Month: June 2019

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22

Title: Included

Structure:

• Introduction
• A new access
• A new humanity
• A new temple
• Conclusion

Introduction:

As well as being Trinity Sunday, today is also Disability Awareness Sunday

–         My first job after leaving university was with a community organisation who worked with people with disabilities, in Tauranga

–         I was 23 at the time and had very little disability awareness – so they made me a disability awareness educator

–         Nothing like being thrown in the deep end

My job was to help people with disabilities to be included in the community by educating the community

–         For many years people with disabilities were excluded from mainstream society – they were locked away in institutions and this proved to be quite harmful, both to the people locked away and to mainstream society

–         One of the challenges people with disabilities faced, when they were released from institutions, was the prejudice of others

–         I soon learned that disability isn’t so much a deficit with an individual person, it’s actually more a deficit with our society

–         It is our society which disables people

–         If the only means of access into a building is stairs, then it’s not the person in the wheelchair who is disabled, it’s the building

–         If someone pokes fun at a person because they can’t hear then the problem is not with the person who is deaf

Unless you’ve been excluded (or spent meaningful time with people who are excluded) then you don’t really see the barriers that exist in our society

–         The world we live in says, in a thousand ways, that our value is based on our ability – but the Bible says that isn’t true

–         The truth is our value comes from God who made us and loves us

This morning we continue our series in Ephesians

• – Our focus today is Ephesians 2, verses 11-22
• – We could summarise this passage by saying: ‘We were excluded, but in Christ we have now been included, reconciled and brought home’
• – In today’s reading Paul traces the movement from division to unity
• – From alienation to reconciliation
• – From hostility to peace
• – From despair to hope
• – And from being excluded to being included
• – From Ephesians 2, verse 11, in the NIV we read…

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)— 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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

In our message last week we heard about three aspects of our personal salvation

• – This week’s reading is about the salvation of the group
• – In and through Christ we have a new access to God, a new humanity under God and we become part of God’s new temple
• – First let’s consider the new access we have in Christ

A new access:

When I was a boy we used to visit my great aunt Avis in Auckland

–         She has passed on now but in her day she was a very capable woman

–         Avis’ fulltime job was as PA for Mr Gladding, the general manager of South Auckland Motors

–         In addition to her day job Avis attended St Philip’s Congregational Church in Papatoetoe where she taught Sunday school for many years and also served as the church secretary for a while

During the 1950’s my aunt studied by correspondence to earn her lay preacher’s license

–         It was quite a significant qualification involving Greek, theology, Biblical exegesis and so on

–         The minister, a man named Ted Tabor, was supportive of my aunt and included her by providing opportunities for her to preach in church

–         Having no family of her own the church became her family – she was warmly included

Then in the early 1960’s Avis applied to become a minister within the Congregational denomination

–         Despite her qualifications, her professional skills, her church ministry experience & the support of her minister, the denominational hierarchy turned her down

–         No reason was given but it appears my aunt didn’t make the cut because she was a single woman

–         Now I don’t want to be unfair to the people that made that decision

–         Attitudes in NZ society were different then – maybe they thought they were doing what was best for her and the church at the time

–         But my aunt didn’t see it that way

–         Although Avis had access to the Bible in its original language and although she had proven herself to be a faithful servant of the church for many years, she was denied access to fulltime pastoral ministry

–         Sadly this was not her first rejection in life

–         She decided to stop attending church after that

In some ways my aunt’s experience was similar to that of many people – a mixture of being included and excluded

–         Although she wasn’t excluded from God’s people or from lay preaching, she received the message, ‘you can come this far but no further’

In verses 11-12 of Ephesians 2, Paul reminds his non-Jewish readers how, previously, they were excluded from God’s people and God’s promises, having no hope in the world

Now for most of us, who are used to being included, these verses are water off a ducks back – they don’t penetrate the surface, we don’t really appreciate them

–         But if you have been systematically excluded and de-valued over a long period of time you will be very sensitive to what Paul is saying here

When I was working with and for people with disabilities there was one guy (with cerebral palsy) who knew I was a Christian and took a crack at my faith

–         He found some verses in Leviticus 21 which talk about how people with disabilities can’t draw near to offer sacrifices – how they are kept at arm’s length and don’t have the same access as able bodied people

–         He was quoting Scripture out of context – so I tried to explain how that was in the time of the Old Testament but now, because of Jesus, we have a new access to God – we go from being excluded to being included

–         Or, as Paul says in verse 13, now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ (that is, by Christ’s sacrifice)

–         Unfortunately my friend with cerebral palsy was too angry to listen – and after the hurt and rejection he had experienced in life it was no wonder

