October 11th - Dustin Maddox - Ephesians 1:9- 10 - Invisible Walls

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Rejection Breeds Rage

The story of two brothers offering gifts reveals how unmet longing twists into violence. Like Cain’s anger toward Abel, unresolved rejection festers into destructive patterns. We see this in families, friendships, and fractured communities—the wound of being unseen morphing into fists clenched tight. Yet Scripture offers a different path: naming the ache before it becomes a weapon. [43:04]

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt the heat of rejection rising in your chest? How might the cross’s declaration of your worth interrupt that cycle today?

Day 2: Labels That Cut People Off

“Uncircumcised” wasn’t just a descriptor—it was a blade severing connection. Reducing people to categories (political, racial, religious) lets us dismiss their stories. The Ephesians once wore such labels like shackles, excluded from belonging. But grace rewrites identities: no one stays a stranger. [53:14]

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh… separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: What label have you placed on someone that keeps you from seeing their humanity? What name does God call them instead?

Day 3: The Wrecking Ball of Grace

Walls built to protect often imprison. The temple’s dividing curtain, the laws that segregated “clean” and “unclean”—Jesus reduced them to rubble. His cross didn’t just reconcile us to God; it demolished every barrier between “us” and “them.” Peace isn’t a truce—it’s a demolition site. [58:32]

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility… that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.” (Ephesians 2:14–15, ESV)

Reflection: What wall have you been rebuilding that Christ already tore down? How might you step over the debris toward someone today?

Day 4: Midnight Access to the Father

Children don’t knock—they burst in, certain of their welcome. The cross turned outsiders into heirs, granting reckless access to God’s presence. No more waiting in the courtyard; we crawl into the Father’s lap at 3 a.m., our needs bare and unpolished. This is the scandal of grace: the unworthy become family. [01:05:09]

“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:18–19, ESV)

Reflection: What keeps you from approaching God with childlike boldness? How would living as an heir change your prayers this week?

Day 5: Living Stones in God’s New Temple

God doesn’t dwell in buildings but in a mosaic of reconciled people. Jews and Gentiles, Democrats and Republicans, the “right” and “wrong” sorts—all become stones fitted together by grace. Our unity isn’t uniformity; it’s the collision of differences held fast by Christ, the cornerstone. [01:11:54]

“In him the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21–22, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels like an “ill-fitting stone” in God’s temple? How might Christ’s grip on you both reshape your posture toward them?

Sermon Summary

The conflict pattern in *East of Eden* gives a name to something painfully familiar: rejection leads to rage, rage leads to revenge, and revenge leaves regret behind. The pattern is predictable because people carry old wounds into new relationships, repeating what they have learned about conflict on the people around them. Labeling reduces a person to a category so nobody has to know their story. Hostility turns neighbors into threats. Othering draws a line between “my people” and everybody on the other side.

Paul’s own story shows that these patterns are not theoretical. Paul once met the way of Jesus with violence and hostility, but the resurrected Jesus transformed him into somebody who formed multiethnic, economically diverse communities across the empire. Ephesians 2 grounds that transformation in grace and peace. God’s grace gives what people do not deserve, and that grace makes peace both between humanity and God and between human beings.

Paul names the old wall clearly. The label “uncircumcised” turned Gentiles into outsiders, strangers, and people cut off from God’s people. The law, with its commands and regulations, had become a dividing wall of hostility when Israel circled the wagons and treated the nations as enemies rather than neighbors to love. Jesus destroys that wall in his flesh. Jesus does not kill his enemies on the cross. Jesus kills the enmity between enemies.

The cross brings those who were far away near. Jesus creates one new humanity out of groups that had been taught to fear, label, and exclude one another. Forgiveness does not pretend that wounds never happened. Forgiveness provides the basis for reconciliation, because hostility no longer gets to define the relationship.

