Biblical Reconciliation (Ephesians 2:11-22) | Worship Service

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June 6, 2022

Description: God has reconciled sinners to Himself and to each other. In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul describes racial reconciliation and gives God’s answer to racism and racial hostility. An exposition of Ephesians 2:11-22. (Guest Speaker - Virgil Walker)

00:07: You have been raised the work is completed Helen it's been defeated
00:14: You have been free from no judgment left for us
00:42: Don't have to wonder if Price you pay for us.
01:27: It's fully been accepted Because of your shit we cannot be rejected
01:37: The price you paid for us Because of your shit
01:45: We cannot be rejected Rejected The tomb has been opened
02:09: Nothing can take away our hope and fear Righteousness oh
03:36: God Holy judge of earth and heaven
03:44: Forever just and without a flaw Only doing what is right
03:55: In your kindness and your mercy
04:01: You've revealed to us your love
04:07: And we praise your righteousness
04:13: Oh God Righteousness oh
04:29: God In the keeping of your saving grace
04:39: Displayed to all To restore a world gone
04:49: As the threats of hell are silenced
04:54: By the cry of E .C
05:02: .A Righteousness oh
05:07: God You are just and you trust in the blood of Christ Lord you are just and you justify
05:28: All who trust in the blood of Christ Lord you are just and you justify
05:40: All who trust in the blood We love your righteousness oh
05:54: God You have owned us as your children
06:01: Your gift to those that you have called
06:07: Through no merit of our own
06:13: And by faith we stand forgiven
06:19: And joined to Jesus Christ our own
06:25: We love your righteousness
06:30: We sing your righteousness
06:36: We praise your righteousness
06:42: Oh God Oh God You became my all
07:59: You became my all Now I knew
08:08: You are a lively brand
08:20: That in you my life's completely new
08:36: I'm blameless in your eyes Because of Calvary The Father welcomes me with joy
08:49: Your spirit makes me know Your great love
08:58: Jesus you're my all Jesus you're my all
09:04: Now I am leastly price
09:42: That cannot be measured Chosen before all time
09:53: You are my joy My prize And my treasure
09:59: Jesus you are my love Jesus you are
10:36: There is no song we could sing
11:30: To honor the weight of your glory There are no words we could speak
11:40: To capture the depth of your beauty
11:46: Jesus there's no one Jesus we love you
11:55: Ever adore you There's no one like you
12:02: Jesus we love you Ever address no sinner beyond Infinite stretch of your mercy
12:28: How can we thank you enough Jesus there's no one
12:45: Jesus we love you Ever adore you There's no one like Jesus we love you
13:31: Ever There's no one like you
15:59: Living word The one who made the stars
16:05: With your glory Fill the earth From dust may beating hearts
16:14: You loved us when we fell away
16:20: Poured mercy on our souls And promised grace
16:27: We'll come to save To lose this iron pole
16:35: You are our song From age to age Well, Virgil, it's not a
18:42: Hammond B3, but it's all we got. She can stay up here for you during the service if you'd like.
18:50: No, okay. Welcome, everybody, to Kootenay Church this morning. We're glad you're here. We're gonna sing
18:55: And Can It Be. Would you join and stand as we sing? Can it be that I should gain
19:12: An interest in the Savior's blood?
19:18: Died he for me who caused his pain For me who him to death pursued
19:30: Amazing love, how can it be That thou, my
19:36: God, should die for me? Amazing love, how can it be
19:45: That thou, my God, should die for me?
19:57: He left his Father's throne above So free, so infinite his grace
20:07: Emptied himself to show his love
20:13: And bled for Adam's helpless race
20:18: His mercy all immense and free
20:23: For, oh, my God, it found out me
20:29: Amazing love, how can it be
20:34: That thou, my God, should die for me?
20:46: Long my imprisoned spirit lay
20:51: Fast bound in sin and nature's night
20:57: Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
21:03: I woke, the dungeon flamed with light
21:09: My chains fell off, my heart was free
21:15: I rose, went forth, and followed thee
21:21: Amazing love, how can it be
21:27: That thou, my God, should die for me?
21:38: No condemnation now I dread
21:43: Jesus' hand, all in him is mine
21:49: Alive in him, my living head
21:54: And clothed in righteousness divine
22:00: Bold I approach the eternal throne
22:05: And claim the crown through Christ my own
22:11: Amazing love, how can it be
22:17: That thou, my God, should die for me?
22:22: Amazing love, how can it be
22:29: That thou, my God, should die for me?
