CHURCH
LUTHERAN
Our Savior's of Elderon
Ephesians 2:13-22 INI Easter 6
Do you have a favorite spot in church where you like to sit? Most of you do sit in pretty much the same place each week. Whether or not you have a favorite place in church, whether or not you sit in the same pew each week, you do have a place in the church.
However, your place in the church is not a certain section or pew. Nor is this building the church, even though we call it the church.
When God’s Word uses the word church it always refers to people, not buildings. Our text for today tells us that by the reconciling grace of God in Christ Jesus, we belong to the church along with other believers. We are part of a group of people who believe in Christ as their Savior.
And, not only that, but we are continually being built up together as God’s church, as we cling to the foundation which is his Word. So, with those thoughts in mind, I would like you to focus on
YOUR PLACE IN THE CHURCH
To begin with let’s remember that it’s only by God’s grace that you are part of the church and have a place in it (1). You and I belong to the church, this group of believers and are being built up in it, only because of what our gracious God has done and is still doing in our lives.
Now this building we are in is made up of wood, cement and other materials. When this building was constructed no doubt the materials were ordered from a lumber company and then delivered to this spot. The building was probably constructed by a contractor and his crew.
But that’s not how God goes about building his church. God’s church is not a building made of wood, cement or stone. Even though we call this building a church or the house of God, the Bible never uses the word church in that sense.
Whenever we read about the church in the Bible, the word always refers to God’s people. It could refer to all believers everywhere, on earth and in heaven. That’s what we call the Holy Christian Church or the Communion of Saints.
On the other hand, the Bible also speaks of the church as a congregation, a group of believers in one place. An example would be the church at Ephesus or the church in Corinth. So you see, the church is made up of people who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
A contractor may select a certain grade of brick, wood or stone when putting up a building. But that’s not how God operates. He didn’t choose to bring us to faith because we possess some special qualities. He didn’t select us because of our superior knowledge or ancestry or race or any other factor that we might take credit for. Actually, the opposite is true. Like the Christians in Ephesus to whom Paul addresses this letter, we are foreigners and aliens.
Have you ever had it happen where during the summer you stop at a park and you see a large gathering of people. Maybe it’s a family reunion or maybe a party of some type. They have the picnic tables all pushed together. They’re having a nice meal. Everyone is talking and laughing. Some are playing games. But you’re all alone and so you kind of wish you could share in the fun, food and fellowship. But, you’re not part of the group.
Rejoice my friends, because in Jesus Christ you have been chosen by God to be a part of his family, the church. Through his grace offered through the blood of Jesus you’re not an outsider, unwanted, unloved, and having no part in his blessings. Instead, you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.
By the grace of God and by God’s grace alone you and I are part of God’s church. Our place in his church is a result of his great love for us in Jesus Christ. That love has broken down the barrier of sin that separated us from God. That love has overcome the hostility that tries to separate us from each other. That’s why Paul writes; 14 For he himself is our peace.
Diplomats try to work out agreements when there is conflict between nations. When that happens we pray they succeed. After all, we want peace not war. But that doesn’t always happen as we can see with all the fighting and bloodshed going on in various parts of the world.
But our peace with God, our place in his church, came through Jesus. He is our peace. He not only negotiates peace, but he is the very bases for our peace. By his perfect, sinless life in our place, by his suffering and death in our place, he has reconciled us to God. That is, he has brought us back into a right relationship with God, a father – child relationship.
And the forgiveness he provides for us through his love gives you and I the power to forgive and accept each other. It enables us to take our place together, as his people, part of his family, his church united with others.
When we say that by God’s grace we have a place in his church, we also need to realize we don’t have a place in the church by ourselves. Faith in Jesus gives us a place in his church and unites us with other believers (2). After all, there is only one Holy Christian church. There is only one fellowship or house of God.
Later in his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes; “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.” (4:40) The Holy Christian Church certainly includes believers from many different denominations. But yet, the church is still one church, built on one foundation. That foundation is the inspired Word of God. This is a very secure foundation. Paul calls it; “…the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” (2:20)
This building in which we worship has a firm foundation that extends into the ground so it can bear the weight of the building. But the true foundation on which the living church, God’s people stand, is the foundation of his Word.
Unlike footings of cement, the foundation of the church is not cold, hard and lifeless. It is alive and dynamic. It is true and unchanging. It is the living Word of God. It is centered in the person and work of him who loved us and gave himself for us. It is centered in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As a true believer in Christ it’s important you don’t isolate yourself from God’s Word and the fellowship of other believers. Some years ago I saw a picture of a house torn from its foundation and sitting on a railroad track; the victim of a hurricane. The house was still standing except for its strange location. People probably could have even continued to live in it for a while. But I certainly wouldn’t want to be there in the middle of the night when a train came roaring through.
Yet, that’s the position many people have chosen for themselves. For one reason or another they don’t want to be bound to God’s Word. They either never join a church or if they do join they cut themselves off from hearing God’s Word and the fellowship of believers. They’re content to sit in the dark, never dreaming of the tragedy that will come to all who do not build on the true foundation.
We need to be concerned about such people. After all, part of being a member of the Holy Christian church and a local assembly of believers is to be concerned about others who presently have no place or are in danger of losing their place in the church.
As I said before, God’s church isn’t made up of wood and stone. Instead it’s made up of believers, living stones. However, living stones can become loose just like stones and bricks. Under the attack of rain and snow and the expansion from cold and ice, mortar can crumble, wood can rote, and part of the structure becomes weak. That’s why we need to be concerned about keeping the church, the assembly of believers, strong and working together with others. Working to help keep each member, each living stone, securely in place.
But that’s not all. As we think about our place in the church it’s important to realize that God works through his Word to use us, as living stones in the ongoing construction of his church. Paul writes; “you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
You see, this church of God, the temple of believers is always under construction. It has to be that way because we are always in the process of growing in our faith and to be more and more like Christ. This all happens by the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word.
Even though we are called saints of God we are still all sinners who need to repent of our sins every day. We are sinners who need to seek the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit every day of our lives so we can put off our old sinful nature and put on the new life we have in our Lord.
And as it is for each of us individually, so this is true for the church as a whole. God is not done building, shaping and edifying his church yet. The Holy Spirit is still working to make each of us and all believers into a holy temple.
To be holy means to be set apart, dedicated to God. You know, it’s sad to see old church buildings no longer in use, abandoned. Yet, those are only buildings. The real tragedy is when people lose their faith, their love for God grows cold and they are no longer part of the church, God’s holy temple.
James Smart, a Christian educator writes; “One of the most acute problems of our American Christianity is that high percentages of those who call themselves Christians are members of an audience, but not disciples, not students of the faith in training for some kind of definite service.” Richard Feucht, a Lutheran education executive says; “The key to parish renewal is not having a Bible as a possession or the proper formulation of doctrine or a smooth-running organization, but people speaking, discussing, living that Word of God in their lives.”
If our place in the church is going to be useful, if you and I are going to be living stones used by God to build his temple, then we need to be serious about studying his Word.
He speaks to us through that word. It is through his Word we come to know more and more how to share our faith and to live as his holy temple. You and I are part of his holy temple. As believers in Christ we are set apart, consecrated to his glory, living to glorify him.
That’s your place in the church, the assembly of believers. It’s being a member of God’s family relating to other members, continually growing in God’s Word and reaching out to your brothers and sisters with that Word of God. It’s being a family of people serving God, built on the foundation of his Word. Amen.
Our Savior's of Elderon © | Privacy Policy