February 19, 2023
Morning Service

We continue this morning with our “spiritual inventory” through the letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians.  He has reminded us that we are chosen by God, our salvation is paid for in full by Jesus, we have been given a knowledge of the future which grants us hope, and God has blessed us by indwelling us through the Holy Spirit.  Last week Paul painted a picture for us of ourselves.  We were all “dead, doomed forever because of our sins.”  BUT GOD had another plan for you and it came through His grace.  “For by grace you are saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God.”  God has gifted to us salvation and there is nothing we can do to earn it for ourselves.  This gift however, begins a journey for us and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives begins to change us from the inside out.  Not to “earn” our salvation but “because” of our salvation.  We are being molded into God’s “masterpiece,” crafted to be more like Jesus and a little less like me.  That is where this “spiritual inventory” is so important for us.  We are refocusing on what God has done for us in hope that it will motivate us to walk a little closer to Him and put a purpose into our journey. Today, Paul brings up a very relevant point for our society today and that is reconciliation of our divided world.

            A background note here that is important is the division that was in place during this time period between the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews).  God had commanded the Jews, God’s chosen people, in the OT Law to keep themselves separate from all other nations.  They were commanded not to associate with or intermarry with them thus hindering the Gentiles path to know and serve God.  This was God’s plan for that time, but from the very beginning the plan always was to reach the point where “whosoever believes shall be saved.”  With that background the early church struggled to find a balance where both the Jews and Gentiles could worship together.  With Jesus fulfilling the law, salvation is open to everyone and we stand on level ground before the cross.  God does not see the color of your skin or consider your economic or social status; He offers His grace to everyone.  Paul today will focus mainly on the reconciliation of the Jews and Gentiles, but I believe we need this spirit of reconciliation to spread into our culture today and heal what is separating not only the world around us but also the church.  Verse 11 begins with “therefore” so we need to look back to what was just said.

Eph. 2:8-10For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.  (10)  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

            Keeping the fact that we are saved by grace, not of works and we are being molded by the hands of God to walk the path He has chosen for us:

 

Eph. 2:11-12 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— (12) that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

            As he reminded us last week we all stood hopeless and helpless to enter into God’s kingdom or to know Him on any level.  Our relationship with God was one of being a stranger, not His child.  Again we see that word of change “But now;”

 

 Eph. 2:13-16 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 both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, (15) having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (16) and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

            With Jesus came a change to our status; we which “once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Notice again we are not brought near because of our works, but only through Jesus.  Through Him, our peace, “the middle wall of separation has been broke down.”  Jews and Gentiles are no longer separated because of their lineage, but He has “reconciled them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”  Jesus has unified us as one family of believers in the New Covenant Church that was paid for by His blood.  He has taken the two and merged them into one flesh.  Does that sound familiar?  It is a scripture used at weddings to describe the change that occurs from two individuals becoming one entity.

 

Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

            The marriage of a man and a woman, the two becoming one, is a shadow of a deep spiritual truth of Jesus and the church being joined.  I believe we can also apply it to the story of two nations, the Jews and Gentiles, being reconciled to become one; the blood bought church of the Living God, Jesus’ body, and His Bride.  This unity still needs to be evident today, but we are struggling there a little bit.  We have a different denomination on each corner of our towns and each claim in their own way to be preaching “the only way to God.”  This is one of the reasons Jerry began our fellowship.  He actually dug deep into the scriptures and asked God to show him what the church should look like.  He basically did a “spiritual inventory” of the church and began to build this fellowship on that foundation; calling Bible things by Bible names following the scriptures rather than the traditions of man.  The church was to unified by the scriptures not divided.  The word denomination defined means to divide or separate, not what God had planned.  Our fellowship here is not affiliated with a specific denomination nor are we considered “nondenominational.”  We built to be “interdenominational” welcoming everyone who believes to worship with us.  These means we exclude no one who declares Jesus to be Lord and the Bible to be Absolute Truth from worshiping with us.  We may not agree on some specific doctrines, but we are unified by our faith and trust in Jesus.  We are but one fellowship in the worldwide body of Christ (His church).  Listen as Paul drives the nail in that for us as we finish this chapter.

 

 Eph. 2:17-22 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.  (18)  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  (19)  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (20) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, (21) in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, (22) in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

            We have been given access to the Father by “one Spirit;” which is the same Spirit in all of us.  That Spirit does not separate us from each other, but should bind us together as He teaches us the same things.  We are no longer on the outside looking in as the Gentiles once were, but we are now “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”  We are family with other believers sealed, taught, and led by the same Spirit given to us from God.  That Spirit will guide us to unity not division.  The church is to be built firmly upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the chief cornerstone;” not the changing truth of our society and culture.  Jesus and His gospel message are unchanging; “the same yesterday, today and forever!”  (Heb. 13:8) The church is built firmly upon the Rock, not the sinking sand, and even “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it!” (Matt. 16:18) We are each part of that church being “living stones being built into a spiritual house” as Peter calls us. (I Pet. 2:5) Together we are being “fitted together growing into the holy temple in the Lord.”  We will preach the same Truth as when we began in 1978 until Jesus returns to take us home.  That Truth will not vary over time, but will remain the same unifying, edifying, and encouraging us to continue our journey of faith together.

            I have never seen a society more divided in my lifetime than what we are right now.  Our enemy is at work and is using formats that sound good on the outside to divide us rather than to unify us.  Equality, equity, and social justice all sound like good causes, but as you dive in deeper they are based on nothing but an evil agenda that causes division and strife.  How can we know who to believe in all the information that is thrown at us?  By remembering our “spiritual inventory” and knowing the Holy Spirit is given to us to lead and guide us to truth and away from deception.  We have God’s unchanging Word to read, study and use as a filter to run all the “new ideas” that we are exposed to through.  If these “new ideas” do not line up with what your Bible teaches, then throw them out like you do the trash.  We are not called to be “tolerant” and “inclusive” with anything that is of sin or that goes against the foundation we are built upon.  That is the one area where we as Jesus followers do divide ourselves or separate ourselves from others.  We can have no part with evil or the agendas that promote sin.  We are called to be more like Jesus, walking in righteousness and loving those around us.  True reconciliation will come through Jesus, not the agendas and programs of man.  How can we change this world around us promoting reconciliation not division?  Learn to listen and obey the Holy Spirit in your life.  He will guide you to be light to this dark world and salt to a quickly decaying society.  Jesus is the answer.

 

Heavenly Father we pray for the church as a whole that we would reexamine ourselves and be sure our foundation build upon the apostles and prophets is strong.  Empower us through the Holy Spirit to be the voice of reconciliation in this divided world.