Please turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, this morning we noted how Jesus was delivered to the Gentiles and ultimately through that deliverance to the Gentiles, that was the means or one of the means by which he brought deliverance to the Gentiles and the Jews as well. Well, in Ephesians 2, the apostle deals with that, the inclusion of the Gentiles in the covenant promises of God, specifically in verses 11 to 22. So I do want to read the chapter as a whole, and then our focus tonight will be on verses 11 to 22.
Verse 1 of Ephesians 2, 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 the 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. But 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 and 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, we thank you for the word of God and we thank you as Gentiles that you have included us in this gracious covenant. We thank you for the mercy that you have shown us.
We thank you for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that has brought us nigh. We pray now for wisdom and for the power of your spirit as we study Holy Scripture. We pray for the forgiveness of sins and cleansing in his most precious blood. And we pray that you would help us to appreciate this wonderful work of salvation. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit has orchestrated for the good of his people.
We ask now that you would be pleased to bless our time together, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Well, in the Old Testament, as you read through there, you'll see that it was the Israelites, it was the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, that were the specific people of God. They were the old covenant community. But along the way, as you read in the Old Testament, you'll see that God's plan not only is about Israel, or ethnic Israel, but it involves Gentile inclusion in the covenant of grace, All the way back in Genesis chapter 17, the Lord God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. As we get to the prophet Isaiah, for instance, as Pastor Cam read tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ would be a light unto the Gentiles as well.
So Gentile inclusion was prophesied in the New Testament, in the New Covenant, when Jesus came and the early church was established and the gospel was preached. we see Gentiles being added to the covenant people of God. And here in Ephesians 2, 11 to 22, the apostle gives some explanation concerning that, or he highlights the facts that are relevant to that particular situation. Now, in the larger context of Ephesians up to this point, the Apostle has highlighted the power of God in chapter 1 at verse 19. You can look there with me.
Notice, the Apostle prays for the Ephesians, primarily Gentiles, that they would know, according to verse 19, what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power. So Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand something about the power of God. Paul then illustrates that power in three ways. At the end of chapter 1 in verses 19 to 23, the power of God is on display in the resurrection and in the exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In chapter 2, verses 1 to 10, the power of God is displayed on the Lord's salvation of individuals, of sinners. And in verses 11 to 22, God's power is displayed in that He has taken Jew and Gentile, and He has brought them together, and He has made one new man in Jesus Christ. Now, this probably does not impact us so much as it would have if we were living in the days of the New Testament. Remember that a pious Jew would pray in the morning and thank the Lord God that he was not born a slave, he was not born a woman, and he was not born a Gentile.
Gentiles were considered dogs. Gentiles were outside of the covenant people. Gentiles were strangers, as Paul highlights in this particular passage. But in Jesus Christ, in a display of God's sovereign power, Gentiles have been brought nigh, and they have been made partakers of the same covenant promises that the Jews had been given in the Old Testament.
So it truly is an amazing, redemptive thing. going on in Ephesians 2. So tonight, by way of meditation prior to participating in the Lord's Supper, we'll focus on three particulars in 11 to 22. In the first place, we'll see the former plight of Gentile believers, verses 11 and 12. Secondly, the present reception of Gentile believers in verses 13 to 17.
And then in the third place, the purchased benefits given to Gentile believers in verses 18 to 22. And if you are paying attention, you'll note the correspondence between verses 1 to 10 and verses 11 to 22. In verses 1 to 3, on the individual level, Paul sketches or highlights what we were prior to coming to the Lord Jesus. In verse 4, he then says, but God.
And the same procedure is followed here. He illustrates or he highlights what Gentiles were before they were brought to the Lord Jesus. and then he highlights what they have benefited, or what they have got in terms of benefits as a result of Christ. But note
Former Plight of Gentile Believers
in the first place in verses 11 to 12, there is a reminder, verse 11, therefore remember, this is very essential in our Christian lives, it is good for us to remember where God has brought us from. In this instance, Paul will sketch what they were formerly. But this is a good reminder to all of us. John Eady says, this exercise of memory would deepen their humility, elevate their ideas of divine grace, and incite them to ardent and continued thankfulness.
