Tucked away in Verse 19 of Paul Letter to the Church at Ephesus at Chapter 2, is the Text of Scripture I want to raise to level of consciousness. I have tagged and targeted for teaching EPHESIANS 2:19. It reads in the KJV:
"Now therefore you are NO MORE strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God."
From this Text, I want to highlite this headline in our little chat this afternoon: THE GOD OF NO MORE
If there is one truth I have learned during my brief sojourn of 51 years here on Planet Earth, it is this: The Societal Systems of this World’s Order Are UnForgiving and Unsympathetic Towards Its Deserters and Defectors.
When a citizen of the Russian Federation renounces his country and citizenship and defects to the West, he becomes the Enemy of the Republic. And even his remaining family members are tagged and targeted for oppression and torture. And conversely, when a citizen of "the land of the free and the home of the brave" renounces his country and citizenship and defects to the East, he becomes the Enemy of America. Even his remaining family members are tagged and targeted for social excommunication, governmental surveillance, and are labeled ’unpatriotic.’
This very scenario is being played out in ’Little Havanna’, Miami, Florida. The young boy, Ellian, is being used as a pawn by both the family in Miami and the government of Cuba, while the Father and the Boy are caught in the middle. If the father and son renounces their Cuban roots, they will be disowned by Cuba. And if they decide to return to Cuba, the so-called loving family in Miami will certainly disown both.
Furthermore, this Neoteric yet Archaic Society insidiously Disowns the Blood-Bought, Spirit-Filled Child of God. They would really prefer to see us all strung-up on state-of-the-art crosses, or else, rounded up like sheep and shipped off to some genocidal slaughter-house for exteinction!
Now if you yet surmise that this cruel, callous, cold world is a friend to grace then, I would redirect your charitable yet catastrophic conjecture to the crystal clear critique of Christ. Standing in the shadow of the Cross, He warned us all of the imminent hatred of the world. With deep concern and yearning love, He said:
"If ye were of the word, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world, but I have
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
It is then an inescapable fact that this neoteric yet archaic society of confirmed sinners Hates the Saints of God! Ever since 120 Ambassadors huddled in the Embassy of an Upper Room, the nations of this world have been strategizing as to how to effectively Disband and Destroy this Transplanted Colony of Heaven on Earth.
If we would examine Church History, we would discover that the Early Saints were Disowned by this World. When the Roman Empire began to crumble apart, Nero blamed the church and banished them from his empire. They were Disowned by this world yet Enshrined in the Hall of Faith. It is written of them that they:
"Had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented:
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." They were Disowned by This World!
And yet I feel I must remind us that the rejection, hatred and displacement of the saints has not ceased! And yet, sometimes we live as if we have already entered into our rest. We think it strange if a saint nowadays endures persecution. But it still persists. And it is as potent and insidious as ever!
If needs be, I can personally testify. During my brief tenure as Undershepherd of the little flock of New Zion, I have received death-threats, hate mail, irritating phone calls, and I am now under surveillance. But to bring it a little closer to you, when I pastored in the city of Midland, one self-appointed member of that church told a Midland police officer that I shouldn’t be allowed to stay in Midland; that I should be ran out of the state of Texas; and that I didn’t deserve to be a citizen of this country. He hated me so much that he wanted me exiled from the county of my birth. So I can testify that the world still Hates and Disowns the Children of God.
When once a Spirit-Stirred and Enlightened Soul is quickened and aroused to see that one lives in the city of destruction and recognizes that one is a sinner undone and under death’s condemnation, then that one will flee swiftly to Heaven’s Embassy on earth to apply for Citizenship in Heaven’s Kingdom and Salvation by Grace in Christ Jesus. And when that transpires, that one will be Disowned by the World. Rejection, Isolation and Hatred all begin; and that soul begins its Quest for Companionship.
And I’m happy to know that a few of us in the cities of Odessa and Lubbock are Questing. Thank God, we have been persuaded, and have embraced the promises. We have even confessed that we are STRANGERS and PILGRIMS on this earth, and we are Seeking a Country. We have come out of this world and we desire a heavenly country. And it has been told us that God is not ashamed to be called our God; and we have even heard that He has prepared for us a City.