22:46: We were ruined in our sin We were guilty and undone
22:55: When your love reached down with sovereign hands And beckoned us to come
23:03: You sought out the wanderers Made the prodigals come home
23:11: With a lavish feast you welcomed us For you made us your own
23:21: You have loved us like you love your
23:27: Son We are heirs with Christ, bought by his blood
23:37: Oh, how great the love that we've been shown
23:45: We're your children now, you've made us your own
23:53: We are strangers to the world But no strangers to your throne
24:02: We draw near you now with confidence For all our fears are gone
24:10: And when Christ our King returns We'll meet saints we've never known
24:18: And forever we will be amazed That you made us your own
24:28: You have loved us like you love your
24:33: Son We are heirs with Christ, bought by his blood
24:43: Oh, how great the love that we've been shown
24:52: We're your children now, you've made us your own
25:00: You have loved us like you love your
25:06: Son We are heirs with Christ, bought by his blood
25:16: Oh, how great the love that we've been shown
25:25: We're your children now, you've made us your own
25:33: We're your children now, you've made us your own
26:02: Tree of the cross, I cannot cop for your
26:20: Son Drink the bitter cup reserved for me
26:26: He washed away my sin,
26:33: Jesus, thank you The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
26:40: Jesus, thank you What's your enemy? Now seated at your table,
26:48: Jesus, thank you By your perfect sacrifice,
27:01: I've been brought near Your enemy, you've made your friend
27:17: Your mercy and your kindness know no end
27:23: Your blood has washed away my sin,
27:29: Jesus, thank you The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
27:35: Jesus, thank you What's your enemy? Now seated at your table,
27:43: Jesus, thank you Lover of my soul,
27:58: I want to live for you
28:06: Lover of my soul,
28:12: I want to live for you
28:20: Lover of my soul, I want to live for you
28:34: Lover of my soul, I want to live for you
28:45: Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you
28:52: The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you
28:59: Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you
29:05: The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you
29:12: What's your enemy? Now seated at your table,
29:18: Jesus, thank you You may be seated
30:09: You may be seated You may be seated You may be seated
34:33: You may be seated You may be seated You may be seated You may be seated You may be seated
34:41: You may be seated You may be seated
35:08: You may be seated
35:30: You may be seated You may be seated
35:42: You may be seated You may be seated
35:49: You may be seated
35:58: You may be seated
36:15: You may be seated You may be seated We thank you that you have reconciled to yourself men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation and kindred and group on the face of the earth and that you are glorified in doing so and that you have brought us into Christ It is for that reason that we gather here together and rejoice one with another and offer ourselves to you in repentant faith, in obedience, in fellowship, in worship, praise and adoration and we pray that as we do so that you would fill our hearts with love and joy and affection both for one another and for you and for your word
36:50: We pray this in Christ's name. Amen I cling to Christ Voices tell me
38:12: My peace has formed
38:32: So I cling to peace
39:09: Is that you cling to me? For all my earthly aims
39:20: In time will turn to dust Let me learn that loss is gain
39:29: For those who know your love All the treasures of this world will never satisfy
39:42: You alone are endless joy So I cling to Christ You alone are endless joy
39:58: So I cling to Christ In Colossians 3 verses 1 -3 it says
40:09: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ Keep seeking the things above where Christ is
40:15: Seated at the right hand of God Set your mind on the things above Not on the things that are on earth
40:21: For you died and your life has been hidden With Christ in God We're going to sing before the throne of God above To close our music service out this morning
40:41: Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea
40:50: To a great high priest whose name is love Whoever lives and pleads for me
40:59: My name is graven on his hands My name is written on his heart
41:08: I know that while in heaven he stands No tongue can beat his deep heart
41:16: No tongue can beat his deep heart When Satan tempts me to his death
41:27: And tells me of the guilt within Upward I look and see him there
41:35: Who made an end to all my sin Because a sinless
41:43: Savior died My sinful soul is counted free
41:48: For God the just is satisfied To look on him and pardon me
41:57: To look on him and pardon me
42:07: Hallelujah Praise the one risen
42:15: Son of God Behold him there, the risen
42:32: Lamb My perfect spotless righteousness The great unchangeable
42:40: I am The King of glory and of grace
42:45: One with himself I cannot die My soul is purchased with his blood
42:54: My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my
42:59: Savior and my God With Christ my Savior and my
43:06: God Hallelujah Hallelujah Praise the one risen
43:20: Son of God I bow before the cross of Christ And marvel at this love divine
43:42: God's perfect Son was sacrificed To make me righteous in God's eyes
43:51: This river's depths I cannot know But I can glory in its flood
43:59: The Lord most high has bowed down low And poured on me his glorious love
44:08: Poured on me his glorious love Praise the one risen
44:26: Son of God Hallelujah Praise the one risen
44:43: Son of God You may be seated.
44:59: Well, I said it before at Dull Sunday School class, and I'll say it again. Our conference this weekend was a very rich blessing and benefit to everybody who was there.
45:07: It was a joy to have Daryl Harrison and Virgil Walker here to share with us for that conference. It's Bowtie Sunday.
45:16: I apparently am the only one who got the memo. Did that not go out? Virgil and Daryl said they think they're wearing off on me, and I said that might be the case.
