Unity does the Body Good

I remember the days of Christmas band concerts. You would pay good money to listen to the wonderful sounds of the middle school band concert.

Here is a clip that my parents recorded on video of my trumpet solo in Jr. High.

Video of Jingle Bells

Well, I’m sorry to say that it was not me on trumpet but for those parents who have trama because of that video, I’m sorry.

We encourage our young musicians to get better and practice. We think maybe our child will that musical prodigy. You would tolerate the awful sound of the rest of the band to hear your kid’s solo.

Discord is not pleasant to listen to. The rhythm, the director, the clarinets, the drums are all off. It’s not pleasant in a group to be in discord.

Our nation is divided… political extremes to the left and to the right and as we are heading into an election season I don’t see that healing anytime soon. Our country will never be unified, especially this year.

We cannot look at our nation and our political leaders to model unity, but as the church we must be the standard and the model for unity.

As followers of Christ, we have a lot more that unites us then divides us. As the Body of Christ, unity is a must if we are going to accomplish the mission that Jesus called us to fulfill in our world. The church is God’s only plan. Jesus made it clear that we are HIS hands and feet so unity is critical. Unity is a must if Christ’s mission will be accomplished in our mission field.

As we begin part 2 from the Book of Ephesians we will highlight the church and our relationship with one another.

The first 3 chapters deal with our relationship with Jesus and the last 3 chapters deal with our relationship as the church and with one another.

Last series was called Recalibrate. We focused on renewing our focus on Jesus through prayer, our time in the Word, through daily surrender, and by living by faith as we take God as HIS Word.

Renewing our relationship with Jesus will empower us to make healthy decisions that will effect those relationships every day.

Non judgmental relationships at church, creating healthy boundaries, having wisdom, showing the love of God in a pagan and Godless world.

Having a strong and healthy marriage based on love and respect. Being a family where our kids love, respect and honor there parents because the family is a safe and healthy place without fear of rejection.

Allowing the Lord to fight our spiritual battles by putting on the full Armor of God.

As we finish up the Book of Ephesians we will be dealing with the importance of connecting with one another as the church.

Today we will be talking about unity.

What does it mean and what does it look like to have unity within the church?

What is Biblical unity and what does God’s Word require from us as believers?

As we take a look at our text this morning we will answer those very important questions.

Ephesians 4:1–16 (ESV)

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, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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.

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

PRAY

We are the church, we are the Body of Christ so as the Body we have different parts, different jobs, gifts, experiences, but yet we are all connected to form one body.

We are all uniquely created by God. Some are introverts/extraverts, musical, creative, teachers, mechanical, administrative and organized, some are relational.

We are not cookie cutter creations, we are more like snowflakes… each one is different… there are no 2 snowflakes that are alike. Even identical twins, though very similar, they are still 2 individuals with unique personalities and experiences.

Even though we are all uniquely different we are still a part of the Body of Christ and as one body we are all called to live in unity.

God’s plan for unity requires spiritual Growth and Maturity.

Spiritual maturity is growing to become more and more like Jesus.

Spiritual Maturity is daily dying to our self and living for Jesus.

If we are going to grow spiritually we are dying spiritually. That can only happen when we are abiding with Jesus.

Getting in God’s Word and praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit every day so we can know the Lord as we walk with HIM every day.

That is Part ONE…

We cannot know God’s idea of unity without growing and maturing spiritually.

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

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, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

As believers who are a part of the church, the Body of Christ, we have been called by God to walk humbly, with gentleness and patience.

We are all called to bear with one another in love.

We are called to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

True peace is so much more then the absence of conflict. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, has connotations of heath, prosperity, welfare, and wholeness. The Lord is Peace, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.

Our confidence through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will give us perfect peace. Peace with ourselves, peace with God, and peace with one another.

Unity isn’t uniformity. God created us all uniquely different but it’s our love for Jesus that unifies us.

If we are going to know that unity we have to know God, the one who modeled that unity perfectly.

Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

If God is unified, 3 in one… One Body, One Spirit, we are all called to be at that same unity as HIS Church.

One Lord, One Faith, One baptism, One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The bond of unity that empowers us as His Church is the same bond that connects us to one another, that same faith, that same doctrine. The bond that unifies us is the bond that surrounds us, directs us and protects us, as HIS Church.

God’s plan for unity requires receiving and giving God’s grace

Spiritual unity is the mark of spiritual maturity.

We check our egos at the door, we lay them down at the feet of Jesus.

We grow and mature by connecting to God’s family as we are connected to HIS church God’s grace is present and available.

Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Ephesians 4:6–7 ESV

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:8–10 (ESV)

8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

God loved us enough to go from heights of the heavens to the depths of the earth to rescue us.

God doesn’t sit in heaven at a distance and yell at us when we don’t get along.

