Prior to becoming a pastor, I used to daydream a lot about what my life would be like when I was actively pastoring a church. I wondered where I would serve and what kind of context I would serve in. I also wondered if I would lead a church in a traditional sense or if I might become more directly involved in church planting. By God's grace, He has allowed me to do both, and I'm truly grateful for the amazing things He has allowed me to witness in the process.
Several years ago, a church about 30 minutes away from where we live closed down. The building was turned over to us and we were given the opportunity to attempt to plant a new church in the location. The building needed lots of repair, and we also needed to find long-term leadership to serve there once we got it going. That process is still underway, but I'm grateful for some of the things the Lord has already done in that location.
One of the greatest blessings we've experienced there has been to see what the Lord is doing in the life of a woman named Beth. Beth has lived in the town for decades, and just before we opened the church, her husband passed away at a relatively young age. Beth's background is Jewish, and she could sense that in the midst of her grief, she really needed the presence of God in her life. When she heard that the church was opening up in town, she decided to come and visit to see what it was all about.
Soon after, Beth came to faith in Jesus. She has come to trust in Him as her Messiah and Lord. Her faith is still new, and there's a lot of things she's currently attempting to learn about Scripture, but recently she asked me to clarify some details about what the Bible teaches regarding God's plan for the Jewish people. It was a fascinating discussion, and one of the books of the New Testament that I encouraged her to read was Ephesians because it teaches us how God desires to unite Jews who believe in Jesus and Gentiles who believe in Jesus into one new body, the church.
The portion of Scripture we're looking at today emphasizes that union. It also demonstrates that God has not called us to live our lives spiritually alone, or spiritually alienated from Him and His promises.
I. Jesus invites us to be near to Him
““Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to 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.” ”
Have you ever felt insulted or put down? How does it make you feel? How does it impact the nature of your relationships with those who choose to do that? Recently, it started to become obvious to me that a friend of mine has a bad habit of doing that. I still consider him a friend, but his humor mainly consists of put downs, and he usually focuses on appearance or physical characteristics. I know enough psychology to realize that most likely means he's feeling insecure about these traits himself, but I definitely don't appreciate the things he jokes about.
In this portion of Scripture, Paul begins by reminding his readers of an insult or put-down that they were familiar with. In that era, it was an insult for a Gentile to be referred to as "uncircumcised" by a Jewish person. Physically speaking, it may have been accurate, but it was meant to demean more so than to describe. It was a way for a Jewish person to say, "You are obviously outside of the covenental blessings of God and I think of you as an unclean person. You are not part of our fellowship You are excluded."
“And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?””
Paul, a man who grew up Jewish, used that as an example to the early believers who weren't Jewish by birth to illustrate something special Jesus has done for those who were once spiritually ostracized. It's true that the Gentiles were once separated from Christ, alienated from God, unfamiliar with the promises of God, and without hope in this world. But Jesus came to fix all of that.
When Christ gave His life and shed His blood on the cross, He atoned for the sins of all who trust in Him, regardless of their ethnic background. His blood cleanses Jews who trust in Him and Gentiles who do so. And He gives us a new identity in Him as He draws us unto Himself. We who were once distant from Him are invited to come near to Him.
As you examine your heart, are you convinced that Jesus is near to you and that He welcomes you into His presence?
II. Jesus is offering us peace through Him
“ “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” ”
When I was in high school, I distinctly remember the Berlin Wall in Germany being torn down. I remember how excited people were to see East and West Germany united together again. And even though those events were taking place in a different culture from our own, many patriotic Americans celebrated this union because it also offered visible evidence that communism was collapsing as well.
During the era of the Cold War, there was considerable hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union collapsed, that hostility lessened, at least to a degree. But if you want to see an example of hostility that has existed for many centuries, just look at the historical interactions between the Gentile nations and the Jewish people. It isn't pretty. When you look into the history of what has taken place, there are some dark and murderous examples of how that division was acted upon.
But Jesus came to tear down that wall of hostility and offer us peace through Him. Scripture tells us that Jesus came to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Old Testament law, and then make peace between Jews and Gentiles by uniting us into one body, the church.
As Jesus was crucified and His arms were stretched out on that cross, you can say that in a sense, one arm was reaching into the past toward the Jewish people whom the covenants were given to and the prophets were sent to, and one arm was reaching into the future toward the Gentiles who were also being invited to become part of the family of God.
In His sacrificial death, Jesus was seeking to reconcile us. To reconcile means to take something that's far away and bring it near. Through Jesus, we who were distant from God are brought near to Him and made part of His family. And as He offers that kind of reconciliation for Jews and Gentiles at the same time, what He's also doing is granting us the opportunity to be reconciled to each other as well. In His work on the cross, Jesus tore down the dividing wall of hostility, and we don't need to live with that kind of animosity toward one another any longer.
And as Jesus offers us this kind of spiritual reconciliation, don't forget that this is meant to be lived out in our daily lives as well. We live as men and women who are confident that we're welcomed into the presence of God, and we're also called to demonstrate that same kind of reconciliation toward the people God has placed in our lives. Who are you living at a distance from that the Lord might be impressing upon your heart to reconcile with?
III. The Holy Spirit is building up those who are united to Jesus
“ “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” ”
Many people know that I'm a big music fan. I enjoy just about all genres, and one of the heavier sounding bands that I've been enjoying for a long time is a group called Skillet. A few months ago, I had the privilege to meet John Cooper, the lead singer, and our conversation went so well that he invited my family to hang out with the band prior to one of the their concerts. We were strangers, but now I consider him a friend.
And on a deeper level, isn't it a relief to know that through Christ, we are friends of God? Isn't it a relief to know that we aren't considered strangers or aliens to the kingdom of God? Through Jesus, we have been given citizenship in God's kingdom and we've been made members of His own household.
As men and women who are united to Christ, we're also being invested in. The Holy Spirit is actively building us up. The ministry He accomplished through the lives and the teaching of the apostles and the prophets is having an impact on our present day growth. And all believers, regardless of background or heritage, are being built into a holy temple where the presence of God is dwelling. Jesus is the cornerstone of this temple.
When you look at many buildings, you'll find a cornerstone, and the date of the building's construction is often etched into it.
““In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction.” ”
How perfectly fitting is it that Paul refers to Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith. As the church is built, one life at a time, one living stone at a time, we're being pointed toward Jesus, and all aspects of our lives are to be lived in reference to Him and in reverence for Him.
It takes time, patience, and a lot of work to build a building or to build a life. Some people spend their lives like wrecking balls or arsonists that just want to tear others down. Maybe you've been on the receiving end of that kind of activity. But we can be grateful that the Spirit of God is actively building us up in Christ.
As you reflect on what has been revealed to us in Ephesians 2:11-22, please remember that Jesus invites us to be near Him, Jesus offers us peace through Him, and the Holy Spirit is actively building up those who are united to Him.
© John Stange, 2021
