Ephesians 2:19-22

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Ephesians 2:19-22
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: Three Images of the Church

Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22

I. Introduction: Paul's Hidden Images of the Church

A. Chapters 1–2 of Ephesians build toward this climactic description of the church

1. Ephesians 1:22 — Christ as head over all things to the church, his body
2. Chapter 2 moves from individual salvation to corporate belonging B. In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul uses three images for the church without ever explicitly naming it: a Kingdom, a Family, and a Temple

II. The First Image — God's Kingdom

A. Ephesians 2:12 — Gentiles were once alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel B. Exodus 19:5-6 — Israel called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; all the earth belongs to God C. The kingdom of God spans past, present, and future

1. Luke 17:21 — the kingdom of God is in the midst of you
2. The Lord's Prayer — "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
3. Romans 14:17 — the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit D. Our membership in this kingdom is the result of Christ's atoning work
4. Ephesians 2:14-16 — Christ broke down the dividing wall and reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God in one body through the cross E. The church's task is to make the invisible kingdom visible through faithful living and witness
5. Ephesians 2:10 — we are his workmanship, created for good works prepared beforehand

III. The Second Image — God's Family

A. Ephesians 2:19 — "members of the household of God" (Greek: oikeios) B. Paul draws on intimate family language throughout Ephesians 1–2

1. Ephesians 1:2 — God referred to as "our Father"
2. Ephesians 1:5 — adoption as children of God
3. Ephesians 2:18 — access to the Father through the Holy Spirit C. This is not merely acquaintance but blood kinship or adoption — being born again
4. John 3 — Jesus tells Nicodemus, "You must be born again"
5. 1 Peter 1:23 — born again of imperishable seed through the living word of God D. As God's children, we should bear resemblance to our heavenly Father in holiness and righteousness E. Membership in God's family brings the privilege of bearing one another's burdens in prayer and unity

IV. The Third Image — God's Temple

A. The Foundation: the Apostles and Prophets

1. Matthew 7:24 — the wise man builds his house on the rock
2. 1 Corinthians 3:11 — no foundation can be laid other than Jesus Christ
3. Matthew 16:13-18 — Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God," and Christ's promise to build his church
4. The foundation is not the apostles' personhood or office but their message — the New Testament scriptures
5. "Apostles" refers to the unique eyewitnesses of Christ and his resurrection; "Prophets" are inspired teachers who conveyed God's word faithfully
6. The term order — "apostles and prophets" (not prophets and apostles) — suggests New Testament prophets (cf. Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11)
7. The foundation is complete and not subject to addition, subtraction, or modification by any who would claim to be modern apostles or prophets

B. The Cornerstone: Christ Jesus himself

1. The cornerstone fixes the angle of the entire structure — all is built in relation to it
2. Isaiah 28:16 — God lays a tested, precious cornerstone in Zion
3. Psalm 118:22 — the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone
4. 1 Peter 2:6-8 — Christ as cornerstone and also a stone of stumbling and rock of offense
5. Those not joined to Christ will be broken by Christ

C. The Living Stones: believers built together

1. Ephesians 2:22 — believers are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit
2. 1 Peter 2:5 — "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house"
3. The Gentile readers in Ephesus, once forbidden under threat of death from entering the Jerusalem temple, are now constituent parts of God's temple
4. Six characteristics of the living stones (Boice):
   • Chosen and shaped for their position by God
   • All placed in relation to Christ
   • Different shapes, sizes, materials, and functions
   • Interlocked and mortared together by Christ
   • Placed not to draw attention to themselves but to contribute to the building where God dwells
   • The work began thousands of years ago and will not stop until the Lord returns

D. Closing illustration: 1 Kings 6:7 — the stones of Solomon's Temple were prepared at the quarry; no hammer, ax, or iron tool was heard on site

1. God silently shapes each believer — no one sees what transpires in the heart, but God does
2. Every believer's unique background, experience, and even past sin is used by God to shape the stone they are in his church
3. God has a purpose for every believer in his temple, even if that purpose is not yet fully known