 Okay, so here we go. Let's begin reading together in chapter chapter 2 here in a book of Ephesians. I'll begin reading at verse 11. I'll read to verse 13. Again, I'm going to share with you a few things by way of reminder and And then we'll get into our study and in the verses and and look at them as thoroughly as possible Tonight so beginning at verse 11 reading to verse 13. Therefore remember that you once that you once gentiles in the flesh You are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time You were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ So as we saw last time in our study Paul declared that one of God's Declared one of God's purposes in salvation in verse 10. We saw how he had said We are his workmanship Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in Them so we are God's workmanship. He said created for good works. We saw that good works do not produce Salvation, but that salvation produces good works We see that good works don't produce disciples, but disciples of Jesus will produce good works Now we had seen in chapter 1 verse 14 that that God had redeemed us. He said to the praise of his glory So the same one who has redeemed us has also empowered us to perform good works Our lives and the way that we live are intended by God to bring glory to him and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead Is also at work in us. It's the same Holy Spirit power that Produced life in our once spiritually dead lives Romans 8 11 says if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies Because of his spirit who lives in you So the proof that someone is a Christian is very basic. It's been said transformed minds Produced transformed lives So before they came to faith in Christ, they were actually Hostile opposed to him. They were at war with him and Romans chapter 8 verses 7 and 8 says the mind governed by the Flesh is hostile to God. It doesn't submit to God's law nor can it do so Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God So before the Ephesians came to faith in Christ, they were in hostile opposition. They were at war with him constantly The rejection of God was once clearly demonstrated by the way that they live in Colossians 1 21 it says once you were alienated from God and Were enemies in your minds because of their evil behavior The hostility is not caused by wicked works, but it's revealed by them And so someone who is hostily opposed to God is Revealing how they feel about him and how they are related to him, which is in fact, they're not so now these Ephesians are saved and they've now been undergoing what is called the transformation of their minds by the renewing of their minds and As their understanding he says is now enlightened They live a life of good works and these works have been prepared beforehand That's why walking in good works reveals that we are saved. It reveals salvation So with that let me share a few things about being God's workmanship because we closed last time in verse 10 And I mentioned to you that the word workmanship is a Greek word poema. It speaks of a work of art It's a literary word it uses is used to speak of a poem something that has been created by an artist So these works that God has prepared for us have been done He has done so beforehand. We are his workmanship and so we have been created by him We have been formed by him Salvation is not our own work. In other words, it's not granted to us because we have worked to gain it Salvation is provided for and obtained for us through his own will and by his own power So he did the work. He purchased us and what has happened is we believers now belong to God You don't belong to ourselves anymore in 1st Corinthians 6 19 and 20 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself for God bought you with a high price So you must honor God with your body The second thing is we are his workmanship again the word poema God's power and divinity through physically though physically unseen has been revealed through his creation So we are his workmanship a third thing as we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works So this refers to us when we were born again We are now new creations and we have been created as new creations that we might perform good works to his glory a Fourth thing is as we are his workmanship created for the good works So Christian faith is made visible through the actions of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ We perform good works because the love of Christ compels us to do so We do not do good things because we think we're gonna earn some divine brownie points of some sort The reason that you perform good works is because good works are part of your spiritual DNA It's because of who you are now in Christ Jesus and our father is good and therefore his children will do good things And so the Holy Spirit who empowers us a Holy Spirit who has regenerated us a Holy Spirit who gifts us the same Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us and Because the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit when you have the Holy Spirit within you and you read the holy word of God You will live a holy life separated to him And so we are created by God in Christ Jesus for these good works and these works are not something that we think well If I do this then God is gonna owe me something No, we do this because the love of Christ compels us because there's an internal thing within us That that actually drives us forward to do those things that please him and and finally a fifth thing As we've been creative for good works, which God prepared beforehand God planned for us to do good works once again. They reflect his character and his actions in First John chapter 2 verse 6 it says he who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked So good works are not produced because we know the gospel story good works are produced Because we know the author of the story in Ezekiel 36 27 I will put my spirit within