You Are Reconciled in the Body

Last year the movie, The Boys in the Boat, hit theaters. The movie recounted the story of the 1936 US Olympic Rowing team that won the gold medal in Berlin.

• - I had the privilege of rowing while in college. It was a club sport at the time. That meant you did all work without the cool swag, a letter jacket, access to special dining privileges, or money off tuition.

• - Every person on the crew worked hard to row because they enjoyed it. When race time came, you rowed for your university, your family, yourself, and most significantly, for your teammates.

I suspect some of you have seen the movie, seen rowing, or participated in it, but for the sake of those who have not, here is a short 25 second clip of the 2020 Olympic Men’s 8 final in Rio.

[Show Video… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIetslktFQk I want from 4:56-5:20]

Rowing fast is not primarily about the strength of one person or the strength of each individual. Every person on every crew in that video was fit, strong, and competitive. The difference between 8 strong men going fast and 8 strong men winning the race is how well they work together.

• - Do the oars enter and exit the water at the same time? Is power applied in the same way by each person on the crew? Do their bodies swing and slides move together? Is each able to keep his head slightly forward?

The closer they do everything together, the greater their success. That is a fair analogy for the church.

• - We each contribute our individual part, but it is the collective pull that makes the greatest difference.

With that in mind please turn in your Bible to Ephesians 2. That is on page 150 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you.

Our annual theme is Building on Our Heritage. We are celebrating 60 years of God’s kindness to our church, the men and women who sacrificed time, energy, and money for us to enjoy what we have, and Kossuth Street who started Faith.

• - We have celebrated a few ways already and there will be many more in the months ahead.

While we have celebratory events, we are also studying Ephesians because it can help us accomplish the “Building” aspect of our theme. We are asking, “How can we praise God for what has occurred while also keeping our eyes open for the ways the Lord wants us to honor him in the future?” That is why the capital campaign is called Free to Dream.

• - We spent a few months looking at our identity in Jesus: adopted, redeemed, chosen, forgiven, and sealed. That results in the praise of HIS glory and grace.

• - Now our mini series is “Building on the Gospel.” As we turned to chapter 2 Pastor Viars explained how through Christ and the Spirit he made us spiritually alive and then expects us to do the good works he designed for us.

Today, we are going to talk about our reconciliation with each other. We will discuss our unity. Just like the rowers in the movie and in the video had to be unified to row fast, so we also need unity to finish our collective race and accomplish all the Lord has for us.

The title of today’s message is You Are Reconciled in the Body.

Please follow along as I read Ephesians 2:11-22. This is the Word of the Lord. I would like us to consider 3 responses because of God's peacemaking work through Christ.

I. Remember your past to be thankful for your present position (v. 11-12).

The last time I spoke I reminded us that our identity in Jesus is not designed for us to feel good about ourselves or somehow think we are awesome. Our identity in Jesus reminds us of God’s greatness, kindness, love, and care for us. I think vv. 11-12 confirm that point.

• - God wants Christians to remember our spiritual condition before Jesus so that we are filled with thanksgiving and worship for Jesus Christ.

• - After giving us this wonderful identity and telling us that he made us spiritually alive, then he says …

Ephesians 2:11-12 - Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Wowzers. Basically, we were not so great. Many scholars believe these verses point out a problem in the church. Those who trusted Christ as Jews did not get along so good with those who trusted Christ as Gentiles. He writes to the church, made up primarily of Gentiles (that is us too BTW), and reminds them of their prior state. They were …

      A. Separated from Christ.

Gentiles did not read their OT. They did not have a family or cultural history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They knew nothing of a coming Messiah who would sit on the throne of David.

      B. Excluded from the commonwealth of Israel.

We were once not part of experiencing the special blessing, care, protection, and love that God showed to his promised nation, Israel.

      C. Strangers to the covenants of promise.

We did not know about all the covenant promises God made with his people. We did not even realize that some of his promises, like to Abraham, would actually involve us.

• - We did not know that the covenant made to David would result in the coming of messiah and all the blessings we experience from it.

We were not part of the Mosaic covenant. While we often say we are not under law, Pastor Viars made clear last Sunday that the law was not bad. The law demonstrated our need for redemption.

We were once…

      D. Without hope and without God.      

Our spiritual condition was dead and lost. Our best hope is “he who has the most toys, wins.” The best we had was a comfortable and easy life. We were missing biblical history.

• - It wasn’t until Jesus died and then drew us that things changed. We were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. What we were totally oblivious to, God was working all along.

Remembering the past can help us appreciate the present position that we enjoy that we can be tempted in our pride to take for granted and forget.

