Peace in Ephesians
Ephesians 2:1-10, pew Bible p 917
Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2.
Introduction
How many of you were teenagers in the 80’s? Do you remember all the anxiety that was in the air, especially in the early 80’s?
• Tensions between the United States and Russia were at an all time high. Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The US boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980, The Soviets boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
• In 1983, the television movie The Day After, which showed the aftermath of a global nuclear war, became the third most watched non sporting event in television history up to that point. Red Dawn was a huge hit at the box office.
• There were devastating natural disasters. In 1979, Hurricane Frederick, a Category 4 made landfall at Dauphin Island. In March, 1980, Mt St. Helens in Washington exploded. There was famine in Ethiopia.
• There were fears about the economy (Gas shortage). Fears about terrorism (Pan Am flight 103). Fears about swimming (Jaws)
• Radical Islam was on the rise, Amierican hostages were held in Iran for 444 days from 1979-1981.
• And Madonna’s first album came out.
With all of that, a Canadian named William Curtis from British Columbia began a quest to find the safest place in the world in which to retire. A place that would be far away from any military targets, with no history of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, blizzards, volcanoes, forest fires, great white sharks, terrorists, plagues of locusts, or MTV.
In 1981, after months of research trying to find the most peaceful place on earth, the Curtis’s sold their house and moved to an island 350 miles east of South America and 700 miles north of Antarctica, to the most remote point in the British Empire, the Falkland Islands The Falklands were home to 63 different species of penguin, hundreds of thousands of sheep, and 2,229 people.
Less than a year after the Curtis family moved there, the Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina, and Great Britain declared war. Altogether, over a thousand people, and who knows how many sheep and penguins, perished in the war. The decisive battle was fought only a few miles from the Curtis’s farm.
The Curtis family couldn’t find peace, not even on a tiny island in the South Atlantic.
You know, ever since Luke 2, when Jesus was born and the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace,” we’ve been looking for that peace. But it has been hard to come by. According to a 2003 article in the New York Times, in 3400 years of recorded history, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them. And that’s only considering “active conflicts that have claimed more than 1000 lives” If the New York Times had drilled down to civil unrest, gang violence, and hate crimes, how many years of peace on earth would there be? If you considered family dysfunction, domestic violence, and divorce, how many years?
If you factored in depression and anxiety, then do you think there has ever been a time in recorded history that there has been complete peace on earth?
It sure doesn’t seem like it, does it? But believe it or not, when God told Isaiah that the Messiah would be the Prince of Peace, he meant it. When the angels sang “peace on earth,” it wasn’t just some idealized pipe dream, or some promise for some time far off in the future. Here is the big idea for this morning. Write this down:
Peace is possible in the present because of what was paid in the past.
As we read Ephesians 2, 11-21, I’d like you to take note that this passage about peace is in the past tense and the present tense, but not in the future tense. Pay attention to that as I read:
[Read passage]
11 Therefore remember that at one time [past] you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ [past], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel [past] and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now [present} in Christ Jesus you who once were far off [past] have been brought near [present] by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace [present], who has made us both one [present] and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [present] 15 by abolishing [present] the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might [past subjunctive] create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace [present], 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross [past subjunctive], thereby killing [past] the hostility. 17 And he came [past] and preached [past] peace to you who were far off [past] and peace to those who were near [past]. 18 For through him we both have [present] access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are [present] no longer strangers and aliens,[a] but you are [present] fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built [past] on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows [present] into a holy temple in the Lord.
Let’s stop there. Twelve verbs in the past tense. Eleven verbs in the present tense. No verbs in the future tense.
Peace is possible in the present because of what was paid in the past. Let’s pray [Pray}
Remember When: Paul starts this passage by reminding the Ephesians how things were in the past. Keep in mind that the Ephesians were primarily Greek converts to Christianity. They didn’t come to salvation through Judaism, so they didn’t understand Jewish laws or experience.
