By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
September 24, 2023 – Ephesians 2:11-22
Us and them. That is the way a lot of people see the world. Liberal/Conservative, Right/Left, White/Black, White/First Nations, Protestant/Catholic, Straight/LBGTQ, Rural/Urban, Christian/Non-Christian. The list could go on and on.
We define ourselves against the other side. Whatever the other side is. If you are on my side – your good. If you are on the other side your bad. If you are on my side, you’re right. If you are on the other side, you’re wrong.
Some of the “us and them” viewpoints define people. If you are a white supremist – which I really hope you are not – then your racism defines you. I lived in Ottawa and pastored a lot of people who worked on Parliament Hill. During an election season, it seemed like the political party that they belonged to, defined some of those people.
Us and them. This is the world view of many people. This world view is not new. It was happening during Paul’s time.
The big “us and them” that Paul grew up was Jewish and Gentile – which is a word that simply means non-Jewish. The Jewish people were God’s people. The Gentiles were not God’s people. This wasn’t some – you drink coffee, I drink tea “us and them.” This was full blown white supremist versus black “us and them.”
William Barkley, a Bible commentator, helps us feel the alienation between the two communities. He writes,
The Jews had an immense contempt for the Gentile. The Gentiles, said the Jews, were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell. God, they said, loves only Israel of all the nations that he made… It was not even lawful to render help to a Gentile mother in her hour of sorest need, for that would simply be to bring another Gentile into the world. Until Christ came, the Gentiles were an object of contempt to the Jews. The barrier between them was absolute. If a Jewish boy married a Gentile girl, or if a Jewish girl married a Gentile boy, the funeral of that Jewish boy or girl was carried out. Such contact with a Gentile was the equivalent to death”.
That is the attitude that Paul grew up with. God had called Israel to be a light to the Gentiles. He had called them to point the way to God. But they moved to an “us against them” stance.
But there was also some truth in what they believed. The Jewish people were the people of God. They were God’s chosen people. They were the people to whom God made covenants with.
That is what Paul is saying in
Ephesians 2:11–12 (NIV)
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
We as Gentiles were without hope and without God in this world.
One of the big debates in the early Church was, “Can Gentiles be Christians.” God had to show Peter a vision in Acts 10 to let him know the answer – yes, they can. God confirmed this by filling Gentiles with His Spirit.
If you were here last week, or if you have read the first part of Ephesians 2, you will see that Paul has been outlining the amazing salvation we have. One of the things about our salvation that amazed Paul was Gentiles were let into the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 2:13–14 (NIV)
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
The biggest “us and them” in Paul’s life was smashed by the work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus made peace between the Jews and the Gentiles. We who were formerly excluded from the covenants of God, we who were without hope and with out God in this world, have been brought near to God.
There is no more barrier between Jew and Gentile, because Jesus has destroyed it. We have peace with each other because of the work of Jesus.
Now, both Jew and Gentile come to God through the work of Jesus on the cross.
Ephesians 2:15b–18 (NIV)
His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 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.
We are both given access to our heavenly Father by what Jesus did on the cross. We are both given access to the Father by the Holy Spirit. There is no wall between us anymore.
Did you notice the purpose of God in this. Verse 15. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of two.
God created a new humanity. It was different from the Jewish covenants with its regulations and laws. It was different from what the Gentiles experienced being far from God. It is a new kind of humanity that comes close to God the Father through the work of His son Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Now I know you didn’t wake up this morning saying, “I have this burning question about the “us and them” Jewish/Gentile controversy.” But it was important to talk about because it factors into how God wants you to see yourself. It factors into your identity.
So, come with me to verse 19
Ephesians 2:19–22 (NIV)
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Paul is writing to a church that is primarily made up of Gentiles. This would also be true of Asbury. While a few of you have Jewish roots, most of us would be classified as Gentiles. Look what these verses are saying about you Asbury.
Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,
You are fellow citizens with God’s people. Citizens of where. Paul, writing to the church in Philippi says this.
Philippians 3:20 (NIV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Your citizenship rests in the Kingdom of heaven. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God.
I am a citizen of Canada. I have a Canadian Passport. I can trace my roots in Canada to the 16th century. But as a Christian, my primary citizenship is in heaven.
If my Canadian citizenship takes precedence over my heavenly citizenship – something has gone very wrong with both my faith and my idenity.
But I have heard Christians say and act in ways that are discriminatory to our French brothers and sisters, to our Caribbean brothers and sisters to our African brothers and sisters and our Frist Nation brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let me say this as plainly as I can. There is no room for racism, sexism, or nationalism in our faith. As Christians, we are citizens of heaven. There are no second-class citizens in heaven. You and I and that uneducated girl scavenging in a dump in South America, but she loves Jesus are all equally citizens of heaven. We are all part of the one Humanity that Jesus died to create. We are equal in God’s sight. And if we are not equal in each other’s sight then we are seeing ting different than God.
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Let’s go back to verse 19
Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,
Paul goes on to say that we are members of his household. Now I know that you know that a follower of Jesus, you have been adopted into the family of God. So, we can sing songs like “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.”
But Paul uses the word household here. We are part of the family. But we are also part of a functioning household.
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I have friends who have pastored churches who have dozens and dozens of different ethnicities represented in their church. They tell me that church potlucks are the best. You get to try different food from all over the world. They also tell me that they have to work really hard on unity.
Different cultures do things differently. It is not a matter of better or worse – just different. There can be all kinds of misunderstandings. So, in order to live well together, they all have to understand that church is about Jesus – not about my own preferences. That and they have to communicate a lot to make sure that they are all on the same page.
We live in Perth. Although I see a few more Black and Asian people around town – we are a really white community. I suspect that will change in the next decade. People, as you come in contact with people that are different from you – Act like the Christian you are. When people of different ethnicities come up in conversation – act like the Christian you are.
