Ephesians 2:11-22 Profoundly Forgiven, One in Christ Ephesians 2:11-12 The Way to Lukewarm Faith • Believe you were already near God when he saved you • Consider yourself as deserving God’s goodness • Don’t think about your need for God’s forgiveness • Think of your own sin as no big deal The Way to Passionate Faith Remember life B.C. (before Christ) • Separated from Christ (and salvation) • Alienated from Israel (outside God’s people) • Jesus is King of a Israel and the Jewish Messiah • 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (ROM 9:4-5) • Strangers to covenants of promise (God’s promise of His goodness) • Having no hope • they did not share the hope of Israel in the promised messiah - no salvation, no resurrection • Without God in the world • Powerless, destined to die in sin, forsaken by God • Worse: under God’s judgment

Luke 7 Jesus went to the house of a Pharisee named Simon A woman who had been a prostitute was there. She washed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The Pharisee was appalled. How could Jesus let her touch him? Jesus told a parable, suppose two men owed a debt. One owed 500 denarii, the other 50. When neither man could pay, the lender canceled their debt. Which one will love him more?

He who is forgiven of much, loves much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.

Our love for Christ, our passion for relationship with him is dependent on us remembering: “I am hopeless, forever lost without you”

Ephesians 2:13-15 V13. Far off… brought near to God by the blood of Christ. God has come near to us in Christ, and brought us near to himself.

V14. “He is our peace.” He brought reconciliation b/n us and God and oneness b/n Jew and Gentile. He has brought peace (wholeness) to us.

“Broken down the dividing wall of hostility” – likely the law itself, which required a separation b/n Jews and gentiles, and made the Jews look down on gentiles.

V15. “Abolishing law…” best understood as the law-covenant, replaced by better covenant Hebrews 8:13 “in speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.”

Ephesians 2:16-18

V16. God reconciles Jews and gentiles alike into one body –the church. What divides the world: race, ethnicity, economic status – abolished by Christ. Unified in the church. No one is better than anyone else. We are beggars, it is true. So that we are all one. A new creation, God’s workmanship.

V17. “He preached peace to near and far off” from Isa 57:19, the Lord says, “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near.” We might say the goal of the gospel is to bring peace, reconciliation to God through the sacrifice of Christ.

V18. “Access in one Spirit to the Father”. We have peace w/ God & access to him. Paul may have in mind offering a sacrifice to gain access to God’s presence. We have free access to God’s sanctuary through Christ.

We don’t have access to God like the Jews did, we have a better covenant. OT sanctuary was limited by space. We can meet God anywhere, any Time Only priests could enter the presence of God. Any believer can. Sinful priests made their own sacrifices, then for people. Jesus once for all.

Remember your life before Christ. Remember the distance Christ went to to save you. Ask God for a greater passion for Christ in your life. Ask God to help you see others’ need for God is the same as yours. “We are beggars. This is true.” -Martin Luther