And now let's open the Word of God together to
the book of Ephesians and the second chapter.
Insectivorous plants are those that gain some
of their nutrition by devouring insects which
they capture. The most familiar of this sort
of plant is probably Venus's flytrap, which is
native to both North and South Carolina. This
plant grows about 12 inches high and is characterized
with small white flowers. But the most interesting
portion of the plant is the leaf. The outer portion
of each leaf is designed as an insect trap. It's
just hard to tell how many eons of evolution
it took to produce that trap and how many of
these poor little plants. before evolution gave
it the ability to get the insects trapped, right?
God designed this plant so it could capture insects.
The outer portion of the leaf is divided into
two halves with long, sharp spines at its margin
and then small trigger hairs at its center. Those
serve to spring the trap once the insect has
entered. Insects are attracted to this plant
by sweet fluids that are exuded. And once they
are inside the trap, they cannot escape. The
plant digests the softer portions of the insect
and then expels the harder portions, opens itself,
and prepares for another meal. That's something
like sin. Because you see, sin is attractive
and deceitful. What it promises, it cannot deliver.
If alcohol told the truth about the diseased
minds and bodies it has created, the loss of
money, character, employment, and family is caused.
the disgrace and danger to oneself that it brings,
that only a fool would ever touch it. But alcohol
doesn't present itself that way. If adultery
told the truth about the guilt and shame that
it brings, the possible disease that threatens,
the loss of honor, the potential loss of family
and home, If it told the truth, few would pay
the price. But adultery doesn't present itself
that way. If abortion told the truth about the
nagging sense of loss and guilt, the potential
physical harm to the individual, and the taking
of an innocent's life, if it told the truth,
there are many alternatives. That would be quickly
slapped. But it's not presented that way. You
see up front, whatever the sin may be, it presents
itself to appear one way, but the results are
inevitably the opposite. Sin promises pleasure,
but it delivers guilt. Sin promises freedom,
but it delivers bondage. Sin promises increase,
but it delivers loss. Sin promises fulfillment,
but it delivers frustration. Sin promises popularity,
but it delivers loneliness. If you were to sum
up the results of sin in one word, you might
choose many, but I think one of the most fitting
words would be the word separation. For sin separates
man from God, man from himself, man from man,
and even man from the creation around him. For
sin has made him a stranger both to the animate
and inanimate creation over which he was to rule.
So it separated man from his destiny to be a
sovereign. Sin separates. It has affected man,
therefore, spiritually. It has affected him psychologically.
It has affected him socially and even ecologically.
Separation is the result of sin in God's universe.
That separation is also manifested in a theological
way in our text today. It is the division that
existed and still does exist in some places between
Jew and Gentile. Although this separation was
instituted by God in the covenant which he made
with Abraham and with his seed, it is a separation
that has been caused to be deep and abiding and
even distorted because of sin. In order to fulfill
the covenant, there had to be a separation. But
sin, both in the Jew and in the Gentile, caused
that division to be a deep division, one filled
with enmity. So that the Gentile hated the Jew,
and the Jew despised the Gentile. That enmity
is illustrated in the wall which separated the
court of the Gentiles from the court of the Jews
in the ancient temple. In fact, at the gate to
the court of the Jews, there was a sign which
warned that if any Gentile went beyond that point,
he was sure to be executed. And the Romans gave
them the right to execute those Gentiles. There
is an allusion to that wall in verse 14 in our
text today. We gain a better perspective of the
awfulness of sin. when we understand not only
its fruit, but also what it took to rescue man
from sin and to restore the unity that sin destroyed
and the separation which it brought. Paul addressed
the Ephesian church, which was, by the way, largely
Gentile, reminding them of what had happened
to them. Please notice the contrast between verses
11 and 12, which speaks of Gentiles as they were
formerly, and verses 13 through 18, which speak
about Gentiles now, those who are saved, that
is. Therefore, remember that formerly, you, the
Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision
by the so -called circumcision, which is performed
in the flesh by human hands, remember that you
were at that time separate from Christ, excluded
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
to the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus,
you who were formerly far off have been brought
near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is
our peace. who made both groups into one and
broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by
establishing in his flesh, excuse me, by abolishing
in his flesh the enmity, which is the law of
commandments contained in ordinances, that in
himself he might make the two into one new man,
thus establishing peace, and might reconcile
them both in one body to God. through the cross,
by it having put to death the enmity. And he
came and preached peace to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near. For through
him we both have our access in one spirit to
the Father. Now it might be helpful at this point
for us to quickly review our suggested outline
of Ephesians. Chapters 1 through 3 deal with
our calling in Christ. Chapters 4 through 6,
our conduct in Christ. We have been studying
about our calling in Christ, the first division
of the book. First we notice its blessing. The
blessing of our calling in Christ can be summarized
in the word salvation. It talks about that in
the early verses of chapter 1, followed by a
prayer that we might really get a hold of that
and understand what we have in Christ. Then he
speaks about its basis, the basis of our calling
in Christ, which is our identification with him
in his death, burial, resurrection, ascension,
and exaltation in the throne of glory. Now we
begin the final portion of this first division
of the book as we think about its bond, the bond
of our calling in Christ, that is, its unification.
