MESSAGE TEXT
Ephesians 2:11-22 Part 2
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INTRODUCTION
“You Gentiles are inferior” was the message that the Judaizers were giving off. And the Gentiles seemed to accept this inferior status. But rarely ever do you accept this kind of thing without some resentment. So ambassador Paul takes on this very difficult subject and says let me show you how you are now unified through the gospel, how God’s power and riches are on display in your life now. Paul just prayed in Ephesians 1 that God’s power would be realized. Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe... Paul is saying, “I want you to see the surpassing power of God (Eph.1),” and almost immediately he begins to talk about the church (Eph.2). In 2:1-10, God raises the dead. In 2:11-22, God unifies the divided. That’s power!
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Can the surpassing power of God come into your life and change your life only individually and not corporately? Can the surpassing power of God come into your life and flow through your life if you are not willing to become deeply grafted into a community of love, truth, and mission? Can the power of God, work through your life only as an individual and not as part of a new group you get involved with? Recently, we’ve seen how God can take broken individuals and put them together again and make their lives poetry in motion. In addition, God can take people who would never otherwise be able to live together and make them one in Christ.
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PROPOSITION
In every message, I try to boil things down to a single proposition. If you are in Christ, you are part of the church – which is a supernatural society of God’s redeemed people (J.I Packer). You are now a part of the peace rather than the pieces. That's it. That's the message! Peace is not just the absence of walls; it’s the presence of wholeness and prosperity and blessing. Christ has made you an "ambassador of peace."
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Key Word: The THREE MAIN MOVEMENTS of Ephesians 2:11-22 are fascinating.
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The three movements are marked by the expressions...
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‘at one time’ (verse 11),
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‘but now’ (verse 13)
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and ‘so then’ (verse 19).
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And the sequence runs: Remember that at one time you … were alienated … but now in Christ Jesus you … have been brought near … for he is our peace … So then you are no longer strangers … but … fellow citizens with the saints …
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OUTLINE
Who We Were: Alienated Peoples of the Earth (2:11-12)
First, in verses 11 to 12 we're going to see that the peoples of earth are alienated.
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What Christ Has Done: “Tear Down that Wall” (2:13-18)
Second, in verses 13 to 18 we're going to see that the two people groups Jew and Gentile are now united in Christ. Notice the verbs in this section; they emphasize what Christ has done in order to reverse our condition: “made one,” “tore down,” “made of no effect,” “create,” “reconcile,” and “proclaimed.”
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Who We Have Now Become: God’s New Family (2:19-22)
Third, in verses 19 to 22 we're going to see that the church
is the household of God - the family, the dwelling place where we all belong. Paul uses three images, three metaphors, three illustrations to describe the church. The first one is we are citizens in a kingdom. Secondly, we are members of God’s household (siblings), members of his family. Thirdly, we are building blocks (stones) in a temple.
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CONCLUSION
Have you applied for citizenship? Do you have a family? Are you part of God’s new temple in the world? Was there ever a time in which you said, “Lord, I know I’m an alien. I know I have no right to be accepted by you, but I no longer trust in my own efforts. I trust in what Jesus Christ has done for me. Accept me for His sake. Bring me into the kingdom?” You applied for citizenship, and anybody who applies for citizenship like that, who humbles himself or herself like that, gets citizenship. Apply today!