Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Ephesians 2:17-22
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  October 27th, 2019

Welcome Home! That’s the focus today and for the next three weeks here at Eastside. The idea is that we would all come to understand that the church is our home: Jesus defines us as his family and he joins us together purposefully. But before we dig into that in Ephesians 2, there is one obstacle we need to get past.

The obstacle is, that for some of us, the idea of church and idea of home are separated by a rift of frustrating experiences. Maybe you’ve been part of a church that has split. Maybe you were part of congregations that have been judgmental and leadership that has been harsh. Maybe you have been in churches that ran away from God’s Word. Maybe you went to a church where you were never really accepted. Maybe you’ve even have some negative associations here at Eastside. How can we call a church “home” after these experiences? But really, when you think about it, in its imperfection, a church is very much like a home. Because what home is ever without its frustrations? What marriage is without struggles? What siblings have ever lived together without fighting? What family doesn’t have problems? On this side of heaven there is no perfect home and there is no perfect church.

Charles Spurgeon, a famous preacher from the 19th Century, once wrote about finding the perfect church: “If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I would have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it.” We are all imperfect people, so it should come as no surprise if you have been disappointed in a church. There are only sinners involved at a church. So today I’m not going to set up Eastside as a place that’s not going to disappoint you. In fact, we probably will, and if we haven’t yet, just give us a bit more time. (I still have about 15 minutes of preaching here!) I’m being completely honest, because if this place is a home, then it needs to be a place where we can be honest. Jesus called the weary and the burdened, not the pristine and the polite. Jesus said it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. The church is not a country club for saints, but a place where honest people come to meet Jesus. We aren’t a perfect church, but we can still be a family. Afterall, we worship a Savior who has power to forgive and he is the one who makes this place a home. 

That’s what we find in Ephesians 2. Paul writes, “He [Jesus] also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.” Here’s what we see in this text: Jesus is creating something from nothing. Just like at Creation, when God speaks reality results. Jesus has created a people for himself, whom he declares members of God’s household! Do you see that? Not foreigners or strangers, but family. 

Paul said that Jesus called those who were far away and those who were near. Now in this letter he is addressing Jews and Gentiles, those who have always known God and those who never were part of a church. And, in that sense, we have some who came from near and far right here! We have some who would say “I grew up going to church my whole life. I was baptized as a child and I’ve never not known Jesus. However, I have struggled to believe many times, and thankfully Jesus has kept me in his family. He rescued me even though I was so near to him.” And then we have others who would say, “If you would have told me that I’d be part of a Bible-based church 10 years ago, I would have laughed at you! I had no idea who God really was and had no interest in the Word. I was running in the opposite direction, but somehow Jesus called me even when I was far away.” This is what God has done from near and far. He has created a people who may be very different from each other, but nonetheless are family, fellow members of God’s household. That’s the most important truth you can take away today. Jesus defines us as family; he gave his life; he was cursed by his Father, he exchanged his status as the Son of God for our sinful rags. Jesus forgives us and welcomes us as fellow brothers and sisters into God’s household. Jesus makes us his family!

It’s one thing to say that, but it’s quite another to really take it to heart. Because, if you’re anything like me, sometimes being called Jesus’ brother or a child of God seems like a stretch. I know my own failures and shortcomings better than anyone. And it is easy to focus on those things to the exclusion of God’s grace. Is that familiar to any of you? One of the worst things we can do as Christians is define ourselves or each other by our sin. Yes, it’s important to acknowledge sin, confess it, and repent of it. But remember, that’s not how God defines you! He placed your sins on Jesus and calls you his dearly loved child! He calls us saints, holy ones. We are his family now, even if we don’t always feel like it.