There are two truths about you which, if understood,
will make you appreciate the tie that binds the
church together, the bond that we have in Christ
Jesus. Two truths about you. I say about you
because 99 % of our church is Gentile. We have
only a very few of us in our local church. who
come from the Jewish race. Most of us by birth
are Gentiles. And so what Paul says in these
verses is so directly applicable to you and to
me who come from that background. If you understand
what he has said here, it will help you appreciate
even more than you do now that bond that has
brought Jew and Gentile together in the church,
the Lord Jesus Christ. First notice with me this
line of truth. What was true about you in the
past, formerly, verses 11 and 12? That is, those
of you who were Gentiles, non -Jews. He points
out six facts about us that describe what was
true. First of all, we were separate from Christ.
Christ is the anointed one, the Messiah, the
long -awaited deliverer of Israel. Christ was
promised to the Jews. He was to come from them.
Their prophets foretold him. He was the Christ,
the Messiah of the Jews. Non -Jews had no claim
on the Christ. Although Christ was sent as a
light of revelation to the Gentiles also, he
was certainly the Christ, of the Jews and Gentiles
were separate from the Christ. A second fact
about us that was true, we were excluded from
the commonwealth of Israel. Only the seed of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were a part of the
commonwealth, the state, the nation of Israel.
That distinction was made by natural birth. Either
you were born a Jew, or you were born a Gentile.
One could be a proselyte Gentile, that is, convert
to Judaism, but his natural birth was either
Jew or Gentile, and that could not be changed.
Israel was a unique nation in the earth. It was
a people under God. It was designed to be a theocracy.
although it came far short of fulfilling that
ideal. But Gentiles were excluded from it, just
as Gentiles are today, unable to become citizens
of the political nation of Israel. A third fact
which describes what we were is found in this
phrase, strangers to the covenants of promise.
excluded from Israel who were also strangers
to their covenants. For you see, following Abraham
and up to the New Testament days, there was no
covenant made between God and man except with
the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
You can talk about the Abrahamic covenant, the
Mosaic covenant, the Palestinian covenant, the
Bavarian covenant, and the New Covenant. All
of those were between God and Israel. not the
Gentiles. So Gentiles were strangers to those
covenants containing the promises of God. And
therefore, a fourth fact about us, we had no
hope. Hope was based upon the promises and the
covenants. We had no hope. We had no covenants.
Hope is probably life's most powerful, motivating
force. I think that's true in about every realm.
It's true economically. That is why capitalism
is superior to socialism or communism. It is
because there is hope for the individual to improve
himself. It provides that motivation within it.
Of course it can be abused. But you must admit
that neither socialism nor communism provide
that kind of personal motivation. It is also
true medically. When one knows that there is
hope, there is a will to fight. When the doctor
says, I'm sorry, there is no hope. Most people
at that point give up. And it is true spiritually,
for hope in a spiritual sense gives purpose,
direction, and meaning to life. But when we were
Gentiles, we had none of that. And we were without
God, it says. That's the fifth fact about us.
Gentiles had many gods, but they did not have
knowledge of the true God. Man is religious by
his very nature. Therefore, he will create some
object to worship, for he must do it. He is made
to worship, even if he worships pitifully, only
himself, as does our society. Because man is
made the way he is, a creation which must worship,
he will have gods. The Gentiles had not knowledge
of the God. They were without God. Now we're
talking about you, and we're talking about your
ancestors. They may have been barbarians off
in Scotland somewhere. I don't know where they
came from. But your ancestors were without God,
and so were you, Gentile. And then a final phrase,
the last one in verse 12, without God in the
world. That's more than the fact they lived on
planet Earth. It's talking about the spiritual
identity of the Gentiles. They were in the world.
