2020 | January 16th | Ephesians 2:11-22 | No More Strangers and Foreigners
Alright well we’re there in Ephesians 2. And of course on Wednesday nights, we are going through the book of Ephesians. We’re going verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and really theme by theme. And this is now the 3rd sermon in Ephesians 2. This is the final sermon in Ephesians 2. And I don’t know if you remember but the first time, we were in Ephesians was before the holidays in Ephesians chapter 2. And we talked about the different families that you could be in and the children of Wrath, the children of disobedience, the children of light, and the children of Adam. And of course then last week we just spent one sermon in verses 8, 9, and 10. And we just learned this theology of works and how works does or doesn’t apply in the Christian life. And then tonight we are going to finish up the chapter here in Ephesians chapter 2.
And in this sermon, we’re going to be talking about two different groups. I want you to notice, to really understand the end of this chapter, you have to understand that Paul is talking about two different groups. And it’s clear in verse 11. Notice what it says “11 Wherefore remember, that ye”. I want you to notice who he’s talking to. He’s talking to the Ephesian believers. And he says “11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,”. So it’s very clear that he’s talking to the Ephesian Church, the Ephesian believers and their Gentiles. He says “11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision”. So I want you to notice that there are two groups here. And the first group is called the uncircumcision or the Gentiles. It’s the Ephesians. He says “ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,”. But then notice that he says “who are called Uncircumcision” by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;”.
So the uncircumcision or those that are not circumcised are the Gentiles in the flesh. And then of course the circumcision is in reference to the Jews. So there’s two groups that he’s referring to in the latter part of this chapter. It’s the Gentiles. The first group, the uncircumcision, the Gentiles. And then the second group, the circumcision, the Jews. Now here’s what we need to understand today. There is a belief system, and unfortunately, it’s been embraced by most of Christianity, and it’s because of dispensationalism. And dispensational theology has crept into many churches. And today people will teach you that there is no connection between the Old Testament Saints and the New Testament believers. Or we should say there’s no connection between what they would call, and this is their wording not mine, but what they would call the church or the Gentile church and the nation of Israel. And what I want you to notice that in this chapter, that doctrine and that teaching is completely put to bed. In this chapter it is extremely clear. The Bible teaches that there is neither Jew nor Greek in Christ. And that will become clear here tonight.
And maybe you’re here tonight and you say “Well I don’t know what I believe about that”. or “I’ve never heard that” or “I thought there was no connection between the church and Old Testament Israel”. I would just encourage you to keep an open mind and just look at what the Bible actually says. Forget your preconceived ideas and just look at what the Bible says. And I think it’ll be extremely clear tonight as we just literally walk through this passage and read it and show you several things about what the Bible teaches in regards to that. But you need to begin by understanding verse 11. Now there’s two groups here that are being referred to. You have the circumcision and the uncircumcision. He says “11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision”. And I’ll give you three thoughts and there’s lots of sub points in between there. So you know we’ll go through it.
But here’s point number one for those of you taking notes. And I would encourage you to take notes because again this is kind of a controversial thing. People will say I don’t believe that, I don’t believe in replacement theology, I don’t believe these things. You’ve got to go with what the Bible says. We are Baptist which means the Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. And at the end of the day, we just got to look at what does the Bible say. What saith the scripture. So I want you to notice first of all the separation between these two groups. Notice that these groups begin separated. Look at verse 12. It says “12 That at that time ye”. Now remember based on verse 11 “ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision”. Alright, that’s the group we’re talking about right now. He says “12 That at that time ye” The Gentiles “were without Christ, being aliens”. The word alien there simply means foreigner. It’s not like outer space from Mars alien. It’s a foreigner. He says “ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,” So notice he says there was a time where the Gentiles, their prior state, they were without Christ, “being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers”. Strangers is again just a different word for foreigner”. And he says “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”.
Now if we just have this part of the chapter then we would say “Ya, the dispensationalists are right. There is no connection between the church at Ephesus, the believers that make up the church, and the Commonwealth of Israel, the covenants that were given to Israel”. But notice what he says “12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”. Verse 12 told us the prior state of the Gentiles. But notice verse 13 “13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off”. He said look, there was a time when you were afar off. That’s your prior state. But notice their present state. Verse 13. He says “13 But now”. You’ve got to understand. Look at verse 12. “at that time”. He said you used to be without Christ. Being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel. Used to be strangers from the covenants of promise. Used to be without hope and without God in this world. You used to be far off.
