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So I'll read beginning in chapter 
2 at verse 1, and then our focus will be verses 19 to 22. And you He made alive, who were 
dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according 
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the 
power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of 
disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves 
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and 
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the 
others. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great 
love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, 
made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have 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 in his kindness toward 
us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved 
through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of 
God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his 
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God 
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 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 that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the 
commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, 
having no hope, and without God in the world. But now 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 both one, and has broken down the middle wall of 
separation, 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, and that 
he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the 
cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached 
peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 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, having been built on the foundation of the apostles 
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, 
in 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for this wonderful passage of Holy Scripture, 
not only the emphasis upon the salvation of individual sinners, 
but on that corporate solidarity amongst the people of God. And 
certainly we see the necessity of unity. We see the necessity 
to not exclude people. We see as well, Lord God, your 
gracious plan begun in eternity past in terms of a plan by the 
Father and Son and Spirit to save His people from their sins, 
worked out in history to include Jews, Gentiles, every tribe, 
every tongue, every people and every nation. We give you praise 
for including us in this. We know it is solely and alone 
by your grace. So guide us now by the Holy Spirit. 
Forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness. And we pray 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, as I said, the apostle 
now brings to a conclusion all that he has been saying in the 
earlier part of this particular chapter. So the emphasis is on 
what they had been in verses 11 and 12, and essentially they 
had been homeless, churchless, hopeless, and godless, and what 
they have now become as a result of Christ. Remember the emphasis 
in that center section in verses 14 to 18. The reconciliation 
that has occurred, individual sinners to God and that reconciliation 
between Jew and Gentile, occurs because of Christ. He is our 
peace, according to verse 14. He makes peace according to the 
next section, and then he himself preaches peace according to verse 
17. And so the apostle now highlights 
the equal privilege of Gentile believers, not two tiers, not 
second class citizens, not citizens in training or in waiting, not 
sort of junior citizens, but rather they have full entitlement 
and privilege to everything that God has given to his people. So let us first look at the privilege 
of participation as the people of God in verse 19. And he celebrates 
this under two particular ways. First, kingdom or citizenship 
within the kingdom of God, and then secondly, membership in 
the household of God. The Geneva Bible says, he describeth 
the excellency of the church, calling it the city and house 
of God. And he uses those conventions, 
not just here, but elsewhere we see them in scripture, to 
highlight and underscore the great benefit that does belong 
to the people of God. But before he gets into that, 
again, he reminds them in verse 19. He says, now, therefore, 
you are no longer strangers and foreigners. That points back 
to what he said in verses 11 and 12. There is this contrast, 
now, therefore, based on the reconciling work of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, the one who shed his blood, not only to bring 
you to God and have peace with him, but as well to bring you 
into the church and have peace with the Jews, who at one time 
were mockers of the Gentiles, who at one time disdained the 
Gentiles, who at one time looked down upon them, and then the 
Gentiles would respond in kind, no doubt. There was a great tension 
that obtained between these people, but it was no longer the case 
because of what Christ had accomplished. Paul attaches or rather connects 
what they have to Christ. Notice in verse 13, but now in 
Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near 
by the blood of Christ. And then again in verse 16, and 
that he might reconcile them both to God in one body, through 
the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. So the blessings 
that we presently enjoy are not as a result of some peace negotiations 
between Jews and Gentiles, where we each gave a little and we 
each took a little. But the peace that now exists 
between Jews and Gentiles in the Church of Christ is blood-bought. 
This blood-bought reconciliation, not only with God, but with one 
another, such that we can have that union of the saints, that 
communion and fellowship of the saints. Now notice, he goes on 
to highlight inclusion in the kingdom of God. So at one time, 
they were strangers and foreigners, but no longer. This foreigner 
element is no longer in existence, and he highlights that in that 
first section. He says, but fellow citizens 
with the saints. Fellow citizens, again, they're 
on an equal footing. They're not less. They're not 
in training. They don't have to go to school 
to obtain full citizenship. Rather, through the blood of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, they have reconciliation with God, and 
they have reconciliation with one another. They are full participants 
in the kingdom of God. They have been translated. from 
that kingdom of darkness, according to Colossians 1, into that kingdom 
of the Son of His love. And therein we exist in terms 
of full privilege. It is a blessed thing to be a 
citizen of a country, right? To not be disenfranchised, to 
have freedom of speech, to have freedom of assembly, to have 
those things that are secured in that particular body politic. 
It's nice not to be a second-class sort of an individual, but rather 
to be able to participate fully with the body politic. And so 
that's what the emphasis is here by the Apostle Paul. You were 
at one time foreigners. You were aliens from the Commonwealth 
of Israel. You were strangers from the covenants 
of promise. You had no hope. You had no God. The only thing you had going 
for you were your pagan idols, was your heathen duck, was all 
the wickedness that you engaged in. But now you've been brought 
nigh. Now you've been brought to God 
Most High through our Lord Jesus Christ and in union with the 
Jews who these promises originally came to. And so he is celebrating 
this kingdom citizenship that Gentile believers now possess. 