The Jews have been called out to be God's people,
the Gentiles in the world. By world, we mean
that system of things opposed to God. It's the
organization headed by Satan. It's the mafia
of mafias. It's the spiritual underworld which
frames up the world that we see. It's the invisible
realm headed by Satan. which holds in its captivity
all of the unregenerate, all Gentiles. Chapter
2, verse 2 talks about the course of the world
in which we walked. We were identified with the
world. And I tell you that people who are described
by the phrases of these two verses are desperate
indeed. Desperate. Thank God that there is another
line of truth that is followed here. For those
of us who are saved, there is something more
to be said. Now these verses still today accurately
describe the Gentiles. But if you are in Jesus
Christ, you are no longer a Gentile. God has
made a change. There is another line of truth.
And that is what is true of you right now. Not
what was true of you before your salvation, but
what is true of you now. He begins this line
of truth in verse 13, but now in Christ Jesus.
And notice that immediately he gives the new
identity for you. No longer in the world. But
now in Christ Jesus. God sees you in his son,
in Christ Jesus. And there are three areas of
truth that he begins to investigate here about
what is true of us now. First, what is true of
us positionally. He says in verse 13, you who
were firmly far off. Have been brought near.
That's our new position. Before we were far off
in every sense you can think of. But now we have
been brought near. A new position for us. How
have we been brought near? By the blood of Christ.
Never allow anyone to suggest to you that the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is unimportant.
It is absolutely foundational to biblical Christianity.
There are those denominations and groups of a
liberal bent of mind which believe that the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ is an embarrassment.
Far from that, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
is reason for glorying. It is the boast of those
who are in heaven worthy as the Lamb who was
slain, who has purchased us by his blood, it
says. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is precious,
not an embarrassment. It is that blood of the
Lord Jesus shed on the cross of Calvary which
has changed our position so that we who were
far off have been brought near. Sin and its separation
could only be dealt with by the shedding of blood.
Hebrews 9 .22, Without the shedding of blood,
there is no forgiveness of sins. That is illustrated
in the animal that God slew in the garden, whose
blood was shed so that covering might be made
for Adam and Eve. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no forgiveness of sins. It is illustrated
again in the Passover lamb when the Israelites
were in bondage in Egypt. A lamb was slain, its
blood put on the doorpost of the house for the
redemption of the people of Israel, their deliverance
from the angel of death. It is illustrated again
in the goat on the day of atonement in the nation
of Israel when the goat was slain and its blood
sprinkled for the atoning of the sins of the
nation. Without the shedding of blood, there
is no forgiveness. Now why is that? Because sin
brings separation from God, which is another
way of saying death. Death physically, but even
worse, death spiritually. A state in which one
can die and thus have to spend eternity separated
from God in what is called the second death,
the lake of fire. This separation from God is
the penalty of justice. In addition to being
a loving God, God is a just and holy God, and
in his justice, the sentence for sin is death
or separation from him. The shedding of Christ's
blood was essential to rescue sinners from the
justice of God, and it was God himself who provided.
for that rescue, in sending his own beloved son
to bear his justice. When he died on that cross,
the justice of God was poured out upon his beloved
son so that he paid that price of justice on
our behalf, that we might be delivered from that
justice of God that demanded our death, our separation
from him who is holy. so that now God justly
can embrace us, can bring us nearer to himself,
because our sin has been dealt with by Christ's
blood. That's what is true of you positionally.
You who have been far off have been brought near
by the blood of Christ. But think with me now
practically. What is true of you pragmatically?
Well, he tells us in these verses that enmity
has been abolished and peace has been established.
By whom? By Christ himself. Notice the emphasis
on that in verse 14. He himself, he only, he
alone is our peace. Now, what did he do? Well,
it says in verse 14 that he made both into one.
In verse 15, he made the two into one new man.
Here it speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ making
peace between Jew and Gentile. How did he do
that? Well, it tells us in verse 15, he abolished
in his flesh the enmity The law of commandments
contain inordinances. Now, the New American Standard
makes it sound like the law is the enmity. I
don't think that's a good way to put it. I believe
what he's saying here is that he abolished the
enmity created by the law. The law was not hateful.
It was holy and righteous and good. But the law
created the division, the enmity. It set apart
the Jews. It gave to them certain privileges.