But he says “13 But now”. Here’s your present state in Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. So he said look, there was a separation between these two groups – the uncircumcision and the circumcision, the Gentiles in the flesh and the circumcision in the flesh made by him. There was a separation between the Gentiles and the Jews. But he says you used to be afar off but now you are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He says there was a separation. But now notice, now there’s a uniting. So we’ve got two groups that used to be separated. Now he says. Now they’ve been brought together. Now the Gentiles have drawn nigh to what? To the Commonwealth of Israel, to the covenants and promises. Notice in verses 14 & 15, the uniting of these 2 groups. “14 For he is our peace,” And the healer is referring to Jesus Christ. Notice what he says “who hath made both”. Because again the context is talking about 2 group. “For he is our peace, who hath made both” Both what? The Gentiles, uncircumcision and Israel, the Circumcision. He says “hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”. There used to be a wall of partition that was between both these groups; the Gentiles and the nation of Israel. The uncircumcision and the circumcision.
But he says in Christ, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”. Now you say well, how has he done that? How is it that Christ has made peace between the circumcision and the uncircumcision? Notice what he says. First of all he made peace by getting rid of the ordinances. Notice verse 15. “15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments”. Now today you’ll have people who say that as New Testament believers, we are not under the law. That the law doesn’t apply, the law has been done away with, we don’t have to follow the law at all. And look, you don’t have to follow the law to be saved. We talked about that last week. You’re not saved by the works of the law. But as New Testament believers, do we believe that just the entire law has been done away with and none of it applies anymore? Do we believe that you can go ahead and commit adultery and kill and steal and God is fine with it because we’re not under the law? Is that what the Bible says? Well notice what he says in verse 15 “15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments”. Now if we stopped right there then you would say the whole law is abolished. Notice what he says “even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;”.
So I want you to notice, here’s what he says. He says he abolished the law and the commandments. You say all of them? No. Paul said “even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;”. And in fact, it was the removing of the ordinances that brought peace between these two groups and allowed them, allowed the Gentiles, to be able to draw nigh. Now maybe you have or haven’t heard that terminology. Ordinances is a biblical word. So we’ve got to answer this question to kind of help you with this. What are ordinances? What is he talking about? Go to Romans chapter 13. Keep your place in Ephesians 2, that’s our text tonight. And specifically in the old testament, when we talk about the law, there are two sections to the law. There are the commandments and then there are the ordinances. And in Ephesians 2:15 we are told that he abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments. Not all of them. The law of Commandments contained in ordinances. So he says look, at the cross Jesus did away with a part of the law. That is completely scriptural. The Bible tells us in Hebrews that there was a change in the law made because of the sacrifice of Christ. But what did he get rid of? Did he get rid of all of it? No, he got rid of the law of Commandments that was contained in ordinances.
So we have to ask this question, what are ordinances now in our Bible? The word ordinance has different definitions just like any word can have multiple definitions. Sometimes the word ordinance is used synonymously with the word ordained. I’ll show you that an example of that. Romans 13:1. Romans 13 is a chapter dealing with government and our role under certain governments. Notice what he says in Romans 13:1. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”. I want you to notice it says that the powers that be are ordained of God. “2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”. So I want you to notice there that we’re told that the powers that be are ordained, they are commissioned, they are sanctioned by God. And if you resist the power, you’re resisting the ordinance of God. Now I showed you that because I want you to understand that sometimes in your King James Bible, sometimes the word ordinance is used synonymously with the word ordained. When something is ordained by God, meaning God has commissioned, that God has sanctioned, that God has authorized it to exist.
But I want you to notice that as you study the Bible, and go with me to the Old Testament Book of 2nd Chronicles. 2nd Chronicles Chapter Number 2 in the Old Testament. In our King James Bible, the word ordinance is used synonymously with the word ordain. However, most of the time, if you were to do a search of the word ordinance in the Bible, you’ll find that most of the time the word ordinance is used in reference to the symbolic memorial or ceremonial aspects or rituals of the Mosaic Law. Let me show that to you. And look, we could go to 20 verses to show this to you. I’m not going to take the time to do that. I’ll just show you a couple. 2 Chronicles 2:4. Here we’re speaking about the temple and the work of the temple. Notice, “4 Behold, I build an house”. And that’s a reference to the temple. “to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it” To dedicate what? The temple “to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God.”. Now look, when you’re talking about the temple or the sanctuary, when you’re talking about the incense, when you’re talking about the showbread, when you’re talking about the burnt offerings, the Sabbath days, the new moons, the solemn feasts, is any of that part of just the moral law of God where God is just telling you “Hey, it’s morally wrong to lie. It’s morally wrong to kill.”? No, when we’re talking about offerings, showbread, incense, Sabbaths, new moons, this is all the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law. It’s the religious ritual things that they did of what God asked him to do. It was all symbolic.
