Our Peace Ephesians 2:11-22 Adapted from a Jim Black sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp? ContributorID=&SermonID=54536

1. Adapted from a Jim Black sermon
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?
ContributorID=&SermonID=54536

2. Ephesians 2:11 NET Therefore remember
that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh
— who are called "uncircumcision" by the
so-called "circumcision" that is performed
on the body by human hands — 12 that you
were at that time without the Messiah,
alienated from the citizenship of Israel and
strangers to the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the
world.

3. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to
be far away have been brought near by the
blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, the
one who made both groups into one and
who destroyed the middle wall of partition,
the hostility, 15 when he nullified in his flesh
the law of commandments in decrees.

4. He did this to create in himself one new
man out of two, thus making peace, 16 and
to reconcile them both in one body to God
through the cross, by which the hostility has
been killed. 17 And he came and preached
peace to you who were far off and peace to
those who were near, 18 so that through
him we both have access in one Spirit to
the Father.

5. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners
and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens
with the saints and members of God's
household, 20 because you have been built
on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the
cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building,
being joined together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are
being built together into a dwelling place of
God in the Spirit.

6. Jesus has brought peace; destroying the
walls between us and making his people
ONE in him.
Christians are encouraged with the
message of reconciliation in Jesus,
vertically (with God) and
horizontally (with fellow mankind.)

17. They don‟t have cows anymore that might
stray onto the other‟s property! Just trees.
So why is the wall there? Hasn‟t the time
come that its purpose no longer exists?
Yet, it remains . . . why?
Because it‟s always been there?

18. The truth is, it‟s human nature to construct
walls, isn‟t it? In our neighborhoods, we
build our houses and then hold up inside of
them rarely venturing out to get to know our
neighbors. I mean really get to know them.
In society in general, we construct walls.
There are the walls which still divide black
and white even 149 years after The
Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery
in America.

19. There are walls which divide gender, men
and women; there are walls of social status,
the divide of affluent and the poor. Walls are
all around us! And for many, perhaps they
help us feel comfortable, protected,
unchallenged. Surely that‟s how it was for
1st century Gentiles to whom Paul is writing
his letter of Ephesians! We see in todays
text this divide between Jew & Gentile!

20. Ephesians is about the church. Paul is
writing it to the saints who make up the
church at Ephesus to be circulated among
other area churches to show them how to
be the church! He will concentrate later on
some of the moral implications of being in
Christ.

21. He has emphasized the blessings that are
found in Christ, the power that is found in
Christ; & he has reminded these Christians
from whence they came, “you were
dead…in your sins.” (Eph 2:1) But ALL of
THIS has been to show the church how to
be the church! God is about building His
church! But, as any good construction
worker can tell you, before you can build,
some things have to go!

22. 11 Therefore remember that formerly you,
the Gentiles in the flesh — who are called
"uncircumcision" by the so-called
"circumcision" that is performed on the body
by human hands — 12 that you were at that
time without the Messiah, alienated from
the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the
covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world.

23. Paul starts out this passage by saying,
“Remember the WALL!”
Paul is talking to Gentiles, here, (like us)
"uncircumcision" was a typical &
disrespectful term used by the Jews (“The
Chosen”) "circumcision" to describe the
Gentiles. They were heathens, clearly NOT
the people of God! It would be hard to
adequately describe in today‟s terms the
disdain that Jews had for Gentiles (& vice
versa- no doubt).

24. As wide as the divide has been between
whites & blacks in America– I don‟t think
that quite does it justice. As bitter the divide
right now between some fundamentalist
Moslems and Christians – that‟s not the
same thing either! The divide was racial-
but extended far beyond race. It was
political- but extended far beyond politics. It
was religious- but extended far beyond
religion.

25. Josephus the Jewish historian wrote about
the warning signs that were on the barrier
that separated the court of the gentiles from
the other courts in the Temple. Not until
recent times did archaeologists actually
discover one. Its seven-line inscription read
as follows:
Here‟s a picture of an actual stone the
warning was written on.

27. This was a serious divide! Imagine how
difficult it must have been for either group to
extend the other the right hand of
fellowship!
But remember, Paul is talking to Gentile
CHRISTIANS! They were Gentiles in the
flesh but they were now Christians and now
a part of the church at Ephesus. Paul tells
them to remember when they were
separated from God!

