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oh good evening everyone welcome to free grace baptist church our call to worship this evening is going to be a reading from Isaiah 49 so please turn there in your Bibles with me Isaiah 49 will read from verse 12 verse 13 Isaiah 49 beginning in verse 1 the word of the living and true God listen o coastlands to me and take heed you peoples from afar the Lord has called me from the womb from the matrix of my mother he has made mention of my name and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword in the shadow of his hand he has hidden me and made me a polished shaft in his quiver he has hidden me and he said to me you are my servant o Israel in whom I will be glorified and I said I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain yet surely my just reward is with the Lord and my work with my god and now the Lord says who formed me from the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him so that Israel is gathered to him for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my god shall be my strength indeed he says it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles that you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth thus says the Lord the Redeemer of Israel their Holy One to him who man despises to him whom the nation of hordes to the servant of rulers Kings shall see in her eyes princes also shall worship because of the Lord who is faithful the Holy One of Israel and he has chosen you thus says the Lord in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth to cause them to inherit the desolate Heritage's that you may say to the prisoners go forth to those who are in darkness show yourselves they shall feed along the roads and their pastures shall be on all desolate Heights they shall neither hunger nor thirst neither heat nor Sun shall strike them for he who has mercy on them will lead them even by the springs of water he will guide them I will make each of my mountains a road and my highway shall be elevated surely these shall come from afar look those from the north and the west and these from the land of sanam Singh oh heavens be joyful Oh earth and break out in singing o mountains for the Lord has comforted his people and will have mercy on his afflicted amen well let's stand and sing our him that's going to be first this evening will be in it insert in your hymnal hopefully it's in the hymnal that you have were going to sing the insert be thou my vision let's stand and sing together you you let's go to our God in prayer let us pray our righteous and heavenly father we rejoice now in this evening on this year lord's day that we can gather together for a second time for the worship of our living and true God and we pray that you would help us now to rightly hollow your name we do pray that you would cause each and every one of your gathered people here this evening to rejoice in their God to sing the praises of their Christ and to rehearse the glories of Amazing Grace and the gospel of so great a salvation we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ we rejoice in that precious truth of Holy Scripture that faithful saying that is worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to say we rejoice in that truth as we heard this morning at a gospel of his perfect life of obedience unto your law in the stead of all those who believe his perfect death upon Calvary's tree where he bore the wrath of God in the stead of all those who believe in his name that he rose again victorious that he rose from the dead three days later and that he now sits at your right hand where he ever lives to intercede before his people and we do pray God that you help us to now rejoice in that truth and each and every day that we draw a breath until we enter into your glory we do pray that you'd cause us to rejoice in so great a salvation we pray Lord God that you would help us as we worship we know that there can be thoughts that seek to intrude and we do pray that you caused us to have that measure of spirit where no thought would intrude that we be focused on your worship that we would cast aside anything that would hinder a true and proper worship and that we would be wholly abandoned unto worship and Lord we know that we need your help in this so do send your spirit to arouse our souls to high praising our God we do pray that you'd be with those again who are traveling this upcoming week those who are unwell we do pray that you would grant travelling mercies to those who are leaving for a time that you would return them to us safely we would ask again that you'd be with the many afflicted in our midst that you would strengthen them in body that you would cause them to know gains and health a daily Lord and we do pray in the midst of pains and the midst of sufferings and discomforts we would ask that you would lift them up in the inner man cause them to rejoice in their God and to rejoice in our precious Christ we do pray that you would be with those around the world who suffer for the cause of the gospel whether domestic or outside of a Canada in the United States wherever they may find themselves wherever you have them we do pray that those who are the recipients of persecution violent suppression even unto death that you would strengthen them Lord God and cause them to know their God of all comfort that they would be able to with strength of faith look away from their persecutors and with it was eyes of faith to gaze upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world daily find comfort and the risen and exalted Christ we do pray God that you would give them daily courage to endure and that you would deal with their persecutors we know that there is a great and final day of judgment where they will be the rightful recipients of your divine justice but we do pray even in this lower world that you would take them out of the way that you would bring upon your persecuted Church smiling providence's where those who are their enemies are dealt with and do find justice in this lower world we do pray that you would watch over your Saints worldwide that you would vindicate your name in all the earth and that you would suppress and put down your enemies we do pray God that you would grow your faith that you would grow your church as our Christ promised so many years ago to build his church the gates of Hades would not prevail against it we do pray that we would see this in our own time and in our own era that your gospel would go forth that sinners would be saved and that the Word of God would march victorious throughout the earth we do pray Lord again that you would be now with us as we worship we know that the preacher needs strength from on high to grip this pulpit to open up a Bible and to proclaim your truth so we do pray that you'd give pastor Butler that strength we do pray that you give him what he needs and as he is up here proclaiming your word we do pray that he would know the aid of God the aid of his his spirit the aid of the Holy Spirit in this place we do pray that you would give him much to proclaim your word with courage with accuracy and with great confidence and we would ask of course that you'd be with those who are gathered here this evening those who are yours at Christians here tonight we pray that we would be encouraged instructed lifted up edified we would receive that measure of the Spirit causing us to rejoice now tonight in our Christ in our God and to leave this place to