you and Caused you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them And so we were looking at that last time we closed at verse 10 And now we pick up at this point in the letter where Paul begins to develop the theme of Christian unity in Jesus God has taken both Jew and Gentile and has made them into one new man And so again, he begins in verse 11 by saying therefore remember that you once gentiles in the flesh Who are called? Uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time You were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel Strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Paul reminds them at one time they were without God Totally lost and without any hope Now he's speaking to Ephesians keep in mind. These are Gentiles. He's not writing to Jewish believers He is writing to Gentiles to non-Jews So he's reminding them as Gentiles you were without God. You were totally lost You had no hope and that's because God had not revealed himself to them as he had to the nation of Israel You see when God revealed himself to the nation of Israel The nation of Israel gained great advantages over the nations of the world in Psalm 147 verses 19 and 20 it reads he declares his word to Jacob His statutes and his judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation and As for his judgments, they have not known them and then the psalmist says praise the Lord Praise the Lord that he revealed them. The Jewish psalmist would say to us in the New Testament book of Romans Paul asks the question what advantage then is there of being a Jew or of what value is there in circumcision? He goes on to say much in every way First of all, they've been entrusted with the very words of God and so the Jewish nation had an advantage in that God Revealed himself to them in a way that he did not reveal himself to the Gentile world And so Paul says that they were once Gentiles in the flesh He said who are called uncircumcision Now why were they called the uncircumcision? Well, let me share a few things with you about that circumcision was an external evidence of a relationship with God God ordained it as such So that it might be an evidence when he called Abram In Genesis 17 verse 10. He has said it like this. He said this is my covenant with you and your descendants after you The covenant you are the key Every male among you shall be circumcised So circumcision was an external evidence of a relationship with God When God established a relationship to Israel circumcision was its emblem In exodus 19 five and six It says if you obey me fully and keep my covenant Then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Although the whole earth is mine You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites And so that was a covenant relationship that God was establishing with the nation So as part of the identification as his people he established circumcision And it became part of the requirements found in the law of moses in Leviticus 12 verse 3 It says on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised Now Gentiles did not recognize circumcision as an evidence of relationship with God And that's why the jews referred to the Gentiles as the uncircumcision The fact that they were uncircumcised was an evidence that they had no relationship with God What happened is it provoked the jews to pride Because they were God's people and Gentiles were not But the fact is true circumcision was never a ritual It was always something that was motivated by faith and you see that in the old as well as the new testaments In Deuteronomy 30 verse 6 it says the Lord your God will circumcise your heart And the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul that you may live So it was something that was motivated by faith and it was of the heart In Romans 2 28 and 29 he's not a jew who is one outwardly Nor a circumcision that which is outward in the flesh He is a jew who is one inwardly And circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not from men but from God And so they were called by the circumcision The uncircumcision The Gentiles were regarded as being without God and without hope because they were not in the covenant With God and that's what paul is speaking about in verse 12. He says it like this He says at that time you were without christ being aliens from the commonwealth of israel And strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without god in the world So he describes their lives these Ephesians before they were saved First he says you were without christ, which is another way of saying you were unsaved Without christ means you had no messiah and therefore you had no hope You had no hope for a savior You had no hope for someone to deliver you from your bondage The only expectation you had was one of judgment In Hebrews 9 27 it says it's appointed unto men to die once and after this the judgment That was your only expectation a fearful Expectation to fall into the hands of the judge of the whole earth And it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the almighty god for our god is a god of fire And so that was all you had to look forward to you had no hope You had no way of being delivered from your bondage and second he says you were aliens from the commonwealth of israel You were aliens from the commonwealth. That means you were excluded from citizenship God had made israel into a commonwealth. I had to look that up You know, there are those who know what that word commonwealth means. I don't So I had to look it up and I know after the bible study. I still won't know but at least I'll give you the definition The the word commonwealth speaks of an independent country. It's independent So the nation of israel was a commonwealth or regarded as independent It was independent because it's what is called a theocracy It was a nation under the lordship of god himself And so as a commonwealth the commonwealth of israel It is a nation that has been set apart by god and