God our Heavenly Father will not yells at HIS kids with empty threats. HE is not some disconnected deity who only wants our efforts and to make our life difficult and HIS life easier.

Jesus left HIS heavenly home, came down to earth, so we can have a relationship with our creator. We can have intimacy with our Savior, and our God.

Jesus came down to meet with us in our mess.

Pull us out of our sin… Free us from our fears, doubts, shame, insecurities, and rage…

God wants to have a close relationship with you, the real you, not the future you.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s only God who can mold us into the masterpiece that HE wants us to become. That is God’s process that HE initiated for our benefit.

It’s God’s grace that goes down to the depths of our miserable situation and pulls us out.

It’s God’s grace that takes us where HE is.

It’s God’s grace that fills us with HIS presence.

We must accept the gift of God’s Grace, dwell in HIS presence, and abide in HIS love.

As we receive God’s grace and live in the freedom of forgiveness, we will begin to mature and as stewards of God’s grace, we will freely give that same grace to one another.

God’s plan for unity requires us to submit and to trust our spiritual authority.

Humility and submission are never lovely flowery terms that we long to hear. Our world fights authority and leadership because they do not trust leadership.

We cannot have unity unless we submit to the authority that God has put in place.

God has given us people in our lives to better equip us.

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

This is the 5 fold ministry gifts of the church.

Apostles

Prophets

Evangelists

Pastors (Shepherds)

Teachers

God’s given us people in the church who are gifted in leadership.

God did not give these gifts to certain people to empower individuals but to equip the church.

Being teachable, being willing to learn is what submission is all about. If we are going to grow together in unity we must be willing to submit to one another in love.

Before Paul talks about marriage he talks about mutual submission.

Ephesians 5:21 ESV

21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

One person isn’t better then the other, we are all on level ground. We must submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. If we believe that God has put people in authority for a season and for a purpose.

Do we trust the Lord enough to honor our spiritual leaders?

Are we giving those leaders who have authority over us space so they can invest and impart Godly wisdom in us?

Or, are we resisting them or trying to control them so they align to my preferences?

If we cannot honor those spiritual leaders that God has raised up in this season, we may need to make a change.

Invite the Lord to change my heart so that I am able to align with God’s plan for unity and grow spiritually… or

Help me to find a place where I can fully submit to God’s spiritual authority so I can mature Spiritually and live out God’s plan for unity within HIS Church.

God’s plan for unity is to keep us deeply rooted in truth so that we do not drift.

I love relaxing in a pool by myself or with other relaxers. In the pool we aren’t going anywhere because we are contained to the pool. Nobody else is there to bother you. It’s safe, it’s comforting, but most of all it’s relaxing.

When I’m at the water park, I love drifting down the lazy river but when I do, I’m always bumping into other drifters, hitting the wall or getting a waterfall in my face. I can’t truly relax.

For those extreme drifters, white water my be your speed. When I was a youth pastor we did those trips every year. When we did, we had an experienced guide because the risk of getting tossed out of our raft, getting flipped over or hitting a rock was real and it happened often. We had to wear life jackets and helmets because it was dangerous. Drifting on a raging river could be very dangerous.

Drifting in our world today is even more dangerous.

Ephesians 4:11–14 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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.

Equipping the saints.

We must be equipped for ministry, actively engaged in some sort of ministry within the church.

It’s not the leaders job to do all the ministry in the church, it’s the church’s job.

We are all called to be ministers.

The goal for unity is to be like Christ. Maturity is the road we must travel.

We need to be aware of those tendencies that we have to be childish and selfish.

God wants us to grow up so those immature habits must be acknowledged and surrendered to the Lord.

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

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.

Disunity is immaturity.

There is so much craziness out there…

If we are not grounded in the Word, in truth, connected to Jesus’ Body through small groups and church ministry, and submitting ourselves to the authority that God has ordained we will drift.

We must stay rooted in the truth to avoid that dangerous drifting.

We must abide in the love of God, know God’s Word, and seek to live it out daily.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

We are not in it to win an argument or convince somebody they are wrong, the Holy Spirit does a much better then we could ever do.

We are to love people and when we speak the truth in love our message of truth, the good news of Jesus Christ, will be presented in a way that is clear.

Those seeds will be planted if they are planted in love.

Know the truth, speak the truth, Love one another so that we are equipped to serve one another well.

Unity does the Body good.

Love is always the goal… So Church, Let’s be the Church marked by love and unity.

TAKE AWAY:

God’s plan for unity requires spiritual Growth and Maturity.

God’s plan for unity requires receiving and giving God’s grace

God’s plan for unity requires us to submit and to trust our spiritual authority.

God’s plan for unity is to keep us deeply rooted in truth so that we do not drift.