BUILDING THE TEMPLE OF GOD TOGETHER - EPH 2:18-22

Good morning. For those of you who are here this morning or listening on live

stream and on radio, welcome to the preaching ministry of Dillingham Moravian

Church. My name is Pastor Simon.

May the Lord lead us to abide in Christ as we study the Word of God together.

When I started looking on the internet for huge churches still under construction,

the AI immediately wrote that the Dillingham census area doesn't trend towards massive churches!!

Now, we here in Bush, Alaska,

don't need the AI to tell us that According to a couple of articles,

Barcelona's famous basilica,

the Sagrada Familia is set to be completed in 2026 after more than a century

of construction The work of Antoni Gaudi,

who wanted to create the perfect temple presents the life of Jesus and the history

of faith The 18 Towers are dedicated to important biblical figures,

and this is reflected in their signs.

Twelve of them represent the Apostles, four the Evangelists,

one the Virgin Mary, and the highest of them all represents Jesus Christ,

which will be taught by a cross reaching a height of 172 meters or 564 feet high.

It is currently the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.

And when it's completed, it's set to be the tallest church in the world,

beating out the Ulm, Minster, and Germany.

My point would bring your attention to this Spanish church building is because

like the Sagrada Familia,

God's universal church of Christ is still being built, except the church of

Christ is not a physical building.

It is all who believe in Jesus the Lord.

Let us pray. Oh, Heavenly Father, we are so loved by you, and we are just thankful

for your love for us in Jesus Christ.

Thank you that you are our God and Lord and Most High, King and Savior of all.

Lord, we pray, Lord, as we go to your word today and as I speak and as people hear your word.

May you interact with us through your living and active word.

May you be worshiped through,

me speaking, but also those who are hearing.

May we hear in the truth of God, and may we trust you, Lord,

and may you work in us so that we can follow you and obey you in love for your

Son, Jesus Christ, Father.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Turn with me this morning to Ephesians 2, verse 19 to 22.

Ephesians 2:19–22

Ephesians 2, verse 19 to 22, where Paul wrote, So then you are no longer strangers

Ephesians 2:19–22

and aliens, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and or of God's household,

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building being

fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also

are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Here at Dillingham Raven Church, we have been going through a preaching series

in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

And last time we studied in Ephesians chapter 2, we learned that Paul taught

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

the Ephesian congregation that the Messiah, Christ Jesus not only preached the

good news of the gospel of peace through his ministry and death.

To Israel who are already nearer to God, but also to those of the nations who

believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah Lord.

All believers in Christ are no longer enemies of God, but children of God our Father through Christ.

Secondly, we learned from God through Paul that all Christians everywhere from

every nationality on earth,

two and Gentile Christians alike, now have access to the Father,

because God is now at peace with us through Christ, united in one same Holy Spirit.

And today we're going to continue on in our study of Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

The first essential truth that I wish to share with you today is that we are

fellow citizens of Christ's kingdom and members of God's household.

Whether you agree or not with President Trump's policies on immigration and

deportation for illegal immigrants, Many of Trump's decisions have actually

been more lenient or at least on par with other past presidents.

According to BBC, deportations are not unique to the Trump administration.

Biden carried out deportations as well, with 271,000 immigrants deported to

192 countries in the fiscal year of 2024.

In total, Biden carried out 1.5 million deportations in his four years,

according to figures by the Migration Policy Institute.

That is around the same that was carried out under Trump's first term.

And that number is lower than the deportations carried out under Barack Obama's

first term, which added up to a total of 2.9 million people deported.

My point is not to sway people's view of politics, but rather to underscore

that as disciples of Christ Jesus,

we are no longer illegal immigrants separated from God, but are now legal citizens

of the kingdom of God Most High.

We will never be deported from God's kingdom.

Paul explained in Ephesians 2, verse 19, "So then you are no longer strangers

Ephesians 2:19

and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household."

Before Jesus Christ came, the Gentiles or non-Jews were not part of the family

of God, and salvation was not offered directly to them, because they were not citizens of Israel.

Let's look at Ephesians chapter 3, verse 4 through 6, where Paul instructed'

Ephesians 3:4–6

"By referring to this, when you read, 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.

To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the

body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."