And brethren, that is a blessing that is ours. We are citizens 
of the kingdom of God most high. Turn over to Philippians chapter 
three. The apostle Paul indicates that this is a most glorious, 
a most sublime blessing. Notice in Philippians chapter 
three at verse 20. He says, "...for our citizenship 
is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that 
it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working 
by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." In the 
first Adam, what happened to man? He is cursed essentially 
with hardship when it comes to tilling the ground, when it comes 
to working for his daily bread. But in this last Adam, we have 
transformation, the transformation of our lowly body that it may 
be conformed to his glorious body according to the working 
by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Our citizenship 
is in heaven. Brethren, we are sojourners in 
this present world. We are pilgrims in a weary land. 
We are moving forward, moving through, and ultimately our final 
destination is the civilization of God Most High. We are kingdom 
participants with every right, every privilege, again, not because 
of our blessedness, but because of Christ and what He has secured 
for us. But then notice, it's not only 
inclusion in the kingdom, but it's also membership in the household 
of God. So he says, no longer strangers 
and foreigners. The foreigner applies then, to 
the fellow citizens with the saints. And then this idea of 
stranger is contrasted by members of the household of God. Again, 
not members in training, do six months, do eight months, do 10 
months, really learn about Jewishness. And then perhaps you'll be given 
full membership into the house of God. Well, that's not it at 
all. You are members and entitled to all of the privileges and 
rights that are due to members in that household. Now with reference 
to this language of members of the household of God, Paul uses 
this in 1 Timothy 3 and tells us that the church is the household 
of God. So 1 Timothy 3 at verse 15, but 
if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to 
conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of 
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. You see, 
we have full rights, full blessings, full privileges secured for us 
by our blessed Savior. No one can sort of keep us at 
day. There isn't a priority upon the 
Jews as Jews anymore. The Jews entered the rank and 
file of every other nation after the destruction of their city 
and temple in AD 70. That was the final act of God's 
judgment, consistent with Deuteronomy 28, the curses of the covenant, 
wherein he brought that destruction upon them. We see the end of 
the old covenant, not because it was bad, but because it had 
functioned and served its purpose. And then we have the new covenant. 
And the reality is that in the new covenant, there's no ethnicity 
that is above any other. There is no ethnicity that is 
more special than another. There's no ethnicity that is 
a little bit better than another. No, we are full kingdom citizens 
and we are full members in the very household of God most high. And before we move on, brethren, 
I think passages like these, taken in concert with passages 
like we find in Revelation, where it talks about every tribe, every 
tongue, every people, every nation, really does speak against segregating 
churches in ethnic lines. In other words, we ought to have 
churches that reflect what we have in the church triumphant. We have men from every tribe, 
tongue, people, and nation gathered at the marriage supper of the 
Lamb. Our churches on earth should mirror that. Our churches on 
earth should look like that. Our churches on earth should 
be a great mix, a motley crew, if you will. It should be an 
assembling of all kinds of people. We don't travel on ethnic lines. 
We don't exclude people because they're not Americans. We don't 
exclude people because they're not Canadians. We don't exclude 
people because they're not Britons. We don't exclude anybody because 
one of the redemptive ends of our blessed Savior was not only 
to reconcile us to God, but to reconcile us to one another. 
We ought to be brothers. We ought to be sisters. We ought 
to be fellow citizens and fellow members without giving preference 
to any one particular ethnicity or body of people. It is a blessed 
reality, the kinds of affinity that exists in the church. Have 
you ever been in those situations where you look around and you 
say, you know, all things being equal, we would have never hung 
out together, right? There's probably, in here, however 
many times, you probably would look around and say, you know 
what, if I hadn't got saved, If I didn't know the blood of 
Jesus Christ, his son, if I didn't happen into a church, I wouldn't 
be hanging out with you guys. I'm not trying to sound vicious 
or unkind or mean, probably because you wouldn't have wanted to hang 
out with me. But in Christ, we have reconciliation with our 
God and with one another. And how do we know that this 
isn't a second-class membership? How do we know that this isn't 
a second-class citizenship? How does Paul start the epistle? He starts in eternity past. He starts with the covenant of 
redemption. And in that covenant of redemption, 
we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working in blessed unity, 
inseparable operation, to bring to salvation all of the people 
of God from all times, from all people groups, from everywhere. Notice what he says in Ephesians 
1, 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation 
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before 
Him. Now notice, in love, having predestined us to adoption as 
sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure 
of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which 
he made us accepted in the beloved. He has adopted us. Now, adoption 
in this context and adoption in our context confers complete 
rights upon the adoptee. In other words, the adopted one 
in a household in the Roman Empire and an adopted one in a household 
in our current situation has the same rights and privileges 
as the natural born. And so it's not the case that 
there's two tiers. It's not the case that there's 
sort of junior members or junior citizens. It's not the case that 
there's any exclusion that runs on ethnic lines, any exclusion 
that runs on any other lines. The body of Christ is that. It's 
the body of Christ. There was a man by the name of 
John Jasper. He was a black slave in the South 
at the time of slavery. It was shadow slavery, and this 
man worked in a tobacco factory, and he was picking tobacco leaves, 
and God saved him while he was doing that. He had scripture 
in his mind, and he recalled what he had heard in terms of 
the church being preached to him, and God opened his heart. 