Paul doesn’t call them out for any sin at all. He doesn’t say they were alienated and strangers because they were immoral, or promiscuous, or drunkards, or gossips, or slanderers, or any of the other vices he lists in other places. So why were they separated from Christ? Why were they without hope and without God? Simple: they were not born Jews. They were “the uncircumcision.” They were strangers to the covenants of promise.
For people that think being right with God is just a matter of having good morals, this is both bad news and good news. It’s good news because, thank God, He doesn’t grade me based on my behavior. You aren’t without God because you’ve done bad things. For many of us, that’s good news.
On the other hand, we aren’t in because we do good things. And for some of us who think salvation is based on being a good person, this is bad news. It means salvation isn’t based on the merit system. What Paul has said in verses 11-12 is that the Ephesians were without hope and without God because they weren’t Jewish. They were Gentiles “in the flesh.” They could never make themselves Jewish. They were “strangers to the covenants of promise.” And even if they were circumcised—even if they converted to Judaism, it wouldn’t matter. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:19 that circumcision counts for nothing. At one time, says Paul, you were strangers simply because of how you were born.
Now listen—this is true for us as well. Is there anyone in here that is culturally Jewish? If so, you aren’t off the hook either—go read Romans 2. But if you weren’t born Jewish, you are in the same boat as the Ephesians.
And that seems super unfair, doesn’t it? But I think God made it this way to illustrate something about original sin. As a human being, you can’t change the fact that you were born in sin any more than you can change the fact that you were born in the United States. You inherited a sin nature the same way you inherited blue eyes or brown skin or being tall. And even if you move to another country and pass their citizenship test, you still weren’t born there. Even if you learn their language, you can’t change your skin tone. Sin is your home country. It’s your genetic makeup. Kendrick Lamar got it right when he said we’ve got darkness and evil that rots inside our DNA.
Verse 12 is bleak: you (we) were separated from Christ. Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. Without hope. Without God in the world.
Which is what makes the first two words in verse 13 so sweet: “But Now.” But now means there is a possibility of something different.
But now means that there could be hope. A relationship with God is possibility. Maybe you don’t have to be separated from God. Maybe you don’t have to be alienated.
That would be good news, wouldn’t it? According to a personal counseling website called rootsofloneliness.com, more than half Americans report feeling lonely. And even if they don’t admit it feeling lonely, 57% of Americans, even those with spouses and children, say they eat every meal alone.
For what it’s worth, the three loneliest cities in the United States, where all the loneliness indicators are three times higher than the national average, are Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Denver. Think about that. Vegas—where every sin and vice can be indulged. DC—where political power and influence can be pursued. And Denver, the capital where natural beauty and outdoor recreation—these are the three loneliest cities in the United States!
None of those things make peace possible. What follows the “But now” in Verse 13 is not, “But now, indulging your sin nature will give you hope.” Not, “but now, you can find the answer in being a powerful, influential person.” Not, “But now, you just need some Vitamin D and the adrenaline rush of downhill skiing and a little of that Rocky Mountain high,
Look again at what does follow it:
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
In this verse, Paul shows us what makes the difference between “Remember when” and “But now.” It’s being in Christ Jesus. To be in Christ Jesus This is Paul’s favorite description of a relationship with Jesus. Of the 89 times the phrase is used in the NT, 84 of them are in Paul’s letters. Check out how Paul uses it, just in Ephesians:
• We are blessed in Christ (1:3)
• God’s will is made known in Christ (1:9)
• Our hope is in Christ (1:12)
• God is at work in Christ (1:20)
• We are seated in the heavenly places in Christ (2:6)
• Created in Christ (2:10)
• Brought near in Christ (this verse)
• In Christ we partake in God’s promises (3:6)
• We are forgiven in Christ (4:32)
And here is something else, too—all of these are described as present realities. There isn’t a single “will be” in these verses. That’s because of what Jesus did for us in the past, Look at the whole verse again:
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
We are in Christ by the blood of Christ. When Jesus bled and died on the cross, when He shed His blood to cover our sins, He made the way for us to be in right relationship with him.
