Becoming The In Crowd
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Ephesians 2:11-22
Ephesians 2:11-22
One Problem (2:11-13)
One Solution (2:14-18)
One Home (2:19-22)
Have you ever been an outsider in any situation?
Being picked last becasue you were an outsider sucked in High School. I remember not fitting into the niche groups, the jocks didn’t want me even though I could play sport, the academics didn’t want me as they were elitists, even the nobodies (nerds etc.) didn’t want me either. So when it came to that very self-esteeming booster of a practice, which was having the teacher bunch us all together and picking two popular kids as captains, each captain would then start to pick their team. I wasn’t dead last one kid was injured and the other was just plain crazy. Over the years as people started to appreciate who I was that all changed. But I never forgot what it felt like to be an outsider. Likewise Paul does not want us to forget that we were all once outsiders too.
Outsiders to Insiders
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Now, if you're a keen reader and you're reminded of what I have said beforehand, that whenever you see a, therefore the question must be raised, why is the therefore, therefore Paul sometimes will connect the therefore, to previous chapters like he does in the book of Romans. However, here is actually connecting or making a bridge between, versus 1 to 10 through to 11 and 22. They are connected. So like a follow up, if you will. So it would be poignant for us to look back at what we looked at last week in a summary format. So we had a look that we were once the walking dead, and that there are those who are dead, who walk amongst us. There at zombies are real well, not physically, but at least spiritually.
Paul follows a matrix in verses 1-10 of Chapter two. Problem, Solution, Consequence and the same again in verses 11-22, Problem Solution, Consequence.
V1-10
Problem - Dead in trangressions cannot make ourselves alive
Solution - Christ does the work - our part is we are hitched to him in death, resurrection and ascension (in Spirit at present).
Consequence - we are a new person part of the new humanity
Now for verses 11 - 22
The problem was what that we or the Gentiles of the day were not of the promise of God. They were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. They did not belong to, and found themselves cut off from, the fellowship and the privileges such as being entrusted with God’s words (promises)
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
Jews were the only ones who could rightly call themselves the true people of God;
the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
The Gentiles (and us) are mentioned as people who are alienated, this is seen in Romans 4:18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
and the true words of why we and the first Gentiles are alienated
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
We also see in Eph 2:12 they were separated from the promise of Messiah
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
You need to understand that the Messiah was supposed to be a polictal/warrior saviour who would destroy Israels enemies and restore the Nation to God and be above all other nations.
So we can see that this is a great divide between Jews and Gentiles of the day, one that grew a great and hostile hate between the two. We can see how this played out with wars and vile acts between the two very seperatred groups. This was the grand narrative of the promise people being separated from the Gentiles, those around now, there is real no modern day understanding between a Jewish person and a Gentile of the day person.
Historically that has changed. so we don't really get the full dramatic, effect by an analogy that we could pull from today's potential examples. However, by knowing our history and reading the bible we can understand how and why the people of God separted themselves and actually hated their enemy.
Even though we know that goes against God and his salvation plan. We understand why it was difficult to accept Jesus as Messiah because he came for both the Jew and the Gentile, which made no sense. But, they had missed that God’s salvation plan was always to reconcile some people from all nations.
Genesis 12:3 (NIV)
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:6 (NIV)
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
And so since the Jews were blinded to these truths we read that this was a vile and a absolute hostile division between the people of God (the insiders) and the outsiders (the Gentiles). Such an irreconciable difference! We can see this difference in the circumsized and uncircumsized.
2. One Solution
The blood of Jesus the Son of God is the dissolving agent that destroys the wall of seperation, who bridges the great divide who grafts the two groups into one… namely God’s people or the Church. United but not uniformed the first Church AGM Acts 15, where the gentiles were not to be a stumbling block to the Jews, but did not have to hold to Jewsih practices. One of these was circumcision.
You see Paul saw that circumcision or the physcial dispaly, was only true circumcision if they were circumsized in the spirit or heart. Meaning that the physical meant nothing, if they weren’t separted for God in the way they thought, felt and lived out. Our modern understanding would be “They honour me with their lips but their heart is far from me.” It is a matter of the heart. In Christ we are separted from the world.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Christ Is Our Peace
Paul begins there, in verse 14, by saying that Christ “is our peace.” It is kind of a strange expression. A person is described as peace. But what Paul means here is that Christ is the means of peace. Christ embodies peace. He also connects Himself as the Messiah for all nations, and not Just Israel.
