Ephesians 2:11-22 From the Outside In 1 As I was preparing for our time together this week, I was completely captivated by the power of the passage we are going to read today. Not because it IS NEW. But because it is REITERATING what we have already talked about in the previous weeks. And I thought to myself and even said to God: What am I supposed to do? Get up there and tell them the SAME THING I ALREADY TOLD THEM? Preach the SAME sermon again And as clear as my voice is to you today, I heard Him say YES They need to HEAR IT AGAIN.
We need to HEAR IT AGAIN. 2 Our hearts. Our minds. They are so prone to wander. So PRONE TO FORGET. My bride and I were talking on Tuesday this past week 2 days after the sermon I preached last week. And we CAUGHT OURSELVES MESSING UP on something I had just preached on 2 DAYS EARLIER!! She just looked at me and said, ISN T THAT WHAT YOU WERE PREACHING AGAINST ON SUNDAY??? I looked at her and said: Stop judging me WOMAN! ;) BUT
I m reminded 3 I was reminded this week it s like we have short term amnesia when it comes to the Gospel. We HEAR THE GOOD NEWS. We let it DROP INTO OUR HEARTS. We walk out the door. Get a burger and fries. AND WE. FOR.GET!! That s why we have to stay LOCKED INTO THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY. We have to be REMINDED of the GOOD NEWS. We have to be REMINDED of WHO WE WERE WHO GOD IS AND WHO WE ARE NOW So know this I m ON THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU. I FORGET.
So let me READ THE SCRIPTURES TODAY let me REMIND US and do what it says to do in Isaiah 40:9-10 4 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, HERALD of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; 1 Listen today friends to our passage from Ephesians 2:11-22. 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 1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Is 40:9 10). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society. 2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Eph 2:11 22). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 5 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. 6 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 2 Today we re going to talk about what it means to move FROM THE OUTSIDE IN. We ll spend the first part of today talking about being on THE OUTSIDE. Then about how Christ through his sacrifice has made a way for us to BE ON THE INSIDE. And then we re going to unpack what that means FOR US THE CHURCH. So let s talk first about THE OUTSIDE. 2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Eph 2:11 22). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
THE OUTSIDE 7 Have you ever felt like an outsider? Insert story of being an OUTSIDER. THIS is what we are seeing in this passage here. And In order for us to have a clear understanding of who we were BEFORE CHRIST through this particular passage There are some things from this culture of the DAY THIS WAS WRITTEN that we need to get into our minds. Paul is writing TO A CHURCH, particularly one that is full of GENTILE (NON-JEWISH) believers in Jesus Christ. Have you ever been at ODDS WITH SOMEONE AT CHURCH? NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR SPOUSE. ;)
Have you ever dreaded going to church because of WHO WAS GOING TO BE THERE? 8 I have talked to married couples who have dealt with infidelity. And the person their spouse had the affair with was at the church and they still went and HAD TO SEE THEM EVERY SUNDAY THAT can make it a little difficult to worship right??? THAT S about as close of an example in our day that I can give you to help us relate to what it was like for the GENTILES AND THE JEWS TO GO TO CHURCH TOGETHER. The division between Jews and Gentiles in that day was ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL DIVISIONS OF THEIR TIME.
9 These tensions would have been felt as Jews and Gentiles came together IN THE CHURCH as followers of Jesus Christ. Let me give you a bit of a taste of what the tensions were like between these groups. In this lovely election cycle we re in, there is a lot of talk about BUILDING A WALL. This is nothing new honestly. We re talking about building a WALL BETWEEN NATIONS for security purposes. The divide was so deep between Jews and Gentiles of this time that there was a WALL built inside the TEMPLE TO SEPARATE THEM! Get that in your mind friends. It would be the equivalent of us having a big wall outside the door there.
