Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22
Theme: You are God's Holy Temple!
In this passage Paul wants to share that in Christ we can experience ONENESS , PEACE and BE THE TEMPLE OF GOD.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
This morning as I look around it is easy to see a good amount of diversity. Some of you are rather tall while others are relatively short. Some of you are lean while others have a little more meat on their bones. Some of you have long hair while others have short hair or no hair at all. Some of you have blue eyes while others have brown or some other variation of color.
We could go on and on and on this morning citing all of our differences. Usually, that is one of the major ways that we view one another. We notice each other's differences. We notice different skin tones. We notice different head shapes. We notice different cultural back grounds. We notice different social circles. We notice different financial circumstances. We notice different educational backgrounds. And again, we could go on and on and on spelling out all the different ways we notice one another.
The Apostle Paul does this in the first part of our passage this morning. He begins by pointing out some of the differences that existed between those who were receiving his letter. For the most part the recipients of Paul's letter were divided into two major groups - those who were Gentiles and those who were Jews with the largest group at the time being Gentiles.
While we don't focus very much on that distinction today it was a major distinction in Paul's day. The majority of Jews in Paul's day considered themselves a people specifically chosen by God dating all the way back to the call of Abraham (Genesis 12). They believed that God had called Abraham and his descendants to be His Special People above all the other people(s) on the earth. And by the word "God" they meant the " One and Only True God - the God of Creation - the Good God of Creation". To the Jews there were no other god or gods besides YHWH. There was only YHWH - the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. And it was this Only True God (YHWH) that had elevated them above everything and everyone else.
As God's Chosen People, the Jews throughout time had responded by being obedient to certain commands that they believed God had instructed them to obey. Commands that were written down in what today is called the Torah ( the first five books of the Old Testament) and made them God's "special people". Commands involving certain dietary, social and religious rituals and laws. Laws that included strict obedience to such things as the Sabbath and circumcision. Each one of these distinctives were to separate them from all other peoples, tribes and nations.
Gentiles on the other hand were seen as the uncircumcised people, the people who had not been specifically chosen by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Most Jews believed that Gentiles had no relation to Jesus as Israel's Messiah. Furthermore, they believed that Gentile were outside the promises of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants.
Because of all of this, most Jews believed that there was no spiritual or everlasting hope for Gentiles. They believed that most Gentiles could not escape the enslavement of sin nor eternal damnation. Gentiles were in a word - HOPELESS. They were without the True God - the Good God of Creation - YHWH. They were not of the lineage of Abraham. They were isolated from God's covenant promises merely living out lives of futility. In the end Gentiles would neither experience the general resurrection or if they did so they would only be raised to then be condemned to an eternity without God.
Paul's words in verses 11 - 12 therefore do not paint for us a pretty picture. Taken by themselves they are quite shocking. If we allowed ourselves to hear and focus on these few words then we might have wanted to burn Paul's letter. We might have wanted to walk away and just label the Apostle a racist and hate monger. After all, who wants to hear that they are a people without hope and a people without God?
It isn't hard to imagine that as people were listening to Paul's letter being read out loud that people began to think - "What does Paul mean that as a Gentile I was without hope and without God?" "What does he mean to say that I away from the Messiah, alienated and a stranger?" "Is Paul saying that there is no hope for any Gentiles?" "Excuse me, would you please read that part again so that I can hear what Paul is saying?"
In our day and time the words we find in verses 11 -12 are words that could have caused many to turn deaf to the rest of Paul's message. In our day such words would be considered offensive, antagonistic and full of malice hate. Paul's words in many places today could even be labeled as "hate speech".
This is one of the reasons why it is so important that we listen to the whole of Scripture. If we are not careful we tend to chew on bits of scripture without looking at the complete picture. The Apostle is merely laying out the case of how the majority of Jews at that time looked at Gentiles and vice versa. Neither group had warm and fuzzy feelings towards the other. Paul is not trying to cause division nor is he trying to stir up a spirit of antagonism.
