I AM RECONCILED

EPHESIANS 2:11-2211 Therefore, remember thatformerly you who are Gentiles by birthand called “uncircumcised” by thosewho call themselves “thecircumcision” (which is done in thebody by human hands)—

EPHESIANS 2:11-2212 remember that at that time you wereseparate from Christ, excluded fromcitizenship in Israel and foreigners tothe covenants of the promise, withouthope and without God in theworld. 13 But now in Christ Jesus youwho once were far away have beenbrought near by the blood of Christ.

EPHESIANS 2:11-2214 For He himself is our peace, who hasmade the two groups one and hasdestroyed the barrier, the dividing wallof hostility, 15 by setting aside in Hisflesh the law with its commands andregulations. His purpose was to createin Himself one new humanity out of thetwo, thus making peace,

EPHESIANS 2:11-2216 and in one body to reconcile both ofthem to God through the cross, bywhich He put to death theirhostility. 17 He came and preachedpeace to you who were far away andpeace to those who were near. 18 Forthrough Him we both have access tothe Father by one Spirit.

EPHESIANS 2:11-2219 Consequently, you are no longerforeigners and strangers, but fellowcitizens with God’s people and alsomembers of His household, 20 built onthe foundation of the apostles andprophets, with Christ Jesus Himself asthe Chief Cornerstone.

EPHESIANS 2:11-2221 In Him the whole building is joinedtogether and rises to become a holytemple in the Lord. 22 And in Him youtoo are being built together to becomea dwelling in which God lives by HisSpirit.

A DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY

Every where you go in the world there are conflicts and there are dividing

walls among them.

Physical realities often illustrate spiritual realities, that when we see

barriers between people, they represent spiritual barriers as well.

THE HOLY TEMPLE with its wall of separation

PriestsReligious LeadersJewish MenJewish WomenGentiles

Crossing the wall = Death Sentence

There was a literal and spiritual dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the

Gentiles.

And as this relates to the theme of our study in Ephesians on identity, I told you previously, if you idolize, you demonize.

If you idolize your race, you demonize other races.

If you idolize your culture,

you demonize other cultures.

If you idolize your nation,

you demonize other nations.

If you idolize your gender,

you demonize other genders.

If you idolize your political party,

you demonize other political

parties.

When we idolize, we are finding our identity in our tribe, and then we

declare war on their tribe, and that’s identity idolatry.

And that was, assuredly, some of what was going on here in Paul’s letter to the

Ephesians, and it’s what’s behind what we call racism, and classism, sexism, and the

like.

JEW AND GENTILE ARE RECONCILED

IN CHRIST

So the first thing the Apostle Paul wants us to know is that Jew and Gentile are

reconciled in Christ. Here’s how he says it in:

EPHESIANS 2:11-1511 Therefore, remember thatformerly you who are Gentiles by birthand called “uncircumcised” by thosewho call themselves “the circumcision”(which is done in the body by humanhands)—

EPHESIANS 2:11-1512 remember that at that time you wereseparate from Christ, excluded fromcitizenship in Israel and foreigners tothe covenants of the promise, withouthope and without God in theworld. 13 But now in Christ Jesus youwho once were far away have beenbrought near by the blood of Christ.

EPHESIANS 2:11-1514 For He himself is our peace, who hasmade the two groups one and hasdestroyed the barrier, the dividing wallof hostility, 15 by setting aside in Hisflesh the law with its commands andregulations. His purpose was to createin Himself one new humanity out of thetwo, thus making peace.

Circumcised vs Uncircumcised

Circumcisionoutward sign of an inward covenant

with God

THE GENTILES

The Uncircumcision

Separated from Christ

Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel

The UncircumcisionStrangers to the covenants of promise

No hopeWithout God in the world

THE JEWS

The Circumcision

Holy unto the LordChosen peopleA royal priesthood

The Circumcision

God's treasured possessionThe apple (pupil) of His eyeGod's covenant people (dearly loved, favored and blessed)

But these people were not sinless.

They are holy because God has set them apart, and loved, and forgiven them, but

it’s not because they are any better.

Abraham started as a pagan Gentile.

God saved him by grace through faith.

The Bible, it says, “Abraham believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as

righteousness,” that he was saved by faith through trusting in the grace of God.