And because we would hold SOME TO BE MORE WORTHY THAN OTHERS only a select few could come IN THIS ROOM. Those who weren t QUITE AS GOOD would need to stand out there in the hallway and worship. In the Jewish temple, there were these SIGNS posted on this WALL THAT separated the COURT OF THE GENTILES from THE COURT OF THE ISRAELITES. Archeologists they have FOUND THESE SIGNS. KNOW WHAT THEY SAID? The signs said: "NO FOREIGNER IS ALLOWED TO ENTER WITHIN...WHOEVER IS CAUGHT WILL BE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ENSUING DEATH." 10
Some believed that Gentiles were made as FUEL FOR THE FIRES OF HELL, 11 and that it was wrong to help a Gentile woman GIVE BIRTH, because it would bring another HEATHEN INTO THE WORLD. BUT don t put it all on the Jews. The Gentiles weren't so crazy about the Jewish people either. They conquered the JEWISH NATION, so it was easy to FEEL CULTURALLY AND POLITICALLY SUPERIOR. One Roman historian said it this way: "The Greeks (GENTILES) wage a TRUCELESS WAR against people of other races, against barbarians." There were all kinds of divisions:
POLITICAL, CULTURAL, FOOD, RELIGIOUS, AND MORE. 12 And these divisions were not JUST THEORETICAL. They caused HUGE PROBLEMS in the church as Gentiles became Christians and as they came to EMBRACE THE SAME FAITH AS THE JEWISH BELIEVERS who had also BECOME CHRISTIANS AS WELL. See and you guys think this TRUMP VS. HILARY THING IS BAD!! Nothing compared to what the Jews and Gentiles were dealing with. But let s look a little deeper at the first part of this passage and see what was it exactly that caused YOU AND I TO BE ON THE OUTSIDE? Just LIKE THE GENTILES There were FIVE THINGS:
1. "SEPARATE FROM CHRIST" When we read this, we think "Jesus Christ," when we really should be thinking "Messiah." Israel had the expectation of a coming Messiah who would triumph over all their enemies; Gentiles had no such hope. 2. "EXCLUDED FROM CITIZENSHIP IN ISRAEL" God had chosen to be known by Israel and noone else. If you were non-jewish, you were EXCLUDED from all of God's blessings unless you became Jewish. None of God's blessings for his chosen people were yours. 3. "FOREIGNERS OF THE COVENANTS OF THE PROMISE" God made all kinds of promises in the Old Testament on the basis of his covenants with Israel. 13
The Gentiles - THAT'S US - had no share in these promises. 4. "WITHOUT HOPE" As bad as things got in Israel, the faithful always had God's promises. They believed in the promised messianic salvation. Gentiles, they didn t have THIS HOPE. 5. "WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD" Gentiles had gods, but they didn't have the one true God. So it's like Israel had the one true God and the rest of us had fakes. Put this altogether and you have a picture of our exclusion: cut off FROM THE MESSIAH, cut off FROM GOD AS KING, as well as ALL OF HIS PROMISES; 14
cut off FROM HOPE, and FROM GOD HIMSELF. 15 Paul wants the readers of this letter to FEEL THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR EXCLUSION, not only from Israel, but their EXCLUSION FROM A COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND ALL OF ITS BENEFITS. Paul is telling us that we need to SEE THE ENORMITY, the significance, of our EXCLUSION, BOTH FROM ISRAEL AND FROM GOD. Part of the reason is MAYBE JUST MAYBE the people HAD FORGOTTEN the gravity of the situation and had forgotten the Jewish heritage of their faith
something that is probably very true of you and I as well. 16 One of the major themes of the book of Ephesians is GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE TO BRING ALL THINGS TOGETHER UNDER CHRIST. Paul wrote in chapter 1 that God purposed "to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (Ephesians 1:10). What Paul writes here is significant not only for the Jewish/Gentile divide, but also FOR ALL THE WAYS that people are excluded, even WITHIN THE CHURCH. Most of us are TRIBAL BY NATURE. We divide by CLASS, RACE, ECONOMICS, AGE, MUSIC. This is true not only in society, which is very fragmented.
It's also true WITHIN THE CHURCH. 17 Paul says that WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND - not only understand, but feel - the significance of these divisions. THE INSIDE Now let s jump down to VERSES 19-22 and see where we are NOW. We are moving from THE OUTIDE IN. What does it look like to be ON THE INSIDE: 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.
