Advent Week 2: PEACE “The One New Man”

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Sermon Notes
Sermon Series:  Ephesians 
Sermon Scripture:  Ephesians 2:14-16

The Gospel Reconstruction in Christ (2:15)

• Destruction led to a new ______________.
  • Christ tore down the demands of the law that divided us.
    • He abolished the regulations of the ceremonial law.
    • He abolished the ______________ of the moral law.
  • Christ is building the church that is united in ______________.

• The cross leads to a new ______________.
  • The Church is not a renovation of something ______, but a reconstruction of something ______.
    • The church is not an organizational merger…
    • The church is not a renovation of Judaism…
    • The church is a completely new, unified people through the work of Christ.
• Just as God created the first man (Adam) from dust…
• Christ creates the "New Man" from the fractured remains of Jew and Gentile.
  • The Church is considered a ____________ race of people.
    • We are no longer identified as Jew or Gentile.
    • We are now primarily identified as ______________.
  • The Church is the many members becoming ______________ body.
    • In marriage, husband and wife become one ______________.
    • In the church, Jew and Gentile become one ______________.

The Great Reconciliation Through the Cross (2:16)

• The peace between Jew and Gentile is only possible through the peace between God and man.
  • The only bridge to peace with God is the ______________.
    • Jesus died to kill God’s hostility towards us.
  • The only bridge to peace with man is the ______________.
    • Jesus was killed to be the killer of our hatred of one another.
• ______________ dies in Christ
• Prejudice dies in Christ
• ______________ die in Christ
• Divisions die in Christ

The Gathered Reality of the Church

• This new reality of Christian community can be summed up in one phrase: church ______________.
• How does the church display the unity of being One New Man in Christ?
  • Through ______________ on the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
  • Through ______________ your resources. (Acts 2:44-45)
  • Through ______________ the body with different gifts. (1 Peter 4:10)
  • Through ______________ together joyfully. (Colossians 3:16)
  • Through ______________ out relationships. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
  • Through ______________ together. (1 Corinthians 12:26; Romans 12:15)
  • Through ______________ the gospel. (Acts 1:8)
  • Through ______________ each other in prayer. (Ephesians 6:18)
  • Through ______________ to leaders. (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
  • Through ______________ for the sake of missions. (Acts 13:2-3; 3 John 5-8)