Power in the Pulpit | Ephesians 4:1–16

Intro: Good morning everyone. If you have your bibles this morning, please turn to Ephesians 4. We are going to be looking at verses one through sixteen this morning. When I first started looking at coming on staff at Maynard, I began to try and watch some services online. One of the first ones I watched was last year’s Graduate recognition. When I watched it, Matthew said that since his time as a youth minister, he preached the same sermon every graduate recognition Sunday. It was That sermon was based on Acts 20:27 “for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” And after watching that sermon, I thought that was a really good idea. So since then, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what passage of scripture I would preach on every year because I thought it was an important message for graduates to hear as they started this new chapter of life. So after much thought and prayer. God led me to think about what our theme verse is for the youth group. Our theme verse is Ephesians 4:1. After thinking about that I went and looked at the passage that verse is found in. At that point I felt that was the one God was laying on my heart. What I think we find when we look at today’s text is that if we have been called into relationship with Jesus, our lives will show that, particularly in our conduct with other believers. We see this in three ways in today’s text. We see the call to honor Christ, the way of our salvation, and the the purpose given to those God saves. And as we do often here at Maynard, if you are able, please stand as we honor the reading of God’s word. Ephesians 4:1-16

Ephesians 4:1-6.

Exposition: So Paul starts out the passage in verse one by saying Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” Paul ends chapter three by discussing how his prayer for the church in Ephesus is that they would understand fully God’s love and have faith in Him. And then concludes that section by saying essentially, “Glory be to God for all generations.” But one of the ways that he asks that God be glorified is through the church. So with that all in mind Paul tells them that as a prisoner for the Lord he urges them to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which they have been called. Paul is writing this from prison, most likely in Rome. He is awaiting trial before Cesar. He is in prison because of the fact that he has been faithful to proclaiming the gospel. He doesn’t use this as an opportunity to tell them to take it easy and be more careful of being open about their faith in Jesus so they don’t end up like him. No, instead he tells them to do the exact opposite. He tells them to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.

Explanation: The idea of walking is a figure of speech that refers to one’s manor of life. That is why our Sunday Night youth gatherings are called The Walk. Our goal is to help students live out this call. To help them live with a certain manor of life. But what does this mean to live one’s life in a manor worthy of the calling to which they have been called? It means when we think about we have been called to place our faith and trust in Jesus and to surrender our lives to his will, then we should live like it. If we have been called to salvation by the blood of Jesus, then we should live like we understand how big of a cost he paid to make us children of God.

Illustration: When we were living in NC while I was attending seminary. I worked off and on at Home Depot while also serving as a youth and children’s director at the church we were at. When COVID shut everything down, I started recording a children’s sermon every week and a church member would post it online. One day while I was working, a lady that worked there came up to me and said she had seen the children’s message on Facebook and watched it. She thought it was great we were doing that. But I have always wondered, what if I had kept my church self different from my work self. What if I had allowed my language to sound like the language used by many of my coworkers. What if I did talk bad about other employees behind their backs? What would that have said about my respect for Christ and His Church?

Exposition: Paul goes on in verses two and three to give examples of what it looks like to live in this way. He tells them to walk with all humility. Another translation for this word is lowliness. There wasn’t a clear word for humility in any of the languages, Aramaic, Greek or Latin, in the area of Ephesus. Humility was thought of as weakness and instead pride was what should be commended. Humility was considered weakness. Paul is telling them that they should not think too highly of themselves, but have an appropriate understanding of who we are. He is telling them they are nothing on our own because it is only through Christ that we are anything. Graduates, as you go into this next phase of life, do you recognize your constant need for Christ? So it’s humility and gentleness. This is takes self-control. It’s being able to handle conflict without blowing up. It’s being able to handle disagreement without hatred. He then refers to patience. Patience is being long-tempered. It is an outgrowth of humility and gentleness. If we think too highly of ourselves, we are more likley to be quick tempered. Being quick tempered does not come from gentleness. A part of this patience is bearing with one another in love.

