The Gospel Brings Reconciliation (Ephesians 2:11-3:13)

Here’s my sermon from this past Sunday. You can catch the audio here. 

When people look at our church - and the church in America - do you think they see evidence for the existence of God? Would they say, “When I look at them, their life together, I believe in God. Or at least I really want to.”?

And do you think, as they look at our lives - and our life together - that it helps them believe that the gospel changes things? Would non-Christians say, “I want Jesus. I need Jesus. He’s done something in them. I want that in me.”? Yes? No? Why? Why not?

That’s what I want us to consider here in our time today. We’ll get into Matthew again next week. But I had today marked down as a special message, the day before our country honors Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Gbenga preached a couple of weeks back, on New Year’s Eve, from Ephesians chapter one. And he did a great job, at that. I thought I’d jump into Ephesians myself. And talk about how the gospel brings the reconciliation our world needs.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes to Gentiles - or non-Jews - scattered throughout what was called Asia Minor back then, but today is basically the nation of Turkey. And he tells them, the apostle does, in this letter, about this amazing mystery that has come in Christ.

Today, when we think of a mystery, it’s like we’re going out in the woods, on a geocaching mission. Where is our treasure? It’s hidden. It’s a mystery. Maybe we’ll find it. If we’re having a good day. Or if we’re really smart. But maybe we’ll get lost in the woods.

But biblically it’s more like this. Like the time I took my wife out in an Arkansas forest to ask her to marry me. I popped the question from the edge of a cliff. Now all along the way, there were signs that it was moving in this direction. Looking back, she could see them. En route she should have seen them - if anything, me sweating and shaking and mumbling. That’s more what we mean by this mystery. The signs were there. She just missed them along the way. She could see them, though, from the other side.

Paul tells us this mystery has been revealed - this mystery that all things would be united in Christ. That believers would experience union with Christ. And that we’d be unified together in the body of Christ. That’s where I want to spend some time today.

In Ephesians chapter one, until the first half of chapter two, the apostle proclaims what God the Father has done in Jesus to make us right with Him again. In the second half of chapter two, and the first part of chapter three - what we just read - Paul speaks of what God the Father has done in Christ to make us right with one another.

In chapter 2, verses 1-3, we learn that we’re dead in sin. But verse 4 starts out with those words grand words, “But God.” And then in chapter 3, verses 11-12, we see how we’re alienated from each other. But verse 13 starts out with those big words, “But now.” We were held captive by this world - “but God.” We were at each others’ throats - “but now.” Now things have changed. God has stepped in. Ephesians moves from the vertical aspect of the gospel to the horizontal. That horizontal aspect is what we’ll focus on today.

Now this passage holds so many sermons. But so you don’t miss all the football games today, I just want you to see two aspects of these verses. First, what has been brought about in Christ. Second, what Christ sends us out to proclaim.

What We Have in Christ

First, what has been brought about in Christ. Did you catch that? It’s glorious. There is this “then” and “now” aspect of these verses. The apostle is writing to these Gentiles - people like us - and is proclaiming `the great things God has done. They were on the outside looking in. As verse 12 puts it, they were “separated from Christ.” But they were also “alienated” from the nation of Israel. The covenants, the promises, were not for them. They were without “hope and without God in the world.”

And there are those words again, “but now” in verse 13. “In Christ Jesus,” everything has changed. You were far off - from Him and God’s people - but now you “have been brought near.” Now - verse 14 - He has “made us both one.” And there’s an image here that is so important. There was this “dividing wall of hostility,” and Jesus has torn it down.

Now it’s possible that Paul was thinking back to a literal wall - the one in the temple - back in the day - that kept the Gentiles out. That was smashed back in 70 A.D., along with the rest of the temple, by the Romans. And the apostle is saying, “You don’t have to live like that still stands.”

Verse 15 says that the law, given to Israel to show them their need, and to drive them to Jesus - was torn down. Jesus came and fulfilled it - that “law of commandments expressed in ordinances.” The playing field was leveled. Now all nations have access to the Lord - through faith. And now, we also are on that same field together! As Rich Villodas has put it, “The cross of Christ isn’t just a bridge that gets us to God. It’s a sledgehammer that breaks down the walls that separate us.”