Furthermore, we have been Spirit-taught that Christ Jesus Himself Is Our Peace; that He has Restored a Broken Relationship; that He has Set Up His Embassy on earth in His absence, and there proclaims the Peace of Reconciliation thru His Ambassadors. So We Are Questing!
Hence, the Apostle Paul sees a Mass of Huddled People, Disowned Yet Reconciled, in Heaven’s Embassy on earth. There they are, Joined Together and Made One, with no middle walls to separate or enmity to isolate. Yet, while possessing Peace, they are wondering: WHERE DO WE FIT? TO WHAT DO WE BELONG?
The government of Rome has excluded them. The City of Ephesus has Disclaimed them. The Religion of Diana has Dismissed them. And the Confirmed Sinners of their Families have Disowned them. So they are wondering:
WHERE DO WE FIT?
Perhaps I might be addressing someone who is wondering and pondering the same issue. You feel Misplaced in a Displaced Society. For the language of folk now is strange to you, and your conversation is foreign to them. Their customs and traditions seem foreign to you, and your lifestyle now seems alien to them. You feel like a stranger and foreigner to your own countrymen and kinfolk. And perhaps you are wondering: WHERE DO I FIT IN THIS MESSED UP SOCIETY? TO WHAT DO I NOW BELONG?
Well, there is some Good News for a Bad Situation. For Paul told Tychicus to write this Powerful Inference that is full of good news. Standing poised in his rented house in the City of Rome, a prisoner of Jesus Christ; Paul, the Thinking Theologian, arrives at aLogical and Necessary Conclusion by Reasoning from the Evidence.
Having stated his Propositions dealing with the Fact of Reconciliation in verses 11-18, he now tells Tychicus, his secretary, to Sum Up the Argument.
Write this Inferential Particle "Now." "Now" says Paul, I want to show the Results which Actually Follow the Fact of Reconciliation. And the Necessary Consequence of Reconciliation is that SOMETHING THAT USED TO BE IS NO MORE. For the word "reconciliation itself means TO TRANSFORM FROM ONE STATE TO ANOTHER WHICH IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
"Now therefore" says Paul, as a result of the Change in our Positional Placement and Relational Readjustment "ye are NO MORE what you used to be."
"NO MORE." We are Changed Into Something Totally Different. "NO MORE."
Now I believe that one of the keys to understanding Salvation by Grace lies in perceiving that one of God’s priorities in reconciling us to Himself is to SAVE US FROM ALL THAT IS EARTHLY. For whatever is Earthly will unravel, disintegrate and pass away. The seeds of corruption and death are in every earthly person, purpose and institution of this world. But God loves us so much that He is delivering us from all connections with this present evil world
by causing us to escape the corruption that is in the world thru lust.
And believe it or not, FAMILY, RELIGION and the NATION are all part of our connection with this evil world, from which God is delivering us. It is the confirmed sinners of these Three basic institutions who have Disowned us and from whom God is delivering us.
Therefore, WE NEED TO REAFFIRM OUR IDENITY: NO MORE STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS.
I submit to us that as we move into this New Millennium, WE MUST RECOGNIZE WHO WE ARE AS A PEOPLE AND APPROPRIATE OUR RIGHTFUL INHERITANCE IN GOD AND IN THIS WORLD.
Now I am not talking about IDENTITY as a perception that is based on Race or Gender or Class alone. I am talking about Identity as a way of harnessing the best of our spiritual, intellectual, financial, educational and political resources and empowering our communities and enriching this society. I am not talking about Identity as a way of exalting everything that is African and trashing everything that is European. I am talking about the Identity that the Bible says is in all of us who claim to be the people of God.
We must have a Healthy Self-Identity. We are Fellowcitizens and Members of the Household of God. We must refuse being identified by circumstances, or environment, or culture, or class or race. We know who we are. We have a unique sense of Somebodyness. We have a good memory. We know our oral tradition. We are well aware of our ancestors. Our father is also Abraham, who was a friend of God who received the promise by faith being a Gentile. Oh yeah, we come from good stock.
