Drawing Near to God Message from Ephesians 2 11-13

Drawing Near to God

Eph 2:11 - 13

What was life like for us before Christ became our Saviour? What is it like for billions around the world who have no hope? Jesus came to bring hope and peace to all people and there is no barrier keeping any people from becoming a part of the worldwide family of God. No race, no language, no family background or no previous philosophical way of thinking will keep people out of the family of God. You do not have to be from a particular race or ethnic group to be able to enjoy the membership in the family of God. We all are in need only of one thing that is a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died for all people in all nations in all ages. As we have seen in the previous verses, the only way to get into the family of God is to receive God's forgiveness for our sins.

God had revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then through Moses and others like David we see God's special calling on the Jewish nation. But the Jews failed to recognize that God's special calling was a special responsibility to communicate the truth of God to the whole world. (Romans 2:25-3:2)

How did the Jews get this special calling? We have to go back to Genesis 17 to find an answer to this question. God made a blood covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The outward sign of this covenant was circumcision of every male in the household from the age of 8 days and on. Abraham was circumcised when he was 99 years old. Among many peoples in Africa today this is a ritual which occurs when a boy becomes a man at age 13.

To the Jews circumcision was a mark of distinction which set them off from all unbelievers. But they were focused on the physical instead of the spiritual meaning of their circumcision. Like many people today, they focus on the physical rather than the spiritual. God wanted believers to focus on the spiritual meaning of circumcision not the physical. Col 2:11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ. God wants to remove all vestiges (traces) of the sinful nature in people. Deut 30:6-11 "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach." Not only is there a feeling of purity and peace but here we see that God promises prosperity and success if we turn to Him.

The Jews focus on their physical heritage rather than their spiritual family. Some people do not want to associate with other people because of their family or cultural background. God wants all people to be united in Christ. These kind of people are no better than the Jews in Paul's day. The Jews despised the Gentiles. They put up barriers for them to come into the Temple to worship God. They refused to help a Gentile. If a Jew married a Gentile they had a funeral service for that Jew. If a Jew would go into a Gentile home would be considered unclean and not allowed into the temple for seven days until he was considered clean again. That is why Jesus was so despised by the Jews when he went into the homes of the Tax Collectors and Sinners who were considered unclean Gentiles.

The Gentiles were without hope and without God. Any people without God have no hope. What can the future hold when there is no God who can change the future and where there is no hope of eternal life. There are no standards of right or wrong. Everyone can cheat, steal, lie, commit adultery, hurt others and not feel bad if there is not God. We live in a rich society because we have upheld godly standards but our freedom will be gone and we will be like all other nations if we tear down the standards which past godly leaders of our country sought to establish. Even in our wealthy society, there are millions around us that are in despair and have no hope because we as Christians have not brought the good news of the power and cleansing of the blood of Jesus Christ.

We need to remember that Paul is writing this letter to the Gentile Christians who lived in Ephesus, a city in Greece. This city was the center for a pagan religion. Paul was encouraging these new believers to separate themselves from the past worldly practices and was encouraging them to a new way of thinking and living. They were to come near to God. We can only come close to God when we have been purified by the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:22 says that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." We cannot be cleansed and forgiven without asking that Christ be our substitute. We cannot get right with God unless we go through Christ. It is when Christ died on the cross and shed his blood that he became our sacrifice. Through His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood for our sins, Jesus brought in a new covenant where the old ceremonial covenant was replaced. No longer do we have to offer animal sacrifices but now the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:7

Our body has 20 litres of blood. What is the purpose of the blood? The blood brings energy, oxygen, and food to every cell in our body. If the blood cannot get to a cell with sustaining energy, the cells begin to die. The blood is also there to take away the waste products, the Carbon Dioxide and other poisons which attack our bodies. In the blood we have cells which will stop us from bleeding to death and heal our bodies.

If you do a scriptural study of the effects of the blood of Jesus Christ we find the parallel in our spiritual being. Blood of Jesus it cleanses our conscience; sets us free from sins committed; draws us near to God; brings forgiveness of sin; takes away the sins of people; redeems us(I Peter 1:18-19); used to defeat Satan(Rev 12:11); frees us; used to purchase our souls and make us His(Acts 20:28); justifies us and frees us from God's wrath(Rom 5:9); brings us peace and reconciliation(Col 1:20); makes us holy; allows us to enter the Most Holy place, God's presence, with confidence. (Heb 10:19)

Heb 10:22 - 24 "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful. 24 and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

God's word says that we are to be changed, new people as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit and a knowledge of the Bible which is God's guide for abundant living. Christ has removed any barriers which kept all people from turning to God and enjoying peace, love and hope. In which group are you today? Are you still among the Gentiles who serve their fleshly appetites and neglect their spiritual lives? As a result you are still without God and without hope of a joyous future and eternal life. Turn to the blood of Jesus by asking God to cleanse you and heal you. You will become a new creation and a part of the family of God.

If you are a part of the family of God, let us use the resources God has given to help those in the world to come to know the truth that Jesus forgives our past and gives us a new life. God has made us a new creation and we are to cut off the flesh, the sinful nature that keeps trying to drag us down in our spiritual walk and life. Let us draw near to God and experience his love, joy and peace so we can live a victorious and triumphant Christian life.
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Oct 13,2001