–         Having said that, we don’t do ourselves any favours by holding on to our hurt

There is a temptation when we are rejected or excluded to feel sorry for ourselves – but when that happens we still have a choice

–         We can either carry on feeling sorry for ourselves and wind up polishing the bar with a hard luck story

–         Or we can find a way to forgive the hurt and move on

–         I don’t mean to sound brutal but sooner or later everyone suffers – no one gets through life unscathed

–         Everyone sins and everyone is sinned against – so we have to learn to forgive, because without forgiveness we can’t have peace

Returning to the story of my aunt for a moment…

–         Some years later a minister from the Congregational church went to visit Avis. When he heard her story he apologised (although it wasn’t his fault) and asked her to return. Sounds like he was trying to bring reconciliation

–         Although my aunt didn’t go back to church I never heard her speak ill of the church – we only learned about her experience through a couple at St Philips who stayed in touch with her after she left

–         The fact that Avis didn’t bad mouth the church and kept her friendship with people in the church, suggests to me that she did forgive and find some peace

We are talking about salvation in a corporate or group sense

–         In and through Christ we Gentiles, who were excluded, now have a new access to God

–         More than this though, in and through Christ, God creates a new humanity

A new humanity:

The Rohingya people are a stateless ethnic group who reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The majority are Muslim while a minority are Hindu

–         Described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, the Rohingya are denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar Nationality Law

–         Although Rohingya history in the region can be traced back to the 8^th Century, Myanmar law does not recognize the ethnic minority as one of the eight national indigenous races

–         They are also restricted from freedom of movement, state education and civil service jobs.

–         Because of persecution hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, have crossed the border into Bangladesh from Myanmar

–         The Kutupalong refugee settlement, in Bangladesh, has grown to become the largest of its kind in the world, with more than 600,000 people living in an area of just 13 square kilometres

I don’t really understand the situation or how God might work his purpose in it – but clearly the Rohingya have suffered hostility and are excluded

The sort of hostility the Rohingya have experienced is foreign to most of us but it wasn’t foreign to the people of Paul’s day

–         For centuries Jews and Gentiles had been at each other’s throats

–         When we read the Old Testament we see that Israel is almost constantly in a state of war with the surrounding nations

–         But Jesus came to bring peace between Jews and Gentiles

–         In fact he came to make the two groups one

–         In Ephesians 2 verse 14, Paul writes of Christ…

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.

This verse requires some explanation

• – The ‘two groups’, as I’ve already alluded to, are the Jews and Gentiles
• – Generally speaking both sides hated each other
• – The Jewish temple of Jesus’ & Paul’s day had a literal wall which Gentiles were not allowed to go past – you can go this far but no further
• – In fact there was a sign on the wall that basically said, ‘Gentile trespassers will be executed’ – not ‘prosecuted’ but ‘executed’
• – The temple in Jerusalem wasn’t literally destroyed by the Romans until AD70 – but spiritually speaking Jesus destroyed the dividing wall decades before that

With his death on the cross Jesus also set aside the law with its commands and regulations

• – Now those who are familiar with Matthew 5 will see a red flag here, because in his sermon on the mount Jesus said, ‘Do not think I have come to do away with the law – no, I’ve come to fulfil it’
• – John Stott helps to give clarity on this point
• – When Paul talks about the law in Ephesians 2 he means the ceremonial law, not the moral law
• – But when Jesus talks about the law in Matthew 5 he means the moral law

The ceremonial law is that part, in Leviticus for example, which says people with disabilities can’t draw near to the altar to offer sacrifices

• – Jesus’ coming makes the ceremonial law unnecessary because we don’t approach God by offering sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem anymore
• – Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross does away with the need for animal sacrifice
• – We now approach God through Jesus and anyone can come to Jesus
• – In distinction from the ceremonial law, the moral law includes things like the 10 commandments – don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t covet, that sort of thing
• – Jesus doesn’t do away with the moral law – rather he fulfils it so we are no longer condemned by it

I have in my hand a walnut. To eat this walnut I must first remove the shell

• – The shell is like a dividing wall – it is useful for a time, to protect the nut inside – but once the shell has been broken we no longer need the wall
• – The Law of Moses is like a walnut
• – The outer shell represents the ceremonial law, while the nut inside represents the moral law
• – Jesus came to fulfil the moral law – in other words he came to crack open the shell and remove the dividing wall of the ceremonial law so we could eat the moral nut inside

In verses 15 & 16 Paul continues talking about what Christ did…

–         His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  

This is mind blowing stuff – Jesus takes two groups of people who for centuries have been trying to kill each other, and reconciles them to God and to each other so they become one body of people at peace

