In the beginning of Ephesians 2 we are told how bad we are, but by the end of chapter 2 we are told that by grace we are saved.
Ephesians 2:11-12 (ESV) "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in the world.
I. Be Grateful. Show compassion. You used to be a pagan too.
The Gentiles and Jews came from completely different backgrounds. The Jews did not like the Gentiles and the feeling was mutual. They avoided each other. We struggle with showing compassion for someone different than us.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Sin should disgust you. We can't blame pagans for being pagans. They are lost. It should repulse us but we should have compassion because we were once sinners too!
Romans 5:10 (ESV) "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."
Matthew 9:36 (ESV) "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
Luke 19:10 (ESV) "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Ephesians 2:13-19 (ESV) "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,"
II. Through Jesus... You're all on the team!
You are not second class. The only way that you can make them one is through Jesus. Some people believe that there is a "backdoor" in heaven for the Jews, but Jesus said that he was "the way, the truth and life".
Galatians 3:28 (ESV) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
We don't have the same problem, but do we evangelize? Do we welcome people we don't know.
James 2:8-9 (ESV) "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."
Outside of Jesus we were lost and in the same boat.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV) "For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."
III. Citizens of the City of God, Kin in the family of God and Stones in the Temple of God
Citizens- out of many one. We are loyal to Jesus Christ and his kingdom. Our number one allegiance is to God.
Family- a household, brothers and sisters. Blood is thicker than water, but Jesus' blood is thicker than all of that!
The temple- The cornerstone of the temple is Jesus. A cornerstone is the very first stone placed in the building. It is what sets everything in the right alignment. Builders use the cornerstone as the primary reference point to ensure all other stones, walls, and angles are perfectly straight and square. It provides structural unity. It physically anchors the corner where two major intersecting walls meet, binding them together.
Believers as the temple
1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) " Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV) "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'"
1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV) "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
John 4:20-24 (ESV) "'Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.'"
We are being built up as a spiritual house. What is the role in the temple? It is where the presence of God dwells and now the Holy Spirit. It is holy and set apart for special service to the LORD. The temple is to be used for righteous use. It is where true worship happens.
Are we that? Are we a clean vessel for God to use? Are we presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice?
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