Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome; Kyle—one of the pastors; we’ve spent the last six weeks thinking about how the Gospel brings us together and keeps us together.

And of course, concluding the series doesnt mean concluding the conversation and the journey we’re on regarding this issue of racial unity.

We’re going to be having ongoing discussions about this as a church.

And so as we finish up the series, I think it is appropriate to reflect on the book of Ephesians.

Because of all the books in the New Testament, the book of Ephesians gives us the clearest and most explicit theology of the church.

It is the Apostle Paul’s quintessential document, summarising his ministry as an Apostle.

Unlike his other letters, Ephesians was not written to address any specific problem.

Rather, Ephesians is a circular letter (meant to be circulated amongst the churches; perhaps it got the name Ephesians because Ephesus was such a major city [the “mother city” of Asia Minor]) and so functions as a manifesto for the church; Ephesians is a church manifesto.

If you want to understand the essence and function of the church, then read Ephesians.

So the big idea that I want to talk about this morning from is: Spiritually United Multi-Ethnic Community.

When Paul talks about the church in Ephesians, he is thinking about God’s new community; his spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

In , Paul gives his audience a picture of this community, and he also prays for power for this community.

And those are the two headings we have for this morning: the picture of spiritually united multi-ethnic community, and the power for spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

It’s appropriate to be closing the Embrace Series by reflecting on the book of Ephesians.

Of all the books in the New Testament, the book of Ephesians gives us the clearest and most explicit theology of the church.

It is the Apostle Paul’s quintessential document, summarising his ministry as an Apostle to the Gentiles.

Unlike his other letters, Ephesians was not written to address any specific problem.

Rather, Ephesians is a circular letter (meant to be circulated amongst the churches) and so functions as a manifesto for the church; Ephesians is a church manifesto.

If you want to understand the essence and function of the church, then read Ephesians.

And the big idea that I want to talk about this morning from is: Spiritually United Multi-Ethnic Community.

When Paul talks about the church in Ephesians, he is thinking about God’s new spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

In , Paul gives his readers a picture of this community, and he also prays for power for this community.

And those are the two headings we have for this morning: the picture of spiritually united multi-ethnic community, and the power for spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

Interestingly enough, the ancient city of Ephesus was called “the mother city” because of its population size and powerful economy.

And writing to those in the mother city, Paul teaches them about the spiritually united multi-ethnic community that God had created.

But more than giving them the vision, he also tells them what they need to achieve that vision, and nowhere in the letter do we see that coming together more clearly than in chapter 3.

The Picture of Multi-Ethnic Community

A ‘multi-ethnic’ mystery revealed

Several times in the first few verses, Paul talks about a ‘revealed mystery’ (see verses 3-5).

He says that this mystery had been hidden and is only now being revealed.

I used to think I knew what Paul meant and I always thought he was exaggerating a bit because salvation to the Gentiles wasn’t really a new idea.

You see, it’s very clear in the Old Testament that Gentiles could be saved and drawn into the people of God.

Salvation blessings for all the nations had been announced to Abraham, foretold by the prophets, etc.

So God’s plan to save all nations wasn't a mystery—so why was Paul saying that all of a sudden this mystery had been freshly revealed?

Well, notice the word “administration” (verse 2, 9).

Here’s what I think Paul means: it wasn’t a mystery that salvation would become available to the Gentiles.

But what was a mystery was HOW God was going to do that.

How would God administrate that plan?

What was God’s strategy in accomplishing that?

In other words, it wasn't the ‘what’ but the ‘how’—how will God do this?

Because i f you had to ask a first century Jew, how will God’s saving grace reach the gentiles?

The answer you would have recieved was simple: through submission to the law of Moses.

Gentiles could be circumcised and join the religious disciples of Israel.

Gentiles could be saved at any time—through submission to the law and embracing Jewish customs.

Let me put it this way: God’s salvation was administrated through the law.

So can you see how scandalous it is when Paul comes along and says: no! God’s salvation isn't administrated through the law.

