You were dead in your trespasses and sins. (Eph 2:1)
8 Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:8–9)
11 Therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh—the ones who are called “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised” (which is performed physically by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise. You were without hope and without God in the world. (Eph 2:11–12)
They demonstrate the work of the law that is written in their hearts, since their conscience also bears witness as their thoughts go back and forth, at times accusing or at times even defending them. (Ro 2:15)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Yes, he has also put eternity in their hearts, yet it is not possible for man to understand the work that God has done from beginning to end. (Ec 3:11)
In ___________, I am a citizen of heaven and child of God.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:13)
Also for the foreigner, who is not one of your people Israel, but who comes from a distant land because of your Name (1 Ki 8:41)
He has raised up a horn for his people—the praise of all his favored ones— for the children of Israel, the people close to him. Praise the Lord. (Ps 148:14)
14 For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them 15a when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. (Eph 2:14–15a)
24 So the law was our chaperone until Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a chaperone. (Ga 3:24–25)
15b He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. 16 And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. (Eph 2:15b-16)
For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot. (Ro 8:7)
There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus. (Ga 3:28)
17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph 2:17–18)
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, inasmuch as God is making an appeal through us. We urge you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Co 5:20)
So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. (Eph 2:19)
20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Eph 2:20–22)
In this __________, I am a foreigner.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect, temporary residents in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. (1 Pe 1:1)
Points to Ponder
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week's message?
What does it mean to be a foreigner?
How can we see similarities between the Hebrews throughout Exodus and believers in our time now?
How would you define “culture shock” in a Christian context?