Each of these images is PACKED FULL OF MEANING. 18 1. CITIZENS STORY: about Mel and DRIVER S LICENSE. I had no idea how much I SHOULD VALUE MY CITIZENSHIP UNTIL I WENT TO ANOTHER COUNTRY. STORY: Being held up at the border in MEXICO. It s easy to take it for granted. I don't anymore. And that's nothing compared to the way that the EPHESIANS WOULD HAVE SEEN CITIZENSHIP. Citizenship was a huge source of human pride. Like LONGHORNS VS AGGIES (PAUL RYAN STORY) Your city PROVIDED YOUR IDENTITY. If you traveled and met someone else from your area, there would BE INSTANT CONNECTION.
Paul here says that WE'RE FELLOW CITIZENS with God's people. 19 We possess a CITIZENSHIP FAR SUPERIOR to any LOCAL CITIZENSHIP and even the coveted ROMAN CITIZENSHIP. We're part of a SUPREME community, a third city. But it gets even more intimate than that. We're not just fellow citizens 2. FAMILY We're actually family. We're "...also members of his household" (Ephesians 3:19). This is an EVEN DEEPER LEVEL of intimacy. Tony Evans says it this way: You've been called into SOMETHING STAGGERING. If Bill Gates were to adopt a child, that would be staggering. If the president
of the United States were to adopt a child, the implications of THAT ARE STAGGERING. Because we've been adopted into the family of God, THE IMPLICATIONS ARE BEYOND COMPREHENSION. We're fellow citizens; we're family. 3. TEMPLE IT gets even more mind-blowing than this. We're also GOD'S TEMPLE:...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. (Ephesians 2:20-22) For a thousand years, the temple in Jerusalem had been the FOCUS OF GOD'S PRESENCE IN THE WORLD. 20
But now, Paul says, God is doing A NEW THING. 21 He's building A NEW TEMPLE, this time located AMONG PEOPLE more particularly, in his church. This building isn't GOD'S HOUSE, like ROBERT TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. together you and I are PARTS OF GOD'S HOUSE, his HOLY TEMPLE. It's a temple with three parts: 1. THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS - those who brought the Word of God to us 2. THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE, JESUS CHRIST - He's at the center; everything else fits around him
3. BUILDING BLOCKS - US! Gentiles used to be excluded from the temple; now WE'RE PART OF WHAT GOD IS BUILDING This means that God actually INHABITS HIS CHURCH. This is the focus of GOD'S PRESENCE IN THIS WORLD. If you wanted to go where God's presence dwelt, you USED TO HAVE TO GO TO THE TEMPLE. Now, if you want to go to where God's presence dwells, you have to go AMONG HIS PEOPLE, HIS CHURCH. WE ARE WHERE GOD DWELLS. You see how this gets more and more intimate???? Fellow citizens is SORT OF CLOSE; family is a LOT CLOSER; 22
blocks in the temple ARE CONNECTED MILLIMETERS APART. 23 You're SUPPORTED BY OTHERS, and you also SUPPORT OTHERS. You are part of something MUCH BIGGER THAN YOURSELF. HOW? So here is the question: What happened between verses 11-12 that describes the ALIENATION AND SEPARATION between Jews and Gentiles, and verses 19-22 that describes THE FULL RECONCILIATION AND UNITY? Here we could talk about this for days. These verses, 13-18, are so rich and thick with doctrine that it would take FOREVER TO UNPACK IT ALL.
