Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.—Ephesians 2:19-22
What do you think of as a sacred space? If you were raised in a church, it might be the chapel or sanctuary where you worshiped, or perhaps it’s where you were when you gave your life to Jesus. In the past, great cathedrals were built to inspire people to imagine the grandeur of God’s presence through its beautiful architecture. The Old Testament placed great emphasis first on the Tabernacle and then on the Temple as the focus of God’s presence, but we see the greatest fulfillment of sacred space in the hearts of believers within whom God resides.
What do you think of as a sacred space? If you were raised in a church, it might be the chapel or sanctuary where you worshiped, or perhaps it’s where you were when you gave your life to Jesus. In the past, great cathedrals were built to inspire people to imagine the grandeur of God’s presence through its beautiful architecture. The Old Testament placed great emphasis first on the Tabernacle and then on the Temple as the focus of God’s presence, but we see the greatest fulfillment of sacred space in the hearts of believers within whom God resides.
Discussion Questions
- What is your first memory of a place you considered sacred? How old were you, and why did you feel that way? How has your impression of that place changed over time?
- Share two of your most significant observations.
- Share one application you plan to put into practice.
- Why did the Old Testament Mosaic Law have to be abolished for Christ to create one new humanity uniting Jew and Gentile in peace? See Ephesians 2:14-16 and Philippians 3:2-6.
- Paul uses a series of analogies in Ephesians 2:16 and 19-22 to characterize this new community of Jews and Gentiles. What does this figurative language teach us about this new community?
- Do you approach your relationship with God primarily as an individual pursuit or as something inextricably linked to the community with other believers? Why?
Dig Deeper: Cornerstone
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The New Testament teaches that we are God’s dwelling place. We learn in our text from Ephesians today that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of that building.
Read Isaiah 28:16
Paul draws on this verse to establish Christ’s role as the most significant stone of the building—the household of God—from which the rest of the structure is developed. The cornerstone is the principal stone around which construction in antiquity was achieved. In the lexicon of biblical architecture images, no image is more evocative than the cornerstone, the focal point of a building, the thing on which it most depends for structural integrity.
How can we make sure that Jesus is the true cornerstone of our lives?
What are some things that might try to compete with Jesus for that position?
The New Testament teaches that we are God’s dwelling place. We learn in our text from Ephesians today that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of that building.
Read Isaiah 28:16
Paul draws on this verse to establish Christ’s role as the most significant stone of the building—the household of God—from which the rest of the structure is developed. The cornerstone is the principal stone around which construction in antiquity was achieved. In the lexicon of biblical architecture images, no image is more evocative than the cornerstone, the focal point of a building, the thing on which it most depends for structural integrity.
How can we make sure that Jesus is the true cornerstone of our lives?
What are some things that might try to compete with Jesus for that position?
Posted in Sermon Notes