INTRO: We are in Paul’s first major digression. In your outlines I have shortened them so you can see where we are. It is a bit complicated and I hope you can follow where we are in the letter by this overview. Paul has been talking to the Ephesians, in his letter to them about his prayers for them. But he has been reminded of something he feels is very important to include, and that has to do with God saving the Gentiles, of whom there are many in Ephesus.
So he has shown them what it was like for them before Christ came. We find this in verses 11-12 like this:
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
This presented great obstacles God had to overcome in order to save the Gentiles. That is a very bleak and hopeless picture. That was the picture before Christ came. Paul then shows them how God overcame those great obstacles by showing them what things became like after Christ came and in the previous message we looked at verse 13 which says these amazing words:
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