Jesus has brought us together, Paul goes on. He has created “in himself one new man in place of the two.” There now is peace. We have been reconciled together “to God in one body.” The “hostility” has been killed! Christ came and proclaimed “peace.” Verse 17. To the “far off” and to the “near.” To Jews and Gentiles. We’ve seen that in Matthew. And now, through His Spirit, verse 18, we have “access” “to the Father.” And everything has changed.

Look at verses 19 through 22 again. We’re “strangers and aliens” no more! By faith, in Christ, we’re “citizens” together. We’re brought into the nation - but also into the family - the “household of God.” And what’s more is that we’re being “joined together” - all nations - like spiritual bricks, making a new, greater, “holy temple in the Lord.” We’ve moved from, “You can’t go in the temple” to “you are the temple.” The “then” was awful. The “now” is awesome.

But let’s not just assume the “how.” We’ve been “brought near by the blood of Christ” - verse 13. That wall was torn down - and so was the veil in the temple - “in his flesh.” That’s His death. We’ve been reconciled together to God “through the cross,” says verse 16. It’s in Him and through Him that we’re with our Father and we’re together as family. All glory be to Christ our King!

Hear me. This is the gospel. This is the mystery that was revealed. Not just that we’d be united with God. But that we’d be united with one another. Jew and Gentile. All nations on earth. And here in America - certainly black and white. One common thing you can hear in the church, when we talk about truths like these is this: “Hey, stick to the gospel. Stop talking about social issues.” Church, this is a gospel issue. It couldn’t be clearer than right here. It’s what God does in Jesus. He brings people to Himself. He brings people together. And it’s beautiful. It brings glory to Himself. And it works for our great good.

This is what has been bought about in Christ. And it’s meant to be savored. It’s also common for people to say, “I’d just rather be color-blind. I don’t see color. You shouldn’t either. That’s what God wants.” But is it? Really? Think of the diversity and beauty of God’s creation. We don’t walk around in Glacier National Park trying to see just gray, just focusing on utility. No, we marvel in God’s creation. We see glory. We don’t sample foods at the farmers market and just think in terms of calories or nutrition. No. We eat. We drink. We rejoice. We need to see and savor the diversity of God’s good gifts. And that should include the diversity of ethnicities and cultures that God has designed for us and gifted to us. As my friend, Jon Nelson, puts it, we shouldn’t be color-blind, but color-blessed.

But don’t miss out on something important here. We’re not just talking about diversity. We’re talking about unity. We’re not just getting a bunch of people in a room, to show we’re checking off boxes. We’re not shooting for sameness. But not only diversity, either. Oneness. And Jesus can do that. He died to bring that about. Not just tolerating one another. Again, savoring, enjoying, one another.

But the church in America has some work to do, right? They say that Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America. I just quoted Jon Nelson. His mom grew up in Columbia. And back then, when this was another church, she wasn’t allowed to come in here, as a young woman of color. Now those kinds of prohibitions aren’t around much these days, but there are still attitudes, there are prejudices, that keep us apart, that keep people out. And Jesus died again, so that that wall would be torn down. John Stott has said that, when we don’t live in this unity, it’s an offense to the cross. He wrote,

“How dare we build walls of partition in the one and only human community in which he has destroyed them? … But deliberately to perpetuate these barriers in the church, and even to tolerate them without taking any active steps to overcome them in order to demonstrate the trans-cultural unity of God’s new society, is to set ourselves against the reconciling work of Christ and even to try to undo it.” (John Stott)

My friend Jonathan Leeman recently referred to the local church as the “geography of heaven.” Our gathering together - it’s a little slice of heaven on earth. It’s a place where Jesus rules as King. Where things are on earth as they are in heaven. Or at least they’re supposed to be. If we’re that place, we’ll be one. That’s what Jesus came to accomplish.

But of course, we can say we love Jesus and completely miss out on the gospel. And each of us is battling to love as we’ve been loved. So often this means confrontation. There’s this well-known story, that’s recorded in Galatians chapter two, where Paul, our author here, has to confront the apostle Peter. Pete knew all of this. He’d preached this himself. But he started moving over to the Jewish lunch table. And looking down with them on the Gentile brothers. And Paul had to call him out. He told his brother, “You’re out of step with the gospel.”