+ We see in verse 13 and following that the Apostle Paul begins to make the case that in Jesus the Messiah - In King Jesus, the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY has made the way for all the distinctions, all the barriers and all the things that separate us as humans to be removed.
Paul tells us that in Jesus the Messiah, it is now possible for each and every one of us to enjoy a relationship of oneness - of unity, harmony, peace and tranquility regardless if we are Jew or Gentile. The Apostle wants us to know that under the Kingship of Jesus and through the power of His Holy Spirit all people everywhere can experience a spirit of Oneness. That all people can be joined together through the power and presence of God's Holy Spirit.
Now, immediately someone may say that is not possible. What Paul is sharing here is great in theory but it will not work in the real world. And you would be 100% correct. In the real world - the world that we call real - the world that is not truly real because it being led by spiritual forces of evil, such an idea of unity and harmony would be pie in the sky thinking. A world in which sin rules will never experience unity nor harmony much less peace.
However, what Paul suggests is that it can happen because Jesus the Messiah is now LORD and KING of all of creation. Oneness can be a reality because King Jesus has been given all authority both in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:16-20). Paul wants us to understand that the world was changed by Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary. No longer are the forces of evil, the forces of division, chaos and death to be in control. On the cross, Jesus defeated Satan, sin and all demonic forces. On the cross Jesus inaugurated the New Age of the Holy Spirit. An Age in which Oneness can be more than a mere theory. Oneness is to be the New Reality.
Now, Oneness does not always mean UNIFORMITY. Oneness in Christ doesn't mean all of a sudden we are all white or brown or black. Oneness doesn't change our skin tones but it does change our hearts. Oneness does not mean that we are all suddenly either male or female but it does change the way we treat one another with equality and respect. Oneness in Christ doesn't mean that suddenly we all have the same gifts, talents or abilities but it does mean that we appreciate other's gifts, talents and abilities.
The Apostle Paul is not disillusioned. He totally understands that in God's wisdom that God created a measure of diversity in humans. That while we were all made in the image of God we were all given different abilities, physical characteristics and nuances. It's all a part of God's creative geniuses. God did not desire to create robots but human beings made in his image reflecting his manifold and majestic presence which is the totality of all the diversity and beauty that we see in humans and in all of creation in general.
What Paul is advocating here in the first part of our passage is EARTH SHAKING - it is revolutionary. Paul is advocating for us to discover and experience a oneness in Christ that is able to cast off all barriers and divisions. Paul is saying that in King Jesus everyone all can experience a oneness that leads to peace and then leads to a sharing of the presence of the LORD HIMSELF.
Just that concept in and of itself is mind boggling. Today, we are so accustomed to focus on our diversity and even to use that diversities to promote and at times manipulate people to join our particular cause. We do this even inside the Body of Christ. At times we tend to focus on what pulls us apart or what makes us different than what makes us brothers and sisters in same LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
At times we have put up so many barriers protecting our own turf that it is truly amazing. At times, we have in the modern day Church out Phariseed the Pharisees. Where the Pharisees had all these fanatical rules we have made own list of rules both written and unwritten:
-If you are a member of the normal Church of Christ then most likely you will not experience a deep relationship with those who are Pentecostal or Charismatic.
-If you are Reformed then there is a great chance you will never speak or lead a Bible Study in a Wesleyan, Methodist or Nazarene Church.
-If you speak in tongues, believe in eternal security or don't believe in a rapture then by this group or that group you could quickly find yourself ostracized and/or unfriended.
That is not to say that we should not be careful in whom we receive or not receive. After all in the Early Church leaders like the Apostle John wanted us to "test the spirits". We do need to have safe guards against things that unbiblical, demonic in nature and lead to apostasy of the faith. But there are so many things that we in the Church Body as a whole believe in and share that I believe it is time that we refocus on our commonalities rather than on all of our differences.
