That was Ephesians 2 verse 11.
In Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility,
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,
and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have 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 members of the household of God,
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
in whom the whole structure, being joined together,
grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly.
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations,
as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs,
members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace,
which was given me by the working of his power.
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints,
this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ
and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God,
who created all things,
so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known
to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Why don't we pray as we come to God's word?
Father, my simple prayer is that you would give us a vision of your church that you have.
And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, I don't think this is a profound statement,
but we all crave connection, don't we?
Studies have shown that a newborn child,
deprived of all physical touch,
have serious issues growing up,
all physical touch.
Solitary confinement in prison is one of the worst punishments
you can inflict on a human being.
And even that relational connection
is one of the best ways to overcome addictions of various kinds.
We all crave connection, community.
But don't we try and do it on my terms?
A child wants to be part of the family,
but despises sharing the household chores
or their parents saying no.
We want the hospitals and the roads
and the protection of police and the justice system,
but we hate paying taxes.
We want to be part of the sports team,
but only when it's convenient for me.
I even heard of a local amateur sports team
where the coach paid the players to come to training.
And as the season went on,
they still didn't come.
We want to be married.
We want that deep intimacy and common purpose,
but do we really want to submit all our choices to our spouse?
And we just settle for transactional relating.
I'll do this if you do that.
You might want to fully belong to this church family,
but if you only give yourself to others
and what's going on here when it's convenient and safe
and requiring little sacrifice,
just don't be surprised if you don't feel very connected.
But then we know from other cultures and from history
that the antidote to that isn't to elevate the group,
the family, the nation, the church,
as supreme to the point where the individual is lost altogether.
It gives all the power to those in charge
where the individual life can become very, very cheap.
And it can create division between groups,
between families, between tribes and nations
that the bloodshed in history shows us
that that doesn't work either.
So I think we're kind of stuck.
We crave connection as human beings
and we try and have it on our own terms,
but it doesn't work.
It keeps us at arm's length self-protection
and unity that lasts is almost impossible to maintain.
We saw in Genesis, before the fall,
before sin entered the world,
how central in God's purposes that God wants a people.
We hear it in the command to fill the earth with his people.
We hear the Lord's surprising declaration to Adam,
who is in paradise, relating to the Lord,
it's not good to be alone.
He needs someone of the same flesh,
the same nature to relate to.
We have here not only the commencement of marriage,
but the start of the human race under Adam and Eve.
What should have spread was Adam's family
ever increasing and worshipping the Lord
without any shame, only blessing.
So as we come to the end of our sermon series,
we've covered a lot of ground, haven't we?
We've gone on so many topics.
But it would be incomplete and it would be tragically distorted
if we viewed everything we've covered so far,
if we viewed it individualistically.
So if we think of the Christian hope of heaven
as simply me being resurrected so that I can see the Lord face to face,
now that's true and it's wonderful,
but it's incomplete.
If we understand that the Lord is personal
and he speaks through his word to me,
I can know him through his word.
That's true, but it's not complete.
The sovereign creator is still sovereign
and he's working all things for my good
to conform me to the likeness of his son.
That's true, but he's got a bigger goal than that.
That I can know the triune creator,
God as father, because I belong to the son
filled with his spirit.
Again, individualistically, that's true,
but it's more than that.
That I'm made for worship, to love, trust and obey God,
build my life on God, not some created thing.
That sin is trying to be in control
when really God is the one who should be in control.
That I'm made in the likeness of God,
to be like God, to reflect the glory of God
as I go about in the world.
All these things, individualistically, is true,
but it's incomplete.
It's not God's picture.
Of what he intended creation to be,
not the full picture.
Because we see in Genesis that God's goal is rest
and at the heart of rest is God dwelling with
his worshipping people.
One way to understand the story of scripture
is to look at it through the theme of
two competing, two alternatives to community.
One is a man-made community with man at the centre
and the other is a God-made community
with God at the centre.
So we see this at the end of scripture in Revelation
where you've got the city of Babylon,
man-made, living life for self,
but it comes to an end.
What city lasts?
God's city.
But we see this theme starting off in Genesis.
We come to it in Genesis 11
where we've got the Tower of Babel.
And here at the Tower of Babel,
you've got people sinfully trying to go,
let us make a name for ourselves.
Now what are they trying to do?
They're trying to build a kingdom without the king.