God chooses to define us based on his love for us in Jesus. And how often don’t we see this same emphasis in Scripture? Noah once drank so much he passed out, yet God doesn’t call him a drunk, rather in Hebrews he highlights how Noah became an heir of righteousness in keeping with faith (Heb 11:7). Sarah laughed and lied about it when the Angel of the Lord told her she would conceive a child in her old age. God’s emphasis? “By faith Sarah was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (see Heb 11:11). Or how about Job, who called God unjust and cursed the day he was born? Yet how does God’s Word describe him? “You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5:11) That’s how God remembers him. Rahab was a prostitute, a liar, and her people would have called her a traitor. Yet God commends her as a woman of faith who welcomed the Israelite spies (Hebrews 11:31). She is explicitly commended for protecting two men, not condemned for sleeping with hundreds.

Let us highlight God’s definition of ourselves and each other in Christ. Sin can tell us what we’ve done, but it cannot tell us who we are. No matter what you have done, you are still a dearly-loved child of God. No matter what hurts may exist between you and another Christian, they are still your family. So instead of cynicism and resentment, which only hurts yourself, take God’s perspective. Within his family he doesn’t focus on our worst or pettiest sins. He sees Christ in us. He sees the good works his Spirit has accomplished in our life, the glory of his grace active within us. He sees his children. We should view ourselves with the same grace. We should view every person here today as a child of God and a fellow member of his household.

So then, if we are family, this church must be a home, right? In fact, that would be true even if we didn’t have this building, because God’s church is always talking about people, not a building. We could all walk over to McDonalds or the Crown Plaza and we would still be a church. We could meet anywhere because a church, as defined in the Bible, is never a building made of brick and mortar, but a building made of human souls. Listen to how Paul describes it: “You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. First he says that we are built. Our souls, like spiritual building blocks, are being constructed upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, in other words, the Bible. At this church, and any church worth its salt, you aren’t going to be merely entertained, you’re going to be built up on Scriptural truth, centered on Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone. That’s what you build a real church on! In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. My friends, Jesus has joined us together. We aren’t here accidentally! Jesus placed our souls next to each other in the blueprint! The Church is a home because Jesus not only defines us as family, but he joins us together purposefully.

This should really be self-evident whenever we gather together, but I think it’s often lost in an individualistic society. One of the primary ways I see this break down is when people approach church membership as this sort of extra or non-essential thing. They say, “Well, I believe Jesus, but that doesn’t mean I need a church…What God wants of me is simply to love him.” That might sound reasonable at first…until you read the Bible. God has called us to not only love him but to love “one another.” In fact, we show our love for him by how we love one another. Repeatedly in the Bible we find these “One another” commands. “One another” is two words in English, but it’s only one word in Greek: ἀλλήλων. Did you know that there are 100 of those in the New Testament? “Love one another, teach one another, admonish one another, encourage one another, etc.” The vast majority of those are written for people who are joined together in a church, in a Christian community with one another.

We need a Christian community. We need a church family—it is part of God’s desire and design for every Christian. He doesn’t want you to believe in him all on your own. And why would you want to? You’d miss out on so much. There’s a beautiful thing about having brothers and sisters in a church. I think of some of the incredible relationships and lifelong friendships that have come from this church family. I think of the encouragement we bring each other every Sunday just from a handshake and smile. I think of members who drop off food when others get sick. I think of hospital visits. I think of embraces after funerals. I think of long phone calls. I think of the thousands of hours of prayer made for one another before this altar and in private! I think of opportunities to serve together and the joy found in laboring as one for the Lord. I think of countless blessings that you can’t get that by yourself! And I’m sure I’ve forgotten even more. We all need our Christian family and our family needs us! The challenge for many of you may be allowing yourself to open up, especially if you are introverted. But it will be worth it. Jesus wants you in a Christian family. Maybe you would enjoy volunteering for an event, maybe you’ll find the courage to join a Bible study or a Small Group when they start, or maybe you’re simply willing to talk to someone new after a church service. Whatever it is, be bold and connect with a brother or sister in Christ.

That’s what today is all about. Whether you’re a first-time visitor, a life-long member, or anywhere in between,  we want to welcome you as a fellow blood-bought child of God. We want you to know that you are part of our family. We want to stand together with you upon the Cornerstone of Jesus Christ and be built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. We cherish the opportunity to say “Welcome Home!”

Amen.