I believe this is what Paul was doing his best to teach his readers in and around Ephesus. Paul knew that there would always be some differences but he wanted them to focus on the things that they had in common. And most importantly to focus on the Person of Christ whom they all had a shared a commonality. For it would be in and through His Holy Spirit that all barriers could be brought down.
And this is no easy task to say the least. I remember some years ago being a part of a group of wonderful ministers from all different tribes of the Body of Christ - Pentecostal, Charismatic, Restoration Movement, Baptist, Methodist, Nazarene, Episcopal and Catholic. We varied in age, culture, educational background and even color. It was amazing how we loved and cared for one another and learned more about Jesus from one another.
But then came the day when someone suggested that we take the Lord's Supper/Communion together. They thought that it would be a perfect way for us to share the love of Christ with one another. Sadly, we quickly realized that because of all of our different denominations and religious rules we couldn't share the Lord's Supper. One group couldn't partake of communion that used real wine while the other group couldn't serve anyone who wasn't a part of their particular denomination. One group wasn't sure that we needed to take communion at all while another group had issues with communion being defined as the real body of Christ and not a mystery or merely a symbol.
I remember that this whole issue surrounding the Lord's Supper almost fractured our group. The very meal that Jesus used to symbolize His body and blood we could not take together as so called ministers of His Church. The very things that best represent what Paul will write in Ephesians 4:4 - 6
"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call - one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
It became a subject we chose not to discuss or bring up again. We could not find common ground. Looking back, I think the LORD was grieved over how we handled that situation. I think we missed an opportunity to put the passage we are reading this morning into positive action. Instead of focusing on Jesus we instead focused on all our denominational and religious differences. I think we were more afraid of what our churches and church leaders would say or think of us than focusing on the oneness that Jesus wanted us to share in Holy Communion.
+The Key to Oneness Begins by Focusing on Jesus
Paul's call for oneness that leads to peace and it all begins by focusing on Jesus. More than 15 times in our passage this morning, Jesus is in one way or the other the focus of Paul's attention.
- It is through the blood of Jesus that we are brought near to God.
-Peace comes only through Jesus.
- In Jesus we can experience a life of Oneness with God and with one another.
-Jesus is the One who broke down the walls and barriers through His body on the Cross.
-In Jesus we are to be reborn to becoming new humans - genuine human beings reflecting the image of our Holy God.
- We are reconciled back to God and one another in Jesus
-In Jesus we have access to the Holy Spirit.
-Jesus is the cornerstone and the very means by which we can be fellow citizens of God's Kingdom.
On and on and on again, the Apostle Paul speaks and focuses on Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the King and Jesus the LORD and Savior of the World. For Paul, it is all about Jesus.
Once again, you would think it would be simple for us who gather in His Name to focus on Jesus. But the truth is so many times we all have been to a worship setting or to a small group doing what we call "worship" and it does not focus on Jesus. We end up focusing on ourselves:
+On what we should wear - classic or casual? Suits, button down shirts or T-shirts and jeans?
+One what type of service we should share - traditional or contemporary or seeker sensitive?
+Should we sing classic hymns, contemporary songs or Praise and Worship?
+Should we have a Praise team or a Worship Leader?
+Should our sermons be a series of sermons based on "How to" themes or sermons taken from the Bible or sermons that generally focus on Evangelism or the Second Coming?
Now, none of that is wrong unless we focus more on those things than we do Our Lord Jesus Christ. It's easy for us to get sidetrack. Suddenly, someone wants to change the music either towards hymns or away from hymns and people start walking towards the door. Suddenly, someone wants to wave a banner or raise a hand and some people decide that all of that is just too much. It's easy to focus on the minors and forget that it is to be all about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Over the years, we pastors have been the worst at committing the sin of not focusing on Jesus. We have believed that in order to get large crowds and stir up the people we need to focus on everything but Jesus. We cave into having big events that center on the secular calendar more than we do the church calendar. We find ourselves doing all we can to please man rather than focusing on Jesus.
