This morning, we are in the book of Ephesians still, chapter two, and I invite you to turn there. Tom preached on Ephesians 2.10 that we're created in good works for Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus last week, and today we're going to pick up at verse 11. And our goal is to understand what God says to us in his word, Ephesians 2 beginning at verse 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, 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 through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two thus making peace and in this 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 are far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one spirit. Amen. If you remember the story of Laban in the Old Testament, the story of Jacob in the Old Testament, Jacob had a problem with his brother Esau and Esau was going to kill him so he fled for his life and he fled to his mother's family who was related to Laban and there he fell in love with Rachel. And he was so smitten by her beauty that he said, tell me what I must do in order to marry her. And her father Laban said that you need to work for me seven years. Now Jacob himself was a deceiver and he met his match in Laban. Laban was a better deceiver than Jacob was. You hear the expression what goes around comes around. Well the way that Jacob had lived came around to haunt him and came back around on him. And so he worked for seven years to marry Rachel. They had a big wedding celebration. He probably had too much to drink and the next morning as he opened his eyes there on the pillow next to him were two cross eyes. They were the eyes of Leah. He hadn't married Rachel at all. He had been tricked. And yet if you go on in the story it's obvious that God was at work in that and that God was bringing Jacob to the end of himself when he could no longer manipulate his situation anymore. In the first century something very similar happened. The good news about Jesus. First of all went out to the Jewish community. But as it did that the unexpected happened to everyone's surprise. The people who most responded to the gospel in the first century weren't the Jews to whom it had been promised for centuries. It was Gentiles. And so it wasn't across the pillow that they looked at one another's eyes. But to everyone's surprise as they looked across the assemblies there were Jews and Gentiles together in one body. And it wasn't a joke. It wasn't trickery. It wasn't deception. It was just what God intended. Now think about that for just a moment. A lot of what we read in the Bible especially in the New Testament is exemplary. We read of Stephen the martyr who gave his life for Jesus. We hear of evangelists and teachers and church planters. We read in the New Testament of a commitment to hospitality and loving one another. Acts 2 says they continually devoted to themselves to the breaking of bread to fellowship and to prayer. But there were problems in divisions in the church as well. Paul and Silas for instance had bitter words and split over whether John Mark was going to go with them on the second missionary journey. There were also divisions that were based not just on personality and mistrust. There were divisions based on culture and tradition. Some of you have experienced that in your own family. When couples are getting married I ask them about traditions in their family. How did your family celebrate Thanksgiving? How did your family celebrate Thanksgiving? How did your family celebrate Christmas and so forth with Stacey and I got married? Stacey's Christmas to Stacey's family meant going all out. Going all out with presents and decorations and special food, baking and especially going to grandma's house. And they would go to grandma's house on her mom's side and on her dad's side on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas day they would go back again and be at grandma's house. Christmas wasn't like that in my family. We lived so far away from family that Christmas was pretty subdued. It was mostly just our family together. There were two different cultures in a sense just in the way that we celebrate Christmas. Now who's right? What's the best way to celebrate Christmas? Well the truth is there's not a right and there's not a wrong. It takes effort and negotiation and grace to work through things like that even when there's something that when it's about something that you agree with like the birth of Christ. Now when you put Jews and Gentiles in one church together there were different cultures and different thinking about everything, about the clothes you wear, the dress you wear, about the food you eat, about speech, about education, customs, everything that you can imagine. And so it was very common in the early church to to hear people celebrating things different and doing things different and talking different and there was a sense of this. This isn't what I expected at all but differences like that between people aren't meant to frustrate us. God intends them for our good to give us a greater appreciation of His grace, the love of Christ and His goodness in the gospel. Now Paul is writing primarily to Ephesian Gentile Christians that were Jews in the churches of Ephesus but more there were many more Gentiles in the church and so this is a this is a letter written to Gentile Christians in the church at Ephesus and Paul says first of all look at who you were. Look at who you were. He's writing now primarily to Gentiles and so he gives a number of descriptions about what it means not to be a Christian. Here listen to these descriptions they're they're basically synonyms. He says first of all you were separate from Christ. You were divided off from any knowledge about the coming Messiah. God hadn't promised a Messiah to the Egyptians or the Hittites or the Amurites or the Jebusites. God had promised a Messiah Savior to Israel. The tradition of worship in Ephesus was the worship of Diana or sometimes called the worship of Artemis. You may have heard of the temple of Artemis. Stacy and I went there about 10 years ago. