February 28 2011.

Ephesians 2:1-10  The church is a temple. 

A) The Church is a body, Chapter 1.

This chapter begins with the little conjunction and; so it is actually a continuation of the thought of the first chapter. Apostle Paul has been talking about that tremendous power that raised our Lord Jesus from the dead. We shall see that this power is the same power that makes us, when we were dead in trespasses and sins, alive in Christ.

That takes resurrection power. It is this power that we as God’s children want to experience. 

Frances Ridley Havergal expresses it in as lovely and fine a way as it could be, and I’m sure it is a prayer in the hearts of many Christians today.

Oh, let me know

The power of the resurrection;

Oh, let me show

Thy risen life in calm and clear reflection;

Oh, let me give

Out of the gifts thou freely gavest;

Oh, let me live

With life abundantly because thou livest.

Amen!

Now it seems that God is rather reluctant about letting man have power and I think we can see why. 

God let centuries go by with man knowing nothing of atomic power. Then man discovered atomic power, and it changed the world. 

What did it do to the world? 

Did it make it a wonderful place in which to live? 

You know that it made the world a frightful place in which to live because it gave man the power to destroy the world. Man is very dangerous today. 

We live like an ostrich with our head in the sand if we think to ourselves that no nation dares to release that atomic power. There are men in positions of power today who would turn it loose tomorrow, or even today, if they thought they could get by with it. 

Man is dangerous with the use of physical power. 

I believe that God is reluctant to give man power.

However, the power of God which the epistle speaks of is the power that God will release in the life of one who will turn to our Lord Jesus Christ.  

He will lift that person out of spiritual death into spiritual life. 

This power will be exhibited by the church because the church is the body of Christ in the world. 

The Lord Jesus expresses Himself in the world today through His church.

In many ways the church as a temple corresponds to the temple of the Old Testament which was, in turn, preceded by the tabernacle of the wilderness. 

The comparison is self-evident. 

The contrasts are sharp and striking. 

The tabernacle and the temple, for instance, were made of living trees of acacia wood that were hewn into dead boards. 

In order to form the church, God takes dead material and He makes it into a living temple. The temple and tabernacle were dwelling places for the glory of God.

The church is a dwelling place for the person of the Holy Spirit. 

The tabernacle and temple were for the performance of a ritual and the repetition of a sacrifice for sin. 

The church is built upon the one sacrifice of Christ in the historical past, a sacrifice which is not repeated. 

"Nor yet that he should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:25–26). 

Nor does the church have a ritual. 

It is a functional organism in which the Holy Spirit moves through the living stones.

God has not given a ritual to the church.

Some folk think that they have had a church service by opening with the doxology, saying a prayer, singing hymns, and then sitting down to listen to the Scripture being expounded. Yet to them it was only a meaningless ritual - the true church, the body of Christ in this world, has not been given a ritual. 

Someone may ask, then why we do that?

The point is that just going through the exercise of mouthing words has become a meaningless ritual to many, many people today. Many of the churches that I have attend make more of the members birthdays than they do about the death upon the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These things should have meaning. 

They are proper when true meaning is expressed - but they are not essential. The Gospel, the death and resurrection of Christ is entirely essential and we ought never, never, never to make light of our sin as is being done by most organized churches or ever to forget the great cost He paid for our sin.

The true church, the true body of Christ, is not only minus a temple ritual; it is also not a temple "made with hands." The impressive fact of the church age is that God is indwelling individual believers. 

Notice the following verses:

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:24–25). 

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

Israel never did believed that God was confined to the temple.

When Solomon was dedicating the temple, he prayed, 

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27).

Every instructed Israelite understood that God did not live in a temple - a little box. 

God had told them that the temple was the place where He would meet with them. That is why they came to the temple with a sacrifice and a ritual. 

The true church has none of that.

Another sharp contrast to the Old Testament temple is the position of Gentiles. You will recall that the Gentiles had to come as proselytes and were confined to the court of the Gentiles. In Jerusalem today at the Holy City Hotel is a replica of the city of Jerusalem as it looked in the days of Herod, which were, or course, the days of Christ. The court of the Gentiles was way off to the left as one looks into the temple. The Gentiles did not get very close. 

That is why apostle Paul says in this chapter,

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (verse 13). 

We who are Gentiles have been brought in pretty close.

We are seated in the heavenlies in Christ! 

There is just no way to  improve on that.

The Material for Temple Construction.

Ephesians 2:1-2   "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"

The literal translation by Dr. J. Vernon McGee - 

And you being dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the age (spirit of the age, secularism, course, principle) of this world (cosmos, society, civilization), according to the prince of the power (authority) of the air (haze, smog), of the spirit that now worketh (energizes) in the sons (children) of disobedience.

