Download Pastor Joe – May 5 2013 – Ephesians 2:11-22

Peace in Christ, the Cornerstone – Ephesians 2:11-22
Sermon by Associate Pastor Joe Davis
Union Baptist Church – 5/5/2013
Well, how has your morning been? How has your week been? Have you been
feeling peaceful all week or a little on the stressed and hectic side? For myself I’m
going to say a little more on the stressed and hectic side, and I’m sure most of you
are there with me. We’re all on the lookout for a little peace aren’t we?
One of the most peaceful visions I have in my mind is when I went on my
honeymoon with Mindy to Hawaii. We had an oceanfront condo and spent a
relaxing 10 days watching the surf and laying on the beach…strolling along at our
own pace…eating in quiet cafes…you get the picture. Well, since that time many
years have passed and we have kids now who keep our lives hopping and
hectic…and of course, full of joy. Well, a couple of years ago we thought we
would head back to Hawaii with the whole family and maybe recapture some of
that peace we experienced on our honeymoon. So as we arrived at the Seattle
airport with our stroller and multiple suitcases and two kids in tow, I decided to
start my peaceful trip with a burrito at my favorite Mexican grill, as well as a latte
at Starbucks. Mindy also got her much needed soda. Unfortunately, the line at
Starbucks was quite long and it took me a little longer than I’d hoped. As I arrived
back at the stroller, I came to the startling realization that time had gotten away
from us and our flight was well into the boarding phase by now. Mindy glared at
me and my Starbucks coffee and we started sprinting down the terminal with our
stroller, carry-on bags, and two kids…all the while trying to keep from spilling our
Starbucks and soda. Dodging in and out of people, we finally arrived at our gate to
see that it was already completely boarded. The gate checker glared at us and said,
“You have to get down there NOW! They’re closing the door.” So we rushed
down the jetway to see that we had made it, just in time. Breathing a sigh of relief
and wiping our sweaty brows, we began unloading our carry-ons from the stroller.
As Mindy hurriedly unloaded her last bag, I watched in horror as it caught on the
stroller and dumped her precious soda all over the floor. And so the not-sopeaceful trip began. Does this sound like anyone else’s life? Don’t we all long for
some peace? And it’s very hard to come by isn’t it?
Well, I have some good news for those feeling stressed and longing for peace.
Today we’re going to be studying Ephesians chapter 2, verses 11-22 (you can turn
there now in your Bibles) and we’re going to learn about where we can find peace
in even the most difficult circumstances.
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Since it’s been awhile since I preached my last sermon in Ephesians, I want to start
by spending just a few minutes reviewing where we are in the book. As you may
remember, Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by outlining six amazing
blessings God the Father has poured out on all believers in Jesus Christ. Paul then
tells the Ephesian believers that He is always thanking God for them, because he
has heard about their faith and love…which is clear evidence to Paul that the
Ephesian believers are among the recipients of these six amazing blessings from
God…they are true believers in Jesus Christ.
REVIEW: Ephesians 1:15-23 – Open the Eyes of My Heart
Then we move to the next section in Ephesians 1:15-23, where Paul shares what
his passionate prayer is for his fellow believers: That we would come to a true
knowledge of God and see Him as He really is…Not just a head knowledge, but a
deep heart knowledge of God…And that we would have a spirit of wisdom and
revelation in this knowledge of the God of the universe. He prays that God would
do this by enlightening the eyes of our hearts. He wants us to have this knowledge
of God so that we each will know: 1) the hope of God’s calling; 2) the glory of
God’s inheritance in the saints; and 3) the surpassing greatness of God’s power that
is available to each of us.
Paul wants us to be fully aware of the unbelievable hope we have in Christ. He
wants us to know in our hearts how valuable we each are to God and how God’s
intentions toward us are full of love and kindness. And he wants us to be confident
that all the strength of God’s power is available to each of us as we seek to
accomplish His purposes in our community and in our world.
REVIEW: Ephesians 2:1-10 – Dead Men Walking
Now in chapter two of Ephesians, Paul takes us back in time to our life before
Christ and he walks us through how we got from there to here. Before Christ, we
were dead men walking: spiritually dead…living in the lusts of our flesh and
minds and indulging those desires…and under the wrath of Almighty God. Even
though our physical bodies were functioning, we were dead in our sins and utterly
incapable of breaking free. Into this sad state stepped the God of the universe,
who, we find out, loved us, even when we were in complete rebellion against
Him…even when we were dead in our sins. Paul makes it completely clear that
there was absolutely nothing about us that was deserving of God’s love. In fact,
the only thing we were deserving of was God’s wrath.
