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August 3, 2003
8th Sunday after Pentecost
Ephesians 2:13-22
Pastor Ben Berger

Christ Unites Us

We have before us today a wonderful opportunity not only to dig deeper into God's word, but also to find meaning and purpose for our lives. Beginning today and for the next three weeks, we are going to take a closer look at the new Mount Olive mission statement. A mission statement really does two things: it defines who you are and it defines what you intend to do. In other words, it gives purpose. Please turn to the backside of your bulletins and read the mission statement with me. United by our faith in Jesus Christ and our confession of God's Word, the members of Mount Olive Lutheran Church use the Gospel in Word and sacraments to win the lost for Christ, to nurture one another in Christian love, and to equip each other for lives of Christian worship and service, all to the glory of God. Wow! That says quite a lot. The very first word is really the theme of Paul's message to us today: United. Paul will show us that Christ Unites Us. It is this unity in Christ that defines who we are and what we intend to do. It is this unity in Christ that gives us our mission or our purpose. Christ Unites Us in two ways. First, He gave peace to us. Second, He gives peace through us.

Before we can understand what Christ has done for us or value the peace that he gave to us, we must understand and appreciate the situation we were in before Christ. The section of Scripture printed in your bulletin as our text really begins with verse 11. There Paul begs us to remember who we once were. Remember where you came from in order to value where you are and where you are going. "Remember that formerly…you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world," (vv11-12). At one time you were without hope and without God. Paul bluntly explained in verse one of the same chapter, "you were dead in your trespasses and sins." The sins you commit and the sin that is part of you separate you from God and leave you for dead. Oh, we think that we are living because we breathe and move and eat and sleep, but God says that because of our sin we are dead. You still show signs of death. You think that life is yours. You think that your life should serve your purposes, your desires, your wants. You think that life is about you. That's proof that you are dead. Life is not about you nor is it your life. Your life and your purpose belong to God and until that happens you are dead.

Our text begins, "But now." At one time you were dead, but now things are different. "But now you who were far away have been brought near." A change has occurred; something is different. You are no longer dead. Paul explains how in verse 14, "For [Christ] himself is our peace." Christ has changed your life. Christ has changed your life. Christ has given you life and purpose. Let Paul explain how.

The last half of verse 14, "he has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility." Your sin separated you from God. God is holy; he cannot and will not tolerate sin. Sin stood between you and God and that is why you were dead. Sin robbed you of life; sin robbed you of purpose. Christ broke down the barrier of sin. Christ removed the barrier of sin.

Look at the phrases all throughout the text that Paul uses to describe just how Christ removed the barrier of sin that separated us from God and from life. Verse 13, "you have been brought near through the blood of Christ." Verse 15, abolishing the law "in his flesh." Verse 16, "reconciling [you] to God through the cross." In other words, Christ put himself in your place. He removed your sin, your separation from God, your death, by taking all of it upon himself. In his flesh he lived under the law perfectly. He provided the holiness and perfection that God demands and that you cannot live without. Through his blood and his cross, he paid the punishment of death that you owe.

It is through his life and his death that Christ became our peace; it is through his life and his death that Christ gives us peace. And it is this peace that unites us with God, gives us life and gives us purpose and meaning for our lives.

When Christ gave us peace and united us with God, he also created a second union; he united us with all believers. In our text Paul talks about Christ abolishing the law and making the two one. When Paul wrote this there were two kinds of people, the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews were God's people; they had God's promises and God gave them specific laws to protect those promises. The Gentiles were not God's people, did not live under God's laws, and did not have God's promises. All of those laws pointed to Christ who would fulfill those promises. When Christ came, he abolished the laws by keeping them. As a result he also offered his promises to all people, Jew and Gentile.

Today, there are still two kinds of people, believer and unbeliever. Believers have God's promises, they have life and they have purpose. Unbelievers do not have God's promises, are dead and have no purpose. Jesus wants to unite all people into a group of believers. He has already begun to do that.

In verse 17 Paul said, "[Christ] came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." Christ has given peace to us. We were far off but he has brought us near. Christ still yearns to give peace to those who are far away. Beginning with his disciples and continuing through Pentecost, Christ wants all to know that he gives peace.

As Christ gave peace to us, he now gives peace through us. And Christ unites us for just this purpose.

Verse 19, "Consequently." As a consequence or result of what Christ did, as a consequence or result of the peace that Christ gave, Paul is now going to tell us who we are and what we are to do. He is going to show us our mission or purpose. First, who we are.

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens." You are no longer separate from Christ. You are no longer without the forgiveness of sins. You are no longer without a Savior or eternal life. You are no longer without purpose. "Consequently,…you are fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's family." Consequently, as a result of the peace that Christ gave and because he unites you with God and all believers, you are somebody. You are part of God's family.

What does it mean to you to be part of a family? Doesn't it mean that you are loved? You always know that someone loves you. In this case you always know that your God loves you. He has already proven that by sending his son. You already know that Jesus loves you; he has proven that by giving his life. And now you can know that the believers around you love you. Yes, I know that we do not always show that love. And we may not always love as we should. That's why God also gives us the authority to forgive one another and the power to keep on loving. That's the second part of belonging to a family: you are loved but you also have someone to love.

What makes you a part of this family? You are United by your faith in Jesus Christ. We are not united by common interests, or by marriage, or even by human blood. We are united solely by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the faith we have in what Jesus' blood did for us. You are not part of this family because you're a good person or because you did good things or even because you chose to believe in Christ. You are part of this family because Jesus preached his word to you and through it gave you faith.

Because faith comes from hearing the Word, we are also United by our confession of God's word. Paul calls the family of believers a holy temple in the Lord that is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone," (20). It is only through God's word that we learn of Jesus and find faith in him. Therefore, everything we are and do is built upon Jesus and his word. We confess all of God's word. It is all true and it is completely true. The Word makes us who we are, united with God and all believers by faith and confession. The Word also shows us what to do.

United by our faith in Jesus Christ and our confession of God's word [we] the members of Mount Olive Lutheran Church use the Gospel in Word and sacraments. Knowing that only the Word creates faith and unites us to God through Christ, we use only the word. What do we use it for? What is our purpose? Today I only want to mention one: to win the lost for Christ.

Paul, and now I, beg you to remember where we started. Remember who you once were: dead, without Christ, without life and without purpose. Right now the world is full of people in that same situation. What better purpose could you have for life than to tell them about the peace that Christ offers. Christ gave you peace, not so that you could keep it to yourselves, but so he could give peace through you. Look at our lessons for today. Jesus wanted his disciples to grow in faith and knowledge. Then he wanted to put them to use. Jesus took Amos, a man who took care of trees, and sent him to win the lost. Now Jesus wants you to grow so that you can win the lost for him.

Christ unites you by giving peace to you. Let Christ unite you to even more by giving peace through you.

I hope that our study today has helped you understand who you are and what you are to do. I hope that it has begun to give meaning and purpose to your life, but it is only a beginning. I pray that you will continue to study this section of God's word and many others. I pray that you will go home to read, learn, study, and memorize the new mission statement. And I pray that the mission statement will become a part of you and that you will become a part of it…all to the glory of God.