The Need to Remember: Ephesians 2:11-22

Introduction

Last time in the book of Ephesians we were reminded that God in saving people like us brings people from spiritual death to life in Christ. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. God saves individuals from sin, death, and Satan. This salvation, though very personal, has relational consequences. Put differently God saves individuals not to remain in isolated communion with Him, as wonderful as that is. He, also, saves them to have communion with all others who He has saved in Christ. Paul, in our text, demands that we remember who we are. Therefore, my big idea and charge this morning is Remember who you are. We will consider three aspects that we must remember to remember who we are.

Body

1. Remember who you are by remembering your past: 11-13

Exposition

Read verse 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.” The word “therefore” draws our attention to the passage before this one. It is in the light of the fact that these Ephesians had been brought from spiritual death to life in Christ by God’s grace that Paul issues a command in the present passage. They are to remember their state before being brought from death to life. They were seen by Jews as the uncircumcision. They were those who did not have the covenant sign that made them the people of promise.

Paul fleshes this concept out in the following verse. Look at verse 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.” They were to remember five deficiencies they had in their past condition.

They were without Christ. They did not have the only Redeemer. They did not know Him or His salvation.

They were alienated from the citizenship of Israel. As gentiles, they were not citizens of God’s Old Covenant people. They were not near Him and He was not near them.

They were strangers to the covenants of promise. They had no stake in the Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham, the Covenant with Israel at Sinai, and the Covenant with David. These are the covenants of promise. Within these covenants the Redeemer was promised. He would be the seed of Abraham, come from the commonwealth of Israel, and be David’s Son. These covenants of promise were given to Israel. Therefore, the gentiles were strangers to them. They did not know of the promised Redeemer.

They had no hope. They did not have the hope of salvation, the forgiveness of sin, and eternal life. They were condemned in sin and faced the eternal death.

They did not have God. They had no communion with Him. They did not have the only mediator between God and man. They had not the Scriptures in which God discloses Himself and His salvation. They may have had many lowercase “g” gods but were devoid of the true God. This fact being true, rendered them practical atheists.

The gentile believers at Ephesus were once Godless, Christless, and hopeless. They mustn’t forget this truth.

However, Paul does not stop at verse 12. Much like he did in the preceding passage he starts with the bad news and then dramatically switches to the good news. Follow along in verse 13: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” They were far off from God, Christ, and hope, but they have been brought near by the blood of Christ. They were far off from the commonwealth, the citizenship of Israel, but they have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Nearness to God is life and salvation. Christ and His blood have brought those gentiles who were far from God near to Him.

Application

The application of this first point is straightforward enough.

Christian, you must remember your past. You must remember who you were before Christ. You must remember your hopeless and sinful condition. Do you realize the depths of your depravity before Christ? Do you remember how you were hopless? Do you remember your desperation? Do you remember the paralyzing fear of death and the overwhelming stress that the miseries of this life bring? Take time everyday to reflect upon your state before Christ. Ponder how Jesus had to die for you to be brought near to God. Meditate upon the sufferings of Christ for you. Remember that you have nothing to boast about as it relates to your salvation. It is of abundant grace. Remember this when you look at your fellow believers and the lost. Your justification, adoption, and your growth in holiness are all the work of God’s free grace. Therefore, be patient with the lost who are still far off from God and be patient with fellow believers who have not progressed in holiness as far as you.

To you who have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ, I say that you are at this present time still far off from God. You are Godless, Christless, and hopeless. You do not have God’s promises because you do not have Christ. Jesus is the only way for you to partake of salvation. I offer Him to you this morning. He is God’s eternal Son who became man. He is the promised redeemer, the seed of Abraham and the son of David. He lived a sinless life. He died on the cross where He bore the penalty of sin for all who come to Him by faith. He rose on the third day, showing that His sacrifice was accepted. He ascended into heaven and sat at His Father’s right hand, demonstrating that His sacrifical work was complete. He intercedes on behalf of and sends the Holy Spirit to His people, so they will be called, equipped, sealed, and preserved unto the end. If you want to know God as your God and Father, you must recieve Jesus as your Savior. You must rest in His person and work for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He is able to bring the most far away and depraved sinner near to God. He is able to save you. Will you recieve Him? Will you trust in Him? O, unbeliever, do not delay for today is the best day to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Transition

Christian, I have charged you to remember who you are by remembering your past.