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
And shows the peace he brings by making them all one in himself
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The Wall of Hostility
In fact, Christ is the location, if you like, of peace. He has brought peace between two enemies—two groups of strangers—and He has made the two into one. He has created one new man out of the two (verse 15). He has brought peace by losing a wall of hostility. He has destroyed the dividing barrier, and we’re told He did this by abolishing the law with its commands and regulations.
Division in the Temple
When Paul refers to a wall of hostility, a wall that divided Jew and Gentile, it’s possible that he is talking about the wall in the temple that separated the outer court from the inner court. The outer court was the part of the temple where Gentiles were allowed to come and to pray and to visit the temple. But the wall separated them from the Jews, who were able to access the inner parts of the temple. In fact, this wall was a wall of hostility, as it threatened Gentiles on pain of death should they enter beyond that wall.
‘No one of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure round the temple. And whoever is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues.’
So it’s quite possible that this wall of hostility is that wall of the temple—the temple Paul is referring to.
Division through the Law
Or the “wall of hostility” here in Eph 2 could be referring to the law—the law of Moses—and in some respect this makes sense because the law symbolized the distinctiveness of Israel. There was an ethnic distinction, a distinction between Jew and Gentile. But the law also presented an ethical distinction—the upright—those who lived according to God’s law, those who lived in His ways—versus the pagan, heathen way of life.
The law was intended for good. Paul is very clear about that; and clearly in the ot, the law is good. But it was fundamentally exclusive and kept Israel and Gentiles apart. That was what it was intended to do: to make God’s covenant people—the Jewish people, the nation of Israel—distinct from the world around them. But here we see that this wall of hostility, whether that be the temple or the law—or perhaps Paul intends both ideas—that wall of hostility is broken down by Christ.
Reconciled by the Cross
He has removed the enmity between Jew and Gentiles in His flesh (verse 14), and He has reconciled the two through the cross (verse 16) so that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus—through the fact that our salvation is by faith and not by observation of the law—then all people may belong to God. No one will be excluded on the basis of the law. No one will be excluded on the basis of their ethnicity—that they happen to be a Gentile rather than a Jew. Rather, in Christ there is the same basis of salvation for each and every person, and that is faith in Him.
Jesus Preached Peace to Both Jew and Gentile
In verse 17 we see that Christ not only achieves the ground for peace—not only is He the location for peace between Jew and Gentile—but He in turn preached peace. We’re told that He preached peace to those who were far—that is, the Gentiles—and He preached to those who were near, the Jews. This is an interesting idea because both parties must be aware of the end of hostility. If there is a war going on and one side declares peace and the other is unaware of this, what good does it do?
3. One Home - the Consequence
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I am the son of a carpenter, not only a carpenter but a perfectionist. He once ripoped up floor boards as his lacky (me) had laid the boards different to the pattern in his head. My dad is also the reason why when I look at a home, or building I can see the defects or if the walls are straight etc. Like the plumbline analogy (which I got from Dad) his advice about having the foundation squared and solid so that if you stayed true to that foundation the rest of the house would be solid and squared off.
Likewise, don’t be mistaken when you hear Paul talk about not just the foundation but also the Apostles and Prophets (meaning the 12 and their unique mission of divine lead scripture writing). He is not contridicting himself or the rest of scripture by saying that these apostles and prophets are a seperate foundation, rather that they are stacked on Christ the only foundation.
Christ as the Cornerstone
This household of God, Paul says in verse 20, is built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone. Christ as the cornerstone refers to the teaching, the life, and the work of Christ. His teaching: the way that He lived; His death, resurrection, and ascension—those things together form the cornerstone of this household.
Built on the Apostles and Prophets
We are told that the foundation of the household of God is built on the apostles and prophets. This refers to the apostolic tradition—the apostles such as Peter and Paul and John—as well as the prophets, probably here referring to the ot “capital P Prophets” like Isaiah and Ezekiel and Samuel.
The Church as the Household of God
Together with these ot prophets and these nt apostles, this household of God is built; it is founded with Christ as the cornerstone. They—Christ, the apostles, and prophets—provide the theological ground for the church. The true church is established by Christ and built upon the teaching of the apostles and prophets. Paul has not yet used the word “church” in this context. But that is clearly what he is getting at. In Christ the household of God is fitted together, and it grows into a holy temple (verse 21).
We then, the Church are living stones built upon the foundation of Christ and on top of his words and promises.
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
That above equals ONE PEOPLE. This is the story of how the outsider (Gentiles and us) became the insiders.
