As I've contemplated today, I've had a number of emotions just sort of swirling around within me. I am very excited to be able to share this opportunity. I'm overwhelmed, really, by the idea that we have been here together for 10 years. It's amazing to walk into this building for the first time. This is my first time this morning, which is my first time walking into this building. And so it's really been an incredible blessing to come into this building for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that God used this to remind me once again that GFPC never was about me and we tried to communicate that to people again and again and again and God is just sort of solidifying that reality and that means as much to me as anything because the goal here was always to be what we said we wanted to be which was a kingdom-minded Christ-exalting multi-generational community of faith Not a ministry built on anything other than that. But proclaiming the supremacy of Christ to all men with a view toward biblical conversion and comprehensive discipleship. That's what it was about, the supremacy of Christ. And if that's true, then it shouldn't matter which of us the Lord calls away from here, or how or why the Lord calls us away from here. For that reason also, it's been an incredible blessing to walk into this place today. It's also been a blessing to come into this place and to see familiar faces, and more importantly, to see unfamiliar faces, to see that the work continues and that God keeps calling people to himself. This is a new phase, a new era, a new time, but the same work. And the question is, why? Why does the work continue? My assignment tonight was to talk about the importance of a solid theological foundation for the church. There are churches today that are built on all sorts of things. There are churches that are built on all sorts of constituencies. There are churches for young people, for hip people. There are churches for black people, white people, red, yellow, green, orange people. There are churches for people with various interests and passions. There are churches for people who like particular kinds of music. There are churches for people who love theater and the arts. There are churches for people who love, I mean, you name it, and there are churches for those kinds of constituencies. But is any of that really what is supposed to hold us together? I would answer that with a resounding no. None of that is what's supposed to hold us together. There must be something more that holds us together if we are to be what the Lord says his church is supposed to be. So what is that uniting focus? I believe that uniting focus is not just theology writ large. But I think that uniting focus really is Christology. I think that uniting focus is who and what we believe Christ to be. I think that's our uniting focus. If we are a true church, ultimately it's going to boil down to who is Jesus? Why did he come? What did he do? What did he accomplish? If the church is the body of Christ, then ultimately that has to be the place where we stake our claim. We have to have, yes, all of our theology, all of it. However, it has to crystallize right there at the focal point of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It has to be a gospel-centered focus. The gospel has to be what holds us together. When the gospel holds us together, there is nothing that can tear us apart. When the gospel holds us together, then everything else that we do becomes an extension and an expression of the gospel and its implications. When the gospel holds us together, we will still have difficulties. We will still have disagreements. But if it is truly the gospel that is holding us together, then ultimately, we will be able to see something more significant than whatever those things are about which we disagree. And we will be able to move forward, not begrudgingly, but passionately. because of our mutual love for the person and work of Jesus Christ. But we have to agree on Jesus. Amen? Not everybody talking about Jesus is talking about the same Jesus, right? There's a lot of people you hear talking about Jesus, and you can sit there and you can nod, and then eventually you kind of go, ooh, whoa, uh-oh. You were doing real well there for a while, then you took a left somewhere. Yeah. If you'll open your Bibles with me to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2, beginning at verse 11. Ephesians 2, beginning of verse 11. I believe we see this in dramatic fashion. If you were to talk about holding people together, there are very few instances in history where you could talk about two groups of people being held together where everyone who heard it would say, yeah, that would have to be God. That would have to be something. Music couldn't bring those two groups of people together. Amen. The arts couldn't bring those two groups of people together. Whatever, you name it, that couldn't have brought those two people together. That was God right there that brought those two groups of people together. And as I say that, you know, there are a few groups of people that come to mind, but I would argue that none of them are more significant than first century Jews and Gentiles. I don't think there's ever been a more significant divide between groups of people than the divide between first century Jews and Gentiles. If anybody who understands the world of first-century Jews and Gentiles, they understand that bringing those two groups of people together is a God thing. Jews didn't even go through Gentile territory if they didn't have to. considered themselves ceremonially unclean when coming into contact with Gentiles. Coming in contact with a Gentile was as bad as coming into contact with a dead thing in terms of ceremonial uncleanness. How could Jews and Gentiles be brought together? And I mean really brought together. What could possibly be a unifying focus and force for those two groups of people? Ephesians chapter two beginning at verse 11. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision. Again, how far apart are Jews and Gentiles? They are as far apart as circumcision and uncircumcision. That's far, y'all. Amen? You don't get farther than that. which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time, listen to this, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in the world. It's what you call bad news. Amen? That's bad news right there. Can I give you that list again? This separation wasn't just geographic. And it wasn't just political. It wasn't just cultural. All of those things were true. There was geographic separation. There was political separation. There was cultural separation, ethnic separation. All of those things are true. But all of those things pale in comparison to these. Listen to this. At that time, the Gentiles were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace. and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in him You also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. That's the good news. That's the good news. There are three movements here. We see on the one hand this separation and we get a picture of the separation. The last movement that we see is the opposite of that separation. We see the unity that has been created. This God-glorifying, Christ-exalting oneness that has been created. And in between these two movements, there is the means and the mechanism by which the unity has been created. And it's only when we understand these three things in concert that we get a picture of what unites the body of Christ, of what makes us whole, what that unifying thing is that is so significant that it doesn't just bring us side by side, but the text says clearly, makes us one man. What is that thing? First of all, if we're gonna understand what that thing is, we have to understand the separation. Look there again at those first few verses. Remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh call the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision. So again, these individuals are separated by this right of circumcision. This right of circumcision that made the Jews the Jews, this rite of circumcision that was given to Abraham, this rite of circumcision that occurred on the eighth day that said, we are part of the covenant community, this rite of circumcision that was so significant that there is this scene in Exodus that is so hard to wrap our minds around where God comes after Moses and Moses is almost done away with. because of the failure to circumcise his sons. This circumcision in the flesh. that is a mark and sign of the covenant. This circumcision that says you belong to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This circumcision that says you are part of the people whom God delivered from Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. You are a part of this people who has been created by God out of nothing. You are part of this people who was not called by God because of their greatness and strength or their greatness in number, but in spite of the fact that they had neither and everybody else is not. There is a chasm between these two. And it is a chasm that cannot be bridged. Nor is this just about physical circumcision. It's not as though a Gentile, for example, could say, okay, my child has been born, it's the eighth day, we're gonna have right of circumcision, and boom, we are the same thing that you, no, not exactly. It's about more than just that. That is an outward sign of an inward reality. These are two separate and distinct peoples. Not just separate and distinct because of their ethnic backgrounds, but separate and distinct because God has actually separated them. This is an important distinction, folks. This is not two groups of, it's not the Hatfields and the McCoys. Amen? This is not two groups of people who, you know, there was something that happened between the two of them and they just decided, we don't like you. That's not what this is. God is the one who separated Jew and Gentile. God is the one who called Israel out and made Israel his own. God is the one who called them a distinct people. God is the one who caused this separation. This is not something man-made. This is not something invented. So if you want to understand the significance of this separation, you have to start there. God did this. God carved out a people for himself, literally. and said, those are mine. God condescended and revealed himself to these people. God's revealing himself to Israel was unique and intentional. It wasn't as though God was hovering around the world, revealing himself equally to all peoples and Israel just happened to respond. God called them out by name. He called Abraham out by name. He called him away from his people. So here's what's interesting. Abraham's the first Jew, but ethnically, he belongs to another people group. How about that? So now, because of being called out by God, he's separated even from people of his own ethnicity because of God's spiritual calling on him. And God makes him a new nation where there was no nation before. So there are other people in the world with similar DNA to Abraham who are now separated from him as far as the East is from the West because God created a people. Again, we're not talking about a grudge. We're not talking about skin color. We're not talking about language. We're not talking about geography. There is a new spiritual reality that God himself brings into existence, and this is what separates Jew and Gentile. Because of this, by the way, There is not a sense in which it's even possible for Jews and Gentiles to be united. It's not as though the Jew could say, fine, I want to be united with you. I want to be one people with you. You can't do that. Because what you are, God created. What you are, God set apart. And in order for people to be what you are, they've gotta go through God, not through you. So not only is there this separation and this separation that God has created, but it's a separation that creates a gap that cannot be bridged by human desire. Look at it more deeply. Verse 12. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Notice these things. First of all, separated from Christ. Their problem wasn't just that they lacked circumcision. Their problem was that they were separated from Christ. There is this spiritual separation between them and God. Not only is there a spiritual separation between them and God, but they're also alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. There's this nation of God's people that they're alienated from. They're not part of the nation, not part of the commonwealth. And strangers to the covenants of promise. They didn't even understand those things that made the commonwealth the commonwealth. They're outsiders. The end result of it, and this is kind of a summary statement, having no hope and without God in the world. You weren't just separated from those people. You were separated from God. And you didn't have any hope. There was nothing that you could do about your separation from God. Because you're separated from Christ. You're alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. You're a stranger to the covenants of promise. You've got nothing. Absolutely hopeless. And without God in the world. Again, this goes far beyond ethnicity. This goes far beyond skin color. This goes far beyond language, geography, history. This is a spiritual reality. So the question then comes, what is it that could possibly be so significant as to overcome this kind and level of separation. But now in Christ Jesus. And look at the next phrase. You who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Don't miss this. This phrase would not have been lost on Jews or Gentiles. You who were once far off, the analogy would have been understood immediately. We heard earlier this morning about the Holy of Holies. We understand that there is in the temple, in the inner portion of the temple, there is behind the veil, there is the Holy of Holies. And this is only entered by one man on one day a year. the high priest and the high priest alone. And on one day and one day only does the high priest enter into the Holy of Holies with the rope tied around his leg, just in case the sacrifice is not accepted so that he can be dragged out. Because if he goes in and dies, nobody's going in after him until the next year. Amen? Wouldn't that be an awesome process? I got good news and bad news. Good news is you're the new high priest. Bad news is it's because the last one went in and died. By the way, next year, When you go in, we're really hoping that your sacrifice is accepted because somebody got to bring him out. Outside of there is the place where the priests could do their work. Outside of this is the court of the men. beyond the court of the men. And we're talking thousands of people here. Beyond the court of the men is the court of the women. And beyond that is the court of the Gentiles. So that even if you did come into the Jewish religion, you were still and always far off. But the text says, But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. What is it that brought them near? It was the blood of Christ that brought them near. And why are they brought near? By the way, and he's not, again, this is an analogy, and we know that it's an analogy. Look at the first phrase again, but now in Christ. He doesn't say, but now by Christ, but now because of Christ, but now as a result of Christ. He says, but now in Christ. Why have we, who were once far off, been brought near? Because we are in Christ. And you don't get closer than that. Why? Because not only is he the high priest, but he's the sacrifice that's offered by the high priest. Now run and tell that. You don't get closer than being in him. Amen? Notice, this is not just you have a better place in worship. This is not you get to walk a little closer to where the action happens. This is you are now positioned in Christ who is the fullness of everything that that represented. All of that was a shadow. And what you used to want was to merely be a few steps closer to the shadow. But God hasn't granted you the ability and the privilege to be a few steps closer to the shadow. God has placed you in the reality. You once were far off, but now you've been brought near by the blood of Christ. By the blood of Christ. You were held back because you weren't of the right bloodline. But now by the blood of Christ, by the atoning blood of Christ, by the propitiatory blood of Christ that has satisfied the wrath of almighty God himself, you've been brought near. Remember the problem? The problem was You were separated from Christ. Now you're in Christ. Verse 14, for he himself is our peace. And then that word peace appears five times, five times from 14 to 19. For he himself is our peace. who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two. So making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Let's look again at what he does here. And five times we see the word peace. But notice first of all, in the first piece, He himself is our peace. Christ didn't just bring peace. He is our peace. He didn't just represent peace between Jew and Gentile. He is our peace. He is the prince of peace. Secondly, he has made us both one. and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. How did he possibly do that? In his own flesh, he broke down the dividing wall. He made us into one. He didn't just bring us side by side. He made us into one people. You can no longer distinguish between us. We are one people now. How did he do that? By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two. So making peace. This makes many people uncomfortable. Because there are many who would still like to believe that in the economy of God, there is this radical Jew-Gentile distinction. And that Israelites by birth are still somehow God's favorite and separate people. in the economy of God's kingdom work. There's a lot you have to ignore in this text in order to hold on to that idea. And not just in this text. There's a lot you have to do in a lot of texts in order to hold on to this idea. There are a lot of people who get uncomfortable when you start talking about this, and there are a lot of people who say, wait a minute, he's talking about that replacement theology. That's not a thing. By the way, that's a straw man. He doesn't exist. He's not real. There is nothing here about Jews being replaced. But notice what's here again, verse 14. For he himself is our peace, Christ is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace. He's made one new man in the place of the two. Am I saying that Jews have replaced Gentiles? No, no more than I replaced my wife when we got married and became one flesh. Amen, somebody. There was no replacement that happened there. There was union that happened there. We became one family. Two people who are not related by blood who became one another's next of kin. How about that? God did that. Turn with me, if you will, to the book of Galatians. Go back one book to the book of Galatians. I want you to see something here that is missed very often. Look at verse 28. We love verse 28, but we often don't talk about verse 29. