May 8, 2025 • 68 mins
God is building His church as a living temple, with Christ as the cornerstone and believers as living stones fitted together. Through Christ, we become citizens of God's kingdom and members of His household, receiving full rights and privileges as His children. The church grows through unified members using their spiritual gifts, mutual care, worship, discipleship, and evangelism. Local churches serve as living demonstrations of God's new society where His presence is experienced and cultural divisions are transcended.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, we will get going.
We've made it to the last week.
Congratulations.
You've made it through ouridentity study and you know,
with a group this size, wereally could let each person in
the room come up with amicrophone and, from memory,
(00:22):
recite Ephesians 1, 3 through 14.
We have enough time foreverybody to do it, that's what
the last session?
is yeah.
So if everybody wants to form aline behind Christine Ball, she
will start the line and theneverybody just follow in line
after her and we'll just see howfar you can get.
I'm just kidding, we won't makeyou do it.
Oh, thank you, All right, ohyeah.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
You just say one word and then the next person has to
say that oh, we can do thatJust keep working through the
room.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Everybody's flipping in their notes to find it real
quick.
Oh no, we won't make you reciteit, but hopefully, for your own
edification and encouragement,you have committed at least part
of this passage to memory.
It will serve you very well ifyou have, or if you choose to at
(01:11):
the end of this, however youuse it, but I would encourage
you to still do that.
That would be great.
What I would like to do forsake of introduction, for just a
couple of minutes here, we'vehad 15, this is week 16 of this
study.
Actually, hang on, before we doanything else like I went back
(01:32):
and listened to Matt Ball'steaching from last week and I
need to correct a grossmisstatement that he made in his
teaching last week.
Okay, I'm just going topublicly correct him here in
this place.
He said he's up here teachinglast week because the pastors
(01:53):
were on vacation together.
All right, that was amisrepresentation of what we
were doing Completely socomplete misrepresentation.
We were were doing Completelyso complete misrepresentation.
We were in Florida, oh, okay,yeah, yeah, we were at
Disneyland.
Yeah, we went to Disney andjust rode rides the whole time.
(02:14):
No, we were on a planningretreat, so was there some fun?
Well, absolutely, because we'refun guys, that's right, so
can't not have fun.
But there was also some work.
There was some work that washappening in Florida, so I just
needed to correct that before wewent any further.
(02:35):
But I do appreciate Matt takingcharge last week.
He did an excellent job workingthrough last week just looking
at the fact that we are one inChrist and I thought it was an
excellent job, so that wasreally really good.
So what?
I would like to take a fewminutes to do this evening.
(02:57):
You've had 15 weeks thus far.
What part of our study, likewhich characteristic of our
identity, has stood out to youthe most Like?
As you think back through whatwe've done, which one of the
weeks you're like?
You know I learned somethinghere.
(03:23):
God reminded me of somethinghere.
This was particularlymeaningful to me in my walk with
the Lord.
Help me see somethingdifferently.
Does anybody want to take aminute to just encourage the
rest of us with something, maybethat you're saying I'm walking
away with this in particular?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Here's the very first one.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I think, the fact that I am chosen to give you so
much peace and comfort.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:54):
Chosen Amen I was sitting at my desk memorizing
that one phrase.
I don't have a microphone.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
And I can't remember what it was In him we have
redemption through his blood.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Redemption through his blood yeah, and so I said it
, and I mean, I was just doingmemorization and then something
just started popping in my heart, everybody can hear you.
I was trying to memorize in himwe have redemption through his
blood on the Monday morning ofHoly Week, and I was just doing
(04:36):
a rote memorization and thensomething happened in my heart
and I had a tear trickle down myface heart.
And I had a tear trickle down myface and before I knew it, as I
kept saying it over and overand over, which I did in order
to try to get it down here um,it got there and I was just
bawling and I think that that'sbeen the beauty of memorizing
(05:01):
this, because, um, that phrasewas the most emotional for me,
but all of them have beenincredibly meaningful and to
have it hidden now in my heart,I don't know if I can ever say
it without this, but at least Ican say it with my notes and so,
(05:24):
yeah, that was what was someaningful to me.
It was just special as.
I started Holy Week with that.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
That's where it's gone, impressed on my heart.
I love that.
I love that Anybody else?
Now that I've got a microphoneout, people are going to clam up
probably, but just so thatpeople watching on the video can
actually hear the words you'resaying.
That's why I'm using themicrophone.
Anybody else?
What are the particular weeksor truths that we learned?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Sydney.
Speaker 8 (06:04):
Okay, well, I know I kind of came in the middle of
everything, but it was so timelybecause it was the one about
the Holy Spirit.
There's a lot of differingopinions and so just relying on
God's word and just leaning inon the truth that, like I love
(06:27):
the Lord and I have acceptedJesus Christ as my savior and I
have the Holy Spirit, and justallowing the Holy Spirit to show
me, through the word of God,the truth, um, it was just
really helped me.
So.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I'm very thankful for that.
Awesome, awesome, love it.
Somebody else, anybody?
Christine will go, all right.
Taryn, do you want?
Speaker 5 (07:00):
I like the part in Ephesians 1, verse 2.
I mean, no, oh, 14, 13.
Sorry, there's a little toothere.
Okay, believed you were sealedin him with the Holy Spirit of
promise, so I just like how youguys really focused on that
sealed part in that, no matterwhere you're at, you will always
(07:25):
have that forever.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, I love that.
It was cool On our men'sretreat this past weekend.
We had four men that gave theirlife to Christ at the retreat
and we were circling up withthem and praying for them, and
Matt actually prayed, led ourprayer time for them and as he
was praying that was actuallywhat he was thanking the Lord
(07:48):
for is the permanence, the factthat they are now sealed as part
of the family of God, becausethey now have the Spirit of God
in them.
So, yeah, that's powerful.
When you pause to think throughthat, anybody else See, this is
easy.
Oh, it's all the girls in theroom that are willing to speak.
(08:13):
So come on, guys.
Speaker 9 (08:16):
So for me it was the holy and blameless to think that
this is how God sees me,because I'm a mess, I know
there's plenty of things I dowrong and lots that is not holy
and not bl.
How God sees me, because I'm amess, I know there's plenty of
things I do wrong and lots thatis not holy and not blameless
about me.
But the fact that that's how hesees me positionally, that's
what I am that makes me want tolive up to that, to just try all
(08:39):
the more to keep that on mymind.
So that's the part that reallysticks with me when I think
about this passage is I am holyand blameless before a holy God.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That's really good.
Amen, amen.
All right, anybody else Allright?
Well, hopefully this has beengood and hopefully there's even
if you don't want to say it outloud, there is a truth here, an
identity truth that you aretaking away from this, that the
(09:13):
Lord is just bringing back toyour mind on a regular basis and
you're meditating on it, you'rethanking him for it.
It's becoming worshipful justto pause and just to say it over
and over again and allow theLord to use it in your life.
It's good, it's very good.
So, thank you guys, let's openwith prayer and then we will
(09:36):
jump in.
Pastor, do you mind I would?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
love to Hurrying for us.
Heavenly Father, we thank youthat you have saved us and
through the work of your Son,you call us your own, and our
identity is in Jesus, and theold is gone and the new has come
, and we have abundant blessing,every spiritual blessing, in
(10:01):
the heavenly places, and so wethank you that we are in Christ.
Help us to understand that moreand more.
Help us to believe your wordmore and more and apply it to
our lives on a daily basis.
Help us to be able to detecthow we're believing the lies of
(10:24):
the enemy and how fundamentallythose lies go to a foundation of
who we are, and to be able toanswer those with Scripture.
Help us, as Betty gavetestimony, to experience you
through your word and for it tochange our hearts that this
(10:47):
would not be head knowledge but,as Betty gave such a beautiful
example of when it gets downinto our heart and when we
genuinely believe.
Help us to do that with all ofthese.
In Jesus' name, we pray, amen,amen.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
All right.
So tonight we are going tofinish up in chapter two,
looking at verses 19 through 22.
So we're going to walk throughthese verses one by one.
You guys got a lot.
Some of the content is going tobe a review of last week, just
seeing how everything rightabout our salvation, everything
(11:29):
about our identity is rooted andgrounded and is through Christ.
Amen.
Matt did a great job ofexplaining there's not multiple
ways to Christ.
There's not multiple ways to bemade right with God.
It is only through the personand the work of Jesus Christ
that any of us can sit here andthink through this identity that
(11:52):
scripture talks about.
That is ours.
It was only possible throughhim.
It is in Christ.
That's been the theme of ourseries and our study is it is in
Christ.
So as we look tonight, we aregoing to see as this passage
ends in verse 22, that we are adwelling place for God.
But we're going to back up alittle bit and look at some of
(12:15):
the other verses around this aswell.
So let me read the passage forus and then we're going to jump
in and there's going to bequestions tonight, so be ready
to participate, to answer, okay.
So Paul says this, beginning inverse 19,.
So then you are no longerstrangers and aliens, but you
are fellow citizens with thesaints and members of the
(12:36):
household of God, built on thefoundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus himselfbeing the cornerstone in whom
the whole structure, beingjoined together, grows into a
holy temple in the Lord.
In him verse 22, also you arebeing built together into a
(12:57):
dwelling place for God by theSpirit.
All right, so we're going tojump in here and I want you to
let's go back to verse 19, andhelp me fill in these blanks
here.
What does this passage verse 19, say?
That we aren't any longerStrangers and aliens.
(13:19):
Right?
So if we were similar but alittle different in their
definitions?
When you think through astranger, this is someone who is
an outsider.
They have no legal status, nostanding, they are outside, an
alien.
You know just the definition ofthe word here.
(13:39):
Right, there's a temporaryresidence, but they don't have
full rights or privileges.
Temporary residence, but theydon't have full rights or
privileges.
A couple of passages you've gotthere in your notes that we can
look at Ephesians 2, verse 12.
Paul says remember.
Like leading up to this, hesays remember at one time you
were separated from Christ.
You were alienated from thecommonwealth of Israel and
(14:01):
strangers to the covenants ofpromise, having no hope and
without God in the world.
So when he's talking about this, he says listen, what were
those covenants?
It says that they were excludedfrom.
He's comparing the Jews and theGentiles at this point.
But the covenants that theJewish people had, that the
(14:24):
Gentiles were excluded from,what did those covenants promise
Anybody?
You could boil it down tosalvation.
(14:46):
They promised salvation rightThrough God.
Right, as God's people, as hischosen people, that there was
salvation as part of God'speople.
Right.
And so he's saying listen, atone time you were a stranger to
that, you were alien.
You did not have those things.
(15:08):
You were outside of that right.
Even David, before he died in 1Chronicles, chapter 29,.
We have recorded his prayerbefore the people.
He's addressing the people forthe last time and he prays and
he even says looking at thepeople, he says we are aliens in
temporary residence in yourpresence, as were all our
(15:31):
ancestors.