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. There were terrible things that went on there but that was the worship of Ephesians. They worshiped Artemis. They worshiped Diana and Paul is writing to these Gentile Christians and says you were separate from Christ. You had no knowledge of a Messiah who was to come. You were worshiping Artemis. He then says you were excluded from citizenship in Israel. Now citizenship is a very hot topic in our country today isn't it? With all the immigration that has come to the United States and to other places the whole idea of citizenship is greatly emphasized and greatly desired today. There are people of coming to the United States because they want to live here. There are people who have come here because they want to be citizens. There are people who have risked their lives. They've risked everything hoping to earn and to receive it in the ancient world. As important citizenship is now for us. In the ancient world, citizenship meant everything. Where you were a citizen meant just everything and in the church at Ephesus most of those Ephesian Christians were in fact citizens of Rome. In that day Roman citizenship was the most prized citizenship in the world. If you had Roman citizenship you were seen as somebody and many of the Ephesian Christians had that. But in the temple in Jerusalem there was the court of the Gentiles that was open to everyone. It was open to all nations. But only a Jew could go beyond the court of the Gentiles. There was a sign there on a wall that was about four and a half feet high and the sign of the wall warned Gentiles not to proceed any farther into the temple because if you did so it might be upon pain of death. In fact, it was that wall that in Acts 21 a mob wanted to kill Paul because they thought that he had violated that wall and taken Gentiles into the more holy places in the temple. Paul is saying here, you may be a citizen of Rome but there was a time when you weren't a citizen in the people of God at all. You had no place in God's kingdom. And then he says you were foreigners to the covenants of promise. God promised Abraham. Abraham I'm going to give you a Messiah and I'm going to give you descendants. Then God came along and reaffirmed the covenant with Isaac and with Jacob and with Moses and with David. God was promising that he was going to bring a savior. He was going to give forgiveness. He was going to give them a lasting home and Paul is saying look you were separate from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship in Israel. You were strangers. You were foreigners to the covenants of promise and then he says you were without hope. You were without God. Now think about that. It probably came as a shock to the Christians in Ephesus because Ephesus was probably the leading trade center in the whole world at that time. It was the most advanced city in the world. It was the most modern. Ephesus in the first century had its own sewer system that ran beneath the streets. It was full of trade. It was prosperous and yet. If you read historians, historians say that despite all the advancements in Ephesus there was a curtain of hopelessness and emptiness over that part of the world. And that I would say is why there was so many religions and philosophies in Ephesus. Despite all the advancements, despite their prosperity, they were looking for something that would make life work. There was an emptiness in their hearts. And if you think about it, it's a direct parallel to today. History has repeated itself. Despite modern advancements, despite space shuttles and computers, airline travel, there is a sense of hopelessness today all over the world. There's a sense of hopelessness in Europe. There's a sense of hopelessness in Asia, in North America, in South America, in Atlanta, in New York City, in Los Angeles, in London, in Moscow, in Tokyo, and Manila. There's a sense of hopelessness. Did you know that worldwide suicide is on the rise? Suicide is on the rise worldwide. And the really interesting thing is that suicide is highest in the most developed countries of the world. And you know where it's lowest in Africa, where they have the least, suicide is the lowest, where people have the most, suicide tends to be the highest. People are looking for life. They're looking for life from material possessions. They're looking for life from others. People are looking for life from politicians, from religion, from the economy, from their standard of living, but there's all this hopelessness. And governments all over the world are making promises to their citizens and political candidates make big promises, but there's a sense of hopelessness as you look in the world. And then following hopelessness comes cynicism. There's cynicism today about marriage. There's cynicism about governments. There's cynicism about relationships, friendships. And then following cynicism comes just outright division and fragmentation everywhere. Read the news. There have been demonstrations in London, Germany, the United States, South Korea, North Korea, everywhere, all over the world. There's a sense, there's this chain of hopelessness followed by despair followed by cynicism followed by division followed by fragmentation. And why is that? Because Paul says right here it's because people are separated from God. Paul is reminding us of the truths that we see around us every day. People are separated from God. That's what it means to be outside of Christ. And so Paul is reminding these Gentile Christians and Ephesus. He says, look at who you were. And then second, he says, now look at who you are now. Look at who you are now. Verse 13 says, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Paul is saying simply by trusting in Christ, simply by his death on the cross, you have been brought near to God because faith unites you to a living Jesus. And because Jesus lives, you will live also. Now I want you to notice the language here. It's passive. He says, now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. It's a wonderful reminder of what Christianity is. Christianity is not my becoming a better person. My becoming a more model citizen. Christianity is not you becoming a better person. And therefore once you become a better person, then you get closer to God. No, that's not what Paul is saying. It's not active. It's passive. We have been brought near to God. We didn't do it. We didn't bridge the gap. We couldn't unlock the gate. We couldn't get to God. Jesus did. By his death on the cross, by his blood, by giving his life, he took our punishment for sin and paid the penalty that you and I deserve. Cecil Alexander, the famous hymn writer, wrote over a hundred and fifty years ago, there was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in. So Paul is saying, look, look at who you were. Separate from God without hope, without Christ, strangers to the covenants of promise. But he says, look at who you are now. You have been brought near by Jesus. And then he says, third, look at what you will be. Some of you may not be old enough to remember this, but on June the 12th, 1987, a