Let us make a name not for God but for ourselves.
Let's build a society where we've got security,
where we've got our own purpose,
where we're going to get all the acclaim ourselves,
where we're going to guarantee our future.
It's trying to build a kingdom just without the king.
So that's one option.
And we've been trying ever since.
Building community without God at the centre.
But then in Genesis 12,
God steps in, calls Abraham out,
and he starts his program
to build a people for himself.
So the rest of the Old Testament
zooms in on Abraham's descendants,
the nation of Israel.
But in the end,
even this privileged nation
who had God speaking to them,
all the privileges in the world,
even they,
instead of being a light to the nations
to draw them in,
they end up becoming like the nations.
So we can see there's two communities,
two alternatives.
One is man-made,
God-made.
One is man-centred.
One is God-centred.
So if the nation of Israel didn't work,
does that mean that God's desire for a people
failed?
Did it fail?
And here we come to Ephesians.
I think Ephesians says it most explicitly and clearly,
which is why we're going to look at it today.
Here we have in Ephesians 3,
so open your Bibles to Ephesians 3,
we'll be spending our time here,
2 and 3.
In Ephesians 3,
we're told that God has had
a greater plan
than just national Israel,
that he is moving all history
towards this goal.
Paul says that God,
the creator of all things,
had an eternal purpose in mind,
an everlasting goal in mind,
but that God had kept it a mystery.
Now, that word mystery
doesn't mean it's totally unknowable.
It doesn't mean it's like a murder mystery,
where if you just picked the right pieces,
you could have worked it out yourself.
It's more like MasterChef,
where you've got the mystery box.
You don't know what's under that mystery box
until the lid is lifted.
It's real.
It's just hidden.
So God
had a plan
from the start,
and he gave himself testimony
throughout the Old Testament,
so it's not like this came out of nowhere,
but he has lifted the lid,
Paul is saying.
He has revealed it
to the apostles and prophets.
What could be so important
to the creator,
the climactic purpose of history,
this mystery
that he's now revealed,
this mystery is so profound
that when angels
and heavenly realities
look at it,
they are in amazement.
Now,
either I'm not saying this properly,
which is possible,
or you're asleep,
or you're addicted
to your smartphone,
something chronic,
or you are so confident
in your own purpose to life
that you don't care
what the creator's is.
I mean,
like the creator of the world
has a mystery
and he's revealed it.
What is it?
Verse 6,
this mystery
is that the nations,
the Gentiles,
that's you if you're not a Jew,
that's me,
our fellow heirs,
members of the same body,
partakers of the promise
in Christ Jesus
through the gospel.
Verse 9 tells us
the purpose in all this,
to bring to light
for everyone
what is the plan
of the mystery
hidden for ages
in God
who created all things
so that through the church,
the church,
the manifold wisdom
of God
might now be made known
to the rulers
and authorities
in the heavenly places.
God lifts the lid
of his eternal plan
to the apostles,
they preach it
through the gospel message
throughout the world
and the society
that this gospel creates,
heavenly realities
are looking at the society
and going,
wow,
God is incredible.
The world might see
the church as outdated
and irrelevant,
a weird bunch of people,
sorry,
who need a crutch
to get through life,
maybe even bigoted,
intolerant,
dangerous.
The world might see
the church that way.
You might see it
as useful at times.
Surround your kids
with other moral kids,
the occasional uplifting sermon,
a bit of relationship.
Maybe a necessary duty.
God sees it
as the climax
of his created purposes.
He sees his unified church
as central
to his eternal purpose
because it's through
the unified church
that the Lord is glorified.
How is the Lord glorified
in the church?
sin has alienated us
from God.
We hear that regularly
but it's also alienated us
from one another.
Sin has created hostility
between us and God
but it's also created hostility
between one another.
And in the church,
Christ has achieved
a double reconciliation.
Here in the second half
of Ephesians 2,
the focus is on
the divide between Jew
and Gentile
which I'm taking this
as a greater
to lesser point.
This is the greatest divide
there is between societies,
the chosen people of God
and everyone else.
if this war can be broken down,
any war can be broken down.
I think we need to remember
and I don't think this,
Ephesians 2,
God says that we need to remember,
verse 11,
at one time
what our condition was.
We need to remember
what our condition was
so that we can marvel
at his grace.
We live in a time
when personal choice
is just
all that matters basically.
