Join Dr. John Kyle as he delves into the profound truths of Ephesians, laying out the transformative work that Christ accomplishes in believers. This episode explores how once-estranged individuals become citizens of heaven and members of God’s family, illustrating the profound shift from alienation to acceptance. Discover the deep spiritual implications of this transition and what it means to live as a saint in God’s kingdom.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we’re called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know truth when we know the Word of God, which is precise, without error, and powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Enjoy digging deeply with Dr. Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the powerful book of Ephesians, giving us a marvelous summary of the good news of Christ and its implications for our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please bring your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 19 through 22. Ephesians 2, 19-22. The letter of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians living in the city of Ephesus. Paul wrote this while he was under house arrest in Rome in about AD 62, and he wrote it to lay a proper doctrinal foundation for these believers so they could then live out those doctrines for the glory of God. We’re now in the middle of our doctrinal section that’s found in chapters 1-3. Chapter 1 began by showing us the many incredible reasons that we should passionately praise our amazing God, and then it ended with a wonderful prayer, a prayer that we today should be praying for ourselves and for each other as we earnestly pursue those things that we are praying for. Chapter 2 began by telling us what we all were before God rescued us by His amazing grace, and what was that? We were spiritually dead, right? Spiritually dead. But the good news is very good. God is rich in mercy and He’s great in love. And because of His amazing grace, He raised us up from the dead and He gave us life, life, eternal life. The call now is God’s workmanship, literally His poem, His masterpiece, is to earnestly pursue good works that honor Him, good works that glorify His name. Paul then told the Ephesians to remember what they once were before Christ rescued them. Why? Because remembering the bad exalts the good and ignites our love for Him all the more. So, the bad is really bad, but the good is oh so very good. And as we saw last week, how Christ brings all who believe, Jew and Gentile, near to Him and gives us true peace and makes us one with Him and with one another and gives us access to the Father and saves our lost, undeserving souls and rescues us from wrath. All that’s incredible because of who He is and what He did on the cross for all who believe. Think about that. Look at what He’s done. Now what? Okay, verse 19. Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Now here in this passage, we can note four facts that should greatly encourage all of us in Christ. First, we are no longer strangers and foreigners. Okay, you say, what do you mean, Paul? What do you mean? Doesn’t the Bible teach us in numerous places that we are all indeed strangers and foreigners, pilgrims and aliens here on planet Earth? And yet here you’re saying that we are no longer strangers and foreigners. Isn’t that a contradiction? What’s the answer? No, it’s not, because Christ changes everything. Now, before we were saved, we were strangers and foreigners to God. And we were very much at home in this sinful place. But now that we’ve been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, look, we are strangers and foreigners on the earth. And this sinful place is no longer our true home. And again, Christ is the one who changes everything. Paul’s made that very clear up to this point, that while we were spiritually dead to God, and while we belonged to the devil before we were saved, and while we were without hope, and while we were children of wrath, look, God gave us life. He rescued us. He redeemed us. He brought us near to God and gave us access to the Father, and He gave us heaven. Because of what He did on the cross for all who believe on Him in repentant faith. And so because of Christ, here, we are no longer strangers and foreigners to God. That’s what it means. The word therefore is a term of conclusion. Paul’s saying that in light of everything that he’s just said, which we looked at last week, in light of the fact that all hostility and enmity has been eradicated, yes, between believing Jew and believing Gentile, but even more, between both groups and God, in light of all that… Paul now again reminds these believing Gentiles in Ephesus of what they were and of what they now have become in Christ. And Paul’s really hitting this hard, isn’t he? I mean, he’s said this before. This is what you were without Christ. This is what you now are in Christ. He’s done this a number of times already. Why? Because we’re hard-hearted. We’re prone to forget things. Right? I mean, he says this so that we don’t forget because we’re prone to forget. He says this so we don’t get sidetracked from that which truly matters because we easily get sidetracked. He says this so we always keep Christ at the front and center of our minds and at the front and center of our hearts because it’s easy not to do that. It’s easy to get sidetracked. Anybody? Sin, trials, worries and fears, ease. It’s easy to become sidetracked, but not if we continually are being reminded of what amazing things Christ has done for undeserving sinners like us. See? So now, because of Christ… And because He, God the Son, Christ, left heaven, came here, took on human flesh, 100% God and 100% man at the same time, lived a perfect life, died on the cross in the believer’s place, taking their sin, our sin, upon Himself and paying