45:28: I've got an appointment for a spray tan later this week. Let me introduce
45:40: Virgil. Virgil Walker serves as Executive Director of Operations for G3 Ministries.
45:47: Along with Daryl Harrison, Virgil co -hosts the Just Thinking podcast, which is a long -form, irregular podcast.
45:53: Phil Johnson said it is the most influential long -form Christian podcast in the world. Virgil has completed his
45:59: Master of Business Administration and is currently working on a Master of Divinity at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
46:05: Virgil's been involved in jail ministry and sidewalk ministry at abortion clinics and street evangelism. He has co -authored
46:12: Why Are You Afraid, which we gave out free with the registration to our conference, Just Thinking about the State, which we had for sale with the conference registration.
46:19: We still have a few copies of that that we'll have out on the bookshelf in the foyer. And soon to be released, actually probably next year now,
46:27: Just Thinking About Ethnicity, which is one of the three Just Thinking books. Just Thinking About the
46:32: State, Just Thinking About Ethnicity, and then Just Thinking About the Church are the three books in that trilogy. Virgil and his wife,
46:38: Tamika, have been married for 25 years and have three children. Virgil and Daryl have become widely known for their resolute commitment to the authority of Scripture and for speaking about subjects that very few people want to speak about and for saying it in such a way that, in a way that nobody else wants to say it.
46:56: Resolutely and unbendingly biblical, they do not back down from confronting the progressive spirit of the age in their online articles or their social media posts, and they simply do not shy away from it.
47:09: And these are two men who do not care what the culture says about them or what anybody says about them.
47:14: People inside and outside the church, it makes no difference. And you know him as Omaha if you listen to the
47:21: Just Thinking podcast. It's because he comes from Omaha. In fact, this week I got to take a glimpse at the security protocol that the security team had for the event this weekend.
47:33: And it had pictures of Virgil and Daryl. It said these are the two guys that are allowed in Jim's office at any time without permission.
47:41: And I thought, did you need to put a picture on them? Do you think people have a hard time identifying either one of these guys?
47:48: They're well known. And they had security code names as well. Now Daryl was
47:53: Hollywood because he lives outside of Hollywood. Virgil, Omaha, because he's from Omaha.
47:58: And I didn't have a code name so I asked Thomas, what's my code name? He said Clark Fort. I'll explain
48:09: Clark Fort to you two gentlemen later on. So with that, please welcome
48:14: Virgil Walker. They're applauding. How about now?
48:29: All right. Man, it's a joy to be with you. We got a packed house. I won't tell you what Pastor Jim said about you all being here.
48:39: In fact, I am going to tell you what he said. Yeah. He said, they can't believe, one, as I was coming up and he's going down and applauding because I'm not preaching.
48:50: And then he was telling me about how packed the house was and the folks that were coming to be here on the
48:57: Lord's Day. And he said to me, I think they were just curious. They heard a black guy was actually preaching in North Idaho.
49:05: So that's the kind of stuff I've been in store for this entire time while we've been here.
49:12: It's been a joy to be with you. Daryl and I have had an amazing time.
49:17: You guys have absolutely spoiled us. Again, I think Daryl is planning to move here at this point.
49:24: I better stop that. This is on social media. Then he'll have to answer to some things when he gets back.
49:31: And so I don't want to create unnecessary problems for him. But again, it's been a joy to be with you.
49:38: The hospitality has been phenomenal. Your ministry here has been tremendous to us.
49:44: And so if I could and we had time, I would hug each and every one of you and just say from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
49:52: It's been a wonderful, refreshing time. We've worked. Jim put us to work. He made sure of that. But in the downtime, it's been refreshing just to connect with you, to talk with you, to engage you, to hear about people who've come from very far distances, five hours away, six, seven hours away, 20 hours away, and even more to be here for the conference.
50:13: And so we've been tremendously blessed by that. Again, want to publicly just thank Pastor Jim, his wife, his whole family that have been gracious to us.
50:21: We're grateful to you all. The security team has been on point, man. If I move somewhere,
50:26: I see a guy kind of like, this is cool.
50:32: I'm like, okay, can you? That's been really, really amazing.
50:39: You guys take it seriously. At the same time, I doubt that anybody would be silly enough or stupid enough to come in here and try something.
50:46: My thought is that there are probably more than two or three people packing right about now. It's been awesome.
50:57: I bring you greetings from G3 Ministries. G3, the G stands for Gospel, Grace, and Glory.
51:06: We've been a conference -based ministry that produces free resources for churches, laypeople, and the like.
51:12: We are transitioning to a resource -based ministry that shares content.
51:19: If you're not familiar with G3, shame on you. You absolutely should be. You can check out more by going to g3min,
51:27: M -I -N -G, the number three, M -I -N dot O -R -G, to learn more. I'm thankful for Dr.
51:33: Bice for his vision. He's friends with your pastor. We love what you all do here and would love to connect in the days to come.