2. Remember who you are by remembering your peace: 14-18

Paul now explains why Jesus is able to bring gentiles who are far off from God near to God. Look at the beginning of 14: For he himself is our peace.” He is as Isaiah prophesied long ago, “the Prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He is also just as the prophet Micah said. He is the ruler born in Bethlehem, who is our “peace” (Micah 5:5). The Lord Jesus brings peace between God and man and He brings peace between Jew, gentile, and people of all kinds.

However here Paul emphasizes the peace that Jesus brings among the people of God. Read the read of verses 14 through verse 16: “[He] 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.”

Jesus by His sacrifice on the cross rendered the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament null and void. They pointed to and found their fulfillment in Him and His sacrificial work. Thus, after He came and fulfilled what they pointed towards, they were no longer binding. These laws like that of circumcision separated Jew from Gentile. It was only Jews who had access to the inner parts of the temple, celebrated the various feasts like the passover, and were deemed God’s peculiar people. In Christ, though, God has broke down the dividing wall, killed the hostility, and made two peoples, Jew and Gentile, into one people, the New Testament Church. Notice how Paul changes the pronouns from the second person pluaral “you” in the first section to the first person plural “us” in the present section. It is in Christ that both Jew and Gentile attain peace with God and one another. It not through circumcision or the temple. It is Christ and Christ alone that unites the people to God and one another.

The news of this peace with God that overflows into peace between Jew and Gentile has been proclaimed. Follow along in verse 17: “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” The “He” in this verse is Jesus Christ. The text says Jesus came and preached peace to those who were far off, meaning Gentiles, and those who were near, meaning Jews. It is not likely that Paul speaks here of Jesus’ first coming, because, though He did preach to a few Gentiles during His ministry, He mainly focused on the Jews and His first disciples. It is more likely that Paul refers to Christ preaching through the apostles by the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit working in and through the apostles that Jesus preached peace to both Jew and Gentile.

The reason such peace can be proclaimed to Jews and Gentiles alike is given in verse 18. Please look at it with me: “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” It is because both Jew and Gentile have access by the Holy Spirit to the Father through Jesus Christ that Jesus can preach peace to those who are far off and and those who are near. God the Holy Trinity has accomplished a redemption that can be enjoyed by all kinds of people regardless of how near to or far from God they might be. Christ Jesus by His person and work gives peace to all who come to Him by faith. In Him, there is only one people of God, the universal church.

Application

In light of this passage, I charge you Vista Baptist Church to remember who is your peace. It is Jesus that grants you peace with God and one another. It is through Him by the working of the Holy Spirit that you have been brought into communion with God and one another. Your sin separated you from God. Jesus unites you to Him in joyous and eternal communion.

That said, allow me to ask you some questions. Do you live as if you have been reconciled to God and united to His people through Christ alone? Do you take pride in your religious pedigree or the time you have followed Jesus? Do you look down upon those who are also Christian because you for some reason or another deem them inferior? Do you pursue unity with your fellow Christians, especially those in your own church? As Paul says elsewhere, "Let anyone who thinks that he stand take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Be sure that you take the log out of your own eye before you take the speck out of your brothers eye, even if that brother is younger or less spiritually mature than you. Jesus is the ground of our peace. It is on Him we stand and it is in Him we that we boast. Thus, humble yourself, O Christian, for you have not earned peace but have recieved it as a gift.

Also, let me encourage you who are presently suffering or who feel hopeless. Do you have Christ? If so, you have peace. Not only do you have peace, but you have hope. Not only do you have peace and hope, but you also have fellowship with God and His people. You are not alone. If you do not have peace at this time, perhaps you have trusted in an idol. Turn from such idols. Turn to Christ. He is your peace.

Transition

Christian, I have charged you to remember who you are by remembering your past and your peace.

3. Remember who you are by remembering your present: 19-22

Paul switches the pronouns he uses in this section back to the ones he used in the first. He switches to second person pronouns, indicating He is focusing in on what has become true for His audience, believing Gentiles in Ephesus. They were Godless, Christless, and hopeless. They were far off without sharing in the citizenship of Israel or the promises given to them. Christ, however, has brought them near and is their peace.