Because of the separation that it made between
Jew and Gentiles, the Gentiles hated the Jews.
And the Jews, on the other hand, because they
had been set apart, became arrogant and proud.
And they looked down upon, they despised the
uncircumcised Gentiles. And so while the law
was not the enmity, it created it. So the Lord
Jesus Christ in his death, in his flesh, fulfilled
the law with its demands. All of its commandments,
all of its ordinances were fulfilled in him.
He took it out of the way so that no longer would
it create an issue, you see, between Jew and
Gentile. Thus he abolished, he made null and
void the enmity between the two groups. Now that
enmity is still being carried out today among
the unregenerate. Sadly, there are still those
Gentiles who are anti -Semitic, who hate the
Jews. There are even some who call themselves
Christians who are anti -Semitic. That is a contradiction
if there ever was one. And then there are Jews
who despise the goyim, the Gentiles. They look
down upon them. It's still being carried out
today, but the point here is this. There's no
cause for it. Christ has dealt with the law and
has made possible peace between Jew and Gentile.
Not only that, but he dealt with the enmity between
the sinner, Jew or Gentile, and God. You see,
he made peace this way, and he made peace this
way. That's emphasized in verse 16. It says,
and that he might reconcile them both, Jew and
Gentile, in one body to God through the cross.
Have you ever noticed the directions which the
cross pointed? As Jesus hung upon the cross,
his arms were stretched out this way. embracing
Jew and Gentile, bringing them together. And
the cross was upright, pointing to heaven, making
peace between all sinners, whether Jew or Gentile,
and a holy God. So he alone is our peace, who
made peace between Jew and Gentile, between sinners
and God. He made it through the cross. Through
his death in his body, the Lord Jesus Christ
died to bring peace. It's a wonderful thing.
To bring peace in our relationships, to bring
peace in the church, to bring peace in the world,
and that will be fulfilled someday in his kingdom.
He is the Prince of Peace. And surely those who
profess him as Lord. must themselves be peacemakers
and walk in peace. What is true of us practically
is this, that there is now peace where there
was once hatred. God forbid that any of us who
professes to know the Lord Jesus Christ would
speak in a hateful way toward a Jew. Or for that
matter, toward other Gentiles. For God has put
his peace in our hearts. God forbid that we should
be troublemakers, that we should be known as
divisive people. For God has put peace into our
hearts. Christ died to bring peace, to make peace.
It's a very practical truth about us now. But
we must go on to a third one, and that is something
that is true about us prayerfully, with regards
to prayer. And that's in verse 18. Instead of
being separate, excluded, and strangers, we Gentiles
have now, along with the Jews who believe in
Christ, been received and accepted by God. Now
that truth is found and contained in that word
access. It is used again in chapter 3, verse
12, where it says, In Christ we have boldness
and confident access through faith in him. In
Romans 5, 2, it is used one at a time in the
New Testament, where it speaks of our having
access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
What is access? Access is a standing that is
due to another's introduction. Access is entrance
that is given to us into the presence of a sovereign
because of the identity of someone else. It means
that I can come into the very presence of God
now because of Christ. and the new identity that
I have in him. If you or I were to go to the
head of state in any country, we would likely
be turned away at the gate of the palace or the
gate of government. Because who are we that we
should see that head of state, that president,
that sovereign? Ah, but let us suppose that we
came with someone in that government. Let us
suppose that we went to the White House in Washington
and we arrived there at the gate of the White
House. Well, let's just say with the Secretary
of State. The Secretary of State would then give
us entrance, you see, into the White House because
we will be with him in his party. And so it is
with our Heavenly Father. We have been given
access to the very presence of God because of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us never take that
for granted. Because you see, we were strangers.
We were excluded. We were far off. There was
a time when our ancestors stood to the side of
the temple. in the court of the Gentiles, with
a sign that said, you may go no further without
suffering death. But now, we who are Gentiles,
along with those who are Jews, who have believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ, have access. We both.
Verse 14, it says, we both have been made one.
In verse 16, it says, we both, have been reconciled
to God. And now it says we both have access.