51:40: I also finally bring you greetings from my wife, Tamika, who's at home holding things down for us as she does.
51:47: I cannot wait for you all to meet her. I tell audiences and people that you don't meet Tamika, you experience her.
51:54: She is an absolute experience, and for those who know her, they understand where that comes from.
52:00: I have three children, Princess, my daughter, Princess, and my son, Princeton, are still in Omaha, Nebraska, and then my son,
52:08: Price, he moved with us as we made the move to Atlanta, Georgia. Tomorrow will be his 18th birthday, so I'll be jumping on the plane to get back and to enjoy some celebration with him.
52:22: With that said, I will get started. If you have your Bible, turn, if you will, to Ephesians chapter two,
52:31: Ephesians chapter two. I'll be reading verses 11 through 22, and if you're able,
52:42: I would ask you to stand for the reading of the word of God. This is
52:53: God's word, and it reads as follows. Therefore remember that at one time you
52:59: Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands.
53:07: 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.
53:19: But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, 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 the place of two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
53:53: And he came and preached peace to those who were far off, and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one spirit to the
54:03: Father. So then, you're no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
54:15: Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the
54:23: Lord. In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the
54:30: Spirit. Take time to pray if you'll be seated. Father God, we thank you for your sovereignty in salvation.
54:42: We are indeed grateful for the selfless sacrifice of your Son, who died on a cross for our sin.
54:51: Your wrath was poured out upon your Son as a propitiation for those who have placed their faith in the finished work of Christ.
54:59: We thank you for sealing that promise of salvation by your
55:05: Spirit. It was the guarantee of that which is to come. We recognize that we were once separated from you, dead in our trespasses and sins.
55:13: We acknowledge that we were once sons and daughters of disobedience, following the prince of the power of the air.
55:19: As we carried out our own desires, we were overcome with gratitude.
55:25: As we acknowledged that the result of your action toward us in salvation was not the result of our good works or of our kindness or of our faithfulness or of our worthiness.
55:39: Instead, it was the riches of your mercy and out of your great love with which you have loved us, that while we were dead in trespasses and sins, you made us alive together with Christ.
55:52: Father, we are overwhelmed by your love toward us. May our lives be lived in such a manner that reflects that gratitude.
56:01: Help us today as we open your word to be even more in awe of the richness of your mercy and grace aimed toward us through Christ.
56:12: It's in his name that we pray. Amen. It's a joy to jump into Scripture with you this morning and to open up one of my favorite letters of Paul, the
56:26: Epistle to the Church at Ephesus. One of the reasons that this book in particular can be a favorite for a new believer, there are many reasons, but one of the reasons is that it may be their first exposure to the doctrines of grace.
56:41: As you open the letter, you're exposed to the fact that it was God the Father who chose us in him before the foundation of the world.
56:52: That very thought, that very idea, if you begin to meditate on it, it can actually boggle the mind.
57:00: It should boggle your mind. It should blow you away that before God the
57:06: Father said, let there be light, he had a plan for your redemption, a plan for my redemption.
57:17: If you think about your own wretchedness, your own sinfulness, that a thrice holy
57:25: God, before he would say, let there be light, thought of you and had a plan for you.
57:35: You should be overcome, not only with joy, but just the amazement of it all.
57:43: It's life -giving to think about. When you examine the majesty, the magnitude of God's sovereign plan of redemption, it's never more clearly expressed as it is in this particular book.
58:00: Every follower of Christ, if they're aware of the goodness of God, I believe they should routinely make themselves aware of this particular text, perhaps reading it over and over and over again in an effort to marvel at the goodness and grace of a glorious, sovereign
58:19: God. Yet and still, if the opening pages of this particular letter, the opening verses aren't enough, the entirety of the book of Ephesians goes on to explain yet more.
58:35: The first chapter begins to explain the triune nature of our salvation.
58:41: We often think about our salvation as simply the work and act of Jesus the
58:46: Christ, and there's rightness in that, but that's not all that we need to consider. Paul explains to the church at Ephesus that the salvation that they enjoy is this is not a new idea.
59:00: This is not a last -minute attempt on the part of God to figure out what he should do, given the nature of our sinfulness.
59:07: No, this was a plan of God before the foundation of the world. This was a plan of God the
59:13: Father in eternity past, Ephesians chapter one, verses three through six. This is the work of God the
59:22: Son, Jesus the Christ, in redeeming mankind in time, Ephesians one, verses seven through 12.
59:30: And this is the work, the work of salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, sealing that which is to come.
59:37: Ephesians chapter one, verses 13 and 14. By the time we reach chapter two,
59:45: Paul is beginning to consider as he's pulled back the curtain on the cosmic plan of God in salvation from eternity past.
59:54: Chapter two opens with a clear view of the impact of man's need for this salvific plan in time.
01:00:04: Again, think of it again in this way, that cosmic plan, that curtain was unleashed, unveiled.
