Ephesians 2:19-22

Introduction:

Imagine I took a survey asking what people thought that was the one thing that united Christians. What kind of answers do you think I would receive? Having the same Doctrine? Attending the same church? Being born again? These are all contributing factors, but none of these are that one thing that unites Christians.

There are some people today, even in Reformed Churches, who are leaving their congregations to go to Roman Catholic Churches or even to Eastern Orthodox Churches. They think that they have unity with other Christians by going to the old and supposed ‘original church.’ They also find a sense of unity in the transcendent character of the service. They are drawn to the smells and bells in the mass. There is also a movement today called the Emergent Church which seeks to find unity with other religions. They are quick to embrace eastern religious practices, and market their church as unity in the midst of diversity.

This is a quite unnecessary move. Neither of these moves to old church or the Emergent Church bring true unity. Instead these people have given up on proper doctrine for what they think is an older tradition and a sense of man made methods of worship to reach God.

Christian unity is determined God’s Spirit uniting us to Christ. In our text, Paul illustrates this truth by describing Christians as fellow-citizens, members of the household of God, and as an important part of the Temple of God. As the Temple of God, believers are united together by the Spirit, resulting in fellowship with one another and with God.

You were Strangers and Aliens:

Before describing how intimate the unity of God’s people is, Paul first begins the text by saying that ‘you are no longer strangers and aliens.’ Paul is hinting at how vast the hostility was between Jews and Gentiles. In order to understand Paul’s point, however, we must understand what Paul means by strangers and aliens.

These two words have similar meanings. First, by stating that a person was a stranger meant that they were unfamiliar to those around them. In the Old Testament, Gentiles were strange, because they were not a part of the covenant. Gentiles had different gods, and thus different customs. They ate different foods and had different festivals.

Secondly, let us define what an alien is. The term, alien describes those who lived in a place which was not their own. After Israel invaded and conquered the land, it no longer belonged to the Gentiles, but to Israel. Those Gentiles who lived in the land were aliens or sojourners. We should be very familiar with this term. We all are know about people who have immigrated to this country. They live in America, but they are not citizens; they are aliens.

When Paul says that you were strangers and aliens, he states that his Gentile readers were strangers and aliens to the saints. Before Christ, the relationship between the Jewish saints and the Gentiles has always been tense. There are certainly exceptions to this rule in redemptive history. There are many positive examples of Gentiles who came into the covenant fold, among them Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah the Hittite.

The Mosaic law directed to Israel that the sojourner was to be treated well and to be loved. Deuteronomy 10:18 said that God loves the sojourner and that they are to be provided food and shelter. Israel was to treat them well, because Israel too were once sojourners in Egypt, and also because God loved the sojourner in Israel.

When the law says that God loved the sojourner he meant that he was gracious in calling for their preservation in their being provided for. Israel, therefore, was to have compassion on those who sojourned in their land. But this did not mean that the promises of the covenant were to be given to them or that they were to be grafted into the covenant apart from faith.

Israel was to separate themselves from the Gentiles in their devotion to God. Gentile unbelievers were understood as unclean. They worshipped false gods, and were prone to idolatry. They had no part in God’s covenant with Abraham. In terms of rListen to Leviticus 18:24-25 ²⁴ "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, ²⁵ and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.”

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 forbid Israel from intermarrying with the nations, because by so doing their sons would be drawn to other gods. Israel, however, was never completely successful in their attempts to keep themselves pure from the idolatry of the Gentiles. They united themselves in marriage to Gentiles and worshipped their gods. Hosea 5:6 condemns Israel for having dealt faithlessly with the Lord for having born alien children.

Understandably Gentiles had no love for the Jews either. The book of Joshua records that Israel was met with stiff resistance when they invaded the Holy Land. Babylonian Gentiles carried the Jews into exile. In the 2^nd century BC, the Greek military came into Jerusalem. These Greek conquerors offensively spread pig blood across the altar of the Lord in the Temple (1Maccabees 1:47). Greeks, furthermore, wanted to annihilate Jewish culture by forcing their own Hellenistic culture upon the Jews. It is no wonder, therefore, that by the time of Jesus’ birth that Israel’s relationship to the Gentiles was characterized by scorn and hatred.

But this enmity was to be temporary. There was no need for Jews to always be suspicious of Gentiles. As promised to Abraham in Genesis 15, the covenant of grace is not only just for the Jews, but is for all of the nations. This promise is achieved by Christ, who too became a stranger and alien on this earth, so that his people would no longer be strangers and aliens to one another.

Christ was a Stranger and Alien (to Jews and then Gentiles)

Jesus was unique from any other person to have walked on this earth. Compared to other men, Jesus was strange. Jesus exemplified the love of God. He healed the sick and blind. He rose Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was so strange that when he calmed a storm his disciples in Mark 4, asked ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?’

God having become man, in the person of Jesus Christ meant that humanity has met a stranger. As a stranger, God-Incarnate has lived among us. He set himself under the same demands of the law that all man is judged by. But this stranger and alien, our Lord, is not like us. He has been obedient. He has always loved God and his neighbor. For our sake he became a stranger that we would no longer be strangers to one another and to God.

