A New Kind of Peace

Ephesians: A New Kind of Peace  

1. The _________________ state.

¹¹ Therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh—the ones who are called “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised” (which is performed physically by human hands)—¹² remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise. You were without hope and without God in the world. (Eph 2:11–12)

You were dead in your trespasses and sins. (Eph 2:1)

^9a God said to Abraham … ¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, a covenant between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You shall be circumcised by cutting the foreskin off your flesh. It will be a sign of the covenant between me and you. (Ge 17:9a, 10–11)

Yes, he has also put eternity in their hearts (Ecc 3:11b)

2. The _____________.

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:13)

Peace, peace to the one far off and to the one nearby, says the LORD, and I will heal him. (Is 57:19b)

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call. (Ac 2:39)

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them ¹⁵ when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. ¹⁶ And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. (Eph 2:14–16)

… the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6)

⁵ Note well now, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may carry them out also in the land that you are entering to take as a possession. ⁶ Keep them and put them into practice, because in this way your wisdom and your understanding will be recognized by all the people who hear about all these statutes; and they will say, “This great nation is certainly a wise and understanding people,” ⁷ because what other great nation is there that has a god as close to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on him? ⁸ What other great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances as righteous as this entire law that I am presenting to you today? (Dt 4:5–8)

He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. (Eph 2:17)

Peace be with you. (Lk 24:36)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pe 2:9)

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph 2:18)

3. The _____________.

¹⁹ So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. ²⁰ You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Eph 2:19–22)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within you, whom you have from God? (1 Co 6:19a)

Points to Ponder

1. What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
2. In verses 11–13, Paul reminds the Gentiles of who they were before Christ. Why do you think Paul begins by reminding them of their past?
3. What does Paul mean in verse 14 when he says, “He himself is our peace”? How is Christ’s peace different from the world’s idea of peace?
4. In verses 15–16, Paul says Jesus created “one new group” in place of the two. What does this mean for how we view people who are different from us—culturally, socially, politically, or religiously?
5. How can verse 17 shape the way we live as peacemakers in a divided world? What’s one concrete step you can take this week to embody Christ’s peace?
6. Verse 19 says we are “no longer foreigners and strangers” but “citizens” and “members of God’s household.” What does it mean to you to be part of God’s household?

Homework: Ephesians 3