Let's Walk Together

Amos 3:3 KJV 1900

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Introduction

Simon Says: After the game point out that sometimes our body and brains don’t act together. Sometimes our body acts differently than what our brain tells it. Have you ever had your legs fall asleep? In those times is seems like when you tell your leg to move it doesn’t.

Similarly have you ever almost got into an accident because have a distracted driver? or have you ever almost caused an accident because you were distracted? In order to drive or win at a game like Simon says you must be fully aware of your body and what is going on around you. You must be actively engaged.

The same is true with the Church. Paul as you may remember is writing to the Ephesian believers and He is focused in our their new life in Christ.

In all of Paul’s letters He makes a beautiful balance between doctrine and duty. This Letter for example is split in half with the first three chapters about doctrine and from this point on he turns to the duties based on what was talked about in the first half.

Remember what you believe determines how we behave. It’s not enough that we look at God’s Word and understand the truths found in the pages. We must then ask ourselves, “What do I believe?” then, “What do I do with what I know.” If you knew without any doubt that you were going to walk out of this room tonight and be shoot in the chest. You would do something to try and change that, Right? Because what you know and believe to be true determines your behaviour.

Paul begins with Therefore, based on what you have read and understand to be true. I have some things for you to do. I have some responsibilities in Christ for you. The Christian life is not based on ignorance but knowledge, and the better we understand Bible doctrine, the easier it is to obey Bible duties.

When people say, “Don’t talk to me about doctrine - lets just live our Christian life in love.” They are revealing their ignorance in the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of a believer. When they say, “It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you live right.” They are revealing that they don’t really understand the importance of “read your Bible and pray every day.”

IT DOES MATTER! It does make a difference what you believe. Because what you believe determines your actions.

You also see in verse one, “I beseech” indicating that God, in love, urges us to live for His glory. He does not say, as He did to the Old Testament Jew, “If you obey me, I will bless you..” Rather, He says, “I have already blessed you - now, in response to My love and grace, obey Me.”

By the way, this passage is almost parallel to what we talked about Sunday night. So, I hope your listening. God wants us to understand these truths.

Ephesians 4:1–16 KJV 1900

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Now, there is a lot in this passage we could talk about. But I won’t be able to unpack everything in this passage. But I hope that you will look closer into this passage and see for yourself what God says.

The over all theme of this passage is to walk in unity. That is the unity of believers in Christ. This is the simply practical application of doctrine taught in the first half: God is building a Body of believers. He has reconciled Jews and Gentiles alike to Himself in Christ. The oneness of believers in Christ is already a reality. Now our responsibility is to guard, protect and preserve that unity.

As I said already many people try to unite Christians in a way that is not biblical. They will say: “We are know interested in doctrine and in love. Now, let’s forget all that and just love Jesus and each other.” But Paul makes it clear here that you are not united in love, peace, and chicken grease. But you are united in Christ based on what you believe. While we won’t agree on every minor detail of things, Unity built on anything other than Bible truth is standing on a very shaky foundation.

Paul names seven basic spiritual realities that unite all true Christians. That we are one in these.

One Body

Unity is not uniformity. While uniformity comes from the result of pressure from without. Paul uses the human body as a picture of Christian unity. Each part of the Body is different from the other parts, yet all make up one body and works together.

But if we are to be of one body we are to not think of yourselves more highly that we ought to think.

Romans 12:3 KJV 1900

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

This mean to be humble. It means to put others before yourself. Know you the one person in church that complains the most is usually the one not serving others. But at the same time God does not condemn us when we accept the gifts He has given us and use them as we help others up. He just doesn’t want us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought - nor does he want us to think less highly than we ought to.

We are to be like Christ. Look at Philippians 2:1-8. This passage points to Christ in how we are to behave within the body.

One body of course is speaking of the fact that we are the body of Christ. When we all strive to be more like Christ we become a stronger body in Him.

We need each other. We may not always get along. We may not always agree. But we strive to become more like Christ and grow in our unity. We need to look past our pride and past our hurt. Because we need each other.

If we go out into the world and as you grow up. You will quickly learn that the worlds moto: is to look out for number one. The will be people who will try to run you over to get what they want. So, we need believers who are of the same mind to build each other up. To help us bare the load that life throws at us. To remind us when we are feeling down of God’s goodness.