And I suggest the same thing is true for us. A constant remembrance, a constant reminding of ourselves where we were and what God has done. It's good to contemplate, it's good to consider, it's good to recall the terrible state we were in when the Lord God called us out of this. As Edie says, and hopefully will, deepen our humility, it'll elevate our ideas of divine grace, and it will incite or promote in us a continued thankfulness as we recall what God has done in our lives.
Now
Their Previous Status and Identity
notice he indicates their previous status. Once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands. The Jews according to Genesis chapter 17 would be circumcised. That was a badge.
That was a national identity. That indicated that they were the covenant people of God. They were called the circumcised. Everybody else was uncircumcised.
So there's an ethnic distinction here, to be sure, between Jew and Gentile. But there's also an ethical designation. Uncircumcised was a bad thing. To be uncircumcised meant all that Paul is going to say in the following verses.
Uncircumcised was to be outside of God's redemptive plan. Now
Four Descriptions of Life Without Christ
notice in the third place under the former plight, the description of their state. Verses 12 and following. He says that at that time you were without Christ. Isn't that the most wretched condition a man, a woman, a boy or girl could ever find themselves in?
They are without Christ. A man today might have a lot of money in the bank. A man today might have great possessions. A woman today may have beautiful appearance and have everything going for her.
Children today may grow up in houses full of love and affection and kindness. But without Christ, we are lost. Without Christ, we have nothing. Without the one who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, our lives are miserable.
We are in a wretched condition, a wretched state. And the apostle highlights this, that they were without Christ. This is an imperfect. That means that it was a continuous action in the past.
It was never the case that they were with Christ, rather they were without Christ. And when we ask the question, what does it look like, at least on this national or ethnic level, with reference to being outside of the covenant people of God, Paul fleshes it out with four descriptions. Notice, they were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. They were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
They were outsiders. They were not invited in. They were not privy to the sacrifices and to the temple. They did not receive the oracles of God.
They were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Notice in the second place as he fleshes out what it means to be without Christ. They were strangers to the covenants of promise. Remember, God made a promise in Genesis 3.15 that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent.
The seed of the woman would deliver the death blow to the serpent. And then that promise is administrated, that promise is carried along by farther steps through the historical covenants in the Old Testament. the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, the Davidic, all of these things given to God's holy people. And yet the Gentiles were strangers to those covenants of promise. They weren't benefactors.
They didn't have access. They were not included in those blessed privileges that were given to the nation of Israel. Notice in the third place, they had no hope. They were without hope, having no hope.
Isn't that the essence of being without Christ? Having no hope? Isn't that the essence of your state tonight? If you are without Christ, you have no hope.
Again, you may have hope for earthly success, you may have hope for at least a degree of happiness, but in terms of your relationship to God Most High, without Christ, you have no hope. Hope is to be found in Jesus alone. Hope is to be found in those covenants of promise. Hope is to be found in what is now the Commonwealth of Israel, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is where hope is. That is where hope must be sought. If you are dead tonight in your trespasses and sins, if you are without Christ, may I encourage you and may I call upon you to come to the Lord Jesus. If you are without Christ, what is the answer?
To believe on Christ. If you are without hope, what is the answer? To cast yourself upon the mercy of God. If you are, as described in this particular passage, again, applied to the entirety of the Gentiles prior to the cross, but things that can be as easily stated and applied to individuals now who are outside of a saving relationship to God through our Lord Jesus.
And notice what the fourth aspect of being without Christ is. The only use of the word atheist in the entirety of the Bible. You know, anything about atheism, they like to pride themselves, or at least some of them, on how philosophically superior they are to us idiot Christians. They like to believe, they like to think, they like to lie to themselves that they have arrived.
They're the enlightened ones. There's a man by the name of Michael Martin, and he wrote a book, a great big book, and it's called Atheism, A Philosophical Justification. So there's this pride. Again, it's not in every atheist, but it is in that academic ilk or guild of atheism.
And they almost boast in the reality that they are atheists. As I said, the one time atheist is used in the scriptures, it's used in terms of judgment. They have no hope and they are without God in the world. To be without Christ is to be without God in the world.
To be without the forgiveness of sins, to be without the imputed righteousness of Jesus, to be without the one alone in whom there is salvation means that we are having no hope and without God in this world. Again, a terrible, horrific place to be. You almost just want to grab people and shape them to this reality. Because I don't think they understand.