have a strength for the upcoming week that we might live in light of such a gospel and that we might adorn it in this lower world with our actions with our deeds and with our words we do pray that you'd be with those who entered in these two doors outside of Christ that you would come on the wings of Amazing Grace that you conquer sinful hearts stony hearts that you would remove them and replace them with hearts of flesh that beat for the Savior that you would put your spirit within them it caused them to love our Christ and and to love your statutes and to rejoice in the gospel in this lower world and to live in a manner worthy of it we do pray now that you would be with us that everything we do would be done unto your glory Lord and that we pray that to the Lord Jesus Christ would tonight be exalted upon the praises of his gathered assembly and it's in his name that we pray amen well ask you to sing her ask you to stand with me and we're going to sing hymn number four forty just a brief reminder it is the lord's supper this evening we will be observing the supper of our Lord so following the preaching we will read from the Bible and observe that blessed ordinance of the Lord's Supper let's stanbow and sing for 40 in our hen books please be seated please turn with many r Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians chapter two 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 to 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 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 were called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flash 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 is 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 were 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 are or in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit amen will 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've shown us we thank you for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that has brought us night 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 a pre it's wonderful work of salvation that the Father the Son 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 Adam that he 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 praise 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 and 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 display 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 and I and they have met 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 will 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 at 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 Johnny D 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 it as ed 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 flash by hands the Jews according to Hebrew a 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 circumsized 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 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 children today may grow up in house is 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 in chief among 10,000 our lives are miserable we are in a wretched condition a wretched skate 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 asked 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 description of 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 into 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 flushes out what it means to be without price 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 administrative that promise is carried along by farther steps through the historical covenants in the Old Testament the Abrahamic the the mosaic the Davidic all of these things given to God's holy people and yet the cod 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 it's not the essence of being without Christ having no hope isn't that the essence of your state tonight if you are without priced you have no hope again you may have hope for earthly success you may have hope for earthly 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 price 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 apply 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 there the enlightened ones it'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 that academic ill 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 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 drank 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 Christ list means they were Church 'less hopeless godless and homeless again this corresponds to what Paul says in verses 1 2 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 for 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 her 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 price there are no longer aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel there 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 scourge 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 cam 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 it's not a beautiful statement for he himself is our peace believers have a lot of afflictions don't they 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 the pond God's creatures but in whatever situation whatever condition whatever a trial affliction or difficulty you find yourself Christ as our peace 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 router 522 for he himself again is our peace think about Jesus in the upper room in John 14 26 27 my peace I give you my peace I leave you not as the world gives do I yes therefore let not your heart be troubled 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 14 be 260 notice in the first place he made the to a Jew and Gentile into one for himself is our peace who has made both one he's talking about Jews and Gentiles here Johnny D says Gentiles are no longer formally excluded from religious privilege in blessing and jewish monopoly is forever over thrown 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 always 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 but 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 and 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 a 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 or confession in chapter 19 paragraph three 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 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 from the trial before Pilate when he delivered him over to the 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 please 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 blood shedding 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 afar 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 a far 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 God where for 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 Evatt the preaching of the word of God is the word of God 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 forth 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 is gone or 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 a 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 emigrated to Canada can have that Emma have that 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 preach 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 because citizenship because I I spoke ill of the 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 will 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 grey granting help to these Ephesian 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 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 