November 8, 2020

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Introduction

We have travelled such a rich journey through Ephesians chapter 1 and part of chapter 2.  As we begin the next section, Paul challenges us to “Remember”.  This seems to be a good place to look back for a few minutes at a few of the key themes as we look forward to the next section.  Today we will:

  • Review key themes
  • Give an overview of Eph. 2:11-22
  • Touch on the central thought of Eph. 2:11-22

Review – Key themes

  • The past several months we have been looking at
    • praise, prayer and power
  • Praise (Eulogy)
    • The praise focuses on
      • God’s ways, work and will
        • Ways: God’s character – who He is and what He is like
        • Work: specifically, what God has done in and through Christ for us
        • Will: Sum up all things in Christ
      • Jesus
        • The Gospel: as the one who has died, risen again and ascended to the highest place above all rule, authority, power and dominion. He is head over everything.
        • It is our union with Christ that has brought us into all the blessings
        • When we believed the truth, we were included in Christ
        • By faith we access the grace that saves us, unites us with Christ and makes us a new creation.
      • Holy Spirit
        • Marked with a seal
        • Giver of revelation to know God and to understand key truths
      • Who we are and what we have through Jesus Christ
    • Prayer
      • Know God and receive some knowledge from God about
        • Hope of calling
        • God’s inheritance
        • God’s power
      • Power
        • Raised Christ from the dead & Raised you from the dead
        • Transformed you into God’s workmanship
        • God is working through Jesus to recreate and reconcile all things back to the Father and to usher in the new age.

Overview of Ephesians 2:11-22

  • Once, but Now
    • This formulation was used in 2:1-10 to describe the vertical change from death to resurrection to ascension with Christ. Here it is used to describe a horizontal change
    • Once: Separate from Christ
    • But now – Members of God’s household
  • Structural thoughts
    • Chiastic pattern
      • “Having or denoting a structure in which words are repeated in reverse order.” Lexico.com
      • Mirror, Mountain, Tunnel, Ink Blotches
      • examples, Gen-Deut, Ephesians – 1:2, Ephesians 6:23-24
    • 5 sentences in the Greek
      • Sentence 1 (:11-13) relates to sentence 5 (:19-22) –
        1. Alienated, strangers, commonwealth of Israel (politeia)
        2. Strangers, aliens, fellow citizens
      • Sentence 2 (:14) relates to sentence 4 (:17-18)
        1. Far, near
      • Sentence 3 (:14-16) is the center of the passage
  • The new humanity (Our calling and God’s inheritance)
    • Workmanship –
      • Individual aspect
        • You are a workmanship and I am a workmanship
      • Corporate aspect
        • Together we are God’s workmanship
      • Terms used in Eph. 2:11-22 to describe the workmanship
        • One, One new humanity, one body, fellow citizens, household, holy temple, structure, Holy Spirit’s dwelling
      • Therefore
        • God’s has a new Masterpiece filled with Masterpieces
      • The Gospel in a nutshell
        • 21:5 Behold I am making all things new… through Jesus Christ

Summary

God, in His love, grace, kindness and mercy, has been at work since the fall of mankind (and even before) to make all things new.  He is accomplishing this through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  The resurrection of Jesus was the beginning of the new creation and the new humanity.  God in His grace and love invites us to respond by faith to His invitation to join Him in His new, eternal creation. When we respond He joins us to Jesus (we are “In Christ”) and grants to us all of the spiritual blessings we have been discussing (Holiness and blamelessness, forgiveness of sins, adoption as His child, sealing with the Holy Spirit, resurrection from the dead–spiritually and later physically– and transforming us into His workmanship).  The Holy Spirit is given as our first installment and guarantee that we belong to God and that we will inherit eternal life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In addition, the new earth will be populated by God’s Masterpiece, a new humanity made up of people from every tribe, tongue and language.  We are drawn into this new humanity, not as second-class citizens, but as full members and as heirs.  Individually and corporately, we are remade in the image and likeness of God and are sent back into this world as His workmanship, reflecting His glory, his character and His ways.  Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!

  • Application
    • Know
      • The Gospel: God’s plan and what God has done and is doing though Christ
    • Feel
      • A sense of awe and wonder at who God is and what He has been and is doing.
      • Grateful
    • Do
      • Be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20)
      • If you have never responded to the gospel, respond to the Gospel and receive all these blessings we have been discussing