Key Truth: We must remember who we were apart from Christ as those hopeless without God and know who we are in Christ as reconciled in peace to God and our neighbors.  

Introduction:

What is most definitive of who you are at present?

Remember Who You were Apart from Christ: Hopeless Without God:

Ephesians 2:11-12

“The exhortation to remember, which stands like a rubric over vv.11,12…, does not mean that they have actually forgotten what they were, only that Paul wants to call these matters to their attention so that they will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the past and the mighty reversal Christ has effected on their behalf. The privileges which they now enjoy would be appreciated all the more if they reflected carefully upon the spiritual condition from which they have been rescued.”

Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians

Have you ever been defined by what you lacked or weren’t according to someone else’s definition of worth?
What hope did you truly have apart from Christ?

Know Who You are in Christ: At Peace with God and Our Neighbors:

Ephesians 2:13-16

“Each of these five actions (of Jesus that add up to peace) contributes the detail and texture to our understanding of peace: Jesus brings us home, Jesus brings us together, Jesus breaks down hostility, Jesus re-creates us as a unified humanity, Jesus reconciles us all to God. Peace is complex and many-layered. A lot of action goes into making peace—and Jesus is the action.”

Eugene H. Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ

What dividing walls of hostility has Christ brought down in your various relationships?
What walls is He currently working on bringing down?
What ways has He invited you to participate in this work?

Application:

Ephesians 2:11-16 teaches us that:
-apart from Christ, we had no hope and were without God in the world
-in Christ, we have been reconciled in peace with God and our neighbors

Communion

Benediction:

Ephesians 3:20-21