is not part of the the world system But under god's theocracy it was to be that that nation that brought glory to him It was a nation that is a theocracy a theocracy is a nation ruled by a king And god's israel's king In isiah 44 verse 6 it says it like this. This is what the lord says israel's king And redeemer the lord almighty. I am the first. I am the last Apart from me There is no god And so he is the king israel's king jeremiah 10 verse 10 the first portion of that scripture says But the lord is the true god. He's the living god the everlasting king So the nation of israel is under the kingship of god under the theocracy They were a theocracy with god's blessings with god's love with god's covenants and the Gentiles weren't In romans 9 4 and 5 It reads they are israelites to whom pertain the adoption The glory the chicana glory. We usually call it the chicano glory, but the chicana glory The covenants the giving of the law The service of god and the promises of whom are the fathers and from whom according to the flesh Christ came who is over all the eternally blessed god Amen So unto them pertained all of these blessings adoption glory covenants the loss the the priesthood promises Everything belonged to them god gave it to them. So as a theocracy they had god's blessings And so he goes on and it says and also you were without hope God's promises and love for israel gave hope To the nation for their future If there's anything that we today in the united states seem to be lacking many including some within the church unfortunately it's hope If there's anything that this world our nation needs They need to awaken to the hope that we could have That we have in christ The hope that we have in jesus christ and and that's what we ought to be presented by the way Those of us who who share our faith with others and all remember to give them hope remember to to to To remind them that that god loves us that god sent his son christ that jesus died on the cross For us that jesus christ has has cared for us so much that that when we receive him He washes us and cleanses us and and and and and we become righteous in him And and then he has god to prepare a place for us And if he's god to prepare a place that he'd come again receive us unto himself that where he is We may be also and that one day there's going to be a trumpet blast the sound of the archangel And god will say come up here and then we're going to leave this place And we're going to be in the presence of god and we'll worship him forever and ever That's hope That's that's something your government can't give to you That's something that man can't give to you that is something god gives to you and the Gentiles had none And the unbeliever has done too And the christian that's why we're going through Ephesians the christian has hope in christ We have hope of all people. We should be the most most hopeful You see god's promises and his love for israel gave the nation a hope for their future In Jeremiah 29 11 I know the plans I have for you sayeth the lord they are plans for good and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope So genuine hope will always rest on a trustworthy promise And god's promises are trustworthy because They are We live in hopeful expectation numbers 23 19 god is not a man that he should lie Nor a son of man that he should repent Has he said and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and will he not make it good? god If he has promised god will keep his promise And god's promises provoke us to hope and confidence in him and his word Psalm 31 20 forces be of good courage. He shall strengthen your heart all you who hope in the lord Psalm 146 verse 5 happy is he who has the god of jacob for his health whose hope Is in the lord his god Blessed as that one happy joyful filled with expectation because god is his hope so The Gentiles had no promises to cling to So they live without hope A fourth thing he says as they were without god In the world this is an interesting phrase there because their lack of knowledge of the true god Resulted in them putting their trust in the false That's where idolatry Has its root Galatians 4 8 says it like this when you did not know god you serve those which by nature are not gods See the idol worshiper the one who puts this hope her hope In something created by man's imagination and and formed by man's hand Will never have any hope i've shared this recently with you and i'm perhaps even the last time we're together But it comes to mind when the psalmist speaks concerning the The foolishness the folly of idolatry and he speaks concerning the fact that they they have a piece of wood perhaps or even stone But he says they have eyes they can't see they have ears they can't hear they have a nose They can't smell they have a mouth and they can't utter words He says they have hands but can't reach and legs and they can't walk He says they're totally lifeless. He says and those who make them Are like them You're putting your hope and your trust into something with no life But we're the ones who trust in the living god And so we don't have idols we don't put our trust In idols who put our trust in the lord jesus christ who put our trust in the god of life And so he's speaking concerning that he said you were without god in the world. You didn't have a relationship with god You had what you considered to be a faith, but it was in the wrong thing You had gods that you had formed But you didn't have a relationship with the true god and the jews had that opportunity And so this is where you were you had no hope you were without god in the world But he goes on in verse 13 and says it like this but now in christ jesus You who once were were far off have been brought near by the blood of christ Now you who once far off have been brought near To be far off And to be near Were actual saints in use among the jews You see to be far off Signifies to be under god's displeasure To be far off speaks of being