WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:07.179 Ephesians chapter 2, we're going to look at verses 11 through 19 tonight. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.780 We're going to take two weeks to look at this next section of Ephesians tonight. 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:16.699 We're just going to focus on 11 through 19. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:24.560 All right, let me read this for us. 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:27.400 Paul says this, he says, 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:36.519 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, 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:48.480 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:57.659 But now, in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 00:00:57.659 --> 00:01:07.579 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.819 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:16.939 that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:23.120 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:28.500 And he came and he preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.920 For through him we both have access in one spirit to the Father. 00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:42.939 So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. 00:01:44.240 --> 00:01:45.219 Let's pray together. 00:01:45.219 --> 00:01:56.640 Oh, Lord God, now as we turn to your word, God, we ask that by your spirit you'd give us understanding of these things. 00:01:57.780 --> 00:02:03.859 Lord, we trust that your word is like a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path. 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:09.419 Lord, it's also bread for our souls, for our hungry, hungry souls. 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:14.019 God, so would you feed us and would you lead us tonight through your word. 00:02:15.359 --> 00:02:19.919 And Lord, may the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth, 00:02:20.739 --> 00:02:25.479 Lord, and the meditations of all of our hearts together as we feast on this word be acceptable in your sight. 00:02:25.779 --> 00:02:28.560 Oh, Lord, our rock and our redeemer. 00:02:29.799 --> 00:02:30.199 Amen. 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:30.359 Amen. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:40.920 Well, I think it would be an understatement to say that it's been quite a week for us. 00:02:42.880 --> 00:02:53.060 In the aftermath of Tuesday's election, it's become almost commonplace now in the media to observe how divided we seem to be as a country. 00:02:53.060 --> 00:02:59.060 Many are feeling politically, socially, economically alienated. 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:07.080 Just today I was driving across Elm Street and I saw some folks protesting on the courthouse steps. 00:03:09.420 --> 00:03:12.080 But of course, it hasn't just been over the past week, has it? 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:25.260 I think over the last year plus, our country has seen how racism is still alive and well, causing alienation and injustice and hurt and harm. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:31.820 And many of our brothers and sisters in the African-American community feeling alienated in many ways. 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:37.640 But even so, it hasn't just been the last year, has it? 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:40.560 Hasn't even been just the last decade. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:52.099 In fact, if you look over the course of human history, the more and more you study it, the more and more you see a story of human animosity and alienation and hostility. 00:03:54.719 --> 00:04:00.199 It almost seems like it's impossible for us humans to live together in peace. 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:11.239 And I wonder if most of us looking at the past and the present, I think most of us sense deep down that this state of things isn't the way it's supposed to be, right? 00:04:12.119 --> 00:04:18.740 We humans shouldn't live this way, always in a state of hostility and anxiety and animosity. 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:21.159 It's not supposed to be this way. 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:29.300 And at the same time as we realize that this isn't the way it's supposed to be, I think we also realize that some of our perhaps deeply held beliefs may not, after all, hold water. 00:04:31.960 --> 00:04:42.140 After all, if history tells us that human beings almost never live together in peace, can we really still say and believe that people are really down, just basically good? 00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:55.959 And looking at our own history, can we really say that if we just try hard to pursue the greatest good for the greatest number of people that we can eventually get ourselves out of this mess that we are in? 00:04:55.959 --> 00:05:05.419 Maybe with enough education, enough economic prosperity, enough just laws, maybe then we'll find our way to peace. 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:13.299 Of course, all those things, education, prosperity, just laws, those are all good things, right? 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:17.379 All things that we should and ought to pursue, but are they really deep down the solution? 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:30.800 In our passage tonight, Paul thrusts us headlong into this great human predicament that we find ourselves in. 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:41.360 And what we see here in this text is that God himself is working to bring about peace. 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:50.800 In the midst of our fractured humanity, God has a plan to unite us and to reconcile us. 00:05:53.220 --> 00:06:01.300 We see here that in the gospel in Christ, there actually is an answer to this human problem. 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:06.199 So let's look again then at these verses together. 00:06:06.960 --> 00:06:11.040 And you'll notice that these verses are structured a lot like verses 1 through 10 were structured. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:15.840 We spent the last three weeks studying verses 1 through 10 of chapter 2. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.580 And we saw there that those verses had a sort of then-now structure. 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:26.300 Paul says, here's what you once were, but now here's what you are in Christ. 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:32.520 You were once spiritually dead, but now God has made you alive. 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:35.280 That's chapter 2, verses 1 through 10. 00:06:36.080 --> 00:06:40.680 But here in our passage tonight, there's another then-now that's happened as a result of Christ. 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:42.120 Paul sums it up in verse 13. 00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:49.160 Look there, he says, you once were far off, but now you've been brought near. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.699 And at the heart of our passage is how God accomplishes that in Christ. 