INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• We welcome you this morning.
• We are in the middle of a series entitled, “Reasons For My Heart To Beat.”
• This series is designed to give us reasons to have passion about our faith. As we examine each of the reasons for our heart to beat, we will come to realize how exciting it is to be able to possess and live out our faith in Jesus.
• We have already looked at three reasons for our heart to beat, To Praise His Glory, To Know His Power, and to Show His Grace. If you missed these messages, go to our web site to the Sermon Audio link or go to ITunes link on the same page to download the podcasts.
• Today we add reason #4, To Build His Church. This one can come across as self-serving because of my position with FCC, but I assure that is not the case, we need to realize that FCC is HIS church, not mine.
• The Church is something special to God and Jesus.
• SLIDE #2
• Ephesians 5:25–27 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
• When we look at how things were compared to the way things are now, it should excite us at the prospect of being a part of His Body, the church.
• Jesus is coming back for the church and we need to do all we can to make sure as many people are a part of HIS church, not just FCC, the body of Christ is much larger than just FCC, FCC is a part of the body.
• At FCC we want each person to feel like and play an important part in body of Christ, the church.
• Today let’s look at some reasons why we can be and should be excited to Build HIS Church!
• Let’s begin in verses 11-12.
• SLIDE #3
• Ephesians 2:11–12 (HCSB) 11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• SLIDE #4
SERMON
I. You were excluded from His Church.
• Have you ever been excluded from some club or organization?
• Did a group of people you knew when you were young have a club that involved as clubhouse or tree house that you wanted so desperately to be a part of only to be told no?
• WE do this in college with Fraternities and Sororities.
• Augusta National Golf Club is one of those exclusive clubs that is very prestigious. It is located in Augusta Georgia. This place was so tight African Americans were not allowed to join until 1990 and the first two women were not allowed to join until August of 2012 Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore were allowed to join.
• I am not going to say too much about Augusta other than do you all know what century we live in now?
• Today we find people being excluded from groups or organizations based on skin color or sometimes gender to be reprehensible.
• DO you know there was a time when GOD sort of excluded people because of NATIONALITY? There was a time when only the nation of Israel was chosen by God for favor.
• Follow me here.
• Who was God’s CHOSEN people? The Nation of Israel. Where were not chosen? Everyone else.
• Now as a side note, the Nation of Israel was to be an example of how great it was for God to be your God and they were to influence the other nations, but many times throughout history, the Jewish nation fell short.
• Well, Paul is writing to a predominantly Gentile (non-Jewish audience) and he is reminding them of the past.
• Verse 11 reminds them that at one time the Jews (circumcised) would label the non-Jew as uncircumcised and it was not meant to be taken in a positive way.
• Pretty much all of us in this room today at one time would not have been able to be here.
• In the Temple there were places where those who were not circumcised could not enter. So what is the big deal about not being to be in the club, I can just start my own and then EXCLUDE THEM!
• Verse 12 gives us the implications and they were serious, there was more than just not knowing the secret handshake.
• 12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• First at that time we would have been without the Messiah!
• We would have had no knowledge of the Messiah, no interest in the Messiah or no blessings from the Messiah as a result.
• Membership has its privileges and we would have experienced NONE of them!
• Second, we were excluded from citizenship of Israel!
• This means we had not rights to the promises and inheritance of God simply because we were not born as Jews. They were cut off from the community of God!
• Third, we were foreigners to the covenants of the promise.
• All the promises and covenants God made with Israel were not for you.
• Finally because of all the above you would have been without hope and without God in the world.
• They had their gods, as we did, but those gods were not real.
• When in that state they may not have known any better but looking back they can realize all the blessings they would have missed had something not changed.
• Being excluded was not a good thing and much worse than being excluded from the clubhouse when we were children.
• Let’s look at what changed.
• SLIDE #5
• Ephesians 2:13–18 (HCSB) 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, 15 He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. 17 When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
• SLIDE #6
II. Jesus opened the church doors for you!
• I love verse 13; there is that small word with a BIG punch, BUT…
• 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
• In Christ all that stuff we would have otherwise missed out on, we now can possess! WHAT A BLESSING!
• 14 For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.
• He is our PEACE. What this means is the barrier (LAW) which used to separate us Jew from Gentile, in Jesus that barrier has been torn down!
• Also since our first sin puts us at war with God; Jesus is the peacemaker between sinful man and a holy God.
• Now it is not a matter of heritance or nationality it is an issue of acceptance! Acceptance of Jesus as your savior. This is yet another reason as to why you cannot save yourself outside of Jesus! He did this by dying for you!
• He also nailed the Old Testament Law to the Cross!
• SLIDE #7
• Colossians 2:13–14 (HCSB)And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.
• We are not judged by the 10 Commandants although they can still expose weaknesses and needs in our lives. The LAW can neither save us nor condemn us, in Christ that is over!
• Jesus especially through the Apostles would preach the gospel to ALL so that ALL could be saved!
• Because of Jesus we can all enter the doors of His church and when He returns, HIS kingdom!
• God has given you an opportunity, and opportunity to be a part of His family, the church (the body of Christ) and to be a part of His family for eternity!
• He is also giving you the opportunity to bring others in! Let’s look at verses 19-22!
• SLIDE #8
• Ephesians 2:19–22 (HCSB) 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
• SLIDE #9
III. Jesus gave us the foundation to build a big Church.
• I love verse 19!
• The word SO THEN indicates that since we have a relationship with Jesus we get to receive all these wonderful benefits!
• 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,
• You have not been excluded; you are no longer considered strangers or outsiders in Christ!
• You can be a fellow citizen of Heaven and be a part of the Body of Christ, the Church; you can be a member of the very household of God! Much better than any other exclusive club in this world!
• Now here is what is really exciting.
• When I was young we used to build tree-houses club-houses, they were limited in size so only so many could be a part of the club. In the case of the tree houses weight was also an issue because we were not master crafts men. Once I fell out of the second story of a tree house we built, thought I was going to die as I was hitting branches on the way down to earth.
• But look at verses 20-23 again!
• SLIDE #10
• 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
• Here is one thing we need to se. The foundation we are built on as Christians, the foundation on which the church is to be built is the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets. In other words we are to be built on the teachings of God’s Word.
• BUT Jesus is to be our cornerstone.
• The Cornerstone was the most important part of the building because the rest of the building was built off that stone.
• The size, stability and whether the building was square all came from the cornerstone.
• So the more Jesus is your cornerstone, the larger your faith can grow and the more stable and centered you will be.
• If we are building the body of Christ, the Church using Jesus as the cornerstone then we will be able to build a BIG house for God.
• I am not speaking of the physical plant, but rather in the spiritual sense.
• We can have the largest building in town, but if we do not build with Jesus as the cornerstone and use the teaching of the Word as the foundation, we have done nothing more than build something of ourselves and too ourselves!
• We need to reach as many people as we can because THEIR eternity is at stake!
• WE do what we do for the glory of God!
CONCLUSION
• Jesus has given us the a job, it is to impact people for Him. Jesus wants all your friends and family to be His friend and family!
• Are you ready to go to work!
