The Two Shall Become One: The Gospel Indicatives and Imperative for Racial and Ethnic Reconciliation

This sermon was preached in January 2014 at Eureka Baptist Church in Talladega, AL.  The remainder of this blog contains my sermon notes.

INTRODUCTION

TITLE: THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE: THE GOSPEL INDICATIVE AND IMPERATIVE FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION. 

TEXT: EPHESIANS 2:1-22; 4:1-6

CONTEXT: PAUL IS WRITING TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS.  EPHESUS WAS FOUNDED BY PAUL AND ITS FOUNDING IS SHOWN IN ACTS 19:1-6.  THIS CHURCH WAS PASTORED BY TIMOTHY AND SERVED BY JOHN AS AN ELDER.  IT WAS A CITY OF GREAT INFLUENCE IN COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC BECAUSE OF ITS STRATEGIC TRADE LOCATION.  IT WAS RACIALLY AND ETCHNICALLY DIVERSE.

STRUCTURE:  THE BOOK IS EVENLY DIVIDED WITH CHAPTERS 1-3 FOCUSED ON DOCTRINE WHICH ARE IN THE INDICATIVE STATE. CHAPTERS 4-6 ARE FOCUSED ON OUR DUTY WHICH IS IN THE IMPERATIVE STATE. THESE TWO SENTENCES CAN BEST BE STATED IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE; WE WALK OUT WHAT HE HAS WORKED AND WORKED OUT AND IS WORKING IN, NAMELY CHRIST. PAUL DEALS WITH OUR BELIEFS FIRST BECAUSE BELIEFS ALWAYS DETERMINES OUR BEHAVIOR. THERE ARE SEVERAL PREVAILING WORDS AND PHRASES THAT WE MUST KEEP IN MIND AS WE INTERPRET THIS BOOK SUCH AS; IN HIM, IN CHRIST, AND ONE.  THERE ARE THREE ADDITIONAL WORDS THAT ARE CRITICAL TO OUR UNDERSTANDING IN THE PROGRESSIONAL FLESHING OUT OF THIS BOOK AND THEY ARE SIT OR SEATED (2:5), WALK (4:1, 5:15), AND STAND (6:11, 13).

INQUISITION 

WHY A SERMON ON RACIAL AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION?

WE ARE SINNERS.  RACISM AND ETHNIC IRRECONCILIATION ARE BOTH SINS.  BORN WITHIN EACH ONE OF US IS A HEART OF RACISM AND ETHNIC DISDAIN.  FOR SOME THIS IS STRONGER THAN OTHERS.  HOWEVER, IF FED IT WILL GROW AND MANIFEST IN WAYS THAT ARE HORRIFIC.  HOWEVER, IF STARVED IT CAN GROW FAINT AND BE VIRTUALLY NON-DETECTABLE UNLESS STIRRED.  IT CAN BE LIKE SEDIMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF A JAR. EVERYTHING APPEARS TO BE GREAT UNTIL SOMETHING FROM THE OUTSIDE SHAKES IT UP.  

SCRIPTURE CALL US TO CONFRONT ALL SINS AND ESPECIALLY THIS TYPE OF SIN. PAUL CONFRONTS PETER IN GALATIANS 2:11-14; “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?””  WE MUST GUARD OUR HEARTS AGAINST RACISM AND ETHNIC PREJUDICE.  PETER HAD PREACHED IN ACTS 2 AND THROUGH HIS PREACHING SAW A DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE COME TO CHRIST.  PETER TOOK THE GOSPEL TO THE GENTILE CORNELIUS IN ACTS 10.  PETER HAD DISPLAYED SIGNS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF BEYOND NEEDING TO PURSUE THE DEATH OF HIS FLESH.  GALATIANS WAS A REMINDER TO PETER AND IS A REMINDER TO THOSE WHO CLAIM CHRIST THAT WE MUST NEVER CEASE FROM RUTHLESSLY DEALING WITH OUR FLESH.