Our days on earth are like ashadow, without hope.
And so even David is pausing tojust ponder this idea.
Right, there was nothingspecial about David because he
was king.
There was nothing special aboutDavid because he was king.
There was nothing special aboutDavid because he was a Jew.
The only thing about David,right, that gave him hope, that
(15:51):
gave him significance, was thefact that he was part of God's
covenant people, right, and soin Christ, as Matt explained,
right, god's covenant people arenow who Christ, as Matt
explained, right, god's covenantpeople are now who?
Yeah, those who have come byfaith, you know, to Christ, who
(16:12):
have surrendered to him and haveplaced their faith in Jesus.
Those are God's chosen people,right?
I heard the question on thevideo last week, right, like,
who were God's chosen people?
It's so easy to want to saywhat the Jews?
Right, because we hear thatright in the Old Testament, the
language of the Old Testament.
But the New Testament is clearin the way it begins to unpack
(16:34):
that we now, even as Gentiles,we are grafted in because God
has one people right, and thatis those who have come to him by
faith in Jesus Christ.
And so that is so.
It's important for us to seewho we aren't anymore, that in
Christ we are no longerstrangers and aliens.
But then he goes on to say whowe are.
(16:56):
How would?
What does verse 19 say aboutwho we are Fellow citizens, and
yeah, with the saints, and thenthat final phrase, members of
the household of God.
All right, there's a couple ofpassages there that you've got
in your notes that we could lookat here.
(17:17):
Right in Philippians, chapterthree, verse 20, our citizenship
is in heaven already.
Even though we are not therenow, right, positionally we are.
We are citizens of heaven.
And this passage in Hebrews 12,verses 22 and 23, continues to
kind of unpack that idea of thealready and the not yet.
(17:40):
Right, you have, but you verse22, have come to Mount Zion, to
the city of the living God, theheavenly Jerusalem.
Right, we are positionallythere because we are in Christ,
although we will experience itmore fully at a future time when
(18:01):
we are with him forever.
Right, so this is an importanttruth for us, to see that our
citizenship is in heaven, thatwe are members of the household
of God.
So here is a good place where Iwant to pause and just ask
these two questions that you seein your notes and up on the
screen here, based on Ephesians2.19, where Paul tells us who we
(18:27):
aren't anymore and who we are.
Why is it helpful to rememberwho we aren't.
Let's start with that one.
Why is it good for us to bereminded of that?
Not everybody at once.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Because we want to be rejoicing in our, that we're in
Christ, so we're not strangers.
In the name of the Lord Christ.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Yeah, we're not far off right, like we've been
brought near, right.
So to remember that, like weare no longer strangers, right,
we are not.
We have legal status.
Our citizenship is in heaven.
We don't have some of therights but not others, right, we
are fully part of, you know,the kingdom of God, the family
(19:28):
of God, yeah, so here, yeah,that's a great point, christine,
that's really good.
(19:55):
Yeah, yeah, so to think back tosay I'm not that anymore, right
, I used to be that right, butbecause Christ chose me right, I
used to be that right, butbecause Christ chose me right,
like Jose said earlier, becausehe chose me right, I am no
longer these things and you canlook back and just marvel at
(20:15):
what Christ has done.
It's good.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Let me also add do we ever feel like that old self?
Do we ever feel like that oldself?
The reality is, your feelingsfail you.
You make mistakes, you runbackwards at times.
You're a prodigal.
So the reason it's helpful forus to remember who we aren't is
(20:44):
because there will be days whenyour flesh and your feelings
tell you who you are.
And do you guys have an enemythat ever lies to you, and when
he speaks to you, does he liketo tell you that you still are
who you were you, that you stillare who you were?
(21:11):
That's how he operates, right.
So that's why it's important tostart there and then to say I'm
not that anymore.
Even if I feel that way, it'snot true because of what Christ
has done.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, so keep going with that, then, and let's add
that piece how is it helpful toremember who you are?
Speaker 10 (21:27):
I think it gives us hope and it makes us homesick
for where home really is Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
So she said hope and homesick.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
It's looking forward to a better place.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
No, I 100% agree.
That's good, yeah, when you go.
Some people go on vacationright, and they kind of put down
roots right, like those weirdosthat unpack and put their stuff
in the drawers of the dressersand stuff in the rooms, like you
(22:06):
know that's a little.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Those are weirdos, and if Dan Gorham is watching
this, he is one of those.
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, Like if you're going to be somewhere for like a
couple of days or even a week,like I live out of a suitcase
always, Even then, right Likeit's.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Because I'm definitely afraid of leaving
something there.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Yeah, so the point is right you act differently when
you know you're somewheretemporarily.
Right, there's things you do.
Right, you don't put down rootsbecause you know you're going
back home soon.
But you also, while you'rethere, you make the most of the
(22:48):
time you have there, don't you?
Because you know you're onlygoing to be there a short time,
so you soak everything out of itthat you can as believers.
Elaine, I think thatperspective is so important to
remember who you are You're acitizen of heaven.
Right, that's home.
To remember who you are You'rea citizen of heaven.
(23:09):
Right, that's home.
So to think, then, through howwe live this life.
Right, it's like, well, Ibetter live this life and make
it count for Christ.
Right, I better really livethis life to the fullest because
I'm only here a short timebefore God takes me home.
But also to not hold on to, notto put down roots here to the
(23:30):
point that all of our hope andall of our joy is tied up in the
things of this world.
Right, Because this is not home.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Right, that perspective is, and I think
sometimes the reality is thatthe believer just gets homesick.
Perspective is and I thinksometimes the reality is that
the believer just gets homesickyou just get homesick.
And for you to understand,right in that aspect, you will
never fully fit in here becauseyou're not home, and so
sometimes that's the most validexplanation at the end of the
(24:02):
day, when I'm working throughwhat is going on in my soul,
sometimes I'm homesick.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
So it's helpful.
It's helpful to put things inperspective, right, Like when a
day is just heavy.
Right To be able to thinkthrough it that way.
Right To remember who we areright.
Remember who we are right.
It's incredibly helpful just tosettle our hearts, to settle
our minds.
(24:30):
Sometimes that's what we need,right, Just to be able to take a
breath and to continue to justput one foot in front of the
other is to let the Holy Spiritjust renew us by renewing our
minds, Like, hey, yeah, don't besurprised by this.
Right, You're not home yet.
It's an important aspect ofthis that I think we forget.
(24:50):
Right, Obviously we do, becauseGod has to remind us of it in
his word.
Right, hey, you're a citizen ofheaven.
Right, as a believer.
Remember that, it's important,you need to know that.
So good, let's keep going.
Look at verse.
Anything else there before wemove on.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I was going to tell you we got to get on our horse.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
You got five pages here.
I know we're through one.
We'll just have to come backnext week.
Verse 20,.
Verse 20, built on thefoundation of the apostles and
the prophets, Christ Jesushimself being the cornerstone.
This solid foundation, he saysit's built on the foundation of
what the apostles and theprophets and Jesus himself.
(25:36):
Is the what, the cornerstone.
So now, when he's talking aboutthe apostles and the prophets
prophets saying it is built onthe foundation of the apostles
and the prophets, is he talkingabout literal people, Like the
church is built on Peter or thechurch is built on Paul or
Matthew?
What is he talking about herewhen he says this solid
(26:02):
foundation, it is built on thefoundation of the apostles and
the prophets?
What is this pointing to?
Yeah, the word of God, theteachings, right.
The authority of what they weresaying, right, that is the
foundation.
The foundation is not a personwhen it's talking about the
(26:22):
apostles and the prophets, right, person when it's talking about
the apostles and the prophetsright, it's the message that
those apostles and prophets inthe New Testament were giving.
It's the message of who Jesusis and what he has done that he
was crucified, buried andresurrected and ascended to the
right hand of the Father right,Making intercession for us so
(26:42):
that we could know God right.
That is the foundation right.
And who is the cornerstone?
What is the purpose of acornerstone?
Any builders in the room?
Is it just so you can like puta date on the side of a building
(27:03):
that says it was built on thisdate?
Is that the purpose of acornerstone?
Is just decoration?
No, yes, yeah yeah, so acornerstone is is the first
(27:26):
stone in a foundation that isset right.
Everything else is plumbed offof that cornerstone, right?
So if it's not right, nothingelse is right.
And so when scripture says thatJesus is the cornerstone, now
make a spiritual connection withthis.
What is he saying here?
(27:49):
That Jesus is the cornerstone,that everything about who we are
is built on everything about usas the people of God and the
kingdom of God and the dwellingplace of God?
Right, all of that is built onthis foundation of the teaching
of the apostles and the prophets, but Jesus being the
cornerstone Spiritually, what isthat saying?
(28:12):
Okay, he's all we need.
Keep going, that's good.
Anybody want to add to?
Yeah, no, absolutely yeah.
(28:57):
I mean we're going to unpackthis more in a little bit with
some of the discussion questionsthat hopefully we will get to,
but just in case we go long andwe don't get through all the
pages, that is exactly right.
Everything is set by Him.
He is the truth.
Amen, like.
He is everything.
You know, we don't get to bethe ones who determine it.
(29:18):
Right, it's not up for debate.
He is the cornerstone.
Everything is built based uponwho he is.
Amen, like.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
That is yes, liz Are they saying that Jesus is not
apart from the foundation of theimpossible.
Basically, not only is hewithin that, but he is the first
.
You should be Christ when youread the gospel.
This is the foundation, soChrist is part of that.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Is that right?
Yeah, it's basically.
Yeah.
What he's referring to here inthis verse is listen, this
foundation, right, that was laidby the apostles' teaching about
, but their teaching was aboutwho Jesus is.
This reference to prophets,scholars will debate is this
talking about the Old Testamentprophets or is this talking
about prophets in the NewTestament?
(30:16):
This is talking about prophetsin the New Testament, without
going into a lot of detail.
Otherwise, they would havelisted prophets first and then
apostles, right?
So it's just saying, hey, theseguys who gave witness to who
Jesus is.
Yeah, it's all about him, right, he is the cornerstone, and
everything they said and did wasinspired by the Holy Spirit, to
(30:41):
proclaim him and to bring intofocus who he was.
That is the foundation that weare built on in Christ.
Does that make sense?
As in Christ?
Does that make sense?
Good, so, yeah, so everything.
Then, like everything,spiritually right, our lives
(31:03):
must be squared, if you will,right to the plans and the
purposes of Christ.
He is the one who sets it inplace, right?
We don't set the course for ourlives and then, just, you know,
ask Jesus to step in and blessit, right, or to build on it,
like God.
Here's what I want to do.
Here's the foundation I'mbuilding on.
(31:24):
Would you, you know, would youcome over here and just you know
, just you know, put yourblessing on this.
It's like, no, no, he's thecornerstone, right, we build on
him.
