Maintain the Unity

Good morning, welcome to NHCC. Please open your Bibles to Ephesians 4.

Read Ephesians 4:1–3- “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Pray.

1. Conflict.

The problem that lies before Paul as he writes chapter 4 on the topic of unity.

Many different types of people from many different backgrounds. How is everyone to be brought together in a way that expresses Ephesians 2?

Bryan Chapell- “He knows that gathered in the various house churches will be people from different ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds- people with different personalities and priorities- who must work together in order for the church to fulfill the grand calling of spiritual and cultural transformation that he has envisioned in the opening chapters of this epistle. How will he get such different persons together in work and worship?”

Chapter 4 will largely deal with this very conflict.

2. Continuation.

I therefore…urge you to walk.

Therefore ties us back to the first three chapters

Paul’s thoughts continue from doctrine to life.

Chapters 1-3- one imperative (remember- 2:11); chapters 4-6- 39 imperatives.

Because of everything else that has already been said.

The second half of Ephesians cannot be divorced from the first half, the two must go together.

This is the shape of the gospel.

God rescues, God redeems.

Life is changed as a result.

Exodus 20:1–3- “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.’”

In the same way, chapters 1-3 speak of what God has done, chapter 4-6 speak of how we respond.

3. Credentials.

A prisoner for the Lord.

Urges the Ephesians to walk, or live, a particular way.

How does Paul have the audacity, let alone the authority, to give such instruction?

What gives weight to the words of Paul, the challenges of Paul throughout these last three chapters, is his own experience of living the gospel at great personal cost to himself.

This is par for the course for Paul.

He often gives his credentials, not as a way to draw attention to himself, but instead to show that his words are impacting his own life.

Philippians 3:4–7- “…though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

Paul doesn’t merely give instruction, he shows that such instruction has shaped his life before he asks it of others.

4. Calling.

Double emphasis here- foundation is being laid.

A manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

Noun and verb form.

Called out of sin into life.

Into marvelous light I’m running, out of darkness, out of shame.

Live such a life.

Israel in the wilderness.

Hosea 11:1–4- “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.”

OT filled with accounts of people being called from one life into another.

In the same way, we are called out of sin and darkness and live differently as a result.

ecclesia- ek- out of, coleo- to call.

What does it look like to live out the calling that Paul is speaking of here?

5. Character.

Character and conduct follows calling

With all humility and gentleness.

Meekness.

Opposite of arrogance or brutality.

With patience.

Opposite of a person with a hair trigger temper.

Called to be forgiving and charitable rather than argumentative or explosive.

Display toward others the same patience that we hope God will display toward us.

What is described here is a person with few minefields in their lives.

Consider what a person with minefields does to a group of ten.

Complete opposite of weakness.

Mark Strauss- “As personal experience will attest, it can take great inner strength and the help of God’s Spirit to set aside one’s rights in favor of a weaker party or the common good.”

Such character will inevitably lead to a new sort of life, new behavior.

6. Conduct.

Bearing with one another in love.

Bearing- a word used to describe the enduring of persecution or suffering.

Draws to mind the difficulty of such instruction.

Bearing also assumes the passage of time.

Bearing is not a word used to describe something that happens quickly.

What does bearing with one another in love look like?

Living with sinners.

No need to bear with those who are mature in faith, instead it is keeping alongside the beginners, the immature, the learning.

Making it even more difficult- Paul doesn’t say to tolerate from a distance.

Bear with one another in love- Love people even through their difficult phases of life.

Eager to maintain unity.

Notice that creating unity is not mentioned, since the Spirit is the one who creates unity in the body of Christ.

Instead, we work with the Spirit in maintaining unity.

Next week- focus on unity.

To what end- In what direction is all of our calling, expressed in character and conduct, aimed? Why are we being and living in such a manner?

7. Conclusion.

Maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 2:14- “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…”

This is our goal, different sorts of people from different backgrounds being brought together to worship God and impact this would for His purposes.

“The power at work within us…”

8. Confession.

Take a brief moment to consider how this has been playing out in your own life.

Do you seek out the unity and peace of God’s people here? Have you put others before self? Where is change needed?