Not only that but we have this Covenant Thing. God promised thru Abraham and Sarah never to forsake us. Thru-out history, the blessing of God has been upon us. We are of the household of God. Therefore, we need to use this "NO MORE" LANGUAGE. For People with a Healthy Self-Identity know how to chart a course, build a bridge, expect a miracle. People with a Healthy Self-Identity refuse to be victims to circumstance, color, class or culture. They are not condemned by the conditions of their birth, or locked into Euro-centric thought patterns. You have enough imagination, ingenuity, intelligence and integrity to make a place for yourself. Don’t linger on the low plains of life crying and complaining, fretting and fuming, moaning and groaning about what you cannot do or what you do not have. Accept the challenge of the "NO MORE" LANGUAGE!
We are a great people with a Great History. We must stop reciting the failure studies that have been done on our communities. We must never forget that God has always done Great Things thru Africans. We are formed out of adversity. From it we have fashioned our unique perspective on humanity and divinity.
They gave us straw. We gave them bricks.
They gave us seeds. we gave them cotton.
They gave us sorrow. We wrote songs.
They gave us pain. We wrote poems.
They gave us trouble. We turned it into testimony.
They gave us the blues. We made music.
They gave us segregation. We gave them Spelman.
They gave us misery. We gave them Morehouse.
They gave us terror. We gave them Tuskegee.
They called us failures. We gave them Fisk.
They gave us burdens. We gave them Bishop.
They gave us hell. We gave them Howard.
Our Africannes is an instrumentality that God uses to enrich the world. That’s why we are NO MORE STRANGERS AND FOREIGNER. WE BELONG. WE FIT. WE ARE FELLOWCITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS AND OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD!!!
I submit that we as a People and a Community of Faith are experiencing right now ETHNIC CLEANSING. High unemployment. No health care. Poor child care. Insecure social security. Babies dangling from bridges. Babies with bullets. Children with guns. Runaway teenage pregnancy. Children with no hope. Mothers who can’t cope. Fathers on dope. More Black men in jail than in college. Women forgotten too son. Men gone too soon. Children dying too soon. Sisters waiting to exhale. Brothers trying to get paid. Heroes becoming zeroes. Many of us kept out, kicked out, knocked out, locked out, pushed out, put out, pulled out, phased out. There is hoplelessness and despair in our communities. We are experiencing ETHNIC CLEANSING.
So that’s why I wanted to look at this matter of THE GOD OF NO MORE. Yes, I concur with the Scriptures in declaring and affirming that GOD IS THE GOD OF PATIENCE. He is Longsuffering and Merciful. But there is a Limit to God’s Patience! There is a line drawn between His Patience and His Wrath. There is a Limit to what God will take! God will not be silent forever. And that’s why I wanted to call your attention to this other side of God.
So, let me submit that WHEN GOD HAS HAD ENOUGH OF SOMETHING AND HAS DETERMINED TO CHANGE IT, "NO MORE" IS THE PHRASE HE USES! Let me expand on that for these remaining moments I have alloted to me.
When God had enough of the wickedness of man and decided to end it all by the flood, He said: "I will destory man whom I have created from the face of the earth ... for it repenteth Me that I have made them." In other words, "NO MORE!"
When God had enough of the idolaltry of mankind and decided to establish a new relationship; He said to Abram: "Neither shall thy name ANYMORE be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father on many nations have I made thee."
When God had enough of the foolishness of Pharaoh and the Egyptians He said to the Israelites at the Red Sea: "Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord ... for the Egyptians who ye have seen today, ye shall see them again NO MORE for ever."
When God had enough of the consciousness, penalty and guilt of sin plaguing His people, He said to our conscience: "And their sins and iniquities will I remember NO MORE."
When God had enough of Satan’s reign and sin’s rule in the lives of His covenant people, the Redeemer cried out from an Old Rugged Cross: "It Is Finished." NO MORE!
When God shall have had enough of His church living in the obscurityof this world, He shall say: "The sun shall be NO MORE thy light by day: neither for brightness shall the moon give light to thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory."
