“Elevate: Build Up”
SERMON Title: Elevate: Build Up
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:11-22 ESV
Introduction
When we hear “build up the church,” we may think of programs, volunteering, or simply doing more ministry. But in this passage, Paul is speaking about something far deeper: our identity as the people of God, the community Christ Himself is forming, and the spiritual house God is actively building with Jesus as the cornerstone. Before Paul tells us how to build up the church, he tells us who we are — because without understanding our identity in Christ, all our attempts will become burdens, performance, or disappointment. But when we understand who we are because of Jesus, building up the church becomes the overflow of grace.
Paul walks us through three movements:
We were once far off — separated, divided, and without hope.
Christ has brought us near — tearing down walls and making one new humanity.
We are now being built together — formed into a spiritual home where God dwells.
1. We Were Once Far Off
Paul begins with a single command in verse 11: “Remember.” Not to shame us or trap us in guilt, but to anchor us in the gospel. “Remember that at one time you Gentiles… were called the uncircumcision….” These were not casual labels. They were identity markers loaded with centuries of mistrust and division. The Jews saw Gentiles as outsiders; the Gentiles saw Jews as exclusive. Paul says: remember what that meant spiritually.
Then he widens the lens in verse 12: “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ… alienated from the commonwealth of Israel… strangers to the covenants of promise… having no hope… and without God in the world.” The Gentiles had no Messiah, no covenant, no access, no belonging, and no hope. And this was not just their story. Spiritually speaking, this was ours as well. Before Christ, we were far off, alienated, unable to rescue ourselves, unable to tear down the walls that sin and shame built around our lives.
Paul wants us to remember this because true building up must be rooted in humility. If we forget where we came from, we will build poorly. We will judge quickly, forgive slowly, and rebuild walls that Christ already tore down. But when we remember the distance God crossed for us, we approach others with gratitude, patience, and gentleness.
And Paul’s reminder is not only vertical but horizontal. Jews and Gentiles were divided not just from God but from one another. And the same dynamic shows up in our own community. We come from different generations, political views, cultures, economic backgrounds, and personal histories. These differences are real and can create misunderstandings, suspicion, or distance. Without Christ, these realities do not naturally create unity; they create walls.
When you look around at our church — Boomers worshiping with Gen Z, people raised in different countries, families with plenty sitting beside those under pressure, people shaped by different ideologies and life stories — nothing about this unity is natural. If left to ourselves, we would remain separated. But Paul does not leave us in this condition. The gospel changes everything. Christ Himself steps in to bring peace.
2. Christ Has Brought Us Near
Paul continues in verse 13: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” This nearness is not mere politeness or friendliness. It is radical, supernatural reconciliation. The blood of Christ accomplished what no human effort, no cultural movement, and no personal will could achieve. At the cross, Christ dismantled the barriers that stood between us and God and between us and one another.
In verses 14–16, Paul explains how this works: “For He Himself is our peace… He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility… He created in Himself one new man in place of the two… and reconciled us both to God in one body through the cross.” Jesus does not just negotiate peace — He is our peace. He didn’t simply patch up a truce; He created an entirely new humanity. Two hostile groups became one new people under Christ.
Humanly speaking, it is nearly impossible for such different people to be united. But Christ does the impossible. He brings together people who would never naturally trust one another or see the world the same way. And in verses 17–18, Paul says Christ preached peace to those far off and those near, giving both access to the Father by one Spirit. The Holy Spirit now enables us to forgive, to bear with one another, to encourage, to reconcile, and to live as people who share one spiritual family.
So if Christ has brought us near and torn down the wall of hostility, what do we do with this new reality? We build up one another. We move toward each other, even across differences, discomfort, and wounds. Building the church means living as people who believe that Christ has made us one — and acting accordingly.
3. We Are Now Being Built Together
Now Paul moves from who we were and what Christ did to what Christ is doing now. In verses 19–22, Paul reveals three truths: our new identity, our new foundation, and our new purpose.
Our New Identity
“You are no longer strangers and aliens…” (v.19). In ancient society, strangers had no rights, no belonging, and no protection. Paul says that’s what we used to be spiritually. But now we are “fellow citizens with the saints.” We share the same standing and inheritance as every believer before us — Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, and Paul. There are no second-class Christians.
Even more, we are “members of God’s household.” God is not building a spiritual kingdom full of servants; He is building a home filled with sons and daughters. You are not a guest in God’s house; you are family. And God’s family is made up of people across cultures, generations, backgrounds, and experiences — a family no human could construct, but Christ has formed.
Our New Foundation
Paul says we are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone” (v.20). The foundation is the revelation God gave through them — the Scriptures and the gospel. We do not build the church on culture, preference, trend, or personality. We build on God’s Word.
And the cornerstone is Christ. In ancient architecture, the cornerstone determined the alignment and stability of the entire building. If it was off, everything was off. So when Paul calls Jesus the cornerstone, he means:
Christ defines the shape of the church.
Christ holds everything together.
Christ determines how every piece fits.
Without Christ, the building collapses.
Any attempt to build community, ministry, or unity apart from Christ will eventually crumble.
Our New Purpose
Paul continues in verse 21: “In Him the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” This would have shocked both Jewish and Gentile readers. The temple was the place of God’s presence on earth. But now Paul says we are the temple. God’s presence dwells not in a building but in His people.
Then verse 22 adds: “In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” The temple of God is not an individual project. You cannot be the dwelling place of God alone. You cannot display God’s presence or fulfill His mission in isolation. You need the people God is building you with.
And notice the present tense: you are being built together. Right now. Every gathering, every LifeGroup, every expression of love, every act of reconciliation, every word of encouragement — these are the construction moments of God’s temple.
Building the church is not an extra ministry task; it is the Spirit-filled life God calls us into. It is the daily way we live out the gospel that saved us.
Conclusion
So what does this mean for us at New Hope Downtown? It means building up the church is not optional or secondary. It is central to our identity. When Jesus brought us near, tore down walls, made us citizens, made us family, and made us His temple, He did not just change our status — He changed our purpose. He made us builders. Not builders of programs or comfortable spaces tailored to our preferences, but builders of people and builders of gospel community.
This is why we pursue unity when division would be easier.
This is why we reach across generational, cultural, political, and economic differences.
This is why we forgive, welcome, encourage, and serve one another.
This is why we give our presence, our gifts, our time — not out of obligation, but because the Spirit is shaping a temple through us.
Christ is the cornerstone. And every act of grace, every step toward reconciliation, every word of encouragement becomes a living stone in what God is building. As we commit ourselves to build up the church, may our lives be lifted by His Spirit, strengthened in unity, and may our community shine as a testimony to the God who has brought us near.
Reflection and Response
At this time, let’s take a moment to reflect and respod to the message this morning. As we consider what it means to build up the church as gospel partners, How is God inviting you to participate in His Spirit-led construction of His people? Let’s ask ourselves:
1. In what ways am I contributing to walls of division, whether through my words, attitudes, or assumptions?
2. How can I take intentional steps to encourage, welcome, and reconcile with others in my LifeGroup, family, workplace, or community?
3. What gifts, presence, or time has God entrusted to me that I can use to build up the church?
4. How can I align my actions and relationships more fully with Christ, the cornerstone, so that what I build reflects His grace and love?