Eph. 2:14-17
Ephesians 2:12–14
[12] remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated 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 himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (ESV)
In Christ we have everything we need.
Our Sufficiency is in Christ.
Growth in Christ is recognition of what we have in Christ. it is WHO we have in Christ that gives validity to WHAT we have in Christ. For when we realize Who He is it give understanding to What we have. Then our Faith is Strengthened our Love is Stable and our Hope is Sure.
There are five things that are ours in Christ by His Death.
There are many more I will just point out five from our text.
I. We have Peace – We have peace with God for Jesus Christ is our Peace. No more hostility between Jew and Gentile. Peace with God creates Peace with our fellowman.
II. The Walls of Separation are Broken Down – This may sound redundant but it is not. It is saying in the context of the passage by His Death, Christ has destroyed what divided us in the first place. If God made Peace with Jew and Gentile and left the walls up the walls would only serve to remind of the hostility. By His Death He has removed the ROOT of the offence.
III. He has Ended the Whole System of Jewish Law that Excluded the Gentiles– In the temple there was a Jewish part and a Gentile part. There were places to which the Gentile could not go. The Jews used the law to remember those strangers that dwelt among them. The text teach us, we are no more strangers, we are Fellow Citizens of the Household of Israel. We are the Commonwealth of the Redeemed. We are no longer Strangers. Halleluah to the Lamb! The old temple has been destroyed. It is not that we dwell in the temple, but God now dwells in us. God excluded the whole system. So we can’t hold on to what God has destroyed. No more coming in different doors for there is only one door, and that is Christ Himself. This was Achieved by His Death.
IV. He created in Himself one new man. What does this mean? How Do we Explain this? There is Jew and there is Gentile. At Calvary He killed them both down in Himself and what He pulled out of Himself was neither Jew or Gentile neither us or them but it was a Saint?
V. We are Bonded in an Unbreakable Union. One New Man. This is all ours by His Death.
Christians everywhere must celebrate not just a Pass from Hell, we celebrate all the blessings that are Ours by His Death.
I Thank God for His PLAN of Salvation, and I Thank Him even more for the MAN of Salvation!
The MAN who not only Died for my Sin but ROSE Victorious From the Grave and Forever Lives to Intercede on my behalf.
My prayer is that we will by God’s Spirit realize what is ours by His Death. and who is ours by His Death.
So that we might live in a strengthened faith that will allow us to enjoy the privileges that are ours.
They are given freely to us by His Death, so we should Marvel at the Greatness of our God and commit ourselves to live faithful and fruitful to Him as we love and serve our fellowman.