–         To give you an idea of the sort of reconciliation Jesus achieves here, it would be like getting Donald Trump to apologise to Hilary Clinton and Hilary Clinton accepting it

–         It would be like having the people of Myanmar welcoming the Rohingya home with full citizenship

–         Or like seeing the National Rifle Association lobby for stricter gun laws

–         Or, closer to home, like seeing the Treaty of Waitangi honoured

Jesus came with a message of peace for those, like us, who were far away – the Gentiles, women, people with disabilities, the Rohingya and so on

–         And he preached peace to those who were near – able bodied Jewish males, like Paul

–         For through Christ we both have access to the Father by one Spirit

–         Here we notice the Trinity : Father, Son & Holy Spirit

–         Paul is saying that in and through Christ we are able to participate in the very life of God – a bit like Abraham & Sarah participated in the life of God when they received the three visitors in Genesis 18 and soon after Sarah became pregnant

As a consequence those who were once far away and excluded are now brought near and included as citizens of God’s kingdom & members of God’s household

–         In other words, in Christ the excluded become part of God’s family

–         But wait there’s more – in Christ we actually become a new temple for God’s presence

A new temple:

This diagram on the wall here (which looks like a bullseye) shows the three images of inclusion Paul uses in verses 19 to 21

–         Being a citizen in God’s kingdom (the outer ring) is closer to God than being a foreigner

–         Being a member of God’s family (the next ring in) is closer again than being a citizen

–         But being part of God’s temple (the bullseye) is the closest one can get to God, because to be God’s temple is to have the presence of God inside you

From verse 20 Paul expands on the new temple image

The foundation of the new temple is the apostles and prophets – essentially the teachings of the New Testament

–         As John Stott observes: the church’s foundation documents are the New Testament Scriptures. And just as a foundation cannot be tampered with once it has been laid and the structure is being built on top, so too the New Testament… can’t be changed by additions, subtractions or modifications [1]

–         If we try to build something outside the footprint of the New Testament then it won’t last

Verse 20 tells us Jesus is the cornerstone of the new temple – the one who holds the whole building together

Those who were here for the all-age Christmas service last year may remember these verses and how we built a wall out of shoe boxes at the front

–         Neville explained how a cornerstone, in Biblical times, was the largest, most solid stone in a building. It gave the building its shape and size.

–         If you took the cornerstone away, the whole building would fall down

–         More recently, buildings have cornerstones on each corner, supporting all the smaller bricks. The idea is the same.

–         As a cornerstone, Jesus is like a solid rock supporting us, a friend beside us who we can rely on – the one from whom we get our plumb line

That makes us the bricks (or living stones) of God’s new temple

–         In Christ we too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

–         Again we notice the Trinity in this image and our participation in the life of the Trinity

–         God the Son, is the cornerstone, we are the bricks and God the Father lives in us by his Spirit

This means the Christian church replaces the Jerusalem temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in AD70

–         We don’t replace Israel as such, but we do replace the temple building

–         So wherever you go in the world, particularly when you go with another believer, you take the presence of God with you

–         Although my aunt stopped going to church the church didn’t abandon her

–         One couple from the church, who loved Avis, stayed in touch with her and supported her through a difficult time

–         This couple embodied God’s presence for my aunt – they literally took the temple to Avis by visiting her and showing care for her

–         Is there someone you can take the presence of God to?

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Christ includes people in the very life of God

–         Through Christ we have a new access to God

–         Through Christ we become a new humanity under God

–         And through Christ we become a new temple for the presence of God

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

–         Why do you think this stood out to you?

2.)    Have you ever been excluded in a significant way?

–         What was this like for you?

–         Have you been able to forgive the hurt and move on?

3.)    Do you know what it is to be included (&/or reconciled) in a significant way?

–         What was this like for you?

–         Have you been able to include others too?

4.)    What is the difference (or relationship) between the ceremonial law and the moral law?

–         What does Jesus destroy and what does he fulfil?

5.)    Where do we see the Trinity in Ephesians 2:11-22?

–         What is our relationship to the Trinity, in Christ?

6.)    Looking at the bullseye, in the sermon notes above, where are you in relation to God?

–         Ask someone close to you if they agree. Where do they see you in relation to God?

–         Where would Paul say you were in relation to God?

7.)    Reflect on (or discuss) the various aspects of the temple image in verses 20-22. That is, the foundation, the cornerstone, the bricks, God’s Spirit

–         What are the practical implications with each of these aspects?

–         Is there someone you can take the presence of God to?

[1] John Stott, BST Commentary on Ephesians, page 107.