Notice what this is all referred to at the end of verse four “This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.”. So notice, what does the Bible call the house of God, the temple, the sweet incense, the showbread, the burnt offerings, the Sabbath, the new moon? It’s called an ordinance. It was an ordinance for ever to Israel. We could go to a lot of passages. I could show you where the Passover is called an ordinance, where different feasts are called ordinances, where different sacrifices our called ordinances. I’m not going to take the time to do that. You can study that out on your own if you’d like. I’ll show it to you though in the book of Hebrews. Go to Hebrews chapter 9 in the New Testament.
I’m just defining for you from the Bible what the word ordinance means. We saw in 2nd Chronicles 2 that all these things were encompassed in the ordinances for Israel forever; the sweet incense, the showbread, the burnt offerings, the New Moon’s, the Sabbath, the solemn feast, the temple. And Hebrews 9:1. Notice what the Bible says. “Then verily the first covenant” So the 1st Testament, the Mosaic, the Old Covenant. “had also ordinances of divine service,”. He says look, that Old Covenant, it had in it some ordinances of divine service “and a worldly sanctuary.”. What that means is the sanctuary here on earth. And that sanctuary had ordinances. Now if you read verses 2 through 7, we’re not going to take the time to do that, you’ll notice that he lists all the things that are connected to that Tabernacle, to that sanctuary, and the work that the Priests were supposed to do.
Notice verse 8 “8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest,”. He says look, that old sanctuary had all the symbolic things but “the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:”. He says when that first Tabernacle was standing, people did not understand how to get to the holiest of all yet. That had not been revealed by the Holy Ghost yet. Notice verse nine “9 Which was a figure”. You see that word figure throughout our New Testament. That word figure is like a shadow. A shadow is a figure but not the real thing, just a shadow of the real thing. Here we’re told it was a figure. What does that mean? It was symbolic. All those Old Testament things, you know the Passover, the Feast Days, the Tabernacles, the Sabbath’s, the New Moon’s, all of the things that the priests did, all of that was symbolic. They were pictures. They were representations of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He says “9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,”. Notice Dispensationalists “that could not make him that did the service perfect,” The Dispensationalists teach, “Well in the Old Testament, in that Dispensation they were saved by keeping the Mosaic Law”. Oh really? Well nobody ever told the writer of Hebrews that was the case. Because he says hey, those gifts and sacrifices, they could not make him that did the service perfect “as pertaining to the conscience;” Look, people have been saved all of history the same way; by grace through faith, by calling upon the Lord. Notice verse 10 “10 Which stood only”. Now look, you say all the entire law was done away. No, no, no. You see the word “only”. What that means is only this part of the law, the part of the law contained in ordinances. Notice “10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.”.
And the time of reformation was not a time that Martin Luther brought in. The time of reformation is the Lord Jesus Christ coming. You say, do you follow the Old Testament dietary laws? No. Those meats and those drinks, those divers washings, those carnal ordinances, they were just imposed on them for a time, until the time of reformation. It was all a figure. It was all in the part of the law that would be contained under ordinances. They’re called carnal ordinances.
You say well why are you bringing this up? Here’s why I’m bringing it up. Go back to Ephesians chapter 2. According to Ephesians 2, Jesus got rid of, he abolished a section of the law. Which section? Everything that fell under an ordinance. Well what’s an ordinance? An ordinance is anything that’s symbolic, anything that’s ceremonial, anything that’s a memorial. Look, he didn’t get rid of thou shalt not kill. God still doesn’t want you to have a relationship with your aunt or your cousin. Alright. Those things are still a sin. What did he get rid of? Notice Ephesians 2:15. “15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;”. You say why? Because look, remember this is how he brought peace between the Jews and the Gentiles and allowed the Gentiles to draw nigh. Why? Because the ordinances kept the Gentiles out, right. I mean the Jews in the nation of Israel would say no, we’ve got our temple and we’ve got our rituals and you’re unclean and you’re this and you’re that. And the Bible says that at the cross, Jesus got rid of all that. Ordinances done. You say why? Because all of that was a figure of him once he came. He says you can be done with it. You don’t need it anymore. It’s done. The law of Commandments contained in ordinances. He says they’re abolished in his flesh. The enmity, even the law of Commandments contained in ordinances. This is not the only place the Bible says that. Go to Colossians chapter 2.