God opened his eyes. God gave him life eternally. 
He passed from death unto life. Guess what John Jasper started 
doing? He started preaching to everybody 
on that floor. He started urging people to flee 
to the Savior, to come to Christ for salvation. Well, of course 
that caused a bit of a ruckus. You're supposed to be, you know, 
picking your leaves and doing that sort of a thing. So the 
word gets to the supervisor and the supervisor calls Jasper up 
to his office and he says, what's happened, Mr. Jasper? And he 
said, the Lord God has saved my soul and all I want to do 
is tell others about Jesus. And so the master, the supervisor, 
reaches out his hand and says, welcome to the family, brother. 
Don't ever stop telling people about Jesus. That man went on 
to be a preacher. Noteworthy was that he was most 
known for his philosophy. He believed in geocentricity. There was a man, in fact, it 
was his biographer who was at a sermon where he was teaching 
geocentricity. That means that the sun moves 
around the earth and not the earth around the sun. With reference 
to this particular sermon, the man that wrote this book said, 
you know, I went in there as a convinced, you know, opponent 
to the doctrine of geocentricity, but man, he convinced me. He 
had this power of oratory and he had this ability to converge 
upon sinners, not just about geocentricity, but upon the gospel. and upon the building of that 
kingdom of God. He had a sermon on Daniel 2. 
Remember that stone, that one small stone that ultimately fells 
that image that is constructed of those various materials? And 
Jasper sees that as the kingdom of God, and rightly so. That 
kingdom starts off small, but that kingdom doesn't abate. That 
kingdom continues to go forward. That kingdom is Christ's kingdom, 
and therefore it will march on into victory. So Jasper was a 
slave included in the family of God Most High. Brethren, if 
it rises up in us to exclude persons because of ethnicity 
or to exclude persons because we are in a different social 
strata, that's not supposed to be in the context of the Church 
of Jesus Christ. Every tongue, every tribe, every 
people, every nation, every economic strata, whether you're poor, 
whether you're rich, whether you're slave, whether you're 
free, all of us find consolidation, or solidarity rather, under the 
banner of our blessed Savior. So Paul says, here's what the 
Gentiles have. They have grace, which brought 
them to salvation, and then they have this covenantal status, 
wherein they are now citizens of the kingdom of God, and they 
are members in the household of God. So that's the privilege 
of participation as the people. But it just keeps getting better. Notice what he says in the following 
section, verses 20 to 22. The privilege of participation 
as the very dwelling of God. And he breaks this down into 
two heads. First, there is this temple built by God, verses 20 
and 21. And then secondly, there is this 
temple indwelt by God. So God not only builds the temple, 
but God dwells in the temple. God not only assembles it, puts 
it together, but then God is perfectly happy, I speak in the 
manner of men, to take up residence among them. The Bible's about 
temple, brethren. The Bible is one of the major 
thematic emphases in the Bible is temple, because temple means 
dwelling. Temple and tabernacle means to 
dwell. What's the purpose of God with 
his creature? It is to dwell with them. When you look at the 
Garden of Eden, it was a temple. God would dwell with Adam and 
Eve. You look at Noah's Ark, it was 
a temple. You look at the tabernacle, it 
was a temple. You look at the temple, it was 
a temple. You look at the new Jerusalem coming down out of 
heaven, you know how it's described? It's described, get this, as 
a temple. Why? Because redemptive history 
is found in that pinnacle statement in the covenants. that I will 
be your God and you will be my people. So what Adam lost and 
forfeit by his sin and plunging his posterity into the morass 
of death and damnation, we have the last Adam, our Lord Jesus 
Christ rescue us and bring us to this place where God dwells 
with his people. Notice, with reference to the 
temple built by God, there are three things to observe. First, 
the foundation of the temple. Secondly, the cornerstone of 
the temple. And then thirdly, the materials 
for the temple. In other words, God has taken 
pains to make sure that this is a solid structure and it's 
functional. so that when he rents the heaven, 
as it were, and comes down to dwell in the midst, it is a suitable 
dwelling place for our blessed God. Notice the foundation of 
the temple. It says, having been built on 
the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Now, word order 
in this particular instance is somewhat helpful. Look over at 
chapter three. Ephesians chapter 3 at verse 
5 you see the same sort of word order which in other ages was 
not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed 
by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets so same order we 
have apostles and prophets in 220 and and we have apostles 
and prophets in 3.5, and then we have apostles preceding prophets 
in 4.11. And he himself gave some to be 
apostles, some prophets. So the apostle-prophet foundation 
that we find in Ephesians 2.20 is most likely the New Testament 
prophets. Not that the Old Testament prophets 
aren't necessary. Not that they didn't play their 
part. Not that they didn't announce the coming glory of our blessed 
Savior. But there were a class of prophets 
in the New Testament. Remember Agabus. He was a New 
Testament prophet that you find in the book of Acts. And there 
are other references to prophets in the book of Acts. You see 
that gift of prophesying given in terms of Romans 12, and you 
see it in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. So this foundation is the 
apostles and the prophets in the New Testament. And there 
are other passages that underscore this reality. Not that they are 
it and they are everything. Jesus Christ himself being the 
chief cornerstone, but the prophets or the apostles and the prophets 
were foundational in the beginning of the church, in the laying 
that foundation for the church. Turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 
3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, specifically 
at verse 10. Well, verse nine, for we are 
God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building. 