A 2 ,000 -year -old distinction that began with
Abraham ended at the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I want you to notice in verse 18 that
each person of the Trinity has a role in the
prayer life of the Christian. In the first place
it says that this access is through him. whether
you're Jew or Gentiles, through Christ, who is
the mediator. He opened the way. His cross, his
sacrifice, is the basis for it. And then it says
we both have our access in one spirit, the Holy
Spirit, who regenerated us and united us to one
another and to Christ. The Holy Spirit who empowers
us. who enlightens and teaches us, and who intercedes
in our behalf, Romans 8 .26. That same Holy Spirit
is in Jew and Gentile who believe in Christ,
and he it is who energizes our prayer life. He
is the one who helps us in our praying to God.
And then notice it says that our access is to
the Father. Here we have brought to our attention
again the general rule regarding prayer. It is
not wrong or sinful, as far as I can see in the
Bible, to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't
find any restriction against praying to the Holy
Spirit. But generally speaking, prayer is to
be addressed to the Father. When Jesus taught
us to pray, he said, pray this way, our Father
who art in heaven. Prayer is to be addressed
to the Father. We can come to him and call him
Father, just like a Jew, one who was formerly
a Jew can, because we now have a new identity.
What is true of you now? It is this, that you
are a part of the new humanity, the new creation
of God. You are part of the new man that he speaks
about in verse 15. That's the church of Jesus
Christ. The church did not exist before this
in the Old Testament. It is something new. Not
new in time. Indeed, it's 2 ,000 years old as
we measure time. But it's new in quality. It's
something new that was not here before this.
The church is a new thing, a new group, a new
man, a new entity, a new humanity that God is
calling out in this age. And how does he call
people out? Through the proclamation of this
gospel. Notice in verse 17 it says, And he came,
Christ came, he there refers to Christ, he came
and preached peace to you. who were far away,
Gentiles, and peace to those who were near the
Jews. Now when did the Lord Jesus Christ ever
go to Ephesus? Paul says he came and preached
to Gentiles and Jews. When? It's when Paul arrived
in Ephesus. For the Lord Jesus Christ was preaching
through Paul this message. Just as the Lord Jesus
Christ proclaims this message through you in
that office, in that school classroom, around
the dinner table, wherever you are, it is he
who is proclaiming this peace both to Jew and
to Gentile. We as a church need to be doing that.
There's one concern I have about our missions
budget is that we are very, very light. in missions
to the Jews. We are not doing a very effective
job reaching the Jews here in the Twin Cities,
for that matter. There may not be a lot of them
that live around here. But those that we know
about, we need to be seeking to reach with the
gospel. There are pockets of them, large pockets
in the Twin Cities. I think we need to be designating
some funds in the future toward Jewish missions.
Because the gospel is to be preached to the Jews
as well as to the Gentiles. Let's seek to win
them. The Lord Jesus Christ is the tie that binds
us together. He has made peace between Jew and
Gentile and between God and both Jew and Gentile.
As God looks at the world today, he basically
sees three groups of people. According to 1 Corinthians
10 .32. He sees those who are Jews according
to the flesh. He sees those who are Gentiles
according to the flesh. And he sees the church
of God according to the spirit. Being called
out of Jew and Gentile to be something new. Where
do you fit into that, by the way? Are you a Jew?
Are you a Gentile or are you a part of the church
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Sin is
the great separator, but Christ is the great
reconciler. You know, that's true in marriages.
It is sin that separates a husband and wife.
I mean, you counsel, you investigate it. Down
there somewhere is sin, if not in action, at
least in attitude. Sin is the separator. Christ
is the reconciler. He is able to bring peace
in troubled marriages if sin is dealt with humbly.
He's able to bring peace between parents and
children. What is the separator? It is sin. If
not in action, in attitude, but the Lord Jesus
Christ is able to reconcile that. He's able to
bring peace into that home. He is the one who
can bring peace in a church that is troubled.
An interesting question is, if he is our peace,
And if he has made peace, why is there so much
warfare in churches? Have you ever wondered about
that? I thank God for the very little bit of
it that we've experienced here in these six years.
But why is there so much warfare in churches
if he is our peace? Well, it's because of sin.
Sin is the separator. There's no place in the
church for dividing up of groups, for choosing
sides. There's no place for becoming divisive
because Christ, our Lord, has died that he might
make peace in this new man, the church. Sin is
the great separator. Christ is the reconciler.
wherever there may be separation in your life
today, will you give that area to the Lord? Will
you allow him to bring reconciliation in those
broken relationships? Those walls that you have
put up between yourself and others, will you
allow him to abolish them and bring you together?
That's what he wants to do. Let's pray.