We may have to do that at times, brothers, sisters. And it’ll at times make people mad. And sometimes, they’ll leave. But the gospel is at stake. Jesus came to make us one!

What We Now Proclaim

But here’s something we remind ourselves often at Karis. We weren’t meant to keep this good news to ourselves. We’re meant to take this gospel, in community, out on mission. Second, see what Christ sends us out to proclaim.

Now there is this “then” and “now” aspect of chapter 3, also. Paul’s talking about his calling. But he reminds us of where he used to be. He calls himself, in verse 8, “the very least of all the saints.” But he was given “grace,” not just to preach the good news, but to enjoy that gospel in the first place. He’s writing here to Gentiles, living like the pagans they were. But Paul was the good Jewish boy, following all the rules - even to the point he was bullying the Gentile kids at recess. And the apostle makes clear that he was just as lost as them. Even more lost, in fact. Again, he calls himself “the least.”

But God did wake him up - walking down that Damascus road. Now verse one says he’s a “prisoner,” a servant of Jesus - and those Gentiles he was once trying to abuse. He’s been given this grace - this “stewardship” of the gospel - for the good of those outsiders. Verse 5 says it’s something previous generations just couldn’t grasp. But now that “mystery” was revealed to apostles and prophets like him. And then he clearly explains that “mystery” again in verse 6.

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Again, hear the good news for people of all nations - and that includes us. We’re all in the same body. We all get the same inheritance. The promises apply to all of us. This is the message the Lord called Paul to proclaim - the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” He got the privilege, as it says in verse 9, to shine the spotlight on this mystery - that was hidden for ages and had now been revealed by our Creator.

And then in verse 10, we get to this beautiful word. It’s “manifold.” It can just mean that God’s “wisdom,” it says, in this “mystery,” has many forms and comes in different ways. But I love the way John Stott says we should interpret it. He says we should read it as “multi-colored” and then says:

“The church as a multi-racial, multi-cultural community is like a beautiful tapestry. Its members come from a wide range of colourful backgrounds. No other human community resembles it. Its diversity and harmony are unique. It is God’s new society. And the many-coloured fellowship of the church is a reflection of the many-coloured (or ‘many-splendoured’, to use Francis Thompson’s word) wisdom of God.” (John Stott)

Karis, that’s what we get to proclaim. Paul is an apostle with a capital A. One of God’s messengers, again the foundation for the church God builds. But we have also been called. We also carry this message. And this message is that the people of God - those who now have “boldness and access and confidence through our faith in him” - as verse 12 puts it - are being bought and brought together as a multi-colored community.

So it’s not like our building is built of bricks that all look the same. No. This temple is a mosaic of stones of all different colors. And that’s for our good. And for the glory of our King.

We get to preach that message. Some have said that verse 17 of chapter two isn’t talking about Christ’s ministry on earth. After all, we don’t think Jesus ever came to Ephesus. This is likely Jesus preaching through Paul - and so many others - and you and me. Peace has come. For all of us. If you feel like an insider or an outsider. Peace has come. We’re God’s messengers, also.

Now my buddy Jon, that I’ve referenced a few times - he got to preach before the governor not too long ago. That was an honor. But did you catch, did you grasp, what this passage says? Verse 10? With Paul, we get to make this “manifold wisdom of God… known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” What? Yes, we’re talking about angels! We go out and proclaim this message in the world. The Father is bringing us to Him through union in Christ. And we’re being brought together - reconciled together through Christ’s work on the cross. But we also shout it to the heavens. We get to help the angelic beings understand the fuller beauty of what Jesus has done. Gathering people groups of the world together in breathtaking beauty.

But the tragedy, of course, is that there’s so much work to be done. In our nation. In the church. To see that reality. D.A. Horton likes to say that we shouldn’t talk about reconciliation in America. That’s because the prefix “re” implies that it’s existed before. He says, “No, we’re seeking conciliation.” This for the first time.