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There is too much truth that comes from this story out of the deep south. Apparently, this black man was walking along a road on this fine Sunday morning. He happened upon a church, and he heard the hymns being sung, that he had learned as a kid himself.
He said, Lord, I sure would like to worship you with your people. So, he walked into the church and sat down in the pew, and started to worship. It didn’t seem to sink in that this was an all-white church. People started pointing, murmurs started erupting, people started shifting in their seat. Finally, an usher came over to this black guy and asked him to leave.
He went quietly and continued his walk down the road. He said, Lord, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a disruption in your worship. Then the Lord spoke and said, “It’s all right my son, I have been trying to get into that church for 20 years, and I haven’t been able to make it either“.
Let’s go on
Ephesians 2:20–22 (NIV)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Now Paul changes he metaphor from country and family to a building.
He says, “God is constructing a building, a temple if you would. The foundation are the apostles and the prophets with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone. In Jesus, the whole building is fastened together to become a holy place. And you who have put your faith in Jesus are part of this temple. You are a block in the wall of this temple if you would.
You are being built together with all God’s people. You are becoming together a place where God dwells by his Spirit.
I know many of you are familiar with the idea that is found in Corinthians that our physical bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. The idea that Paul is describing in Ephesians is different than that.
He is saying that each one of us who has been saved by grace through faith – is part of one temple that Jesus is building. We together become the dwelling place of God.
I want you to notice the trouble that God went through to create one new humanity. He sent his son to die on the cross. He gave his Spirit. Jesus is actively helping us to live this out.
What this means for us is that within those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, within those of us who have the Spirit of God living in them – there can be no such thing as “us and them.”
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I know it is not a big deal these days, but I need to say it – we can’t have us and them between different denominations. If you received Jesus into your life and I have received Jesus into my life – then we are part of the same temple – there is no us and them.
There are no “us and them” when it comes to race. Whoever receives Jesus, whether they are Asian, Black, White or Brown are all part of the temple that God is building. Racism is a horrible scourge on the temple that God is building.
There is no tribalism when it comes to temple of God. If you have received Jesus into your life, and the other person has received Jesus into their life – then political affiliations don’t matter. The music that you prefer doesn’t matter. Age, whether young or old, doesn’t matter. Vaxers/Anit-Vaxers doesn’t matter. The only thing that maters is Jesus.
There are some Christians that I see in the States that make me cringe. But if they love Jesus like I love Jesus – they are part of that temple that God is building. I don’t have to like their opinions – but I have to love them like a brother or sister in Christ – and that is sometimes hard. But when our opinions about issues of the day are more important than our love for Jesus – then we have huge problems.
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Some of you may remember the Rwandan genocide in th e middle 1990’s. The Hutus tried to wipeout the Tuttis. It was a horrible atrocity. There were over a half-million Tuttis deaths.
The worst of it was that 80% of the Hutu and 80% of the Tuttis claimed to be Christians. But obviously their tribalism ran deeper than their discipleship. Whenever that happens, we have problems.
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I worry about the church in Canada. With the permissiveness and the left and the hatred on the right – I am worried that our tribalism will run deeper than our discipleship. I am concerned that we will act in hostility and anger against people who seem to be turning against the church – rather than in love. I am concerned that our discipleship won’t go deep enough to meet the challenges of our culture.
I am not asking you to change your opinions – unless you see reason to. I am asking you to examine your attitude. Does your attitude belong in the temple that Jesus is building? Will your attitude stand up the scrutiny of Scripture? What would Jesus say about your attitude towards people who are different than you? What is your attitude towards a brother or sister in Christ that is different from you? What is you attitude towards your enemy?
Listen again to verse 22
Ephesians 2:22 (NIV)
22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Can you hear why unity in the church is so important? Paul says to the Ephesians church, and he would say to Asbury.
22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
God is actively building us together – so that we together become the dwelling place of God.
If you have ever wondered why God values forgiving your brother or sister for an offense, this is right. He is building us together. In him we all are becoming the dwelling place of God.
As I have been talking, it is possible that God has been pointing out attitudes. Don’t be pointing at your neighbour and saying – I hope he is hearing this. Or I hope she is hearing this. Say God, do I have any blindspots – or obvious places where my attitude is out of step with what you are building. Show it to me lord, so that I can repent. I want your work in my life to deeper than the culture I live in.
Let me leave you with one last story.
Luke 18:10–14 (NIV)
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Don’t be like the Pharisee. We are going to take a few moments of silence and ask if our attitude to other people or groups of people are what God would have them be. If he brings something up – deal with it in your heart and then see if there is a way to reform your actions.
Let’s pray.
Sermon Questions
September 23, 2023
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. What are you celebrating and/or giving thanks for this week?
2. What are you praying about this week?
Digging In
3. Read Ephesians 2:11-22. What big-picture issue is Paul trying to address in this passage?
4. Read verses 11-12. How would Paul describe the Gentiles before the work of Jesus on the cross?
5. Read verses 13 and 14. What does this tell us about Jesus’ work on the cross?
6. Read verses 15 to 18. What was God’s purpose on the cross? What has happened to the Jews and the Gentiles? What kind of peace is Paul talking about? What does this tell us about the believer?
7. Read verses 19 to 22. What does verse 19 say about the Gentiles who believe in Jesus? Read Philippians 3:20. Where is our citizenship held? What does this tell us about our primary citizenship here on earth?
8. What does this say about racism among believers?
9. Read verses 20 to 22. Describe the temple that God is constructing? What does this tell us about the unity of believers? What does this tell us about how we are to live?
10. Reread verse 22. What does this say about Asbury?