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Same language, right? And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. According to this, who's more of an offspring of Abraham than me. Nobody. Nobody. You can be born in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount Stay there for the whole eight days before you're circumcised and you will still not be more of an offspring or heir of Abraham than I am, according to the Scriptures. God has one people, not two. Failure to grasp this is failure to understand the significance of the peace that Christ has brought. This is radical stuff here. You don't get more radical than this. He is not saying that because of Christ, you have a temperament that will allow you guys to tolerate one another. He is saying that in Christ, you are one. You're not two anymore. You're one. Here's what's interesting. It gets even more radical. Look again at verse 16, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Wait a minute, he reconciles us both to God in one body. Wait a minute, is he saying that the Jews who were the circumcision still needed to be reconciled to God? Yes, actually he is. And in case you didn't get it the first time, listen here. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Jesus did not come to die on the cross so that the people in the court of the Gentiles could be saved. He came and died on the cross so that everybody from the high priest all the way back, could be reconciled to God, not by their ethnicity or the circumcision of their flesh, but by the person and work of Jesus Christ. There is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. No one was ever saved by anything other than faith. The sacrificial system never saved a soul. It pointed to the salvation that would come in Christ. Anyone who has ever been saved, it is because of believing in the Savior to come, or after the cross, believing in the Savior who has come. That's why the ground is level at the foot of the cross. There are no two ways of salvation. There is one. There are no two people in salvation. There is one. This is the radical unity that we have. Musical preference can't do this. Ethnicity can't do this. Nothing can do this but the cross of Christ. This is the radical union that we have because of Christ. This is the radical message of the gospel. God doesn't take enemies and make them friends. God takes enemies and makes them brothers. He makes them one. One people. One people. Now what does that result in? For through him, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. Now before, you were separated from Christ. Now we both have access in one spirit to the Father. Earlier we were strangers to the covenants of promise, right? Verse 19, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens. We used to be alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. But you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Here's what's interesting. Before he's saying to the Gentiles, you're outside, look, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise. This is very Israel-centric. What you don't have is very Israel-centric. Christ does his work of unifying and then look at how he reverses these things. What he reverses is not Israel-centric anymore. For through him we both have access in one spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens. Now, he didn't say to the commonwealth of Israel, just you're no longer strangers and aliens, period, because he's talking to both groups. but you are fellow citizens, he doesn't say with the Jews. If all this was about was turning Gentiles into Jews, then it would seem like he would say, you're now fellow citizens with the Jews. You were outside of the Commonwealth of Israel, now you're inside the Commonwealth of Israel. He says, you are fellow citizens with the saints. Cause everybody comes through Christ. There's only one door. There's only ever been one door. Members of the household of God. And then there's this wonderful picture. The word picture here of a building and he goes from a house to a temple. members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. So we've got building foundation, cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. The building is not yet done. He is still uniting. He is still in this process. And the same thing that united then is the thing that unites now. Why is it so important? that we have a strong theological foundation, specifically built on Christ and His person and His work, specifically built on the gospel, the message of the gospel. Why is it? Because that's the only way that we're made one. That's how the church is built. It's what makes the church the church. There are so many things that we could try to unite around. So many ways that we could try to find like-minded people who are already like-minded people, who already agree with us on all the things that we're about. The only way to do that is to be shallow in theology. It's the only way to do that. If we're gonna unite around our musical preferences, then we've gotta be really careful that we don't bring up too many theological issues because we can have musical preferences that are virtually alike, but doctrinally be on different pages. So what