He Himself Is Our Peace

In one paragraph

The pastor preached through Ephesians 2:11-22, finishing a passage he had cut short the week before. He traced three connected ideas: what it meant to be far from God before Christ, what it means to have peace with God and with other people now, and what it means for the people of God to be the actual dwelling place of God together. Paul opens this section with the only imperative he uses in the...

Read together

1. Ephesians 2:11-16 covered the previous week, recapped at the start of this sermon
2. Ephesians 2:11-22 the main passage for this sermon, read and worked through in three sections
3. Micah 5:1-5 quoted as the Old Testament source for 'he shall be their peace', applied to the Messiah
4. 1 Corinthians 1:18 cited to contrast how the message of the cross appears foolishness to those perishing but is the power of God to those being saved
5. Romans 1:16 referenced as saying the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe
6. John 1 first disciples called, noted as coming from a Jewish background
7. John 2 wedding at Cana, first disciples believed because of the miracle
8. John 3 Nicodemus comes at night, called a teacher of Israel
9. John 4 Samaritan woman at the well described as far off, Jesus notes Samaritans worship what they do not know
10. John 5 paralytic by the pool, described as probably near
11. John 6 feeding of the five thousand, crowd described as both near and far

Talk about it

1. The pastor mentioned that the only imperative in the first three chapters of Ephesians is the word 'remember,' used twice. What do you think Paul wanted believers to actually feel when they remembered life before Christ, and why would that matter for how we treat people who don't yet know God?
2. The pastor said that if you want to maintain racism, 'there is no place in the New Testament for you to hide.' Where do you feel the most resistance, personally, to the kind of unity across cultures and backgrounds that Paul is describing in this passage?
3. The sermon walked through John's Gospel showing Jesus preaching peace to those who were 'near' and those who were 'far off.' Who in your own life would you put in each of those categories, and how does that shape how you approach them?
4. The pastor used the image of Ray Richards cutting tiles to fit during the kitchen remodel as a picture of God joining believers together. What has it looked like in your own experience when God has done that kind of fitting and shaping work in a community of Christians?
5. The sermon closed with the question of whether you would rather God work through your obedience or in spite of your disobedience. How does really believing that you were 'dead in sins and trespasses' change the way you answer that question?