Imagine if everyone in our church family remembered what we were. Imagine if that produced in us an appreciation for Jesus and a proper humility about ourselves. What if everyone is free to lead, to serve, to give and to receive without making it a big deal?

• - I believe that our church does well. I am not saying we are perfect or that we cannot grow in this area. But I am thankful that we have a church family that remembers we were in serious trouble without Jesus.

• - Now that we have him, it is about him.

Let me illustrate this one way. I was not asked to say this. But this one comes from the top.

• - There are times that Pastor Viars leads something. If you saw his task list for the pastoral pizza pie dinners after Introduction to Faith you would think the president was coming.

• He has a 5 page task list for dinner!

• When I meal plan, I can do a week on a post it note.

• No one is surprised that Pastor Viars has a list, are you?

Friends, when we properly remember it levels the ground at the foot of the cross. We can lead or follow without receiving the praise because the praise belongs to the one who changed our condition. When we do that, we are all pulling on the oars at the same time … only caring about where WE go.

II. Celebrate your reconciliation with God and others in the church (v. 13-18).

God wants us to move from remembering what we were as non-Jewish people to rejoicing in what we now are in Christ because of the precious peacemaking work of Jesus.

• - Notice how much unity language occurs in these verses and the metaphors the Lord uses to highlight that unity.

Ephesians 2:13-16 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Jesus is our peace … by bringing us near, making the two groups into one, breaking the dividing wall, abolishing the enmity, bringing us into one new man, reconciled into one body.

• - Wowzers. That describes unity. One group, one man, one body.

• - If that is true, then what is the enmity, and the wall that serves to divide people that Jesus has made one?

Imagine a marriage. Why would a husband and wife live in conflict? Isn’t the very concept of marriage in opposition to conflict? You are two who are joined to become one. Christian marriages should be filled with peace because Jesus is our peace.

So also in the church. We might ask what barriers, division, or hostility would exist between Jewish believers and Gentile believers? Here are a couple passages that might shed a little light.

Acts 10:28 – “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean”

Acts 11:1-3 – Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

There are many proposals for the content of the dividing wall. I think we should see the wall, division, and hostility in a similar way. They are used metaphorically to describe the attitudes these believers had toward one another.

The NT epistles often discuss circumcision and the corresponding Mosaic law. Jewish Christians lived that way and believed there were true benefits from it. Thus, it was easy to develop a sense of superiority. They keep the commandments and worship Jesus!

• - When someone tells you how awesome they are, what does your heart want to do?

• Run away … find new friends … and criticize your old ones!

• Defend yourself … your awesome but I am awesomer! Oh yea, just remember here is you and up here, well that’s me.

I think I would call all that hostility and division. The NT church struggled.

A missionary friend of mine explained how dividing walls, hostility and division infiltrated his ministry. He was serving in the Chad Africa. There was an intense persecution. Many believers were killed. After things quieted, the churches were rebuilding and reorganizing. My friend described the tension.

• - There were some women whose husbands denied Christ to the soldiers, but now claimed him as their savior. There were other wives who lost their husbands because they were killed for affirming their allegiance to Jesus.

• - Now all the survivors … some who hid, some not found, some who through God’s sovereign grace alone survived, and others who denied the faith were all trying to figure out how to be part of the community church.

• I don’t believe it is too difficult to understand the tension that they would face or how superiority, hostility, and division could spring up.

What about here? I am so thankful that Faith has avoided a lot of controversy, strife, and division. But it is not hard to understand how it could happen.

• - We have one church at 3 campuses. What would happen if each campus decided they did not care about the others? Even worse, what if one campus started talking as if they were the best campus?

• - We have a preaching rotation where all our pastors speak. What happens when people refuse to value the messages of anyone except their favorites?

• - This capital campaign was about the school. The school is getting two new buildings and a stadium. This represents the overwhelming majority of the funds. What if a bunch of people said I am not giving to the school. What a dumb idea. My children go to public school or I work at a public school so this is crazy that my church is doing this. We need to invest in … . Or someday the Lord might have us do something else. What if all the people energized by the school said I am not participating?

All the sudden controversy, superiority, strife, and division become part of the story. Then your boat is horrible because you do are not pulling together.

How can we avoid that? Or positively, how can we embrace one group, one new man, one body?

      A. By valuing Christ's work in the church.

Are you seeing rightly your brothers and sisters in Christ through the lens of Jesus love for his church and how he has brought us together to him?

• - Your brother or sisters in Christ is someone that Jesus views as precious and has been…"brought near by the blood of Christ"

• - The enmity that characterized our relationship with God and that divided Jews and Gentiles has been put to death. It died when Christ died.