Jesus was also not of this world, making him an alien. For Jesus was not only a man, but he was also the Second Person of the Godhead. But he came to the world to the world as a righteous man. Listen to what the Nicene Creed says about Jesus.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

Despite all of his teachings and the signs he performed he was still alienated by the people he sojourned among. This was absurdity that he would be alienated. For Jesus full of love and compassion, was alienated as an unclean man. He was alienated as if he were not an abiding member of God’s covenant. He was alienated from his own people that we would no longer be alienated to one another and to God. He was handed over by the Jewish authorities to the Roman authorities to be executed. Jesus was condemned and alienated from his own people sent to be crucified on a Roman cross, as if he were a common criminal.

While on the cross, Jesus suffered the worst alienation a man could experience. He was already alienated by his own people, but now he was alienated by God. He was alienated by God for us. Jesus took upon himself the sin which had estranged his people from God and from one another.

It is difficult to comprehend the trauma that Jesus went through as he was alienated by all people and by God. But it is at the moment of his greatest distress, that we are given a small clue as to the pain and alienation that he went through. We confess how Jesus was alienated in the Apostles Creed when we say that Jesus descended into Hell. At that greatest moment of alienation, and at that darkest moment when God rejected his son, Jesus cried out Matthew 27:46 "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" No one wanted to fellowship with him, no one wanted him as their friend. Men mocked him. They gambled for his clothes. His disciples fled and denied him. God forsook him, on account of our sin. .

It is because of Jesus’ alienation from all people and from God that we now have fellowship with God, and with one another. The cross has broken down that dividing wall of hostility between men and also with God. Now people regardless of their racial identity can be included into the covenant of grace. There is no reason to judge a persons cleanness based upon their racial identity. Now we can accept all people based upon a common faith! The covenant of grace includes Arabs, Caucasians, Africans, Asians, and all people. Jesus has already borne the condemnation due us, so why would we want to further condemn each other if God has now accepted us in Christ? If God fellowships with his people in the Spirit, we too should fellowship with all of his people in the Spirit!

But Christian unity does not only look back to the past, but also looks forward to their heavenly hope. By meeting this stranger, our Lord, we are united in Christ’s resurrection. The resurrection is important to our unity with one another, because we are all promised the same kind of resurrection. His resurrection was not just a victory over sin, but it was a foretaste of the blessing that all of God’s people will enjoy on the last day.

In the remaining part of our text, Paul illustrates just how great and how intimate our unity with Christ and with one another truly is.

But now…

Paul illustrates our unity through the earthly institutions of citizenship in the heavenly kingdom, membership in the household of God, and through our being built into the Temple of God. In each of these institutions, the role of the Spirit is central to our fellowship with one another.

But let us not think too narrowly about who we are united to in our faith. We are not just united to those Christians whom we know. It is not that we are just united to members of our congregation or even just Reformed Christians. This includes all of the saints, whether Jew and Gentile. We are no longer being strangers and aliens to one another, but have unity with all of the saints. These saints include all of those who have faith in Christ in the past, present, and future. They are brought into the kingdom-state that has included all of the patriarchs, kings, and prophets of the Scriptures.

Those Gentiles, who were formerly hated by the Jews, are now welcomed into the household of God. As members of the household of God, Gentile believers are admitted into the church of Christ. They are not just citizens, but they are sons and daughters of the God!

It is at this point, however, where we must be confronted with the heavenly realities of our unity in the kingdom and the household of God. To be in the kingdom of God is to possess unity in the Spirit! As the household of God, believers are joined together with our older and wiser brother Christ, and together we are able to worship the Heavenly Father. United together, God promises to dwell among us in the holy Temple of God.

But believers are not simply invited and given membership into the temple. As members of the kingdom of God, all believers are not just priest or high priests, but they are becoming part of the Temple of God!

The temple in Jerusalem was very rigid in who was able to come in it. Only priests at designated times were allowed to offer sacrifices. But now our unity is much grander, because God’s temple is not restricted to a piece of land, but to his people. In other words, God’s address has changed. His home is no longer just Jerusalem, but the whole earth!

The Temple which Paul writes is made not with earthly stone or mud. This temple consists of the believers themselves. But it is not like in other passages, such as in 1Corinthians 3:16 where Paul says that believers are individually temples of the Holy Spirit. Paul is applying the Temple differently here, by saying that we are each apart of the one Temple of God. In verse 21, Paul is saying that each part of the temple is intimately attached to Christ. As we are united to Christ we are united to one another, therefore, verse 22 promises that God will dwell with us.

In deciphering the importance and close unity of believers with one another and with God, look at your texts to see the unity of the parts of the temple. Paul designates three parts to the temple. First, there is the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Secondly, there is the cornerstone, which is Christ. Thirdly, believers are built onto the foundation and cornerstone to finish this holy temple where God dwells. Each of the three parts of the temple are united together. Let’s begin discussing the parts of the temple with the most important part, the cornerstone.