Israel was designed to be a nation of light to the Gentiles,

to share with them the salvation and glory of God through Israel.

But Israel did not share the Lord with other nations. They kept God for themselves.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of God's plan to bring salvation

to the nations, but never a direct revelation that the Gentiles,

those from the nation who believed, could become part of the family of God with Israel.

Now, through Paul and the other apostles, God had given his people that revelation.

Non-Jews who believe in Christ, who are now fellow citizens with Jewish believers

in Christ in the nation of God, Israel.

More than being fellow citizens with Jewish Christ believers,

Gentile Christians are now brothers and sisters together in the family of God.

And even more impressive, Gentile and Jewish Christ believers are now joint

heirs in Christ to the kingdom of God.

What then can we as Christians today learn from this verse?

God through Paul is teaching us that we as non-Jewish Christians are now full

citizens of God's kingdom and members and joint heirs of God's family.

We who had no hope now have hope. We who had no family of God now have family.

We, who are foreigners and aliens, are now citizens of God's kingdom.

We are now children of God Almighty, and we are fellow heirs with the believing

Jews of salvation and the riches of Christ.

One of Satan's greatest deceits is to turn us into thinking that we are not

loved by God, that we have no value and no worth.

Now, I need to point out that by ourselves, in and of ourselves,

we do not have value apart from our Creator.

Our worth, our value comes from God Himself.

And yet, we, you and I, must believe that we matter to God and that we are loved.

You see, citizenship is about being valued as a person and that you matter as

part of a nation and that you're not in slavery anymore.

Family is about being loved and valued within that family relationship.

Christ died on that cross because you and I have value to him.

Christ did not and does not want to see humanity perish in hell!

So through His death and resurrection, He brought those of us who believe in

Christ as God into the household of God.

And if you believe in Jesus as your God and Savior in response to the grace

of God and have repented of your sins, you are now fellow heirs of Christ's

kingdom, and you are saved from the wrath of God.

You are forgiven of your sins, and your sins are no longer in the mind God.

You are a beloved child of God and now part of all of us in the body of Christ the Church.

And this leads us to the second main principle that Paul was teaching the Ephesians,

and that was that God's household is built upon the foundation of Christ and the apostles.

It has been over five years that God has blessed us with this wonderful building

through Samaritan's Purse.

When we were building this church here at Dillingham, there were a few obstacles

that needed to be overcome in order to successfully complete construction.

The major hurdle was the beginning of the foundation.

In the planning process, the engineer and architect were worried that the building

was too close to the edge of the property, which was a ditch that belonged to GCI.

The concern was that, unless properly fortified, the whole building would begin

to slide into that ditch.

To address this issue, a retaining wall was built first.

The retaining wall was connected to the rest of the foundation,

but it was a key structure to ensure that the rest of the building stayed solid

and on our side of the property and that the building didn't slide into GCI!!

This concept of a retaining wall and having a strong foundation is similar to

the role of the cornerstone in regard to the foundation and the rest of God's temple house.

Paul taught the Ephesians in Ephesians 2, verse 20, having been built on the

Ephesians 2:20

foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

Paul, in verse 20, was telling the Gentile or non-Jewish believers that they

are now fellow citizens with God's people in the household of God.

This household is held up by the foundation of the apostles and prophets with

Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

And to understand this concept of foundation and cornerstone,

we need to turn to Psalm 118, verse 22 to 24, where the psalmist sang,

Psalms 118:22–24

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

This is from Yahweh.

It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which Yahweh made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118 probably referred initially to the day that King David was rejected

by the nation of Israel and then was set up by God as the king or cornerstone of the nation.

However, since Jesus quoted this psalm as talking about himself and during the

triumphal procession of Jesus in Jerusalem,

the crowds chanted this psalm, we know that this psalm was ultimately a prophecy

about the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

The cornerstone was the stone on the corner of the house that was overlapped

in such a way that if you remove the cornerstone, then the whole structure would fall down.

Every single brick was held together by this one stone.

The Christ, or the Messiah, is the chief foundation stone of the house of God.

There were a lot of foundation stones of the nation of Israel in God's house.

Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, and the apostles, but Jesus Christ is the chief

cornerstone, the one that all other foundation stones are founded upon.