Here’s the tragedy. You read this passage, and it’s clear. This is something that Christ has accomplished already. We just have to see it. And experience it. But so often we resist it. Don’t we?

Now some might be saying, “Kevin, lay off the politics.” But I’ve just been here in God’s word, right? But I have been giving a vision for life under King Jesus. That’s the only politics I care about. Our King. His Kingdom. Are you with me? This isn’t proclaiming some worldly philosophy, some political theory. This is the mystery of the gospel of grace.

God wants us to savor what He’s done in Christ. But He also wants us to spread it. And yes, through our words - talking about the reconciliation Jesus has won. But also through our actions - through the relationships we make and through the stands we take. We don’t just need talk. We need to walk.

Columbia has a history of segregation and racial injustice. And there’s still plenty of work to be done. You maybe haven’t heard of Columbia’s Sharp End. It’s been forgotten. Because it got torn down through “urban renewal” initiatives back in the day. From around 1900 to the 50s and 60s, there existed this vibrant black business district between 5th and 6th Streets on Walnut. It was the center of the black community here in CoMo - that is until it got razed and stolen from people of color. That’s the legacy we’re dealing with, friends. It’s no wonder there’s tension still today. But if we don’t stand against it, Stott also said, it’s not just an offense to Christ - but to the world! Why trust God - embrace the gospel - if we can’t figure this out?

See here what Christ has done. And we also know what Christ will do. The gospel again is Jesus reconciling us to God. And also reconciling with one another. And that gospel is all about the cross on which He died. But it’s also all about the Kingdom His death brings.

One day, Jesus will come through the clouds. And He’ll bring heaven to earth. And his reign will be one of perfect justice and peace. That’s what He’ll do. And there will be no walls in that nation that will cover the globe. And it will also be gloriously made of many colors. Hear these words from Revelation 7:

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

That’s what’s coming. Jesus has already come! And we get to go and proclaim that now. But we also pray the prayer Jesus taught us. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We want to see more and more of His reign now. So we go out and say, “This is the kingdom that’ll come in full one day. Let’s pray really hard. Let’s pursue that here. Let’s trust God for big things. And not settle for any more of this demonic division.”

In that article I mentioned earlier from Jonathan Leeman, he also argued that we’re to be an embassy of heaven. Have you thought about our calling to Christ in Columbia like that? An embassy of heaven?

We’re here in this nation saying, “We are here to represent the Kingdom of Jesus. Here’s how things are to be. Here’s how it’s going to be. Black and white and brown and tan. All together. In unity. Come learn His ways. Submit to Him with us.” What a privilege.

That’s our calling. I said earlier that it can involve confrontation. But it also brings resistance. As we stand against injustices in our world. Some say that racial reconciliation happens on an individual level. As more people trust Jesus and learn to love like Him - that’s the only way things will change. And that, no doubt, is a major part of the equation. Others say that peace and justice come as the systems in our nation get toppled and transformed. It’d only make sense - right?  That the systems made up of sinners would be shaped and ruled by sin.

The answer, as with so much in life, is that it’s both/and. As we go spread what Christ has done and will do, we tell people about Jesus and the unity He alone brings. But we also labor to call out and bring change to systemic issues. Because we live in a world that’s still under Satan’s power. We can’t just stand there. We can’t stay silent. Because that speaks volumes to those who suffer. We have to long for justice for our brothers and sisters, as well. Read the annals of the early church. Christ brought people together. They spoke for the weak.

Now you might say, that’s coming in the new world. And this earth is so sinful, there’s only so much we can do. We should just wait. And let Jesus take care of it at His return. I grew up in a small town. You change your oil with your dad. You just drain it right out in ditch.

But if we look forward to an earth that’s renewed, why wouldn’t we act in ways that anticipate that now? Why would we team up with Satan and trash God’s planet? And why wouldn’t we anticipate that unity that will be there and then, here and now?

My dad also is an expert woodworker. And he taught me to sand. To make boards smooth. You go with the grain. Or you tear up the wood. Why wouldn’t we go with the grain of what God is doing? Instead of working against it with our enemy? And why wouldn’t we look ahead to all that unity in heaven? And do whatever we could to see it started here in our day? Jesus calls us to take this mystery out.