According to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wise 
master builder, I have laid the foundation and another builds 
on it. But let each one take heed how 
he builds on it. And then turn to Revelation 21, 
Revelation 21. I mentioned that that New Jerusalem 
coming down out of heaven is described in temple-like terms. 
In fact, specifically, if you look at the description of the 
dimensions, there's only one other place that is a perfect 
cube. This is a perfect cube that's 
described, this New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven. 
Guess what the other perfect cube is that you have in Scripture? It is the holy Jerusalem and 
the most holy place are the only perfect cubes mentioned in the 
Bible. And this goes back to 1 Kings 
chapter 6. But notice specifically in 2114, 
now the wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them were 
the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. So going back to 
Ephesians 2, and the apostle is going to open up his role 
in terms of the communicator of this mystery of Christ in 
chapter 3. But Paul and the other apostles, 
along with these New Testament prophets, were the men that laid 
the foundation of the church. And again, it wasn't their good 
deeds. It wasn't that they were sterling characters. It was what 
they preached. It was what they taught. It was 
what they said concerning our blessed Savior. Go back to Matthew 
chapter 16, you see something parallel to this. Matthew chapter 
16, Jesus' statement to Simon Peter. In Matthew chapter 16, 
at verse 13, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, 
He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son 
of Man, am? So they said, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, 
others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But he said to them, 
or he said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter 
answered and said, you are the Christ, the son of the living 
God. What a great statement, isn't 
it? And that is really strong connection 
to the Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7. So in 2 Samuel 7, God promises 
David that one of his sons is going to build a house for him. 
Interesting. Peter says, thou art the Christ, 
the son of the living God. And then a couple of verses later, 
Jesus talks about building the house. So the Davidic son, Jesus, 
comes to build a house for God. And foundational to that is the 
apostolic preaching of the gospel. Notice in verse 17, Jesus answered 
and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is 
in heaven. It's sovereign grace. You don't just stumble onto who 
Jesus is. You don't just say, wow, thou 
art the Christ, the son of the living God. Flesh and blood didn't 
reveal this to you, Peter. It was my father in heaven. And 
then he says, and I also say to you that you are Peter. And 
on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades 
shall not prevail against it. Now, as you might expect in the 
history of interpretation, that verse has garnered no small discussion. The Roman Catholics believe that 
Peter is the rock. Peter being the first pope, the 
first papa, is the one, the rock, the foundation upon which the 
church is founded. Well, that won't hold for any 
red-blooded Protestant. So J.C. Ryle makes the observation 
that the rock is Peter's confession of faith. Ryle says the true 
meaning of the rock in this passage appears to be the rock of our 
Lord's messiahship and divinity, which Peter had just confessed. 