the full wages of all that sin in our place as believers on the cross, died a brutal death on that cross so that we who believe wouldn’t have to pay the wages of sin in hell forever, and then rose up from the dead three days later because He did all that for us, And because we have surrendered to Him in true saving, repentant faith, look, we who were once strangers and foreigners to God, good news, we are no longer strangers and foreigners to God. That’s the best news there is. And so all the bad things that were true of the Ephesian Christians and us in chapter 2, about them previously being strangers to the covenants of promise and completely alienated from God and from God’s people as wicked Gentiles, look, those things are all now turned upside down all because of Christ. And note that the word no longer indicates a complete change, a permanent change. The word stranger describes a person who isn’t a member of a state or a city. It describes someone who’s without the full rights and privileges of citizenship. Here we find that all of those without Christ are strangers to the kingdom of God. It means that the heavenly country isn’t for them. It means that they have no share in that. They have no access to that. And that’s a very big deal because, mark my words, you definitely want to be a part of the heavenly country. Hebrews 13, 14 says that here we in Christ have no continuing city, but look, we seek the one to come. Yes, we do. In Hebrews 11, 10, the writer says that Abraham waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, same city. The writer then went on to tell of how the faithful of the Old Testament sought a homeland and how they desired a heavenly country that is a better country and how God has prepared a city for them. Again, talking about the same city. In Hebrews chapter 12, the writer mentioned Zion as a city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, same city. Talking about heaven, the dwelling of God and his people. The good news, those of us in Christ are no longer strangers and foreigners to that place. That’s the best news. That’s a truly wonderful thing because 1 Peter 1.4 tells us that what lies ahead for us in Christ, this heavenly city, look, it will be incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading. Unfading means that it will never dry up, it will never wither out, that it will never lose its pristine quality or character. That means that we definitely will not get bored in heaven, that we won’t get too used to it, that we won’t get too accustomed to it, that it will always awe us and wow us for all eternity. The heavenly city, see, is time-proof. It can’t wear out, and it will not disappoint us in any way. And even after you’ve been there for a million years, it’ll be like the first day that you arrived. And look, best of all, God himself will dwell among us. Now think about that. Our amazing God. Our beloved God. Our God who is a source of everything that is good. Our God who has showered us with undeserved love and grace. He will be there. And look, there will be no need of sun or moon because the glory of God will illuminate all the time. The heavenly city of God will be perfect because God will be in it. He will walk in it and talk in it and manifest Himself in every part of it. And all that’s good and beautiful and holy and peaceful and true and happy will be there because God will be there. And guess what? So will we as believers. Anybody excited? You better be. You should be. But look, strangers to God won’t be there. Good news, we are not strangers to God. We are His beloved children. saved by grace through faith because of him. And now we have the same full privileges as every other person in history who has ever believed. What a thought. Albert Barnes so wonderfully noted this. Now, because of Christ, the believing heathen, that’s us, as well as the believing Jew, He has the right of citizenship in the New Jerusalem. And one, as well as the other, is a member of the family of God. So no, you don’t want to be a stranger to that place. Because if you’re a stranger to that, to God and to that heavenly country, the heavenly city, then that means that you belong to the wicked one and that you have hell as your eternal residence. And you certainly don’t want that. You don’t want that. Well, Christ alone can rescue you from God’s wrath against your sin. And so the question is, won’t you surrender to Him in repentant faith and be saved from the wrath to come? See, Christ can do it. Christ can save you. He is worthy and He is able. And good news, all who truly surrender to Him in repentant faith will indeed be saved from hell and given heaven. They will no longer be strangers to God and they will no longer be strangers to the heavenly country. And that’s true good news. The word foreigners describes the same thing as the word strangers. Talking about someone who isn’t a true citizen. But again, good news, not anymore. Right? Not anymore for us in Christ. See, for these believing Gentiles in Ephesus, upon believing, these once interlopers became insiders. These aliens became heirs. And the lowest class became the first class. How good is that? And so now, second, look. We are citizens with the saints, and we are members of the household of God. What a change. We’re no longer strangers, and we’re no longer foreigners to God, but now we are citizens and members, all because of Christ. Citizens with, think about this, with the saints. Now, that’s pretty good. I mean, that’s incredible. See, at this time, citizenship was a huge source of pride for the people, and it was a highly personal thing. Why? Because one’s city provided one’s identity. As one noted, the city’s laws were a part of one’s being. Its customs a source of its pride. Its inhabitants were one’s lifelong friends. Try to picture it. Hey, hey, where