So I will leave a lot of questions unanswered and make one main point that I think is the most ESSENTIAL THING. What happened between the alienation of verses 11-12 and the reconciliation of verses 19-22? The answer is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God died and HE DIED BY DESIGN. Yes, he rose and is alive. But the emphasis here FALLS ON HIS DEATH. Where do we see it? We see it in the word "BLOOD" IN VERSE 13B: "You who formerly were far off have been brought near BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST." We see it in the word "flesh" in verse 15, "... ABOLISHING IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY." 24
And we see it in the word "cross" in verse 16, "...and might reconcile them both in one body to God THROUGH THE CROSS." The rest of the text is Paul's explanation of HOW THE BLOOD OF CHRIST his DEATH IN THE FLESH on the cross removes the ENMITY BETWEEN GOD AND JEW, GOD AND GENTILE AND JEW AND GENTILE, And so, it IMPLIES between EVERY ETHNIC GROUP of Christians who are in Christ WHO HAS BECOME OUR PEACE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? It means this: Because of the CROSS. We are reconciled not only VERTICALLY WITH GOD BUT HORIZONTALLY WITH EACH OTHER. 25
SIMPLY PUT: 26 THE GOSPEL DESTROYS RACISM. I mean, all throughout the Bible. Starting in GENESIS 1 IMAGE OF GOD. Male and Female? All humans made in the IMAGE OF GOD therefore EQUAL. God comes to ABRAHAM Genesis 12 says I m going to save the world I want to make sure that SALVATION goes to ALL GENERATIONS. MOSES a Jewish man marries a BLACK WOMAN in Numbers 12. God not only APPROVES OF IT he PUNISHES the people who SPEAK AGAINST IT. (Go read it ) In Acts 10 He tells PETER Don t show FAVORTISM! Instead God accepts everyone from EVERY NATION who FEAR HIM
AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT. 27 THE GOSPEL IS SAYING HERE No longer are you going to GET YOUR IDENTITY, by looking DOWN ON OTHERS. See listen friends Until you HEAR THE GOSPEL you DIVIDE THE WORLD. You walk down the street you see some types of people and you ROLL YOUR EYES AT THEM. OH THOSE PEOPLE People of different POLITICS. People of different RACE. People of different SOCIAL CLASSES It s how we FEEL BETTER ABOUT OURSELVES. But the GOSPEL DESTROYS THAT! WHY???
This passage shows us 28 It says look at those people over there ON THE OUTSIDE (Gentiles)! Living their lives FAR AWAY FROM GOD. They re REJECTING GOD. Living HOWEVER THEY WANT. But LOOK AT THE PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE (Jews). The ones who are LIVING GOOD LIVES. And God now you need to TAKE ME TO HEAVEN WHEN I DIE. And they re saying: you people you need to RESPECT ME because I m a REALLY GOOD PERSON. Both of them are being SELF CENTERED Both of them are being ARROGANT. They re both doing it in a way that takes DIVISIONS IN THE HUMAN RACE
And MAKES THEM WORSE! 29 They re both being SELF RIGHTEOUS. Both making themselves SAVIOR AND LORD. Therefore THEY ARE BOTH LOST! And the GOSPEL SAYS there is no PECKING ORDER! Everyone from a TERRORIST to a HOOKER to a PILLAR type person in a church You re all SINNERS. You re all trying to be YOUR OWN SAVIOR in different ways. And therefore you re all EQUAL BEFORE GOD. And therefore you re all EQUAL RECIPIENTS OF GRACE IF. YOU. ASK. FOR. IT! And the GOSPEL HUMBLES YOU OUT OF THAT KIND OF PRIDE!
It DESTROYS COMPARISON! 30 And it also RESHUFFLES THE DECK. We all have things that make us PROUD OF WHO WE ARE. For example let s just say YOU DO LOVE YOUR ETHNIC HERITAGE. Whether you re LATINO or BLACK ASIAN Or a CZHECH like me! And you re very HAPPY BEING whatever it is that you are. Some of you are like I M TEXAN! That s my ETHNIC GROUP! Listen, that s part of what makes you feel like WHO YOU ARE. PROUD. And you went on YOU GOT AN EDUCATION. You got a GOOD JOB.
You have a CAREER. 31 You re a PROFESSIONAL PERSON. These are GOOD THINGS! BUT Then along comes THIS FACT: If you GIVE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST You are now ACCEPTED IN HIM. The Lord of the UNIVERSE not only PARDONS YOU.. But HE DELIGHTS IN YOU. As PERFECT. RIGHTEOUS. IN CHRIST. And THAT AFFIRMATION. THAT IDENTITY. IS SO POWERFUL it goes to the FOUNDATION OF YOUR LIFE. And everything else becomes SECONDARY!