Who was Abraham?

Nehemiah 9:7

God chose Abram and brought him out

of Ur of the Chaldeans, and changed

his name to Abraham.

Who was Abraham?

Acts 7:2-42 To this he replied: “Brothers andfathers, listen to me! The God of gloryappeared to our father Abraham while hewas still in Mesopotamia, before he livedin Harran. 3 ‘Leave your country andyour people,’ God said, ‘and go to theland I will show you.’

Who was Abraham?

Acts 7:2-44 “So he left the land of the Chaldeansand settled in Harran. After the death ofhis father, God sent him to this landwhere you are now living.

Who was Abraham?

From Mesopotamia to Haran, then fromHaran to the Promised Land.

Note:

Abraham did not receive the promise but

saw it from afar.

Who was Abraham?

He became the father of all who put their

trust in the Lord.

Are you proud of your

religious legacy?

If we're honest about our history and our

family history

1. There's a lot we're embarrassed of -

there were a lot of sins in there;

skeletons in the closet

2. We all come from a bunch of godless

pagans.

When Christianity began, it was largelymade up of Jews. But then Gentilesbegan receiving Christ, too.

Conflict! What do we do?

Religious Jews = circumcise them,initiate them into the Jewish way oflife

Paul = Christ is the substance, changemust not be outward but inward, the markof being a Christian is not circumcision ofthe flesh but a circumcision of the heart.

ONE NEW MAN

Every believer is in Christ whether Jewor Gentile. We become one new man ornew race in Christ.

We are no longer Jews or Gentiles but

Christians!

When a bride is married to the groom, thebride takes on a new identity, the identityof her husband. The two become one newman.

• We were brought near.

• We have access in one Spirit tothe Father.

Two Things

1. Old things may explain us, but they

no longer define us in Christ.

"I am Pinoy. This is my gender, family,history, tradition.“ That might explain you,but it no longer defines you.

Two things

2. There is a difference between

cultural preferences and cultural

prejudices.

Issues of style vs. issues of sin.We should not be quick to judge othersas wrong and that we are right.

YOU AND GOD ARE RECONCILED IN

CHRIST

1. God vs. you2. God vs. sinner3. Creator vs. created4. Holy vs. sinner5. Infinite vs. finite

In our relationship with God, He’s theoffended party. We’ve sinned against

Him.

Psalm 51:4-54 Against You, You only, have I sinnedand done what is evil in Your sight;so You are right in Your verdict andjustified when You judge. 5 Surely I wassinful at birth, sinful from the time mymother conceived me.

• We're all sinners by nature and choice.• We've rebelled against God.• We've declared war against God by our

wicked ways.

So, what does God do?

15 “That He might create in Himselfone new man in place of the two, somaking peace, 16 and might reconcileus both to God in one body throughthe cross.

EPHESIANS2:15-18

“Thereby killing the hostility. 17 AndHe came and preached peace to youwho were far off, and to those whowere near. 18 For through Him wehave access in one Spirit to the

Father.”

EPHESIANS2:15-18

The spiritual barrier of sin has been removed, and now God dwells in us

and God dwells with us.

YOU AND OTHERS ARE RECONCILED IN CHRIST.

19 “So then, you are no longerstrangers and aliens, but are fellowcitizens with the saints, and members ofthe household of God, 20 built on thefoundation of the apostles and theprophets, Christ Jesus Himself beingthe Cornerstone,

EPHESIANS 2:19-22

21 in whom the whole structure, beingjoined together, grows into a holytemple in the Lord. 22 In Him you alsoare being built together into adwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

EPHESIANS 2:19-22

The cornerstone is Jesus = everything rises and falls with Jesus

It's all about Jesus.

And when we come together, God is eminent. He is present with us through

the power of the Holy Spirit. He is reminding us that we’re reconciled to Him and one another. He is revealing

to the world the reconciliation that happens in Christ.

All barriers have now been removed and the Holy Spirit is with us. Just like He

used to be present in the Holy of Holies, He’s present in the praise of God’s

people.

“We are “a holy temple in the Lord.” That’s our new identity, that’s our new

activity, because together in Christ, God’s made us a new community.

Ideas have consequences.

Evolution vs CreationPrejudice vs Equality

Uniformity vs Unity in diversity