Paul calls this reconciled people God’s household, fellow citizens, and a holy temple. Christ is the chief cornerstone, and the Spirit dwells not in a building of stone or wood but in a community of human lives reconciled to each other. The multiethnic family of God is not an add-on to the good news. The new family is central to what Jesus has done.

Jesus therefore calls people in conflict to focus on what he has done, not merely on what the other person did. Jesus calls people to see a son or daughter of the King, an image bearer for whom Christ died, rather than a label inherited from fear or tribe. The dividing wall is dead. Jesus invites his people not to rebuild it.

Key Takeaways

1. Rejection can become rage and revenge The conflict pattern often begins long before the visible argument. Rejection can form a deep instinct to strike back, protect pride, or make another person feel the pain that has been carried inside. Christ does not merely manage the reaction at the end of the chain. Christ meets the wound beneath it and makes another response possible. [43:04]
2. Jesus kills enmity, not enemies The cross does not give permission to keep rehearsing divisions while claiming peace. Jesus puts hostility itself to death, including the labels and tribal instincts that make other people seem less human. Forgiveness does not call evil good, but it refuses to let evil have the final word in a relationship. [62:43]
3. The church becomes God’s living temple God’s presence is made visible through reconciled people, not merely through religious spaces or correct ideas. A community that remains monoethnic, monocultural, or guarded by invisible walls fails to display the fullness of God’s purpose. The Spirit forms a household where difference is not erased but gathered around Jesus as the center. [71:08]
4. Focus on Christ, not their offense Conflict becomes clearer when God’s mercy is brought back into view. Jesus calls his people to remember who the other person is in God’s eyes before reacting to what that person did in a painful moment. One peacemaking step can become a concrete refusal to rebuild the wall Christ has already torn down.

## [76:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:29] - East of Eden and Conflict Patterns
[43:04] - Rejection, Rage, Revenge, Regret
[44:56] - Labeling, Hostility, and Othering
[48:02] - Paul’s Transformation and Ephesians
[50:32] - Grace Creates Peace
[52:31] - Gentiles as Outsiders
[55:16] - Brought Near by Christ’s Blood
[57:26] - Jesus Destroys the Dividing Wall
[62:25] - Jesus Kills Enmity Between Enemies
[66:02] - From Strangers to God’s Household
[69:12] - A Reconciled People as God’s Temple
[73:36] - Old Hostilities Into New Humanity
[76:58] - Focus on What Jesus Has Done
[79:49] - One Peacemaking Step

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 2:11-22
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” [50:32]

Ephesians 2:1-10
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [50:32]

Genesis 4:1-16
“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” [43:41]

Observation questions

In Ephesians 2:11–12, what words describe the Gentiles’ former relationship to Christ, God’s people, and God’s promises?
What labels and images does Paul use in Ephesians 2:14–18 to describe what Jesus has done between divided groups? [57:32]
According to Ephesians 2:19–22, what new names does Paul give people who were once strangers, and what is being built from them?
In the conflict pattern drawn from Genesis 4 and East of Eden, what sequence follows rejection? [43:04]

Interpretation questions

Paul says that Jesus himself is our peace and that he put hostility to death through the cross. How is this different from simply asking people to ignore their differences or avoid hard conversations? [01:02:43]
The label “uncircumcised” was used to treat Gentiles as outsiders. Why do labels so easily become dividing walls, and what do they keep people from seeing in one another? [45:20]
Ephesians 2 says that those who were far away have been brought near and made members of God’s household. What does this reveal about the kind of community Jesus intends to create? [01:05:52]
Forgiveness does not deny that real harm was done, yet it becomes the basis for reconciliation. What might it look like to take wounds seriously without allowing hostility to define the relationship? [01:03:04]