22 22 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 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 or stones when it comes to the temple of God stones have the same benefit the stones have the same privilege the scenes no 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 where any dwells by his Spirit FF proves comment specifically on verse 22 we need to understand verse 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling ways of God in the spirit for other temple imagery you can look at 1st Peter chapter 2 where Peter says we are living stones we are the temple of God you'll 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 in setting is the church FF 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 noticed 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 13 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 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 dropped down to verses 13 and 14 and God the Holy Spirit is highlighted he is the seal in the guarantee of our final redemption so the apostle this Trinitarian is he sets for that covenant of redemption and Ephesians 1 the Apostle hasn't forgotten his trinitarianism notice in verse 13 I'm sorry 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 that 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 is a believer or I hope it is the case as a believer you see how important the churches you see how absolutely crucial the church is and I think passages like these underscore it for us not just the idea that were 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 and all of the redemptive covenants that have been revealed it 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 preach as we participate in the Lord 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 First 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 father's he is not saying he is going to become a reprobate he is saying that outside of Israel is where other gods are worship they say but God is the Lord over the entirety of the earth yes he is 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 on her ass 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 worse up david can find god in and get in a cave and and getty david can find God wherever he is but he be holds the face of God specifically in the sanctuary of god psalm 63 to you see I think Paul has a bit of David in him in verse 22 when he speaks in these most lawfully aloft II words concerning the nature the significance the 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 underwater now with flooding I mean houses with water up to the roof it is a horrific state of affairs there a church perhaps as a church we ought to remember in our prayers tonight but Davis says this concerning David in First 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 the 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 bug you up would it bother you but would you say well now I get my whole Sunday to myself if church attendance or church membership is out 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 y'all way of hosts Davis 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 at a quiet cave you always face or presence was especially seen in the sanctuary Psalm 63 to 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 what that caused me anguish Christians have surpassed David and privileges but few have approached him in appetite 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 and 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 two verses 11 to 20 to Paul moves from the microcosm of individual salvation to the macrocosm of God's covenant old 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 had a 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 it's not 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 could 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 and 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 architectural e beautiful mr. lutein 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 this speak to his greatness so perhaps we wander into the Church of God and we don't see that splendour we don't see the jewels in the goal 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 land stand or in the midst of the lampstand look at Hebrews 12 to 12 for just a moment do you know who the true worship leader and the churches it's not the guy with the best singing voice it's not the guy with the music degree is 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 in Sinclair Ferguson as 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 say 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 to dwell with his corporate people as they gather with all out 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 were once aliens were once strangers for once chrysler's who were once hopeless who are once godless who were once homeless and he brings everybody in him to that place of benefit and privilege brother and 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 is the sons and 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 afar off would be brought nine through the blood of our Lord Jesus and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen turn your Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 11 as we observe now the Lord's Supper the first Corinthians chapter 11 remember what Paul is doing here the Apostle Paul is issuing a corrective to a sinful approach to the Lord's Supper the improper conduct going on at the church in Corinth is obviously in view Paul seeking to realign Christian observance of the Lord's Supper unto its proper dignity its proper respect that it should be shown first Corinthians 11 in verse 17 is where that begins so why don't we read this section here and we'll make some observations on the Lord's Supper but skipping past 23 to 26 will read a 17 to 22 and then 27 to 34 this is first Corinthians 11 beginning in verse 17 now in giving these instructions I do not praise you since you come together not for the better but for the worse for first of all when you come together as a church I hear that there are divisions among you and in part I believe it for there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you therefore when you come together in one place it is not to eat the Lord's Supper for in eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others and one is hungry and another is drunk what do you not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the Church of God and shame those who have nothing what shall I say to you shall I praise you in this I do not praise you therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord and an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body for this reason many are weak and are sick among you and many sleep for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged but when we are judged we are chasing by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world therefore my brethren when you come together to eat wait for one another but if another but if anyone is hungry let him eat at home lest you come together for judgment and the rest I will set in order when I come amen you see where we don't come to the Lord's Supper and we're not to come to it in a casual manner as a Protestant church we don't have the vainglorious pomp and circumstance of the Romish Church there is no march of pomp and circumstance with the wafer encased in some sort of golden sun there is no procession there