I don't think they contemplate. I don't think they feel the weight of that burden. You live in God's world. You breathe God's air.
You drink God's water. You eat God's food. You marry God's creatures. You work at places God created.
You do all these things and yet you are without God in the very world in which you traverse. It is a terrible position to be in. In summary, to be Christless means They were churchless, hopeless, godless, and homeless. Again, this corresponds to what Paul says in verses 1 to 3 concerning individuals.
They are lifeless, helpless, and hopeless. Not a good picture of life apart from Jesus Christ. Not a good portrait of what it looks like to be one who is an unbeliever.
Present Reception of Gentile Believers
Now notice, in the second place, We find their present reception. Verses 13 and following. Note the statement of verse 13, but now. Corresponds to verse 4, this is what you were as individuals, but God, this is what you were as Gentiles, apart from the covenants of promise, but now you have been brought near.
You who were or who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It is through the blood of Jesus. It is through the blood of Christ that men by grace believe the gospel and they are no longer without Christ. They are no longer aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
They are no longer strangers from the covenants of promise. They now have hope. They now have God. They have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus as Paul mentions in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3.
It is as a result of the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. So you see how this jives with what we studied this morning. Christ's announcement that we must go to Jerusalem. that he must be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and scribes, that he would then be delivered over to the Gentiles, that there he would be mocked, he would be scourged, he would be crucified, and he would be raised the third day. You see, all of that, in accordance with the covenant of redemption, in accordance with the prophecies written in the Old Testament, such as Pastor Camp read tonight, all of that, so that Jew and Gentile could be brought out of darkness into marvelous light and go from this hopeless state to a life filled with hope.
To go from a lifeless state to what is truly life. To go from a godless state to now loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And now notice, the apostle explains how this is the case in verses 4 to 17. Verses 4 to 17.
In the first place,
Christ Is Our Peace
it's because the Lord Jesus Christ is our peace. Isn't that a beautiful statement? For he himself is our peace. Believers have a lot of afflictions, don't they?
You say, well, I don't. You will. You will. Just hang around a little while.
Be patient. Hold on. You're going to have it. Believers have a lot of trials, and they have a lot of afflictions, and they have a lot of hardships, and they have a lot of difficulties.
Because you're a believer doesn't mean you're immune from cancer. Because you're a believer doesn't mean you're immune from bankruptcy. Because you're a believer doesn't mean you're immune from lightning strikes or any number of other horrific things that may transpire upon God's creatures. But in whatever situation, Whatever condition, whatever trial, affliction, or difficulty you find yourself, Christ is our peace, isn't he?
Isn't that beautiful? We have hope in Christ, and we have Christ, who himself is our peace. Isn't this how he's described in the prophet Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 6? He is the prince of peace.
Isaiah, Micah rather, 5, 2 to 4. He himself, again, is our peace. Think about Jesus in the upper room, John 14, 27. My peace I give you.
My peace I leave you. Not as the world gives do I give. Therefore, let not your heart be troubled. Isn't that beautiful?
We have that peace in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. or consider the Apostle Paul in Romans 5.1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, let us have, or rather we have, peace with God through our Lord Jesus. You see, Paul says what happened to bring these Gentiles from this place of alien, this place of stranger, into solidarity with the covenant people of God. It is by the blood of the Lord Jesus, who himself is our peace.
Paul then says that Jesus makes peace. How does Jesus make peace? It's described in 14b-16. Notice in the first place he made the two, Jew and Gentile, into one.
For he himself is our peace who has made both one. He's talking about Jews and Gentiles here. John Ede says Gentiles are no longer formally excluded from religious privilege and blessing. And Jewish monopoly is forever overthrown.
Jewish monopoly is forever overthrown. Gentiles are participants and inheritors of the same spiritual blessings. Because of Him who is our peace. Because of Him who makes peace.
Christ Breaks Down the Dividing Wall
Notice in the second place, He broke down the middle wall of separation. That's what the end of verse 14 says. Now there's basically three views here. The wall at the temple in Jerusalem, which kept the Gentiles in the outer court and prohibited them from enjoying the privileges associated with the covenant people.