01:00:10: We began to see it and we begin to move in chapter two onto the scene of mankind's condition and our need for redemption in time.
01:00:25: Paul writes in chapter two, and you were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked.
01:00:32: Following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, verse three, among whom we all once lived, carrying out the passions of our flesh, the desires of our body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
01:00:52: What is evident in chapter two is our separateness, how far we are, our distance from God.
01:01:01: Without hesitation, Paul declares, we're dead in sin and trespasses. We're not kind of half dead, maybe comatose, maybe we're closer than we think.
01:01:10: No, the separation is so grave, so vast, our condition is one of deadness to God.
01:01:18: We're dead in sins and trespasses. Paul explains that we are even more the children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
01:01:31: This is a grave condition for us. However, instead of condemning all of mankind to the death that we rightly deserve for our sins before a thrice holy
01:01:43: God, verse four begins to explain, but God, those two words should cause us to pause.
01:01:57: If we understand the magnitude of where we were and of what has taken place, we have to pause and note, but God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he has loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ.
01:02:21: By grace, you've been saved. This great love is much more than a warm feeling tingling down the back of God's spine.
01:02:31: This is an action demonstrated by the fact that God the Father acted in the sending of his
01:02:38: Son to redeem us, to ransom us, to reconcile us.
01:02:45: That is background. We pick up in chapter two, verse 11, where Paul uses the transitionary word therefore, therefore.
01:02:56: 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.
01:03:06: Remember that at that time you were 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.
01:03:18: However, before we walk through the next section of the text, if you're a note taker, I want to provide for you at this point some headings as we do a deeper dive into this section of the text.
01:03:31: What Paul is saying is it is essential for us to remember who we were.
01:03:39: Remember who we were. He walks that out in verse 11.
01:03:45: In verse 12, he's charging us, challenging us, telling us that we are to remember where we were.
01:03:53: This is more than just location. This is distance. This is separateness from God. Finally, verses 13 and 14, he's going to encourage us to rejoice, to remember to rejoice in what
01:04:07: God has done. To understand the transition and the magnitude of our wretchedness,
01:04:13: Paul begins with a therefore. Therefore, remember 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.
01:04:22: Remember who you were. Why does Paul want us to remember who we were? What is he getting at in this verse?
01:04:29: Is there something about the human condition that causes us to forget who we were?
01:04:37: If you remember who you were, you can fully appreciate what God has done in ransoming us, in redeeming us, in restoring us.
01:04:46: Restoring us to a position that none of us rightly deserve. If we think about what we rightly deserve, we can do nothing but fall on our face before a holy
01:04:58: God and give proper worship and thanks for what he has done. Few people have a difficult time in the everyday, in the aspect of day -to -day life.
01:05:10: We have an easy time looking at the world and at culture around us and seeing the total depravity that takes place in the world.
01:05:19: We have no problem opening up a webpage or watching on television or looking at social media and identifying absolute, total depravity.
01:05:31: Few people have a difficult time, though, thinking about their own depravity.
01:05:36: They have a more difficult time when that lens then is placed upon their own lives of really examining themselves clearly.
01:05:44: If we're honest, we usually give ourselves kind of a wink and a nod, right? I mean, I'm really a mess, but you know, if it weren't for this thing or if it weren't for that thing or if it weren't for the other thing,
01:05:54: I'd be pretty good. When the average person is asked, well, do you think you're a good person?
01:06:01: Most people would say, yeah. I mean, comparatively speaking, sure, I'm a good person. Paul doesn't leave us that option.
01:06:09: The Word of God doesn't provide that option. Paul is challenging the believers at Ephesus and by extension challenging you and I to do a self -examination, examine ourselves so that we can fully appreciate what
01:06:30: God has done. Paul constantly reminds us of who we were as sinners.
01:06:37: In fact, he says of himself that he is the chief of sinners. Verse 11,
01:06:44: Remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision.
01:06:51: What is Paul doing there? Is this just name calling? You're the uncircumcision versus the circumcision?
01:06:59: Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign of God's covenant people. We see this in Genesis chapter 17 verses 9 through 14.
01:07:09: This was an outward sign of our belonging to God, of the people of Israel's belonging to God.
01:07:15: And the people of Israel took this very seriously. Some believed that circumcision was akin to salvation as it pertained to their connection to the covenant.
01:07:25: I won't belabor the point here, but simply to say that the term the uncircumcised was definitely a term of derision.
01:07:33: You can remember David using this term on the battlefield as he's about to slay
01:07:39: Goliath. He's there looking around seeing the children of Israel on one side and Goliath and his people on the other.
01:07:47: He's trying to examine what's taking place. And this is what's written in 1 Samuel 17 26. And David said to the man who stood by him,
01:08:09: What's being done there? The idea that David is expressing is this is someone who's separate from God, separate from the people of God.
01:08:20: David is referring to are the Philistines, but by extension the
01:08:26: Gentiles. And this is akin to our separation that we had before God as Gentile believers not connected to the covenants of promise.
