly attend a local church, we aren’t actually part of that universal church. Until we repent and believe, we aren’t part of this spiritual temple, which means that God doesn’t dwell amongst us.

The requirement to be a part of this spiritual temple in which God dwells is to repent from your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.

So our first application for this text is simple, if you want to dwell with God, you must start by repenting from your sins and believing in Jesus Christ.

And I’m not going to give you some prayer to pray or some methodology that you must follow, salvation is simple. Paul tells the Romans this in Romans 10:5, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the death, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame’ . . . For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Repentance and belief is all that is necessary for salvation. My encouragement, my exhortation, and my prayer is that all who hear this repents and believes.

Because until you do, you cannot be in the presence of God and God will not dwell among you. You are without hope and your are both a stranger and alien to the kingdom of God.

The requirement to be a part of this spiritual temple in which God dwells is that you repent from your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.

Once you’re part of this spiritual temple, there are several implications and these implications derive the rest of our application. If the universal church is the spiritual temple of God, then that means that the universal church is the: (1) primary location for the worship of the LORD, (2) the universal church plays some effect in how we sacrifice to the LORD, and (3) it is through the universal church that God now dwells with his people. Let’s look at each implication individually:

The universal church is the primary location for the worship of the LORD

This means that apart from the universal church, there is no true worship of the LORD. It’s often argued in our modern-day world that you don’t need to go to a church to be a Christian and that is technically true.

Technically, local church attendance isn’t necessary for salvation, but might I suggest that if you have no desire to worship with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, you probably aren’t saved at all.

How do I know this? Because Jesus loves the church and because the universal church is where proper worship of the LORD is.

And if a local church is healthy and is filled with people who are part of the universal church, the individual will want to be part of that local expression of the universal church.

Stephen Nichols, “From the very beginning of God’s dealing with his people, the Bible has stressed community. In fact, biblical discussion of godly living is almost always set in the context of growing together, in community, as God’s people. . . In the [New Testament], we see young and old mixing, as older women and men are to teach younger women and men. We see people coming together to worship who come from different stages of life, different occupations, and different backgrounds.”

The universal church plays some effect in how we sacrifice to the LORD

Of course, we recognize that this isn’t the same manner of sacrifice found in the Old Testament because Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice for all that believes.

However, Romans 12:1-2 tells us the type of sacrifice that Jesus demands of his people. “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.”

It is through the universal church in which people hold you accountable and encourage you to continue growing in Christ that is utilized by God to help you seek the truth in Scripture, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order to become a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

God utilizes the universal church as a tool to help you be sanctified.

The universal church is how God dwells with his people

That word dwells is such an integral part of this message and it is the word dwells that ties this whole message to the idea of hope.

Why does Christmas offer us hope?

Because God wants to dwell with his people—from Adam and Eve in the garden, to the tabernacle of Moses, to the temple built by Solomon and the New Testament temple built with Herod. To the new spiritual temple that the universal church is built into, the theme is the same.

God wants to dwell with his people and he sent his son to be born of a virgin in a little town in Israel to make a way for him to dwell with you.

Christmas is a celebration of God making a way to dwell with his people through Jesus Christ.

Because he wants to dwell with his people, you can have hope.

And because you can have hope (that firm assurance or confident expectation) in God’s desire to dwell with his people, if you are truly one of his you can be sure of your future, you can be assured of your salvation, you can be positive in what is to occur.

Christmas offers us hope because it shows us how far God is willing to go to reconcile us to him—for Jesus to condescend and become fully man and fully God, to be born of a virgin, to live that perfect, sinless life, and go to the cross for our sins.

Christmas offers us hope because it shows us how far God is willing to go to make a way for us to come to him.

Christmas offers us hope because it shows us how much God wants to be with his people.

Put simple, Ephesians 2 along with our systematic study of the temple, shows us that (1) God wants to dwell with his people, (2) but man cannot dwell with God apart from repenting from sins and believing in Jesus, so (3) repent from your sins, believe in Jesus, and praise God for the hope that we can have because of God’s desire to dwell with us and Jesus making that dwelling possible.

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth because it is through Jesus’ life and his death and resurrection that reconciles us to God and allows us to come nearer to him as his dwelling place.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

Behold Our God