Our Life Through God's Eyes

Three Pictures of God's People

HELPFUL SCRIPTURES SERMON NOTES

Mark 4:30

I. WE ARE . . . , (Ephesians 2:19-22)

A. Picture #1: God's Nation , (vs. 19a)

1. “So then you are no longer strangers & aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints,” ( v. 19a ).

a. This is referring back to who these Gentiles had been before they became Christians.
1) ( v. 12 ), “Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ….”


b. Then as now, a person's citizenship gave them certain rights and privileges.
1) Paul used his rights & privileges as a Roman citizen to get him out of difficulties on several
occasions…
2) ( Acts 16:36-38 ), “ The jailer said to Paul , ‘The chief magistrates have sent to release you.
Therefore come out now and go ?? in peace.' But Paul said, ‘They have beaten us in public
without trial, ??men who are Romans , and have thrown us into prison; and now are they
sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.' The
policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. ??They were afraid when they heard
that they were Romans .”
3) ( Acts 22:24-29 ), “The ?? commander ordered Paul to be brought into ?? the barracks, stating that
he should be ?? examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were
shouting against him that way. But when they stretched him out ??with thongs, Paul said to the
centurion who was standing by, ‘Is it ??lawful for you to scourge ??a man who is a Roman and
uncondemned?' When the centurion heard this, he went to the ??commander and told him,
saying, ‘What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman .' The ??commander came and
said to him, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman ?' And he said, ‘Yes.' The ??commander answered, ‘I
acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.' And Paul said, ‘But I was actually born
a citizen.'”

c. Today in the United States we are currently involved in a similar discussion, “Who should have
citizen's rights?!”
1) If you are on American soil should that alone grant you privileges (assistance with free food,
free education, free medicine - Medicaid, etc.)?!


2) It wasn't until recently that the “P.C.” crowd has demanded citizenship rights to those who
are not citizens?!
a) Terrorists given the same legal rights as citizens?
b) Illegal aliens given the same rights & privileges as American citizens?

d. God doesn't have this problem regarding citizenship as to “who gets what?”
1) Before the coming of Jesus, the Gentiles were not His people, ( v. 12 ), “…excluded from the
commonwealth of Israel.”
2) But now everyone (Jew or Gentile) who becomes a Christian becomes a citizen of God's
nation.
3) ( I Pt. 2:9-10 ), “But you are a chosen race, a holy nation … for you were once not a people,
but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy.” There are NO illegal aliens in God's “holy nation”!!
4) Therefore we now have an amazing citizenship, ( Philippians 3:20 ), For our citizenship is in
heaven from which we eagerly await a Savior.”
5) A citizenship which will one day be completely realized, ( Rev. 7:9 ), “I looked, and behold,
a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples
and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb , clothed with white robes.”


B. Picture #2: God's Family , (v. 19b)

1. “…and are of God's household,” ( v. 19b )

a. Many are looking into their family's genealogy but it is our spiritual lineage that is eternal!
1) There are two ways to become part of God's family
a) The first is to be born into God's family, ( Jn. 3:3, 5 ), “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless you are boon again, you cannot see the kingdom of God … Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.”
b) The second is to be adopted by God, ( Gal. 4:4-5 ), “God sent forth His Son …
in order that He might redeem those who were born under the Law, that we might
receive adoption as sons.”
1)) Having adopted both of our children I can tell you this, every adopted child is
“CHOSEN”! They become part of a family because they were wanted! Yet
the person doing the adopting has the right to set the criteria (sex, age, race,
nationality, etc.). That same thing is true in the spiritual realm.
2)) ( Matt. 12:50; Acts 10:35; Gal. 3:26-27 ), “Whoever does the will of My
Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”- “…in
every nation the man who fears God and does what is right, is welcome to
Him.” “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you
who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

b. Now every person in a household has duties/chores to perform, i.e., service given for the benefit
of the family.
1) I always wished someone would come over and do my chores; mowing, cleaning my room,
garbage, etc.
2) But since I was part of the Walker family, I had to “pull your share of the load,” as my Dad
used to say.
3) All of us in God's family also have responsibilities…
a) ( Gal 6:2 ), “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
b) ( Gal. 6:10 ), “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, and
especially to those who are of the household of faith .”



C. Picture #3: God's Temple , ( vs. 20-22 )

1. ( v. 20a ), “… having been ?? built on ?? the foundation of ?? the apostles and prophets….” ??
a. Our lives are to be founded upon the “building plans” given to us by the Lord's apostles &
prophets.
1) ( Eph. 3:3-5 ), “That by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote
before in brief. And by referring to this, you can understand my insight into the mystery of
Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now
been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.”
2) ( Eph. 4:11-12 ), “He gave some as apostles and some as prophets … for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”
3) Thus, the blueprints for the Lord's temple are found in the words of the apostles & prophets!

2. ( v. 20b ), “…Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone….”
a. The “cornerstone” was the most important stone of the foundation; it determined directionality
and “trueness”!
1) If the “cornerstone” was imperfect in any way, the building would be crooked. Thus, it had
to be perfect!
2) ( I Pt. 2:6-8 ), “' ?? behold , I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone , and he who
believes in Him will not be disappointed.' This precious value then is for those who believe;
but for those who disbelieve, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very
cornerstone,' and, ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense'; ??for they stumble because
they are disobedient to the word .”

3. ( vs. 21-22 ), “…in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple
{ naos } in the Lord; in
whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
a. Both Jews & Gentiles would understand the importance of “temple”; Jerusalem had the temple
for the Jews & Ephesus had the temple of Artemis for the Gentiles.
b. There are 2 words for “temple” in Greek; eiron (totality of temple environs; courts, etc.), naos
(place of God).
c. But for Christians, we know that WE ARE GOD'S TEMPLE, ( I Cor. 3:16 ), “Do you not know
that you are a temple { naos } of God, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you.”