The veil or curtain that separated the holy place from the holy of holies. Rather, what's in view, having broken down the middle wall of separation, is that enmity. that active aggression between the Jew and the Gentile, such that no church believer ought to ever wake up in the morning and thank the Lord that he's not a Gentile, or thank the Lord that he's not black, or thank the Lord that he's not white, or thank the Lord that he's not this, that, or the other. No, because in Christ, he's made the two into one new man.
Christ Abolishes the Ceremonial Law
Notice in the third place, the way he makes peace, he abolished the law of commandments. Notice in verse 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. So you see, Jesus did not abolish the moral law. Take yourself back to our morning session in the study of the confession in chapter 19.
What is abiding? What is perpetual? What is continually obligatory upon all creatures everywhere but the moral law of God? But it was the ceremonial law that brought this enmity.
It was the ceremonial law that brought this wedge. It was the ceremonial law that brought this distinction. between the Jew and the Gentile. And we read, according to Paul, he's abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. In other words, he fulfilled what the ceremonies pointed to, and as a result, the ceremonies do not continue.
Such is the case for the Ephesian Christians. They don't need to be circumcised. They don't need to go through the sacrificial system. They don't need the Levitical priesthood.
That distinctive aspect of Old Covenant religion has been fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ, and there is now no longer this separation between the Jew and the Gentile. Our confession in chapter 19, paragraph 3, deals with the ceremonial law. And then notice, he brought reconciliation through the cross. This is the primary means by which our Lord Jesus makes peace.
Notice in verse 16, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, but if you were standing at Calvary on the day our Lord was crucified, If, let's say, you were able to follow the whole course of events from the betrayal in the garden, from the trial before the Sanhedrin, from the trial before Pilate, when he delivered him over to the Roman soldiers, when they mocked him, and when they scourged him, and when they spat on him, and when they crucified him, when you saw the Son of God on that cross, the last thing, humanly speaking, that would have been in your mind was peace. So you simply do not achieve peace through a violent execution. You don't look at an electric chair, you don't look at the syringe that contains the lethal cocktail that they inject into capital offenders and think peace.
You don't look at a firing squad and think peace. You don't look at a gallows and think peace. You wouldn't have looked at the cross and thought peace. But you see from Paul's vantage point, and ours as well, when we see the cross, what do we think?
Christ himself is our peace. Christ himself has made peace and he did it through the cross. Notice what Paul says in Colossians 1.20. Colossians 1.20.
Verse 19, for it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell and by him to reconcile all things to himself. By him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. So you see, for the Apostle and for us as well, Christ himself is our peace. Christ himself has made peace and he has done it through the violent bloodshedding at the cross at Calvary.
And then
Christ Preaches Peace
notice in the third place, the apostle says that Christ preaches peace. Verse 17. This is one of those passages that preachers like. I hope non-preachers like it too, but notice what it says.
And he came and preached peace to you who are far off and to those who were near. Christ came and preached to the Ephesians? Christ came and preached to the Ephesians? Christ's ministry was confined to Israel, wasn't it?
He started out in Galilee, makes his way down into Judea, and ultimately ends up in Jerusalem where he is crucified and where he is raised from the dead. When did Jesus go to Ephesus? Jesus did not go to Ephesus locally, but when the Apostle Paul went in Acts chapter 19, and when the Apostle Paul accurately proclaimed the truth, we can say of a truth that Christ came and preached peace to those who were afar off. Christ, through his Apostle, by the power of the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the gospel to those Ephesians.
This is what we find in Romans 10, 14. It speaks about hearing Christ through the preaching of the Word, such that the Helvetic Confession says that the preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. Wherefore, when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed. and received by the faithful, and that neither any other word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from Evan." The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. And that's what Paul highlights here in Ephesians 2.17.
Christ is our peace, Christ makes peace, and Christ has preached peace to these Gentiles. And note the end result in verse 18. For through him, we both have access by one spirit to the Father. He'll amplify that in verses 19 to 22.
But for now, notice what Paul says. For through Christ, we both, Jew and Gentile, solidarity, corporate solidarity in our Lord Jesus. For through him, we both have access by one spirit to the Father. It's truly brilliant what God has done in the accomplishment of his redemptive plan in terms of the Jews and Gentiles.