28. Remember when that wall had separated
them from God! Separation from Christ/God
is the very definition of spiritual death! They
were excluded from citizenship among
God‟s chosen people; „foreigners,‟ strangers
to the covenant, the promise of God. They
were without HOPE because they were
without God!

29. Why does Paul want them to remember?
Because a person needs to remember „how
bad it was before Christ‟ before they can
appreciate „how sweet it is in Christ.‟
There was this bitter wall which had
separated them (not just from the Jews) but
from God!

30. In 1949, following the defeat of Nazi
Germany in WW II and the re-organization
of Europe, the nation of Germany was
divided into East & West. In the East a
communist government was set up under
the influence of the Soviet Union. In the
West a free, democratic government was
set up and benefitted greatly from the
Marshall Plan & the economics of free
enterprise.

31. Life became much better in the West for
German citizens. The city of Berlin became
a crucible where these divided philosophies
would literally divide the city. Fearful of
losing many of its citizens, East Germany
closed the border between the two states in
1952.

32. But that didn‟t keep an estimated 2.5 million
East Germans from fleeing to West
Germany between 1949 -1961. So, in 1961
the East German government built the
Berlin Wall and strictly enforcing such
defections. The wall stood for almost 30
years as a very real and symbolic divide
between the East & the West.

34. When you hear those words do you recall
images just a few years later when the wall
was quite literally torn down? In November
of 1987, the East German government held
a press conference and lifted travel
restrictions between the two Germanys.
And Germans (both from the East & the
West) scaled the wall and danced in
celebration! Today nothing of it remains in a
united Germany. The wall is just gone, a
thing of the past.

35. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to
be far away have been brought near by the
blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, the
one who made both groups into one and
who destroyed the middle wall of partition,
the hostility,

36. 15 when he nullified in his flesh the law of
commandments in decrees. He did this to
create in himself one new man out of two,
thus making peace, 16 and to reconcile
them both in one body to God through the
cross, by which the hostility has been killed.
17 And he came and preached peace to
you who were far off and peace to those
who were near, 18 so that through him we
both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

37. Christ has torn down the wall that had
divided for so long! We typically think of
„Peace‟ as the absence of war; especially in
our time when that peace is threatened and
the issue of war is a reality.

38. When I think of „peace‟ my mind conjures
up images of those who were protesting the
war in the 60‟s who created their own sub-
culture and came to be known as
„peaceniks‟. That‟s NOT the kind of peace
that Paul is talking about here! Peace is not
JUST the absence of hostility, it is much
more!

39. It has its roots in the Old Testament concept
of “shalom”, a fundamental Jewish concept
even today. Shalom is a much more
comprehensive term for salvation and life
with God. It means wholeness,
completeness, well-being, prosperity. In
other words: Shalom is the way things
SHOULD be; the ideal!

40. The webbing together of God, humans, and
all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight
is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom.
We call it peace but it means far more than
mere peace of mind or a cease-fire
between enemies. In the Bible, shalom
means universal flourishing, wholeness and
delight –

41. a rich state of affairs in which natural needs
are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully
employed, a state of affairs that inspires
joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior
opens doors and welcomes the creatures in
whom he delights. Shalom, in other words,
is the way things ought to be.
(Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin,
Cornelius Plantinga)

42. Christ has restored the ideal by destroying
the wall and bringing Jew & Gentile
together! Notice, the two are made one in
Him! “He did this to create in himself one
new man out of two, thus making peace.”
The Gentiles who had been so far away
from God, separated by so much, have
been brought near!

43. Israel, too, who had been awaiting this
coming Messiah, but had failed him
miserably in their keeping of the law.
Reconciliation happens thru the blood of
Christ, what God has done in Christ. Paul
makes it known, all of this happens IN
CHRIST! We were walled away from God
and Christ tore down that wall!

44. Notice the fullness of the Godhead in vs.
18– what happens as a result of this
reconciliation. through
him [Christ] we both have access in one
Spirit to the Father. With the barriers gone,
we ALL (Jew, Gentile, male, female, black,
white, etc.) have full access to the Father,
through him [Christ] because we share the
one Spirit.
FATHER-SON-SPIRIT

45. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners
and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens
with the saints and members of God's
household, 20 because you have been built
on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the
cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building,
being joined together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord,

46. 22 in whom you also are being built
together into a dwelling place of God in the
Spirit.
As we said, in order to build, one must tear
down first. Now, with the wall torn down,
God has built his church; the house of God.
Notice who is in this house. “you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members of
God's household.”

