I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 4 --
we’re going to be looking at verses 1-16 this morning, but I want to open up by
just reading the first six verses -- Ephesians 4:1-6
Ephesians
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in
all.
-- in his book, A Gentle Thunder,
(Word, 1995, pp. 139-140) Max Lucado wrote about this man who was going on a
trip and saw someone carrying a Bible:
-- “Are you a believer?” the first
man asked the second -- “Yes,” he said excitedly
-- the first man knew you couldn't be too
careful -- just because you carry a Bible and say you're a believer doesn't
mean it's true -- so he continued to ask probing questions
-- “Virgin birth?” he asked.’ -- “I accept
it.”
-- "Deity of Jesus?” -- “No doubt.”
-- “Death of Christ on the cross?”
--“Absolutely.”
-- Could it be that he was actually face
to face with a Christian? -- Perhaps. -- but, nonetheless, he continued his
checklist.
-- “Status of man?” -- “Sinner in need of
grace.” -- “Definition of grace?” -- “God doing for man what man cannot do.
-- “Return of Christ?” -- “Imminent.”
-- “Bible?” -- “Inspired.” -- “The
Church?” -- “The body of Christ.”
-- the first man started getting excited.
-- “Conservative or liberal?” -- his fellow traveler was getting interested,
too. -- “Conservative.” -- his heart began to beat faster.
-- “Heritage?” -- “Southern
Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention.” -- the
first man was amazed -- that was his own heritage
-- “Branch?” -- “Pre-millennial,
post-trib, noncharismatic, King James, one-cup communion.” -- the first man's
eyes misted as he began to think he had met another true Christian
-- he had only one other question.
-- “Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?" -- “Fiberglass,” the other man
responded.
-- the first man withdrew his hand,
stiffened his neck, and hissed back -- “Heretic.”
-- isn't it amazing how much attention we
give to the little things that don't even matter? -- in this illustration from
Max Lucado, these two men couldn't accept each other as believers just because
of the type of pulpit they had in their church -- and while we all know that
this illustration is a little far-fetched, it does make a point that hits home
for a lot of us in the church today
-- in John 17:20-23, on the last night He
was with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the
Father in a heart-felt prayer of intercession:
-- “My prayer is not for them alone -- I
pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message -- [Us] --
that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.
-- “May they also be in us so that
the world may believe that You have sent Me -- I have given them the glory that
You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and You in Me -- May
they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and
have loved them even as You have loved Me.”
-- the overall plea of Jesus in His
last prayer on earth for His followers was that we would walk with Him in unity
-- that we would be one in each other and one in Him and the Father
-- this prayer of Jesus is
unrealized in America this morning -- this prayer of Jesus is unrealized in His
church this morning -- for we are as divided and polarized as we have ever been
-- both within and outside the church
-- for that reason, the first
message in this sermon series on Walking with Jesus is going to address the
issue of unity -- we’re going to be looking at Paul’s plea for unity in the
church from Ephesians 4:1-16
-- let’s look back at this passage
and see what we can learn about finding and living out Jesus’ call for unity in
our lives with Him
II. Finding Unity
A. Unity Comes Through Obedience and
Faithfulness
-- so, how do we find unity with
others and with God? -- first, unity comes through obedience and faithfulness
-- look back at verse 1-3
Ephesians
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace.