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air" - 

That is, you who walked according to secularism, according to the way of the world, or according to the principle of this world. 

The "world" does not mean the physical universe. 

It means the cosmos, society, civilization, life-pattern, or life-style of the world today.

"According to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh (that is, energizes) in the children of disobedience." 

The Devil takes this dead material (we are dead in trespasses and sins) and he energizes us. 

That is the reason the cults are as busy as termites, and with the same results. 

False religionists put us to shame in their zeal.

Satan is energizing them.

Satan is able to duplicate a great many of the miracles that are scriptural miracles.

The magicians of Egypt were able to duplicate the first miracles performed by Moses. 

But the later miracles of Moses  

they could not duplicate. 

When a person gets into the realm of the New Birth and closeness to God, 

Satan is powerless against him, but he is potent today to delude and to deceive and to lead people astray.

He is potent today in the cults and false "isms" of the world.

Ephesians 2:1-3 "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

Before we knew Christ we walked 

"according to the prince of the power of the air," - who is Satan. 

He was our energizer. 

We cannot serve both God and mammon. 

The one to whom we yield is our master. 

Even the Christian must choose whom he will serve. 

Some folk think that serving God means that one refrains from worldly dress and amusements and refuse associations with people who are liberal in their theology. 

That is not separation. 

It is absurd to talk like that when ones own life is filled with bitterness and hatred and selfishness, which are the gross sins.

"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh." 

Notice Paul now says 

"we." He includes himself; 

it is the first person, plural pronoun that he adopts. 

Apostle Paul places himself right with this crowd, and you and I need to do this also. 

Apostle Paul never ever forgot from whence he came.

Jesus, my Lord, will love me forever;
From Him no pow'r of evil can sever;
He gave His life to ransom my soul;
Now I belong to Him.

Refrain:
Now I belong to Jesus;
Jesus belongs to me;
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.

Once I was lost in sin's degradation;
Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
Lifted me up from sorrow and shame;
Now I belong to Him.

Joy floods my soul, for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me;
His precious blood He gave to redeem;
Now I belong to Him.

Ephesians 2:4-6   "But God, who is rich in mercy, for  His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"

This little conjunction but is so important.

God is rich in mercy.

This is such a radical change from the first three verses, which are as hopeless as anything can be. 

Man is a complete failure.

He is incapable of saving himself. 

God comes on this scene of death with His mercy. 

He is an infinite God who is rich in infinite mercy.

He has what man needs. 

He has what you and I need. 

The only requirement is that we believe Him.

What does it mean to be saved by the grace of God?

We who were entirely dead in trespasses and sins and completely incapable of saving ourselves, God comes on the scene the moment we come to Him and He lavishes His grace upon us.

Why does He do it?

He it does not find the reason in us;

He finds it in Himself.

 When God came down to deliver Israel, it wasn’t because they were good and beautiful and were serving Him. They were not. They were a stiff-necked people. And they were idolaters—they worshiped a golden calf out there in the wilderness.

But God says that He heard their cry. 

Why did that appeal to Him?

Because He loved them. 

God loves you and He loves me. 

However, He does not save us by His love.

He saves us by His grace.

Trusting in Jesus, my Saviour divine,
I have the witness that still He is mine;
Great are the blessings He giveth to me,
O I am happy as mortal can be!

Refrain:
I am redeemed and I know it full well,
Saved by His grace I with Him shall dwell;
I am redeemed and the child of His love,
Heir to a glorious crown above.

Once I was far from my Saviour and King,
Now He as taught me His mercy to sing;
Peace in believing He giveth to me;
O I am happy as mortal can be!

Trusting in Jesus, O what should I fear?
Nothing can harm me when He is so near;
Sweet is the promise He giveth to me;
O I am happy as mortal can be!

If while a stranger I journey below,
Filled with His fullness such rapture I know,
What will the bliss of eternity be,
When in His beauty the King I shall see?

Thanks: SermonAudio.com

Amen!

Ephesians 2:7   That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

Someday I am going to be on exhibit.

Angels will go by and say, "See that girl, Caryl, she was lost and she was not worth saving, but here she is in heaven today. 

It is only through the grace and mercy of God that she was saved and brought here.

That is going to be for the Praise of God throughout eternity. 

I am not going to get any credit at all, but I’m going to be there, and that’s good enough for me. I’m going to join that angelic host in singing praises to God because He saved me. 

This is the most wonderful expectation that we have - as far as I know. 

It is through grace.

It is the "amazing grace," 

as the hymn writer John Newton put it, "that saved a wretch like me."

Alas, and did my Saviour bleed?
And did my Sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Refrain:
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Was it for crimes that I have done,
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creature's sin.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away—
'Tis all that I can do!

Words: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748.

Thanks: SermonAudio.com

Amen!