47. In other words, we‟re FAMILY! An amazing
thing happened when Christ removed that
barrier between us and Himself! He also
tore down the barriers that we build
between ourselves and other people!
His church is to be a place where all people
can come and share together, equally!

48. Galatians 3:28 NET There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female — for all of
you are one in Christ Jesus.
The ground at the cross is level! This
„peace‟; the restored relationship; is both
Vertical & Horizontal! Between us and God;
between you and me! Too many people
believe that religion is only what a person
does when they are alone with God.

49. They forget that the vertical relationship
with God expresses itself in the horizontal
relationships with people. Christianity is to
be lived out in community with other
Christians!
The text did NOT say, “He is my peace,” but
rather “He is our peace.”

50. This house seems to be on pretty solid
footing “..built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets.” As the foundation
sustains the building, so the word of God,
declared by the apostles and prophets,
sustains the faith of all believers. God laid
the foundation by them; but Christ himself is
the chief corner (Wesley)

51. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NET So then, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old
has passed away — look, what is new has
come! 18 And all these things are from God
who reconciled us to himself through Christ,
and who has given us the ministry of
reconciliation.

52. 19 In other words, in Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself, not
counting people's trespasses against them,
and he has given us the message of
reconciliation. 20 Therefore we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God
were making His plea through us. We plead
with you on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled
to God!"

53. The message: Reconciliation–
“The Wall has come down!”
The messengers: the ambassadors like
Paul to whom this message had been
committed.
But the Cornerstone is Jesus Christ,
himself! He is the most important stone in
THIS building! The Cornerstone in ancient
buildings were the primary load-bearing
stones that determined how solid the
building was going to be.

54. It set the plumb-line (so to speak) for the
rest of the building.
God‟s church would be built upon the
ROCK: Jesus Christ, himself!
Matthew 16:13 NET When Jesus came to
the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, "Who do people say that the Son
of Man is?" 14 They answered, "Some say
John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

55. 15 He said to them, "But who do you say
that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17
And Jesus answered him, "You are blessed,
Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and
blood did not reveal this to you, but my
Father in heaven! 18 And I tell you that you
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not
overpower it.

56. He sets the standard for the church, the
world doesn‟t.
He sets the agenda for the church, the
world doesn‟t. In fact, the Christian
community has no other reason to exist
other than Christ himself.

57. What does this message have to say to us?
The only thing Paul tells us to DO in this
text is REMEMBER.
11a Therefore remember that formerly you,
the Gentiles in the flesh
If this is God‟s Word to His church, what
does this have to say to the walls that we
erect? Among Christians, what walls exist
among us? Are there still walls which divide
the affluent & the poor? The black & the
white?

58. What about less obvious walls like between
the old & the young; or the long-timer
members vs. the new comers? Are we
doing everything we can to be welcoming of
EVERYBODY? Does everybody find a
comfortable place within our family? Who
are we walling in or out . . . even
unintentionally & unknowingly?

59. If this is God‟s Word to His church, what
does this have to say about our foundation?
Who or What is this church founded upon?
What is our cornerstone? Is it Jesus Christ
or ourselves? Our own works or abilities? If
tomorrow the very foundations of this
congregation were shaken to the very core
and everything changed...

60. If all of a sudden the government told us
that it would be illegal to worship our God
and our building was burned down in front
of us...if our church leaders were arrested
and hauled off to prison...what would be
left? Could this church survive being
shaken to the very core? I know that it
would if it is built upon the chief
cornerstone: Jesus Christ! But if it‟s just
built upon men, -even elders & deacons, or
preachers- or programs, or traditions– what
would happen?

61. This text is a call for the church to be the
CHURCH!
TO BE:
*family!
*A place of reconciliation!
*A place where the walls are let down and
open & honest, real relationships are
formed!
*A place where Jesus is central & at the
heart & core of everything we do!

62. And it‟s a call for US to be the type of
Christians that can form a church such as
this!
The invitation of Jesus is offered to you
today.
It‟s an invitation that is
ALWAYS open!

63. Have you had the dividing wall between you
and God broken down? Have you
committed your life to Jesus Christ who SO
wants to destroy that wall for you? Have
you turned from the sins of your past,
named Him as the Lord of your life and
committed your life to Him by being
baptized into Christ, having your sins
washed away? If not, let us encourage you
to do so today!