-- unity begins when we are
obedient and faithful to our calling -- when we live our lives worthy of the
calling we have received
-- what is that calling? -- it is
the call of the redeemed -- it is the call of those who have received
forgiveness and healing in their lives to share that same gift of forgiveness
and healing with those around them in the name of Jesus
--we live a life worthy of our calling
when our lives are imitations of Jesus -- when our behavior and our character
and our attitudes mirror that of our Savior
-- Paul lists four characteristics
of a Christian who is living a life worthy of their calling -- they are humble
-- gentle -- patient -- and forbearing -- these are the graces in our lives
that balance our call and our character -- that are necessary for good
relations and unity with others in the Christian community and beyond
-- to be humble is a state of being
-- it means that we do not exalt ourselves above others -- but that we consider
others before us -- as some have said, to be humble is not to think of yourself
as less, but not to think of yourself at all -- the picture of humility in the
Bible is of a strong person who loves others in word and in deed and put their
needs above his own
-- to be gentle means you are not
harsh or dictatorial -- you don’t demand your way or that your voice be heard
-- you consider the feelings of others -- you deal with them gently, in love,
as Christ did -- I’ll be honest -- this is not how the world sees Christians
today -- if you look at our social media or our interactions with unbelievers
or with people who differ with us, we are not relating to them in gentleness or
humbleness
-- in verse 2, Paul urges us to
strive for patience in our lives -- for enduring hardship -- for bearing with
others in love -- one thing about this phrase, “bearing with one another in
love” -- when you are bearing with another person, that implies
that it is a struggle -- it’s not easy -- it’s something that you are having to
work at -- it’s something you are having to bear like a burden
-- how we do that demonstrates a lot
about where we are in our relationship with Christ -- how we interact with
unbelievers or those we differ with shows the real difference between a
disciple in name and in truth
-- true disciples -- true followers of
Christ -- get their hands dirty -- they get involved in other people’s lives --
they get their feelings hurt -- they give everything in order to show the love
of Christ to someone else -- whether that’s a family member that’s difficult to
live with or a homeless stranger on the street or someone they disagree with on
political issues
-- it’s easy to love someone who
loves you back -- it’s easy to love someone you like or that you agree with --
but it’s not easy to love the unlovable
-- it’s not easy to live life with someone
that you don’t like or that doesn’t like you -- with someone with whom you have
strong disagreements or who speaks or acts harshly or with hatred towards you
-- it is a cross that you have to bear as
a Christian -- it is a way worthy of the calling we have received -- and we can
only do this if we have the Spirit within us, empowering us to love others in
the truth regardless of who they are or how we feel about them
-- that’s why Paul tells us here
that the path to unity is through the bond of peace that comes through the
Spirit -- this peace flows from the Spirit through us as we reach out to others
in humility and gentleness of speech and actions -- this peace comes as the
Spirit empowers us to reach out to others in patience and forbearance -- and this
peace is realized when we love others in spite of our differences -- when we
love from the heart in action and word and deed, seeking the unity that Christ
has called us to
B. Unity Comes by Focusing on Common Beliefs
-- the next way we find unity with others
and with God is when we focus on our common beliefs
-- look at verse 4-6
4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you
were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
-- when it comes to unity, we need
to remember that unity is found in the message and the calling of Christ --
what that means is that we are unified in the foundational truths of the
gospel, but we do not seek unity in those things that are contrary to God’s
word
-- as we read in 2 Corinthians 6:14,
we are not to be yoked with unbelievers -- for what do right and wrong have in
common?
-- to be yoked with another person means
you are in unity with them -- you are walking their way -- you are following
their path -- but Christians are supposed to be walking with Christ and yoked
with other believers
-- that means Christians are not to follow
the path of the world or to affirm or applaud those actions or those beliefs
which are counter to our faith and the Word of God
-- the unity that Jesus prayed for and
that Paul is encouraging us to seek in this passage is based on the
foundational truths of God’s word, especially the truth of Jesus and the gospel
message -- we cannot join or be yoked with those who do not hold to these
foundational truths
-- that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends
with unbelievers or that we can’t be in relationship with them -- I have a
coworker that is an active member of the LGBTQ community -- I consider her a
friend -- if she needed something, I would be there to help her -- but I cannot
join her in following the path she is on -- I cannot affirm the choices that
she has made because I am called by Christ to walk a different path
-- our calling is to share the truth and
the gospel with those who are not believers or who have drifted from the path
of Christ -- but we cannot follow them in the direction they are going
-- there are foundational truths that we
must hold fast -- things such as Paul lists for us here -- one body -- one
Spirit -- one hope -- one Lord -- one faith -- one baptism -- one God and
Father of all