Ephesians 2:8-9   "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

The great emphasis is upon the grace of God.

It is favor bestowed on the unworthy and undeserving.

If we have placed our trust in Christ, then we can say, "I am saved."

Our salvation rests upon the grace of God - not upon our faithfulness. We can be confident of this very thing,

"… that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). 

If we are a child of God, we may wander away from Him, but He will always make a way back for us because it is by His grace and that alone that we are saved. 

We have a finished salvation. 

Salvation is a gift of God.

The grace of God has been defined theologically as "unmerited favor.  

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, made this statement about God’s grace and God’s love in his book on Ephesians.

Quote:

A sharp distinction is properly drawn between the compassionate love of God for sinners, and His grace which is now offered to them in Jesus Christ. Divine love and divine grace are not one and the same. God might love sinners with an unutterable compassion and yet, because of the demands of outraged divine justice and holiness, be unable to rescue them from a righteous doom. However, as has been before stated, if love shall graciously provide for the sinner all that outraged justice and holiness could ever demand, the love of God would then be free to act without restraint in behalf of those for whom the perfect substitutionary sacrifice was made. This is Christ’s achievement on the cross. On the other hand, divine grace in salvation is the unrestrained compassion of God acting toward the sinner on the basis of that freedom already secured through the righteous judgment against sin—secured by Christ in His sacrificial death. Divine love might desire to save, yet be unable righteously to do so; but divine grace is free to act since Christ has died. It is to be observed, then, that the eternal purpose of God is not the manifestation of His love alone, though His love and His mercy are, like His grace, mentioned in this context and expressed in Christ’s death; but it is rather the manifestation of His grace

Out of God’s infinite treasure chest He lavishes His grace upon sinners without restraint or hindrance.

Faith is the instrumental cause of salvation. 

It is the only element that the sinner brings to the great transaction of salvation. 

Yet it too is the gift of God. 

God has made it very clear that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

If you want to trust Christ, you will have to listen to the Word of God. God will give faith to all who give heed to the message of the gospel.

We find this taught in 2 Corinthians. Moses had a veil over his face, not because he was blinding everybody like a headlight, but so that the people could not view the glory that was fading away. It was the glory that belonged to the Mosaic system and that belonged to the Law.

"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:14). 

There is no need for a veil today because He is the unveiled Christ; the gospel is freely declared. But we are told, 

"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:15–16). 

When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Anytime that we are ready to turn to Christ, we can turn to Him and be saved. Whenever anyone gets sick of their sins, and they want to turn from themselves, from the things of the world, from religion, from everything the Bible condemns, and turn to Christ, then they will be given faith.

We are to look to Christ and trust Him.

Faith is the instrument of salvation.

Spurgeon says, 

"It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy hope in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ, though that be the instrument; it is Christ’s blood and merit." 

That is where the power is and where salvation is.

Salvation is gift that eliminates boasting.

It is all of God and not of us.

I've a message from the Lord, Hallelujah!
The message unto you I'll give;
'Tis recorded recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!
It is only that you "look and live."

Refrain:
"Look and live," my brother, live;
Look to Jesus now and live;
'Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!
It is only that you "look and live."

I've a message full of love, Hallelujah!
A message, O my friend, for you;
'Tis a a message from above, Hallelujah!
Jesus said it, and I know 'tis true.

Life is offered unto you, Hallelujah!
Eternal life your soul shall have,
If you'll you'll only look to Him, Hallelujah!
Look to Jesus who alone can save.

Thanks: SermonAudio.com

Amen!

Ephesians 2:10   For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

"We are his workmanship." 

The Greek word is poiema from which we get our word poem. 

The church is His poem and His new creation.

Apostle Paul is not talking about the local church here, but rather about that body of believers from the day of Pentecost to the Rapture, the real believers.

That body of believers is His workmanship and His new creation in Christ Jesus.

For what are we created?

For good works. 

When we get to the last part of this epistle, we will be told how we are to walk in a way that is creditable and acceptable to God. While we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, we are to walk down here in a way that will bring glory to His Name.

Down at the cross where my Saviour died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!

Refrain:
Glory to His Name!
Glory to His Name!
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!

I am so wondrously saved from sin;
Jesus so sweetly abides within;
There at the cross where He took me in;
Glory to His Name!

O precious fountain that saves from sin;
I am so glad I have entered in;
Here Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
Glory to His Name!

Come to this fountain so rich and sweet;
Cast thy poor soul at the Saviour's feet;
Plunge in today and be made complete;

Glory to His Name!

Words: Elisha A. Hoffman, 1839-1929.

Thanks: SermonAudio.com

Tomorrow if our Merciful Lord Jesus spares my life and it is in accordance with His will, I want to continue with: The Method of Construction.

Amen!  

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