SCRIPTURE TEACHES THAT TRUE AND ABIDING RECONCILIATION MUST BE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN THE GOSPEL.  ALL OTHER ATTEMPTS WILL NOT BE SUSTAINABLE OR TRUE.  WHY I AM STATING THIS IN SUCH EMPHATIC TERMS?  CHRIST IS THE RECONCILER AND THE BASIS OF OUR RECONCILIATION.  OUR WORLD WILL HAVE VARYING FOCUSES AND REASONS FOR RECONCILIATION.  MOST OF THEM ARE TRUE AND WORTHY BUT THEY ARE NOT UNIFIED.  MOST OF THEM ARE REASONS THAT FIT WITH THE CHARACTER AND NATURE OF CHRIST.  CHRIST IS THE RECONCILER AND THE BASIS OF OUR RECONCILIATION AND THIS IS WHY I AM EMPHATIC.

IMPLICATIONS

GOD IS THE GOAL OF THE GOSPEL AND THE GOAL OF GOD IS RECONCILIATION.  THIS RECONCILIATION IS ORDERED. IT FIRST HAS VERTICAL RECONCILIATION FOLLOWED BY A HORIZONTAL.   EPHESIANS 2:1-10 SPEAKS OF OUR VERTICAL RECONCILIATION AS FOUNDATION FOR ALL OTHER RECONCILIATION.  EPHESIANS 2:11-22 DEAL WITH THE HORIZONTAL EFFECT OF OUR VERTICAL RECONCILIATION.  THIS IS STATED IN THE WORD THEREFORE FOUND IN VERSE 11. 

PAUL REMINDS US IN VERSES 11 AND 12 THAT GENTILES WHERE SEGREGATED OUTSIDE FAMILY OF GOD.  BUT NOW WE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT NEAR AND IN BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST (V.13).

PAUL TRANSITIONS TO A PLURAL PRONOUN IN VERSE 14 BY USING OUR AND US.  WHAT BRINGS PEACE, HARMONY, UNITY, AND RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THOSE AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER? CHRIST IS OUR PEACE.  HE IS OUR PEACE OFFERING.  SCRIPTURE CALLS IT PROPITIATION.  CHRIST PROPITATES GOD’S WRATH AGAINST IN OUR SIN IN HIS SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS BUT HE ALSO PROPITATES MAN’S WRATH, HATRED, AND DISDAIN FOR EACH OTHER.  

NOTICE THAT CHRIST DEATH NOT ONLY PURCHASES SALVATION BUT DESTROYS SEGREGATION (V.14).  HE HAS TORN DOWN THE DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY.  THIS WALL SEPARATED JEWS AND GENTILES IN WORSHIP.  EXCAVATION HAVE DISCOVERED THIS WALL WITH ITS STERN WARNING TO GENTILES; “ANY GENTILE WHO PASS BEYOND THIS WALL SHALL DIE.”  WE MUST CEASE TO BUILD BACK UP WHAT CHRIST HAS TORN DOWN.

CAN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER BY SIMPLY TEARING DOWN A WALL?  WAS THEIR ISSUE AND OUR ISSUE OF RACISM AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION SOLVED BY A MERE STRUCTURAL CHANGE?  LET’S CONTINUE PAUL’S THOUGHT AND TEACHING AS IT CONTINUES INTO VERSE 15.  NOTICE THE PHRASE “THAT HE MIGHT CREATE IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN IN PLACE OF THE TWO, SO MAKING PEACE.” RECONCILIATION BEGINS WITH STRUCTURAL CHANGE BUT IT WILL NOT ABIDE.  RECONCILIATION ABIDES BECAUSE CHRIST DIED TO CREATE IN HIMSELF, ONE NEW MAN.  THE WORD FOR NEW IS “KAINOS”.  THERE ARE TWO WORDS FOR NEW IN SCRIPTURE; “KNEOS” MEANING AS RELATING TO TIME AND “KAINOS” AS IT RELATES TO KIND.  IT IS THE IDEA OF INVENTION AS TO SOMETHING THIS WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN.