-- the truth that Jesus Christ was fully
God and fully Man -- that He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as an
atonement for our sins -- rising from the dead on the third day in victory over
sin and death
-- the truth that we serve One God
comprised of three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- the Holy Trinity
-- and the hope and the promise we have in
eternal life with God through the redemption of Jesus
-- these are the foundational truths that
we unify around -- it doesn’t matter what label Christians use to distinguish
themselves -- Baptist -- Methodist -- Church of Christ -- Pentecostal -- Church
of God -- nondenominational -- none of these labels or the minor differences we
have separate us from each other in Christ -- we can come together in unity
because we accept these foundational truths
-- I remember Billy Graham once said that
he could easily worship in churches from any denomination -- and the reason why
is because he focused on the foundational truths and didn’t worry about the
minor differences that really don’t matter
-- a lot of the differences and
disagreements in the church are like those in the opening illustration from Max
Lucado -- they’re not foundational -- they’re not absolute truths that we are
arguing about
-- things like whether you baptize by
sprinkling or immersion -- whether you allow musical instruments in your
worship -- whether you speak in tongues or not -- whether you have a wooden or
a fiberglass pulpit -- these are differences in how we experience and
understand and relate to God -- but they’re not foundational -- they are
preferential choices -- and we should not be letting things like this divide us
and affect our fellowship with other Christians
-- because of the foundational truths that
we share, we can join together with other believers throughout the world as one
-- one body -- and one church -- joined together in Christ
C. Unity Comes through Maturity in Christ
-- finally, we find unity with other and
with God when we grow in grace and become mature in Christ
-- verse 7-16
7
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is
why it says:
“When
he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower,
earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than
all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12
to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the
Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ.
14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and
blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and
craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the
truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him
who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work.
-- when I counsel couples seeking
marriage, I like to use the image of a triangle as a picture of what their goal
as a couple should be -- I write the name of the groom on one of the bottom corners
of the triangle and the bride on the other -- and then I put God at the top
-- and I explain to them that as they
mature in their love and in their relationship with each other -- as they walk
their individual paths, using their gifts and talents and love to follow the
path towards God, that they will grow closer to each other -- do you see that?
-- that’s the picture that the Apostle
Paul is giving us in this passage -- God has graced all of us with different
spiritual gifts and talents -- we have different responsibilities in the church
-- we have different graces that we use to relate to those around us --
everyone in here is different from everyone else -- but we are all walking the
same path
-- and as we mature in our faith -- as we
use our gifts and our talents as part of the church of Christ -- as we move
further and further down that path towards God -- we become closer with those
around us
-- to be mature in the faith means that we
are no longer infants -- tossed back and forth by the waves and blown by every
wind of teaching -- but that we are firm in following our faith and the
foundational truths and that we are joining with others on that same path
-- and as we grow in grace and grow closer
to Christ, we become one with those around us -- united with each other and one
in Christ
-- we rise above our petty differences and
disagreements and join together in the bond of peace through the Spirit to
become the Church -- as Paul says in verse 16, we come together with Christ to
become the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament --
by every member of the body who is becoming mature in their faith -- and we
grow and build ourselves up in love as each part does its work -- as we live
lives worthy of the individual calling that we have received
-- that is the picture of unity in the
church -- people from all walks of life -- from all nations and races and
tribes and tongues -- with different gifts and talents -- with different
callings and different experiences with God -- coming together as one to be the
church -- one body -- one Spirit -- one Lord -- and one God and Father of all
-- this is what Jesus prayed for in John
17, and this is what Paul urges us to seek here in this passage
III. Closing
-- let’s bring this to a close
-- our goal in Christ is to become one
with each other and one in Him -- we find our unity as we focus on the
absolutes -- as we practice supportive speech and actions towards others -- as
we strive to become mature in our faith, living lives worthy of the calling we
have received
-- to be brought to complete unity in
Christ does not mean we all have to believe or agree on everything -- whether
we’re talking about things in the church or things outside the church -- for
instance, there are some people in here who support Alabama football, which I
find detestable -- everyone here knows that God favors the Georgia Bulldogs -- you
find that in the Book of Herschel, Chapter 1 -- I’m joking...