Purchased Benefits for Gentile Believers
Now notice the amplification of that statement in verses 19 to 22. So the purchased benefits given to Gentile believers.
Privilege of Citizenship
Note in the first place the privilege of citizenship. This answers or corresponds to their former plight. Paul has said that they were strangers. Paul has said that they were aliens.
Now in verse 19, now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Fellow citizens, not second class citizens. Did you all know that there was a law passed in Canada in June of 2015 that has to do with immigration? You wouldn't know this because you don't have a test on the 20th for your immigration process.
We do, so we're kind of looking into that. There was a law passed in June of 2015 that essentially says persons who hold dual citizenship or persons who have immigrated to Canada can have that citizenship revoked. It can be revoked. If they commit certain crimes, their citizenship can be revoked.
Now, you as a Canadian citizen who doesn't hold dual citizenship or who hasn't immigrated here, they don't revoke your citizenship. That just doesn't happen. I mean, the persons that are in prison now have not had their citizenship revoked. And what persons have rightly observed is that it does create a two-tier citizenship.
Let's just say, for instance, they come and march me off because I preach against homosexuality. As a Canadian citizen, they can revoke that citizenship. One of you stood up and preached that, they'll still haul you off, but they don't revoke your citizenship. Citizenship, according to some of the documents that we have been studying or just beginning to study, means the right to have rights, doesn't it?
Well, if you are an immigrant or a dual citizen, they will revoke that right, creating thus a two-tier citizenship. That's not what God does. God's kinder than the Canadian government. And I'm not saying that in any disrespectful way.
They're probably not going to give me immigration now or citizenship because I spoke ill of the man. But this is precisely Paul's point. You're not second class citizens. There's not two tiers in the house of God.
It's not the case that the Jews are the extra special covenant members. And while you Gentiles have somehow wriggled your way in, watch it, because we'll revoke your citizenship. That's not what Paul is saying. In fact, the emphasis in Ephesians 2 and 3 is just the opposite.
Paul is encouraging. Paul is exhorting. Paul is granting help to these Ephesian Christians and settling their minds that they are not less in God's redemptive plan. They are every bit as blessed as the Jews who, by God's grace, have believed the Christian gospel.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
Privilege of Household Membership
That's the second privilege. We have residents in the household of God. We go back to the former description, what do we observe? These are homeless people.
But now in Jesus Christ, they become members of the household of God most high. And
Privilege of Being God's Temple
in the third place, the privilege of being the temple of God. Look at what Paul says, verses 20 to 22. 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." You see, Gentiles along with Jews are indeed the temple of God Most High. The foundation, of course, it is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Again, it's highlighted to us the unity of the people of God.
It's not as if these Jewish stones are somehow more important than these Gentile stones. Stones are stones when it comes to the temple of God. Stones have the same benefit. The stones have the same privilege.
The stones have the same access and benefit afforded to the other stones. Paul's point here. is that the solidarity between Jewish and Gentile believers is such that these two people groups form the one temple of God wherein he dwells by his spirit. F.F. Bruce comments specifically on verse 22.
We need to understand verse 22, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit. For other temple imagery, you can look at 1 Peter chapter 2. where Peter says we are living stones, we are the temple of God. You all know what temple means, right? It is that place where God dwells.
What's Paul's point in Ephesians 2.22? Listen to what Paul's point is in Ephesians 2.22. God dwells in the church. God dwells in the church.
Certainly, in your personal life, the Lord is with you. Certainly, in your personal life, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Certainly, in your personal life, you can be strengthened with might in the inner man by His Spirit so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, according to Ephesians 3. All of that is true, but the special corporate dwelling place of God Almighty in this new covenant situation and setting is the church.
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. That statement, so now by his spirit he makes the fellowship of believers, Jewish and Gentile alike, his chosen dwelling place.
And notice something else for the Apostle Paul. We discussed this a little bit yesterday in our Saturday morning session. He is Trinitarian through and through. In Ephesians 1, 3 to 14, 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.
Verse 4, just as He, the Father, chose us in Him, Christ, before the foundation of the world. And then in verse 7 it highlights the work of Jesus Christ. In Him we have redemption through His blood. We drop down to verses 13 and 14 and God the Holy Spirit is highlighted.