We also know from this verse that the cornerstone was to be rejected,

and without this rejected cornerstone, all of Israel would fall down.

Now, please listen to this. This is crucial. I want you to see that Christ,

being the cornerstone, was the Lord's doing, even though He was rejected.

The psalmist exclaimed that the chief cornerstone being rejected is marvelous

in our eyes. And that day.

Day that the cornerstone was rejected was the day that the Lord had made.

And we are to rejoice and be glad because of that day.

This verse is so often taken out of context to mean that we are to rejoice in

the present day we are in and be glad in that present day.

But this passage was referring to one specific day, the day that the stone was

rejected by Israel, when he became the cornerstone of God's house.

The day that this prophecy was looking towards was that day when Christ Jesus,

our God and King, was crucified on the cross for our sins.

Christ, being rejected, sent him to the cross, which he took the sins of all

people upon himself by making himself the blood sacrifice in our place.

And due to Christ being rejected by the leaders of Israel, the Gentiles or nations

have now, according to Romans chapter 11, being grafted into the nation of Israel

Romans 11 · chapter mention

and salvation is brought to us.

We'll put our faith in Christ when we did not have that hope before.

That day on which Christ died and was rejected was the day that the Lord has

made and he accomplished it. It is wonderful.

And we, you and I, are to rejoice greatly in it.

Back in Ephesians 2, verse 20, Paul taught the Ephesians that those who were

Ephesians 2:20

not Jews, who had surrendered in faith to Christ, were fellow members of God's

temple house, along with the Jewish believers.

God's house is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, the great I Am,

God Almighty, as the cornerstone.

Christ, as the cornerstone, holds the rest of the foundation of God's church,

which we, which were the apostles and the prophets,

What God, through Paul, is teaching us as Christ's disciples is that God's church,

which we are all part of, is held up by Yahweh God Himself, Jesus Christ.

There is no stronger foundation in all of existence.

And upon the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, we, as the church today,

have been built upon the lives, teachings, and testimonies of the apostles and

the prophets through God's Holy word, the Bible.

Even more important than the apostles and the prophets, it is Jesus,

the Messiah Christ, as the exact representation of God Himself,

which the entire Bible is teaching about and is focused on.

I want to encourage you today that God's church, that you and I are all part of,

is not founded upon us, but on Jesus Christ himself, the cornerstone,

who was rejected by the builders and crucified and rose again so that we as

believers from every nature, every nation,

can be united together in one dwelling place with God, the Church of Christ.

So far, we have learned that Paul taught the Ephesians that all believers,

both Jew and Gentile, are now fellow citizens and members of God's household,

which is being founded upon the apostles and prophets, which Jesus Christ is

the cornerstone that holds God's house together.

And this is where I'd like to point out to you the last principle that I believe

God is teaching us in this passage.

And this principle is that as Christians, we are being built together to become

God's dwelling place by His Spirit.

Paul continued on in Ephesians 2, verse 21-22. In whom the whole building,

Ephesians 2:21–22

being fitted together, is growing into a Holy temple in the Lord,

in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ has founded the church on the apostles

and prophets and is building His church as a temple for Him to dwell in.

And this is a concept that should fill us with fear and awe.

I want us to look at two scripture passages that will help us understand this

concept of the temple of God.

First, let's look at Ezekiel 10, verses 1-5.

Ezekiel 10:1–5

Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim,

something like a sapphire stone, an appearance in the likeness of a throne appeared above them.

And he spoke to the man clothed in linen, and said, enter between the whirling

wheels under the cherubim, filling your hands with coals of fire from between

the cherubim, and scattered them over the city.

And he entered in my sight. And now the cherubim were standing on the right

side of the house when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner cord.

And the glory of Yahweh rose up from the cherub to the threshold of the house.

And the house was filled with the cloud,

and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of Yahweh.

Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim were heard as far as the outer

court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks."

Secondly, let's read together from Isaiah chapter 6, verse 1 through 4.

Isaiah 6:1–4

"In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on the throne,

high and lifted up, with the train of his robe filling the temple.

Seraphim stood above him, each having six wings. With two he covered his face,

with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

And one called out to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Yahweh of hosts.

The whole earth is filled with his glory.

And foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called out,

while the house of God was filling with smoke."