So not Peter, it's rather what he confessed. Thou art the Christ, 
the Son of the living God. I think Joan Owen takes it one 
step further and even better. He says the rock is the Christ 
who Peter confessed. So it wasn't necessarily the 
confession that Peter made concerning the Lord Jesus, but rather the 
rock is the Christ who Peter confessed. Owen says it is not 
the person of Peter who confessed Christ, but the person of Christ 
whom Peter confessed. That is the rock on which the 
church is built. So when it comes to the prophets, 
or rather the apostles and the prophets, being foundational, 
again, Paul was, you know, a wonderful human. Peter, great guy. As far 
as we know, they were splendid humans. But it's not so much 
them as Paul and Peter. That's not what's foundational 
about those men. It's that the Spirit of God came 
upon them, Christ set them apart to the office of apostle, and 
they went forth preaching and teaching and making known the 
mysteries of God. It is that that is foundational 
in terms of the church. What does that say to an anti-doctrinal, 
anti-intellectual age that wants to just wave its hands and sing, 
you know, dumb songs to Jesus? Brethren, doctrine matters. What the apostles and the prophets 
taught are foundational. What binds us together? I mentioned 
a few minutes ago, had it not been sovereign grace that conquered 
us, we wouldn't all be hanging out here tonight. But even beyond 
that, if it wasn't the common confession that we have in terms 
of historic reformed orthodoxy, we probably wouldn't be here 
either. I noticed you're not at Armenian churches. I notice 
you're not at Pelagian churches. I notice you're not at Charismatic 
churches. Why? Because you know that foundationally 
what we confess in terms of truth is absolutely crucial. We're 
willing to put up with some foibles and some issues and some challenges 
as long as that common bond secures us, as long as that camaraderie 
is built on the common confession of the church as a whole. And 
that role, or that foundational role, was played by the apostles. 
Notice, secondly, the cornerstone. Jesus Christ himself being the 
chief cornerstone. The Old Testament background, 
Psalm 118, verse 22. Jesus invokes this in Matthew 
chapter 21. He talks about that stone, which the Lord God has 
established as a cornerstone, is going to be that stone of 
judgment for the unbelieving Jews. In Matthew 21, There is 
confrontation at hand. Jesus says the kingdom is going 
to be stripped from you and given to a nation that bears fruits 
consistent with it. He's talking about the church. 
The Jews fumbled the ball. They didn't do what they were 
supposed to do. They were unfaithful. They reaped the consequences 
of covenantal infidelity. and it comes to a pinnacle at 
AD 70. So what's the nation that the 
Lord Jesus is speaking to? It's the nation that the apostle 
Peter celebrates in 1 Peter 2. That holy nation, that royal 
priesthood is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. See brethren, 
the New Testament has a high view of the church. There is 
this maverick spirit that obtains today among many Christians. 
I don't need the church. I just need my Bible and the 
Holy Spirit. Yeah, but your Bible and the 
Holy Spirit tells you you need the church. Don't tell me that 
the Bible and the Holy Spirit are somehow in confederacy to 
keep you out of church. That's simply untrue. Now, if 
it's just the case where there's bad churches, I've got an encouraging 
statement. Find a good one. Move if you 
have to. Brethren, churches are that important. You don't move without a good 
church to go to. You don't move unless there's 
the body of Christ that will receive you. You've got full 
kingdom citizenship. You've got full membership in 
the household of God. Why would you want to disavow 
that? Why would you want to forfeit 
that? Why would you say, oh, no, that's not really important 
to me. I'm just gonna do it on my own. You know what they call 
people that do it on their own? Mavericks, independent spirit. 
Now, can somebody make it to heaven that way? There's probably 
been those in the history of the church that have, but you 
know where the embers burn hottest is when they're collected together 
and when they're firing one another. We need the church, we need the 
people of God. So when it comes to this statement 
of Christ being the chief cornerstone, He's the one in whom it holds 
together. So the foundational place of 
the apostles and the prophets, their proclamation, their truth, 
it's only as strong and as good as that cornerstone which receives 
that building, which receives the support of that particular 
building. But then notice he doesn't stop 
there. You've got the foundation, you've got the cornerstone, and 
then you've got these materials. What makes up the structure? 
You know, when you go to build a house, you gotta have wood, 
you gotta have concrete, you gotta have all these things in order 
to make a construction project, in order to build the house. 
Well, the same is true with this temple. Interestingly, it's us. It's the likes of us that are 
those materials relative to the structure. So verse 20, having 
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom, so 
in Christ, nothing happens outside of union with Christ. So it's 
in whom, in Christ, the whole building being fitted together 
grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Do you ever think in these 
terms? Do you ever wake up on a Sunday 
morning and say, you know, it's vital that I'm in church today 
because I'm part of the materials. It's vital that I'm present because 
I'm what makes that place. I'm absolutely crucial in that 
regard. We don't think that way, brethren. 
We're just saying, you know, we'll float in, we'll float out, 
nobody cares. People care. When you don't show up for church, 
at least one person cares. I don't keep a list and check 
it twice and you know that person. We're family. Why wouldn't you 
come when family gets together? Why wouldn't you come when the 
meal is set by the householder to provide for weary pilgrims? 
Why wouldn't you come? Remember last week I said, you 
know, I don't want to harangue you, and then I went on to harangue 
you. I'm probably going to do that a little bit more tonight. 
It's like when persons say, I'm not a racist, but you can always 
plan on hearing something very racist. I'm not a racist, but, 
and then they say something racist. I'm not going to hang you, but 
I am. Not hopefully in a negative way, 
and oh, he's just offensive to me. Brethren, we have something 
here. We are the dwelling place of 
God most high. Look at what the passage says. 