Right, his plans, his purposes.
So good, we're going to go onunless anybody has anything to
(31:45):
add.
Let's look at verse 21, in whomthe whole structure, being
joined together, grows into aholy temple in the Lord.
So, this idea of a growingtemple?
So, first of all, right, hereminds us in whom, the whole
(32:06):
structure, who is the whom?
We've already talked about this, but, just to make sure you see
it, every place it's referencedhere.
Yeah, that's right, jose, jesus, right, it is in Jesus that
this whole structure, the church, this temple of God, right,
(32:29):
this people of God, right, it isall held together by Jesus.
But this idea of it being joinedtogether, what do you see there
?
Like, as you read through that,do you see that this is an
ongoing process, that this isstill happening?
(32:50):
Even in the language, right,the tense of the word?
There, it is being joinedtogether.
Why is it ongoing?
It's not a trick question.
What?
Yeah, it's not done.
Still in process, in process,are people still being added to
(33:21):
the church, to the body ofChrist?
Yeah, so this structure, it'sstill being joined together
because people are still beingadded to it.
You know, even thinking throughthat, from this weekend, right,
four more guys this weekendwe're added to it.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
So do you understand the physical analogy that's
being described here?
What's the physical analogy?
Wait, I got to get it.
Yeah, what's the structure?
What is the analogy structure?
(34:00):
God is building a temple.
Okay, and so what are you inthe construction?
Yeah, most likely bricks or arock.
You're a rock.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Your head's hard A rolling stone.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
It's an analogy, All right.
So God is building a holytemple and construction is still
underway.
But the reason the analogy isso important is because of some
of the questions that are comingnext all right in regards to
(34:48):
and where Matt went last week,in regards to the unity of the
structure.
So could one brick in a buildingof a temple say to another
brick in the building of thetemple I'm such a much better
brick than you, I'm the bestbrick here.
Look at all you other bricks.
(35:08):
Right, that would be silly.
And they have a collectivepurpose.
Right, it is the dwelling placeof the Lord.
So, you see, just expand theanalogy a little bit.
Think about it.
The Scripture has given youthis analogy for you to
purposely think about.
All right, it's an analogy,You're not really a brick, but
(35:32):
there's intended purposes behindthinking through the analogy.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Yeah, and then, just so, it's ongoing, but it's
dynamic.
It grows into a holy temple,right?
So what God is doing, right,like Tim said, this is still in
process.
He's still working on thisstructure.
It is a dynamic thing.
It's not static, right, andthat's an important thing, and
(35:59):
some of our questions are goingto help us unpack that.
But just wanted you to see,right, instead of just reading
through these verses quickly,just to take a minute and look
at these different parts ofthese verses, just to help us as
we think through some of thesequestions, so let's spend a few
minutes on these here.
So how does Christ bring unityto this structure, to the church
(36:20):
, to this temple, this holytemple that he is building?
How does he bring unity?
Because it says we're beingjoined together.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Vine.
We're all coming from vine kindof growing out.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Okay, yeah, so, borrowing from that picture that
Jesus gave in John right, thathe is the vine and we are the
branches.
So he's bringing unity in thefact that we have to be
connected to him for there to begrowth.
Okay, that's good.
(37:04):
What else do you see here?
How does Christ bring unity tothis idea of being joined
together?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Sydney, we all have we're all being uniquely in an
image.
We're all perfect.
We all have different gifts,and so if different people in
the body of Christ come together, we don't lose those gifts.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Yeah, Okay.
So she said we all havedifferent giftings.
Okay, a uniqueness.
But, as Scripture specificallyteaches, we're called to use
those giftings for the bodyright.
So that's how those giftingsfit together and function.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Yeah, and they only are able to fit together and
function right with Christ asthe cornerstone.
Bring them together to unifythose things.
Anything else you see here thatyou'd answer this with.
I mean it's God in salvation.
Speaker 7 (38:10):
I'm a center here for a new creation.
God's breathing that spirit ashe sees fit and gives gifts, so
he's making each particularstone to fit together, join
(38:32):
together with the nextparticular stone that he also
made, and so on and so on.
Literally every stone, and he's.
I think we've used the idea ofa warrior he's pulling rock from
the quarry, he's chiseling,he's making every stone, he's
putting it together, he'sputting them where they go.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
And so it's just.
He's made each stone exactlyfor himself.
Yeah, and I like that,particularly when you think of
the local church, when you thinkof the only real visible
representation of the universalchurch is the local church, and
so often we can tend to thinkpretty low or poorly of the
(39:23):
local church.
But when you view it in the waythat Matt just described it,
the reality is God has placed ushere for this appointed time to
live in community together,each of you with me and with
others, and to fit and tofunction together.
(39:47):
And the Lord has gifted us withthe appropriate giftings that
he desires for the work that hedesires, and therefore we are
not deficient.
And that that person who wantsto fit into our group and our
(40:10):
church, who is professing Christand is following with obedience
, just because they have adifferent personality or
different gifts from you, youcan't say get out of here, go
somewhere else, right?
It's no, no, no, the Lord hascalled us together, the Lord is
fitting us together, so it takesa completely different
perspective, right.
Speaker 7 (40:31):
Sorry, maybe I'm pushing the analogy too far, but
just on that exact point.
Right, right, pastor Jason'sstill on the way over there,
tim's still on the way overthere, but no, using that
(40:58):
imagery there.
This FBC urn is a particularsection of all or a particular
partition, somewhere fittedtogether within the Larkin
family.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, within the Larkin family.
Yeah, that's excellent yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Yeah, and we're going to see that as we go along.
It's so easy to thinkindividualistically Is that a
word?
Okay, I thought it was beforeit came out, but it is now a
word.
It's so easy, when we think ofour faith, to think that way.
Right, but what we are seeingin this passage, and what we're
(41:34):
going to understand, is that ouridentity is actually much more
tied to corporate who we are asa body.
Right, I love that, matt.
We are a stone in the wall ofthis temple, this dwelling place
of God, right, and so ouridentity is attached to one
(41:54):
another, within, within the bodyof christ, and it's only
unified through him.
Elaine, I know you were goingto say something, did?
No, I was just going to addthat he's refining us.
Speaker 10 (42:05):
Matt gave a great analogy and it's all to bear his
image.
You know we forget there's apurpose involved.
Amen, it's to bear his imageamen, amen, all right, so good.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Well, so we've kind of we've started answering
question number two up here aswell.
Right, the verse shows theunity and growth of the church
is an ongoing process.
So how do each of us, asmembers of a local church,
participate in this ongoingprocess?
Volunteer Serve by serving,yeah, seeing needs within that
(42:53):
local body and being willing toserve.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
How else?
So?
Liz used the word volunteer,which is good and fine, but it
immediately thinks of churchstaff asking for help for an
event.
Therefore, you can fill thisseat right, which is fine.
That's a function of the church, but the entire idea of the
(43:24):
church serving one another lookswildly different than just that
, right?
How else does it look?
Okay, Evangelizing yeah, howelse?
Soul care?
Okay, carrying one another'sburdens how else?
(43:51):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
So, as parents, the natural duties and
responsibilities that the Lordhas given you some of those
primary responsibilities parentto children yeah, does that
build up the church right?
When we are doing what God hascalled us to do faithfully in
our homes, to disciple, to raiseour children to know the Lord,
(44:28):
does that build up the body ofChrist?
You better believe it does.
Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
Yeah, because.
So I'm really glad you saidthat, because it's so natural
for me to only think of thechurch when the local church is
gathered and that's obviously avery important part of our week
and rhythm.
But the reality is you're stilla part of the church even when
(45:01):
we are not gathered.
So your function.
A lot of times we gather forinstruction and help so that you
can go home and follow the Lordin what the Lord's calling you
with your children anddiscipleship, or carrying one
another's burdens by havingcoffee with a friend and a lot
of those things.
So the beauty, the simpleanalogy of the building makes us
(45:27):
so often think in concreteterms.
But part of the purpose and thereason that God intentionally
moved from a temple into hispeople was because it's now a
spiritual kingdom and the waythat the Spirit works and
functions within us, bothindividually and collectively,
(45:49):
looks wildly differentthroughout the overall course of
life in addition to gathering.
But so much more right, it'spart of the permanent indwelling
of the Spirit.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
Yeah, Amen, All right .
So there's some other questionsthat we have here.
If you flip the page on onemore, Right?
So just on this one here.
Thinking through what we havehere, like, how does your
sanctification as a follower ofJesus right as part of a local
(46:23):
church, how does it contributeto the growth or the health of
this local body of believers,Right?
You Really good question, yeah,how does your sanctification
process?
Speaker 2 (46:44):
does it matter how?
Speaker 7 (46:46):
and why.
One of the ways I see that iswe are very selfish creatures,
right.
So as God sanctifies us, hemakes us more.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Others' objects You're more able to really love
one another.
Okay, that's great If youcouldn't hear it.
Tim said sin is very selfish.
Right, Sin is self-oriented.
So, as you are discipled intothe image of Christ, one of the
things that it does is it makesus very much other and corporate
oriented rather than self right.
(47:22):
Very good, Very good.
Speaker 5 (47:29):
Thank you.
We're more equipped to handlewhat God looks like for people.
He doesn't have a goal that,like Matt, he would think he was
sanctified but then he was ableto teach a class, or that he
didn't say very much.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
But he fulfilled that goal that God had for him.
Okay, could everyone hear whatshe said?
You know, as we grow in oursanctification, the truth there
is as we grow in oursanctification, the use of our
giftings grows and can evenchange and morph into larger and
(48:11):
larger capacity.
Right, and morph into largerand larger capacity.
Right, we sharpen our tools andthe Lord uses them to bear more
fruit.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
So great, yeah, that's good, liz, I feel like
we're better able to hear thevoice of the Lord.
You know, the more we're in theWord, we spend time in prayer,
worship better able to hear thepromises of the Holy Spirit and
stay on the Lord and feel he'sin.
(48:45):
So that was perfect, great.
Speaker 2 (48:51):
So our obedience and our ability to be a conduit
through which the Lord's will isdone only increases with our
own sanctification.
Right so, versus our owndisobedience, our own
selfishness, our own doingthings for our own reasons, yeah
(49:13):
, so that the Lord's work isenhanced by and grown through
the use of our ownsanctification.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Good, good, good.
Okay, so quickly on these lasttwo here.
We won't spend much time here.
But functionally right.
I mean we are, as we saw inchapter one of Ephesians, right.
Part of our identity is that weare made holy and blameless,
right In Christ because of hisrighteousness that he has given
(49:48):
to us.
But functionally right.
It says that we are growinginto this holy temple.
Like what characteristicsshould be true right of this
local body of believers at FBCBernie?
Right, if we're growing intothis holy temple in the Lord,
(50:10):
like just what should some ofthose things be Practically
functionally like?