He is the seal and the guarantee of our final redemption. So the Apostle is Trinitarian as he sets forth that covenant of redemption in Ephesians 1. The Apostle hasn't forgotten his Trinitarianism. Notice in verse 18, for through Him, Christ, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
We have the reference or mention of all three persons of the Trinity. Same thing in verse 22, in whom also you are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, the Christ Jesus our Lord. The apostle is conspicuously Trinitarian. Let's not leave the implication of verse 22 very quickly.
In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Now maybe it's because I'm getting older. Perhaps some of the older folk in the church feel the same way. The older you get, I think as a believer, or I hope it is the case as a believer, you see how important the church is.
You see how absolutely crucial the Church is. And I think passages like these underscore it for us. Not just the idea that we're the people of God, but that the God of heaven and earth dwells with us. This is the chief boon of Christianity, isn't it?
Isn't this the underlying theme in all of the redemptive covenants that have been revealed? that finds its expression fully in the New Jerusalem when God says, I will be their God and they shall be my people. corporate worship, gathering together with fellow saints as the very dwelling place of God Almighty to do things such as we are doing tonight, as we sing our praises, as we call upon the Lord, as we listen to the Word of God read and preached, as we participate in the Lord's Supper. Very simple means to be sure, but very profound in terms of the implication. of verse 22, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. If your love for the church and your appreciation for the church is not growing, you need to come back to Holy Scripture. You need to ask David what he thinks about the corporate place.
We saw that on Wednesday night in 1 Samuel 26, verses 19 and 20. when David speaks to Saul essentially saying that if you continue to pursue me, you are going to drive me from the confines of Israel. And what it is the case, or what the persons are saying, go serve other gods. David is not suggesting that he'll actually go serve other gods when he leaves the confines of Israel. He is not saying that he will relinquish the faith of his fathers.
He is not saying that he is going to become a reprobate. He is saying that outside of Israel is where other gods are worshipped. We say, but God is the Lord over the entirety of the earth. Yes, He is, but He dwelt specifically in Israel.
Israel was before the face of the Lord, verse 20. Israel was the inheritance that God gave to His people such that they would have a place where they could worship Him in spirit and in truth. For David, this was one of the most pressing concerns of the pursuit by Saul of David. Yes, he wanted to breathe.
Yes, he wanted his liberty. Yes, he wanted his family. Yes, he wanted all those perks of being a creature unharassed by a tyrant. But the thing that David speaks against in verses 19 of chapter 26 is being driven out from the presence of God.
In Psalm 63, David can find God in the wilderness. David can find God in his private worship. David can find God in a cave in En Gedi. David can find God wherever he is, but he beholds the face of God specifically in the sanctuary of God.
Psalm 63 too. You see, I think Paul has a bit of David in him in verse 22 when he speaks in these most lofty words concerning the nature, the significance, the privileged status, and the specialness of the Church of God Most High. It is the place where God dwells. I quoted Ralph Davis on Wednesday night.
Perhaps we should pray for Dr. Davis. The church that he is in is in Columbia, South Carolina. And if you have seen the news, Columbia, South Carolina is just about under water now with flooding.
I mean, houses with water up to the roof. It is a horrific state of affairs there. That church, perhaps, is a church we ought to remember in our prayers tonight. Davis says this concerning David in 1 Samuel 26.
It has relevance to us, to our appreciation for what Paul says here in verse 22. Davis says, 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. That when one had left Israel, there was no possibility of public worship. If that was your lot, would it bug you?
If you were forbidden from ever entering the church of God again, would it bother you? Or would you say, well, now I get my whole Sunday to myself. If church attendance or church membership is outlawed, are you going to say, thankfully, now I don't have to go and endure more of that? David did not want to leave the place where there was public worship.
Israel was the place of God's dwelling in the Old Covenant. They had the temple or tabernacle at that point. They had the sacrifices. They had the priesthood.
They had access to Yahweh of hosts. David says 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, Psalm 63, 2. 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?
Christians have surpassed David in privileges, but few have approached him in appetite. You see, this affected David, the thought of being driven out to the place where other gods were.