01:08:36: This was definitely a term of derision, a term of separation. The idea goes beyond conveying more than simple name calling.
01:08:46: The idea is, again, someone who does not have relationship with God. As we move to verse number 12 in Ephesians chapter 2,
01:08:57: Paul challenges us for a second time to remember. Here in verse 12,
01:09:14: Paul desires to remind the believers in Ephesus the fact that they were separate from Christ, alienated from God, that they had no hope and without God in the world.
01:09:28: What's interesting about this verse as you look at it very closely is that the verse actually bookends two ideas about our separateness from God.
01:09:40: It begins that we're separated from Christ. The verse ends with the fact that we have no hope and are without God in the world.
01:09:47: Between the two bookends is the idea of our separateness from the people of God.
01:09:54: You have our separateness from God, our separateness from one another. That's what's taking place there.
01:10:01: Allow me to identify these two ideas. First are our separateness from Christ.
01:10:06: This is huge because Christ is central to everything. Once we're separated from God, we have to understand that there's a magnitude in a separation like that.
01:10:18: In fact, as we examine Christ, that division is clear. In fact, let me provide you some
01:10:24: Scripture verses for context. John 14, 6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
01:10:32: No one comes to the Father except through me. Colossians 1, 15, and following,
01:10:39: He, that being Christ, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
01:10:46: For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities.
01:10:55: All things were created through him and for him. Verse 17 says, And he is before all things.
01:11:01: In him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might be.
01:11:13: Preeminent. Ephesians 1, verse 22, And he put all things under his feet, whose feet?
01:11:19: Under Christ's feet, and gave him as head over all things the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
01:11:28: You're familiar with the passage from John 1, verses 1 through 5, which read,
01:11:34: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
01:11:39: God. This is Christ. This is Christ, the preeminent one.
01:11:46: This is Christ, the Messiah. This is Christ. This is the greater prophet.
01:11:53: This is Christ, the Lamb of God. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
01:12:01: This is Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. This is Christ, the
01:12:06: Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and apart from him no light dawns.
01:12:14: Apart from him, the entirety of the world collapses upon itself, folds back into the nothingness that it was before he stepped onto the scene to say,
01:12:24: Let there be light. This is Christ. I mentioned who
01:12:30: Christ is so that we can understand that if we were separated from him, we are separated from everything.
01:12:37: I mentioned there were two parts, our separateness from God, but secondarily, kind of between the two bookends is the idea of our separateness from God's people.
01:12:49: The verse reads, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise. Our separation from God also involves our separation from God's people.
01:13:01: This separateness can be no more evidence than it is in the Jewish -Gentile divide, the divide that takes place within worship.
01:13:10: While there were a few God -fearing Gentiles, overall, the vast majority of the
01:13:15: Gentiles were engaged in some form of pagan, idolatrous worship. For those few
01:13:22: God -fearing Gentiles, however, they were still, even still, though they were worshiping the true and living
01:13:27: God, there was still a separateness about their worship, amplifying this idea. If you take a quick peek down at verse 14, you can see that fact.
01:13:36: Paul speaks to it from a standpoint of the fact that Christ and his body has removed the dividing wall of hostility.
01:13:46: What this is referencing is the idea of temple worship. Even the manner in which we worshiped
01:13:51: God was different. We couldn't be joined together. Even though we may have believed in the true and living
01:13:57: God, there was still a separateness about it. In the temple, the
01:14:02: Jews had a literal wall of separation, a division that prevented the
01:14:07: Gentiles from coming near and fellowshipping with God and the people of Israel.
01:14:16: The temple courts, their separation. Allow me to walk you through what took place there. The temple was constructed of courts.
01:14:23: You had the court of the priests, which only male members of the tribe of Levi were permitted to participate in.
01:14:31: You had the court of Israel, which only males were permitted in, male Jews were permitted in.
01:14:37: You had the court of women where any Jew could enter, but no woman could go beyond that certain point.
01:14:44: After this, you had five steps down in the Jewish courtyard was a five -foot -high stone barrier that extended all around the temple enclosure.
01:14:55: And then another 14 steps downward to a level of the courtyard known as the court of the
01:15:01: Gentiles. Now, according to Jewish historian Josephus, the dividing wall between the
01:15:07: Jews and Gentiles was marked at intervals by stone inscriptions stating that no foreigner was permitted to enter the
01:15:15: Jewish enclosure upon penalty of death. In fact, the statement that Josephus captures reads as follows.
01:15:23: No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary enclosure.
01:15:29: Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.
01:15:35: End quote. Ephesians 2, verse 12, we're reminded of our separateness from the commonwealth of Israel.
01:15:44: The fact that we're strangers to the covenants of promise. And this could be no more dire, no more sadder a state than the end of that particular verse which says we were without hope and without God in the world.
01:15:55: We had no hope and were without God in the world. So verse 11, we remembered who we were.