-- but the point is, we can disagree with
each other about issues like this in a way that does not bring dishonor to God,
because these things are not foundational and absolute truths -- but when we
disagree, we need to disagree in a way that serves as an example to the world
around us of how we still relate to each other in humbleness, gentleness,
patience, and forbearance -- we can disagree on the minor things even as we
agree on the foundational truths and are one in Christ together
-- Paul reminds us here that there
is a unity that transcends human institutions -- there is a unity that
transcends the things of this earth -- as Christians, we can disagree about
nonfoundational issues, but still be one in Christ
-- Paul differed with Peter about
how to relate to Gentiles in the church -- we read in the Book of Acts about
the controversy in the early church concerning the Gentiles -- first, whether
Gentiles could even be saved in the first place -- and, second, whether their
salvation was dependent on them becoming Jewish converts through circumcision
and following the law of Moses -- this was important, because Jews considered
Gentiles to be unclean and would not associate with them -- a lot of the Jewish
believers did not want Gentiles to be allowed in the church at all
-- when Peter visited Paul and the
Gentile converts, he saw first-hand how the Spirit was moving among the
Gentiles and came to believe that the Gentiles were truly saved through Christ --
he saw them as his brothers and sisters in Christ -- so Peter would eat with
them and worship with them and associate with them, even though they were of a
different race -- he saw them as one in Christ -- that is, until some of the
Jews who believed Gentiles had to be converted to Judaism showed up, and then
Peter quit associating with the Gentiles and wouldn’t have anything to do with
them because he worried what the Jews would think of him
-- Paul called Peter out for this
and they got into a disagreement -- but despite their differences, Paul and
Peter remained united in the Spirit -- they were bound as one because of the
unity of the Spirit within -- their ultimate goal was not to get their own way,
but to do the will of God in the matter of the Gentiles -- in other words, they
humbled themselves and were gentle and patient with each other -- bearing with
one another in love -- as they sought to exalt the path of Christ among the
Gentiles and to discern the truth of the matter concerning the salvation of the
Gentiles
-- eventually, Peter agreed with Paul, and
even stood up and supported the Gentiles in the church council in Jerusalem --
but that’s not the main point I want you to see -- I bring this disagreement
between Paul and Peter up to make the point that the way Paul and Peter handled
their differences and their disagreement stand as an example to us as we seek
unity with each other and with Christ
-- just as Paul and Peter disagreed but
remained brothers in the faith, so we too can disagree in the minors while
standing on the foundational truths of the gospel as brothers and sisters in
Christ -- united through the Spirit under Christ as one church and one body of
believers on earth
-- let me close by sharing with you a
story I read in a sermon by Ken Ritz
-- Ritz began by telling his audience
about the giant redwood trees in California -- they are considered the largest
living things on earth and are the tallest trees in the world
-- Some of them are 300 feet high and more
than 2,500 years old, which means they were around before Jesus came.
-- You would think that trees that
large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into
the earth -- but they don’t -- Redwoods actually have a very shallow root
system.
-- which makes us wonder how they
can survive -- how they can stand up against the storms and the winds and the
floods -- why don’t they just topple over when strong winds come?
-- it’s because the roots of all the
redwood trees in a grove are intertwined -- they’re tied in together -- they’re
interlocked
-- in order for a storm to blow down
a redwood tree, it would have to blow down the entire forest -- because they
are united as one -- in essence, they share a common root system -- they share
a firm and fixed foundation
-- that’s why the redwoods can still
stand for thousands of years despite all the storms and winds that have come
against them -- it’s because they are united -- it’s because they support and
sustain each other -- they need one another to survive -- and together they are
stronger
-- what a great picture of the
church! -- what a great goal for us to strive for -- Jesus is calling us to
walk with Him in unity -- He knew that we would have to be one together and one
in Him to survive the storms of this world -- to stand against all that would
come against us
-- we need each other -- we need to
be united with each other -- we need to walk with each other as we grow in
grace and in maturity together -- and as we do so, we will find ourselves
growing closer together and closer with God
-- unity is our goal -- unity is
what Christ prayed we would find -- Jesus said in His prayer in John 17 that
the world would come to know Him through our unity and through our love -- when
the world sees us joined as one and living in love, they see The One living in
us
-- so, as you leave here and go
forth in the world this week, seek the unity of the Spirit through the bond of
peace and live a life worthy of the calling you have received
-- let us pray
No comments:
Post a Comment