We're being fitted together. Our union with Christ, that there's 
not only that vertical dimension, but there's a horizontal element. We need each other. We need one 
another in terms of existence in this lower evil world. We 
need the community of the saints, especially as darkness continues 
to prevail outside the church. As madness continues to be, you 
know, abound and abound, where do the saints of Christ find 
comfort? Where do they find benefit? Where do they find help? Where 
do they find strength? Where do they find encouragement? 
They find it in the presence of God and in the presence of 
God's people. I was glad when they sat unto 
me. Let us go to the house of the 
Lord. The whole building is fitted 
together by virtue of union with Jesus Christ. The whole building 
grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Turn over to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, he develops this theme 
in a most glowing way. 1 Peter 2, 4, coming to him as 
to a living stone rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and 
precious. You also as living stones are 
being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up 
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
I mentioned last week, this is never going to be achieved or 
realized perfectly in the church on earth. It won't. There's remaining 
corruption. There's guys that shout too much. There's things that distract 
us. There's many things going on 
in our lives and it's not always easy to conquer those thoughts 
and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and 
meditate or contemplate or worship as we ought. I get all that. 
But notwithstanding all of the imperfections, listen to what 
Peter says. You also, as living stones, are 
being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up 
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
That's our sublime mission in this present world. Christians 
always want a job. They always want a ministry. 
You know what the primary job and ministry is? It's to worship. It is to come to the Father through 
the Son. in the spirit. That's Paul's 
emphasis in verse 18 and Paul's emphasis in verse 22. If you're 
not doing the worship of God, if you're not enjoying the temple 
status that you currently possess, I'd argue you're probably not 
fit to go out as a representative of that temple to try to call 
others to come. If you haven't first enjoyed 
the blessedness of the worship of our great and glorious God, 
then how can you go tell others, come and see the Lord of glory 
and worship Him with us? Notice what he goes on to say 
in verse six. Therefore, it is also contained 
in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief 
cornerstone, a lek, Precious and he who believes on him will 
by no means be put to shame. That's Isaiah 28 16 Therefore 
to you who believe he is precious But to those who are disobedient 
the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief 
cornerstone. That's the Psalm 118 verse 22 
and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, Isaiah 8, 
14. They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also 
were appointed. Now notice what Peter does in 
verses nine and 10. He does something similar to 
what Paul's doing in Ephesians chapter two. He first highlights 
their corporate identity. Notice in verse 9a, but you are 
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his 
own special people. Do you know where that language 
comes from? You wouldn't know it based on the translator's 
decision not to italicize this, but it comes right out of Exodus 
19. Exodus 19, this was God's announcement to Israel. in terms 
of their life in the land. What were they supposed to do? 
They were supposed to mediate the blessings of Yahweh to the 
nations around them, but they failed. They did not keep the 
covenant they swore fidelity to. And then Christ comes as 
the true Israel, as the one who does what they failed, and he 
saves us from our sins. So those Old Testament descriptors 
are now applied to the New Testament people of God. The Church of 
Christ, which is made up of Jews and Gentiles. Notice, not only 
their corporate identity, but he underscores their God-centered 
function. Why are they this? You are a 
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special 
people. Here you go. That, that you may proclaim the 
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous 
light. See, that's why you exist as 
a believer in Christ. Yes, ministry. Yes, do those 
things for Jesus. Yes, go out and exhibit love 
to God and love to man. Go traffic in the blessedness 
of Christian ministry, but not at the expense of worship. not 
at the expense of praise, not at the expense of adoration of 
our great King, that you may proclaim, that you may give glory, 
that you may honor. And then he highlights their 
changed condition in verse 10, who once were not a people, sounds 
just like Paul in Ephesians 2, but are now the people of God, 
who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. So going back to Ephesians chapter 
2, we've got the foundation of the temple, apostles and prophets, 
the cornerstone of the temple, Jesus Christ himself, and the 
materials for the temple in whom the whole building being fitted 
together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also 
are being built together. The temple in the new covenant 
arena is the people of God. and God dwells in their midst. 
