All Members of God's Household

SERMON INTRODUCTION:

“We've been in Ephesians two. It's been all about the power of the gospel to resurrect those who are spiritually dead in their sins. That's where it began.

They are not only reconciled to God through the gospel but shockingly, they are reconciled to those with whom they were formerly divided in a deeply entrenched wall of hostility, it talked about, between Jew and Gentile. This was all done in Christ. That phrase ‘in Christ’ is really important to understand all of this.

We saw last week the emphasis on the blood of Christ that creates a people of God, and the people of God are made up of many different parts, sometimes formerly hostile parts coming together, and it said he himself is our peace. Jesus himself is our peace.

So those who were far off have been brought near. Both Jew and Gentile stand on level ground before God, both having access, it says, to one spirit, to the Heavenly Father. Both have access to him.

Today's passage concludes chapter two by describing the final outcome of the power of the gospel in creating this people. We're going to see, that our primary claim is, that all believers are being joined together and built into God's dwelling place on earth.

We have a strong tendency to think in individual terms to act in kind of singular, me-centered ways. That is our tendency, and this tendency comes from our flesh, it comes from the culture, but it does not come from the Bible. We will again be challenged to think and to act collectively, because God has created a people, and we are that people, we are the church.”

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