The Gentiles don’t get saved through the law, they get saved through the Gospel (read verse 6).

Now, let’s pause for a second.

If you had to ask a first century Jew, how will God’s saving grace reach the gentiles?

The answer you would have recieved was simple: through submission the law of Moses.

Gentiles could be circumcised and join the religious disciples of Israel.

Gentiles could be saved at any time—through submission to the law and embracing Jewish customs.

Let me put it this way: God’s salvation was administrated through the law.

So can you see how scandalous it is when Paul comes along and says: no! God’s salvation isn't administrated through the law.

The Gentiles don’t get saved through the law, they get saved through the Gospel (read verse 6).

And the answer, of course, is (verse 6) through the Gospel.

The revealed mystery is that it is through the gospel (and not through not the law) that the Gentiles are brought in.

Paul says that gentiles (as well as Jews) can be saved without obeying the law!

Salvation is available to anyone, and obedience to the law is not required.

Embracing Jewish customs is not required.

Observing religious rituals is not required.

The only requirement is faith in Jesus, because it is “through the Gospel” and not the law that anyone can be included in God’s saved people.

In other words, the Gentiles didn't need to become Jewish.

They didn't need to change their culture when they entered the household of God.

The nations come into God’s family, from a cultural perspective, as they are.

To use language from Ryan’s sermon last week: salvation is available, and no cultural assimilation is required.

When you come to God, you don’t need to change your culture.

You don't need to change your accent.

You don't need to assimilate to anything.

We enter the family of God through the Gospel, which means that the family of God is not ‘mono-ethnic’ but multi-ethnic.

The mystery was that, through the Gospel, God’s people could become a spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

This is one of the reasons why Christianity is a multi-ethnic faith.

The other major religions of the world do require a level of cultural assimilation.

But Christianity has one requirement: faith in Jesus.

Because this is the only basis for acceptance, someone can place their faith in Jesus and still hold onto a distinct cultural identity.

In other words, God has intentionally created his new community to be multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

Christianity is a multi-ethnic faith.

The other major religions of the world do require a level of cultural assimilation.

But Christianity has one requirement: faith in Jesus.

Because this is the only basis for acceptance, someone can place their faith in Jesus and still hold onto a distinct cultural identity.

In other words, God has intentionally created his new community to be multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

the mystery is that, through the Lord Jesus, we can become a spiritually united multi-ethnic community.

So the Gentiles come in through the Gospel, but more than that, the Gentiles are not simply brought in without needing to change their culture, they are brought in at a fundamentally equal level, verse 6: heirs together, members together, sharers together.

Paul here highlights three massive unifying realities that characterise God’s multi-ethnic community.

Firstly, Paul says (verse 6) the Gentiles are “heirs together” which means that God’s people (as one new community) share the same inheritance.

What does it mean if you share an inheritance with someone?

It means that you are family.

In other words, Christians don’t just join Old Israel, but we have been formed (along with believing Jews) into one new people of God, into one new community, into one new spiritual family, with the same heavenly Ftaher.

And together, we will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

We are heirs together.

Right at the beginning of the series, Stephen mentioned this: all Christians are spiritual family and will spend eternity together.

Now, we may be more or less good at expressing that unity in our relationships, but the spiritual reality is that we’re family.

And that doesn’t just have implications for now, it has implications for eternity.

Because we have the same inheritance; we are heirs together.

And so, of course, we should seek to live in a way now that reflects this reality.

Let me suggest one possible application (of course there are many): if you read some of the literature regarding restitution, one idea that gets suggested is that those who have benefitted from the unjust practices of the past share some of their inheritance with those who have been disadvantaged from the unjust practices of the past.

Now that is a very difficult thing for most people to think about doing, and probably most people will dismiss the idea.

But one of the wonderful resources we have as Christians, that enables us to think and live differently, is our belief regarding our inheritance.

One day, we will all equally inherit the Kingdom of God.

And if I really believe that, if I really believe that I am going to share a spiritual inheritance with my brothers and sisters, then it makes the idea of sharing my earthly inheritance far more plausible.