THIS NEW KIND WAS PAID FOR AND SOLIDIFIED BY CHRIST DEATH ON THE CROSS (V.16) REMEMBER OUR EARLIER POINT VERTICAL RECONCILIATION AUTOMATICALLY MAKES US HORIZONTALLY RECONCILED BECAUSE TWO ARE MADE ONE.  AND THE END OF VERSE 16 DEMONSTRATES HOW DEFINITIVE THIS WHEN IT STATES; “THEREBY KILLING THE HOSITILTY”.  KILLING IS IN “AORIST VERB TENSE”.  AORIST IS A SNAPSHOT THAT PRESENTS THE ACTION AS A ONE TIME EVENT.  THIS VERSE IS IN THE ACTIVE VOICE WHICH MEANS THAT THE SUBJECT IS PERFORMING THE ACTION. 

THE RESULT IS WE ARE NO LONGER STRANGERS AND ALIENS BUT FELLOW CITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION CHRIST JESUS IN WHOM THE WHOLE STRUCTURE BEING JOINED TOGETHER GROWS INTO A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD.

INSTRUCTIONS

THIS IS NOT EASY WITH THE GOSPEL AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GOSPEL.  THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR OUR INSTRUCTION, CORRECTION, AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR BOTH THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS AND OUR CHURCH TODAY.  I BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN BECAUSE THERE WERE ISSUE OF RACISM AND ETHNIC IRRECONCILIATION IN EPHESUS.  THIS COMES FOR ITS FOUNDING VERSES IN ACTS 19:1-6.

I WILL FURTHER BASE MY CONCLUSION OF THIS FROM EPHESIANS 4:1-6.  IN VERSES 1 AND 2 PAUL IS SPEAKING OF CHARACTER QUALITIES THAT ARE NEEDED FOR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.  HOWEVER, PAUL IS STATING THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE QUALITIES OF CHRIST AND SHOULD BE THOSE WHO ARE IN HIM.  IN VERSE 3 WE ARE TOLD THAT WE ARE TO BE EAGER (THIS WORD IS ALSO TRANSLATED ZEALOUS; IT MEANS TO DO SOMETHING WITH INTENSE EFFORT AND MOTIVATION; IT IS IN THE PRESENT TENSE WHICH REMINDS US THAT IT IS NEVER ENDING) TO MAINTAIN (TO KEEP AT THE SAME LEVEL OR RATE; IT IS ALSO IN THE PRESENT TENSE) THE UNITY (A THING FORMING A COMPLEX WHOLE) OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE (WHAT IS THE BOND OF OUR PEACE; JESUS CHRIST).  WHY ARE WE TO BE EAGER TO MAINTAIN THE BOND OF PEACE IS EXPLAINED IN VERSES 4-6.

OUR FIGHT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC RECONCILIATION WILL LAST AS LONG AS THE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD.  JESUS LOVES THE RACIST.  HE LOVES THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ETHNIC GENOCIDE AND CLEANSING.  HE DEMONSTRATES THAT IN HIS DEATH FOR THEIR SIN.  HE DEMONSTRATES THAT IN THE 12 DISCIPLES AS NATHANIEL SAID; “COULD ANY GOOD THING COME FROM NAZARETH”.

CHRIST LOVES ALL PEOPLES BECAUSE ALL PEOPLE ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE. 

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20, ESV) 

CHRIST DEMONSTRATED HIS DESIRE FOR RECONCILIATION BY DESTROYING THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8, ESV) 

SATAN HATES ALL THE LITTLE CHILDREN ALL THE LITTLE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD RED, YELLOW, BLACK, AND WHITE THEY ARE DESCIPALBE IN HIS SIGHT.

CHRIST DEMONSTRATED HIS DESIRE FOR RECONCILIATION BY PRAYING FOR US.

““I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20–23, ESV) 

CHRIST DEMONSTRATES HIS DESIRE FOR RECONCILIATION BY TELLING US WHAT HEAVEN LOOKS LIKE.

“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”” (Revelation 5:9–10, ESV)