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And yet…He loved us. And at the very moment when we believed in Jesus Christ
and accepted His offer of grace, God accomplished three things for us instantly: 1)
He made us alive together with Christ; 2) He raised us up with Christ; and 3) He
seated us in the heavenly places in Christ. This shows us that the work of salvation
is complete. And in showing this kindness to undeserving people, God is revealing
the surpassing riches of His grace to the angels and authorities in the heavenly
realms. What Paul makes clear to us in this section of Ephesians, is that we have
no room for boasting…We only have room for praise and thanksgiving to our great
God and for surrendering our lives to Him and to His purposes.
We are 100% God’s workmanship… He has brought us salvation…He has
recreated us and given us new life…He has poured our His grace on us apart from
any merit of our own…He has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us even now,
so that even the good works we do now are not done in our own strength…All the
glory goes to God alone.
Then we ended last time in Ephesians 2:10, with the realization that God has
created each of us for good works…In fact, He has prepared ahead of time good
works for each of us to walk in.
So today we’re going to pick up in Ephesians 2, verses 11 to 22. Let’s start by
reading the passage, which I’ve summarized with the phrase, “Peace in Christ, the
Cornerstone.”
Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are
called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed
in the flesh by human hands – 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. But now
in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the
blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one,
and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the
enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in
Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it
having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who
were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both
have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer
strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of
God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and
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prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole
building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in
whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Our passage today can be broken down into three sections:
I.
II.
III.
REMEMBER: Separation and Alienation from God (11-12)
BUT NOW: Peace with God and Others in Christ (13-18)
SO THEN: Your New Identity in Christ, the Cornerstone (19-22)
REMEMBER: Separation and Alienation from God (verses 11-12)
Paul opens our first section in verse 11 with the word, "Therefore," indicating that
what he’s going to say next is a logical conclusion to what he just finished talking
about…Which is his unequivocal assertion that we are 100% God's
workmanship…We have been saved through no merit of our own… Our salvation
is simply the result of God's extravagant grace being poured out on the
undeserving.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
So in a rough paraphrase, Paul is telling us, "Don't get a big head." Remember
back to what you were before God saved you. You were simply a run-of-the-mill
Gentile...One of those people that the Jews labeled "Uncircumcised.” The Jewish
leaders of Jesus’ day would've put you in the group known as tax collectors and
sinners…People to be avoided and not even given the time of day…People
considered unworthy of God's love.
So we see in verse 11 a glimpse of the sharp division that existed between Jews
and Gentiles when Jesus came on the scene. Paul refers to those who are part of the
Jewish nation as the “so-called” Circumcision. This is because the Jewish people
were relying on their heritage as God's chosen people and as those who had been
physically circumcised in the flesh, rather than relying on God. They had become
obsessed with outward appearances and with trying to earn salvation through
outward adherence to the law.
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In Romans 2:17-29 Paul shoots this notion down once and for all. At the end of
that passage he says, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is
circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by
the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
So just as Jesus confronted the Jewish religious leaders relentlessly about their
hypocrisy and about their obsession with maintaining outward appearances while
on the inside their hearts were far from God, Paul is here again establishing the fact
that God is concerned with the heart… Not with outward appearances.
We in the church need to be reminded of this as well. There are few things more
upsetting to me personally than seeing people putting on a show in church on
Sunday, and then living in complete disregard of God in their lifestyle the rest of
the week. God is concerned with the heart and with people who are ready to
surrender all of their lives to Him.
So back in our passage, as we look back at who we were before Christ, we
remember that the Jewish people, who had been chosen by God and entrusted with
His Law and His promises, looked down on Gentiles, and that Gentiles also had no
claim whatsoever on the promises God had given to the Jewish people. So Paul
tells us as Gentiles to remember back to what it was like when we had no
relationship with God... He wants us to think back to what we were like in those
former days before Christ. Try to imagine yourself back there right now and think
about what your life was like. Paul tells us that five negative realities existed in
each of our lives back then:
1) You were separate from Christ. You were not united with Him and you
had no fellowship with Him. I kind of think of this like how we would be
with some famous person we really admire and maybe we’ve learned a lot
about and maybe we even feel like we know them because we've watched
them on TV or read a biography about them. But if we were to actually meet
them in person and start talking to them as if we're old friends, they’d think
we were crazy and probably get away from us as quick as they could. This
is because even though we know something about them, we have no real
relationship and from their perspective we have no connection with them
whatsoever. We may know a lot about them, but that gives us none of the
benefits of an intimate friendship. This is how we were with Christ before
we placed our faith in Him…Just people who may have known something
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2)
3)
4)
5)
about Him, but really had no personal connection to Him. We were separate
from Him.