It doesn't mean we must abandon having special days but it does mean that all we do should and must center on Jesus. Jesus is the only reason we are here today. Without Jesus there is no salvation, there is no reconciliation and there is no rescue, redemption or restoration. Without Jesus we are without Hope and without God.
It is at the name of Jesus that we find salvation. It is the at the name of Jesus that the demons tremble and the Devil must flee. It is at the name of Jesus that we receive the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. It the name of Jesus that is above all names. It is at the "name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10b - 11 ESV)
+The Result of all of this according to the Apostle Paul is the Unveiling of God's New Temple - Genuine Human Beings Filled With God's Holy Spirit
Paul ends this section of his letter by sharing with us what the final result can be in King Jesus. The oneness, the peace that comes through that oneness leads us to experiencing life as God's New Temple.
Paul takes one of the central symbols of Jewish belief and turns it inside out. The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life. It was the center of religion, politics, community, music and culture. The Temple was the heart of everything. Everything important, everything Jewish flowed from the center of God's Holy Temple.
Why? Why did the Jewish people put such emphasis and weight on the Temple? The Temple was seen as the place where God's Presence would be found. The Jewish People believed that YHWH had promised that he would live there. The Temple was to be God's Home. It was the place where Heaven and Earth met - where the space between Heaven and Earth was at its thinnest and at times overlapped.
Again, we may need to take a moment and digest all of that. The Temple was more than just a collection of stones and wood placed in a particular way. It was more than arches, pillars and staircases. It was more than furniture, curtains and specific artistic carvings. It was more than ornamental cups, bowls and tables. It was more than the worship of certain songs and the sayings of certain rituals. It was more than the place one brought offerings of live animals, birds, grain or money. The Temple was seen as the ONE PLACE where the ONE TRUE GOD would come to earth and take up His residence.
The Temple reflected the same idea we see back in the Garden of Eden when the LORD would come in the cool of the day to walk with Adam and Eve. The Temple was to be the very place where humans and God would connect. Like Moses' burning bush the Temple was sacred ground that man and God could share conversation and space.
Paul shares that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY - the ONLY TRUE GOD - YHWH - the Father of Jesus the Messiah has now chosen to no longer reside in Temples made with human hands. Instead, the Only God, the Good God of Creation has decided to reside in the hearts and minds of humans who have been rescued and redeemed by the His Son Jesus the Messiah.
God would go from residing in places of brick and mortar to residing in human beings.
It's a concept that we still have problems understanding and appreciating.
We could understand if God had said that He would no longer reside in the Jewish Temple but instead would reside all the Christian Churches that would be built for the glory of His Kingdom. We could understand if God had said that every building that we meet in for worshiping Jesus as Savior and LORD would be place where we would find God residing.
And in fact that is what many people believe today. Many believe that in some way God has taken up residence in these buildings that we call churches. That in order to find God you must go where God is living and He is living in these certain structures called Churches. God has simply moved from the Jerusalem Temple to First Church.
But that is not what Paul is saying. Paul is saying something much more radical. Paul is saying that God no longer wants to inhabit a building or buildings. God is seeking human hearts and human minds to reside and dwell. God is seeking to not only be with His people but to share His Holy Presence in People - to experience a true oneness of heart, mind and soul.
God does this through His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit brings New Life. His Holy Spirit brings the very breath of life that humans breath and are able to exist.
Once again, let's take a moment and allow that to sink in.
God does not seek to reside in this building that we find ourselves in. It's a fine building. It's a building dedicated to Him and for Him. But even as God chose no longer to reside in the Temple at Jerusalem God does not seek this place to be His dwelling place.
Instead, God seeks to dwell in us - in us human beings. God seeks to give us New Life from above. God seeks to rescue us, redeem us and restore us into His Holy Image. God seeks to put within each and every one of us Himself through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
This Holy Temple is not made with brick and mortar. It is made with humans - the apostles and prophets, with King Jesus and with all of us who are either Jewish or Gentile. We all are invited to be a vital part of God's glorious and holy Temple.