speech, a very famous speech was given at the Brandon Bergate in West Berlin. Now the Brandon Bergate was part of the wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin. It was a huge wall. It was made of brick and stone and concrete and steel and barbed wire. And there were watchtowers all along the wall. There were armed gates. Any one who put up a ladder and tried to scale the wall was usually shot and killed on site. But on June 12th, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood there and delivered a historic speech with memorable words that have been since heard all over the world. This is what he said. General Secretary Gorbachev. If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall wall. Those words were heard all over the world and there was great celebration and cheering. And in fact, about three years later, the wall was torn down and East Germany and West Germany were reunited. Now, as famous as that event was, Paul is talking about a more significant event than that, the tearing down of walls between people, the tearing down of walls between nations that exist because of sin. And these walls that I'm speaking of, they can't be torn down by politics. They can't be torn down by armies. They can't be torn down by politicians. The walls that I'm talking about can only be torn down by Jesus. And here's how it works. As Jesus draws us to Himself by His death on the cross, uniting us to Him by faith. He draws us to Himself. And as He draws us into Himself, He draws us into one body, the church. He assembles Paul says here, one new man out of two thus making peace. Now, what is this dividing wall? I think Paul is thinking in his mind about that dividing wall in the temple at Jerusalem that separated the court of the Gentiles from the inner workings of the temple on that wall that was about four and a half feet high were written in several languages the following words. No foreigner may enter within the barricade that surrounds the sanctuary and the enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have Himself to blame for His death. That's pretty inviting, isn't it? Go beyond this wall. You have only yourself to blame for your death. The sign was saying, don't even think about it. That's the wall that Jesus has broken down. Now, think about the walls that exist in our world today. There are walls about race and there are walls of language and there are walls of culture and there are walls of philosophy and there are walls of economics, different theories. There are walls of politics and government. There are sports walls, aren't there? Sports walls like Godogs, Reckom Tech, War Eagle, Roll Tide. There are religious walls. There are walls between North and South. There are some places in our own country where people in effect are still in their minds fighting the civil war. Paul is saying that ordinary walls like that are broken down by the cross of Christ. Why is that? Because those walls I have just spoken of, the base of those walls is we want to win. We want to establish dominance. We want to establish control. We want to build a dynasty. You know what those walls that wall really is? That's a wall of pride and fear. That's the wall that separates nations. That's the wall that separates government. It's the wall of pride and fear. Paul says here that the death of Christ is so significant and so powerful that as he draws sinners to himself, he also draws them to one another and puts to death the hostility that exists between them. And that is the power of the cross. And that is the glory of the gospel. Paul is saying the cross unites me to Jesus and to everyone else who puts their trust in him. And pride has been done away with because on the cross I see what I deserved. There's no place for pride. I see that I'm a fallen sinner that deserved God's wrath and punishment. I see the cross that I see on the cross that Jesus took my punishment. Pride is done away with. Sometimes I meet with people whose marriages are badly divided. And it's not uncommon for a couple to say the wife to say, make him stop doing that. Or the wife to say, tell her to listen to me. But do you know how marriages and relationships are put back together? Do you know how nations and people groups drop their weapons? It's when both parties swallow their pride, their fear, and are drawn to Jesus. Now I ask you, has that ever happened to you? Who do you resent? Who underneath the surface do you just kind of seize with hostility against? How is your marriage? How are your relationships? Who do you resent? What broken relationships do you have? Who do you avoid? Have you been drawn to Jesus recently? Some years ago. I don't even remember what it was over. Stacey and I had an argument. And I remembered something that she said that I thought, well that was rude. And I thought, I certainly hope that she will come apologize to me for her tone and what she said. And I was just kind of internalizing everything. And I thought, just once, I'd like her to go first and come to me and apologize for what she said and her tone of voice. And about 30 minutes later, she came to me and said, I don't know what I was thinking. But I know the way I spoke to you was wrong. And it was not kind. It was not loving. And within about 20 or 30 seconds, she had just outlined exactly how she had failed and sinned against me. And you know what that did in me? It made me feel empty. Do you know why? Because at that moment, she had taken hold of Jesus. And I was still hanging onto my pride and fear. When you're drawn to Jesus, you're drawn to the powerful one who takes away the fear, who destroys your pride, who unites you to himself and unites you to one another. And so I had to pray. God, forgive me for my attitude. Forgive me for my pride. Thank you for my wife who has taken hold of Jesus. This is what the world needs today, folks. Yes, the world needs a better economy and better government and better marriages and more honest politicians. You know how that's going to happen? Only one way. Only by individuals and countries being drawn to the one who died on the cross and gave his life that we might be one body in him. So let's pray together. Father in heaven, thank you for the good news of Jesus. Thank you that by his death on the cross, you have conquered our sin, our pride, our rebellion, our fear. We thank you that the gospel is good news in every language, in every culture, in every country. Thank you for the church of Gentiles and Ephesus, and thank you for Paul's letter to them. Thank you for Jesus. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.