Application: There are going to be times in church life where we get upset with others or maybe even annoyed. But as children of God we are family. And as family we must bear with one another in love. We must be able to see through one another’s flaws. Graduates, it is going to be easy to get cynical about people in the church. It is going to be easy to think it would be easier to walk away. But we don’t just walk away from those we love. We bear with them as Paul says here.

Exposition: We do this with a certain attitude. Paul says we live this way, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Followers of Christ should not be known for stirring up trouble. We shouldn’t be known for talking about people behind their backs, or anything that disrupts unity. As believers we have are all living with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. God Himself is with us. Why should we let anything divide us, when we share the bond of The Holy Spirit? Paul goes on in verses four and five to speak to what is the truth of our faith. If we are going to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, these things are going to be present in our lives. He says there is one body and one Spirit.

Explanation: This one body is the body of Christ which is His church. While we are at Maynard Baptist Church. Maynard Baptist Church does not exist on its own. We are a part of God’s Church. We are a part of the same body as those believers in countries hostile to the gospel where they meet in secret, risking their lives to worship God. We are united with these believers. Just as every human body has one Spirit, God’s body has one Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers the church to proclaim the name of Christ. If we fail to depend on God’s Spirit, we will not achieve what it is God has for us. Graduates, it is God that directs our steps. Allow the Spirit of God to lead you as you go.

Exposition: Paul says there is one body and one Spirit- Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call.

Explanation: Have you ever noticed we never talk about heaven in the plural sense. We never say, “when I get to one of the heavens.” No, we all seem to understand that there is one heaven. Our hope is not to try and get to somewhere God may be some of the time. Our hope isn’t even in the ability to do good things. As believers, we are united by the fact that we know we will one day spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. Our hope is that this world is not all there is, there is coming a day when God will make everything back to the way it was mean to be.

Application: Graduates, I’m sure you have already walked through times in your life that were really hard. But I can assure you that you will walk through others. What you must remember in those times is that this world is not the way God intended it to be. But we know that heaven is coming. If you place your hope in the things of this world, you will be left disappointed. But you must remind one another that while this world is broken, we can help each other endure what this world throws at us, because we know what is coming.

Exposition

Paul then says in verse five Ephesians 4:5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” Think about what is being said here. To walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called is to say that Jesus and only Jesus is Lord of your life. Jewish believers saying this were saying that this Jesus was one with YWHH. This could cost them their lives. But to walk in a manner worthy of our calling is to give Jesus that control. This is easy to say, but how willing are we to let God direct our steps. How willing are we to say that we will surrender our life plans to what God wants us to do, even if it’s different from what we think we want. How willing are we to not just pursue what we want, even if just for a moment, because we have surrendered our lives to Jesus. Paul says there is one faith. There are not multiple ways to heaven. There are not multiple paths. If Jesus is who he says he is, he is the only way. It is only him that we should place our trust in. Paul says there is one Baptism. As a baptist minister I want to say that since the Greek word for Baptism means immerse Paul is saying that the means of Baptism is immersion and that is the only way to Baptize. But what Paul is probably referring to Baptism as the public profession of one becoming a follower of Christ. That by Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are we publicly professing our faith in Jesus.

Application: Baptism was something commanded by Jesus. It is an act of obedience. It is a part of our faith for those that profess Jesus as their savior.

Exposition: Paul ends this first section by saying in verse 6 Ephesians 4:6 “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesus, the city to which Paul was writing was the location of the temple of Artemeis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

ExplanationThe culture of Ephesus was extremely polytheistic. While Artemeis would probably have been the main false god worshiped in the city, it was widely accepted that there were other gods that had a role to play and were deserving of worship. This was the state religion of the time which was mandated for anybody that was not Jewish. So for Paul to say that there is one God that is the Father, meaning creator or originator of all things who is in control of all things and in all things was extremely controversial. He is telling the people in the church at Ephesus that to walk in a manner worthy of their calling was to believe in only one God and be willing to hold to that as basis for what they believed. Paul, who is in prison and reminds them of this at the beginning of the passage, is telling them that to walk as God would have them to walk, was being willing to not be influenced by all the outside pressures, but to hold firm in what they knew was true.