So don’t let anybody tell you “Oh just got rid of the law. The Bible says that he came to fulfill the law.”. If anything, he upped the ante on the law. He kept telling people hey, you think that you shouldn’t commit adultery. I tell you don’t even look on a woman to lust after her or else you’re committing adultery in the heart. He didn’t come to get rid of the law but he did get rid of a section of the law. Colossians 2:14 “14 Blotting out the handwriting”. Don’t miss this. Of all the law and the Old Testament? Just get rid of it all? Don’t even worry about reading those chapters with Moses? They don’t apply anymore? No, it says “of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”. It was a wall of partition. It was in our way but he took it out of the way nailing it to the cross. Did he nail the law of the cross? No, he nailed the ordinances. He nailed the part of the law that was contained to the ordinances.
So look, only the ordinances. What are the ordinances? They’re the symbolic, memorial, ceremonial. You cannot look up the word ordinance in your Old Testament and walk away with saying anything other than that ordinances were all of the feasts, the Sabbath’s, the washings. Everything that was ceremonial, symbolic, memorial. Those are the ordinances. And what does the Bible tell us? Jesus got rid of the ordinances. They’re done. The Levitical priesthood, done. Dietary guidelines, done. You can go ahead and eat pork. You don’t have to keep the Sabbath. You can work on the Sabbath if you want. He says that all of that is gone. Because all he got rid of was the ordinances. In fact, he brought peace. He made peace by getting rid of the ordinances. The only law of commandments that were abolished were those contained in the ordinances. The ceremonial, memorial, symbolic, shadow, figurative part of the law.
Now I want to show you just another application really quick and we’ll get back to Ephesians. Go to 1st Corinthians 11. Baptists generally believe in the New Testament that we’ve got some ordinances as well. In fact we refer to them as the two ordinances. And they are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And lately I’ve heard people attack this. They say “You got that from the Protestants”. But wait a minute, I want you to notice that in 1st Corinthians 11:2, the Bible says this “2 Now I praise you, brethren,”. This is Paul speaking to the Church at Corinth. “that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.”. I want you to notice that it is plural, ordinances. “as I delivered them” plural “to you”. And then in the same chapter, later on in the chapter, he goes on and talks about the Lord’s Supper. “Oh you got that from the Protestants not from the Bible”. Hold on a second. If in the Old Testament the ordinances were the part of the Old Testament that were ceremonial, that were symbolic, that were a religious ritual, that were a shadow, and then in the New Testament he mentions ordinances plural, and then even begins to talk about the Lord’s Supper, let me tell you something about the Lord’s Supper, it’s not the actual blood and body of Jesus Christ. It’s all symbolic. It’s just a ceremony. We do it in memory, in memorial.
You know what baptism is? Baptism doesn’t wash away your sins. Hard water does nothing for your sin. In fact, you might need to put some lotion on after you get baptized. Well it’s symbolic. When you stand there and the water crosses your body, that’s a symbol of the cross. When you go down into the water, that’s a symbol of the death. When you come up out of the water, that’s a symbol of the resurrection. It doesn’t do anything for your soul. It’s just symbolic. It’s a memorial. So if in the Old Testament all of these symbolic, figurative, ceremonial, memorial rituals were called ordinances, and then in the New Testament Paul refers to ordinances and refers to the Lord’s Supper, then how did we get that from the Protestants? It’s figurative. It’s symbolic. It’s a memorial. They’re called ordinances.
Look, as Baptists yeah, we believe in the two ordinances. “Who did you get that from?”. The Bible. I just showed it to you. Because the Bible tells us that the definition of an ordinance is not all of the law. It is just the symbolic, ceremonial, religious rituals, memorial rituals that were done just as a foreshadow. And we still do those today as a foreshadow. We do the Lord’s Supper to show the body and the sacrifice of Christ. We do the baptism to show the sacrifice of Christ. So it’s scriptural to call them ordinances. That’s what the Bible says. And look, the Bible teaches that Jesus nailed to the cross, when it comes to the Old Testament, what did he get rid of? The ordinances. He got rid of the law of Commandments contained in ordinances. That’s what the Bible says. And look, if you’re a Baptist then you just got to figure out what does the Bible say. If the Bible says that, that’s what we believe.
