“Before and After” 

**INTRODUCTION 

Hello and welcome to “Key to the Kingdom.” My name is Bret McCasland. If there is one type of advertising with which we are familiar, it is the before and after. How many times have we seen or heard something that promotes a better way of life after we use a certain product? Oh, life revolves around making such decisions, doesn't it? We weigh the pros and we weigh the cons of what something will look like if we make or do not make certain decisions. In our lesson today on “Key to the Kingdom,” we will notice what the Apostle Paul wrote about the difference between being a part of God's family and not being in God's family. He presents a contrast of what that looks like in a person's life, and that is something we all need to consider. We know what our life looks like now. We also know whether or not Jesus is our Lord and our Savior. And with that, we may wonder if our life can look any better if we are in a relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope you will stay tuned to this station for the next few minutes as we think about Paul's most important message. I also encourage you to open your heart and your Bible as we now study together.

**LESSON

One of the frustrations that come with watching television is the never ending stream of commercials. And certainly commercials are necessary as companies seek to do their advertising; and yet, on occasion, they seem to go on forever. Now, to some extent, with a variety of ways to watch television, now, that is not always the case. However, some of those commercials do grab my attention. They are those that make great promises if I use their products. Products like weight loss pills or whitening strips for your teeth seem to grab my attention, and I'm interested in such things. We are shown how bad things can become good things after we use their so-called proven products. Now, perhaps all of us have bought and have even used some of those products. And sometimes they work and yet sometimes they don't. Well, those same kind of ideas carry over into our spiritual life. It is the before and the after contrast. Let me say it this way. Have you ever asked yourself the question, can my life be any better than what it is right now? Or maybe ask this question: What will change if I give my life to Jesus Christ and receive His gift of salvation? We may even wonder if a relationship with Jesus will really make a difference in our life. In other words, it comes down to a before and after decision, a before and after condition. There is a passage in Ephesians chapter 2 that helps answer those questions. The Apostle Paul is writing to some Christians here in the city of Ephesus. They are believers in Jesus Christ. The majority of them are what we would call non-Jews or Gentiles. But Paul wants them to reflect upon what their life was like before they became a child of God. What was the condition of their spiritual life before they received that gift of salvation? And he wants them to recall what their life was like. And he begins with what I believe to be one of the saddest verses in the entire Bible, there in Ephesians chapter 2. Let's read these words, beginning with verse 11. <Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) -remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.> That's an amazing statement, isn't it? The Apostle Paul wrote that at one time, Gentiles, this is what your life looked like spiritually. Before you became a child of God, things did not look very good at all. You were outside of God's covenant relationship. You were not His children. You did not have the privilege to receive all of the blessings and the promises that God offered to those who were children. In other words, you did not fit into God's family. You were on the outside looking in. Paul gets quite specific there in verse 12. He lists five specific things, and there is nothing good about any of those five things. He begins by stating, “You were separated from Christ.” Have you ever been separated from one you love, it might be your spouse, your parents, your children? There's a void there. You don't know for sure how long you're going to be separated from them. It might be a few hours, perhaps a few days, maybe even a year. And you long to be reunited with the one you love. You look forward to that. You don't like being separated from your loved one? Well, these Christians knew what that was like. At one time, there was something missing. There was a void in their life. They had no relationship with Jesus Christ, and it kept them from experiencing His free gift of salvation. Secondly, Paul states in verse 12, “You were excluded from citizenship in Israel.” I have the privilege of being a citizen in the United States of America, and I'm thankful for that. Oh, there may be some ups and downs with that from time to time, but it's a great place to live. I'm grateful to be a citizen in this country. And there are other people who are citizens in their particular country, and no doubt you appreciate that. You enjoy those blessings and those privileges. Well, according to what Paul is saying here, these Jews had a special place in God's family, but not the non-Jews, not the Gentiles. They did not have a citizenship right within the family of God. Here's a third thing Paul identifies: “You were foreigners to the covenants of promise.” One occasion I travel outside of the United States, and I go to one particular country and I have a number of occasions. But no matter how many times I travel to that country, to some extent, I still feel like a foreigner. I don't fit in in every way. There are some customs and traditions with which I am not familiar, and it's hard. People look at me, they know I'm a foreigner or a stranger, and I understand that. Well, can you imagine how these people, these Gentiles, must have felt, spiritually, before they became Christians there in the city of Ephesus? They were on the outside. They had what we might call no spiritual passport to get into the family of God. Paul also writes, number four, “You at that time had no hope.” Have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation? You struggle with some things going on and you think, well, there's no hope for things to get any better. There's no hope for a better career, a better job, a better situation. There's no hope for the future. You might even think to yourself, well, there is no hope even for me to make it from one day to the next. That's a hopeless feeling, isn't it? It's a feeling that we just don't know for sure how we're going to live. Well, Paul, again, says that's the way it was spiritually for you. You had no hope for anything in the future. And then he wraps up this before condition with these words: “You were without God in the world.” I know some people who try to make it without God in this world. They don't believe in God. They believe in their own abilities and their own talents, and they're going to make it in this world on their own. That's a little bit scary for me to think about. I don't know for sure how those people are going to make it without God in this world, and yet they're willing to try. And Paul said before you become a Christian, that is the essence of your life. You're without God in the world. And all the challenges and all of the frustrations and opportunities that are experienced in life, you do so without the Lord. Well, these five things describe one who has not experienced the salvation of the Lord. And I really don't know anybody who wants these things to be descriptive of their life. It’s not pretty. And yet it is the before condition of those who have not received the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there is some good news. Paul is finished with that before condition and now, beginning with verse 13, he says after you have become a Christian, this is what your life looks like. And that's some good news. He reminds them of the changes that have taken place in their lives. He is finished with the before and he now moves to the after. And this is some good news, and I believe it is worth us hearing today. Because of their faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son, and because of God's grace and His acceptance of them as full fledged family members, these Ephesians are now called Christians. And no doubt that was some good news for them and it is some good news for us today. