Our
Heavenly Kingdom
By
Rev. Todd
W. Allen
Villa Rica 8/15/04
Ephesians 2:11-22
Many of
you will remember the cold war and the
Berlin wall that separated East Germany
from West Germany. Any you will remember
when President Reagan in a speech in
Berlin said; “Mr. Gorbachef, tear down
this wall.” And the wall came down. A
piece of the wall is kept at the Regan
Library as a remembrance.
In Ephesians we are taught the wonderful
truth that we who were once not a people
are now a people with God. We learn that
the middle wall of partition between the
Old Testament saints and believers in
Christ has been broken down and is now
abolished.
There is now a new man in Jesus Christ. He
has done something that completely changes
the former economy of the people of God.
He also relocates the capitol of the
people of God. It is no longer Jerusalem
located on earth; His capitol city is the
New Jerusalem in heaven. He is there right
now reigning as King. We don't see Him. He
is invisible. But be very sure of this,
beloved, He is there right this very
moment. He will return to this earth to
gather to Himself all His children, but
the Kingdom is already inaugurated. He is
gathering his elect people into it.
I
believe it is extremely important that we
get a hold on what Paul is teaching about
the oneness of the people of God. In verse
14 he says that He has broken down the
middle wall of partition and has made both
one. He has brought peace between Jews and
Gentiles in Himself. He makes in Himself a
new man of the two.
What
exactly does that mean? Well, it means
that when he gave Himself as the
propitiation for our sins by dying on the
cross the old Israel has now been made
into a new and greater entity. Gentile
believers are grafted in with Jews into a
nonsectarian Israel. It is not the same as
before. There is now a blending of Jews
and Gentiles but without the same
requirements of the Mosaic covenant. And
Gentiles come from all different
nationalities and races and cultures of
people. Both Jews and Gentiles are all put
together in what is now called the Church
of the living God, the kingdom of God.
God has
terminated the old arrangement. It is no
more. There are now people from every
tribe and nation and they all belong to
the same family and kingdom. There is no
longer Jew or Greek, As Paul says in
Galatians 3:26-29:
For you are all sons of God through faith
in Christ Jesus. 27For all of
you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
slave nor free man, there is neither male
nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. 29And if you belong to
Christ, then you are Abraham’s
descendants, heirs according to promise.
The same
thing point is made in 1 Corinthians
12:12-13 For
even as the body is one and yet has
many members, and all the members of the
body, though they are many, are one body,
so also is Christ. 13For by one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or
free, and we were all made to drink of one
Spirit.
There
is no longer any distinction between Jew
or Gentile or any other category of
persons. All become one in Jesus Christ.
It is a new inclusive form of the old
Israel that includes all people who are
baptized into that one body of Christ. He
is the new man that brings peace to all,
peace with God and peace with one another.
We learn in Eph 2:19
19So
then you are no longer strangers and
aliens, but you are fellow citizens with
the saints, and are of God’s household,
We have a
new identity as Christians. Paul uses a
number of figures and pictures to explain
that identity. He has already suggested
that we are a body. We can all picture a
body, our own body with its various parts
and members which all contribute to the
one body. Each part and member has a
function and purpose.
So in the
body of Christ we are one body with many
members, each having a contribution to
make to the rest of the body. But here in
verse 19 we are told that we are like a
political entity like a city or a state.
Let me
dwell on our being fellow citizens with
God's people. When you think of
citizenship what comes to your mind? Do
you not think of your United States
citizenship? If you were of another
country, from Canada or Mexico, our
neighbor nations to the north and South of
us, then your citizenship would be
Canadian or Mexican. And we could name
every nation on the face of the earth and
say the same. There is an identity to
every one of us. No person is without an
identity in that sense.
I am glad
I was born in the United States and have
citizenship rights. I appreciate the
freedom all Americans enjoy that was
purchased at great cost by the blood of
patriots. Citizens have fought and died to
keep us free.
Paul
speaks of the Christian as a citizen of
the Kingdom of God. I believe people need
to understand that the Church is a
commonwealth, a Kingdom. It has officers.
It has a government. We are part of that
commonwealth by virtue of our membership
in the Christian Church.
Every
denomination of Christians has a
government. In the Presbyterian Church we
have a government that we believe is the
Biblical model. We have a representative
government. We elect elders and deacons
who serve as officers. We have courts of
the church known as the Session,
Presbytery and General Assembly.
In our
civil government we enjoy benefits as well
as responsibilities. There are police and
armed forces to defend and protect us. We
have firemen to put out fires and render
emergency assistance. We can call 911 in
an emergency to get assistance. We have
all sorts of benefits that go with United
States citizenship. But just as we enjoy
privileges and have responsibilities by
virtue of our citizenship in the United
States, so we enjoy privileges and have
responsibilities by virtue of our
citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
All the
resources of the Kingdom of Heaven are
behind every citizen of the Kingdom. The
Psalmists often speak of the protection of
the Almighty when they face dangers and
foes.
