CHRIST BRINGS TOGETHER
Christ Brings Together Ephesians 2:11-22
In this text Paul is talking about two groups of people. The Gentiles and the Jews. The people located at the church in Ephesus were Gentiles, and we are Gentiles.
To understand what Paul is describing we need to understand where the Jews started. Let’s take a look at some verses in Genesis.
Who are the Jews?
In short, God’s chosen people.
Judaism started almost 4000 years ago with a man named Abram or Abraham. That means at the time Paul wrote this book to the Ephesians the Jews had been around almost 2000 years.
Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 13:15-16 “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.”
Genesis 17:1-14 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.”
“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
Philippians 3:3
Who are the Gentiles
Ephesians 2:11-12
The Jews are God’s chosen people. They were given the law. They had the promises of God. They had hope in the messiah. They had the prophets and communication with God.
The Gentiles, on the other hand, had none of this. Paul said before Jesus came they were “aliens” outside the commonwealth of God’s people. They had no promises, no hope and no communication with God.
They were pagans, worshipers of idols of every kind. Living by their own desires, outside the will of God. In situations much like the world in which we live in today.
But Now…Jesus
Ephesians 2:13-16
Those sweet, wonderful words, but now in Christ Jesus, we who have been far away from God have been brought close by the blood of Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Now, because of Jesus, the great gulf that separated man from God has been crossed by Jesus. The wall that separated the Jews and the Gentiles has been torn down. The law, given to the Jews, that pointed out our sin, has been fulfilled by Jesus. The sin debt has been paid once and for all. The priestly system has been abolished and there is a new High Priest, Jesus. Who now mediates between man and God.
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”
EPHESIANS 2:14
Peace in Christ That Brings us Together
Ephesians 2:17-22
Those far off, the Gentiles, and those close, the Jews, now have peace and both can draw close to God. The privileged position of the Jew now includes the Gentiles. Because of Jesus we can all be close to God. Now both the Jews and the Gentiles are part of the same family of God. Because of Jesus we are no longer enemies with God. Two opposing parties, Jews and Gentiles, are no longer enemies but part of the same family with the job of showing Jesus and loving our neighbors.
Today, there are still two groups of people, those that have been save by Jesus and those that are still lost.
Those of us that now have Jesus and live like we have Jesus, are not enemies with those that don’t have Jesus. Sometimes we see people in the darkness of the world and we tend to put up walls between us and them, like the Jews and Gentiles did. Jesus has broken down those walls too.
Our job as followers of Christ, is to simply love them and show them Jesus, not get behind walls. Jesus came to pay for the sins of everyone.
1 Timothy 2:4-6 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Are you showing Jesus and loving those you meet? Are you part of the family of God? Are you part of the household He is building?
Do you know Jesus?
“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
EPHESIANS 2:18