This morning, I want to talk from Ephesians chapter 2 and I
want to specifically look at the reasons in Jesus that we have
reason to be thankful to praise God and to be grateful for our
Unity for a quality. And for the opportunity, we have
in Christ Jesus and I think this is an important message because
right now in our country, there's a lot of unrest.
There's people have been treated poorly and that's causing
problems for a lot of people. It's causing a lot of Anger and
frustration. And I think these words
infusions chapter to have a message for us that we need
during this time and we need to keep growing and as we develop
as a body that we are aware of what Jesus said about us and our
unity and already quality. And I want to read from
Ephesians chapter 2, we're going to focus on the second half of
the chapter, but before we get into the second half, I just
want to give it free a brief recap of the first half of the
chapter and Ephesians chapter 2. Paul is started out by telling
the Ephesians about being brought from Death To Life.
He's told them their ones dead in their sins.
He's told him that they were once lost and hopeless and he
says, in verse 4. But God who is rich in Mercy
because of his great love with which he loved us.
Even when we even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive
together with Christ by Grace you've been saved and raised us
up together and made us sit together in the Heavenly places
in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come.
He might show the exceeding Riches of his grace and his
Kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
He's giving us this picture of how we were so low down and far
from God. That he says, it was death.
And I don't know if we can quite fully, understand the spiritual
implications on an eternal level because we just haven't seen it
yet. You know, we can see that the
implications of mistakes we make on a temporal level.
For example, if you get caught drunk driving, you see that
person on the curb their, their head in their hands because they
know that now they are going to face thousands of dollars in
fines. They're going to may be facing
jail time and not to mention any of the consequences that might
have come from maybe an accident.
Those people are going to have higher interest there.
Their insurance premiums are going to go up.
There's a lot of consequences that come from sins that we can
see on a temporal level, but we've never really seen the
Eternal consequences. They come from sin, and that's
what he's trying to give us the gravity of its death.
And he said that you are walking and he said, and what you walked
according to the course of this world, you are walking dead
people today called The Walking Dead zombies.
He says you're like walking around zombies, you were dead in
your trespasses as we get into the second half of the chapter
Paul, is trying to bring home this point by talking about it
through the lens of the Old Testament and he gets into this
talking about the Gentiles and things.
We're going to read a couple verses real quick to give kind
of picture of what he's going to be talking about Ephesians
chapter 2. Beginning in verse 11 says,
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 that at the time you're 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, he's starting out by.
Now looking at this idea of spiritual death, through the
lens of the Old Testament, I think it's important to
understand the Old Testament. A few things about these
Gentiles. What are the Gentiles?
Gentiles are? One of two classifications guys,
set up during the Old Testament times.
You were either a Jew, which means you were in God's people,
or you were a gentile. There's only two groups.
God didn't separate people and erases, and to skin color, and
all these different things. God, and the Old Testament has
only ever made two groups of people.
His people, the Jews, and the people who were not his people,
the Gentiles, and that's important, because of what we're
going to read in a little bit, but Within those Jews and
Gentiles. There's some specific things
that would happen that make this whole concept really come out.
And that's in the area will illustrate in the area of the
temple and the temple courts. Chris, I think did a lesson not
too long ago on the temple and the meaning they're so I think
you all might know more about this maybe than me but The
temple is lined out like this. You had first will say, here is
the most holy place you had the most holy place, where only the
priest, the high priest was allowed to go the most holy
places where the presence of God would dwell among the people in
the camp of Israel. And by the way, the only way to
become an Israelite to become a Jew, a true Jew was to be born
into the family. So if you weren't too bad, this
that makes this even more important.
But God, dwelt in the peace among the people and the most
holy place and only once a year, could the high priest go up and
be in the presence of God? Okay, let's take a step back
from there. Then you have the Holy place.
There is the room that was the most.
Holy now we have the Holy and in the Holy Place only the priests
only the Levites were allowed to go in there.
Once again, a specific line of people if you're in a family and
a tribe, you could go in this place.
And they're the priest. We go.
Let's remember the priest. Don't forget them.
Then a step back from there. You had the court of men or the
court of Israel, which is where the Jewish men only could go
then a step back from there. You have the court of women
which is where only the Jewish women could go.
And then a step back from there. You have the court of Gentiles
and the court of Gentiles is where the Gentiles couldn't go
any further. If you were a woman or a man in
Judaism you could come back here.
But only the Gentiles could not go any further than this place
far. From the most holy place, where
God dwell That's why this gravity of what he says.
Let's go and read it now and verse 11 is so important.
Therefore remember that you once Gentiles In the Flesh who are
called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision Made In the
Flesh by hands. That at that time, ye were
without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel.
Israel, the saved people, God's people and strangers from the
covenants of Promise having no hope.
The person who is, who is a gentile they could Could convert
to Judaism but they were still considered a gentile. and so,
yes, they could want to be among God's people, but they could
only get this close They couldn't get any closer by
trying Harder by becoming a better person by following along
more perfectly. They were stuck and the outer
area. He says you were that way you
were strangers. Can any of you in here?
Prove you're Jewish descent. No, he says you were all
gentiles. And without God in the world
without hope. But now in Christ Jesus you who
were once far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ. Jesus Christ, broke all that up.
And that's what this lesson is, really all about, is about Jesus
and many of his roles. I want to focus on this morning.
The fact that Jesus is the barrier breaker for us, he died
for our sins. He is the one who saved us from
our sins. He is our mediator.