It's amazing how different would we see each other if we saw one another in this light. Not merely as people who gather together in God's presence in this building or that building but as people who share the same presence and power of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY inside and through each one of us?
How would we see each other if we saw each other as having the same redeemed blood flowing through our veins? How would we see each other if we saw each other as breathing the same Holy Spirit breath? How would we see each other if we saw each other as connected pieces of God's Holy Temple? How then would we view other congregations and small group gatherings?
It's one thing to think that this church or that church has God's Spirit. It's quite another thing to think this person or that person is filled with God's Holy Presence. That the presence of God we feel in a place is not due to its brick and mortar but in the people who attend there and who worship the LORD in that place. It's all because of the Holy Spirit in the people than in the building. If a building has a certain feel it is not because of the building but because of the people who gather there - it's because of their worship, their prayers, their obedience, their love for the LORD and for one another. It's because of the Holy Spirit living in and through the congregation.
Wow! Talk about life transforming. Talk about having a whole new Christ vision of ourselves, of our families, our communities and our world.
For you see, we are longer concentrating on our diversities. No longer are we making sure that we have our safe walls and barriers constructed. No longer are we doing all we can to focus on ourselves.
Instead, we begin to see each other as living, breathing, growing, connected pieces of God's Holy Presence. We begin to see that not only is Jesus - One Lord, One Baptism and One Faith but that we are ONE PEOPLE - IN PEACE and LIVING LIFE AS GOD'S HOLY TEMPLE.
Will there still be some differences, some distinctives and some nuances? Sure there will be.
It's like a beautiful English flower garden. When we look at it we find bell flowers, marigolds, carnations, holly hocks, Sweet William, Lilies, Peonies, Tulips, foxglove and lavender and other flowers growing and flourishing. Each one while different join together to bring beauty and majesty to its surroundings.
It's like a football team. There are the coaches, the Quarter backs, the running backs, the wide outs, the tight ends, the wide receivers, the safeties, the corner backs, the guards, the tackles, the half back and the full backs. Each one different with different skills sets but each necessary and vital for the success of the team.
It's like an ER Staff. There is the Registration clerks, all the different nurses - the attending nurse, the charge nurse, the EMT's, the different types of doctors, the orderlies, the medical assistances, the staff technicians, the pharmacists and the all the rest. Each person is different but vitally needed for the health and safety of the patient.
Paul's vision for the New Age and for the New Community under King Jesus is challenging. The Apostle causes us to ask ourselves some vital questions:
+Are we a part of God's New Kingdom - have we repented of our sins, received Jesus' grace, mercy and love? Are we born again and have we received the indwelling power and presence of His Holy Spirit?
+Are we doing all we can to be grace filled, Spirit-filled disciples of Jesus? Are we doing all we can to bring down all the barriers and walls that separate people? Do we see others as Temples of God's Holy Presence - breathing the same Holy Spirit breaths that we breath?
+Are we doing all we can to advance God's Kingdom here on earth? Do we share the Good News? Do we promote peace and are we growing in our walk with the LORD allowing Jesus to be the center of our lives?
As we close today we do so with open altars - places designed for you to come and spend time with the LORD in deep communion. If you would like we have people who will pray with you and for you. People who are prayer warriors and who can help you in whatever area you need assistance. If you would rather just spend some time with the LORD that is most welcomed as well.
Our altars are open for you to receive God's grace and gifts today. Altars are for repentance and confession but they are also places where God gives anointings, healings along with blessings and favor. Today, you may feel you need a special anointing, a special healing or a special touch from the LORD. Today, don't miss out on one of God's amazing gifts.
Please know we are not in a hurry. What happens here is under the will and control of the Holy Spirit. This time is sacred time and therefore we depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are not here to merely do church within a certain time window. We are here to be in the sweet presence of the LORD and with one another. We are here to worship the LORD, receive from the LORD and rejoice in the LORD.
As we sing allow the Holy Spirit to lead you.
