Remember This When You Feel Left Out Eph 2 11--22 Jesus Has Made You One with His People

I. Your Origins & Disadvantages Mean Zero 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— Look at the numbers of ill-born and non-Jews that are included in the lineage of Christ. Origin and advantage mean nothing to God. He makes us all with the same potential for faith. Those who have advantages always abuse them anyway. “Calling names” (malicious descriptions) are the domain of men, not of God.

II. You are now Joined, Included, & Naturalized. 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, Christians feel like one big family where ever they go in the world. Boundaries, Bigotry, and Bullying are the weapons of very little people.

III. You have Hope because you have God in this World without hope and without God in the world. “there is no help for him in God” is a phrase that exclusive, small and malicious people love to use about others. A small and malicious person takes perverse pleasure in the misfortunes of others. It makes them feel better about themselves. You always have hope because you have God. Romans 8:28.

IV. You are Near, Not Far Away 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. The answer to all things bad on earth—the cross of Christ. He was excluded on behalf of every person. He filled up all banishment, all exclusion, all separation, all hopelessness, all loneliness, every emotion of being “left out” possible when He died on the Cross for you.

V. You stand Face to Face with everybody because of Jesus 4 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the regulatory laws and commandments. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Jesus leveled the playing field Jesus leveled the playing field. He broke down the walls and divisions between people. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. The only way to unity and peace and acceptance is the abolishing of the regulatory laws and commandments. “arise Peter, kill and eat”. lit. “the law of commandments in dogmas having abolished.” The Cross abolished all ceremonial uncleanness. IJn1:9 All people now come to God through the Spirit whom Jesus sent. Only. Period. Do not insult the Cross. Only the blood cleanses.

Pulpit Commentary: “In ordinances” limits the law of commandments. The law abolished or superseded by Christ was the law of positive requirements embodied in things decreed, evidently the ceremonial law of the Jews, certainly not the moral law (see Rom. 3:31) By removing this, Jesus removed that which had become the occasion of bitter feelings between Jew and Gentile; the Jew looking down proudly on the Gentile, and the Gentile despising what he deemed the fantastic rites of the Jews. The Pulpit Commentary: Ephesians. 2004 (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, Ed.) (65). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Romans 3:31 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

VI. You have the same foundation as all believers throughout history 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

“Nobody aint got nothin on you.” The entire historic church lines up to Jesus and is directed through the apostles and prophets that He sent at the beginning of the church. (Please understand) These apostles and prophets were extremely careful to line up to all previous revelation—the O.T. Jesus is the Holy Mortar that holds everything together. You, too, are a part of that Holy building where God lives through His Spirit, right along with all the saints of all time.

VII. You are an Important Part of the Building where God Lives 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. You are now, together with us, becoming a holy temple—set apart, dedicated (sanctified). You are present in the very place where God intends to live—through His Spirit He lives in you and me, His church.

Questions Are you “hung up” on your origins or disadvantages? Do you accept yourself as a naturalized citizen of heaven, included in all of its benefits? Do you rejoice in hope, and encourage others because we have God in this world. Do you feel “near” and not “far away” because of what Christ did on the cross for you? Do you feel “accepted” as well as “accepting” because the Cross puts everyone on the same level?

Do you recognize your unity and equality with all believers throughout history as well as today? Do you understand your importance in the church as we all are becoming a Holy place where God Himself dwells?