Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Ephesians 2:11-22
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  July 22, 2018

As the United States rapidly continues to become more diverse, the conversation of race and religion becomes more and more important. In recent years the talk about race has increased and, in many ways, has divided the country. Race and religion is always a timely topic, especially when you are sitting in the pews of a church centered in Madison, WI. Especially when your son or daughter plays in a soccer camp which tells us to believe that “Jesus Wins!” in every situation, even those with racial tension. Today we continue our sermon series on Ephesians called Gospel Unity. This morning, we focus on how the Gospel applies to some of the deepest wounds in our society: those caused by racial and ethnic hostility. In a time when it is both more difficult and more important than ever to speak clearly and wisely about race, may the Holy Spirit bless this message and overcome my own blind-spots, to produce the fruit of Gospel Unity in your heart.

Let’s jump into the middle of Ephesians chapter two which describes the racial hostility between Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus: Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise… This section needs a lot of context, but to sum it up for you, Paul is addressing the elephant in the room, so to speak. The Ephesian congregation was made up of a good mix of Jewish and Greek or “Gentile” Christians. This whole letter encourages Gospel Unity because the apostle knows that there was a lot of hostility between Greeks and Jews.

Although they did not employ the modern understanding of race, the people in Ephesus still discerned an “us vs. them” mentality when it came to ethnic origin. For the Greeks, it was῾Έλληνες and βαρβάροι; you were either Greek or you were a Barbarian. It was an offensive distinction between those who spoke Greek and those who they believed spoke incomprehensibly. (Something Paul alludes to in Ro 1:14, Col 3:11.) For the Jews, the distinction was between Israel, the chosen people, and all other nations (גוֹיִם), the Gentiles. They called them the “uncircumcision” (ἀκροβυστία) and considered them “unclean”. Can you see why there might be some difficulty in becoming united? Cultural superiority, political disagreement, racism, you-name-it—all were alive and well in Ephesus. Paul knew the Devil would try to use these forces to tear his young church apart.

Those forces are also alive and well in Madison, aren’t’ they? Sure people don’t call each other barbarians, but there are many who label people with a different political view with some colorful names and wonder if they can still be Christian. Certainly, no one defines anybody as “unclean” or “uncircumcised” but I have heard people talk about those people in the Section 8 housing. No one would categorize people just because they speak a different language, but they might be angry that there are people in our country and who don’t speak English. Cultural superiority, political disagreement, racism, you-name-it—we know these forces all too well. And just like in Ephesus, the Devil tries to use them to tear the church apart.

That’s why this morning I’d like to address the elephant in the room among churches in America. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning.” That problem still persists today. Barna Group research shows that churches and ministries are still some of the most ethnically segregated institutions in the country. Perhaps even more distressing, is that their research confirmed that white evangelical Christians are the less likely than the average population to admit there is racial hostility in our country today and less convinced that people of color can be socially disadvantaged. Now Barna Group takes very wide, national surveys of public opinion and their definition of an evangelical Christian is not something I’m sure everyone here would qualify as. So I do not want to paint with too broad a brush and mischaracterize our church or anyone. But what I’m driving at, in particular, is that there appears to be a good number of people in the Christian church who do not believe that racial inequality exists in America.  Brooke Hempell, the vice president of research at Barna Group said, “Our research confirms the fear that the church (or the people in it) may be part of the problem in the hard work of racial reconciliation…” In other words, some Christians who should be leading the charge of Gospel Unity, are actually perpetuating racial inequality.

Doesn’t this, at the very least, ask each of us to check our own hearts? Regardless of your own race or social status, let’s ask ourselves some hard questions: What culture are we keeping distance from? Which viewpoints are we unwilling to even consider or get acquainted with? Who are we hoping we won’t run into around town? Whose presence makes us feel awkward because of some painful history? What kind of lifestyle does someone need to have until we are comfortable striking up a conversation with them? In all honesty, the root of any hostility, racial or otherwise, is sin and therefore comes all too naturally to sinful hearts. If we genuinely care about Gospel unity, then we must first be honest about our own biases.

Thankfully, the Gospel has the power to change our hearts, to reconcile not only sinners with a holy God but with each other as well. Let’s look at verses 13-18: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He 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.

We could talk about this section for a couple years straight, but to stay focused I want to highlight that Jesus has “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”. In Paul’s time that “dividing wall” (μεσότοιχον) was the term for walls in a multi-family residential complex, common in that day. Houses were built connected to one another, often with a shared wall. So the picture here is Jesus, through his selfless love, taking a sledgehammer to the wall of hostility that divides people. When it comes to the Christian church, no individual distinction like race or status can stand between God’s people. Why? Because Jesus’ love has broken through the wall and we are all in the same house now. One new family, one new humanity, has been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This was the purpose of Jesus’ death! God has placed the hostility of all sin upon his Son. Read verses 15 and 16 again, His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  Jesus took the hostility of all sin upon himself on the cross.  So when he died, he put hostility to death as well. That’s the heart of Gospel Unity: Through Jesus broken body, we have been brought near to God and to each other. As Paul continues: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household… (Eph 2:19). We are living in the same house, we are fellow citizens, even brothers and sisters!

I’ll never forget the first concert I ever went to. Kings of Leon were playing at the Eagle’s Ballroom in Milwaukee and my friends and I decided to go. We got there early, mainly because we didn’t realize that the openers played first. So we arrived about a half an hour before any music started. But the benefit was that we got to stand right in front of the stage. Which was great until everybody else showed up. Anybody knows that if you are around the stage at a concert you’re going to be very near to other people. Often too close for comfort! In this case, I was so close to people that I could hardly breathe at times. The same is true for us as Christians, except in a good way. As we draw near to God through Jesus’ blood, we naturally must draw near to one another. As we all crowd around our Savior, we are going to be near to each other. In a good way, we will often end up too close for comfort! You see, true reconciliation with God doesn’t stop with us as individuals. It isn’t just about me and God. No, Gospel unity moves right into our hostilities and resentments toward one another. It makes us uncomfortable. It inspires us to pursue peace precisely with the people we don’t naturally relate to.

My friends, if the Church is the body of Christ, that body needs to be active in Christ’s work. Christ destroyed the dividing wall, and therefore we should do the same. Sincerity about our Gospel unity with God should be displayed through our willingness to move toward Gospel unity in our earthly relationships as well. We must try to break down the wall of hostility, whether it be through actual reconciliation with someone of another race, or helping someone to come to grips with their own presuppositions and unchecked prejudice. If we say we love Gospel Unity, can we let any relational breakdown go on, racial or otherwise—any hostility with another Christian, without at least trying to reconcile? And if we are unwilling to try, we are, in practice, misrepresenting the Gospel.

Maybe that friend or that church member or a certain group won’t listen to us, but still, we must try. Remember, only Christ’s selfless love will be strong enough to break through. It won’t be comfortable, but the promise you have is that the Spirit is with you. And you might be surprised at how God loves to bless your prayerful effort. God will always bless the heart of faith that is motivated by the love of Christ to pursue Gospel Unity. That is my prayer for you, for our church, and for all Christians. May we put to death hostility. May we never be content with segregation on Sunday morning. May we truly become “one new humanity” through the blood of Christ.

Amen.