You see, when Paul was writing that we as Christ's church are being built together

to be the dwelling place or temple of God,

the scenes from Ezekiel and Isaiah, including those from the book of Revelation

about the throne room of God, was what Paul was envisioning.

This is who we are. And in a very real sense, a spiritual sense, this is where we are.

And as part of the church, we as believers are the stones that build up the

structure of the house of God in this world.

And this same colossal and Almighty God who emanates so much power and holiness

that the mighty angels cannot gaze upon the face of the Lord.

This is the temple where the God of the universe is worshipped,

and we, the church, are the walls and stones and structures of this house of God.

And the house of God is not finished yet.

There are still more people to bring in to be discipled and come to salvation and to mature in Christ.

Somehow we've got into this notion that individual Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

And this is true, and there's a couple of passages that warrant that.

But only in as much as we are part of the church of God and connected with God

at all times is part of God's temple.

Together we are the structure that those who do not know Christ can come to

know and worship the living God.

This is why it's so important to abide in Christ together because we together

are the temple that houses God.

God is dwelling spiritually with and in us together as we wait for God in Christ

to return and live with us physically.

And what a splendid day that will be.

It is through us, the church, that God has planned to reach this lost and dying world.

I want you to notice that as part of the church, we are being built together

by God to construct the temple of God in the Lord's power.

There is a huge lie going around the church today that we can be believers without

going to church, or we can be believers apart from each other.

But this is not the case. This is a horrible lie originating from Satan and

propagated through our various cultures.

In North America today, we are saturated with a focus on individualism,

where the focus is on us being individuals who can decide our own fate,

do what we want, and we can live life without truly being in relationship with others.

With the age of television, computers, video games, Facebook,

and over busy lifestyles, we spend less and less physical time together as people.

We cannot live up to who we are in Christ unless we are in true fellowship with

each other, based in and on the power of God Almighty, Jesus the Christ.

You see, the concept of fellowship with God that John in 1 John used is the

same concept that Jesus used of abiding in Christ our true vine.

We abide or stay or make our home in the love of Christ as we trust in Christ's

love, obey his word by reading, studying, learning the Bible, praying,

joyfully loving God and others, other Christians and those who are out in our

communities as we trust in his love, surrender to his power,

and obey the great commission as we share Christ with those around us.

This is personal fellowship.

Now, corporate fellowship is just expanding personal fellowship with God to

involve other believers, especially our local bodies of Christ.

Again, why is fellowship with the body of Christ so valuable?

Because we, you and I together, are building and growing the temple of God.

As we together love God and each other and the community, keeping each other

accountable in the Lord and working together to share Christ,

Christ is building His temple even larger using us.

What is God today teaching us from this amazing passage?

The first truth that God through Paul has taught us is that non-Jews who believe

in Christ are now fellow citizens and part of God's family with Jewish believers in Christ.

Secondly, we have learned that God's household has been founded upon the apostles

and the prophets on which Jesus Christ is the cornerstone that holds God's house together.

Lastly, Paul taught that we as Christ's church are being built together to be

the dwelling place or the temple of God on earth, and God's temple is still

growing as more people come to Christ.

I wish to give you courage today by reminding you that the church is not a physical building.

Rather, it is a spiritual building whose building blocks are all of us who are

believers in Jesus Christ.

On the foundation of Jesus and the apostles, God's church or temple of God is

still being built and raised up block by block as the Spirit of God works through us, you and I,

to share Christ and to lead people to salvation.

You and I as believers in Christ together are called to be the priests of God's household,

where we offer our lives, our work, our time, and most of all,

our love as holy sacrifices unto God for the glory of our majestic and awesome God.

We are the church. We are His holy temple together, working and living as one

structure for the Lord in order to declare to the world the greatness of Christ. Let us pray.

Father, we are thankful, so thankful for Your loving mercy to us,

thankful for Your Son's sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection,

but we are also thankful for you loving us so much that you have invited us

into connection and fellowship with you and with each other and to be the building

blocks of your mighty church.

Lord, help us to humbly trust you and surrender to your work and your word working

in us so that we can go out and share your wonderful gospel in every single aspect of our lives.

May we trust you. May you build your church through us together in Christ.

In your precious son's name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Have a wonderful Sunday. May the Lord bless you!