Go to back to Ephesians 2:15. So notice, he made peace by removing the division, the wall, partition between us. What was it? The ordinances. That’s what divided the Jews and the Gentiles. He said he got rid of it. But notice, there’s another thing he did to bring peace. Not only did he bring peace by getting rid of the ordinances, he made peace by preaching the gospel, the gospel of peace. Ephesians 2:15 “15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain”. Now what does the word twain mean? It means of. Of what? Well, the context is we’re talking about two different people here. Two different groups. The Gentiles, the uncircumcision. Israel, the circumcision. “for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”.
Notice this chapter. The end of this chapter is all about how he took and he made them one. And the two are the circumcision and the uncircumcision. How’d he do it? Notice verse 16. Verse 16 “16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body”. How did he do it? “by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:”. Because at the cross he got rid of the ordinances. But at the cross he fulfilled the message of the gospel. Notice verse 17 “17 And came and preached peace to you”. Who? The Gentiles. The uncircumcision. “which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”. You say “Oh no, he just preached the gospel to the Gentiles.”. No, he preached it to you which were far off and he preached it to them that were nigh.
Go to Romans 3. Let me give you another dispensational doctrine that’s a wrong doctrine. Today people get this idea that all the Jews, they get a free pass just because they were born Jewish or something. They teach that they can go ahead and deny Christ, they can be Antichrist, they can reject Christ, they can blaspheme Christ, but they somehow are just going to get a free pass and it’s going to be A-Okay just because they were born Jewish. The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. You know that the gospel has to be preached and received by both Jew and Gentile. He came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to them that were nigh.
Go to Romans 3:9. Notice what the Bible says. Paul here is speaking as a Jew. He’s speaking as a descendant of the Jews in the flesh. He says “9 What then? are we better than they?”. Referring to the Gentiles. He has this question. Because today you talk to people out of the Synagogue of Satan and they’ll act like they’re better than the Gentiles. He says “9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both” Notice “Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;”. Look, it doesn’t matter what family you’re born into. No matter what part of the world you’re born in, what your heritage is, if you’re a human being, you’re under sin, you’re a sinner, you need salvation like anyone else.
Romans 3:29 “29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.”. Let me be clear. The only Jews that are going to make it to heaven are going to make it there the same way you and I and any Gentile out there makes it. By placing their faith in Jesus Christ, period. Nobody’s getting a free pass into heaven. Both Jews and Gentiles are under sin. He’s the God of both Jews and Gentiles. And he will justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith. That’s the only way you get in. That’s the only way you get saved. So he made peace and he brought these two groups together. How do you do it? He made peace by getting rid of the ordinances which are the symbolic, ceremonial, figurative, shadow section of the Mosaic law. He made peace by preaching the gospel to both Jew and Gentile. He made peace by giving both access.
Ephesians 2:18 “18 For through him” Through who? Jesus. “we both” Both what? Jew and Gentile, Circumcision and uncircumcision. “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”. Look, he says there was a time when the Gentiles were afar off. They were afar off because there was a time when the only access to God was through the temple. There was a time when the only access to God was through the priesthood, through the high priests, and through the sacrifices. And the Jews did not do a good job at preaching the gospel, in reaching the world in their time. And the Gentiles were afar off. But when Jesus came, he got rid of that. They that were afar off, now they can draw nigh through the blood of Christ. Why? Because he got rid of the ordinances. Why? Because he preached the gospel to both. Why? Because he gave both access. See, I don’t need a priest. I don’t need a Levitical priest. I don’t need a Catholic priest. I don’t need any priest. Through the Holy Spirit I have access to God the Father.
“18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,” You used to be stranger. You used to be foreigners. You used to be afar off from the Commonwealth of Israel and from the covenants of Israel. He says but now “ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,”.