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, we can go to that after condition and experience everything God has in store for His family members. And so we notice these lives were changed there in these Christians there in Ephesus. They're in a relationship with Jesus Christ. And now he begins to make that contrast, and he begins verse 13 with the words, “But now,” or perhaps even “however.” Notice what he writes, beginning with verse 13 and going down through verse 18: <But now in Christ Jesus you, who once were far away, have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the Law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to those who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.> Let's notice some of the changes that Jesus has now brought to the lives of these Gentiles. At one time, they were far away. We saw that back in verse 12. They were separated from Christ. But now, Paul writes, “You have been brought near.” That's his first point: You have been brought near. As much as we hate being separated from those whom we love, how wonderful it is, now, to be brought near to the One who loves us more than we will ever know. And that is a primary point Paul is trying to make throughout this entire letter; that because of Jesus Christ and what He has done for you, and you are now part of God's family, you now have full access to the Father. He's not going anywhere, and there is no reason for us to go anywhere either. We also notice, this salvation is freely available to everyone. God's salvation does not discriminate. It is open to the Jews and to the Gentiles, to the rich and to the poor, to the males and to the females. And through Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross, the Gentiles are now able to share with the Jews in a covenant fellowship with God. That's the second point he emphasizes. And you think about that covenant fellowship; two words, a covenant with God. He's not going to break that covenant. And it's one of fellowship. We have access to God. We have fellowship with God, and also with all of the other brothers and sisters who belong to Him through Jesus Christ. And that brings to idea all of the rights and all of the privileges that belong to one who is a citizen of God's family. The third thing he identifies here is that there is peace between the Gentile Christians and the Jewish Christians. There is well-being, there is safety, there is security that they are all reconciled back to God; and in that, they find their identity as members of God's family. And that unity and that peace with God allows them to be united with the Jews. Think about how these Gentile Christians must have felt as Paul reminds them of all of these blessings and privileges they now are able to enjoy. There is no longer any religious division based upon their nationality because they're one in Christ. They are all the same spiritually. Paul continues with that same idea by mentioning another point: That barrier has been broken down. Think about a barrier, a dividing wall of hostility as he addresses that there. Jesus destroyed it. He broke it down when He died upon the cross. And with His death upon the cross, He accomplished two things. He accomplished and provided an answer for the sin in our life. But then, with His resurrection from the dead, He brings to us the promise of an eternal life with God the Father. And that is exactly what these Gentiles needed in their life, and that's what they now have as a result of Jesus’ death on the cross. All men and all women now have the opportunity to draw close to God. It breaks any, it breaks down any barrier between Jews and Gentiles and God himself; and as a result, there is peace. You know, to me, if there is one thing in the world today that is needed by most people, it is peace. When we talked about the idea of having no hope in this world, a moment ago, indeed, that is a challenge for many people, they don't have any hope, but secondly, the people don't have any peace in their life. Many don't have peace in their relationships with others. They don't have peace in one nation compared to the next nation. We know about the turmoils going on in our world. There is a definite need for peace in so many different ways, And we find that happening here with Jesus. We can only have peace in our life, and peace overall, when we find the Prince of Peace, who is Jesus Christ himself. Well, Paul begins to draw all of this to a conclusion as he describes their life in Jesus in the next few verses, as we continue to read, beginning with verse 19 of the second chapter. <Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.> Well, the Apostle Paul again points out that everyone can now be a member of God's family, and he offers his fifth point here: You are no longer those foreigners and aliens and strangers to God's family, but now you are fellow citizens with God's people. You are members of God's house. You are members of God's family. What a blessing! These Gentiles are now fellow citizens with everyone else. And God's family consists of a single body, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, of everyone having the same equal blessings and privileges and rights within the family of God. Again, how encouraging that must have been for these Gentile Christians to remember where they were and now to reflect upon where they currently are in the sight of God. And that's a beautiful way to describe what Jesus did upon the cross. He broke down anything and everything that prevented anyone from becoming somebody in the sight of the Lord. And now all who receive that Good News message of Jesus are able to receive all of the blessings and all of the promises which God gives to all of His children. And that, I believe, is a very beautiful way for the Apostle Paul to close out this before and after spiritual contrast. Now that's good news, also, for anyone who may be considering making some changes in their life. Maybe you today feel like what Paul described there in verse 12, a foreigner or stranger, an alien to God's promises, without hope, without God in this world. And that's a tragic way to go through life. But now you see what Jesus has already done for you on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. But there's something else I don't want us to miss here in verses 19 to 22, the church is founded upon the cornerstone or the foundation of Jesus Christ. He is the One who makes all of that possible. I'm reminded of the words of the Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 4 and verse 12: There is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved. There are lots of ideas, lots of philosophies, lots of names and religions out there in the world somewhere. But I believe these words to be true; there is no other name, other than Jesus Christ, who brings us into that right relationship with God. There is no other name by which we receive the salvation of the Lord. It is the name of Jesus Christ and His name alone. He is the pattern by which the Church, this family of God is shaped because He alone is the source of that salvation. And without Jesus there is nothing that brings God's family together as one body. And as the church then grows, as men and women and Jews and Gentiles, Paul points out there, that we are guided or led by the Holy Spirit of God who lives within us. It spreads as people are filled with God's presence, as people begin to seek to live daily lives of holiness and obedience and dedication to the Lord. And all of that begins to take place and come together when people seek a change in their spiritual life. Today, when we respond to what Jesus did on the cross, we go from being on the outside to being on the inside. We move from that before condition to the after condition. We are now able to receive all of the blessings and all of the promises that belong to those who are members, who are brothers and sisters in Christ, and who are the children of God. In other words, we receive God's salvation, and there is nothing greater than that. You know, many of us today, I'm quite sure, are a part of God's family already. We have gone through that before and after transition in our life, that Paul has described here. And that's a good thing. Perhaps you are well familiar with the things that I have shared today. We know about the blessings and the promises and the hope and the salvation. And I would encourage us to continue to think about that and remind ourselves of the many blessings that we enjoy. If that is not the case, however, then my prayer for you today would be to consider moving out of that before condition of your spiritual life, to make some changes regarding your relationship with the Lord. And I would truly hope you realize that a relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, really does make a difference in your eternal life.