Like, yeah,
of course I can belong
to the church
if I want to.
Yes, you can walk
in these doors
and attend
but
you
had no right
and me,
you had no right
to belong
to God's spiritual
heavenly church
based on your choice.
Before we came
to Christ in faith,
our spiritual condition
was utterly hopeless,
we're told.
We were separated
from Christ,
we were alienated
from Israel,
we were tourists,
we had no rights,
got all God's promises
to Israel,
not for you.
No promises to you.
We were hopeless,
and we were without God,
we had no true knowledge
of God
and if we don't have God,
what do we really have?
Nothing in the end.
I think our far away condition
is pictured in the temple,
the physical temple
that existed
when Paul was writing this
in Jerusalem.
So,
you want to be close to God,
his name dwelling
in the temple?
Well,
you've got,
first of all,
you've got the inner
court for the priests
who were serving
and then you've got
another area after that
for the men of Israel
and then another area
for the women of Israel
and then you went down
a bunch of steps
and behind a thick wall
and then everyone else,
if you're not a Jew,
you can go there.
And there was a sign
which basically said,
you cross this wall,
your death is on your hands.
I think that just gives us
a taste of spiritually
how far we were
from God
before we knew Christ.
That's not saying
that Jews didn't need
the gospel.
The gospel was preached
to them who were near.
They had every privilege.
They still needed
their sins forgiven.
But we were
a long,
long way off.
Verse 13,
but now,
God has acted
to change all that.
But now,
in Christ Jesus,
you who once
were far off
have been brought near
by the blood
of Christ.
Christ,
in his flesh,
has broken down
every dividing wall
of hostility
between people.
Verse 18
is the climax.
For through him,
through Christ,
we both,
Jew and Gentile,
every person
with faith,
through him,
we both have access
in one spirit
to the Father.
That's the kind
of God he is.
He wants us
to have full access
and he's now
created that
in Jesus.
He's broken
down the law
that keeping
the law
produces
self-righteousness
and condemns
anyone who's
not keeping
the law.
Jew and Gentile
all come in
on the basis
of faith,
all come in
on the basis
of grace.
It is by his
death we are
all forgiven.
It is by being
united to him
that we all
live.
God was
rightfully
wrathful
toward our
rebellion
and we hated
his claim
to rule over
our lives.
But Jesus
kills,
I love the
wording,
he kills
the hostility.
He murdered
the hostility
by himself
being murdered.
that sin
that produced
the wrath
at us
is gone.
And now
when we look
at God
we don't
see a
condemning
judge
that we
actually
hate
and we
don't want
him to
control
our lives.
We go,
wow,
if you
are this
loving,
go ahead,
control my
life.
He kills
the hostility
between man
and God
and God.
But he
also breaks
down the
wall of
hostility
between people
and people,
Jew and
Gentile.
God
because it's
by grace
alone that
we belong
to God,
that we
are near
to God.
There is
no separation
between people.
I thought
of the
story of
Jim Elliott,
a missionary,
and four
others who
were killed
when they
tried to
take the
gospel to
Ecuador,
to a
tribe in
Ecuador.
You might
have heard
this story
before.
One of the
guys who
was killed
along with
Jim Elliott
was Nate
Saint.
So when
they arrived,
the tribe
speared these
men to
death.
They didn't
have a chance
to speak
the gospel.
Now,
why,
like,
I saw
pictures of
them as I
was preparing
this and
they're in
their 30s,
young and
married,
got young
children.
Why they
took this
risk in the
first place
is pretty
astonishing.
But even
more incredible
than their
sacrifice for
the gospel
is that
eventually the
tribe did
welcome the
wives,
the bereaved
wives in,
and the
gospel went
to this
tribe.
And Steve
Saint, who
was only five
years old,
he grew up
in this
tribe,
and he
befriended
the men
who murdered
his dad,
and he
was,
sorry,
he was
baptized by
them,
and embraced
as a son in
the tribe.
Like, what is
that?
What is that?
That you can
genuinely love
the people who
murdered your
dad?
Like, what
is that?
That's the
church.
That's what
Christ has
done.
This wasn't
faking.
This is
real peace.
Christ
didn't die
to merely
create an
institution
or social
movement.
A key
phrase is in
verse 16.
So that
he might,
the second
half of
16,
that he
might create
in himself
one new
man in
place of
the two,
so making
peace.