So many times we have to make sacrifices and do without many things. But the time shall come when our God shall say: "Thou shalt NO MORE be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land ANYMORE be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delightest in thee and thy land shall be married."
When God had enough of us being ruled by demonic spirits, He said to them: "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, Come out of him, and enter NO MORE into him."
When God had enough of hypocritical church folk judging and condemning, He said to us: "Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin NO MORE."
When God shall have had enough of His people suffering here on earth, He shall say: "They shall hunger NO MORE, neither thirst ANYMORE:neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat ... And there shall be
NO MORE sea."
When He has determined that we’ve had enough, then God Himself "shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be NO MORE death, NO MORE sorrow, NO MORE crying, and NO MORE pain."
NO MORE is the phrase God uses when He’s had enough of one thing and has determined to create a new thing. Therefore:
When God had enough of our alienation from Him, He drew us near.
We were deep in a horrible pit, but He reached us. Our backs were turned to Him, but He turned us around. Our hearts, minds and wills were set on sin, but He drew us near. He hung, bled and died on a Cross for our sins, broke down the middle walls, slew the enmity, erased our sins by shedding His righteous blood, and then turned to us and said:
"Ye are NO MORE strangers and foreigners."
Yes, we finally FIT-IN SOMEWHERE and BELONG TO SOMETHING
My friends, I rejoice today in knowing that Our God is THE GOD OF THE NO MORE. There is a limit to His Forbearance. There is so much He will permit. And when He has had enough, He will say: "NO MORE!"
So let me try to encourage some living stone who might be undergoing some painful hammering and chiseling, as you are being made to fit into the Body of Christ. Hold On, my friend! For whatever you are bearing, at God’s appointed time, He will say to your multiple trials: "NO MORE!"
Hold ON, my friend! When patience has had its perfect work, He will say: "NO MORE!"
Hold On, my friend! When Problems have Overwhelmed us, and People have Vexed us, and Cares have Burdened us, and Sickness has Weakened us, and Temptations have Tripped us, and Footmen have Wearied us, and Demons have Dogged us, and Worries have Drained us, and Wolves have Chased us, and Serving has Taxed us. Don’t Worry! God will say to them all: "NO MORE!"
When you have done all to stand firm, God will say: "NO MORE!" For He knows just how much you can bear. For when God allows you to go in the furnance of affliction, He Keeps His Eye on the Clock and His Hand on the Thermostat.
"Though the load gets heavy, you’re never left alone to bear it all.
Just ask for strength and keep on toiling, though the teardrops fall."
For soon and very soon, God shall say: "NO MORE!" It just a matter of time!
"You are NO MORE strangers and foreigners." GOD ALWAYS HAS THE LAST WORD. HIS WORD IS FINAL!
No more a resident alien.
No more a guest, a visitor, an intruder into the household of faith.
No more a person unknown to God and unacquainted with His ways.
No more one who does not belong to or is kept from the activities of the Kingdom of God.
No more excluded from the covenant and promises of God.
GOD HAS THE LAST WORD!
You are a Fellow Citizen with the Saints, a Member of
God’s Forever Family and Christ’s Conquering Church!
GOD’S WORD IS FINAL! HE IS THE GOD OF THE NO MORE!
And God’s Last Word is JESUS CHRIST. He is the Omega.
God’s Last Word took all of our sinful thoughts, words and misdeeds; took all of our work-righteousness, and condemned them while dying ona Cross. And after having shed His blood, He said: "NO MORE!"
God the Father saw His Work and heard His Words and accepted His Worth. And He cried from His holy temple: "NO MORE!"
Sin, Death, Hell, Satan and Demons heard His Final Word and released His Anointed One! And three days later, He arose from condemnation, death and hell and said: "NO MORE!" ’ALL SPIRITS ARE MINE! ALL FLESH IS MINE! ALL KINGDOMS ARE MINE! ALL POWER IS MINE! NO MORE!!!
HALLELUJAH! OUR GOD REIGNETH
NO MORE! NO MORE! NO MORE! NO MORE!!!