Peace is possible in the present because of what was paid in the past.
Jesus is our peace, it says in verse 14. He made Jews and Gentiles one by destroying the dividing wall of hostility between them.
Paul may have been thinking about an actual barrier that divided Jew and Gentile. Outside the temple in Jerusalem was a wide open space called the Court of the Gentiles. This was separated from the inner courts by a low wall called the soreg . It wasn’t much higher than a curb, but it marked the boundary for Gentiles who came to worship. And all around the soreg were these warning signs, written in Greek, which said, “No stranger may cross over this balustrade. Any who are caught will be responsible for their own ensuing death.
You know, probably all of us have experienced what it feels like to be in an unfriendly church where you felt like you weren’t welcome. I hope that hasn’t been the case at Glynwood. But no matter how frosty the church might have felt, I’m pretty positive a deacon didn’t meet you in the parking lot and say, “You know, if you come in here, you’ll be responsible for your death which will follow.”
But that’s how things were for Gentiles in Judaism. But in Christ, look what happens: Verse 4: Jesus destroyed the dividing wall of hostility. Verse 15: Jesus made one humanity out of the two. He said in Galatians that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.
Not just peace with each other. Look at verse 16:
16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Because Jesus came and preached peace, we all have equal access to God. Do you remember from the gospels what happened in the Temple at the moment Jesus died? That’s right—the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies—where God’s presence abided and where only the high priest could go (once a year)—that curtain was sixty feet high, 30 feet wide, and four inches thick. It was massive. But at the moment Jesus died, that curtain was torn in half from top to bottom, giving everyone access to God.
There is a famous photo of John F Kennedy Jr playing hide and seek in the oval office while President Kennedy was at work. Now, look at this photo and ask yourself, why could John F Kennedy Jr do this? Do you think tour groups could do this? Could congressmen come in and play hide and seek in the Oval office? Of course not. But why could John F Kennedy Jr do it?
Because his father was John F Kennedy. A son has access to his father that no one else does.
And when Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, we all received the spirit of adoption, Paul says in Romans 8:15, by which we can all cry, Abba, Father!
Peace on earth is possible because Jesus loves you. Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected in order for you to be adopted into God’s family.
Remember when you had no hope because you were without a Heavenly Father
But now you have peace because you have been adopted by the Heavenly Father.
So then—and we will move quickly through this: Look at verses 19-21:
19 So then you are [present] no longer strangers and aliens,[a] but you are [present] fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built [past] on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows [present] into a holy temple in the Lord.
So then, you are citizens with the saints. A citizen is allowed all the privileges that come with being a citizen of that country. He gets to participate in the business of the kingdom.
So then, you are members of the Household. To be a member of the household means that you always have a place to call home.
So then, you are being built together. You are still a work in progress. You aren’t perfect, none of us are. But God is a patient craftsman. He is going to continue to shape you, to smooth your rough edges, to mold and make you after His will. That is what Christians call sanctification. You are saved, but you are also being saved.
I want to close with a grammar lesson. I know that’s a weird way to lead into a time of response, but stay with me. I told you at the beginning of this message that in Ephesians 2:11-21, there are Twelve verbs in the past tense, Eleven verbs in the present tense, and no verbs verbs in the future tense.
But let me take it one step further: two of those past tense verbs are subjunctive. Look at verses 15-16:
15 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, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing [past] the hostility.
Here is how the subjunctive mood works in Greek grammar: Is the mood of possibility and potentiality. The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances.
God intended to create in Christ a new creation. He intended that we be reconciled to Himself through Christ. But it’s conditional. It depends on us trusting in Jesus, repenting of our sins, and surrendering to His Lordship,
And if you do that, then you won’t have to move to some remote island to find peace on earth. You have access to peace right now.
Peace is possible in the present because of what was paid in the past.
Let’s stand for prayer.
