Fellow Citizens and God’s Household (Ephesians

Описание: Jews and Gentiles United in Christ (8): Fellow Citizens and God’s Household (Ephesians 2:19) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. Civil Imagery
II. Family Imagery
Psalms: 145:7-14; 18:1-7; 87:1-7; 103:6-13
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-3:12
Charles Hodge: “Formerly the Gentiles stood in the same relation to the theocracy or commonwealth of Israel that we do to a foreign state. They had no share in its privileges, no participation in its blessings. Now they are ‘fellow-citizens of the saints.’ By saints are not to be understood the Jews, nor the ancient patriarchs, but the people of God. Christians have become, under the new dispensation, what the Jews once were, viz., ‘saints,’ men selected and separated from the world, and consecrated to God as his peculiar people. They now constitute the theocracy, which is no longer confined to any one people or country, but embraces all in every country who have access to God by Christ Jesus. In this spiritual kingdom the Gentiles have now the right of citizenship. They are on terms of perfect equality with all other members of that kingdom. And that kingdom is the kingdom of heaven. The same terms of admission are required, and neither more nor less, for membership in that kingdom, and for admission into heaven; all who enter the one enter the other; the one is but the infancy of the other; we are now, says Paul, the citizens of heaven” (Comm. on Eph. 2:19).

Psalm 145:7-14
7 The mem’ry of thy goodness great
they largely shall express;
With songs of praise they shall extol
thy perfect righteousness.
8 The Lord is very gracious,
in him compassions flow;
In mercy he is very great,
and is to anger slow.
9 The Lord Jehovah unto all
his goodness doth declare;
And over all his other works
his tender mercies are.
10 Thee all thy works shall praise, O Lord,
and thee thy saints shall bless;
11 They shall thy kingdom’s glory show,
thy pow’r by speech express:
12 To make the sons of men to know
his acts done mightily,
And of his kingdom th’ excellent
and glorious majesty.
13 Thy kingdom shall for ever stand,
thy reign through ages all.
14 God raiseth all that are bowed down,
upholdeth all that fall.

Psalm 18:1-7
1 Thee will I love, O Lord, my strength.
2 My fortress is the Lord,
My rock, and he that doth to me
deliverance afford:
My God, my strength, whom I will trust,
a buckler unto me,
The horn of my salvation,
and my high tow’r, is he.
3 Upon the Lord, who worthy is
of praises, will I cry;
And then shall I preserved be
safe from mine enemy.
4 Floods of ill men affrighted me,
death’s pangs about me went;
5 Hell’s sorrows me environed;
death’s snares did me prevent.
6 In my distress I call’d on God,
cry to my God did I;
He from his temple heard my voice,
to his ears came my cry.
7 Th’ earth, as affrighted, then did shake,
trembling upon it seiz’d:
The hills’ foundations moved were,
because he was displeas’d.

Psalm 87:1-7
1 Upon the hills of holiness
he his foundation sets.
2 God, more than Jacob’s dwellings all,
delights in Zion’s gates.
3 Things glorious are said of thee,
thou city of the Lord.
4 Rahab and Babel I, to those
that know me, will record:
Behold ev’n Tyrus, and with it
the land of Palestine,
And likewise Ethiopia;
this man was born therein.
5 And it of Zion shall be said,
This man and that man there
Was born; and he that is most High
himself shall stablish her.
6 When God the people writes, he’ll count
that this man born was there.
7 There be that sing and play; and all
my well-springs in thee are.

Psalm 103:6-13
6 God righteous judgment executes
for all oppressed ones.
7 His ways to Moses, he his acts
made known to Isr’el’s sons.
8 The Lord our God is merciful,
and he is gracious,
Long-suffering, and slow to wrath,
in mercy plenteous.
9 He will not chide continually,
nor keep his anger still.
10 With us he dealt not as we sinned,
nor did requite our ill.
11 For as the heaven in its height
the earth surmounteth far;
So great to those that do him fear
his tender mercies are:
12 As far as east is distant from
the west, so far hath he
From us removed, in his love,
all our iniquity.
13 Such pity as a father hath
unto his children dear;
Like pity shews the Lord to such
as worship him in fear.