01:16:00: Verse 12, we remembered where we were. Our separateness from God. And finally, the beauty of this particular section of scripture goes on in a way that we can rejoice in understanding that God has done something about our condition.
01:16:17: Verse 13 and 14, read this way, verse 13. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
01:16:34: As we look at the words in verse 13, they're but an echo of what we read earlier, right?
01:16:40: We have in verse 13, but now. If we go back to verse 4, we had but God.
01:16:48: But God being rich in mercy. There's an echo here in verse 13. But now, in Christ, you who were once far off have been brought near.
01:17:00: This is the good news. This is news that should cause us to rejoice.
01:17:06: When we can understand the nature of our dire condition and what Christ has done, we should, again, rejoice.
01:17:14: At the outset, I mentioned earlier that this gospel that we now enjoy, the good news, the good news of the gospel, this is not a new gospel.
01:17:22: This is not something that God the Father in eternity past had missed, had overlooked, had not thought about, and now that things are the way they are.
01:17:32: He's gotta fix things. He's gotta rearrange things. That's not our condition. In fact, Acts chapter 2, verse 39, echoes that promise.
01:17:40: It says, for the promise is for you and for your children and all who are far off to everyone who calls upon the name of the
01:17:48: Lord. Verse 13, you were brought near by the blood of Christ.
01:17:56: Not some program, some process, some policy that brought you near. This was by the blood of Christ, you've been brought near to God in relationship.
01:18:08: I mentioned earlier that the separation that took place with the children of Israel and the
01:18:13: Gentiles, it was a real separation. In our current culture today, there's a desire to divide each and every one of us.
01:18:22: We spent the weekend talking about a number of those divisions. We talked about the idea that there's this division with ethnicity and there's a division around gender and all of the ideas that are a part of culture.
01:18:34: We further went on to talk about how many of those divisions are entering the church. The reality is we need to understand that this division, this wall, has been abolished.
01:18:48: That has been abolished by the blood of Christ. Our separation was not abolished by legislation from a government entity.
01:18:59: It was not abolished by a march on the streets. It was not abolished by a rally or a riot.
01:19:06: It was not abolished by the Supreme Court decision or a presidential proclamation. What abolished it?
01:19:15: The wall of separation that we read about in verse 14. It was Christ himself.
01:19:20: Let's read verses 14 and following. By abolishing the law and commandments expressed in the ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in the place of two.
01:19:42: I could stop there as we spent an entire weekend talking about division. It's on the
01:19:49: Lord's Day that we gather to rejoice in the fact that we are one body of Christ.
01:20:00: With everything that we see all around us, the threats that desire to invade the church, they'll not succeed because the work of Christ in uniting us into one body is finished.
01:20:18: It's not going to be finished. We're not waiting for it to take place.
01:20:24: It has taken place and it is incumbent upon you and me, the believers in Christ, to celebrate that.
01:20:33: We come together on the Lord's Day to celebrate that truth. It could not be a clearer understanding of our unity than the fact that we are one body in Christ.
01:20:51: Reading the text again. The hostility is over.
01:21:16: I don't need a program or a process or a racial reconciliation book.
01:21:22: I don't need someone to explain the definitions of critical race theory or social justice
01:21:30: All I need to do is open up my Bible to turn to Ephesians 2, verses 14 and following to understand that the wrestling and the challenges and the hostility, it's over because you and I are in Christ.
01:21:50: As we follow the text to verses 17 and 18, we find out the outcome intended by God the
01:21:56: Father through Christ as we read. And He came and preached peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near.
01:22:04: For through Him we both have access in one spirit to the Father. John Calvin in his commentary said the following.
01:22:12: He said that, quote, all that Christ has done towards effecting a reconciliation would have been of no service if the gospel had not proclaimed it.
01:22:22: I want to read that again. All that Christ has done toward effecting a reconciliation would have been of no service if the gospel had not proclaimed it.
01:22:32: I'm going to stop there because I want to amplify something that Calvin is saying, something that you heard us say over and over and over again during the course of the last two days if you've been with us.
01:22:45: The reconciliation that the world is seeking, that the church may not recognize or realize that has already been won is done by the proclamation of the gospel.
01:22:57: It's gospel proclamation that allows anyone to have access to reconciliation both to God the
01:23:04: Father and to one another. This was the plan of God from the beginning.
01:23:11: This was the idea that God the Father had before He said, let there be light.
01:23:18: And for any one of us to think that we have a better plan than God the Father who created it all, we're lost in our mind.
01:23:27: This is the plan of God. Let me continue reading the words of Calvin.
01:23:53: This gospel is not for a specific group of people and not the other. It's not for this kind of person who's well -educated or this kind of person who doesn't have much.
01:24:03: The gospel is not simply for, well, it's for the black man has his own gospel and the white man has his own gospel.
01:24:10: That's garbage. We have one gospel that saves.