Together both (Jews and Gentiles) are brought to God together through the same way, Jesus Christ. Now being both brought together to God, they are brought together with one another.

The rowing analogy I have been using is not perfect. In rowing it is about each other. You must row together or you do not move the boat. In our case, we are unified because Jesus has made us one.

• - The distinctions and divisions that we might value and can be a source of conflict and division are now a lesser priority in the church because I am valuing and prioritizing Christ and his peacemaking work.

• - The issue is not what do I want, but what do we believe Jesus wants.

When we do that, we value his work.

I hope that you enjoy diversity. Rather than desire superiority, you desire humility. Rather than want credit, you want Jesus to be praised.

• - When something is successfully, it is because Jesus provided it all anyway.

I think Pastor Viars explained that Faith was once called "Hickory Baptist” because of how often people would split and divide over differences and preferences.

• - Unless you have been a part of the church for a long time, you have not seen much of that.

• - Praise the Lord for his grace.

• - But those days can always return. It usually doesn’t take much.

John MacArthur wrote, “Peace comes only when self-dies, and the only place self truly dies is at the foot of Calvary.”

We embrace one group, one man, one body by valuing Christ’s work. We also embrace it …

      B. By preaching the gospel to one another.

Ephesians 2:17 – And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near

Paul might be referring to the ideas found in Isaiah 52:7 and 57:19 emphasizing the preaching and the peace available to near and far. While the contexts of those passages may or may not include gentiles, no doubt that Paul makes the connection here.

The gospel brings peace with God and peace with fellow believers.

• - Part of the way we celebrate the reconciliation of Jesus, cultivate thankfulness for it, and maintain unity together is preaching the message to ourselves and one another regularly.

The gospel brings peace and peace is a foundation for unity. Many have found Milton Vincent’s Gospel Primer to be helpful in their spiritual journey to make the gospel truths the center of their lives. When we experience conflict, some have found Ken Sande’s book The Peacemaker to be a helpful work to learn how to solve conflicts according to the gospel.

So this verse emphasizes the preaching of the gospel which resulted in peace. This is something we preach to ourselves and to one another. But this is a good place to emphasize that there may be some here today who do not have peace with God or fellow believers.

People choose to attend church for different reasons. Maybe one of yours has nothing to do with Jesus. I want to encourage you that you cannot have peace with God or fellow believers without a person, saving relationship with Christ.

• - Conflict will come and division will follow unless there is something bigger and more important holding you.

• - Friends, our greatest concern is that you are still spiritually dead in your sin, that you are still bound for an eternity in hell.

• - We are asking you to consider an alternative. We are asking you to admit your sin against God was so offense that he sent his son to die on a cruel cross so that you might be reconciled.

Sometimes God gives life. The last few weeks church members have been giving birth like crazy. But God also takes life. A few weeks ago a man lost his mom suddenly. We never know how long we get. But when the time ends, there is no further opportunity.

• - Give a sample prayer.

Friends, we include a gospel call in every message because we believe there are some who attend who do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus, but we also share for another reason. To give you an example of what you can say witnessing to the lost around you. We hope you have a heart for your family, friends, and acquaintances who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus.

Well, how do we embrace one group, one man, one body? By valuing what Jesus accomplished; by preaching the gospel to ourselves and others; and by …

      C. By using your common access to pray for one another.

Ephesians 2:18 – for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

God's house is to be house of prayer for the nations (Jew and Gentile). Jesus wanted all nations to worship and pray to Father through Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Remember what Isaiah prophesied would happen with the coming of the Promised Suffering Servant, Jesus the Messiah.

Isaiah 56:7 ­– For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

And what was Jesus righteously angry because the temple (imagery found in vv. 20-21) was supposed to a place where the nations could pray and hear the word of God. It had become something different.

Matthew 21:12-13 – And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

Another way to celebrate our reconciliation – and embrace the oneness we have in Jesus is prayer. I suppose we might be tempted to pray an imprecatory prayer from time to time, but the overwhelming majority of the time, we enjoy Jesus, prayer brings peace and compassion, and it reorients our minds to the things that are true, noble, and are excellent.

Deitrick Bonhoeffer in his book “Life Together” wrote:

“A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.” Deitrick Bonhoeffer in Life Together

We often see how prayer takes the edge off and gives us a new perspective.

• - Example of a student struggling to build a friendship with another student in the body.

• - Example in marriage of a spouse struggling to love their spouse.

• - Example for teenagers fighting to submit and obey their parents.