As consequence of Jesus bringing peace to them with GodJesuseach other, there condition has changed. Their past no longer defines them. They have a new identity. Read verses 19-21: “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.” They were strangers and aliens. That is no longer true. They weren’t citizens of Israel. But they are citizens of what Israel pointed to, the New Testament Church. They are saints and members of God’s household. They are as much members of the people of God as Christian Jews. They are built upon the prophets of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New. The Word of God believed and proclaimed by these men serve as the foundation. This Word of God has Jesus as its cornerstone. He is the central and purveying theme. Christ is the central point and it is in Him and on Him the whole house of God’s people stands and grows into the place of God’s dwelling. Christ has brought both Jew and Gentile together and made them into a dwelling place for God.

Look at verse 22: “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” What has been said of the universal church of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul now applies to the Christians of the Ephesian church. They are being built up into God’s dwelling place by the Holy Spirit. It should be noticed that all that is happening, their being brought near, built up, and granted peace, is in no way by their doing. It begins and ends with God the Holy Trinity. God the Father has chosen them. Christ has redeemed them. The Holy Spirit has brought them into the household of God and made them a place where God dwells. Those who were strangers and without God are by God’s own grace and power are brought near and indwelt by God.

Application

Christian, do you know who you are? Vista Baptist Church, do you know who you are? Has the muck and mire of life affected your memory? Has your own sin and pride blinded you? Do you know who you are presently in Christ? Do you remember? Do you remember? You are God’s holy habitation. You are God’s people, whom He brought from far off to be near to Him. God not merely dwells among us but He also dwells within us. God did what we could never do. He brought sinners from death to life. He made strangers into citizens of His Kingdom. He transformed His enemies into His family. He did this through the shed blood and the brutal cross of Christ. The Son of God who became man took our sin upon Himself and underwent the judgment it deserved, so that we, whether Jew or Gentile, may become the people of God. God’s love is wider than the heavenly expanse, deeper than the Mariana Trench, and taller than Mount Everest. It is greater than the love a human father has for his children. It is more powerful than nuclear explosion and more beautiful than a Southern Missouri sunset. O, Church, O Christian, do you remember who you are in Christ? If you do, then I invite you to give God thanks with your words in prayer and praise. I invite you to surrender everyday to Him in humble and dependent obedience to His commands. Practice daily repentance and look to the Christ who has redeemed you.

Moreover, if you really know who you are in Christ, then what is there for you to boast about? Where is there room for pride or arrogance? What right do you have look down upon anyone, but especially your fellow church members? You have nothing to boast about. You have no room for pride or arrogance. You have no right to look down upon anyone. You were far off and God brought you near in Christ. You were not citizens of God’s Kingdom, but God made you citizens in Christ. You had no hope in the world, but God has given you hope in Christ. You did not have God, but God gave Himself to you in Christ. Therefore, I charge you to do what Paul will speak of later in this letter. Daily put off your old self and put on your new self. Kill your sin and purpose yourself for holiness.

I tell you just incase you think me prideful or arrogant, I too was a far away, hopeless, and Godless sinner. But God saved me, bringing me near, granting me hope, and giving me Himself. I have no room to boast in anything except Christ who is my Lord and Savior. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t need Jesus. May He increase and I decrease. To Him be the glory.

Conclusion

Vista Baptist Church, I have charged you to remember who you are by remembering your past, peace, and present. Do you remember these things? Do you remember who you are? I have reminded you. I encourage you to remind yourself daily of the truths I have declared from God’s Word. In the past, you were far off and without God, Christ, and hope. Your peace is Christ and His work on the cross ransomed you from certain doom and brought you into communion with God and His people. In the present, you are God’s dwelling place and citizens of His Kingdom. In summary, remember who you are in Christ our Lord.

Unbeliever, you are still lost, without hope, and without God. Receive Christ and repent of your sin. I tell you now, know who you are, a vile sinner and enemy of God. But you don’t need to remain in your present state of sin and enmity with God. I have offered Christ to you. Take Him or perish.

O, to all of you, the Triune God has accomplished a salvation so great that it shatters feeble minds, breaks hearts of stone, makes dead men alive, and brings those who far off near. Let us never forget it. Let us remember. May He help us do so. Let’s pray.