“Wait a minute Pastor. Are you trying to teach that Gentiles are part of the nation of Israel?” I think I just read it. “Well I took a Bible College class and they said that the church is just a parenthetical part of history and has nothing to do with the nation of Israel. And God just has them on timeout and he’s dealing with us and then he’s going to bring them back. But there’s no connection.”. No more strangers and foreigners, that’s what it says. “but fellow citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God”. Replacement Theology or whatever you want to call it. The Bible teaches that in Christ he united Gentile and Jew. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ. That’s what the Bible teaches. “Well I thought when I heard on the radio”. Then turn off the stinkin’ radio and just read the Bible. “That’s not what I heard on TV”. Then stop listening to the TV preacher that’s teaching you something wrong and just look at the Bible”.
“18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”. We started off by talking about the separation between these two groups. One was near and one was afar off. Then we talked about the uniting of these two groups. How did he do it? He did it by getting rid of the ordinances. He did it by preaching the gospel to both. And they both must through faith, by faith accept the gospel to be saved, period. He did it by giving both access. We don’t have a need for a temple. Look, we don’t need a temple. He said you used to have to go to the temple to have access. Now in the Old Testament you went to the temple. In the New Testament you are the temple. In the Old Testament you needed a priest. In the New Testament you are a priest. In the Old Testament you needed Israel. In the New Testament you just need Jesus. In fact, that’s what all anyone’s ever needed is Jesus.
So there’s a separation. There’s a uniting. But thirdly tonight, let me show to you quickly there’s a foundation of both groups. Now what you notice, because this is interesting, because today, and again our dispensational friends will teach that God had this one plan in the Old Testament that didn’t work out. So then he sent his Son and then they killed him. And God never saw that one coming. So now he had to figure out what to do and we’re Plan B. Look, God knows the beginning from the end. His plan is perfect, period. And today you’ll have people though, they’ll say oh this is the New Testament, it is just a different plan from the Old Testament. In fact, today there’s preachers that say we’ve got to unhinge the New Testament from the Old Testament. They say that they’re not even connected and that’s their way of not having to deal with passages. They don’t want to deal with passages like Leviticus and where God puts the death penalty on homosexuality and things like that. And I want you to notice the foundation of these two groups.
Ephesians 2:20, the Bible says this “20 And are built upon the foundation”. He says you’re built upon the foundation. Notice “of the apostles” New Testament “and prophets,” Old Testament. And here’s what Paul teaches in Ephesians 2. He teaches that Jesus is this fusion of the Old and the New Testament. He says you, these two groups. He said if I were to set anyone in these two groups, the circumcision or the uncircumcision, and ask them what’s your foundation, the circumcision said “Well the Prophets are”. And the uncircumcision would say “Well the Apostles are”. And Paul says look, you’re built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets. And there was a separate, different Testament. But he says no, here’s what you don’t understand. Both the apostles and the prophets are on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Notice verse 20 “20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”. See, you say the Apostles are built on a foundation of Jesus Christ. But you know the prophets were on the foundation of Jesus Christ because he is the chief corner stone. Sometimes we read this term in the Bible and we think they’re just kind of figurative or they’re nice or whatever. Chief Cornerstone is actually a thing when it comes to construction, especially ancient construction. I think they still even do it now when they’re doing masonry and things. A Chief Cornerstone, let me give you the definition. It is the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests. It’s also the stone representing the starting place in the construction of a monumental building. So in the day, in the times of Paul, when they would build a building or a structure, they would dig down and they would lay a foundation that was made up of big stones. And the first stone would kind of be set there and based on where that stone was set, the rest of the foundation would be laid. And it was done in such a way that the weight of the entire structure really rested on that first stone. That first stone held the weight of the entire foundation. And that first stone represented the starting place of the entire foundation.
Let me tell you something, when it comes to whatever book in the Bible, the foundation of that book is on Jesus Christ. And to understand it, you must start with Jesus. You say how can I understand the book? Well it starts with Jesus. How can I understand Deuteronomy? It starts with Jesus. How can I understand the Book of Ezekiel? Start with Jesus. It’s all about him. He is the chief Cornerstone. He is the foundation and the starting point of the entire thing. It’s always been about Jesus.
Luke 24:25, this is the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus died, he’s resurrected, they’re confused, they’re not sure what’s going on. Jesus actually meets them on the road to Emmaus. That’s a whole sermon in and of itself. We’re not going to go through it all. But look at Luke 24:25. “25 Then he said unto them,” This is Jesus, the resurrected Jesus talking to 2 of his disciples. They’re on the road and confused about Jesus. And they thought he was the Messiah and then he dies. Now notice what he said unto them. “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”. He says haven’t you heard the prophets? Don’t you know that Christ the Messiah was supposed to suffer these things?