Psa. 3:6-8
6
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people Who have set themselves against me
round about.
7
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on
the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of
the wicked.
8
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing be upon Your
people!
Selah.
(Zec
2:8 --
for he who touches you, touches the apple
of His eye.
Jesus
said, (John 10:28
28and
I give eternal life to them, and they will
never perish; and no one will snatch them
out of My hand.
Is there
any safer place to be than in the hand of
the Lord Jesus Christ? (Rom 8:31 -- If
God is for us, who can be against us?
We have
God's protection and all the powers of
heaven are at His command to help us in
any time of need. How wonderful to be a
part of the Kingdom of God.
And we are
taught that we have immediate access, not
just to the magistrates and officials of
this Kingdom but to the King Himself. We
can go into His very presence with our
petitions and problems. He is ever near to
hear our cries for help and succor. Oh,
how we ought to glory in our citizenship
in this great and glorious kingdom and in
our Sovereign King the Jesus Christ, who
is Lord over all the earth.
But we not only have the picture
and description of the church as a
commonwealth with all of the benefits that
go with being in this Kingdom but we are
told that we are of the household of God.
This is something that is more intimate
and meaningful than being a part of a
commonwealth. It is a deeper and more
intense relationship. We can be part of
the commonwealth and be bound together in
this political and national way as one
people but to be part of a family is a
closer relationship. So the unity that
exists in the Christian Church between
members is no a loose attachment, it is an
intense, close, intimate attachment.
And there is a sense in which we are
already spiritually seated with Christ in
the heavenly realm. But a day is coming
when we shall behold Him and be with Him
forever in a new spiritual body. And all
that belongs to Him will also belong to
you and me, for we are joint heirs with
Him. All Christians cry 'Abba, Father'. We
belong to Him and to all who belong to
Him.
We
are a body, a kingdom. a family and we are
also a Temple. The Holy Spirit indwells us
and we have that intimate communion with
our Creator and Savior in that tight and
close connection of a building that is
joined stone with stone, a holy Temple.
This can even be thought of as more
intimate than a family that is made up of
individuals who go and come. But as the
Temple of the Lord we are in a spiritual
connection that is even more intimate than
that. We are not just worshipers who go to
a temple; we are a part of the Temple of
God. He indwells His Temple by His Spirit
and we are in Him and He is in us.
But as I said, with privilege goes
responsibility. Enjoying such a position,
such a dignity, such glory; participating
in Kingdom privileges imposes
responsibility.
With great privilege goes great
responsibility! After all, we belong to
the greatest commonwealth, the greatest
family in this world or the next. We ought
to respect our heritage and our family
name. We are members of the greatest
Kingdom and the greatest King. We are
representatives of our King and his holy
family. We are espoused to Him. He is the
Bridegroom and we are His Bride. We have
the highest privilege that can come to any
person or people. We belong to Him. We are
His and He is ours. How absolutely
wonderful!
Scripture tells us how we
are to conduct ourselves. Because we are a
holy family, no uncleanness or improper
conduct should be seen in us. Paul wrote
the Colossians,(Col 3:5-14
5Therefore
consider the members of your earthly body
as dead to immorality, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed, which amounts to
idolatry. 6For it is because of
these things that the wrath of God will
come upon the sons of
disobedience, 7and in them you
also once walked, when you were living in
them. 8But now you also, put
them all aside: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from
your mouth. 9Do not lie to one
another, since you laid aside the old self
with its evil practices, 10and
have put on the new self who is being
renewed to a true knowledge according to
the image of the One who created him—
11a renewal in which there is
no distinction between Greek and
Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is
all, and in all. 12So, as those
who have been chosen of God, holy and
beloved, put on a heart of compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience; 13bearing with one
another, and forgiving each other, whoever
has a complaint against anyone; just as
the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things
put on love, which is the perfect bond
of unity. Col. 3:5-14
In closing
let me quote a few words spoken by our
Lord Himself.(Mat 5:16
16“Let
your light shine before men in such a way
that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven.
May this become second nature to all of us
who belong to our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ! May we never disgrace Him or bring
reproach on His holy name. We are
responsible to live holy lives as befits
God's people. And by this men will be
drawn to Him and glorify Him.
Are you one of his today? Come to him and
begin this pilgrimage of faith. You are
cordially invited to come to him and make
him your Savior and Lord.
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The paper and sermon manuscripts from
Pastor
Todd W. Allen
are made freely available for review and
distribution. We only request that proper
web page attribution be provided if
distributed for any reason. Please be
gracious to forgive typos and errors of
expression. These notes are faithful
approximations of what has been preached.
May God be glorified in the preaching of
His Word.