Now,
notice that
isn't plural.
Yes,
when we come
to Christ,
we are made
new, we
are born
again, but
this is
singular.
This is
talking about
the church,
picturing the
church as a
whole, the
spiritual
church.
Christ has
one new
man.
What it's
saying is
Christ has
created a
new humanity.
It's not
just an
institution,
it's not
just a
movement,
it's a
new human
race.
One
flesh,
his flesh,
his body.
So just
reflect, do
you see the
church that
way?
Do you
see the
church as
just a
local community
that help
one another
out?
Or do you
see the
church as a
new human
race?
Now, I'm
mindful that
that phrasing
sounds pretty
arrogant.
It almost
sounds like
superior race
kind of
language, but
this race is
created and
motivated by
grace.
It's knowing
how much we
don't deserve
it.
And it's
animated by
his spirit,
the same
spirit who
chose to be
killed to
make peace.
I don't
think it
creates
superiority.
I think it
creates,
well, I
feel like
Jim Elliot
and Nate
saying,
a new
humanity.
And then
we're given
three pictures
of what this
unity looks
like.
The first
one is we
are fellow
citizens of
the kingdom.
There's no
need to have
an imposter
syndrome in the
church if
you're riddled
with sin and
shame.
If you're
filled with
sin and
shame, you
may not
feel like
you belong
here right
now.
We can even
feel like
that when
we're
underdressed
and things
like that.
We don't
need to feel
that way.
You are
full citizens
of the
kingdom by
faith in
Christ.
You're not
an outsider.
You're not
even a
permanent
resident.
You're a
full citizen.
The second
picture adds
a more intimate
note.
We are
members of
his
household.
We have
one father.
We're in
the true
royal family.
I don't
think this is
sentimental
language like
our workplaces
want to talk
about our
work family.
They just want
you to do
your job
properly.
That's just
sentimental
language I
think.
This blood
that runs
through this
family is
more precious
than any
human blood.
You better
get used to
the people
sitting around
you.
You're going
to be with
them for a
very, very
long time.
But I
also want to
be real about
it.
We have
serious
differences
in this
room.
I heard
someone
describe it
as we
don't look
at each
other and
go,
wow, I
just feel
so much
affection for
you.
We look
at each
other and
go,
I'm
surprised
you're in
the family
of God.
Now, there's
something wrong
about that
joke too,
but there
are serious
differences.
Let's not
downplay those,
but I
think the
beauty of
Christ is
seen when
despite all
those differences
we can
unite in
worship in
the same
Christ.
When we
genuinely
display brotherly
love,
despite those
differences,
that's when
the wisdom
of the
cross is
displayed in
all its
fullness.
So we
are full
citizens of
the kingdom.
There is a
brotherhood
united in
sacrificial love
for one
another.
And the
third picture
is that of
the temple.
God has
this grand
building project.
He's building
his home to
live in.
This living
temple isn't
about your
body being
the picture of
health.
It's about
relationships in
the church
are meant to
be the
picture of
health.
And Christ
underpins this
structure.
He is the
cornerstone.
We are built
on him.
What governs
our church is
his word through
the apostles and
prophets.
It's not what
you think.
It's not what
I think.
But we sit
under the
authority of
his word.
That's how we
are built up.
And it's a
permanent
building.
The world
is busy
creating
organizations.
The average
organization I
heard the
other day
lasts for
30 to 40
years, the
average
business.
Everything the
world is trying
to build will
collapse.
But this
building project
is permanent
because Christ
has risen.
It's in
him.
It's built
on him.
His temple
is forever.
So all
these pictures
of the new
humanity that
Christ has
created, full
citizens, members
of one family, a
living temple for
God to dwell in.
I think it
tells us something
about the nature
of God, what
he's like.
God is a
uniting God.
He's an
in-gathering
God.
He's a
peace-loving
God.
So I'm
hesitant to
say the
next line.
It's almost
blasphemous, but
I don't think it
is.
God doesn't
want to think
of himself
apart from
his people
is the
import I'm
getting from
this.
He wants
to dwell in
his people.
Christ wants
to be the
head of his
body, the
church.
He wants
to be united
more than a
husband and
wife is
united.
God is a
uniting God
between God
and man,
between man
and man,
and heaven
and earth.
That's his
goal.
United in
the love of
Christ, God
is glorified in
his united
church.
