Growing Up in Every Way: Eph. 4:14-16

Intro:

Which part of the puzzle are you? Thank you again William for retrieving my thrown puzzle piece last week.

Outline:

Purpose of Growth: “No Longer be Children” (v. 14)

All Around Growth: “Speaking the Truth in Love” (v. 15)

End Goal: “Builds itself up in Love” (v. 16)

Summary: Speaking the truth in love is essential to growing up in every way

Prayer:

Slides about Worship Grow Serve

Purpose of Growth: “No Longer be Children” (v. 14)

Moving foreward in Maturity

So that- purpose clause

Until we all attain to : arrive at the destintation together

Unity of of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God

Mature manhood

the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ- these are measurable, I am 5’ 8” and 190 pounds. When Evee was born she weighed… and was how long? How about now?

We may no longer be children-This is the contrast. This is where we all start, as children

Steady in change

Tossed to and fro- “klydonizomenoi” pres, mid or pass, part, nom, mas, pl to be wave-pitched

by the waves

and carried about - “peripheromenoi” pres, pass, part, nom mas, pl to be carried to or among many different places

by every wind of doctrine-”I will huff and I’ll puff and I will blow your house down”

by human cunning- “trickery, dice-playing”

by crafitness in deceitful schemes- deception that is meant to lead to a specific end

Think about it, Ephesus is by the water, it is one of the greatest sea ports of its day, located on the Agean sea at the mouth of the Cayster river. They knew waves wind. But also knew about human cunning and craftiness with commerce and the acult. Was the gospel really strong enough to change them from what they had grown up in and learned?

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

The only way you and I will be able to not be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried away by every wind of doctrine is to study the Word of God in context.

Sunday is great, but it isn’t enough! What about a growth group, pod cast, consistent Bible reading, have you made it through your Bible reading plan from last year?

Engage the Heart (humiity vs. pride):

Where would you say you are in regards to no longer being a child in the faith? Honestly?! If one end is “a child tossed to and fro” and the other is “mature and steadfast”, where are you? What will it look like to move forward this year?

Sometimes, like with Ephesus, new people bring new ideas. Being a mature believer does not mean that you never learn, that you have found the whole truth and nothing but the truth and you could never be taught anything more.

Where are the winds of doctrine coming from in your life? What human cunning or trickery might be passively carrying you away. Where is this craftiness seeking to take you? there is a desired outcome. Anything that is not actively taking us towards maturing in the faith will passively or actively take us away from Him.

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

I find that this happens the most in the TV shows that I watch and the commercials that come on.

If only I had a new Silverado I could get away on the weekends and have fun climbing the mountains.- If I don’t have a specific object than I am missing out on life.

If I have a peleton bike I am guaranteed a community that will help me be part of the 92% that stick with it through the year.- It is possible to find a faithful community that won’t let me down, that will still be there next year.

I am truly a sucker for anything food related! My kids know it! We play this game when commercials come on when we watch wheel of fortune: What are they selling? who are they trying to catch? And it is never as good as the commercial paints it

BEt 365, MGM, casino games, sports betting.

Spare, all of these doctrines, human cunning, or craftiness in deceit are trying to get us to a desired end.

Transitional phrase: So, what are we to do about these things? What has God given His church to combat the narratives that would like to see us a drift or even worse, following the path of deceit and craftiness that leads away from Jesus...

All Around Growth: “Speaking the Truth in Love” (v. 15)

Speaking

Rather- comparative, “not that but this”

Speaking the truth in love- “aletheuontes” pres, act, part, nom, mas, pl, to tell the truth

Beware of the ditches of this statement

Speaking truth- doesn’t matter how it comes across, it just needed to be said

In Love- shys away from the confrontation

Growing

We are to grow up-”auxesomen” aor, act, subj, 1st, pl, to grow, to become larger, greater or bigger…well, in what area? what does the text say…?

in every way- not just one way! Sometimes we look at the fruit of the Spirit this way, we pick one that we would like to work on, but I don’t think that is what growth really looks like. I mean, when we grow physically, every part of the body grows together, not just an arm or leg.

into him who is the head

into Christ- what we hear and see in one another should be what we hear and see in Jesus

Application/Implications:

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Where would you say you are on the road of speaking the truth in love? Do you lean to one side more than the other? How might God want you to grow more in speaking the truth in love?

I can only image the difficulty of taking a group of people that are very familiar with the truth and introducing people that know nothing of that truth to the family. That is what happened in Ephesus. The problem is that their knowledge of truth could cause division, it is easy to be harsh with someone when you know more than they do and are not doing things the way they have always been done or are done a little differently.

which aspects do we need to confess and repent of before Jesus and others?

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

Is there someone that you need to ask their forgiveness of today? Maybe you have been harsh in you telling of truth? Maybe you have allowed someone to continue in their sin because you thought it was loving or not that big of a deal, or you wanted to keep the peace so you didn’t or don’t say anything.

Remember, Paul is saying we all need to grow in this area. The Ephesians did, Paul lumps himself in that area, I need to, and so do all of us as a church family.

Transitional phrase: Speaking the truth in love to one another is the means by which God has given us to reach the end goal which is mutual up building, or growing consistently together.

End Goal: “Builds itself up in Love” (v. 16)

From Christ

From (“ex” out of) who the whole body- the Chruch

joined- “synarmologoumenon” pres, pass, part, nom, neut, sg, to be fitted together, to be or become connected together to form a coherent whole (as stones for a building).

and held together- “symbibazomenon” pres, pass, part, nom, neut, sg, to be unified, to be or become formed or combined into a whole

by every joint- the gifted people within the church

with witch it is equipped

Each part is working

When each part is working properly- measure (quantity), this word is used 3x in this section: 7, 13, 16

makes the body grow- “poieitai” pres, mid, ind, 3rd, sg. to do for oneself

so that it builds itself up in love

Application/Implications:

Engage the Heart (humiity vs. pride):

So why is speaking the truth in love so important? I am compelled by the historical account of Babel. How do you stall out the most skillful, technelogically advanced, forward thinking society? You confuse their language. We at Central know a lot about God’s Word, and some of us have been here longer than others. No matter how much we know, how gifted we are, how long we have served, all it takes is for us to not speak the truth in love and we will crumble and be forgotten.

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

Transitional phrase:

Summary: Speaking the truth in love is essential to growing up in every way

Song: In Christ alone- my hope is found…firm through the fiercest drought and storm

Discussion questions

Worship- Renew the Mind (Scripture)

1. What passage of Scripture did we look at? Summarize it in your own words.

2. ?

3. ?

4. ?

Grow- Engage the Heart (Conversation)

1. ?

2. ?

3. ?

Serve- Enlist the Body (Action)

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