Ephesians 2:17-22

1. Title Layout

2. We are “IN”
EPHESIANS 2:17-22

3. Reconciliation to God’s Family…
•Late September evening, 1944, France
•Remember John 3:16 said, “For God so ;loved the
World…”– not just a few elite
•All people, saved and lost alike want to be
included in important things– God says “my
Door is open, Come on in…”even though most say
“no” without realizing it…
•Paul continues explaining the changes we will
experience because of the “wall” coming down
•All of them centered on one core truth:

4. “17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO
YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE
WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both
have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So
then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and
are of God’s household, 20 having been built

5. on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the
corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building,
being fitted together, is growing into a holy
temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are
being built together into a dwelling of God in
the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:17-22,NASB

6. Peace among us, peace with God
•Vv 17, as reconciliation with
God transforms lives,
reconciliation with others can
mend broken relationships
•Years, decades, even centuries
of bitter conflict can be
resolved
•Whether friends, families,
nations—Paul is affirming that
rec. is already done, through
the Cross…

7. 4 things of note on “Peace with God”
1. One access to God, V18
•We lose the significance in U.S. (Bible)
•But ONLY the Jews had access to God thru their
High Priest 1x a year (Day of Atonement)
•Greek word for access is ‘prosagoge’
•It means, “the act of bringing to, a moving to” in
relationship with God whereby we are
acceptable to Him and have assurance that He
is favorably disposed towards us

8. 4 things of note on “Peace with God”
1. One access to God, V18
• It’s like Jesus is introducing us to
Father God for the first time
• Here believers have access to God
the Father through the Holy Spirit
because of Christ ’s death on the
cross
• What dies this mean in the 21st
Century? We have complete,
unhindered access to boldly go
before the Throne of God!

9. 2.) One Citizenship, V19-a
•We have several new citizens in
our church family
•Paul is saying that gentiles now
have the exact same rights to God
as any of the other faithful throughout history;
Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, David…
•Rome was a brute force imposed on all
peoples, free & slave alike, but not THIS one

10. 2.) One Citizenship…
•Paul could see that Christ’s new
kingdom would transcend all
boundaries and ethnicities
•A kingdom that can NEVER be
destroyed
•Sin has divided mankind, but
Christ unites by His Spirit

11. “…For our citizenship is in heaven, from which
we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly
body that it may be conformed to His glorious
body , according to the working by which He is
able even to subdue all things to Himself ...”
Philippians 3:20-21, NASB

12. 3.) One Family, V 19-b
•Old school Korean culture allowed more than
one wife to a man, but his children from other
mothers were treated as 2nd rate
•Not in God’s family– family name,
past religion, skin color–no matter
•This family is found in two places:
on Earth, and in Heaven!

13. 4.) One Faith, Vv 20-22
•This “building” has several
special features
•The foundation; from the
Apostles and Prophets
•OT and NT teachings, must line
up with the “cornerstone”

14. “… I will praise You, For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation. 22 The stone
which the builders rejected Has become
the chief cornerstone...”
Psalm 118:21-22, NASB

15. 4.) One Faith, Vv 20-22
•This “building” has several special
features
• The foundation; from the Apostles
and Prophets
• OT and NT teachings, must line up
with the “cornerstone”
•The Cornerstone must be laid
perfectly so the rest of the building
will line up perfectly
•Church’s foundation had to be aligned
with Christ, so must all afterward (us)

16. What does this mean to us?
•What does one access, citizenship, family,
and faith in Christ mean to us now?
•We won’t always agree with each other
•Don’t confuse Unity with Uniformity
•We must fellowship with differing believers
regardless of our different opinions and realize;
•We have a greater unity with them than we might
have with any other group; ethnically, politically,
or even class or gender

17. Take Home…
•Our duty is to live in harmony
with these brothers and sisters
in Christ, and to let the world
know that we are members of
one spiritual family .
•This will be a huge portion of
our witness of our Lord Jesus Christ!