He's a lot of things, but he's also in a very important role,
he has is a barrier breaker and the Old Testament, there were
barriers for you and me, don't forget that the that the high
priest could go on the could only go in there once and then
the priests could gum that much closer.
But if you're born into any other tribe, other than the
Levites you are stuck in the court of men or even a step back
in the court of women. That's kind of rough, right?
You're stuck there. But what we're told, In
Galatians, 3, verse 27, for as many of you as were baptized
into Christ. Have put on Christ, there is
neither Jew, nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free.
There is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ.
Jesus, the beauty of what Jesus did is he tore down, those
barriers? He tore down that separation for
you and me that even if you were a Jew, what if you weren't born
into the one of those tribes that can go close to God, you
were stuck in these places distant from God, So if you're a
woman you how you can only go into the court of women.
But now because of Jesus, regardless of and this in the
scripture and in Galatians, he says, juror Greek.
Regardless of your nationality, your ethnicity, your skin color,
anything you can all come to the presence of God, And we learn
later we'll get in those verses in a second that we are all
priests. So the priest could come into
the holy Place, could come close to God's presence and now we all
as Christians are in that category.
Whether you're a woman, whether you are are in you name, any
nationality, you can come to God.
And here, he listed several things.
It doesn't matter how people classify you slave or free,
doesn't matter. Doesn't mean your matter, your
status, your place in society. And Jesus, that doesn't matter,
doesn't matter. If you're male or female, you
are all one in Christ Jesus. We have different roles.
Yes. But we are all one.
We are all equal here. We all are together.
Worshiping God and God's presence.
What a beautiful thing. What does it mean to be brought
in here? In Acts 10 verse 28, Peter is
gone to the house of Cornelius under the, under the direction
of God. And it says here, then he said
to them, you know, how unlawful this for a Jewish man to keep
company with, or to go to one of another Nation.
So there were barriers that they had an under Jewish law.
But after Jesus this happened, but God has shown me that I
should not call any man common or unclean.
Going on verse 34, then Peter opened his eyes and opened his
mouth and said and truth. I perceive that God shows no
partiality. But in every nation whoever
fears him and works, righteousness is acceptable to
him. Isn't that a beautiful thing
that you are no longer subject to any kind of classification
based on how you're born or where you were set up?
Now, God says there's no partiality.
If you serve him and fear Him and are willing to follow God,
that's what matters. And policy and Peter said, who
am I to call anyone and clean? God has shown me.
No man is unclean. That's why we are all here
together today. Praise God for that, Revelation
5 verse 9 and 10 says, and they sang a new song saying you are
worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were
slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out, of every
tribe and tongue, and people and nation, and it made us Kings and
Priests to our God, and we shall reign on the Earth We're Kings
and Priests Yes, that's why Acts chapter 8, when Simon the
Sorcerer done wrong, he was told Peters told him, pray to God, to
have your sins forgiven. You that's a Monumental
statement. He said, you can pray to God to
have your sins forgiven him. I was reading a statement from
the pope recently and the pope said we'll typically you're not
alone, you have to have go to a priest to confess your sins.
But he says But if no priest is available to you during this
pandemic during these times, you can pray to God yourself.
Really because I read the New Testament saying that we are now
priests and we can talk to God that what Jesus is our meteor
mediator and we can come to his place.
His holy place and speak our concerns to him.
Ourself, what a beautiful thing we don't have to worry of during
a pandemic. We can't get to a certain person
to talk to God for us. The one person we need access to
die for us on the cross, and he's sitting at the right hand
of God and can mediate for us there.
Praise God for that. You don't have to worry about
where you were born into. Now, we all have access to God
first, Peter 2, verse 9 and 10, but you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people.
Do you have anything special to you?
I've got a special baseball glove.
And for most people probably doesn't look like anything to
them, but that glove is special to me.
I had it all four years of high school that leather is nice and
is broken into my hand just right.
Do you have anything special to you?
God says, you are his special people that carries with it, a
tone of of cared and having something invested in you,
Having importance resting with you, his child, he says you're
his own special people for what that you may proclaim the
Praises of him who called you out of Darkness Into His
Marvelous Light. Who are once?
Not a people but are now the people of God who had not
obtained Mercy, but now have obtained Mercy.
Our god is awesome. and so today, I want to continue on
verse 14. Let's read verse 14 for he
himself, is our peace. This is Ephesians 2:14 who has
made both one. Who is those both?
Speaking of the Jew and the Gentile is he's made them both.
One and has broken down the middle Wall of Separation,
having a ball of shit in his flesh.
The enmity that is the law of Commandments contained in
ordinances, the Old Law. So as to create an himself, one
new man from the two, thus making peace and that he might
reconcile them. Both to God and one body through
the cross there by Putting to death the enmity and he came and
preached peace to you who were afar off. the Gentile maybe if
you're a woman, whatever your state was and to those who are
near Even if you were a Jew, even if you were a priest you
needed Jesus for through him we both have access by one Spirit
to the father. Now therefore you are no longer
strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the Saints
and members of the household of God, I mean, it's one thing to
be kind of in the same Community as important people, but he
says, you're in the same household Having been built on
the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.
Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone, and whom the
whole building being fitted together.
Grows into a holy Temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being
built together for a Dwelling Place of God in the spirit.
We are now God's Temple. From wherever we've came from,
for whatever, our background was whatever.
Our family was we are now God's Temple, praise God, for that.
And in light of our social climate, we need that message.
We need to know this and have this in our hearts because it's
not just any specific ethnicity. They can be grateful for this.
We all would have been distant from God.
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