We are citizens united by the blood of Christ.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 12, August 20, 2023

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Ephesians 2:13-22  ¹³But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  ¹⁴For he himself is our peace.  He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them ¹⁵when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh.  He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace.  ¹⁶And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it.  ¹⁷He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  ¹⁹So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.  ²⁰You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone.  ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  ²²In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (EHV)

We are citizens united by the blood of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            There is no doubt that we live in a world divided.  We are divided by borders, nationality, tribe, religion, skin color, language, politics, immigration status, genetics, morality, economics, and countless other ways.  Indeed, the headlines of our times shout out warnings that this country we live in is so divided that we are on the verge of a new civil war. 

Now, I hope that is mostly hyperbole, but the truth is, we are as divided in our times as the Ephesians were when Paul wrote this letter.  The primary divisions Paul wrote about were between Jew and Gentile, between blood descendants of Abraham and those of other backgrounds who had become believers in Jesus.  However, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes that as Christians We are citizens united by the blood of Christ.

Now, as much as we are divided from one another and different groups against each other, the primary source of all the divisions is rooted in our separation from God.  That’s right, sin is the root cause of all the divisions and animosities.  Sin makes racism possible because it causes us to prefer those who look like ourselves and despise those we perceive as different from ourselves.  And, contrary to current popular opinion, racism isn’t limited to one particular race, color, or persuasion. 

Sinful pride makes one person look down on another.  Hatred makes people hurt or attack others for various reasons, also making revenge popular.  Sinful desire leads to grievous sins of adultery that hurt family and spouse and also theft and stealing that takes property from neighbors.  Greed makes the poor jealous of the rich and the rich prideful of their success.  Laws are enacted to try to protect people from each other, but law mostly leads us to desire something we maybe wouldn’t have thought of on our own.  Because the natural man is separated from God at birth, there is no real peace, no sure hope for the future, and joy is always temporary, especially among those who never come to know the true God.

The worst part of separation from God is that it leads to eternal condemnation, and this is true regardless of a person’s faith.  The defiant can claim there is no hell.  They can boast that they alone determine their fate, but the reality remains that we all will face judgment, and there is only one way of salvation, which is faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Redeemer of all.

In our text, Paul proclaims Good News as he writes, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace.  He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh.”  Previously, inherited sin kept all of us separated from our Creator.  Paul uses the separation between Jew and Gentile to illustrate his point.  The Jewish people had been set apart from other peoples until the Savior should come into the world.  This was God’s plan as He carried out salvation for all peoples.  Yet, the hostility between groups comes from the natural hostility mankind feels toward God.  It affects every part of our world.

On the other hand, Christ ended that separation from God by becoming our Redeemer.  Jesus didn’t come to eliminate the law but to fulfill it.  In fact, He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill them.  Amen I tell you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest letter, or even part of a letter, will in any way pass away from the Law until everything is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18)  Thus, Jesus lived His life on earth in fulfillment of the Ten Commandments which apply to all people of all time.  In addition, Jesus lived in full obedience to the civil law of His day, so that you and I and all people could be counted by His Father in heaven as though we had fully obeyed.

More though than even that, Jesus also fulfilled the ceremonial law that applied only to the nation of Israel until the Lamb of God was sacrificed for the sin of the world.  The ceremonial laws God set before Israel always pointed forward to Christ, and because Jesus lived in perfect agreement with all law and with His Father’s desire to save sinners, Jesus was made the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world.  Therefore, Jesus laid down His life in death on the cross so that all sin is paid for, and the devil can no longer accuse anyone before God.  By Jesus’ death and resurrection, Satan has been cast down from heaven, never to appear before God again with his accusations and lies.  Yet, our citizenship is in heaven, because We are citizens united by the blood of Christ.

With all law fulfilled for us, there is no longer anything to separate people from God except unbelief.  It is only a rejection of Jesus as Savior that condemns anyone.  For that reason, God has sent His Holy Spirit to continue the work of building His kingdom through the preaching of the Word and the application of the Sacraments as the Lord instituted them.

In this text, Paul uses several metaphors to describe this building up of God’s people.  “He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace.  And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it.”  Through faith in Christ, all believers are considered one body in Christ.  We may look different, be different in our backgrounds and physical appearances, have different talents, gifts, and responsibilities, but all who believe in Jesus are seen by God as one with Him.

Now, not all people come to believe in Jesus, but we are promised, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  In this letter Paul writes, “He also 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.  So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.”  Through the various messengers commissioned by the Holy Spirit, first the apostles and evangelists, and following them pastors and teachers, etc. Christ has gone out into the world by His holy Word to make believers who are counted worthy of salvation by the faith worked in them by the Holy Spirit. 

Notice then the second metaphor.  Not only are we counted as one body in Christ, but we are made fellow citizens in the kingdom of heaven, invited into access to God day and night.  The time draws ever closer to when Jesus’ words will be fulfilled, “You will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory.  At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.” (Mark 13:26-27)  From that time on, there will be no worrying about immigration or the differences of nations, because this world as we know it will pass away, but our home in heaven will be at peace—true peace with God and peace with each other—forever.  There in our heavenly home, we will be one body, one family, one kingdom, and one building in which the Lord our God dwells.

Another metaphor is introduced as Paul continued, “You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

What a joyful reunion this will be when the whole population of heaven is at peace.  In God’s heavenly home, there will be no divisions of race, no disharmony of various denominations, no language barrier, no sin, no death, no sorrow.  This is what it will be like when we no longer experience the effect of sin in our lives.  United with our God and our fellow believers, we will spend eternity in holiness, peace, and joy.  In our present condition, we can hardly imagine what that will be like.  Still, we have the promise that in Jesus, “There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28-29)  An heir receives a gift.  As heirs of the promise, we have been granted forgiveness of all sin, peace with God Almighty, eternal life, and a home in the peace of God’s glory forever.

Dear friends, all around us you will find people who have abandoned the Christian faith for one reason or another.  Sometimes, it is personal hurts that turn them off to God’s love.  Sometimes, it is the arrogance of the natural flesh.  Often, it is a foolish rejection of what the Lord offers.  To the Corinthian congregation Paul wrote, “Jews ask for signs, Greeks desire wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified—which is offensive to Jews and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)  We too preach Christ crucified for the sins of the world, and Christ Jesus raised to life again for our justification, not because we have been hoodwinked into believing myths or stories, but because we were rescued from the power of the devil and the certainty of eternal punishment by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel.  Thus, today we can boldly and confidently say, We are citizens of the kingdom of heaven united by the blood of Christ.  Amen.

How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, everyone who is walking in His ways.  Amen.