F.F. Bruce says, as the God of Israel 
had once taken up residence in the wilderness tabernacle and 
later in the Jerusalem temple by his name and his glory, so 
now by his spirit he makes the fellowship of believers, Jewish 
and Gentile alike, his chosen dwelling place. No privilege 
is bestowed on the people of God in which Gentiles do not 
enjoy an equal share. Now as Gentile believers, 20 
plus centuries later, we already know this, but they didn't know 
it. They didn't understand it. The way that Paul is outlining 
it here, the way that they are trafficking in these redemptive 
truths, the reality that in Jesus Christ, we don't have two separate 
peoples of God. Once this church parenthetical 
age is over and these Gentiles are raptured out of the way, 
then God will come to deal with the Jews, his special beloved 
people. That's not the emphasis in the 
New Testament. That is rather to go backward 
in redemptive history. The emphasis in the New Testament 
is one new man in Christ Jesus out of the two. We are not to 
rent them asunder. We are not to divide what God 
has brought together. And so we have the temple built 
by God in 20 and 21, and then we've got the temple indwelt 
by God in verse 22. Notice, in whom you also, the 
in whom there refers to Jesus, it's a holy temple in the Lord, 
in whom? In the Lord. You also, Gentiles, 
are being built together with the Jews for a dwelling place 
of God in the Spirit. The emphasis is on full participation. The emphasis is upon full citizenship, 
full membership, and full dwelling of Godness. It's not that God 
just comes and resides amongst the Jews, but the Jews and the 
Gentiles collectively, as the church of our blessed Savior, 
function as the temple of God, and it's there that He dwells 
with His people. Really helps us to understand 
why Christ is in the midst of the lampstand in Revelation 1 
at verse 13. What do you think God's trying 
to tell us? He's trying to tell you, come 
to church, because that's where you're going to meet Jesus. That's 
where you're going to meet the triune God. That's where you 
come to the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy 
Spirit. And again, notice the distinctively 
Christian or Trinitarian nature of Paul's description. We saw 
it in verse 18, for through Him, Christ, we both, two Gentiles, 
have access by one Holy Spirit to the Father. He does the same 
thing in verse 22. In whom? The Lord Jesus Christ. 
You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God the 
Father, in distinction from the Son in the Spirit. How does God 
do this? He does it via the person of 
the Holy Spirit. I quoted Gregory of Nazianz in 
last week. He said, this then is my position 
with regard to these things. And I hope it may be always my 
position. And that of whosoever is dear 
to me, to worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 
Ghost, three persons, one Godhead, undivided in honor and glory 
and substance and kingdom. Brethren, we have been blessed, 
we have been privileged, we have been gifted immeasurably. The haranguing starts now. Turn 
over to 1 Samuel 26. 1 Samuel 26, we're almost done. First Samuel chapter 24, David 
has to flee from Saul. Of course, but David is able 
to best Saul, but he doesn't seize that opportunity in chapter 
24. He shows mercy to Saul. David had this conviction, touch 
not the Lord's anointed. Chapter 25, he got that incident 
with Nabal, that fool. It was God that restrained David 
in that one. And then in chapter 26, same sort of a situation. 
David is on the run. He has the opportunity to basically 
end Saul's life, but he doesn't do that. And then once Saul comes 
to and he's understanding, he's cognizant of what's happening, 
notice what we have in the discourse in terms of David and Saul. So 26, 17. Then Saul knew David's 
voice and said, is that your voice, my son David? David said, 
it is my voice, my Lord, O King. And he said, why does my Lord 
thus pursue his servant? For what have I done or what 
evil is in my hand? You get David's heart there, 
don't you? What have I done? Why are you trying to kill me? 
Why can't we just function in the same country without you 
chucking spears at me? I don't know. It just doesn't 
seem like a good way to coexist. David was thinking that coexist 
sticker. No, he wasn't. Did you see the 
question? What have I done? What evil is 
in my hand? Now, look at what he says at 
verse 19. He shares something of his religious heart here. 
He says, David understands God is sovereign. David understands 
the providential order. David understands that David 
isn't a perfect man. This may be God's chastening. 
This may be God's doing. This is the direct imposition 
of God upon David. And if it's that way, Saul, then 
may the Lord accept an offering at my hand. Notice what he goes 
on to say. But if it is the children of 
men, may they be cursed before the Lord. In other words, Saul, 
if you're surrounded by a bunch of toadies that just hate me 
and they're trying to get you to oppose me, may the Lord curse 
that. Now, notice what pains David. What hurts David? Why doesn't 
David like this arrangement? Certainly he didn't want to get, 
you know, poked with a spear. Certainly he didn't want to die. 
But look at what the end of verse 19 says. For they have driven 
me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, 
saying, go serve other gods. He knows that God is omnipresent. He knows that God is not locally 
confined to the nation of Israel. He knows that God dwells in the 
heavens, but he knows that this is an inheritance. God promised 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob this piece of dirt called Canaan. 
And God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the nation of Israel 
that on that piece of dirt, they build a tabernacle. And at that 
tabernacle, the God of absolute glory would come and dwell in 
their midst. What pains, David? Oh, you're 
going to kill me. Oh, I don't get to see my friends. 