00:06:56.699 --> 00:07:02.639 So let's look first then at this former condition. 00:07:02.819 --> 00:07:05.159 What we Christians once were apart from Christ. 00:07:05.659 --> 00:07:09.099 And then second, we're going to look at what Christ has done in light of that. 00:07:09.159 --> 00:07:11.360 And then third, we're going to look at the result, the now. 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:14.539 So first, let's look at our former condition. 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:16.319 What we once were. 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:17.399 Look again at 11 and 12. 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:24.519 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. 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:36.419 Paul says, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the governance of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:42.759 Now, Paul here in this letter is writing to a predominantly Gentile, non-Jewish audience. 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:56.180 And he's reminding them here in these verses that before hearing about Christ and before putting their trust in him, after hearing the proclamation of the good news of the gospel, he says, before all that happened, you were spiritual outsiders. 00:07:57.480 --> 00:07:58.540 You were separated. 00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:00.819 You were alienated, he says. 00:08:01.340 --> 00:08:02.379 You were strangers. 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:02.579 You were strangers. 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:06.480 Well, separated from what, we ask? 00:08:06.719 --> 00:08:07.639 And he's got a list there. 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:08.579 From Christ. 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:11.360 From the commonwealth of Israel. 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:12.339 From the people of God. 00:08:12.719 --> 00:08:14.339 From the covenants of promise. 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:20.980 Paul's reminding us here that there is a history of redemption. 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:29.219 That God's saving plan for all the world took place in history and is unfolding in history. 00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:33.960 And that that history began way back with Abraham's family. 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:41.060 And that God, through his mighty and gracious covenants, call the people into existence. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:43.800 Beginning with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:47.840 And then the whole family, the whole commonwealth of Israel, as Paul puts it here. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:52.600 And it was in accordance with those covenants. 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:59.980 And it would be through that commonwealth of people that God's Christ would come. 00:09:00.680 --> 00:09:01.720 The great king. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:03.100 The great rescuer. 00:09:06.040 --> 00:09:11.519 Paul's reminding us here that before the gospel came to us, we were strangers to all that. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:14.480 Far off, he says. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:20.519 Here was this dream of God's healing, redemptive plan in history. 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:22.980 And we were a mile away. 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:30.560 Or as he puts it at the end of verse 12, without hope and without God in the world. 00:09:33.420 --> 00:09:34.759 It's quite a picture, isn't it? 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:38.080 Hopeless and godless. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:48.460 If you're here and you are a Christian, I wonder if maybe you can remember what your life was like before coming to know Christ. 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:57.920 I don't know about you, but I know it's true for me that before I became a Christian, I was certainly without hope and without God in the world. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.560 And you know, the scary thing was, is I didn't even realize it. 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:08.000 If you're here and you're not a Christian, I wonder how this... 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:08.340 I don't know. 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:38.320 Thank you. 00:10:38.340 --> 00:11:08.320 Thank you. 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:38.320 Thank you. 00:11:38.340 --> 00:12:08.320 Thank you. 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:38.320 Thank you. 00:12:38.340 --> 00:13:08.320 Thank you. 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:38.320 Thank you. 00:13:38.340 --> 00:14:08.320 Thank you. 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:38.320 Thank you. 00:14:38.340 --> 00:15:08.320 Thank you. 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:38.320 Thank you. 00:15:38.340 --> 00:16:08.320 Thank you. 00:16:08.340 --> 00:16:38.320 Thank you. 00:16:38.340 --> 00:17:08.319 Thank you. 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:38.319 Thank you. 00:17:38.339 --> 00:18:08.319 Thank you. 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:38.319 Thank you. 00:18:38.339 --> 00:19:08.319 Thank you. 00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:38.319 Thank you. 00:19:38.339 --> 00:20:08.319 Thank you. 00:20:08.339 --> 00:20:38.319 Thank you. 00:20:38.339 --> 00:21:08.319 Thank you. 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:38.319 Thank you. 00:21:38.339 --> 00:22:08.319 Thank you. 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:38.319 Thank you. 00:22:38.339 --> 00:23:08.319 Thank you. 00:23:08.339 --> 00:23:38.319 Thank you. 00:23:38.339 --> 00:24:08.319 Thank you. 00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:38.319 Thank you. 00:24:38.339 --> 00:25:08.319 Thank you. 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:38.319 Thank you. 00:25:38.339 --> 00:26:08.319 Thank you. 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:38.319 Thank you. 00:26:38.339 --> 00:27:08.319 Thank you. 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:38.319 Thank you. 00:27:38.339 --> 00:28:08.319 Thank you. 00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:38.319 Thank you. 00:28:38.339 --> 00:29:08.319 Thank you. 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:38.319 Thank you. 00:29:38.339 --> 00:30:08.319 Thank you. 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:38.319 Thank you. 00:30:38.339 --> 00:31:08.319 Thank you. 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:38.319 Thank you. 00:31:38.339 --> 00:32:08.339 Thank you. 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:38.319 Thank you. 00:32:38.339 --> 00:33:08.319 Thank you. 00:33:08.339 --> 00:33:38.339 Thank you. 00:33:38.339 --> 00:34:08.319 Thank you. 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:38.340 Thank you. 00:34:38.340 --> 00:35:08.320 Thank you. 00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:09.300 Thank you.