is no magical pomp and circumstance going on but you see we are not to go on to the other extreme and approach the Lord's Supper in a casual manner there is to be a market solemnity to the Lord's Supper it is to be replete with significance and with dignity we come and you see we are not offering up in the Lord's Supper as real sacrifice for the sins of the quick and the dead but we are remembering that once for all sacrifice that Christ did render for the sins of the quick and the dead and in that we consecrate in a sense taking from a common use to a holy use the bread and the wine so that we might remember our Lord sacrifice for guilty sinners so we are to come to this and we are not to have an unwholesome and an ungodly conduct approaching it with sinfulness and in casualness but coming with hearts of Christian cheer and recognizing the solemnity of the event we come with a market dignity so that we might remember our Lord sacrifice on our behalf remember we come to this we read here that it was on the LAN the night in which the Lord Jesus was betrayed he took bread and he took wine were observing something tonight that's been observed by the Christian Church since the night in which Christ was betrayed blessed tradition not an empty ritual but again a ritual replete with significance dignity and hopefully great joy because it is not the case that we just come to this as a memorial meal it is that remembering that once for all perfect sacrifice but we are to come with sweet joy in our hearts because it is here at the supper that God spiritually nourishes his people he is ordained means whereby he strengthens us in our faith the preaching of the word baptism and the lord's supper prayer and other means ordained by him and so now we come and we remember our Savior and were spiritually nourished by our God remember that this is an ordinance for believers only if you're here tonight and you are a believer then you get to participate with great joy and this blessed ordinance if you're here and you're an unbeliever you get to witness and observe with your eyes and ordinance of high significance but you are not to take because those who take in an unworthy manner if you're an unbeliever and you take it is a it is too slight God it is to do violence to the finished and perfect blood of the Lord Jesus Christ because his sacrifice that is being remembered was rendered for the sins of his people and those who are not his are not to take but ask us the question afterwards why can't I take will come to you with the sweetness of the gospel well remember that the when the wine comes around the juice is in the outer ring so if you would like to have the juice when we get to that the juice is in the outer ring remember that when we observe when we take the bread and when we take the wine this is a living picture of the gospel we've said this before that the reason we don't have crucifixes with Christ on them the reasons reason why the walls are not bedecked with artists for the second commandment to be sure but also because the cross is to be preached if the cross was preached rightly Calvin said at romas churches there wouldn't be no need for crosses made of wooden gold and we also have the living ordinance which is a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ the blood that the wine as we drink it our hearts are to be cheered remember that this is an ordinance of remembrance that is to stir our hearts unto holy contemplation of our Blessed Christ we are when we take the bread and when we take the the wine we are to be as as Spurgeon says we are to desire in our hearts that we coulda fixed tongues to every drop of the blood of Christ that our hearts might be stirred and rise in mutiny against the coldness and the languor of a heart that can so often forget a Christ we are to remember him with the burning remembrance as we partake of these elements well if I could ask the brothers to come up to pass out the bread and as they do that when you have it we will read from first Corinthians 11 23 and 24 but as you are staying seated in your seats you can take your you can take your hymn books and you can turn to hymn number one ninety two stay seated and we'll sing hymn 192 together you you the Apostle Paul writes in first Corinthians 11 verse 23 for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of me let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you and we can now gather for this observance of the Lord's Supper we rejoice in what it preaches to us the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ he giving himself for guilty sinners and as we now partake of this bread we pray that you would cause our hearts to be stirred to a burning remembrance of our Christ to upon Calvary's tree abour your wrath in our stead we thank you that he in his body received breach upon breach and this was because we breach upon breach broke your law we thank you that he bore our penalty and we sing the praises of such a glorious act of salvation we pray now as we take that we would remember joyfully and with that measure of solemnity this blessed sacrifice of our Savior and that we would be nourished by you in this act of observance and we pray in price precious name amen let's take together well you can stay seated and you can turn in your hymn books this time to him number 188 will stay seated as the brothers if you could come up and pass the wine a reminder that the juice is in the odor rangel stay seated and sing 188 together rehearsing the words of our Savior Paul goes on to write verse 25 in the same manner he also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood this do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes Amen will let us again pray Heavenly Father we rejoice now that we can take of the wine we thank you for this a living symbol of the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we know that his blood shed was that perfect blood of the new covenant a shed for the forgiveness of sins and we thank you that you have called us and you're appointed and accept a time to avail that blessed remission that blessed forgiveness of sins and we remember our Savior in this act and pray that you would help our hearts again to be stirred to a burning remembrance as we take this noun throughout the week as we also reflect upon the Lord and His perfect sacrifice we pray that you would arouse our souls to high thoughts of such a glorious Savior and it's in Christ's name that we pray amen let's take together do we have a closing him down there the doxology oh sorry okay it does say doxology that's right well let's stand and sing together the doxology if you don't know what that is it's Roman numeral 16 but let's stand and sing that together the doxology now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen Heavenly Father we pray that you would go with us now help us to rejoice and you are god help us to rejoice in our Christ of so great a salvation help us to sing the praises of Amazing Grace and as we go out into this week we pray that you would cause us each and every day to rise with hearts rejoicing in you and those hearts that seek to bring honor to you in this lower world so go with us now and bring us back in another weeks time to your house that we may enjoy your presence and that we might again sing the praises of our triune God it's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray amen we'll have a brief time of prayer when the piano is finished you're free to leave