How We Grow in this Together

I want to take a few moments to talk about how we can grow in this together. First, we have to let the gospel have its way in us. What do I mean? We have to soak in all God says here in Ephesians 2 and 3. Where we were. Where we are now. How Jesus accomplished it all. That has to grip our hearts. And fill us with gratitude. And move us to welcome - those around us in the same way we’ve been welcomed by God.

Second, we must respond in ways that fit with its truth. We can’t believe some facts in our heads. And let our deeds with our hands - our mouths - say something else entirely. We can’t think we preach gospel doctrine. And then not have a gospel culture. And the culture Christ brings has no walls. And it has all sorts of colors.

If we grasp the gospel, we’ll respond, before anything, with humility. We’ll own our sins. We’ll recognize our ignorance. We’ll shut up and listen. We’ll ask questions. We’ll learn from brothers and sisters that don’t look like us. And that’ll take us a long way toward figuring all of this out.

We’ll also no doubt be ready to sacrifice. Our time, talent, our treasure. Our comfort. Our preferences. That’s really where the rubber hits the road - if we’re going to see gospel racial reconciliation and justice here in America.

My friend Eric Schumacher, who’s been a pastor in Iowa, was out for a walk one day, and he kept noticing people crossing over to the other side of the street, when they approached him, and then going back to his side, a block or so later. And then it hit him.

He’d been on vacation for a couple of weeks. His facial hair had gotten scruffy. He was wearing raggedy layers of flannel to keep warm. He looked homeless. Eric said this helped him learn to walk in the experiences of others. To look at things from their side of the street. That would do us good, wouldn’t it?

Another friend leads a church up in Harlem. His name is Jason James, and I have a lot of respect for him. In an article he wrote a few years ago, he explained three things we have to do to get rid of racism in the church. Proclaim. Process. Practice.

Proclaim. We have to be willing to talk about it and hear about it - like we have here today. It has to be taught.

Process. We have to do the hard work of talking about it together. Really listening. Seeking understanding. Having hard conversations.

Practice. You teach it. You talk about it. You then have to get to work. And James says the reality is that, in the church, some people naturally experience belonging and others experience displacement. He writes:

“But what if there was a way to leverage the inevitable experience of simultaneous displacement and belonging for discipleship? What if we could intentionally create belonging for those who are most vulnerable to racism, marginalization, and displacement, but do so in a way that is not only disorienting for the majority who don’t share the same ethnicity, culture, or experiences, but is also beneficial for their growth in Christ?” (Jason James)

He says if the majority is willing to get out of their comfort zone, it’ll allow those in the minority to begin to belong. And those who will humble themselves and be willing to sacrifice will grow in the process. Really good advice. Karis, can we proclaim and process and begin to practice together? And couldn’t we add to that - perhaps the most important thing of all - prayer. Because that’s where Paul goes in the section here that follows. Prayers in verses 14 through 21 that we’d see and experience all of this grace.

How We Help Our City Believe

Last week is when much of the church celebrated Epiphany. What’s that, you might ask? It’s when God’s people have historically remembered the wise men, the Magi, coming to worship at the feet of baby Jesus. And what were the implications of that - beyond them bringing gifts of worship? The nations were coming to fall before the king. And they were coming to worship Him together - even then. In the gospel, diversity was meant to come about. But not just that - unity, as well. Around our King.

And that, as I started, if it happens, can be a major display of the existence of God. And also of what the gospel can do. But here’s something else. Do we also give those around us a picture of, a hunger and thirst for, the new world to come? When all nations surround His throne? When one day peace and justice reign? Or do they look at our lives and think it looks more like hell? Would those around us say that we’re helping or hurting race relations and reconciliation in our country? I’m afraid to even ask the question.

Church, before I wrap up. Back to Ephesians 3:8. See those words: “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Jesus is that great. So many riches. We’ll have all eternity to dig. But we might as well start now. And part of those riches are what we see here. What He’s doing in His church. The gospel is meant to bring people together in a way that displays to heaven and earth the glory and grace of God in Jesus. Let’s pray.