separated from god A separation caused by sin and the life that is unrighteous And i say of 59 1 and 2 it says behold The lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save Nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear But your iniquities have separated you from your god Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear Sin has made a separation You are a far off you are separated because sin always Produces separation But to be near signifies to be in relationship with the lord Some 34 18 The lord is close to the brokenhearted saves those who are crushed in spirit Psalm 73 28 it is good for me to draw near to god I have put my trust in the lord god that i may declare all your works And then in the new testament james chapter 4 verse 8 draw near to god He will draw near to you So before you have a relationship with god and he's speaking to the gentiles You were separated you without hope you were without god you were far off You had no relationship with him but in christ You who were once far off have now been drawn near to him And what is it that caused us to be near to him verse 13? He said it's the blood of christ that has made us near to god When he speaks concerning the blood of christ that has made us near to god It speaks of how jesus took our place as a substitute And in his death on the cross as he poured out his blood And he and he and he expiated our sins when he cleansed us from sins And and he cleansed us by his blood when that took place That's how we became right with god. That's how we got near to you That's how you were brought near to god before you got saved perhaps You may have been somewhat like me and I still can remember and I never want to forget What I was like before I came to faith and I can tell you this I can tell you that I remember just before I got saved and god is gracious because he drew me to himself But I can tell you that I can still remember Prayers that I would pray I started to pray just before I got saved. I began to pray again I hadn't really prayed regularly for years But I was so messed up. I was going through so many crazy things and hurting so many people I finally got stricken by my conscience in the and the conviction of the holy spirit and and I can still remember Beginning to pray and it was always pretty much the same prayer. God helped me. I messed up god helped me I don't know what's wrong with me. God helped me. It was just a simple prayer God helped me. There is something wrong with me. I didn't know what it was I couldn't tell you what was wrong with me. I didn't know I just knew there's something wrong with me You know, I'm not a mechanic. I have mechanics in our church and I respect you. I'm not a mechanic But I can tell you when my car is not running. Well, I can tell you that I don't know how to fix it But I know what's wrong with it. I see there's something wrong here. That's making a loud noise there. Marie, have you been driving my car yet? You know, I I did I I can tell you something's wrong, but I I can't tell you exactly what it is, right? And so that's what the gospel does guys You know, there's something wrong if if if you in your quiet moments with God If you in that quiet moment in your in your room or in your car or wherever it may be in that quiet moment Where God finally is able to get your attention and you actually can be honest even with yourself Before you got saved you may have gone through the same thing I did I just became aware there's something wrong And I don't know what it is and that's when my father sent me to a psychologist Because I was so messed up I was so messed up And I'd been getting I gotten arrested three three times for alcohol related offenses. I was an alcoholic By the time I was like 19 confirmed drank a lot My dad saw me going downhill Finally, I smashed a Volkswagen into a Into a signal that was in a median in an island. I came flying around the corner Went out of control smashed a car And the car rolled over to the side of the road police officer approached me and said staying your car I'm going to have to arrest you but Some girls I knew pulled up behind me I saw him in my rearview mirror. I climbed out of the car was so drunk I climbed out of the car and the minute I was out of the car. He cuffed me put me in in his cruiser took me to Norwalk sheriff's substation Spent the night there next day. I was transported to LA My dad came and took me out bailed me out I was chain smoker I was just smoking one cigarette after another as I was driving with my dad My dad didn't smoke and he had a pack and he started smoking his cigarettes My dad was so upset And I told my dad I messed up I messed up dad And my dad Sent me to a psych And I started seeing a particular doctor in Downey And I kept on telling him No, I messed up, but I didn't know what was wrong until the gospel When somebody came and said listen The reason you're messed up isn't isn't because of You know not being able to have relationships or all the things that you're dealing with The reason you're so messed up david is because you don't know god You you're lost. No, I'm not No, I'm not. What do you know? What do you know? David you're messed up man, but it's not just because you're crazy because I was crazy It's because It's because you don't have god I was without hope and without god I was just too too proud to admit it I thought I had god and I didn't like many of you. I thought I had god But I had no hope And I was out without god I was this gentle could have been from Ephesus This word can speak to me That's what you were too without god without hope completely lost But then god God broke through through the message the gospel that says this is your problem It's your sin It's not the mistakes you're making. It's the sinful choices It's not just mistakes you're making. It's your sinful nature Your nature is hostile to god your mind is in constant opposition to his ways if god says it's it's dark You say it's light if god says