3 PENTECOST 9 SERIES B EPHESIANS 21322 “THE WAY

3 PENTECOST 9 SERIES B EPHESIANS 21322 “THE WAY
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Pentecost 9; Series B; Ephesians 2:13-22; “The Way Things Ought to Be”

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Pentecost 9; Series B; Ephesians 2:13-22; “The Way Things Ought to Be”


There’s a sense within all of us of the way things ought to be. People ought to be able to walk safely down the sidewalk without worrying about being mugged. Everyone who wants one ought to be able to find a job. Children ought to be able to play outside without worrying about abduction or kidnapping. We all have a sense of the way things ought to be.

Emma was a young lady who thought she ought to be able to visit her brother. After all, he only lived on the other side of town. But she couldn’t. There was a wall separating her from her brother.

When President Reagan visited her town, he saw that wall. It was called “The Berlin Wall.” He knew how things ought to be, so he is now famous for saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” People thought it would never happen, but it did. The wall crumbled; Emma saw her brother for the first time in 40 years!

Today our Epistle lesson talks about a “dividing wall of hostility” that separated the Jews from the Gentiles. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. God loves all people, and he created all people to live together in peace and harmony. But the wall just seemed to get bigger and bigger. Jews and Gentiles were separated by their religion; by their culture; by their race; and by their language. In fact, the Jews and Gentiles of that day actually despised one another. The Jews would call Gentiles “dogs” or “unclean.” The Gentiles had a few names for the Jews as well.

Remember when God asked Jonah—a Jew—to go preach to the Ninevites—a bunch of Gentiles! Jonah despised those Gentiles so much that he defied God almighty. That’s how deep the hate was.

And do you remember how the Jews from Galilee would take the long way around Samaria to get to Jerusalem, just so they wouldn’t have to pass by any dirty Gentiles!? Some Jews carried it so far that they opposed the Gentile Roman government; they were called Jewish Zealots. The walls of hostility were enormous between them.

But then Christ came. He tore down those dividing walls of hostility and made things the way they are supposed to be. God in Christ reconciles both Jew and Gentile to Himself. He put an end to all the sin between the two, overcoming all those past hostilities with his own blood shed on the cross. He called both to be fellow citizens of his kingdom and members of his family. He united both into the one holy Christian church. That’s the way it ought to be; that’s the way God wants it to be: United together through the blood of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one Spirit, and one Bible, all in one communion of saints. And so this is what we have today…all because


Christ makes things the way they ought to be for us.


That’s the first thing we want to talk about today: What dividing walls of hostility does Christ tear down among us? And how does Christ make things the way they ought to be? The answer we’ll discover is, that Christ puts to death all hostilities through His blood.


But first we have to take an honest look at how things are. Here’s the way they ought to be among us: We should worship together; we should be served by God with His Word and Sacrament together. We should care for one another, and take the Gospel of Jesus out to our community. That’s the way things should be; but how are they…really?

Sin tends to build up big, tall, dividing walls of hostility among us. Not only here, but worldwide. Just consider the wars being waged overseas right now. If the Israelies and the Lebanese understood that Christ has torn down the walls between them, at least 300 Hezbolah fighters would still be alive today. If Palestinians and Israelites understood what the Blood of Jesus has done for them, hundreds, if not thousands of lives would have been spared to this day.

But we don’t have to watch CNN to see walls of hostility, do we? Some of you have discovered these walls in the very places you work. Let me tell you one example about a lady named Gladys. Gladys had not participated in the life of the church for more than 20 years. When the pastor had made his 2nd call on Gladys, he learned that things weren’t the way they ought to be because Gladys had an argument with another member of the church years ago when they had both worked for the same employer. Sinful words were said by both Gladys and her co-worker. After that, Gladys just couldn’t bring herself to worship in the same church. Those sins committed at work changed things from the way they ought to be to the way things are not supposed to be among fellow workers and church members.

But those dividing walls reach even farther than the work place, don’t they? Take the example of Mark and Janet. Here is a couple who decided to call it quits after 15 years of marriage. The sins committed against each other built a dividing wall of hostility between them. The sins of a broken marriage meant that the way things ought to be quickly became the way things were never meant to be. Not only between them and their families, but also with the Lord and his Church. Both Mark and Janet ceased coming to church, and refused those who tried to reach out to them.

We don’t have to look far to find more of these walls, do we? There are some siblings who haven’t talked to each other for years because neither one is willing to repent and forgive for something that was done or said years ago. Friends go through the same thing. And then there are some who reject the offer of reconciliation because pride is too strong.

The devil works hard to build these walls of hostility among us. His divide and conquer tactics destroy friendships, families, and even congregations. He separates people from people and he separates people from God.

But Christ came to tear down those walls of sin and hatred by taking our sin into his own body. He came to bring peace to divided people and to make things the way they ought to be.

That’s why this cross stands front and center in our church. It reminds us of how God reconciled all the world unto Himself. How he removed the sin that separates people from God—and people from each other. That’s the Gospel; and it’s for all people, even those on the other side of those walls you’ve helped to build. When sin is forgiven, the walls crumble; and like Emma on one side of a broken down Berlin wall, we can finally run into our brother’s arms again.


Remember the story about Gladys? When the pastor sat down with her, they talked about Christ’s forgiveness, and how God is not angry with us over our sin. Then Gladys, all on her own, suggested that maybe she ought to visit with her friend. She did; they forgave one another; today Gladys worships every Sunday. And before her friend passed away a few months ago, they even sat next to each other in the same pew. Christ had made peace between them; He had made things the way they’re supposed to be.

And remember the one about Mark and Janet, who decided to call it quits after 15 years of marriage? Well, the last I heard, the Lord is still working on that one. Things are not the way they’re supposed to be with Janet and her Lord and His Church. But the Lord hasn’t given up.

So…what about you? How are things with you and your Lord lately? Any walls of hostility there? How about you and other Christians? Did you know that those walls that you think are there are actually mirages? Satan put them there. Christ destroyed the real walls long ago.

I wouldn’t doubt if some in East or West Berlin still have not crossed the other side because they believe those walls are still up somehow, even though they appear to be gone. That’s what Satan does with us; Christ literally knocks down any walls that stand between us, and we refuse to believe He’s done it, so we continue to treat one another as if there is sin that hasn’t been forgiven or somehow can’t be forgiven.

The truth is, Christ has forgiven you all your sin. And He has forgiven all the sin of those who stand on the other side of those imaginary walls. Your relationship with God IS what it ought to be; Christ has made sure of that! And that same forgiveness also tears down the walls of hostility that divide us from one another. It’s like a spiritual wrecking ball—you can watch those imaginary walls vaporize into mist as you forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.

It’s one of the most beautiful sights in the world!—watching walls of hostility evaporate into mist before our very eyes as we are united to one another once again, just as Christ has united us back to His Father.

This is the peace of God, which passes all understanding. Your Lord desires that this peace guard your hearts and minds, until Christ returns to claim them for all eternity.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.


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Tags: series, ephesians, 21322, pentecost