So if
God's plan
since creation
has now
been revealed
to be the
unity of
his church,
and if
Christ gave
his blood
to create a
new and
eternal
people for
God, how
can we
approach
church from
our own
self-interest?
It's not
what we're
called to,
it's not who
we are, and
it's not what
we're called
to.
The glory
of God is
seen in
individuals being
saved, but
that's not the
end of the
story.
We have a
high calling
to be the
church, the
resurrected new
community.
We're meant to
be showing the
world a
different way.
We are
called to
display to
the heavens,
whoever they
are watching,
the glory of
God.
what an
incredible
purpose.
Imagine the
difference it
would make
if we didn't
approach church
according to
what I got
out of it,
but if we
saw the
church as
what we
are.
We are
his body,
we are
his kingdom,
we are
his new
humanity,
we are
one family.
Imagine if
we thought of
ourselves that
way.
go away
however the
spirit is
convicting.
Let's think
about that.
None of us
view the
church fully
as we
ought to,
as God
does.
We've all
got to
grow in
this area.
As our
society tries
to define
itself more
and more
by what an
individual does,
we can show
a better
way.
We can
be so
secure in
ourselves
because we
know who
we are.
I don't
have to
prove who
I am,
I don't
have to
find who
I am,
I know
who I
am,
I am
his
church,
I belong
to him.
As our
society
increasingly
mistrusts
authority,
anyone in
authority because
it threatens
personal
choice,
we need
to focus
on being
the church
to show
a better
way.
If we
see the
unity of
the church
that those
who are
given
authority are
to use
it like
serving another
member in
the body,
just wanting
the one
body to
thrive,
and those
who are
under
authority,
I will
give myself
to those
above me
because in
the end I'm
doing it for
my head,
I'm doing it
for Christ's
sake.
Imagine if we
showed a
different way
of doing
authority.
Or as
our society
increasingly
takes
offence at
disagreement
and cancels
and divorces,
we need to
focus on
being the
church,
knowing we
are all
saved by
grace.
Imagine
the community
of people
who said,
I deeply
disagree with
you on
that,
but I'm
going to
keep dying
for you
because you're
my brother,
you're my
sister.
I really
disagree,
but
by my
actions and
words,
I still
love you.
Imagine if
we sat
under the
authority of
God's word
and patiently
tried to
persuade each
other on
issues.
I think
this view
of church
will
increase
our grief
because we
all know
the church
and myself
and myself,
we all
don't live
up to
this vision.
It increases
our grief
that we
have robbed
God of
his glory
when we
stuff this
up.
But I
don't think
we should
be disillusioned
because the
creator
whose goal
is his
unified
church to
his glory
has promised
that the
bride will
be adorned.
We will
have the
glory of
God
so we
can keep
growing,
we can
keep
pursuing
peace and
unity.
if you
see the
glory of
God
depending
on our
genuine
unity
in the
love of
Christ in
the church,
then hear
the call
in Ephesians
4.
I urge
you to
walk in
a manner
worthy of
the calling
to which
you have
been called
with all
humility and
gentleness,
with patience,
bearing with
one another in
love,
eager to
maintain the
unity of the
spirit in
the bond
of peace.
God
is at
stake.
We have
this high
calling to
show the
heavens and
the world a
different way,
that the
new creation
has begun
here in
the church
universal.
I urge
you to
walk in a
manner worthy
of the
calling to
which you
have been
called.
show the
world a
better way.
Let's
pray.
Father, I
pray that
out of
an
understanding
of what
Christ has
achieved,
that knowing
that we
have unity,
not that we
have to
create it,
but that we
have to
maintain it,
I pray
that you
would be
convicting
each one
of us
where we
need to
be.
I pray
that where
there's
hostility in
relationships in
this room,
that you
would give us
the resources
and the
help and
the perspective
to seek
real peace.
Lord, I
pray that
when
disagreements
arise,
that we
will submit
to your
authority and
seek your
glory and
not our
own sense
of justice.
Lord, I
pray that
we would
not just
love with
words, but
we would
love in
actions and
in truth,
in the way
that we
carry each
other's
burdens and
bear each
other's
sorrows and
urge one
another on
to live
for you.
So, Lord,
I pray that
you would
however we
need to
change, I
pray that
you would
make us
more of
this unified
church to
the glory
of your
name.
Amen.