← Back to sermon library

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. 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 
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 
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 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. 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, 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. 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. 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 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. Now notice the amplification 
of that statement in verses 19 to 22. So the purchased benefits 
given to Gentile believers. 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. 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 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. 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. 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.