Thursday Night Worship, July 19, 2018 - Ephesians 2:1-22

Last Thursday night's sermon was again over the Book of Ephesians.  As I stated then, the overarching message of the letter that we know as Ephesians is that of "Unity".  We are through Christ called to be one and not the many that we all too often view ourselves to be.  

The Church today is a fractured mess of different denominations, doctrines, practices, and beliefs... yet, there is one thing that holds us all together as Christians, and that is the one we know as Jesus.  No matter what even the most liberal of churches might think of Jesus we all look to Him as the cornerstone of this thing we all call Christianity.  In my sermon, though I suggested that perhaps rather than looking to Jesus as only the cornerstone, that we look to Him as the 'capstone' as well.  It is the capstone that holds the arch in place, and an arch is a very, very sturdy construction.  With Christ as the capstone, this construction that we call Christianity finds it's true strength.  No matter the diversity and no matter the disagreements nor even disunity that we may seem to have... we are all held together as one in Christ Jesus.

Praise God, for Jesus who is the Christ...

Be a blessing to someone today!!

In His Glory,
Roy

Ephesians 2:1-22  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[a]—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

11 So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth,[b] called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body[c] through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.[d] 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.[e] 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually[f] into a dwelling place for God.

Footnotes:
a) Ephesians 2:5 Other ancient authorities read in Christ
b) Ephesians 2:11 Gk in the flesh
c) Ephesians 2:16 Or reconcile both of us in one body for God
d) Ephesians 2:16 Or in him, or in himself
e) Ephesians 2:20 Or keystone

f) Ephesians 2:22 Gk in the Spirit