What does that look like for usto be a holy temple?
Speaker 10 (50:24):
I think Romans 12 tells us not to be conformed to
the world but be transformed,and it says to present our
bodies as living sacrifices,holy and acceptable to God.
That's good, yeah, amen.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
Amen, yeah, the word of God and the Bible being the
authority of the church thateverything we do is based on
that.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
Amen, yeah, that we cannot stray from the
cornerstone.
We can't just start buildingoff over here because it feels
good or because culture has said, well, maybe you ought to move
this way, or maybe you ought todo this.
It's like, well, no, if itdoesn't line up with the Word of
God, then it's not who we are.
(51:22):
Accountability Amen, good, verygood accountability amen, good,
very good, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
The only thing I I would add in in the general
terms right, uh, to be holy, asthe lord is holy, and the word
holy itself, uh, means separateor other.
It involves the characteristicsof god.
It involves the characteristicsof God.
Therefore, as we become a holytemple, we would inevitably be
(52:03):
displaying the characteristicsof God himself more and more and
more.
So, whatever he is, he is just,he is pure, he is merciful, he
(52:23):
is patient, he is kind, he hasall those things right, and so
we display that more and more.
Speaker 10 (52:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
And so this last question on here, right before
we move on to verse 22,.
Right, how do we understandwhat is meant by the phrase at
the end of this here?
Right before we move on toverse 22,.
Right, how do we understandwhat is meant by the phrase at
the end of this verse?
Right, this growing into a holytemple in the Lord?
This is what we were talkingabout earlier.
Right, it is His right.
It's not ours.
Right, we are His bride.
(52:51):
This is His church.
We are his temple.
We are sustained by him, we'reempowered by him, we are
purified by him.
Right, we are.
Our purpose comes from him.
Right, all of those things,right.
So just that reminder to focusus back on the connection
between our identityindividually, the connection
(53:11):
between our identityindividually, our identity
collectively as part of thatbody.
Every single bit of it getsback to that point of it is his,
we are his right, we are notour own.
And so it puts us in this place, right Of this posture of
(53:32):
submission, right to Stephanie'spoint, to where absolute
authority of the Word of God iswhat dictates our lives, because
we are His.
Amen, all right.
So I want to move on to lookingat verse 22, with the time we
have left this idea that in Himyou are being built together
(53:53):
into the dwelling place for Godby the Spirit, talking about the
church and thinking about it interms of our local church, as
we've been doing.
But I want to play you a clipfrom a sermon.
There's not a video because Ididn't think about it until we
were sitting here, so I justhave audio, okay, and I'm going
(54:13):
to hold a microphone up to ithere, but I want you to listen
to this to kind of set up wherewe're going to go, okay.
Speaker 4 (54:21):
Authentic local church contains the DNA of a
remade world.
It is in there because it isChrist's church and Christ's
people and the ones that he haschosen for himself that he is
building together.
(54:42):
It is the place that he dwells,it is the family that he loves.
It's the unfolding reality ofGod's purpose in all of history.
Essentially, what it is is thatthe gospel brings a little bit
of a future into the present.
When in local churches, thereis a reality that transcends
(55:05):
ethnicity, social class, culture, race, preoccupations with
politics and every other thing,and the people come in and say,
oh well, I never came acrossanything like this in my life.
What is this?
It's God's new society.
It's a walkthrough visual aid.
It's a gallery displayinglittle sketches.
(55:26):
It might not be in gloriousTechnicolor in your place it
certainly isn't in mine but itmay be charcoal sketches, little
scribbles, little inklings thatthere is something going on
here that is.
Speaker 1 (55:46):
That's Alistair Beck.
Did you hear it there?
We've been talking about all ofthose things.
He just does it with anincredible accent and with a
clarity right.
That is just so, so good.
What stood out to you that youheard him say there?
Dna?
Speaker 3 (56:06):
DNA.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Yeah, yeah, I actually wrote that quote down
in my notes.
The authentic local churchright contains the DNA of a
remade world right, so that'swhy it matters right that we
understand this, that ouridentity is connected to this
right, that we are pursuingholiness in our lives, that we
(56:31):
are embracing sanctificationright in our lives, that we are
embracing sanctification rightBecause we want to, like he said
, we want to be these sketchesthat just show the world who God
is and what it is he is doing,and our local churches have the
potential and the ability to dothat very thing.
Speaker 2 (56:52):
And it's such a vivid , it's such a beautiful
illustration of the function andcall of a church is to be that
different society.
So when the loss comes andvisits, they should be getting a
(57:15):
taste of that remade world.
Right, that's what we're calledto the way that we care for one
another and, you know, carryout the one another's, bear one
another's burdens, pray for oneanother.
The way that we do all of that,the way that we use our
(57:35):
giftings together.
That should it should be.
We're not going to be perfectand I love that he pointed that
out, but that when the lost comein here they say, wow, what is
this place?
Speaker 1 (57:48):
Yeah, amen.
So let's we've talked about allthese aspects of this verse, so
let's look at these questionsfor the little bit of time that
we have left here.
The number that we can get tohow has just pressing into this
idea that we are being builttogether in Christ, how does
that reshape how you see youridentity and purpose as part of
(58:14):
the church?
Has it shifted it To maybe notlooking at just the individual,
but seeing that you are part ofthe body, right, that your
(58:38):
identity is connected to who youare in this body of believers,
right?
This whole passage we've beenlooking at Paul's not talking to
an individual, is he?
He's talking to the people ofGod, right?
And saying you collectively,corporately, this is who you are
.
It's important for us to makethat shift.
Speaker 7 (58:55):
Yeah, one of the things somebody brought out was
that every time the word saintsis used in the New Testament,
it's always for Like there is nosaint here or saints.
I'm standing on a saint, jason,and he's saying like we are
saints collectively, yeah,because we are the sanctified
(59:22):
people of.
Speaker 5 (59:28):
God Amen.
Speaker 2 (59:31):
I'm going to press you because I like that question
.
So I want to see if someonewould answer Just this press of
the corporate reality with youridentity.
What does that change Sin?
Speaker 7 (59:48):
is selfish.
But by the very nature of beingin Christ, everything about
your life is no longer going tobe in your life Ultimately it's
(01:00:10):
going to be offered to Christ.
I think Matthew 25, at the endof Matthew 25, we get this
picture of the final judgment.
We've got sheep and goats.
The nature of that judgment,the basis for that judgment, is
(01:00:31):
what these sheep or goats didfor Christ's people.
So just our new creation, ourentire identity is for service
to God by serving others.
So maybe that's an impressionwe should go see around for the
support of church, I mean that'sthe whole purpose.
(01:00:53):
Yeah, just think there's no I inteam.
We are not just a single playeron this team.
Yeah, you know, here's my hero,my celebrity in the church.
(01:01:14):
But Paul said no, we're allgiven assignments and duties,
we're just equal.
God gets the glory because hebrings the increase.
He uses us, but that's it.
He doesn't have to use us.
We're not that important, butwe are important and collective.
Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
That's good.
Did you have something, liz,liz?
Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
Liz, liz.
You know why can't I be quietLike that's?
Speaker 3 (01:01:57):
just, you know it's the same thing.
But if you are speaking topeople like he is, or you are
speaking to that requirement andGod gives words on you, but
(01:02:25):
certain personality things youknow are diminished, I know
we're going to talk about thattoo.
It's not an instant fact, right, so to me that's helpful just
to remember that we're not meantto be the same, liz.
Speaker 2 (01:02:38):
That is so, so good, because we live in a day and a
culture that is soindividualistic.
Social media is individualisticand driven Everyone's shooting
to be famous and to be a star,and driven Everyone's shooting
(01:02:59):
to be famous and to be a starthe people with the most talents
or whatever and so often theyskyrocket out because they're
not whole and complete.
But the freedom of realizingGod is not calling you to be
that individual star, god iscalling you to be a part of the
core, and to lose your identityin that corporate reality is
(01:03:22):
freeing.
That is very profound what youjust said.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (01:03:32):
We're used to it.
Yeah, some people are reallygifted and great and they help
(01:03:52):
others.
Speaker 7 (01:03:53):
So the local church is far away right that corporate
identity of the local church isthe means by which the gospel
(01:04:21):
is made, Whether it is sending afew of their breaks out far
away or just kind of expandingtheir breaks into the local
community as an entire community.
Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
Yeah, amen.
So I know we're.
I'm looking at the clock, we'reout of time.
The rest of these questionsreally continue just to make you
wrestle through some of thesesame truths that we've been
thinking about.
Really continue just to makeyou wrestle through some of
these same truths that we'vebeen thinking about.
But this question at the top ofthis page is exactly what you
guys have been saying here atthe end.
Right, this idea like there is adrift in modern, in our culture
(01:05:06):
today.
Right of individualism,consumerism.
Right within local churches.
Right, scriptures when you goto the word of God.
Right, it presses against that.
Right, it says no.
Right, it is not for the few tolike stand up and perform before
the rest to come in and justtake it.
It's like no, you participate,you are part of this, you are.
(01:05:27):
We are edifying one another, weare building one another up.
Right, you are meant to be partof this building up together of
God's temple, his dwellingplace, and so, when you are
rooted and understand youridentity as an individual in
Christ, everything we saw inchapter one of Ephesians right,
(01:05:50):
it allows you, liz, I think yousaid it here it allows you to
lose yourself.
Right, you don't have to striveto perform in order for
notoriety or for recognition.
Your confidence rests in whoyou are in Christ, so it frees
you up to lose yourself, up tolose yourself to be part of the
(01:06:21):
corporate body, right, you don'thave to stand out.
You are part of this body,right?
Your value, your worth comesfrom who you are in Christ, so
your identity as part of thisbody can be who you are and you
can just serve as God gifts youand places you within that body
to serve in whatever way it is,knowing that, hey, you were part
of building up, right, thisdwelling place for God.
(01:06:44):
Right to bear his image, tomake his glory known in the
world.
Right, that's our identity, hasbeen building to that this
entire time, as we've thoughtabout that.
So hopefully, that is just agreat place for us to kind of
tie a bow on this study of whythis is important.
(01:07:05):
It frees you up, right To bethis image bearer of God as part
of his holy dwelling place,right For your life just to
count for him.
But it begins by understandingwho he's remade you to be in
(01:07:26):
Christ, amen, amen.
So there's other questions.
You can spend more time onthese.
I encourage you to go backthrough your notes.
You've got like 130 pages ofthem.
You could go back and lookthrough from time to time, but
thank you for being part of thisstudy.
Hopefully it's been a blessing,pastor.
Thank you for jumping up andhelping lead through it.
(01:07:48):
Thank you guys forparticipating.
It's been a really, really goodtime together.
So, tim, would you close us inprayer?