01:24:16: This gospel reconciles us to God. We are reconciled to God through Christ by the
01:24:23: Spirit. This is true biblical reconciliation. This is what happens to Jew, to Gentile, to male, to female, to black, to white.
01:24:35: All relationships can be reconciled both to God and to one another.
01:24:42: There's a question, however, that begs to be asked. Do we see this in culture?
01:24:48: Do we witness this? Do we recognize this in those around us? Are we truly engaged in the celebration of the reconciliation that we enjoy?
01:25:00: What has been a joy for Daryl and me this weekend has been we recognize that we've been reconciled to God the
01:25:09: Father as each of you have been as well. And as a result, there is a rejoicing in our celebration with one another.
01:25:19: All that we've experienced in the equipping conference, the crescendo of that is this
01:25:27: Lord's Day. As we gather together as the people of God and rejoice, not in our goodness, not in our ability to relate well to one another, but in the fact that God has done something that you and I cannot do.
01:25:48: He reconciled us through his finished work to God the Father and reconciled you and I to one another.
01:25:59: Culture, however, desires that we replace the worship of God with the idolatry of self as they separate and divide.
01:26:07: They desire to blaspheme the character of God by claiming something about him that's not true or by ignoring him at all.
01:26:13: All of these things are a violation of God's commands. It's imperative that you and I stay focused, stay encouraged, stay equipped.
01:26:24: My heart breaks when I hear and see churches and local assemblies that are bowing the knee to what we're seeing in culture regarding our separation.
01:26:36: They are like Aaron who provided Israel with a golden calf. Far too many evangelicals are adopting a substitute religion all the while believing that they hold the real thing.
01:26:49: However, more important than walking through those challenges as we spent the whole weekend doing,
01:26:55: I want to focus on what the word of God says in verses 19 through 22 as I close.
01:27:04: The text goes on to read this way. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
01:27:28: Selah. You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
01:27:40: Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into the holy temple of the
01:27:50: Lord. In him you're also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
01:27:56: If you today are here and you're in Christ, this is absolutely true of you.
01:28:03: And the Lord's Day is a celebration for us to gather and enjoy the koinonia, the fellowship, the love that is only a foretaste of what we'll experience when we meet him.
01:28:20: He ransoms us to be with him in glory. We rejoice in that.
01:28:25: We enjoy that. However, if you're here, you have yet to trust in the
01:28:32: Lord Jesus Christ. The earlier part of what we shared is your condition, you're dead in your sins and trespasses.
01:28:43: You're separated from Christ. You have no hope and are without God in the world, but here's the good news.
01:28:53: The good news is that this morning you're hearing the gospel. You're hearing the good news that God the
01:29:02: Father who loved you before the foundation of the world had a plan to redeem you, to ransom you in the sending of his son.
01:29:10: That Christ the Son lived a perfect life in word and thought and deed.
01:29:19: That in that perfect life he committed no sin, but yet suffered and bled and died paying the penalty that you and I rightly deserve for our sins against the holy
01:29:30: God. He suffered the death for us. He was our propitiation.
01:29:37: He was the payment, the wrath -absorbing power of God that fell from God the
01:29:42: Father onto the Son for you, that you in the hearing of this gospel will be moved by the
01:29:51: Spirit of God to respond in repentance and faith in the
01:29:57: Lord Jesus Christ. My hope would be that if you're here today and you have not repented of your sins, have not placed your full faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, that you would do so today and that as a result you could understand the joy that those of us who are believers in God have when we engage one another and are reminded of the goodness of God aimed toward us in Christ Jesus.
01:30:26: With that said, I'll close with a prayer. Father God, we're thankful for your word.
01:30:33: We're thankful for your plan. We're grateful for the redemptive work that you've done through Christ our
01:30:42: Lord. My prayer would be that if anyone here in the sound of my voice has not trusted in you, that they would feel in their heart your tug in such a way that they recognize that they are indeed sinners and are in need of your saving grace.
01:31:00: I thank you for the opportunity to open your word, to share it with these, your people.
01:31:07: Grace us this day as we depart. In Christ's name, amen. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
01:31:17: Please stand as we sing the solid rock. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
01:31:31: I dare not trust the sweetest spring, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
01:31:40: On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
01:31:48: All other ground is sinking sand. His oath is covenant,
01:31:55: His blood. Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way,
01:32:04: He then is all my hope and stake. On Christ the solid rock
01:32:11: I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.
01:32:21: When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found,
01:32:28: Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
01:32:36: On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
01:32:44: All other ground is sinking sand. May the grace of our
01:32:50: Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits, brothers. Amen. Thanks for coming. Have a great week. Your strength will not fail.
01:33:30: Oh Jesus, I will. With faithful hands that cannot fail,
01:33:44: You'll bring me home to heaven. Oh Jesus, I will.
01:33:52: I need You. With faithful hands that cannot fail,
01:34:04: You'll bring me home to heaven.