I don't get to go to the Walmart or the Costco. I'm cut off from 
the inheritance of Yahweh. I'm cut off from the worship 
of God. Now David knew about private 
worship. Psalm 63, he's in the wilderness 
and he worships God with more fervor and earnestness than probably 
most new covenant Christians have ever conjured up. So he 
understands that. But there's something about that 
place, there's something about that tabernacle that will become 
the temple under his son Solomon. There's something about worshiping 
God in the inheritance that he has given, in the building that 
he's ordained, in the structure and among the people that he 
has purposed. There's something about that 
pains, David. Don't let them take that from 
me. Don't let them drive me out of this country and say, go serve 
other gods. I want to serve Yahweh. I want 
to be amongst the inheritance of the Lord. I want to be in 
the presence of God. He's the man that would wake 
up in the morning and say, I was glad when they said unto me, 
let us go to the house of the Lord. He didn't say, oh, well, 
you know, I'm just gonna miss for a while. We'll just shut 
the church for a couple of years and everything will be okay. 
That's not okay, brethren. We're not supposed to be cut 
off from the inheritance of the Lord. Listen to Dale Ralph Davis 
on this passage. He said, didn't David know what 
every enlightened Christian knows? That you can pray and commune 
with God anywhere? Apparently the writer of Psalm 
63, 139, and 142 was well aware of that. But David was more enlightened 
than many enlightened Christians. He knew that to be cut off from 
Yahweh's inheritance, verse 19, was to be cut off from Yahweh's 
face, verse 20. So now do not let my blood fall 
to the earth before the face of the Lord. He says, and that 
when one had left Israel, there was no possibility of public 
worship. Brethren, this isn't a modern 
take by Dale Ralph Davis. Gill says the exact same thing. 
What David is bemoaning and David is lamenting is being driven 
away from the corporate means of grace. He goes on to say, 
this is not the place to sketch a biblical theology of worship. 
Suffice it to say that David would have made a poor space 
age evangelical. He would never have been content 
with his study Bible, prayer list and a quiet cave. Yahweh's 
face or presence was especially seen in the sanctuary. Yet David 
was being driven away and cut off from tabernacle and sacrifice, 
from priest and festival. He was being shot out of the 
land and sanctuary where Yahweh met with his people. To be cut 
off from the ordinances of public worship is David's most severe 
grief. Would that cause me anguish? 
He asks. Christians have surpassed David 
in privileges, but few have approached him in appetite. I think our 
brother's right, brethren. We have been gifted much. We 
have been given a lot. We have been given citizenship 
in the kingdom of God, membership in the household of God, access 
to the father through the son in the spirit. Why? Why oh why would we say that's 
not that important? I don't really need it. I can 
go ahead and miss regularly. That's simply not the way that 
David would have responded. It is simply not the way that 
the people of God who have been given blessing upon blessing 
upon blessing should respond to the gifts given by our gracious 
God. So back to Ephesians 2, the apostle's 
emphasis is the beauty, the power, the glory of God demonstrated 
in the resurrection of our Lord, in the resurrection of dead sinners, 
and in the solidarity of Jew and Gentile created as one new 
man in Christ Jesus. The whole section from 119 222 
is a demonstration of the glorious power of God Most High. As well, 
it is a demonstration of the exceeding riches of His grace. 
He tips His hand in Ephesians 1, 7. In Him we have redemption 
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches 
of His grace. Remember that one of the ends 
or one of the reasons why God does what he does is found in 
verses 4 to 7. But God who is rich in mercy 
because of his great love with which he loved us, even when 
we are dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ 
by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and 
made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Notice 
the purpose clause in verse 7. that in the ages to come he might 
show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward 
us in Christ Jesus. Look over at Ephesians 3.10, 
to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known 
by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places 
according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. I read that this way. There's 
principalities and powers out there looking down upon this 
group and saying, what a marvelous display of God's grace. What 
a marvelous display of his riches, of his grace, that that one's 
here, that that one's there, that they're all assembled together, 
coming to the same father through the same son in the power of 
the Holy Spirit. They marvel, not at us, We're 
the trophies. You don't look at the trophies 
on somebody's thing and say, what a beautiful trophy. You 
say, what a good bowler, what a good runner, what a good stamp 
collector. I don't know if they give trophies 
for stamp collecting, but you get my point. You don't praise 
the trophy. You praise the one who won the 
trophy. We are trophies of God's grace. So power and grace are on display 
in Ephesians 1 and 2, and certainly the glory of Jesus Christ is 
manifest. He himself is our peace, verse 
14, who has made both one, who has broken down the middle wall 
of separation. He's 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. and that He might reconcile them 
both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to 
death the enmity. The power of God, the grace of 
God, the redemptive work of our blessed Savior, it all redounds 
to the praise and glory of our God, and it secures for us the 
privilege of worship, the Father through the Son in the Spirit. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you so very much for the emphases we find here in Ephesians 2. 
We thank you so very much that you have included us in these 
covenant promises. And God, how we thank you that 
we're no longer strangers and foreigners. We're now citizens 
of the kingdom of God Most High. We are members of the household 
of God. And what great blessings these are. So help us to treasure 
them, help us to use them, help us to delight in them. And we 
ask this in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
amen.