You were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. This speaks to the
idea that we've already discussed… That we were not a member of God's
chosen people, the Jewish nation. We were the uncircumcised, those who
were looked down upon by the Jewish people…viewed as equivalent to dogs
in their eyes.
You were strangers to the covenants of promise. As Gentiles you had no
part of the covenants God had made with Abraham and the nation of Israel.
You had no claim on any of those promises. You are on the outside looking
in… Or more likely you weren't even looking in.
You had no hope. None. Even if you were under the deception that you had
hope, in reality you had none. You were on the broad highway sloping
gently downward to hell. You may have felt that your life was going pretty
well… Maybe you had lots of toys… A really good job… You were
considered a success by your friends… People may have thought you had it
all together… But the reality was, you had no real hope for eternity, and you
were headed for certain destruction.
You were without God in the world. This sums it up well. You were
living a life with no connection, communication, or fellowship with the one
true God…The One who actually made you and designed you and knew you
better than you knew yourself. You were completely without Him, though
you may have even thought you were a pretty spiritual person. Maybe you
were going through all the motions required by some type of man-made
religion. Yet whether you were aware of it or not, there was an unbridgeable
chasm between you and God before you met Christ. To be without God in
the world is a hopeless place to be.
So let me summarize where you were before Christ: You were separate, excluded,
strangers, with no hope, and without God… Not a good place to be. Have I sent
you into a depression yet?
BUT NOW: Peace with God and Others in Christ (verses 13-18)
Well just in case you're about to lose hope, two great words will get us back on
track in verse 13 of Ephesians chapter 2: BUT NOW. These two words introduce
a wonderful new reality that is in sharp contrast to the hopeless state each of us
was previously in. In verse 13 we read:
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But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought
near by the blood of Christ.
After the words “but now,” I want you to notice three life-changing words: IN
CHRIST JESUS. Here we see that the reason for this dramatic change is the fact
that you are now in Christ Jesus. Nothing can change your life more than being in
Christ Jesus. You're not just reading about Him anymore… You're not just
admiring Him from afar…You're not just acquaintances or friends with Christ…
You are now in Him. You can't get to a closer proximity to Jesus than being in
Him. Previously you were separate and excluded and had no fellowship with Him.
Now you are in Him. That's a thought worth meditating on for awhile. Do you
believe that it's true?
So what was it that enabled such a dramatic change to take place and allowed us to
go from being a distant stranger to being in Christ? It was nothing other than the
precious blood of Christ. If Christ hadn't come to shed his blood on the cross and
take the punishment for our sin, we would still be separate, excluded, strangers,
with no hope, and without God in the world. The old hymn is so true: There is
power in the blood!
So now, in Christ Jesus, we who formerly were far off have been brought near to
God and have now become participants in the covenants of promise. God's
promises are now for us personally.
We have also been brought near to the Jewish people. Think about the age-old
struggle that has raged on from Old Testament times until now between the Jewish
people and all the other nations of the world. Since the days when the Israelites
were held captive in Egypt, they have been at odds with the rest of the world. As
God's chosen people they were instructed to keep themselves separate from the
nations around them… To be set apart for God… God promised them blessing
upon blessing if they would simply obey Him and worship Him only as the one
true God. He also promised them trouble if they refused to obey Him and if they
worshiped other gods. As we all know, the history of the Israelites is filled with
disobedience and idolatry. Yet still we see that they always continued to view
themselves as separate from the other nations and they looked down on the
Gentiles and didn't think the Gentiles were worthy of God's love.
So you can imagine how difficult it was for those Jews who believed in Christ to
accept the new reality that in Christ God was now pouring out His love on the
Gentiles as well…the very people they had previously viewed as dogs. But this is
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exactly what we see in our passage today. Previously there was hostility between
us and God and between Jews and Gentiles. But now in Christ we have peace. In
fact Christ Himself is our peace. He didn't just bring peace… He actually is our
peace.
Do you ever long for peace in your life… A little break from the arguments and
noise and different opinions… from the constant activity and to-do list… Well, we
need look no further than Jesus Christ Himself. He is the only One who can bring
that peace that we long for… Even in the midst of the most difficult
circumstances…The peace that passes understanding. How are you doing in your
search for peace? I’ll be honest and tell you that I’m not often feeling peaceful in
my own life. But I know where to find it, and I know that I’ve personally
experienced Jesus bringing me peace in some of the most challenging situations
I’ve faced.