it's sweet you say it's sour If god says it it's up you say it's down you're in constant hostile opposition But when I finally said he's right and i'm wrong and that's what paul is pointing out here with these Ephesians We who were without god we were who were called the uncircumcision because we had no relationship with god Have been brought near he says by the blood of jesus christ man cannot atone for his own sins Because our sins are too great In psalm 49 verses 6 through 9 it says they trust in their wealth and boast of great riches Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to god Redemption does not come so easily For no one can ever pay enough to live forever And never see the grave You can't you see in the old testament animals were sacrificed And this visibly revealed the seriousness of sin In heber's 10 verses 2 through 4 it says in those sacrifices There's a reminder of sins every year where it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins The blood of bulls and goats couldn't take away sins, but jesus's blood does In colossians 1 14 Paul said in jesus we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins In first peter in chapter 1 verses 18 and 19 He says knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold From your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers But with the precious blood of christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot And so that's how we got right with god We were drawn near by the blood of christ verse 14 for he himself is our peace Who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation He himself is our peace what sacrifices What laws what ritual what ceremony could not do Jesus did by his sacrifice He himself and he alone brings us into peace with god And not only can you have peace with god? But you can now have peace with others When he says he is our peace That's different than him saying that he made peace. We'll see that in a moment It is in him that warring people actually can live in peace He is our peace because he brought people who were hostile to one another He brought them together He brought them together You have matthew a publicion And you have simon a zealot And these two who hated one another in the world The zealots wanted to overthrow the roman government And matthew was working for the roman government And yet the lord jesus christ brings a zealot and brings a tax collector and makes them one. That's what he does It's like taking somebody who's an advocate for BLM and bringing in a Ku Klux Klaner and they get along And they get along Only because christ forgave both of them of their sins and those things that divided them no longer do and that which unites them Is jesus christ that's why we preach the gospel It's a gospel message that answers that question again The jews called the gentiles the uncircumcision You have no relationship with god. You have no hope in this world. You have no covenants. You have no promises You have none of that we do we have the prophets. We have messiah We have the word of god. We have the priesthood. We have the sacrifices We have all of these advantages and you don't even know god. You are the worshipers of stone and wood We worship the living god and then jesus christ lays his life down on a cross and with one hand Here in the other hand there. He then brings them here. He draws them together That's how in this church I have seen more than once where we have had a correctional officer who worked here in chino Who was there with a guy he used to used to guard in prison And i've seen them hug each other and that's what the gospel of christ can do It brings these two different and makes them i'm telling you i've seen that more than once That's what the lord does The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin And it says again in verse 14 he himself is our peace Who has made both one What sacrifices and laws and covenants and ceremonies couldn't do jesus did he's our peace And he has been the one who draws us together And it's different than the fact and we'll see in a moment that he that he has made peace So he brings us together verse 14 tells us he has broken down the middle wall of separation When it speaks of the middle wall of separation The middle wall is uh The court it's called the court of the Gentiles That separated them from the rest of the temple you see when you look at old diagrams of the of the The temple it was divided into what are called four courts You have the first court it's called the court of the Gentiles But there's a second court that's moving towards the temple itself And that's the court of the women then you have the court of israel Then you finally have the court of the priest it was divided into four sections four different courts And so the court of the Gentiles it was a place where Gentiles had come in and prayed but they were never allowed to go any further in Jesus did a lot of teaching in what is called the outer court or the court of the Gentiles He did a lot of teaching there and as we're going through the gospel of mark. I'll be pointing that out but There was a sign And and it said they're in the court of the Gentiles as it was leading to the The way into the court of the women and it said this no Gentile may enter within the barricade Which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure? Anyone who has caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death So there was no way Gentiles were allowed to go beyond the court Of the Gentiles and so when he's speaking here and saying he has broken down the middle wall of separation He's speaking of the barrier The barrier between the Jew and the Gentile And he's saying that he united Jew and Gentile in himself In verse 15 having abolished in his flesh the enmity the word enmity means hostility That is the law of commandments contained in ordinances So as to create in himself One new man from the two that's making peace So the law of commandments was