Application: The world is clearly changing. These graduates will come into contact with this, but we all will as well. To say that the Bible has authority because it is the only True Word of the Only True God is not something that is going to be accepted my many. But it is true. If we believe it is true, we must be willing to stand on that no matter what those who live according to the world may say.

Transition: So we see that there is an expected to have a certain conduct as believers. But why? Why is it important for high school graduates to know this? It’s because of what Jesus has done.

Ephesians 4:7-10.

Exposition: Paul writes in verse seven Ephesians 4:7 “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” This grace Paul is referring to is the Spiritual Gift given to believers. When we come to know Christ, the Holy Spirit comes and lives within us. Through Him we are given a gift that is to be used for the building up of God’s Church. We read in verse 8 Ephesians 4:8 “Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”” Paul here is quoting Psalm 68:18 which talks of God as a King that is ascending after victory. Paul here seems to be saying that Jesus is the King that has ascended after going and freeing the captives that were held by Satan. And he then gave gifts to those he freed. But Paul wants to make sure we understand that it was Christ who did this and how. He says in verse 9 Ephesians 4:9 “(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?” Paul is reminding us that if Jesus ascended to heaven, then he must have descended at some point. And that decision came when he left the glory of heaven to come and live as a human in this broken world.

Application: It can very easy sometimes to let the gospel become old news. It can become easy to talk of what Jesus has done and be calloused by it. Graduates, family, and anybody that is listening I plead with you right now, never stop being in awe of the gospel. Never stop thinking of how incredible it is that Jesus left heaven’s perfection to come and die a violent and gruesome death for our sake. Never stop wondering how he could love us so much that though he could have stopped it at any point, he chose to go through with what he sacrificed from womb to tomb. But also never stop being reverent to who Christ is. Paul writes in verse 10 Ephesians 4:10 “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)” Jesus is not on this earth any longer. No, instead he is back in his rightful place, in heaven with The Father. He reigns as King. Jesus humbled himself by coming to earth, but we must not forget who He is. If Jesus rose from the grave and proved Himself to be God as He said He was, then he is deserving of glory. To make someone or something other than Jesus, Lord of our lives, is not to respect who Jesus is.

Transition: So we see that Christ has saved us. But we must remember, he has not saved us and just given us a number he’s going to call when it’s time for us to go to heaven. God has a purpose for us on this earth right now and that purpose will exist until he calls us home to heaven.

Ephesians 4:11-16.

Exposition: Paul writes in verse 11 Ephesians 4:11 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,” The apostles were those that saw the risen Christ and were sent out by Him to tell of what they had seen. There are no apostles left today. It was a specific group. While we know that prophets existed in the NT church, this gift/calling seems to have also gone away. Some may disagree with me on that, but that seems to be the case in my mind. But there are two listed that we know still exist. Evangelists are those that are particularly gifted in sharing the gospel with others. We are all obviously called to share the gospel, but some are clearly more gifted than others in this way. The phrase shepherds and teachers has a little bit of confusion to it. The word for shepherd is the word we use as pastor. The definite article, translated the, is used before every title, except teachers. This seems to suggest that Paul saw shepherds and teachers as one role. This would make sense, right. Pastors typically teach as well. Paul is saying that God gave evangelists and pastors. So you need to remember, Pastors are a gift from God. If you have a problem with that, I’m jus reading what it says. But in all seriousness, he said God gave them for a reason, that reason, seen in verse 12 was, Ephesians 4:12 “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” Those that proclaim the gospel and those that preach God’s word have a specific role. That role is to equip believers to use the gifts that God has given them for the building up of His Church. Sunday mornings don’t exist just as social get togethers. No we are here so that we can grow in our knowledge of God’s Word and more ready to do what he has prepared us to do. Well, how long are suppose to do this. Paul says in verse 13 Ephesians 4:13 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” We are never going to reach the point of knowledge where we are completely mature in our understanding of Christ. But we can get closer. We can reach a point where we are united in what we believe because we have not neglected the teaching of God’s Word. Because there is an alternative. That alternative is given in verse 14. In verse 13 Paul compares the state we are seeking in sitting under the teaching of those he has called for that purpose to mature manhood. He compares it to being an adult. But in verse 14 he says we seek this Ephesians 4:14 “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Paul says that if we neglect to do this, we become like children who will believe anything and are gullible to nefarious schemes. It becomes easier to accept things that are false because we are not being washed in the truth of God’s Word.