We also need to realize that there is a battle for peace. We each have a
responsibility in our own lives to make the tough decisions…to say, “no”
sometimes…to fight to keep our lives from being so out-of-control busy and
stressful that fellowship with God becomes impossible.
So how did Jesus bring peace in the particular situation were studying today…
Peace between us and God and between Jews and Gentiles? He did it by removing
the source of the hostility between all these groups. The source of the hostility in
both cases was the Law.
Think about it. The Jews had received the Law directly from God plus they had
added all their own interpretations and additions to it and they used it to
differentiate themselves from the nations around them and to point out all the
failings of the people around them. It was the source of hostility between the Jews
and the Gentiles. The Jews viewed themselves as superior because they possessed
God's Law and they used it to judge all those around them and to elevate
themselves. Unfortunately they had departed from the simple faith of Abraham and
had fallen into a works-based religion as they based their security on how well they
kept the Law's requirements. Speaking of the Jews in Romans chapter 10, verses 2
to 4, Paul says:
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance
with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of
God.
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And here's the kicker in verse 4:
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Christ is the end of the Law. You see the Jews were seeking to establish their own
righteousness through the Law rather than relying on God's righteousness through
faith. But Christ brought the end of the Law when He completely fulfilled its
requirements by living a sinless life in His flesh and then sacrificed Himself as our
substitute on the cross to pay the penalty that we deserved. In doing this, He broke
down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles once and for all. No longer can
the Law be used to exclude Gentiles from the promises of God. The source of the
hostility has been removed.
What Jesus did in His life and on the cross has also removed the source of the
hostility between us and God. Previously we were under God's wrath because of
our sin. We were under the condemnation of the Law. But now, by placing our
faith in Christ instead of our own efforts to earn salvation, we are freed from the
condemnation of the law and we have peace with God. Romans 5:1 – Therefore
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the peace that only comes through Jesus Christ, who is our
peace.
A perfect summary straight from Scripture on the exact process of how Jesus
Christ removed the hostility and brought us peace is found in Romans 8, verses 1
to 6: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. (There are those three beautiful words again: in Christ Jesus). For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God
did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for
sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirements of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according
to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is
life and peace.
There it is again: peace. Jesus brings us peace on all levels. Peace between us and
God, peace between us and other people, peace in our hearts, peace in the middle
of even the most difficult circumstances. Don't you long for more of it? Pray for it,
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plead for it, fight for it, and find it in Christ alone. There’s nothing else that will
bring lasting peace in your life.
Verse 17 of our passage today contains more about this peace that Christ bring us,
and it is actually a quote from the Old Testament passage of Isaiah 57:18-19. The
fact that Jesus established peace between Jews and Gentiles and between men and
God is actually a fulfillment of a prophecy from this passage in Isaiah. It was a
prophecy that spoke of a day when God would heal the people of Israel and restore
comfort to them. God was predicting a day when His anger against them would
cease and He would bring peace not only to the people of Israel, but also to those
who were far off (the Gentiles). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and delivered the
promised peace. God's anger ceased because He poured out the judgment we
deserved on His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
So having established peace between Jews and Gentiles and making them into one
new body, Jesus reconciled us both in that one new body to God the Father through
the cross. Through Christ both Jewish and Gentile believers have direct access to
God the Father and have God's Holy Spirit living inside them.
This direct access to God is really a mind-blowing concept that we often take for
granted. When we talk to God He listens to us and cares about what we're saying.
The barrier between us has been broken down and we can come right into His
presence. And not only that, we also have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, who
knows us completely and also knows the will of God the Father. The
communication lines between us and God are wide open whenever we take the
time to talk to Him. How often are you doing it? Are you praying without ceasing?
In other words are you having a constant conversation with God throughout your
day? Or do you go for hours or even all day without even thinking of Him or
talking to Him? To live in true dependence on God, we need to learn to share every
bit of it with Him.
SO THEN: Your New Identity in Christ, the Cornerstone (verses 19-22)
So we've remembered where we came from and we've seen that we now have
peace with God and with each other. Now we get to the “so what” section. What
does this all mean for us in a practical sense?
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Paul begins this section with the words, "So then,” a clear sign that he's coming to
a conclusion based on what he has just said. So let’s pickup in verse 19 of chapter
2 and read these last four verses together:
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens
with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the
corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into
a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a
dwelling of God in the Spirit.
