Ephesians Talk 2

Remember: ‘In Christ’ the two have become the one temple and household of God!
(Aka: From the outhouse to the penthouse!)
I once went to Silverwater prison and a thought occurred to me immediately, People like me aren’t supposed to be in places like this! Now that feeling probably wasn’t as strong as the time soon after when I found myself in Emu Plains women’s periodic detention centre, NOW there was a place I quite clearly did not belong!

I’m sure you all know the feeling of not belonging, Maybe you got it in a foreign country? We once went to Harlem in NYC, Now there was another place we definitely did not belong!

Maybe you went to an occasion totally overdressed or even worse under-dressed. I had a mate who on the occasion of his graduation from Sydney University thought that the academic gown that you hired, was like the one’s worn in American high school movies – you know the ones they cover over the whole of your clothes underneath.

Now What he failed to realize is that proper academic gowns are open at the front. So on the occasion of his graduation he has a very nice photo of himself with the chancellor of Sydney University, and he is wearing board shorts and a surf t-shirt and an academic gown – he looks ridiculous. He did not belong!

Or maybe you had that feeling in a positive experience.
Maybe you got a invite to a family wedding at a swish location. We once went to a wedding at Royal Sydney Golf club in Rose Bay, and I was talking to very nice fellow who introduced himself – his name was ** Fairfax, as in the ** Fairfax – I thought two things: Don’t tell him you read the telegraph, and what am I doing here, people like me do not belong in places like this!

At some point we all have known that feeling of, what is a person like me doing in a place like this. And this is the question Paul is pointedly asking of you and me today, what are YOU (A GENTILE!) doing, saying you have part of the God of Israel and his messiah.
P1 – Remember: You were once excluded from God’s promises and without hope in the world
Ephesians 2
11 Therefore, remember
that formerly you who are Gentiles
by birth
and called "uncircumcised"
by those who call themselves "the circumcision"
(that done in the body by the hands of men)--
12 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.

As we start v11 Paul gives us the only command he gives in the whole passage we are looking at today, and his command is to do one thing, and one thing alone. We are ‘to Remember’, we are to remember just how dire the situation, our situation was before God our judge, before we met Christ our saviour.

V11 of course starts with a ‘therefore’, which would be an odd way to start any sentence, unless you wanted it to relate to what has been written just before.
And in the before in verses 1-10 of chapter 2, Paul has reminded us that we were ‘dead in our trespasses and sins, we were carrying out the desires of the flesh, and we were by nature children of wrath’.

Our situation was absolutely dire, we sinned boldly and compulsively in the sight of God and were unable (and uninclined) to stop, like an addict who has lost all control, we were pathological sinners in our disposition, even if not so excessive in all our moral behaviour.

The only hope for a lost person, was the God of creation, who is the God of salvation and forgiveness, the God who is the God of Israel. A God on whom we (us Gentiles) had absolutely no claim at all.

Paul wants the Gentile readers in Ephesus ‘to Remember’, they are ‘to Remember’ the real and extreme nature of their alienation and their hopelessness prior to their inclusion in Christ.

God gave to the children of Abraham great promises, to the family of Abraham (that became the nation Israel) he promised a messiah who would deliver his people. And Paul want us to feel the weight of this, we gentiles have no word of promise from God like the Jews. We are not the heirs of these promises by our birth.

And physically to the Jews, we bear the signs of this, the sign of circumcision was a clear sign as to the allegiances of the person, a sign that was both distinguishing and alienating at the same time, perhaps like the effect of the berqah or hijab today, it was stark reminder and a clear sign to all about the allegiances of a person – and circumcision was a purposeful exclusion of the gentile from the promises of Israel.

But circumcision was only a sign of the promises. The heart of the issue is that even the well intentioned Gentile couldn’t get access to the temple at Jerusalem. Access in order to make a sacrifice of atonement regarding cleanse their guilt regarding sin.
And if the Bible is clear on at least one thing, it is that if you can’t have your sin dealt with how can you relate to a holy God?

Gentiles had no right or means to access and no claim for a hearing from the God of Israel.

[ILLUS] Now I Imagine it as being much the same as if you or I phoned up and demanded a face to face to meeting with the president of the United States at the white house, (and you want him to pay for the trip!) I mean it’s absurd isn’t it? It Makes NO SENSE

For Starters, You probably don’t even have a current visa to travel to america, much less being a US citizen, and even then you won’t get access unless you happen to be donating an obscene amount of money to an electoral campaign.