Look at verse 27 “27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”. Beginning at Moses, the books of Moses and through all the prophets. I mean that would have been quite a conversation to be walking down the road with the resurrected Christ and he’s just going through every prophet, every book of the Old Testament. And he’s saying, “Here’s where it’s actually referring to me. Here’s where it’s actually a picture of me. Here’s where actually it’s a figure of me. It’s a symbol of me. It’s actually about me. It’s all about me. It’s about me. It’s about Jesus.”. “he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”. Go to John 5:45. So don’t tell me that this is Plan B and that God wanted to do works salvation and that didn’t work. It’s not Plan B. It’s always been about Christ. He’s the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
John 5:45 “45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father:” This is Jesus speaking to the Pharisees. “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you,”. Jesus is saying that I don’t even need to accuse you. Moses accuses you. “even Moses, in whom ye trust.”. Please understand this. All these Jews, these Christ-rejecting Jews today. And look, we don’t think any less of them than any other unbeliever. The unbelieving Jew needs the gospel like the Muslim needs the gospel, like the Hindus need the gospel, like unbelieving so-called Christians need the gospel. But you know what, they think that they’re trusting in Moses. And this is what Jesus would say, “45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.”. But you know what, Moses is going to accuse you on the day of judgment. Why? Verse 46 “46 For had ye believed Moses,”. He says you don’t really believe Moses. Because if you had believed Moses, “ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.”. Because the entire Bible has a scarlet thread running through it. And his name is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 10:43 “43 To him give all the prophets witness,”. Even Zephaniah. Even Malachi. Even Zachariah. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”. How can I understand the Book of Daniel? Look, it’s all about Jesus, all of it. These prophetic books, the minor prophets, the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, how can I understand all these books? Here’s what the Bible says, here’s what says, Jesus is the chief Cornerstone. He is the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. If you want to understand the Bible, if you want to understand God, if you want to understand who God is, you must understand that all of it has its weight upon Jesus. And you must start with Jesus. Jesus said, if you’ve seen me then you’ve seen the Father. Because he is the starting point of everything biblical and everything God. He is the chief corner stone. It starts with him. It’s based on him. It’s grounded in him. It’s resting upon him.
Go to Ephesians 2. So he tells us this, he says look there were these two groups. But God made peace and reconciled them and he brought them all together. You say how’d he do it? Well, by getting rid of the ordinances and by preaching the gospel of peace to them. And by giving both access to the father through the Holy Spirit. And he says your foundation of the prophets and the Apostles. It’s always been on Jesus Christ. Because he is the chief Cornerstone. And then he goes on with this illustration of a building. Verse 21. “21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:”. We don’t have a physical temple, you don’t have to go to Israel, you don’t have to do a pilgrimage to Israel. We are the holy temple in the Lord. “21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”. See, those were cardinal ordinances, it was a physical building with physical sacrifices. It was all figurative. But now we’re a holy nation, a peculiar people, a holy temple. We’re built up in God. Go to 1st Peter Chapter 2.
Ephesians is clear. There were 2 and now there was one. And it’s in Jesus because it’s all about Jesus. I mean that’s pretty much the point of the sermon, the point of the text. 1 Peter 2:4 “4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone,”. That’s what you and I are. We’re living stones. “disallowed indeed of men,”. Men don’t like it. Men don’t like us. “but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”. Do we offer up carnal sacrifices? No, spiritual sacrifices. Do you understand the difference? Paul would say it this way, he would say that we should give our members as a sacrifice. He would say that we give ourselves a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God which is our reasonable service.
Notice verse 5 “5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”. Why are we acceptable? Look, the only way that you and I are acceptable, and if you get anything out of the book of Ephesians, is this, that our value is found in Christ. It is because of Christ. We are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. “6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:”. I mean is that true? Isn’t he precious to us that believe? “but unto them which be disobedient,”. To those who don’t want to obey the gospel, to those who don’t want to accept him. “the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”. He’s the chief Cornerstone. Here’s what he said. Here’s what Paul said, by Jesus. He’s a chief Cornerstone. You are either founded on him or you can get tripped up by him. You know the unbelieving Jews; they’re getting tripped up by him. He’s a rock of offense to them. But to us to he’s precious. To us who believe, he is precious. And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Let’s pray.