Application: Graduates, please do not fade away from God’s Church as you head into adulthood. It is true that going to church does not make you a Christian. But how many people that do not go to church do you know that are resolute in what they believe. How many are walking faithfully with God and not having the ways of the world slip their way into their lives? We will always be influenced by the teaching of somebody, but unless we are sitting under the influence of pastor-teacher that is true to God’s Word, then we will be taught and influenced by the World. There is no neutral ground. We will slowly slip away from the ways of God.

Exposition: But there is a better way. Paul says in verse 15 Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” Instead of being influenced by the world into accepting all things, we are to speak truth in love. Too often we are good at doing just half of what Paul commands here. Sometimes we want to show our disapproval with things of the world. So we speak truth, but we do it in a way in which nobody would ever want to follow the God we claim to follow. But we also sometimes try to avoid offending anybody. We think that it is more loving to just not say anything. But if somebody is walking contrary to the way God intended them to, or does not have a relationship with Jesus, how is that loving to nod address that. If there is a better way, it is not loving to continue letting them walk in the wrong way without saying anything. While doing this Paul says we grow into Christ. We are more like Christ by helping others see the truth of His Word. But his description of who Christ is important. He goes back to his description of believers being the body of Christ and Christ being the head by saying, Ephesians 4:16 “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” In 1 Corinthians Paul talks about how every believer has a specific gift that helps the church function in the same way that different body parts help the world to function.

Illustration: Lifeway Research released some data in 2019 that is concerning. Two- thirds of American young adults who attended a Protestant Church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. For those that responded, 69% said they attended church regularly at the age of 17. 58% at age 18, and 40% at age 19. One they reach their 20s, it’s around one third or 33%. This was before COVID so I imagine the numbers are worse now. Paul says in verse 16 that when each body is working properly the body grows and builds itself up in love. But there’s a problem. You see, anybody that is a believer in Jesus Christ is a part of His Body. So when young people, and any believer, makes a decision not to go to church, it’s not just a personal decision. It’s a decision that harms the body of Christ. It prevents the body of Christ from being all that it can be. Can God still use His Church? Yes because He is capable of all things. But it still doesn’t mean that is how God intended it to be. Graduates, I plead with you today, do not neglect The Church. Whether you are here in Forsyth or go off to school. Find a place to be involved. Be there on Sunday mornings and get plugged in in other areas. Because if stay away, you are robbing God’s Church of the gift He has given you to use.

Conclusion: One thing I always tell teenagers is that you can tell you are getting closer to adulthood based on the fact that the decisions you make have a longer term impact on your life. Graduates, you are now getting ready to enter in adulthood. And you have a decision to make. Are you going to pursue a life that is honoring to Christ and strive to know him in a deeper way. Are you going to be a functioning part of God’s Church or not? Are you going to make a commitment to use the gifts God has given you or not? You may wonder what impact does that have on your life longterm? It decides whether or not you are going to live out the purpose that God has for your life or not. But what about those of us that aren’t graduates? Maybe you are here today and you realize that you have never truly followed Christ and you don’t have that purpose. Maybe today is the day that you believe. If so, I’ll be at the front, come down and pray. Maybe you realize that your life hasn’t been honoring Christ. The altar is open if you need to spend time in prayer. But if God is calling you to act today, then act.