This Is Us - Pastor Edrin Williams - 11am Sanctuary Covenant Church - 8.2.26

Ephesians 2 begins with a holy command to remember. Paul calls Gentile believers to remember life outside the covenant, outside the promises, without hope and without God in the world. The text does not let church folks get the big head. Paul says, before deciding who deserves a seat at the table, remember who once stood outside the house.

The image of the grandmother’s dinner table gives flesh to that word connect. That table was not just about fried meat, sweet tea, stories, and good grits. That table was a place where strangers became friends and friends became family. The table said, “you are seen, you are known, you are loved,” and that kind of table becomes a picture of the church God is building.

Connect names more than a church program. Connect names a discipleship rhythm, because authentic, life-giving relationships are part of how human beings are made. Ecclesiastes says two are better than one, because an isolated person is vulnerable. The New Testament keeps calling God’s people to love one another, encourage one another, and not give up meeting together, because spiritual growth needs real connection.

Time, technology, and tribalism stand in the way. Time crowds out the relationships souls actually need. Technology gives the appearance of connection while leaving people with followers, likes, and nobody to call when life falls apart. Tribalism teaches fear of anybody identified as “other,” but comfort with only like-minded people does not necessarily make anybody more like Jesus.

Paul answers those obstacles by centering connection on Christ. Jesus is the peace who destroyed the dividing wall of hostility. At the cross, Jesus made enemies into family and told every excuse to fall at his feet. Jesus sat at tables with thieves, prostitutes, poor folks, the sick, the hurting, the last, the lost, the least, and the lonely.

Ephesians 2 then changes identity. Those once called foreigners and strangers are now fellow citizens and members of God’s household. “You belong here” becomes more than a nice phrase. It settles restless hearts, moves transients into residents, and reminds every age and stage that hard seasons do not have to be carried alone.

The table finally sends God’s people outward. Christian community is not built just to collect friends. God joins a diverse body together so that the world can hear, “you are seen, you are loved, your life has dignity, God has not forgotten you, and there is room at the table for you too.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Remember who once stood outside Paul’s call to remember keeps grace from turning into arrogance. The person who knows what it means to be far off becomes slower to guard the table like an owner and quicker to make room like a guest who was welcomed by mercy. Honest memory becomes holy because it softens judgment and deepens hospitality. [83:05]
• 2. Connection cannot be microwaved Real trust takes time, presence, and repeated faithfulness. A crowded life can still be a lonely life when every needed relationship gets squeezed out by overcommitment. Meaningful Christian community asks for more than good intentions, because souls are not formed in a hurry. [74:07]
• 3. Jesus destroys dividing walls Christ does not merely reconcile sinners to God and leave human hostility untouched. The cross also kills the excuses built around race, class, politics, age, education, and comfort. Jesus makes peace by creating a new humanity where former enemies can sit at the same table. [90:30]
• 4. Belonging changes identity deeply “You belong here” speaks to more than social comfort. That word moves people from strangers to family, from transients to residents, from striving to receiving the dignity of children of God. Belonging in Christ can loosen poverty spirits, people-pleasing, and victim identities because the Father names his children as his own. [94:12]
• 5. The table must move outward Christian community is never meant to become a holy huddle of preferred friends. God gathers people across difference so that joined hands can bless the world, lift the cast down, speak for muted voices, and bring good news to captives. The same table that welcomes believers also creates room for people not yet there. [101:06]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [55:57] - Worship Team Appreciation
• [56:42] - Introducing The Sanctuary Five
• [59:56] - Reading Ephesians 2
• [62:26] - Connect And The Dinner Table
• [69:30] - Hardwired For Relationships
• [72:16] - Why Connection Is Difficult
• [74:25] - Technology And Superficial Connection
• [76:15] - Tribalism And Fear Of Others
• [81:53] - Remember What Once Was
• [86:02] - Real Connection Centers On Jesus
• [91:21] - You Belong Here
• [96:01] - Connection In Every Life Stage
• [100:45] - Community For The Sake Of The World
• [105:07] - Communion And Making Room

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.” [59:56]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” [01:10:59]

Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 2, what are the words Paul uses to describe life before Christ, and what are the words he uses to describe life now in Christ?
2. What picture does the dinner table give for Christian connection, and what kinds of things happened around that table? [01:06:57]
3. According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, what are some specific benefits of not being alone?
4. What were the three obstacles to real connection that were named, and what made each one a problem? [01:12:16]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul tells believers to remember that they were once far off, without hope, and without God in the world. Why does honest remembrance help guard the heart from pride and make room for mercy toward others? [01:21:53]
2. Ephesians 2 says that Jesus is our peace and that he destroyed the dividing wall of hostility. What does that seem to mean for barriers people often treat as untouchable, like race, class, politics, age, or comfort? [01:30:30]
3. Ephesians 2 moves people from “strangers and aliens” to “fellow citizens” and “members of the household of God.” How does belonging in God’s household reshape the way a person sees their identity? [01:31:21]
4. Hebrews 10 calls believers to keep meeting together and encouraging one another. Why is spiritual growth hard to sustain in isolation, even for sincere Christians?

Application questions

1. Paul says, “remember.” When it comes to making room for other people, what do you need to remember about who you once were, where God found you, or how God has shown you mercy? [01:24:48]
2. Real connection cannot be microwaved. What in your current schedule is crowding out the relationships your soul actually needs, and what might it look like to make even a small amount of honest space for people? [01:14:07]
3. Technology can give the appearance of connection while leaving people lonely. Where are you settling for texts, likes, or surface-level contact when you really need prayer, presence, or a real conversation? [01:14:25]
4. Tribalism teaches people to stay with those who feel familiar. Who tends to feel like “the other” to you, and what fears or assumptions make it hard to move toward them with the love of Christ? [01:16:15]
5. Jesus takes excuses and places them at the foot of the cross. What excuses most often rise up in you when it comes to connecting with people who are different from you? [01:30:22]
6. “You belong here” is more than a warm phrase. In this season of life, where do you most need to receive that truth for yourself, and where might God be calling you to speak that truth to someone else? [01:32:37]
7. Christian community is not just for gathering friends; it is for blessing the world. What is one practical way this group could make room at the table for someone who is lonely, overlooked, or not yet connected? [01:40:45]