related To feasts and offerings to ritual purification Things that are clean and unclean in terms of dietary law Those are what are called ritual laws And that was what actually was a an outer distinguishing difference between a Jew and a Gentile Because the Gentile would eat the unclean and the Jew never would and These things were intended to show a contrast between the Jew and the Gentile They were the ritual laws that ensured separation separation of Israel from Gentiles Now these were the ritual laws not the not the moral laws not the commands It's interesting to note that the 10 commandments that we find in exodus 20 That um nine of the 10 commandments that you find in exodus chapter 20 are repeated in the new testament Nine out of the 10 are repeated in the new testament There's only one command that is not repeated from the what is called the decalogue the 10 commands or the 10 words There's only one command that is not repeated in the new testament. You know what command that is To keep holy the Sabbath day The Sabbath day Is an ordinance to the nation of israel forever But we worship the lord god On sunday first day of the week because that's when jesus was resurrected You don't find keep holy the lord's day as a command to the church That's a command that's an everlasting covenant with the nation of israel So nine of the 10 commands that you find in the first 10 words In the book of exodus are repeated in the new testament. Those are moral laws So god did not say it's okay now to kill and go to heaven He didn't say it's okay to blaspheme me and still go to heaven. He didn't say that See those laws still have an impact in us their moral laws repeated in the new testament But what the lord jesus christ did is he he abolished those things that made a separation By abolishing these ordinances. He made a new man A christian who has been saved out of the world and follows jesus is that new man And he's a new man because he's neither jew nor gentile He's a believer in christ I've said this before bears repetition at this moment in the old testament humanity is divided into jew and gentile In the new testament humanity is divided into jew gentile and church jew Gentile and church so a jew And a gentile who are in christ make up the new man And that's what he's pointing to here that we are a new person in christ Therefore there's no longer separation between us in terms of our relationship with god because we can have one through jesus christ In galatians 328 listen. There is neither jew nor gentile Neither slave nor free Nor is there male or female For you are all one in christ jesus You are one in christ jesus Uh, I always say this so i'll be careful not to repeat myself other than saying this um There's no law that's ever been put on any book in the united states any law that's ever been put on any Any book You have violated you have broken this law. There's no law that can make me love somebody There's no law that can make me love somebody. There are laws that restrict my behavior There are laws that if I violate them I go to jail for doing that But you cannot make me love somebody by commanding me to you just can't I can tolerate people like I can I can feel in my heart things towards them, but never say anything or ever act on them That's possible because that's human nature But to be a member of the body of christ Require something That being in another organization Doesn't I can be on a on a softball team. I don't have to love the fellow players I can be in a union. I don't have to love the guys. I'm in the union with I I can I can be an educator, but I I don't have to love the other teachers to be To be a teacher, you know, I I could be a doctor I I don't have to love other doctors to be in the in in the medical field I don't there's no there's no way there's no demand no expectation But I can't claim to be a christian and not love you I cannot claim to be a christian And not love my brother or my sister I cannot claim to be a christian because he who loves not knows not god for god is love How can you who say you love the invisible god a god whom you have not seen How can you say you love him when you hate your brother whom you can see And and john makes that very clear So it is required of me because jesus christ said he said by this shall all men know you are my disciples If you have love one for another So no law can make me love you But god's grace does And a jew and a gentile a jew who would not eat with a gentile a jew who had nothing to do with gentiles They could now in christ because of christ They could now be one in christ So he took from the two And he made the one new man And that's what the gospel does and that's why we ask god, please lord in in jesus name I want to be one who loves people I want to love my brothers and i want to love my sisters not because i have a silly sentiment sentimentality, you know You know and that's not me at all what i want is to have a sincere care for other people And so what happens is jesus brings jew and gentile together in him and unites them in himself first peter 2 verse 10 it says Once you were not a people But now you are the people of god Once you had not received mercy But now you have received mercy Notice verse 16 he says that he might reconcile them both to god in one body through the cross Thereby putting to death The enmity the hostility It's by faith in jesus and conversion That we can be at peace with one another the way jews and gentiles are reconciled is by first reconciling with god Hostility between them ceases through the atonement of jesus on the cross In colossians 120 it says through him to reconcile to himself all things Whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross So he has reconciled the word reconcile means to remove hostility To leave no barrier to unity and peace And that's god's intention for the human race both jew and gentile alike In john 17 20 and 21 my prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me