We were without God and without hope in the world, alienated from the promises God had made. And we were by our nature objects of God’s wrath.
Paul is saying to us Gentiles, You do not belong in a place like this!

[APPL:] So why does Paul want us to remember this, well it is so we are reminded to be thankful and gracious, for without the light of the Messiah, how would we have been able to see in the dark?

We are to give thanks to God that he is generous upon us, we Gentiles of all people should know the reality that God owed us nothing, we were off playing with the pigs in the mud, and he has been un-mesurably generous to us. And our heart’s should be filled with thankfulness – to borrow from that great hymn!

We are now to be gracious as God is gracious and has been gracious to us. But if I’m being perfectly honest - I often think about people I know and meet as being beyond the reach of the gospel, too far gone.


I interviewed for assistant minister jobs at a number of places – no one ever said, ‘mate this is an easy place to minister, people just want to hear the gospel’, they all seemed to think that their patch was much more immune to the Gospel than anywhere else, ‘we’re too wealthy, we’re too middle class, we’re too poor, we’re too working class.’

I’m sure that they are difficult places, but none are beyond the power and grace of God, and it’s a good thing to remember in case I forget that those people aren’t beyond the pale, because when I say that they are, aren’t I somewhere deep down saying, ‘that I somehow am particularly deserving of God’s grace!’ – Can’t be true can it, it is his mercy. It is humbling isn’t it? But God has done a great work among us – saving you and saving me. We should be gracious with the words of eternal life like our God is.

Remember: You were once excluded from God’s promises and without hope in the world

But Paul goes on to contrast this first idea with his second idea, which he announces with two small words, that when said together are possibly, two of the most profound words you will read in scripture – like a grand fanfare announcing the arrival of royalty – Paul says, BUT NOW!! An expression that carries great weight in purple passages for the Christian like in Romans 3.
P2 – ‘But Now’ both those near and far have been reconciled to God and each other as one new creation ‘In Christ’
13 But now
in Christ Jesus you
who once were far away
have been brought near
through the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace,
who has made the two one
and has
destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility,
15 by abolishing
in his flesh the law
with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create
in himself one new man out of the two,
thus making peace,
16 and in this one body
to reconcile both of them
to God through the cross,
by which
he put to death their hostility.
17 He came
and preached
peace to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near.
18 For
through him
we both have access
to the Father by one Spirit.

But now we who were far away have been brought close to God - we have ‘peace’ – a word Paul uses 5 times in this passage, Peace with God and Peace with each other.

We have peace with God and it is bought and brought through the blood of Christ. And again exactly like chapter 1 of Ephesians Paul uses the imagery of Blood of Christ to take us to the foot of the cross and see the starkness and the depths of our own sin. This earthy image of Christ’s death poured out at our very hands. The cross our great assurance that we have seen the great paradox of the justice of God and the love of God in the sacrificial death of Christ, the shedding of the blood of lamb of God, upon the cross. This cross is our assurance that we have peace. Peace with God and Peace with each other.

Christ’s blood was the price of our peace, it is the entry fee that washes away our sin and places us in the house of God our father. Christ’s death poured out is our confidence that we have peace with God, Like surveying the remains of a bloody battlefield, now at peace, ‘It is finished’. PEACE. Peace with God and peace with each other.

V14 points out Christ IS peace, In exactly the same way as in chapter 1 of Ephesians where Christ IS every spiritual blessing – or all God’s spiritual blessing, in the same way in chapter 2:14 where ‘Christ IS peace’, what it means is; Christ alone is peace. All God’s peace is found in Jesus.

[Q] But why is there war in the first place? Why is there enmity between God and man anyway? Well have a quick look at Verses 12-16 and see for yourselves – what do you think it says?


It says it’s the law doesn’t it! The law, the shorthand way of referring to the Old Covenant promises that God gave to Israel, that seem to be particularly embodied by the 10 commandments which God gave to Moses in Exodus 20. In this part of Ephesians Paul is saying that the law causes hostility between both God and man, and the also the Jews and the Gentiles.

The law brings division and enmity, the law is no friend of peace. For Mankind all the Law brought was alienation from God, and alienation from each other.

But this great passage of Ephesians tells us that Christ has dealt with the Law, he has destroyed the hostility between God and man, and between Jew and Gentile. Christ has brought peace, Christ the Messiah of Israel, V15 ‘abolished the law with its commandments and regulations’, in a very literal reading of that verse, he has ‘brought the law to naught’.

Christ has taken the air out of the law’s balloon, he took the jam out of it’s doughnut, he took the sting from the law’s tail, he brought it to naught.