Conclusion:
Dwelling in the Temple Built of Jew and Gentile
In Christ, Jews and Gentiles are built together into one dwelling place for God (verse 22). This is an extraordinary statement because, as we saw before, there was a dividing wall in the temple, dividing Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles had limited access to the temple. It was not their temple. The temple belonged to the Jews. It was a symbol of their special relationship with God. Now we are told, not only do Gentiles have access to this holy temple, but they are the temple. Jews and Gentiles together are the building of God in which God dwells. It is an extraordinary development.
The Trinity and the Temple
We also see that this temple is described as a temple in Christ [and] that God is in the temple by His Spirit. So, we have a lovely Trinitarian picture of the church, a building built together in Christ. God is in the building by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Application
In Australia we are very individualistic by in large, and we do run the risk of making the bible all about us as individuals. So these portions of scripture are important and that the NT talks alot about us as a group (The Church). This passage reminds us how far removed the New Testament thought is from our individualistic concepts. Here are a few more for reference.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
2 Corinthians 6:16 (NIV)
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
So, it should firstly warn us that wehave a common life in the Church and as such need to be part of the fold. This stops the enemy having easy pickings and that we get to experience this Peace of reconciliation most strongly together. So where is the place you should be if you are at your worse, or struggling the most? Church, so why do so many of us dissapear from the church when life gets hard or we are in sin.
It also reminds is that we are altogether in his great commission and that its the whole body who serve and not just a few in sharing the gospel (in action not just word) together and the unbeliever.
In saying that however, the church is made up of individual people that God cares deeply for so these next ones are for us as a group but also us as individuals.
We have been grafted in.
We know what it is like to be the outsider, and how it is by Gods grace and mercy that we have been grafted into Christ and if he so chose too could be cut off again. So we need to treat outsiders with respect, especially those that we are at war for. Don’t be like the Jews that forgot they were chosen bu God’s grace to be a beacon of hope for the other nations (Outsiders). Never forget where you came from. Practically, why don’t you pray for someone who is hostile towards you.
We are not at war!
No longer at war with other people, but more importantly we are no longer at war with God. With that and us being healed of our hurts and sins we find Peace through healing in Christ. So when we feel at war or feel like we are being defeated by the enemy, we are no longer at war with an enemy that was always going to win (us vs. God), we are at war with an enemy that is defeated. We can beat our weapons into plough shields and go into the harvest that has been ploughed with the gospel.
We are not at war with each other!
We are at peace! So stop waring with each other, that I do not understand at all! how can a house divided stand? How can the right hand be at war with the left hand or the left foot be at war with the right. Stop waring over trivial matters or other secondary doctrines. They may be important, but as I said, the gospel is always more importanter, thats the uniting factor! that binds us together in harmony.
I could understand being at war with an unbleiever, but that is wrong too. we are not to be at war with the outsider. we are at war with the enemy force behind those outsiders. They are made in the Imago Dei, in the image of God, but like us it is fractured and the relationship in tatters (like we were). Stop being the moral police to the world and expecting them to live for God, we the church struggle with that. Instead feed them, clothe them, do good to them even if they don’t to you and always look for an opportunity to preach the gospel.
We are not at war with God!
Also, this stops the notion that we are being punished when something goes wrong in our lives or we are experiencing pain. The enemy like to tell us that when we are down and almost out. Yes, the pain may be a consquence of your sin, but not a punishment from God, as that was laid upon his Son.
Becasue that God is pleased in him and us in him, and has set us free. Don’t let the modern day pharisee’s tell you to live legalistic life, you know the “ You must” team, like ‘you must speak in tongues to be saved’, or ‘you must be baptised to be saved’ or any other ‘works salvation’ or anything apart from the Gospel.
This includes and other legal demands you place on yourself, like if I do a certain amount of good works that will cancel out the sin I just committed. Or God likes me less today becasue I failed at every turn, or God likes me more today becasue I dind’t fail him.
How to Live this new life in Summary
No matter how I feel, because I am in Christ, I am not at war with God. Regardless of how my life looks, there is no more hostility between God and me. I will actively remember this. When I feel alone in the world, when I doubt if I belong anywhere, I will choose to remember that God has a family spanning 1000’s of years and includes all kinds of people. I will actively remember this.Especially in the setting of church, I frequently feel out of place.
I choose to remember that the people who love God are where he dwells. When I feel like turtling up in a ball on the floor to avoid people, I choose to remember that because of Christ I am at peace and in one body with brothers and sisters. If I allow it, I am being built together into a dwelling place for God. I will actively remember this.