Speaker 7 (01:07:59):
Father, we're so thankful for your love for us
and the way you have revealedyourself, and, lord, for the
miracle and the absolute,incredible way that you have put
us together in the body ofChrist, and we are just
anticipating what that's goingto look like in fullness.
Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08:28):
Thank you guys.
All right, we will get going.
We've made it to the last week.
Congratulations.
You've made it through ouridentity study and you know,
with a group this size, wereally could let each person in
the room come up with amicrophone and, from memory,
(00:22):
recite Ephesians 1, 3 through 14.
We have enough time foreverybody to do it, that's what
the last session?
is yeah.
So if everybody wants to form aline behind Christine Ball, she
will start the line and theneverybody just follow in line
after her and we'll just see howfar you can get.
I'm just kidding, we won't makeyou do it.
Oh, thank you, All right, ohyeah.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
You just say one word and then the next person has to
say that oh, we can do thatJust keep working through the
room.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Everybody's flipping in their notes to find it real
quick.
Oh no, we won't make you reciteit, but hopefully, for your own
edification and encouragement,you have committed at least part
of this passage to memory.
It will serve you very well ifyou have, or if you choose to at
(01:11):
the end of this, however youuse it, but I would encourage
you to still do that.
That would be great.
What I would like to do forsake of introduction, for just a
couple of minutes here, we'vehad 15, this is week 16 of this
study.
Actually, hang on, before we doanything else like I went back
(01:32):
and listened to Matt Ball'steaching from last week and I
need to correct a grossmisstatement that he made in his
teaching last week.
Okay, I'm just going topublicly correct him here in
this place.
He said he's up here teachinglast week because the pastors
(01:53):
were on vacation together.
All right, that was amisrepresentation of what we
were doing Completely socomplete misrepresentation.
We were were doing Completelyso complete misrepresentation.
We were in Florida, oh, okay,yeah, yeah, we were at
Disneyland.
Yeah, we went to Disney andjust rode rides the whole time.
(02:14):
No, we were on a planningretreat, so was there some fun?
Well, absolutely, because we'refun guys, that's right, so
can't not have fun.
But there was also some work.
There was some work that washappening in Florida, so I just
needed to correct that before wewent any further.
(02:35):
But I do appreciate Matt takingcharge last week.
He did an excellent job workingthrough last week just looking
at the fact that we are one inChrist and I thought it was an
excellent job, so that wasreally really good.
So what?
I would like to take a fewminutes to do this evening.
(02:57):
You've had 15 weeks thus far.
What part of our study, likewhich characteristic of our
identity, has stood out to youthe most Like?
As you think back through whatwe've done, which one of the
weeks you're like?
You know I learned somethinghere.
(03:23):
God reminded me of somethinghere.
This was particularlymeaningful to me in my walk with
the Lord.
Help me see somethingdifferently.
Does anybody want to take aminute to just encourage the
rest of us with something, maybethat you're saying I'm walking
away with this in particular?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Here's the very first one.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I think, the fact that I am chosen to give you so
much peace and comfort.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:54):
Chosen Amen I was sitting at my desk memorizing
that one phrase.
I don't have a microphone.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
And I can't remember what it was In him we have
redemption through his blood.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Redemption through his blood yeah, and so I said it
, and I mean, I was just doingmemorization and then something
just started popping in my heart, everybody can hear you.
I was trying to memorize in himwe have redemption through his
blood on the Monday morning ofHoly Week, and I was just doing
(04:36):
a rote memorization and thensomething happened in my heart
and I had a tear trickle down myface heart.
And I had a tear trickle down myface and before I knew it, as I
kept saying it over and overand over, which I did in order
to try to get it down here um,it got there and I was just
bawling and I think that that'sbeen the beauty of memorizing
(05:01):
this, because, um, that phrasewas the most emotional for me,
but all of them have beenincredibly meaningful and to
have it hidden now in my heart,I don't know if I can ever say
it without this, but at least Ican say it with my notes and so,
(05:24):
yeah, that was what was someaningful to me.
It was just special as.
I started Holy Week with that.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
That's where it's gone, impressed on my heart.
I love that.
I love that Anybody else?
Now that I've got a microphoneout, people are going to clam up
probably, but just so thatpeople watching on the video can
actually hear the words you'resaying.
That's why I'm using themicrophone.
Anybody else?
What are the particular weeksor truths that we learned?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Sydney.
Speaker 8 (06:04):
Okay, well, I know I kind of came in the middle of
everything, but it was so timelybecause it was the one about
the Holy Spirit.
There's a lot of differingopinions and so just relying on
God's word and just leaning inon the truth that, like I love
(06:27):
the Lord and I have acceptedJesus Christ as my savior and I
have the Holy Spirit, and justallowing the Holy Spirit to show
me, through the word of God,the truth, um, it was just
really helped me.
So.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I'm very thankful for that.
Awesome, awesome, love it.
Somebody else, anybody?
Christine will go, all right.
Taryn, do you want?
Speaker 5 (07:00):
I like the part in Ephesians 1, verse 2.
I mean, no, oh, 14, 13.
Sorry, there's a little toothere.
Okay, believed you were sealedin him with the Holy Spirit of
promise, so I just like how youguys really focused on that
sealed part in that, no matterwhere you're at, you will always
(07:25):
have that forever.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, I love that.
It was cool On our men'sretreat this past weekend.
We had four men that gave theirlife to Christ at the retreat
and we were circling up withthem and praying for them, and
Matt actually prayed, led ourprayer time for them and as he
was praying that was actuallywhat he was thanking the Lord
(07:48):
for is the permanence, the factthat they are now sealed as part
of the family of God, becausethey now have the Spirit of God
in them.
So, yeah, that's powerful.
When you pause to think throughthat, anybody else See, this is
easy.
Oh, it's all the girls in theroom that are willing to speak.
(08:13):
So come on, guys.
Speaker 9 (08:16):
So for me it was the holy and blameless to think that
this is how God sees me,because I'm a mess, I know
there's plenty of things I dowrong and lots that is not holy
and not bl.
How God sees me, because I'm amess, I know there's plenty of
things I do wrong and lots thatis not holy and not blameless
about me.
But the fact that that's how hesees me positionally, that's
what I am that makes me want tolive up to that, to just try all
(08:39):
the more to keep that on mymind.
So that's the part that reallysticks with me when I think
about this passage is I am holyand blameless before a holy God.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That's really good.
Amen, amen.
All right, anybody else Allright?
Well, hopefully this has beengood and hopefully there's even
if you don't want to say it outloud, there is a truth here, an
identity truth that you aretaking away from this, that the
(09:13):
Lord is just bringing back toyour mind on a regular basis and
you're meditating on it, you'rethanking him for it.
It's becoming worshipful justto pause and just to say it over
and over again and allow theLord to use it in your life.
It's good, it's very good.
So, thank you guys, let's openwith prayer and then we will
(09:36):
jump in.
Pastor, do you mind I would?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
love to Hurrying for us.
Heavenly Father, we thank youthat you have saved us and
through the work of your Son,you call us your own, and our
identity is in Jesus, and theold is gone and the new has come
, and we have abundant blessing,every spiritual blessing, in
(10:01):
the heavenly places, and so wethank you that we are in Christ.
Help us to understand that moreand more.
Help us to believe your wordmore and more and apply it to
our lives on a daily basis.
Help us to be able to detecthow we're believing the lies of
(10:24):
the enemy and how fundamentallythose lies go to a foundation of
who we are, and to be able toanswer those with Scripture.
Help us, as Betty gavetestimony, to experience you
through your word and for it tochange our hearts that this
(10:47):
would not be head knowledge but,as Betty gave such a beautiful
example of when it gets downinto our heart and when we
genuinely believe.
Help us to do that with all ofthese.
In Jesus' name, we pray, amen,amen.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
All right.
So tonight we are going tofinish up in chapter two,
looking at verses 19 through 22.
So we're going to walk throughthese verses one by one.
You guys got a lot.
Some of the content is going tobe a review of last week, just
seeing how everything rightabout our salvation, everything
(11:29):
about our identity is rooted andgrounded and is through Christ.
Amen.
Matt did a great job ofexplaining there's not multiple
ways to Christ.
There's not multiple ways to bemade right with God.
It is only through the personand the work of Jesus Christ
that any of us can sit here andthink through this identity that
(11:52):
scripture talks about.
That is ours.
It was only possible throughhim.
It is in Christ.
That's been the theme of ourseries and our study is it is in
Christ.
So as we look tonight, we aregoing to see as this passage
ends in verse 22, that we are adwelling place for God.
But we're going to back up alittle bit and look at some of
(12:15):
the other verses around this aswell.
So let me read the passage forus and then we're going to jump
in and there's going to bequestions tonight, so be ready
to participate, to answer, okay.
So Paul says this, beginning inverse 19,.
So then you are no longerstrangers and aliens, but you
are fellow citizens with thesaints and members of the
(12:36):
household of God, built on thefoundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus himselfbeing the cornerstone in whom
the whole structure, beingjoined together, grows into a
holy temple in the Lord.
In him verse 22, also you arebeing built together into a
(12:57):
dwelling place for God by theSpirit.
All right, so we're going tojump in here and I want you to
let's go back to verse 19, andhelp me fill in these blanks
here.
What does this passage verse 19, say?
That we aren't any longerStrangers and aliens.
(13:19):
Right?
So if we were similar but alittle different in their
definitions?
When you think through astranger, this is someone who is
an outsider.
They have no legal status, nostanding, they are outside, an
alien.
You know just the definition ofthe word here.
(13:39):
Right, there's a temporaryresidence, but they don't have
full rights or privileges.
Temporary residence, but theydon't have full rights or
privileges.
A couple of passages you've gotthere in your notes that we can
look at Ephesians 2, verse 12.
Paul says remember.
Like leading up to this, hesays remember at one time you
were separated from Christ.
You were alienated from thecommonwealth of Israel and
(14:01):
strangers to the covenants ofpromise, having no hope and
without God in the world.
So when he's talking about this, he says listen, what were
those covenants?
It says that they were excludedfrom.
He's comparing the Jews and theGentiles at this point.
But the covenants that theJewish people had, that the
(14:24):
Gentiles were excluded from,what did those covenants promise
Anybody?
You could boil it down tosalvation.
(14:46):
They promised salvation rightThrough God.
Right, as God's people, as hischosen people, that there was
salvation as part of God'speople.
Right.
And so he's saying listen, atone time you were a stranger to
that, you were alien.
You did not have those things.
(15:08):
You were outside of that right.
Even David, before he died in 1Chronicles, chapter 29,.
We have recorded his prayerbefore the people.
He's addressing the people forthe last time and he prays and
he even says looking at thepeople, he says we are aliens in
temporary residence in yourpresence, as were all our
(15:31):
ancestors.
Our days on earth are like ashadow, without hope.
And so even David is pausing tojust ponder this idea.
Right, there was nothingspecial about David because he
was king.