Through their message that that all of them may be one father Just as you are in me And i am in you May they also be in us So that the world may believe that you have sent me May the world be one Because they see the church is one May they see the unity that we have And say that that is different than what i see in the world because in the world there's hostility there's anger There's hopelessness, but amongst these people there's something different Have you ever had somebody ever walk up to you and ask you What has made you different have you ever and i'm not saying just because you're kind of spazzy and weird I'm saying has has anybody ever approached you and said What has made you different there's something about you What is it? Can you tell me I have What is it? And your answer is very quick What has made me different? Yeah, because in military I remember that in particular one time. I'm thinking of it even as they share Somebody came walking up to me and did exactly that. I saw you praying over your meal What are you? So I said i'm a christian i'm a christian When my father died and we were at the hospital in chino And we heard the the words i've said this before i'll be i'll be brief, but We heard the the words and the loudspeaker Code blue code blue my mom's sitting there looks at me. She says that's for your dad and I said I know In a few minutes later, of course the doctor comes through he gives us rehearsed words I feel sorry for those those poor doctors They never know what to expect And then he says We did our best and know those words that you no longer hear once you hear he says your father's dad, right? So everything you let him talk and you're polite and my family stands there and He turns and walks away My mama standing there. She just lost the only love she ever had 53 years of marriage and now it's over, right? And I'm there my wife's there my kids We stand up in this waiting room that's got other people there and we take hands and we hold hands and we pray I pray I say God. Thank you for the years. You gave me my father Thank you that he knew you Thank you for your goodness to us And then we go in and me Do our physical goodbyes, you know some of you have done that And you walk out and as we walk out A man and his wife approach us. I believe it's a man and his wife approach us They asked, what are you? They asked me that what are you? I said, excuse me? What are you? We're Christians We're Christians We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ That's who we are And that has a witness That's a witness Because I've seen and you have I've seen people My aunt throw herself on the casket when my cousin Richie died of an overdose on heroin He died in a field He was consumed by ants over the days They had to close the casket And my aunties they're hanging on the casket screaming his name and I'm 12 years old watching this My dad and another one of my one of my uncles come and Have to peel her off of Richie's casket And screaming and I'm watching this and My auntie at that time had no hope But we were able to bring her to faith in Christ later on when I got saved And so she died in hope Because there's only hope in Christ And he's the one who gives us hope And so what are you? Living such a way that people will see something about you that they may see your good work Jesus said and glorify your father who's in heaven That they'll see you and they'll say there's something different about you Not because you scream loud and roll on the carpet Not because you command demons and try to raise the dead That's crazy But because there's a quality of life you have and a hope that you possess And that comes because God has reconciled us to himself We are no longer at war with him You see the gospel is the message of reconciliation And when we when we preach the gospel this message of reconciliation It is calling for unconditional surrender God is victorious Christ died on the cross He was buried but he rose the third day He defeated Satan and death in the grave And so these are my terms And they're not terms that we're going to negotiate This is unconditional that's called the gospel And when you preach the gospel there's no compromise in it Follow Christ surrender yourself And when you do the hostility ceases between you and God But it also can cease between you and others Because he is our peace and he has brought us to peace And the reconciliation to God produces reconciliation to others And so briefly in closing the Ephesians needed to be reminded to cultivate unity in Christ And unity must be protected because division undermines the power of the gospel That's why Ephesians 4-3 says and we'll see Endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace He finally says in verses 17 and 18 He came and preached peace to you who were far off And to those who were near For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father He preached peace with God through Jesus And we can have peace with others He came to bring peace to man and to encourage peace with one another And at his birth the angel said glory to God in the highest and on earth peace Goodwill toward men In John 14-27 peace I leave with you my peace I give to you In John 16-33 these things I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace So the God of peace has come that in him we have peace with him and with others And it finally says in verse 18 through him we both have access by one spirit To the Father So by Jesus you and Gentile believers can have an intimate access to relationship with God Hebrews 4-16 says let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence So that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need So being at peace with God and at peace with one another Gives us practical blessing Because we too can preach peace to those who are far off As well as to those who are near We have so much in Christ We need to live as if we understand that Our Father we bless you and we thank you