It s great to be a TEXAN. 32 A Hispanic. An African American. It s great to be a PROFESSIONAL. But those THINGS pale in comparison TO THIS! And that LOOSENS YOU UP You re no longer so LOCKED UP IN YOUR CULTURE. RACE PROFESSION POLITICS You don t NEED THAT to feel good about yourself anymore. And BECAUSE OF THAT! PAUL can come to a guy like PETER
Who was told all along that GENTILES were unclean. 33 And even after he became a Christ follower, he REFUSED to eat with GENTILE CHRISTIANS. And PAUL tells him in GALATIANS 2:14 You re NOT LIVING IN LINE WITH THE GOSPEL! Is that CRAZY or what? Did you ever catch that??? ONE PILLAR OF THE CHURCH (PAUL) calling out another PILLAR OF THE CHURCH (PETER) PAUL said you should NOT DO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION You should NOT JUDGE A PERSON by the color of their skin RATHER THAN THE CONTENT OF THE CHARACTER.
You would not be able TO BE A RACIST if you understood the IMPLICATIONS OF THE GOSPEL. 34 Your IDENTITY HAS CHANGED. The DECK HAS BEEN RESHUFFLED! And it s not just that you DON T LOOK DOWN ON THEM. That because of CHRIST you now HAVE A BOND WITH THEM. There is now A NEW RACE a NEW HUMANITY Within the church FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST. So How does God do this? LOOK. It s in verse 16: 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 3 35 What s He saying there? I THOUGHT NOTHING DIED ON THE CROSS EXCEPT JESUS? 2 Cor 5:21 God made HIM SIN who knew NO SIN so that we might become THE RIGHEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM. That shows us that GOD put Jesus in the place of us where WE should be destroyed for our HOSTILITY. For what WE VE DONE TO THIS WORLD God should PUT US TO DEATH for our HOSTILITY But right here in EPHESIANS it says that HE SLAYED HOSTILITY! 3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Eph 2:15 16). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Jesus GOT THE HOSTILITY. 36 See because we ve been HOSTILE towards each other, GOD SHOULD BE HOSTILE towards us. Because we have DESTROYED each other, GOD SHOULD DESTROY US. But INSTEAD. THE DESTRUCTION CAME DOWN ON HIM! And when Jesus did it VOLUNTARILY that is AMAZING. And wouldn t you say that the TRINITY Father, Son, Holy Spirit That they are A SUPERIOR race to you and I? I mean. They have NO BEGINNING. NO ENDING. PERFECT in all THEIR WAYS.
HOLY. 37 Definitely a SUPERIOR RACE. And YET HEBREWS 2:11 says this about JESUS: He is NOT ASHAMED TO CALL US BROTHERS. He was not ASHAMED to identify with AN INFERIOR RACE. He didn t SEE US AS INFERIOR He went to the CROSS and He was not ASHAMED TO CALL US BROTHERS! And when the CROSS COMES INTO THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LIFE There will be NO ONE you come across that you d be ASHAMED TO CALL BROTHER either. Regardless of HOW THEY SMELL. The color of their SKIN. This is the kind of CHURCH WE LL BE.
Now hear me there isn t a perfect church 38 That can be INCLUSIVE of all people. I m speaking in ENGLISH here that alone is EXLCLUSIVE because how many languages are spoken in the GREATER HOUSTON AREA? I mean that leaves out A LOT OF PEOPLE! Not ONE CHURCH...can encompass all these things. But GRAND CENTRAL can ask the question How do WE STRETCH??? To be more RACIALLY CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE!! That I m CHRISTIAN FIRST American second. CHRISTIAN FIRST college educated second. CHRISTIAN FIRST professional second. How do we SACRIFICE to make that happen?
Why would WE attempt this? 39 Because THAT S HOW this world will see one of the main evidences THAT GOD S power is at WORK in this world! THE GOSPEL CHANGES EVERYTHING! Later in Ephesians, after his powerful portrait of the church AND ALL THAT GOD CALLS IT TO BE, PAUL prays for the church, and then in 3:20-21 in the benediction to his prayer he says: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us... It is a TALL ORDER. We can't do it, BUT HE CAN.
He can do immeasurably more abundantly than all that we ask or think - according to His power at work in us. 40 "...to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."