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Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition (Ephesians 2:11-22)

First Baptist Church https://fbcbartow.org

“Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition”

(Ephesians 2:11-22)

Series: Christ and the Church [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

January 31, 2021

The Passage

Ephesians 2:11-22

11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Introductory Comments:

Do you remember the hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? [show picture on screen] It was hosted by Ty Pennington and a crew of fantastic volunteers and good looking professional contractors and designers who could take a terrible house like this [show picture on screen] and turn it into a beautiful home like this [show picture on screen]. There was normally a family involved about whom you would hear an inspiring backstory and then the transformation began. 

Well, today we’re learning about Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition. We’re going to learn about the extreme transformation that Jesus brought in our lives. 

Before we go any further, let’s pray together and ask God to speak to us. 

(prayer)

In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul is telling us who we are in Christ, what God has been doing since before the world began to bring us to Christ, and how God’s power is seen in the preeminence of Christ. In chapter 2, Paul begins to explain that we are saved because of God’s great gift of grace!


Now, Paul takes us further down this path of God’s work to explain this extreme makeover through the power of the Gospel. 

As with the episodes of the show on HGTV, we must first understand . . .

I. The backstory (vv. 11-13) [on screen]

The backstory is knowing what happened before the transformation started. For the show, it was always something like they had 12 kids, or the dad just lost his job, or the family’s pet hamster died. For Paul, he wants to make sure that the Ephesians are reminded of what life was like for them before Jesus changed them. 

Let’s check out what Paul says. Look at verses 11-13. 

11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Paul has already spoken about the past of the Ephesians in this chapter. Remember, in verses 1-4, he spoke about the Ephesians being dead in their sins. But God made them alive!

Now, Paul is giving a specific recounting of their past as it relates to God’s promises to the Jewish people. Well, why does Paul care about this, and why would the Ephesians care about this?

Remember, at the time of Paul’s writing this, Christianity is a pretty young religion; it’s less than fifty years old. Also, at the time Christianity is viewed as a very Jewish religion. After all, the God whom we serve is often referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are all fathers of the Jewish faith. 

Further, Paul is pointing out how Jewish people often looked down on Gentile people (remember Gentile means non-Jewish). He says that the “circumcised” (or the Jews) called the Gentiles the “uncircumcised.” Remember, circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with the Jewish people. So, for those who were not Jewish, or not marked as God’s covenant people with circumcision, they were looked down upon by those who were marked as God’s covenant people. They were basically saying, you Gentiles are not part of the covenant, but we Jews are!

So, Paul is setting the stage to further help the Ephesians understand what it was like to not be part of the covenant of God and what it was like to have no hope. 

Paul gives five descriptors of what it was like for the Ephesians, who originally had non-Jewish heritage. In verse 12, he says they were, 

. . . without Christ . . .

. . . excluded from the citizenship of Israel

. . . foreigners to the covenants of promise . . .

. . . without hope . . . 

. . . and without God in the world.

Paul doesn’t say that their backstory was fine and dandy. He doesn’t say, “I know that the Jewish people rejected you Gentiles, but really everything was ok; you’re really good people.” No! Paul said they were hopeless!

However, as with last week, there is a very important phrase that starts with the word “But.” Verse 13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus . . .” 

Everything has changed for these Gentiles who were without God. 

Paul says in verse 13, “ . . . you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Paul is pointing out that God did something amazing for the Gentiles also, not just the Jewish people. 

In fact, this moment was prophesied from the very beginning of God choosing Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, “2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” [on screen] In God’s redemption of the Gentiles, we are seeing this promise to Abraham being fulfilled. All the peoples on the earth are being blessed through the line of Abraham!

The blood of Jesus changes everything! Those who were far from God have been brought near to God!

Church, we must remember our backstory, not only our’s personally but the backstory of all of those who were without hope, without a Messiah, without a covenant with God. We were lost and helpless, but now in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near!

 Well, how did all of this happen? That takes us to our next phase of the process:

II. The makeover (vv. 14-18) [on screen]

In the Extreme Makeover show, you always see the process of the makeover. Everyone comes together and creates a beautiful new creation. There are a lot of people involved in the party. Well, with the Gospel makeover, there is one party responsible for the transformation: God! Let’s read about what God does in this makeover. Look at verses 14-18:

14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Paul now focuses on this new idea of peace. Through Jesus, we now have peace with God and others. 

Paul uses two powerful descriptions to describe what God has done.

First, Paul says God, “ . . . made both groups one.” 

The two groups that were at odds with one another; Jews and Gentiles, the circumcised and the uncircumcised; have now been brought together. They are no longer two, but they are one. 

This reminds me of the movie, Remember the Titans. That movie is about a football team that becomes integrated with both white football players and black football players. Even though they are on the same team, initially, there is a lot of division on the team because of the race differences. However, there’s a moment in the movie where it is no longer the white players and the black players. Instead, they all become Titans and they are one. [show picture on screen] So, also, Paul says there are no longer Jews and Gentiles. Instead, there is now one: Christians, the Church, those who are followers of Jesus the Messiah!

The second description Paul uses is this: He says God, “ . . . tore down the dividing wall of hostility.” 

Now, some say that this may refer to a wall or curtain in the temple, but I think that Paul is speaking here about a metaphor. This wall of division and hostility that existed between Jews and Gentiles has been torn down by the power of the Gospel. 