So what Paul first wants us to realize and understand fully is the dramatic change
in our identity. He tells us two things that we are no longer and two things that we
now are instead.
1) You are no longer strangers. We are no longer strangers to God. We’re
not on the outside looking in anymore. The famous person we admire now
knows us personally and considers us his friend. He even invites us into his
house.
2) You are no longer aliens. Previously it was like we were living in a foreign
country without being able to speak the language. No one understood what
we were saying and we didn't understand what they were saying. We lived
separated and isolated from God. But this is no longer the case. We can now
speak the language and understand the truths of God.
3) You are fellow citizens with the saints. We have gone from being
foreigners living in isolation and with no access to the benefits of citizenship
to being full citizens of God's country with all the rights and benefits of the
saints. We are now saints ourselves. This is a present reality. Do you
consider yourself a saint? Well that's what you are if you placed your faith in
Jesus Christ as your Savior.
4) You are of God's household. Now there's a mind-blower. Can you imagine
anything greater than being part of God's household? We've been brought
inside the castle… And not just as a slave… But adopted as one of God's
very own children. He has adopted us forever. God is now our true Father!
Coming to understand and accept our new identity in Christ is so important in our
journey to live as the people God is calling us to be. While we may not always feel
like we're a saint and one of God's own dearly loved children, the fact remains that
that is what we truly are. I challenge you to believe it… Don't just say to yourself,
“That sounds great, but let's get real and practical.” Have you ever said that or
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heard someone say that when confronted with a profound Scriptural truth? If you
find yourself saying that in your mind while reading Scripture or listening to a
sermon, it's time to start praying and examining what you really believe. We've got
to start believing with every fiber of our being the truths that God gives us in
Scripture. And not only believe them but start acting on them.
God has made us His children and brought us into His household and given us the
power we need to do His will. But until we begin believing it and start stepping
out in faith, we're going to continue feeling and acting like beat up sinners
struggling just to hang on one more day.
Wake up daughters and sons of the Most High God!
As we look at the last 3 verses of our passage today, we see that we are being built
individually, and as the church universal, to be a holy temple in the Lord. God has
a plan for each of us individually and for His church as a whole and in Christ He is
diligently working to fit us together and build us up so that we are a complete
building where He Himself dwells and His glory is displayed…a holy temple in the
Lord…a place where God is praised and glorified night and day. We are each a
part of something beautiful and amazing that God is constructing.
This is a process that is actively going on right now and our calling is to cooperate
with God as He changes us and causes us to grow to be more like Him. Don't
resist Him…Believe Him and act on that belief. Love each other and realize that
we’re all in this together and that it takes each of us to make up that holy temple
God is designing. Are there some people in the church who are driving you crazy?
Remember that we are called to love and that each of us has a role to play. Each
part of the building serves its purpose and they all need to be fitted together in
order to complete the building. If we’re all just living in our own little worlds and
not allowing ourselves to be fit together, our temple is going to be a long time in
construction and it’s going to be a difficult process.
And don't forget about the foundation of our building. Where would a building be
without a foundation? Look at verse 20 as we close today. The foundation for each
of us and for the building as a whole is the apostles and prophets, which for us is
the Word of God found in Scripture.
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This is what provides the essential foundation for new life in Christ. This is also
what must guide us in every aspect of our life and teach us how we are to treat
each other as we are being fitted together to be a holy temple in the Lord. We need
to live and breathe the Word of God. Pray that God would give you a passion for it
and a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you diligently study it.
But look again at verse 20 and see what the most important element is in this
building that God is putting together? It’s the cornerstone. So what is a
cornerstone? Well, I did a little research to find that in ancient building practices,
the cornerstone was the principal stone placed at the corner of large, imposing
structure. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the
most carefully constructed of any in the building. It was especially important
because all other stones were set in reference to this stone, thus determining the
position of the entire structure.
So what is the cornerstone of our building? It is Jesus Christ Himself. He is what
holds it all together and He is also the One that causes the growth. Without Jesus
Christ at the center, the building will fall. In our own strength and efforts, we will
not grow. We’ll only grow as we depend on Christ and cultivate our love
relationship with Him.
Jesus Christ is the One who enabled us to be reconciled to God, to be forgiven
completely of our sin, to have peace with God and others, and to become children
of God, holy and dearly loved. He is our peace. Let’s spend some time now in
communion thanking Him for all that He has done on our behalf to bring us that
peace, and for the peace He continues to provide us moment by moment in our
lives.
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