There was nothing special aboutDavid because he was king.
There was nothing special aboutDavid because he was a Jew.
The only thing about David,right, that gave him hope, that
(15:51):
gave him significance, was thefact that he was part of God's
covenant people, right, and soin Christ, as Matt explained,
right, god's covenant people arenow who Christ, as Matt
explained, right, god's covenantpeople are now who?
Yeah, those who have come byfaith, you know, to Christ, who
(16:12):
have surrendered to him and haveplaced their faith in Jesus.
Those are God's chosen people,right?
I heard the question on thevideo last week, right, like,
who were God's chosen people?
It's so easy to want to saywhat the Jews?
Right, because we hear thatright in the Old Testament, the
language of the Old Testament.
But the New Testament is clearin the way it begins to unpack
(16:34):
that we now, even as Gentiles,we are grafted in because God
has one people right, and thatis those who have come to him by
faith in Jesus Christ.
And so that is so.
It's important for us to seewho we aren't anymore, that in
Christ we are no longerstrangers and aliens.
But then he goes on to say whowe are.
(16:56):
How would?
What does verse 19 say aboutwho we are Fellow citizens, and
yeah, with the saints, and thenthat final phrase, members of
the household of God.
All right, there's a couple ofpassages there that you've got
in your notes that we could lookat here.
(17:17):
Right in Philippians, chapterthree, verse 20, our citizenship
is in heaven already.
Even though we are not therenow, right, positionally we are.
We are citizens of heaven.
And this passage in Hebrews 12,verses 22 and 23, continues to
kind of unpack that idea of thealready and the not yet.
(17:40):
Right, you have, but you verse22, have come to Mount Zion, to
the city of the living God, theheavenly Jerusalem.
Right, we are positionallythere because we are in Christ,
although we will experience itmore fully at a future time when
(18:01):
we are with him forever.
Right, so this is an importanttruth for us, to see that our
citizenship is in heaven, thatwe are members of the household
of God.
So here is a good place where Iwant to pause and just ask
these two questions that you seein your notes and up on the
screen here, based on Ephesians2.19, where Paul tells us who we
(18:27):
aren't anymore and who we are.
Why is it helpful to rememberwho we aren't.
Let's start with that one.
Why is it good for us to bereminded of that?
Not everybody at once.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Because we want to be rejoicing in our, that we're in
Christ, so we're not strangers.
In the name of the Lord Christ.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Yeah, we're not far off right, like we've been
brought near, right.
So to remember that, like weare no longer strangers, right,
we are not.
We have legal status.
Our citizenship is in heaven.
We don't have some of therights but not others, right, we
are fully part of, you know,the kingdom of God, the family
(19:28):
of God, yeah, so here, yeah,that's a great point, christine,
that's really good.
(19:55):
Yeah, yeah, so to think back tosay I'm not that anymore, right
, I used to be that right, butbecause Christ chose me right, I
used to be that right, butbecause Christ chose me right,
like Jose said earlier, becausehe chose me right, I am no
longer these things and you canlook back and just marvel at
(20:15):
what Christ has done.
It's good.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Let me also add do we ever feel like that old self?
Do we ever feel like that oldself?
The reality is, your feelingsfail you.
You make mistakes, you runbackwards at times.
You're a prodigal.
So the reason it's helpful forus to remember who we aren't is
(20:44):
because there will be days whenyour flesh and your feelings
tell you who you are.
And do you guys have an enemythat ever lies to you, and when
he speaks to you, does he liketo tell you that you still are
who you were you, that you stillare who you were?
(21:11):
That's how he operates, right.
So that's why it's important tostart there and then to say I'm
not that anymore.
Even if I feel that way, it'snot true because of what Christ
has done.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, so keep going with that, then, and let's add
that piece how is it helpful toremember who you are?
Speaker 10 (21:27):
I think it gives us hope and it makes us homesick
for where home really is Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
So she said hope and homesick.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
It's looking forward to a better place.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
No, I 100% agree.
That's good, yeah, when you go.
Some people go on vacationright, and they kind of put down
roots right, like those weirdosthat unpack and put their stuff
in the drawers of the dressersand stuff in the rooms, like you
(22:06):
know that's a little.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Those are weirdos, and if Dan Gorham is watching
this, he is one of those.
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, Like if you're going to be somewhere for like a
couple of days or even a week,like I live out of a suitcase
always, Even then, right Likeit's.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Because I'm definitely afraid of leaving
something there.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Yeah, so the point is right you act differently when
you know you're somewheretemporarily.
Right, there's things you do.
Right, you don't put down rootsbecause you know you're going
back home soon.
But you also, while you'rethere, you make the most of the
(22:48):
time you have there, don't you?
Because you know you're onlygoing to be there a short time,
so you soak everything out of itthat you can as believers.
Elaine, I think thatperspective is so important to
remember who you are You're acitizen of heaven.
Right, that's home.
To remember who you are You'rea citizen of heaven.
(23:09):
Right, that's home.
So to think, then, through howwe live this life.
Right, it's like, well, Ibetter live this life and make
it count for Christ.
Right, I better really livethis life to the fullest because
I'm only here a short timebefore God takes me home.
But also to not hold on to, notto put down roots here to the
(23:30):
point that all of our hope andall of our joy is tied up in the
things of this world.
Right, Because this is not home.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Right, that perspective is, and I think
sometimes the reality is thatthe believer just gets homesick.
Perspective is and I thinksometimes the reality is that
the believer just gets homesickyou just get homesick.
And for you to understand,right in that aspect, you will
never fully fit in here becauseyou're not home, and so
sometimes that's the most validexplanation at the end of the
(24:02):
day, when I'm working throughwhat is going on in my soul,
sometimes I'm homesick.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
So it's helpful.
It's helpful to put things inperspective, right, Like when a
day is just heavy.
Right To be able to thinkthrough it that way.
Right To remember who we areright.
Remember who we are right.
It's incredibly helpful just tosettle our hearts, to settle
our minds.
(24:30):
Sometimes that's what we need,right, Just to be able to take a
breath and to continue to justput one foot in front of the
other is to let the Holy Spiritjust renew us by renewing our
minds, Like, hey, yeah, don't besurprised by this.
Right, You're not home yet.
It's an important aspect ofthis that I think we forget.
(24:50):
Right, Obviously we do, becauseGod has to remind us of it in
his word.
Right, hey, you're a citizen ofheaven.
Right, as a believer.
Remember that, it's important,you need to know that.
So good, let's keep going.
Look at verse.
Anything else there before wemove on.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I was going to tell you we got to get on our horse.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
You got five pages here.
I know we're through one.
We'll just have to come backnext week.
Verse 20,.
Verse 20, built on thefoundation of the apostles and
the prophets, Christ Jesushimself being the cornerstone.
This solid foundation, he saysit's built on the foundation of
what the apostles and theprophets and Jesus himself.
(25:36):
Is the what, the cornerstone.
So now, when he's talking aboutthe apostles and the prophets
prophets saying it is built onthe foundation of the apostles
and the prophets, is he talkingabout literal people, Like the
church is built on Peter or thechurch is built on Paul or
Matthew?
What is he talking about herewhen he says this solid
(26:02):
foundation, it is built on thefoundation of the apostles and
the prophets?
What is this pointing to?
Yeah, the word of God, theteachings, right.
The authority of what they weresaying, right, that is the
foundation.
The foundation is not a personwhen it's talking about the
(26:22):
apostles and the prophets, right, person when it's talking about
the apostles and the prophetsright, it's the message that
those apostles and prophets inthe New Testament were giving.
It's the message of who Jesusis and what he has done that he
was crucified, buried andresurrected and ascended to the
right hand of the Father right,Making intercession for us so
(26:42):
that we could know God right.
That is the foundation right.
And who is the cornerstone?
What is the purpose of acornerstone?
Any builders in the room?
Is it just so you can like puta date on the side of a building
(27:03):
that says it was built on thisdate?
Is that the purpose of acornerstone?
Is just decoration?
No, yes, yeah yeah, so acornerstone is is the first
(27:26):
stone in a foundation that isset right.
Everything else is plumbed offof that cornerstone, right?
So if it's not right, nothingelse is right.
And so when scripture says thatJesus is the cornerstone, now
make a spiritual connection withthis.
What is he saying here?
(27:49):
That Jesus is the cornerstone,that everything about who we are
is built on everything about usas the people of God and the
kingdom of God and the dwellingplace of God?
Right, all of that is built onthis foundation of the teaching
of the apostles and the prophets, but Jesus being the
cornerstone Spiritually, what isthat saying?
(28:12):
Okay, he's all we need.
Keep going, that's good.
Anybody want to add to?
Yeah, no, absolutely yeah.
(28:57):
I mean we're going to unpackthis more in a little bit with
some of the discussion questionsthat hopefully we will get to,
but just in case we go long andwe don't get through all the
pages, that is exactly right.
Everything is set by Him.
He is the truth.
Amen, like.
He is everything.
You know, we don't get to bethe ones who determine it.
(29:18):
Right, it's not up for debate.
He is the cornerstone.
Everything is built based uponwho he is.
Amen, like.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
That is yes, liz Are they saying that Jesus is not
apart from the foundation of theimpossible.
Basically, not only is hewithin that, but he is the first
.
You should be Christ when youread the gospel.
This is the foundation, soChrist is part of that.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Is that right?
Yeah, it's basically.
Yeah.
What he's referring to here inthis verse is listen, this
foundation, right, that was laidby the apostles' teaching about
, but their teaching was aboutwho Jesus is.
This reference to prophets,scholars will debate is this
talking about the Old Testamentprophets or is this talking
about prophets in the NewTestament?
(30:16):
This is talking about prophetsin the New Testament, without
going into a lot of detail.
Otherwise, they would havelisted prophets first and then
apostles, right?
So it's just saying, hey, theseguys who gave witness to who
Jesus is.
Yeah, it's all about him, right, he is the cornerstone, and
everything they said and did wasinspired by the Holy Spirit, to
(30:41):
proclaim him and to bring intofocus who he was.
That is the foundation that weare built on in Christ.
Does that make sense?
As in Christ?
Does that make sense?
Good, so, yeah, so everything.
Then, like everything,spiritually right, our lives
(31:03):
must be squared, if you will,right to the plans and the
purposes of Christ.
He is the one who sets it inplace, right?
We don't set the course for ourlives and then, just, you know,
ask Jesus to step in and blessit, right, or to build on it,
like God.
Here's what I want to do.
Here's the foundation I'mbuilding on.
(31:24):
Would you, you know, would youcome over here and just you know
, just you know, put yourblessing on this.
It's like, no, no, he's thecornerstone, right, we build on
him.
Right, his plans, his purposes.
So good, we're going to go onunless anybody has anything to
(31:45):
add.
Let's look at verse 21, in whomthe whole structure, being
joined together, grows into aholy temple in the Lord.