Listen, church: The power of the Gospel can break down any wall! All those in Jesus are one!

Concerning the Jews and Gentiles, Paul says in verse 15 that Jesus took care of the law, commands, and regulations so that they were no longer barriers. He said that Jesus created “ . . . in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.” Paul goes on further to describe this wonderful miracle. He says in verse 16, “He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.”

Both Jews and Gentiles needed Jesus! Paul says in verse 17 that Jesus, “ . . . came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” Far away and near, we all need Jesus!

Look at verse 18 again, also: Through Jesus, “ . . . we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” All of us have access to God the Father, in the Holy Spirit, through the work of Jesus! How amazing!


As Paul says in Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” [on screen]

Listen, church, all of us are free in Jesus and all of us are one in Jesus! There should be no division in Jesus Christ; we are one!

Black, white, and every other ethnicity are one in Christ! Democrat, Republican, Independent are one in Christ! Gators and Seminoles are one in Christ! Vegans and hunters are one in Christ! Northerners, Southerners, Midwesterners, Southwesterners, Northwesterners, Alaskans, Hawaiians, Californians, and Texans are one in Christ! US Citizens, foreigners, immigrants, and illegal immigrants are one in Christ! Lower class, middle class, and upper class are one in Christ! Educated and uneducated are one in Christ! White-collar, blue-collar, and no collar are one in Christ! Homeless, renters, homeowners, and home developers are one in Christ! Bartonians and non-Bartonians are one in Christ! Former missionaries and former mobsters are one in Christ! We are not just all forgiven, but we are unified in Jesus! There is power in Jesus, there is power in the Gospel, this is Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition! “For through him we [all] have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

This is the makeover that Jesus does in our hearts. 

Finally, the best part of those renovation shows . . .

III. The reveal (vv. 19-22) [on screen]

The reveal is the moment when you see the culmination of all of the work that was done. When you see the result. 

Well, let’s look at the result of Christ’s work through the Gospel. Look at verses 19-22:

19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Because of the work of Jesus; the Ephesians, who were Gentiles, foreigners, strangers, and the uncircumcised; are now fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. How awesome is that? Jesus changes everything! We are one in Jesus!

Paul then shifts his metaphors to speak of a building (he probably knew I was going to use Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as an illustration). 

Paul says that this household is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. All of God’s messengers were preparing a foundation for this moment. They were building something that could bear the weight of the miracle that God was going to do by bringing all types of people together in Jesus. All the promises to Abraham would stand tall on this foundation!

What is the most important ingredient in this building? Well, of course, it’s Jesus! Paul says in verse 20, “ . . . with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.” Jesus holds up the entire building! He the foreman, He is the cornerstone, He is the capstone, He is the main crossbeam, He is the 100-year warranty, He is the essential security of the building of God’s one new people. 

Paul then tells us what kind of building this is.  In verse 21, we see we are, “ . . . a holy temple in the Lord.” After all, the temple is often referred to as the house of God. In the Old Testament, the dwelling place of God was in the physical temple. Now, Jesus is building a new holy temple that is the people of God, the Church. In verse 22, Paul says, “In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”

In Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, we the people, we the Church, are the dwelling place of God. Not a building, but a people; redeemed and united by the work of Jesus. What a miracle!

We are brought together as fellow citizens and members of God’s household, and God wonderfully reveals His beautiful work accomplished in Christ. 


This is Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition. 

Concluding Thoughts:

In the book of Ephesians, Paul is telling us who Jesus is, what God has done through Him, and how the Church is affected by what Jesus has done. 

In this passage, we see that Jesus redeems all types of people and builds us up as His people for His glory.

That takes us to our bottom line:

Bottom Line: God is beautifully building us for His glory and our good[on screen]

(repeat)

The message throughout the book of Ephesians is that God has a great plan to redeem sinners from sin, adopt them as His own children, and build them into a beautiful church. He is doing so to bring glory to Himself and to create us to be who He intends us to be. 

Jew and Gentile, or whatever else, we are now one in Christ, a new creation called the Church of Jesus Christ. 

We must understand this reality. We must understand this Extreme Makeover: Gospel Edition. 

Challenge yourselves this week in these two ways:

Weekly Challenge: [on screen]

1. Thank Jesus for bringing you near. [on screen]

Remember verse 13, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

We who were far away from God have been brought near by the work of Jesus. 

We were dead but we are now alive. We were alienated but we are now adopted. There was a wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, now those who trust in Christ are one people, united as the Church. 

Spend some time this week thanking Jesus for His work in your life. 

2. Bring others near to Jesus. [on screen]

The fact that Jesus is still about tearing down walls, the fact that God is still about bringing children into His family, the fact that the Spirit is still about displaying His power in people’s lives, begs us to take other people to Jesus. 

Bring others near to Jesus. Show them His love, proclaim His message. Take others to Jesus!

Closing:

Are you part of the holy temple that God is building through His church? Each little brick in God’s building represents one of His followers. Are you part of the building? Are you participating in making that temple holy?

If you need to recommit yourself to be a holy and unifying part of the holy temple of God, I want to invite you to do so this morning. 


Also, if you’ve never been brought near to God by the work of Jesus, I want to invite you to do so this week. 

(Gospel presentation)

(closing prayer)

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