Application and Conclusion
And as we come to a conclusion here, brethren, in Ephesians 2, 1 to 10, we see the beauty and the intricacies of God's grace in the saving of our souls as individual sinners. It is by grace we are saved through faith in Jesus, Christ our Lord. It is not by works lest we ever boast. It is not by our merit.
It is not by our reformation. It is not by our morality. But it is rather the multifaceted gloriousness of God's grace poured out upon his people. And then we get to verses 11 to 22, Paul moves from the microcosm of individual salvation to the macrocosm of God's covenantal dealings.
And he is telling us Gentiles that things are not like the way they once were. You're not at odds with the believing Jews. You are not cast aside. You are not second-rate citizens.
You have been brought nigh by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to marvel at our individual salvation in verses 1 to 10. We ought to equally marvel at our corporate privileges in verses 11 to 22. We are fellow citizens. with all believers everywhere.
We are members of the household of God Almighty. Isn't that a glorious thought? The Lord God owns this house. The Lord God is ruler over this house.
The Lord God is Father in this house. And we have been privileged and blessed to be called members of it. We can certainly say, my daddy is better than your daddy. My father is the best father ever.
Sometimes kids do that. My dad can beat your dad up. My dad's big and strong. My dad makes more money.
My dad's the most awesomest guy in the world. Hopefully your kids are doing that in some aspect. We can do that. We're members of the very household of God Almighty.
And we are the temple of God. It's no longer the tabernacle in the wilderness. It's no longer Solomon's temple in all of its splendor and all of its glory. Perhaps that's where we stumble.
If we wandered up to Solomon's temple, we would see this place bedazzled with gold. We would see this place architecturally beautiful. Mr. Lutain would love to get a gander at that.
He'd probably like to wander around and touch and look and feel and see. But we would see the splendor displayed and we would know that they spared no expense to build a house for Yahweh because He's a great and a glorious God. We don't go to the thrift store to build a house for Yahweh. We get the best resources.
We contract men. We build because God is so great we want the temple to speak. to His greatness. So perhaps we wander into the Church of God and we don't see that splendor. We don't see the jewels and the gold.
We see regular, ordinary brothers and sisters. And we miss something of the significance of Ephesians 2.20. Let me encourage you to receive the significance of Ephesians 2.20, that as you look around here tonight, God is dwelling in our midst. God is present with his people.
God is in the lampstand or in the midst of the lampstand. Look at Hebrews 2.12 for just a moment. Do you know who the true worship leader in the church is? It's not the guy with the best singing voice.
It's not the guy with the music degree. It's not the guy who's been employed at several churches. Do you know who the music leader is in the Church of Jesus Christ? It's the Lord Jesus.
See, Jesus not only preaches peace to those who are far off, But Jesus is the worship leader. I think Sinclair Ferguson has a sermon on that particular verse with that particular title. Notice in Hebrews 2 verse 11, for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to you." What's the implication?
Christ is in the midst of the assembly. Christ, with his gathered church, sings praise to his Father. Christ is with his people. This is what we expect if we are, in fact, the dwelling place of God.
Again, this is not to minimize your prayer closet, your study Bible, or your prayer list. Certainly employ those things in private religion, but always realize that God the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. God the Lord is pleased well with his corporate people as they gather without all the splendor, without all the gold, without all the pearls, without all the rubies, without all of the pillars, without all of the pomp and show, nevertheless God is in this place. You see what benefits and privileges we have because of what Christ has wrought at the cross through his death.
Jesus Christ Is our peace Jesus Christ? Makes peace Jesus Christ? Preaches peace? And Jesus Christ gathers us who are once aliens, who are once strangers, who are once Christless, who are once hopeless, who are once godless. who were once homeless, and he brings everybody in him to that place of benefit and privilege.
Brethren, I hope that we appreciate what Jesus has done on our behalf as individuals, but we appreciate what Jesus Christ has done on our behalf in the church.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray. Father, thank you for your grace, and thank you that we are partakers in these benefits. Thank you for the privilege that we have as the sons and daughters of God. We thank you for our Lord Jesus and the fact that he has made peace through the blood of his cross.
And God, we pray that this gospel would be preached throughout the earth and that a multitude, by your grace, would turn from their idols to the true and living God, that those who are far off would be brought nigh through the blood of our Lord Jesus. And we pray in his most blessed name, amen.