In V16 Christ put to death the hostility that existed - NOW that expression is actually a little to passive sounding, in reality it literally says, ‘he killed’ the enmity between God and Man and Jew and Gentile. He actively killed the enmity, just like a man who actively kills a snake, by crushing it’s head under his heal.

Christ killed enmity, because Christ killed sin. The Law isn’t really the problem is it? Well not in itself anyway, I mean in Romans Paul tells us that the law is good, but all it can do is point out sin in sinful people.

But Christ has killed the power of the law over us, because he killed sin, he put sin to death, in his own death. The final shot of this war, the final shot that brought a real and lasting peace, the final shot of this battle killed sin, when it killed Christ. Christ died as our substitute, and took our punishment for sin upon himself – and this was the extremely high price of our peace. Our peace with God and our peace with each other.
Christ killed the hostility in his own death on the cross

But this view of the law raises a question for us; Do the Jews have a preferential place with God? Well and Yes and no
Yes – Rom 9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

SO yes the Jews had privileges in many ways, but the circumcision they did at the hands of men, to use the words of Ephesians 2:11 cannot fix the problem. The Jews just like everybody else, needed an act of new creation and not just a modified old creation.

Christ has done a new work of creation, to change the hearts of men – his death opened the way for a new creation, not an inclusion of Gentiles into the Jews in that sense, but ONE new man from the two…we read in Ephesians 2:15.

No - Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith

The Story this passage of Ephesians is the of those who are both near and those who are far away as we read in V17. Well it’s a story of God’s two sons I guess you could say. Kind of like the story Jesus told in Luke 15
Luke 15:11 And [Jesus] said, There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. 25 Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! 31 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

You see the Bible is clear and consistent, There is one salvation for all people in the one Christ, the promised messiah of Israel, Yes Israel had a special position with the coming Messiah to point to Him, but ultimately this Messiah was coming to bring Salvation to the nations, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, to make one new man out of two


It is worth mentioning in passing that From V18 we see an insight into the Trinitarian nature of our redemption and reconciliation. From this passage we see all of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are active together and yet distinct in their roles related to achieving our salvation.

In our salvation we have access to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit – a good reason as to why the NT encourages us to pray in the same manner also, to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

APPL: So this passage is exhorting us to remember the unity we share as the church in Christ, sure our church here at MT Riv – which is absolutely and truly the church, but also numerically the wider body of Christ. In essence, What Christ has joined let no man separate! Because Christ has saved all people the same way both Jews and Gentiles.

So we are able to be thankful for God has done a mighty work in all our lives! Once was the blackest darkness (without hope in the world), and now there is a magnificent light (we now have been reconciled to God and each other).

‘But Now’ both those near and far have been reconciled to God and each other as one new creation ‘In Christ’

P3 – The result is that WE (Jews and Gentiles) may be the unified temple and household of God

19 Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household,
20 built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building
is joined together
and rises to become
a holy temple
in the Lord.
22 And in him you too
are being built together to become
a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Here Paul is stressing to us that we are no longer, to borrow from that great theologian ‘Jimmy Barnes’ we are no longer, ‘standing on the outside looking in..’. We are now family members, we are a treasured part of God’s household, a integral part of the structure, we are really part of temple we he dwells in his Spirit. Paul in Ephesians assures us we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and we are integral part of his body and family to do his work here on earth, to do the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do.

We are made for unity in Christ – he is our peace – our peace with God and our peace with each other, and in Christ through the Spirit we share in a great inheritance – together. We each are an important and essential part of the integrity of God’s temple, we are joined together and being built together as God’s dwelling. Now That’s pretty impressive - isn’t it?

We are now one new people in God – not Jews or Gentiles – but all Christians
No one has precedence anymore, not those who near as Jews or those who were far away as gentiles.


APPL: thinking about how this might apply to use today, Dare I say it, maybe it’s time that we No more have the language or the idea of the two – y’know, like you who were far away at Warrimoo, and no more you who were close at Mt Riv. See I think this passage is emphasizing there is just one new people, one unified people, every person integral to the new building of the Body of Christ – the temple of God through his spirit, seated with Christ in the heavenlies and joined together to carry out the good works God has prepared in advance to do!

So when you think of this week, are you excited about finding out what good things God has prepared for you to do, is that what you pray for? Is that what you give thanks for when you pray, the good things that God in his mercy has chosen to use you for.

But then it isn’t just you alone is it? I mean you alone are not the temple of God, but together we share in God’s mercy and unity in the Spirit – to serve and honour God – to the praise of his glorious grace.
AMEN