• - Example for a church member not agreeing with a pastor and getting their preference.

Is there someone that you are avoiding in the body of Christ? Is there someone you are avoiding to escape resolving a problem with them?

• - Can I suggest that you pray for that person?

• While we were in Bolivia an audience member asked how do you help a parent who has a wayward child. Newton answered the question. I don’t know enough Spanish to know all that he said, but I certainly understood when he told the person… the first step is to pray, the second step is to pray again, and the third step is to pray again.

• That advice helps in many more circumstances.

We have remembered our past condition, celebrated our new unity in Christ and with each other. Finally, let’s discuss some implications for that peace and unity won by Jesus.

   III. Live for our common unity in Christ (v. 19-22)

These verses add to the metaphors of unity we saw earlier (one group, one new man, one body). Now, we get a few more with corresponding exhortation. Let’s live …

      A. As a citizen.

Ephesians 2:19 – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints

Believers in Christ are citizens of Christ’s kingdom. No longer strangers and aliens.

• - With citizenship come amazing privileges [remember all those wonderful spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ!! Ephesians 1]

With citizenship in the body, there are obligations.

• - Citizens care about the overall welfare of the kingdom.

• - Citizens sacrificially invest their resources, time, talents to build and work together for what is most important for the wellbeing of everyone in the kingdom.

• - Citizens take a long-term view and are concerned for the next generations after them.

• - Citizens celebrate the kingdom wins.

Christ wants you and I if we are Christians to see yourself as a citizen of his kingdom. You care most about his interests, his goals, his objectives. And you are investing toward his plans and purposes through the church to make disciples of all nations.

It is amazing what the Lord has been allowing.

• - Restoration Ministries … multiple salvations over the past few months.

• - VOH Ministry … expecting its largest number of graduates.

• - Various community ministries …

• - Biblical counseling …

• We went to Bolivia. Some are heading to a partner church in Guam and still others will be teaching Track 1 in Mexico City.

• 100 or so churches and next year projection of 800+ students.

• [120 MABC students]

• [Over 100 pastors trained in MDiv program]

We could not do all of this if we did not have a large team working together acting like citizens of the same kingdom.

The next description is…

      B. As a family member.

Ephesians 2:19 – and are of God’s household

God wants us to view the church as a household/family.

• - This should shape the way we see each other and care for each other.

In a church of 150 everyone knows everyone. Everyone keeps attendance. As ministries grow, have multiple services, and campuses, it becomes more difficult.

• - This idea emphasizes all of us thinking that way. It is not only the responsibility of a few to check on everyone else.

• - It is everyone’s responsibility to check on those in your circle.

• - Why? Because we are family!

Viewing each other this way impacts the way we seek to speak to one another, show forbearance with one another and handle problems and sin when it needs to be addressed.

• - When you know they are family and you are going to be living with them --- you resolve problems, you work toward unity, you discuss priorities, otherwise the whole house is impacted.

• Seek to speak/talk/respond to one another with the lens that if they are a believer in Christ, you are spending eternity with this person.

• And I like to think that because Jesus has a great sense of humor and because he loves you so much…he’s going to put your dwelling places right next to each other.

Additionally, part of showing love in the family is also honoring members of the family in appropriate ways.

• - Celebrating our local church’s 60^th birthday

• - Honoring and thanking long-term members of this church for God’s gracious work in their life and their faithfulness through the years.

• - Encouraging one another in the growth that you are seeing in others in the family.

Finally, the last description …

      C. As God's dwelling place.

Ephesians 2:20–22 – having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

We are to see ourselves as the construction and building of a Holy Temple in the Lord…built together to be where the holy presence of God dwells among his people. Dwelling implies a permanent home, not a temporary stop.

Christians enjoy God’s permanent presence to bless them.

• - Notice he says you are being built together.

• - Each part/each member fits perfectly together.

• - No part is out of place.

• - No member is defective or can be disregarded as not important.

• - Each part is appropriate for the whole to be built up.

• - Why is it growing because new parts are being added?!

• Application to those who are newer believers and members of the church.

• Example of God’s fitting together perfectly men and women of different backgrounds in our history.

This statement seems to change depending on who says it, but 80% of the work in the church is accomplished by 20% of the people. Thank you for not being that kind of church. If you are new or you have not started serving, then we encourage you to add your gifts to the building. Service pastors can help you find places you want to serve and places that need help.

Christ’s body needs all of it parts, his temple needs all of its stones, his kingdom needs all of its citizens, his family needs all of its members.

Just like in rowing … everyone must work together to accomplish the common goals.

• Praise be to Jesus for making it possible for us to do it.