Application questions

When you feel rejected, criticized, or overlooked, what is your usual next move: anger, withdrawal, revenge, labeling, or something else? What might be underneath that response? [43:54]
Is there a person or group you tend to reduce to a quick label? What story, pressure, or pain might you fail to see when you use that label? [45:20]
Think of a current conflict. What changes when you focus first on what Jesus has done for you rather than replaying what the other person did to you? [01:17:05]
Where might you be rebuilding a wall that Jesus has torn down—through avoidance, contempt, gossip, tribal language, or treating a healthy boundary like a barricade? [01:15:06]
Who is one person toward whom you could take a small, wise peacemaking step this week? What could that step be: a prayer, an honest conversation, an apology, listening without defending yourself, or a practical act of care? [01:19:49]
How can this group become more like God’s household—a place where people with different backgrounds are not merely tolerated but welcomed as fellow citizens and family members? [01:11:25]

Sermon Clips

49s

#JesusKillsEnmity

“is put to death when Jesus dies. All of that old way of organizing human relationships, of going about human conflict is all put to... That that it's put away. It's put to death. It's it's gone. It's done for. We don't engage each other like that anymore because of what Jesus has done. In other words, on the cross, Jesus doesn't kill his enemies. Jesus kills the enmity between enemies. Whatever hostility or division or labeling that exists between enemies, Jesus has killed it once and for all. It doesn't exist anymore.”

48s

#SeePeopleThroughJesus

“The way in which you and I are to approach each other, to approach another, is to see each other through the lens of Jesus and what Jesus has done and is doing. We don't see people on the basis of of whatever label that we've inherited or applied to people. We see a son or a daughter of the king, an image of God for whom Jesus was willing to die, in whom the spirit of Jesus desires to dwell.”

62s

#WelcomeToGodsFamily

“And one of the invitations for somebody here, for one of you, for for all of us really, is what this what this means is that Jesus welcomes you into his family. Like, this is an astounding invitation that it doesn't matter who you are or what you have done or what you have failed to do or what your resume says you have done or what your bank account has in it or who your family lineage can be traced back to. All that matters is Jesus, and Jesus invites you in your circumstance and situation into his family. Not because of anything you've done or could do, but because God loves you and wants you to be a part of his family.”

45s

#CommunityOverBuildings

“Paul's claim is that that whole temple structure in Jerusalem and any other temple that exists to any other God throughout the Roman Empire are rendered obsolete because this community of human beings, not of stone or wood, of human lives reconciled to each other is where God's spirit and presence and peace and power all dwells. If you want to experience God, if you want to experience heaven and earth overlapping in a mysterious but profoundly tangible and real way, you need to experience not a building but a community.”

46s

#ChoosePeacemaking

“For others of us, an invitation is to identify one person who tempts you or is tempting you into some form of labeling. Oh, they're just a fill in the blank. Some type of hostility, notion of othering, and then take one peacemaking toward that person this week. Quite simple, not easy. But you can do it because it's what Jesus has done for you.”

46s

#CitizensOfGodsKingdom

“You used to be on this other side of God's presence and peace and people. And now because of what Jesus has done, you are no longer a stranger. You are a citizen. You are a member of God's family. You are a son. You are a daughter of the king of the universe. Living with the king and doing what the king is doing.”

47s

#BreakingDownWalls

“And that's what we see Jesus doing throughout his life and ministry and in in in his death and resurrection. And his death and resurrection destroys that dividing wall. His love is like a a wrecking ball that destroys this dividing wall of hostility. It annihilates it completely. It's it's it's totally gone. It doesn't exist anymore. And that annihilation produces reconciliation or is the means of reconciliation between these two groups who, Paul says, are not only reconciled united into a new humanity.”

70s

#ExtendGodsPeace

“And when we are naturally tempted to be blinded by conflict, when we are tempted to hide behind the dividing wall of hostility, when we are lured into attempts to self preservation, Would you come among us? Would you remind us that life is about being self sacrificial? That life is about offering forgiveness? That life is about encountering injustice with mercy. Help us to become people who extend your peace. Empower us to do what we on our own power cannot do.”

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