**VIDEO CLIP

I'm standing on the edge of a parking lot of a major food store. Behind me there are all kinds of people walking in and out of the store to make purchases of what they need. Now, before they go into the store they don't have what they need, but after shopping and making a purchase they come out with exactly what they need. And that's the way it is in a number of different scenarios in life. We go to the doctor. Beforehand, we don't know what's wrong, but after seeing the doctor we have a solution. We take our car in to get some gasoline because we don't have any. But after we get the gas then we have enough to move down the road. And that happens over and over again in life. The same thing happens when we become a Christian. Before we are a part of God's family, or a Christian, we don't have access to all of the blessings and promises and privileges that belong to a child of God. But after we receive the free gift of God's salvation we have everything we need. In fact, we have more than enough. And that's a good thing. We don't have to make any purchases. We simply believe in Jesus Christ, we respond to Him, we become a part of God's family and we have everything we need after that occasion. It's a tragic thing to be in a situation when we are outside of God family. That's a tragic ‘before’ situation. But ‘after’ we receive the Lord's Salvation, we have more than enough. His love is sufficient. His blessings provide all we need and then some. And for that, we can be most thankful. I hope today that you experience the after condition of your salvation and not the before.

**CONCLUSION

Thank you for being our guest today on “Key to the Kingdom.” I appreciate you taking time to listen to this message from God's Word. The Apostle Paul paints a beautiful contrast between being part of God's family and being on the outside looking in. He shows us the difference Jesus makes in a person's life, and it is truly life changing and it also changes our eternal destiny. If you would like to hear this message again, please go to our website. It is keytothekingdom.com. There you can download the message along with many others. They are in audio, video and a written format. It does not cost anything to do so and it requires no commitment of any kind. Many other Bible study materials are on the website, as well, and they are available for your consideration. One and two minute devotional videos may also encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Through Roku® television and a free phone app, you can also have access to this ministry. If there is any way we can assist you in your walk with the Lord or in deciding to be part of God's family, please do not hesitate to contact us. Again, thank you for tuning in to today's program. I hope you will join us again next time as we continue to study the Bible on “Key to the Kingdom.”