So, this idea of a growingtemple?
So, first of all, right, hereminds us in whom, the whole
(32:06):
structure, who is the whom?
We've already talked about this, but, just to make sure you see
it, every place it's referencedhere.
Yeah, that's right, jose, jesus, right, it is in Jesus that
this whole structure, the church, this temple of God, right,
(32:29):
this people of God, right, it isall held together by Jesus.
But this idea of it being joinedtogether, what do you see there
?
Like, as you read through that,do you see that this is an
ongoing process, that this isstill happening?
(32:50):
Even in the language, right,the tense of the word?
There, it is being joinedtogether.
Why is it ongoing?
It's not a trick question.
What?
Yeah, it's not done.
Still in process, in process,are people still being added to
(33:21):
the church, to the body ofChrist?
Yeah, so this structure, it'sstill being joined together
because people are still beingadded to it.
You know, even thinking throughthat, from this weekend, right,
four more guys this weekendwe're added to it.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
So do you understand the physical analogy that's
being described here?
What's the physical analogy?
Wait, I got to get it.
Yeah, what's the structure?
What is the analogy structure?
(34:00):
God is building a temple.
Okay, and so what are you inthe construction?
Yeah, most likely bricks or arock.
You're a rock.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Your head's hard A rolling stone.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
It's an analogy, All right.
So God is building a holytemple and construction is still
underway.
But the reason the analogy isso important is because of some
of the questions that are comingnext all right in regards to
(34:48):
and where Matt went last week,in regards to the unity of the
structure.
So could one brick in a buildingof a temple say to another
brick in the building of thetemple I'm such a much better
brick than you, I'm the bestbrick here.
Look at all you other bricks.
(35:08):
Right, that would be silly.
And they have a collectivepurpose.
Right, it is the dwelling placeof the Lord.
So, you see, just expand theanalogy a little bit.
Think about it.
The Scripture has given youthis analogy for you to
purposely think about.
All right, it's an analogy,You're not really a brick, but
(35:32):
there's intended purposes behindthinking through the analogy.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Yeah, and then, just so, it's ongoing, but it's
dynamic.
It grows into a holy temple,right?
So what God is doing, right,like Tim said, this is still in
process.
He's still working on thisstructure.
It is a dynamic thing.
It's not static, right, andthat's an important thing, and
(35:59):
some of our questions are goingto help us unpack that.
But just wanted you to see,right, instead of just reading
through these verses quickly,just to take a minute and look
at these different parts ofthese verses, just to help us as
we think through some of thesequestions, so let's spend a few
minutes on these here.
So how does Christ bring unityto this structure, to the church
(36:20):
, to this temple, this holytemple that he is building?
How does he bring unity?
Because it says we're beingjoined together.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Vine.
We're all coming from vine kindof growing out.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Okay, yeah, so, borrowing from that picture that
Jesus gave in John right, thathe is the vine and we are the
branches.
So he's bringing unity in thefact that we have to be
connected to him for there to begrowth.
Okay, that's good.
(37:04):
What else do you see here?
How does Christ bring unity tothis idea of being joined
together?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Sydney, we all have we're all being uniquely in an
image.
We're all perfect.
We all have different gifts,and so if different people in
the body of Christ come together, we don't lose those gifts.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Yeah, Okay.
So she said we all havedifferent giftings.
Okay, a uniqueness.
But, as Scripture specificallyteaches, we're called to use
those giftings for the bodyright.
So that's how those giftingsfit together and function.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
Yeah, and they only are able to fit together and
function right with Christ asthe cornerstone.
Bring them together to unifythose things.
Anything else you see here thatyou'd answer this with.
I mean it's God in salvation.
Speaker 7 (38:10):
I'm a center here for a new creation.
God's breathing that spirit ashe sees fit and gives gifts, so
he's making each particularstone to fit together, join
(38:32):
together with the nextparticular stone that he also
made, and so on and so on.
Literally every stone, and he's.
I think we've used the idea ofa warrior he's pulling rock from
the quarry, he's chiseling,he's making every stone, he's
putting it together, he'sputting them where they go.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
And so it's just.
He's made each stone exactlyfor himself.
Yeah, and I like that,particularly when you think of
the local church, when you thinkof the only real visible
representation of the universalchurch is the local church, and
so often we can tend to thinkpretty low or poorly of the
(39:23):
local church.
But when you view it in the waythat Matt just described it,
the reality is God has placed ushere for this appointed time to
live in community together,each of you with me and with
others, and to fit and tofunction together.
(39:47):
And the Lord has gifted us withthe appropriate giftings that
he desires for the work that hedesires, and therefore we are
not deficient.
And that that person who wantsto fit into our group and our
(40:10):
church, who is professing Christand is following with obedience
, just because they have adifferent personality or
different gifts from you, youcan't say get out of here, go
somewhere else, right?
It's no, no, no, the Lord hascalled us together, the Lord is
fitting us together, so it takesa completely different
perspective, right.
Speaker 7 (40:31):
Sorry, maybe I'm pushing the analogy too far, but
just on that exact point.
Right, right, pastor Jason'sstill on the way over there,
tim's still on the way overthere, but no, using that
(40:58):
imagery there.
This FBC urn is a particularsection of all or a particular
partition, somewhere fittedtogether within the Larkin
family.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, within the Larkin family.
Yeah, that's excellent yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Yeah, and we're going to see that as we go along.
It's so easy to thinkindividualistically Is that a
word?
Okay, I thought it was beforeit came out, but it is now a
word.
It's so easy, when we think ofour faith, to think that way.
Right, but what we are seeingin this passage, and what we're
(41:34):
going to understand, is that ouridentity is actually much more
tied to corporate who we are asa body.
Right, I love that, matt.
We are a stone in the wall ofthis temple, this dwelling place
of God, right, and so ouridentity is attached to one
(41:54):
another, within, within the bodyof christ, and it's only
unified through him.
Elaine, I know you were goingto say something, did?
No, I was just going to addthat he's refining us.
Speaker 10 (42:05):
Matt gave a great analogy and it's all to bear his
image.
You know we forget there's apurpose involved.
Amen, it's to bear his imageamen, amen, all right, so good.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Well, so we've kind of we've started answering
question number two up here aswell.
Right, the verse shows theunity and growth of the church
is an ongoing process.
So how do each of us, asmembers of a local church,
participate in this ongoingprocess?
Volunteer Serve by serving,yeah, seeing needs within that
(42:53):
local body and being willing toserve.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
How else?
So?
Liz used the word volunteer,which is good and fine, but it
immediately thinks of churchstaff asking for help for an
event.
Therefore, you can fill thisseat right, which is fine.
That's a function of the church, but the entire idea of the
(43:24):
church serving one another lookswildly different than just that
, right?
How else does it look?
Okay, Evangelizing yeah, howelse?
Soul care?
Okay, carrying one another'sburdens how else?
(43:51):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
So, as parents, the natural duties and
responsibilities that the Lordhas given you some of those
primary responsibilities parentto children yeah, does that
build up the church right?
When we are doing what God hascalled us to do faithfully in
our homes, to disciple, to raiseour children to know the Lord,
(44:28):
does that build up the body ofChrist?
You better believe it does.
Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
Yeah, because.
So I'm really glad you saidthat, because it's so natural
for me to only think of thechurch when the local church is
gathered and that's obviously avery important part of our week
and rhythm.
But the reality is you're stilla part of the church even when
(45:01):
we are not gathered.
So your function.
A lot of times we gather forinstruction and help so that you
can go home and follow the Lordin what the Lord's calling you
with your children anddiscipleship, or carrying one
another's burdens by havingcoffee with a friend and a lot
of those things.
So the beauty, the simpleanalogy of the building makes us
(45:27):
so often think in concreteterms.
But part of the purpose and thereason that God intentionally
moved from a temple into hispeople was because it's now a
spiritual kingdom and the waythat the Spirit works and
functions within us, bothindividually and collectively,
(45:49):
looks wildly differentthroughout the overall course of
life in addition to gathering.
But so much more right, it'spart of the permanent indwelling
of the Spirit.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
Yeah, Amen, All right .
So there's some other questionsthat we have here.
If you flip the page on onemore, Right?
So just on this one here.
Thinking through what we havehere, like, how does your
sanctification as a follower ofJesus right as part of a local
(46:23):
church, how does it contributeto the growth or the health of
this local body of believers,Right?
You Really good question, yeah,how does your sanctification
process?
Speaker 2 (46:44):
does it matter how?
Speaker 7 (46:46):
and why.
One of the ways I see that iswe are very selfish creatures,
right.
So as God sanctifies us, hemakes us more.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Others' objects You're more able to really love
one another.
Okay, that's great If youcouldn't hear it.
Tim said sin is very selfish.
Right, Sin is self-oriented.
So, as you are discipled intothe image of Christ, one of the
things that it does is it makesus very much other and corporate
oriented rather than self right.
(47:22):
Very good, Very good.
Speaker 5 (47:29):
Thank you.
We're more equipped to handlewhat God looks like for people.
He doesn't have a goal that,like Matt, he would think he was
sanctified but then he was ableto teach a class, or that he
didn't say very much.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
But he fulfilled that goal that God had for him.
Okay, could everyone hear whatshe said?
You know, as we grow in oursanctification, the truth there
is as we grow in oursanctification, the use of our
giftings grows and can evenchange and morph into larger and
(48:11):
larger capacity.
Right, and morph into largerand larger capacity.
Right, we sharpen our tools andthe Lord uses them to bear more
fruit.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
So great, yeah, that's good, liz, I feel like
we're better able to hear thevoice of the Lord.
You know, the more we're in theWord, we spend time in prayer,
worship better able to hear thepromises of the Holy Spirit and
stay on the Lord and feel he'sin.
(48:45):
So that was perfect, great.
Speaker 2 (48:51):
So our obedience and our ability to be a conduit
through which the Lord's will isdone only increases with our
own sanctification.
Right so, versus our owndisobedience, our own
selfishness, our own doingthings for our own reasons, yeah
(49:13):
, so that the Lord's work isenhanced by and grown through
the use of our ownsanctification.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Good, good, good.
Okay, so quickly on these lasttwo here.
We won't spend much time here.
But functionally right.
I mean we are, as we saw inchapter one of Ephesians, right.
Part of our identity is that weare made holy and blameless,
right In Christ because of hisrighteousness that he has given
(49:48):
to us.
But functionally right.
It says that we are growinginto this holy temple.
Like what characteristicsshould be true right of this
local body of believers at FBCBernie?
Right, if we're growing intothis holy temple in the Lord,
(50:10):
like just what should some ofthose things be Practically
functionally like?
What does that look like for usto be a holy temple?
Speaker 10 (50:24):
I think Romans 12 tells us not to be conformed to
the world but be transformed,and it says to present our
bodies as living sacrifices,holy and acceptable to God.