do we have to do? We have to downplay theology. If we're gonna unite around some culture, the fact that we're cowboys or hipsters or whatever, we better be real shallow in our theology because that's the only way that we're gonna be able to major on that outward thing that unites us. There are a lot of people who've come to GFBC over the years thinking that because we're this family integrated church that all we needed was to agree on a few things about family and then we'd be all right. Most of them stayed only a couple of weeks. Amen somebody. Because it didn't take long to realize that that is not what this place is built on. that even that we were holding on to because of the significance that we believed it held in terms of our duty and responsibility to pass on those things that were more significant. So if you didn't hold to those things that were more significant, the other wasn't enough to keep you around. We've lost a lot of people over the years. You can't be around this long without losing people over the years. And one of the things that's really difficult as a pastor, as an elder, especially as a church planter, one of the things that's really difficult is to learn how to not take it personally when people leave. It's really difficult, especially from the perspective of church planter. I'm just going to be honest. You might even need to turn off the tape. but especially from that perspective, from the church planting perspective, because see what's happening is, you know, you come together and you have all of these ideas, and there needs to be a church in a particular area, and who are we gonna be, what is our identity, how are we gonna put this together, how are we gonna put it forward and present it to people, and it becomes really personal. And sometimes almost all-consuming. And there's so much that you just aren't able to get to. So many luxuries that you just don't have. Again, there's that analogy of building a 747 at 30,000 feet. The thing's got to be put together, but it's also got to keep flying. And so there are all these things, I wish we had time to put that together, wish we had time to put that together, but as soon as I go over here and we start working on that, we start losing altitude, gotta fly. And then people leave, because that's not put together. Really? Because we'd love to do that, but we lose altitude. It's really hard. But eventually, you grow a thicker skin and realize that when people leave, it's not something to take personal. But the one that I've still not gotten over is when someone departs and you learn that those things that are essential, they now miss. But they stay where they are, where those essentials are compromised, because they really need a different kind of music. I haven't reached that level of maturity yet where that one doesn't just kill me. Yeah, we really appreciate those essential things that you guys gave us. They were awesome. And we grew more than we ever experienced before because of those essential things that we got there. But, you know, we just really need to sing a certain way. So much so that we can let some of those essentials go. Why is that so bothersome? Because these are the things that make us who we are. This, this is our defining reality. This is why we're brothers and sisters in Christ. because of this right here. And all those other things that we intend to do, desire to do, plan to do, are going to do, all those other things, if they are going to be meaningful and lasting, they have to be born out of this reality. They have to be rooted and grounded here if they're ever going to mean anything significant, if they're ever going to go anywhere, if they're ever going to have kingdom impact. Christ exalting, God honoring, kingdom impact. It begins and ends with our unity around the person and work of Jesus Christ who has made us one. But here's the beauty. The beauty is as we grow As believers, we begin to understand that there are so many more people out there than we ever imagined with whom we are one because of this reality. Even people with whom we disagree on so many peripheral issues. And as we grow in grace, as we mature in Christ, there is great joy that comes from recognizing just how broad and magnificent and glorious and different this gospel-centered reality can be expressed. It's an amazing thing. I've had the privilege of preaching in, I don't know, 20 different countries. Many times not able to understand the language and relying on a translator. And there is something just magnificent that happens when you're in a place and feel completely out of place, completely isolated, can't understand anything, dependent on people to just tell you, you know, which one is for men, you know? I mean, you get nothing. You just don't. And then all of a sudden, in the midst of all of this foreignness, you go inside a gathering, and the people of God begin to do what the people of God do, and you learn the word for Jesus. How? Because they're the people of God, and they're gonna be singing, and they're gonna say something that sounds like Jesus. Amen? Really, I don't know anything. I know which one is for the men, and I know Jesus. I don't know what all the rest of those words are that they're saying around there, but they're singing about Jesus. It's my family. I have no idea what you're saying, but you're my brother. You're my sister. Why? Because we're united in Christ. Have no idea why you're doing that thing, this thing, the other thing. Really don't need to know. We're united in Christ. And because we're united in Christ, we truly are one. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. I don't know what the next 10 years But I know this, I know that as long as the person and work of Jesus Christ is at the center and the core, that God will be glorified, that the church will be unified, And that any of us, 10 years from now, it didn't matter where we are, what we've done, how the Lord has moved us on, we'll always be able to come back to this place, see faces that we know, faces that we don't, and be at home. Because home is where Christ is exalted.