are you from? Right? i’m from nazareth nazareth what a joke hickville nazareth podunk nazareth you’re from no good nazareth i mean come on everyone knows that nothing good comes out of nazareth or this hey where are you from where’s your citizenship i’m a citizen of rome oh god bro you must be pretty cool then yeah it was a big deal A very big deal for the people at this time. But here Paul tells these Christians in Ephesus that they were now citizens of heaven, of God’s city. And that truth has some serious ramifications for every one of us. See, by God’s grace, these believers had come to possess a citizenship that was far superior to any local citizenship and even to the coveted Roman citizenship. Understatement, being a citizen of heaven is far better. Anyone? Far better. And that is good to understand because when we do, then it’s going to affect how we live down here until we arrive there. Think about it. For every Christian, we are registered citizens of heaven. Our names are registered there. Our Father is there. Our Savior is there. Our true home is there. Our fellow saints are there. And our inheritance is there. Heaven is our true home. We’re no longer strangers and foreigners to God, but now we’re strangers and foreigners down here, aliens, sojourners, part-timers, and our lives should reflect that wonderful reality. I mean, why would we try to live like this earth is our real home? This is all fading. This is all going to burn up. This isn’t lasting. This could all be gone tomorrow. This all doesn’t really matter. Not really. The Bible clearly tells us that as citizens of heaven… We’re called to live worthy of the gospel of Christ. We’re called to reflect the transformation that’s been wrought in us by the gospel. We’re called to have our daily conduct as Christians reveal that we are strangers here on earth. We’re called to live like we truly are citizens of a better country that is a heavenly one. Hebrews 11, 16. Our citizenship is in heaven and our lives should reflect that awesome reality. And the question is, does it? When people look at you, do they see someone who reflects the character and qualities of Christ? Do they see someone who reflects the character and qualities of heaven? Or do they see someone who’s just like them? In your attitudes, in your language, in the things you love and the things that you hate, in the things that you value and the people that you hang out with and your behavior and your views on the things that truly matter and your use of time and your money and your talents and how you live out your day-by-day life. Look, citizens of heaven, Christians should live like citizens of heaven more and more. And they should be preoccupied with the things that please and glorify God and that reflect your true homeland. Is that true of you? Note how it says that we are citizens with the saints. That’s amazing. That’s amazing. Who are the saints? Every believer in history is a saint. Not in the sense of our own goodness, right? Don’t we know that? But in the sense that God has set every believer apart unto Himself and has declared us righteous in His sight. That’s incredible. Thus, every Christian is a saint in that sense. We are justified. We are cleansed of all our sin because of Christ. Our position is now in Christ and we have been brought near. See, we are His. So every true believer is in, every true believer goes to the heavenly city. Let me read a quote from last week just to make this clear. One said, In our world there are exclusive clubs with members dependent on who you know and how much money you have, but God has only one level of membership. Everyone who comes into the family of God comes in the same way because the ground is level at the foot of the cross. He only has one class. Everyone in God’s family has gold card standing. Everyone is born again. Everyone has full rights. Everyone’s at the head of the class. Everyone comes in at the best level possible, believing Jew and believing Gentile alike. And so we will be fellow citizens with the other saints of God throughout history. Think about that. Paul will be there. and Moses, and Joseph, and Daniel, and Rahab, and Mary, and Barnabas, and Nehemiah, and oh yeah, so will you as a true believer. So will you. It’s an amazing thought. Paul adds that we will be members of the household of God, the family of God. And as amazing and soul satisfying as our citizenship is, hey, being a part of the family of God represents a far deeper intimacy. We belong to God. We are His beloved children. He is our loving Father who cares intimately for us. Commentators describe Christians as a reconciled third race of humanity who have the same Father. So now there’s neither Jew nor Gentile, but now in Christ we’re just one big happy family, right? Emphasis on happy? But that’s true, and one notes, we are fellow citizens and fellow family members, equal in every spiritual way before God. If God accepts each one of us, how can we not accept each other? It’s a good point. Note that Paul uses this word for family to refer to actual family members in 1 Timothy 5.8, and that shows us how seriously God takes this. See, this isn’t an exaggeration. No, this is our reality. I am a part of God’s household. We, in Christ, are family members. Look, every earthly family is messed up. Anybody know that? Messed up. We’re all messed up because we’re all sinners. And some of you here right now have come out of some very hard and rough and sinful households. Some here have had terrible fathers, wicked fathers, careless and self-centered sinful fathers. But in Christ, God says, I’m your father now. And I’m good. Good. And I love you more than you could ever think or imagine. And I will never leave you nor forsake you. And I will never let you down. And I will only and always do what’s best for your eternal soul. You are mine. I chose you. Yes, you. I adopted you. I wanted you. And I made you my own. And I will keep you as mine forever. And while this new race is made up of a bunch of saved sinners, it won’t always be like that. And in glory, guess what? We’re all going to be made perfect. And we have oh so much to look forward to as citizens of heaven and as members of God’s household, as members of God’s family. You’re mine, he says. You belong to me. And he takes that very seriously. Note two things. First note that the apostles and prophets laid, or helped lay the foundation, verse 20. We know that the ultimate foundation is Christ, but the apostles and prophets are foundational to the church. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul spoke of himself as a wise master builder who laid a foundation, but then he went on to say, for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus. So again, the apostles and prophets weren’t the foundation of the church. Christ is, but they are indeed foundational, and they helped lay down the foundation of the church. So who are the apostles? The word apostle in the Greek literally means one sent forth, and it can generally refer to anyone who is sent forth for a task. However, this word specifically, as used here, is reserved for the twelve, with Matthias replacing Judas in Acts chapter 1, and then with Paul being added in later on. And it was these specifically called out men who were sent forth by Christ himself for the very special and unique ministry of laying down the foundation of the church. Biblically, these apostles were a unique group of men who had a very unique ministry during a very unique time in history. That means that there are no longer any more apostles today, not in the way that Paul uses this term. See again, this was a very exceptional time in history, the time after Christ died and the time before the Scriptures of the New Testament were completed. And in this special period of time, The apostles laid the doctrinal foundation of the church. They received direct revelation from God through the inspiration of the Spirit of God. They were the source of teaching of divine truth and they were able to confirm Their teaching is true by signs, wonders, and mighty deeds according to 2 Corinthians 12.12. And so again, it was all quite extraordinary. And so the apostles had a unique ministry of helping lay down the foundation of the church. And again, there are no more apostles today. Okay, what about the prophets? The word prophet literally means to tell beforehand. And it describes someone who speaks God’s message. Talking about someone who is specially endowed or enabled to receive and deliver direct revelation of the will of God. The Old Testament had many prophets and these prophets were called by God and God spoke to them and they proclaimed what God told them and sometimes that included things that were to come. But please note that Whenever they did that, their prophecies always came to pass because they were speaking the words that God gave them to speak. But while they sometimes foretold future events, the main part of their prophetic ministry was to preach God’s revealed word and to call the people to repentance. There were also New Testament prophets, and several of them are mentioned in the book of Acts as well as in 1 Corinthians and then here in Ephesians. I mean, think about it. The New Testament, which is fully sufficient, the Word of God is fully sufficient for everything that we need. The New Testament was still being written. So how was the young church going to hear from God? How were they going to know really what God wanted them to know and to do and what to believe and how to live and how to organize their church and so on? How? Prophets. People who spoke God’s revelation, people who spoke God’s word, along with the ministry of the apostles, who also functioned, among other things, as prophets. See, I believe that all the apostles were prophets, but not all the prophets were apostles. In other words, there were more prophets in the early church than apostles because more prophets were needed as the church was expanding and as the church was growing. Picture it like this. We today have all the revelation from God that we need in His written word, the Bible. All of it. We need nothing more. But in the early church, the prophets functioned as the Bibles for the people in a sense because they were uniquely able to speak God’s word to the people until the Bible was completed with the book of Revelation. So question, are there prophets today? Answer, no. No. No more prophets are needed today now that we have the full, complete, and fully sufficient revelation from God found in His written Word. But in the early church, before they had the completed revelation of God the Bible, the apostles and the New Testament prophets laid down the foundation of the church and we owe much to them.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thanks for joining us for today’s exposition from the book of Ephesians on expository truths with Dr. John Kyle. Continue on with us next week at this same time. And to find this sermon in its entirety as well as other sermons, visit vacavillefaith.org. Faith Community Church seeks to exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with a commitment to glorifying God through the pure, deep, and reaching message of the gospel through faithful exposition. Pastor John is the preaching pastor at Faith Community Church of Vacaville, a seminary professor, and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join Faith Community Church for worship Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m., located at 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A in Vacaville. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s vacavillefaith.org.