That's good, yeah, amen.
Speaker 3 (50:55):
Amen, yeah, the word of God and the Bible being the
authority of the church thateverything we do is based on
that.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
Amen, yeah, that we cannot stray from the
cornerstone.
We can't just start buildingoff over here because it feels
good or because culture has said, well, maybe you ought to move
this way, or maybe you ought todo this.
It's like, well, no, if itdoesn't line up with the Word of
God, then it's not who we are.
(51:22):
Accountability Amen, good, verygood accountability amen, good,
very good, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
The only thing I I would add in in the general
terms right, uh, to be holy, asthe lord is holy, and the word
holy itself, uh, means separateor other.
It involves the characteristicsof god.
It involves the characteristicsof God.
Therefore, as we become a holytemple, we would inevitably be
(52:03):
displaying the characteristicsof God himself more and more and
more.
So, whatever he is, he is just,he is pure, he is merciful, he
(52:23):
is patient, he is kind, he hasall those things right, and so
we display that more and more.
Speaker 10 (52:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
And so this last question on here, right before
we move on to verse 22,.
Right, how do we understandwhat is meant by the phrase at
the end of this here?
Right before we move on toverse 22,.
Right, how do we understandwhat is meant by the phrase at
the end of this verse?
Right, this growing into a holytemple in the Lord?
This is what we were talkingabout earlier.
Right, it is His right.
It's not ours.
Right, we are His bride.
(52:51):
This is His church.
We are his temple.
We are sustained by him, we'reempowered by him, we are
purified by him.
Right, we are.
Our purpose comes from him.
Right, all of those things,right.
So just that reminder to focusus back on the connection
between our identityindividually, the connection
(53:11):
between our identityindividually, our identity
collectively as part of thatbody.
Every single bit of it getsback to that point of it is his,
we are his right, we are notour own.
And so it puts us in this place, right Of this posture of
(53:32):
submission, right to Stephanie'spoint, to where absolute
authority of the Word of God iswhat dictates our lives, because
we are His.
Amen, all right.
So I want to move on to lookingat verse 22, with the time we
have left this idea that in Himyou are being built together
(53:53):
into the dwelling place for Godby the Spirit, talking about the
church and thinking about it interms of our local church, as
we've been doing.
But I want to play you a clipfrom a sermon.
There's not a video because Ididn't think about it until we
were sitting here, so I justhave audio, okay, and I'm going
(54:13):
to hold a microphone up to ithere, but I want you to listen
to this to kind of set up wherewe're going to go, okay.
Speaker 4 (54:21):
Authentic local church contains the DNA of a
remade world.
It is in there because it isChrist's church and Christ's
people and the ones that he haschosen for himself that he is
building together.
(54:42):
It is the place that he dwells,it is the family that he loves.
It's the unfolding reality ofGod's purpose in all of history.
Essentially, what it is is thatthe gospel brings a little bit
of a future into the present.
When in local churches, thereis a reality that transcends
(55:05):
ethnicity, social class, culture, race, preoccupations with
politics and every other thing,and the people come in and say,
oh well, I never came acrossanything like this in my life.
What is this?
It's God's new society.
It's a walkthrough visual aid.
It's a gallery displayinglittle sketches.
(55:26):
It might not be in gloriousTechnicolor in your place it
certainly isn't in mine but itmay be charcoal sketches, little
scribbles, little inklings thatthere is something going on
here that is.
Speaker 1 (55:46):
That's Alistair Beck.
Did you hear it there?
We've been talking about all ofthose things.
He just does it with anincredible accent and with a
clarity right.
That is just so, so good.
What stood out to you that youheard him say there?
Dna?
Speaker 3 (56:06):
DNA.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Yeah, yeah, I actually wrote that quote down
in my notes.
The authentic local churchright contains the DNA of a
remade world right, so that'swhy it matters right that we
understand this, that ouridentity is connected to this
right, that we are pursuingholiness in our lives, that we
(56:31):
are embracing sanctificationright in our lives, that we are
embracing sanctification rightBecause we want to, like he said
, we want to be these sketchesthat just show the world who God
is and what it is he is doing,and our local churches have the
potential and the ability to dothat very thing.
Speaker 2 (56:52):
And it's such a vivid , it's such a beautiful
illustration of the function andcall of a church is to be that
different society.
So when the loss comes andvisits, they should be getting a
(57:15):
taste of that remade world.
Right, that's what we're calledto the way that we care for one
another and, you know, carryout the one another's, bear one
another's burdens, pray for oneanother.
The way that we do all of that,the way that we use our
(57:35):
giftings together.
That should it should be.
We're not going to be perfectand I love that he pointed that
out, but that when the lost comein here they say, wow, what is
this place?
Speaker 1 (57:48):
Yeah, amen.
So let's we've talked about allthese aspects of this verse, so
let's look at these questionsfor the little bit of time that
we have left here.
The number that we can get tohow has just pressing into this
idea that we are being builttogether in Christ, how does
that reshape how you see youridentity and purpose as part of
(58:14):
the church?
Has it shifted it To maybe notlooking at just the individual,
but seeing that you are part ofthe body, right, that your
(58:38):
identity is connected to who youare in this body of believers,
right?
This whole passage we've beenlooking at Paul's not talking to
an individual, is he?
He's talking to the people ofGod, right?
And saying you collectively,corporately, this is who you are
.
It's important for us to makethat shift.
Speaker 7 (58:55):
Yeah, one of the things somebody brought out was
that every time the word saintsis used in the New Testament,
it's always for Like there is nosaint here or saints.
I'm standing on a saint, jason,and he's saying like we are
saints collectively, yeah,because we are the sanctified
(59:22):
people of.
Speaker 5 (59:28):
God Amen.
Speaker 2 (59:31):
I'm going to press you because I like that question
.
So I want to see if someonewould answer Just this press of
the corporate reality with youridentity.
What does that change Sin?
Speaker 7 (59:48):
is selfish.
But by the very nature of beingin Christ, everything about
your life is no longer going tobe in your life Ultimately it's
(01:00:10):
going to be offered to Christ.
I think Matthew 25, at the endof Matthew 25, we get this
picture of the final judgment.
We've got sheep and goats.
The nature of that judgment,the basis for that judgment, is
(01:00:31):
what these sheep or goats didfor Christ's people.
So just our new creation, ourentire identity is for service
to God by serving others.
So maybe that's an impressionwe should go see around for the
support of church, I mean that'sthe whole purpose.
(01:00:53):
Yeah, just think there's no I inteam.
We are not just a single playeron this team.
Yeah, you know, here's my hero,my celebrity in the church.
(01:01:14):
But Paul said no, we're allgiven assignments and duties,
we're just equal.
God gets the glory because hebrings the increase.
He uses us, but that's it.
He doesn't have to use us.
We're not that important, butwe are important and collective.
Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
That's good.
Did you have something, liz,liz?
Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
Liz, liz.
You know why can't I be quietLike that's?
Speaker 3 (01:01:57):
just, you know it's the same thing.
But if you are speaking topeople like he is, or you are
speaking to that requirement andGod gives words on you, but
(01:02:25):
certain personality things youknow are diminished, I know
we're going to talk about thattoo.
It's not an instant fact, right, so to me that's helpful just
to remember that we're not meantto be the same, liz.
Speaker 2 (01:02:38):
That is so, so good, because we live in a day and a
culture that is soindividualistic.
Social media is individualisticand driven Everyone's shooting
to be famous and to be a star,and driven Everyone's shooting
(01:02:59):
to be famous and to be a starthe people with the most talents
or whatever and so often theyskyrocket out because they're
not whole and complete.
But the freedom of realizingGod is not calling you to be
that individual star, god iscalling you to be a part of the
core, and to lose your identityin that corporate reality is
(01:03:22):
freeing.
That is very profound what youjust said.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (01:03:32):
We're used to it.
Yeah, some people are reallygifted and great and they help
(01:03:52):
others.
Speaker 7 (01:03:53):
So the local church is far away right that corporate
identity of the local church isthe means by which the gospel
(01:04:21):
is made, Whether it is sending afew of their breaks out far
away or just kind of expandingtheir breaks into the local
community as an entire community.
Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
Yeah, amen.
So I know we're.
I'm looking at the clock, we'reout of time.
The rest of these questionsreally continue just to make you
wrestle through some of thesesame truths that we've been
thinking about.
Really continue just to makeyou wrestle through some of
these same truths that we'vebeen thinking about.
But this question at the top ofthis page is exactly what you
guys have been saying here atthe end.
Right, this idea like there is adrift in modern, in our culture
(01:05:06):
today.
Right of individualism,consumerism.
Right within local churches.
Right, scriptures when you goto the word of God.
Right, it presses against that.
Right, it says no.
Right, it is not for the few tolike stand up and perform before
the rest to come in and justtake it.
It's like no, you participate,you are part of this, you are.
(01:05:27):
We are edifying one another, weare building one another up.
Right, you are meant to be partof this building up together of
God's temple, his dwellingplace, and so, when you are
rooted and understand youridentity as an individual in
Christ, everything we saw inchapter one of Ephesians right,
(01:05:50):
it allows you, liz, I think yousaid it here it allows you to
lose yourself.
Right, you don't have to striveto perform in order for
notoriety or for recognition.
Your confidence rests in whoyou are in Christ, so it frees
you up to lose yourself, up tolose yourself to be part of the
(01:06:21):
corporate body, right, you don'thave to stand out.
You are part of this body,right?
Your value, your worth comesfrom who you are in Christ, so
your identity as part of thisbody can be who you are and you
can just serve as God gifts youand places you within that body
to serve in whatever way it is,knowing that, hey, you were part
of building up, right, thisdwelling place for God.
(01:06:44):
Right to bear his image, tomake his glory known in the
world.
Right, that's our identity, hasbeen building to that this
entire time, as we've thoughtabout that.
So hopefully, that is just agreat place for us to kind of
tie a bow on this study of whythis is important.
(01:07:05):
It frees you up, right To bethis image bearer of God as part
of his holy dwelling place,right For your life just to
count for him.
But it begins by understandingwho he's remade you to be in
(01:07:26):
Christ, amen, amen.
So there's other questions.
You can spend more time onthese.
I encourage you to go backthrough your notes.
You've got like 130 pages ofthem.
You could go back and lookthrough from time to time, but
thank you for being part of thisstudy.
Hopefully it's been a blessing,pastor.
Thank you for jumping up andhelping lead through it.
(01:07:48):
Thank you guys forparticipating.
It's been a really, really goodtime together.
So, tim, would you close us inprayer?
Speaker 7 (01:07:59):
Father, we're so thankful for your love for us
and the way you have revealedyourself, and, lord, for the
miracle and the absolute,incredible way that you have put
us together in the body ofChrist, and we are just
anticipating what that's goingto look like in fullness.
Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08:28):
Thank you guys.
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