A cornerstone was that part of the foundation on which the whole building rested. Listen to Isaiah 28, which gives us understanding as to how firm the cornerstone is. ^ESV Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' Each part of the Temple is shaped by God to be molded to fit upon the cornerstone. One wrong cut of the stone or wrongly shaped stone and the temple will fall. But Isaiah promises that this cornerstone, which is Christ is a sure stone, which is a sure foundation. It is upon the cornerstone that our unity is promised and guaranteed. As we are united to him, we are united with one another.

Paul continues the image of the temple by writing that the rest of the foundation is built by the apostles and prophets. Apostles were those in the early church specially commissioned and sent by Christ. The foundation does not simply consist of the bodies of the apostles and prophets. The foundation of the apostles and prophets is their teaching of the cornerstone, which is Christ! Once again, this proves our unity with not only believers since the cross, but also all those saints who believed in God’s promises from the very beginning of time.

The only other part of this temple remaining includes the saints themselves. Paul says that by the Spirit, the saints are built upon Christ the cornerstone and the foundation of the apostles and prophets. As such Paul here concludes that both Jews and Gentiles who are apart of the temple enjoy a common salvation and unity in Christ Jesus!

Exhortation:

There are many implications of our unity into the Temple of God, which I could discuss in this sermon. But I would like to focus on what I think are two of the most important.

First, we should recognize that our unity and fellowship is found in our common confession. The teaching of the Apostles and Prophets is what unites us together. This foundation of the apostles and prophets is not tied to their own credentials or their message, but the message of the cornerstone, the message of Christ. The Spirit joins us together in the message of Christ as he illumines the truthfulness of the preaching of God’s word. As we trust in the promises of God in Christ we are united to all believers from all times and places. Do you not see? Unity is found in confessing the same gospel as Abraham, Moses, and David, and even Paul, James and Peter! In confessing the same gospel as these past believers you too are united to them! There is no need to go to an older church; confess an older gospel than what is found at Rome! For our unity is grounded upon the pure teaching of the gospel.

This is a much surer unity than what is suggested by many today. The church seems to promote unity in so many different things. Most of it is derived from some sort of experience. Spirituality is determined by feeling or there lack of. But the problem is that not everyone has the same experience.

Some of you here today may not feel a whole lot is going on in your spiritual life. Some of you may struggle with prayer, others may feel like your prayer life has never been richer. Some of you struggle with doubt, others may have great faith that God is going to do great things in your life and in our church.

Instead we should recognize a much greater foundation in our unity, namely the authority of the teaching of Christ exhibited in Scripture by the Apostles and Prophets. We are all at different places spiritually. Yet if we can confess our weaknesses in our spiritual experiences, we can come to a firm foundation in our confessional unity. Let us find unity in our Westminster Standards and in the universal creeds like the Apostles and Nicene Creed. Let us rejoice that as Christ has died for us that we are united upon the gospel, which raises us up into the heavenlies.

Secondly, we should consider that indeed we are strangers and aliens to this fainting world. We are not strangers and aliens to one another, but to the world. Listen to what the author of Hebrews says about those who had faith before us. ^ESV Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Some of us will find that our confession causes us to be rejected by others. Like our brothers and sisters in all of Scripture, Christians find themselves hated because of their faith. We will find that darts from hell are thrown at us, challenging the truth of Christ.

We also struggle in another way. As we toil and struggle in this life we are faced with the reality that we must face the same kinds of struggles as our unbelieving neighbors. We too must struggle with the effects of the fall in this world. We get up every morning to go to work. We must pay the bills, and some of us must suffer from physical ailments. We are blessed, however, with the assurance that God will always be among us.

We may suffer now, but God’s love and provision are never entirely removed. Saints, it is at the moment of greatest distress that we ask, “Why God?” We may be unhappy with the daily rotations of life. Getting up for work day in and day out can provide a sense of dread. We may also find sorrow in the various predicaments of life faced by us or those whom we love. It is at the moment of a tragic death or a broken relationship that we will cry out to God.

We are united as strangers and aliens, however, as we all have equal access to God through the Spirit. Listen to Paul’s words in Romans 8. “Romans 8:26 ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” As we cry out to God, we ought to remember that God has been so merciful that he has become a stranger among us that we might know him. In so doing he has died your death and united himself to you, as well as each of us to one another.

Brethren, we are no longer strangers and aliens to one another. No person who confesses Christ is to strange to have fellowship with another believer. We may have different origins, lifestyles, and languages. But in faith we have unity with our cornerstone, Christ. But in Christ we have a common confession, united in the Spirit. We have the ability to have the sweetest fellowship now. For the same God who has put his seal of assurance upon you has also done so in your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Indeed we need one another right now. It is now that we can love one another, and we can teach one another to look Heavenward. The time is now to unite in the Spirit with those in our midst. There is no barrier that separates any of us to big that Christ has not already overcome. So as we suffer in this age, as we toil in this world, let us acknowledge ourselves as fellow citizens of the heavenly kingdom where each of us will equally benefit from the glorious blessings of Heaven. Amen.