Wednesday, April 9th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 9-10, Psalm 71, John 3

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Accompanying David Legge sermon: God's New Home
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Reconciled
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Unity of the Body Part 3

This passage, once again, talks about our position in Christ.  In Christ we have peace with God, and peace with each other.  Practically, that is still a work in progress (especially peace with each other, is it not?) due to the reality of sin on this fallen earth.

MacArthur: We don't always manifest this peace and that's where the dichotomy comes.

But aren't you glad that it's there anyway? Aren't you glad ..... that our relationship to God depends upon what He's done, not on what we do? I'm so glad that the Bible teaches position and practice, because if they were the same thing every time you goofed up your practice, you'd lose your position. 

Because we are one with God, and one with each other we are no longer strangers and aliens (better translated outcasts and unknown travellers).  Instead, all believers are fellow citizens in the kingdom of God.  Not only are we fellow citizens, but we are also family - members of God's household.  Not only are we family, but we are being built together as a holy temple, with Christ as our cornerstone, in which the Spirit of God will dwell.

Legge:  the word of God teaches - listen: God dwells in your heart! Isn't that remarkable? If I'm out of Belfast I don't need to worry whether I'm away from God or not, because God's here. I don't care whether I'm in Jerusalem, or Rome, or Timbuktu, because God is in me by His Spirit! This is the miracle, we could go on here, how Peter talks about the lively stones.

I'll leave you with this little thought that blessed me immensely today. Peter talks about how we are built up as lively living stones together, and we make up the body of Christ, and we are built upon the living stone - the Rock who is Christ Jesus. When the first temple was built that was Solomon's temple. It was built on Mount Moriah, but there was something very peculiar about it, unlike other buildings. It was this: that each rock and each boulder that made up that temple had to be made before it was brought up. There was not to be a sound of a hammer, or a chisel, or a workman, around the temple. In fact, if you watched it being built there wasn't a sound. They were just carrying up these rocks to the temple. It was all done at home. It was all hewn away. Isn't that beautiful? That when God saves us, we're added to His temple, and there's nothing more for us to do. It's all done! All the hewing and all the chiselling was done by the Spirit of God when He was chiselling us out of the darkness of the quarry of our sin and our iniquity, and our separation from God.

.......the Lord Jesus is described as our chief cornerstone. Do you know what that was for? They measured all the other stones by the cornerstone. When He is in the right place in His church, all the other stones will fall into place.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 3:1-13

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 11-12, Psalm 72, John 4