One Spirit

The same Holy Spirit indwells each believer, so that we belong to each other in the Lord. There are at leas a dozen reference to the Holy Spirit in Ephesians, because He is important to us in the living of the Christ life. So, we can come to each other and lean on each other, and say lets pray and ask God to help with this or for that person who is struggling. Why because we have the same Spirit in us who cares for us and wants us to come to God, who wants us to come together and ask Him for help.

John 14:26 KJV 1900

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We then are one in the spirit are to walk in the spirit. This is to say if each one of us we live our lives close to the Spirit. Showing the fruit of the Spirit as we see in Galatians. We will have unity.

Imagine if everyone here lived like this verse:

Galatians 5:16 KJV 1900

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

One Hope of Your Calling

This refers to the return of the Lord to take His Church to heaven, The Spirit within is the assurance of this great promise as we saw back in chapter one. Paul is suggesting here that the believer who is realizes the existence of the Body, who walks in the Spirit, who looks for the Lord’s return is going to be a peacemaker and not a troublemaker.

I know most of you are not looking forward to the Lord’s return in the since that you still have a life to live. But the idea here is this.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? What gets your blood pumping? Many can get excited about a game or hunting or a fast car. But how many get excited when someone over comes a sin in there life? or when trust Christ?

Paul says to the Philippian believers and he says look up! See the coming of the Lord and press on! keep moving forward!

Philippians 3:13–14 KJV 1900

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Where are you Looking?

One Lord

This is our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, lives for us, and one day will come for us. It is difficult to believe that two believers can claim the same Lord and yet not be able to walk together in unity.

Someone asked Ghandi, the spiritual leader of India, “What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?” He replied, “Christians.” What hinders the Christians walk in unity is not from outside the in the world.. but Christians who say they love Christ. Christians who are just looking out for themselves instead of others.

I worked with a man that I had to ask to not tell anyone he was Christians. Why, because his attitude stunk! And I didn’t want to ruin the Christian testimony I was trying to build.

But when we all can place Christ Lord in our life we will be taking a giant step toward walking in unity.

John 13:35 KJV 1900

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

One Faith

There is one settled body of truth deposited by Christ in His Church, and this is the faith. Jude calls it faith which is was delivered unto the saints in Jude verse 3.

The early Churches recognized a body by the basic doctrines that they taught, guarded, and committed to others.

2 Timothy 2:2 KJV 1900

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Christians many differ in some matter of interpretation and church practice: But all true Christians agree on the faith and to depart from faith is to bring about disunity within the body of Christ.

Faith is the very foundation on which we build to walk from the faith is like walk off the solid rock you are standing on into quicksand.

One Baptism

Since Paul is discussing the one body, this one baptism is referring to the baptism of the spirit.

This is the act of the Spirit when one places their faith in Christ. This is not an experience after salvation, nor is something we need to pray to seek. You were baptized by the Spirit the moment you place your faith in Christ.

We are never commanded to be baptized by the Spirit after that moment. We are to be filled with the Spirit. But this is referring to letting Him have full control.

So, what does Paul mean then? By saying One Baptism in speaking of unity within the body he is saying when there are some among you who are not saved. Who has not been baptized by the Spirit at salvation. but is pretending there is going to be problems walking together.

One God and Father

Paul likes to emphasize God as Father. The oneness of believers in the family of God is evident here, for God is over all, and working through all, and in all. We are children in the same family, loving and serving the same Father, so we ought to be able to walk together in unity. Just as in an earthly family, the members have to give and take in order to keep a loving unity in the home. God’s heavenly family must do the same.

There are churches that are sound in faith, but unsound when is comes to love. This is why Paul joins the two in verse 15

Ephesians 4:15 KJV 1900

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Conclusion

So where are you tonight? What do you believe? How are helping in the spirit of unity? If are struggling tonight let me tell you, you are not alone! We love you and are here for you. We do this because we love you. We would love to help you bear that burden but if you ever let go and quit trying it on your own we will never know how to help. Let’s walk together as one tonight.

This may mean that you need to ask forgiveness for a bitter word you have said, or done. this may mean you need to go to another person and ask for help or forgiveness.

God wants to see us walk in unity as a church. But He even wants us to walk together here in this place as one body. Wouldn’t it be great if that started here?