********ephesians 4:1-6

Ephesians 4:1–6 NRSV

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life 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 making every effort 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 of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

◾ Unity: (Webster’s) a being united; oneness; a single, separate thing; harmony; agreement; a harmonious, unified arrangement of parts in an artistic work; continuity of purpose or action.

◾ Unity: (Holman Bible Dictionary) state of being undivided; oneness.

Unity is important to God and it should be important to us. John 17:11 says, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:20–23 says, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” God calls for His people to be unified and when we are unified He is glorified! Churches:

◾ split and splinter

◾ fuss and fight

◾ backbite and bicker

◾ argue and attack over almost nothing

When the church begins to grow and new members are added some will complain because “it’s getting too big, we don’t like the size, we can’t know everyone!” In many churches today there is no unity among God’s people. When churches split it gives a bad testimony and witness to a lost world. Churches split over a lack of unity!

Why should we have unity? How can we have unity? What does the Bible say about unity? Paul declared the purpose, the practice, and the power of unity among God’s people. When we are unified He is glorified. I want to challenge the people of God to seek to be unified together in the Spirit for the work of the Lord, our worship to the Lord, and our witness for the Lord. This passage gives us challenges about what the Bible says about Unity.

I. The urgency of the call. (1–3)

A. We are to step-up. (1)

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”

Paul conveys a sense of urgency to the church as he pleads with them to stay unified. The first three chapters of the book are doctrinal, the last three are practical. The first three chapters deal with what to do and the last three chapters teach them the way to do it! Sam Gordon wrote, “Paul turns from exposition to exhortation. He moves on from what God has done in the indicative to what we must be and do in the imperative.”

Paul had already taught the church about who we are and what we have in Christ Jesus and now he pleads with the church to live in a way that honors God. We are to step up and live a life that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul’s outlook—he was not a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of the Lord! Paul was a prisoner of the Lord, for the Lord, and because of the Lord. Ephesians is one of his four prison epistles. Paul was not in jail because he was evil, but because he was godly. He was in jail because of his love, testimony, and service for Jesus Christ. Paul was not bitter, angry, hateful, vindictive, or sorrowful because he was in jail. He was about seeking to challenge the church and edify the church to be all they could be for Jesus.

Paul understood about the ramifications of being divided and the blessings for the church in being united. Paul calls for the church to step up and walk worthy of the call of God on their lives. Walk: peripateo, per-ee-pat-eh’-o; to tread all around, i.e. walk at large (especially as proof of ability); figurative to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary) go, be occupied with, to order one’s behavior. John MacArthur wrote, “When we received Christ as Savior we became citizens of His kingdom and members of His family. The Lord expects us to act like the new persons we have become in Jesus Christ. He expects His standards to become our standards, His purposes our purposes, His desires our desires, His nature our nature.” Our daily living should be:

→ in line with His word

→ in accordance with His will

→ and profitable for His work in this world

Are we living a “worthy” life? Is our life making a difference for the Kingdom of God and to glorify the Son of God? Worthy: axios, ax-ee’-oce; appropriately, as becoming, after a godly sort, worthily (-thy). This word carries with it the meaning of “balancing the scales” which means that what is on one side should equal in weight what is on the other side.

→ Our practice should enhance our preaching

→ Our conduct should enhance our confession

→ Our fruit should be enhanced our faith

→ Our walk should line up with our talk

David Jeremiah wrote, “I believe the walk of most Christians doesn’t reflect a proper understanding of what God has done for them. Our lives are out of balance, out of sync, with what God has done. To gain an understanding of ‘walking worthy’ would be to change the life of the average Christian.” Our confession as a church is that Jesus is Lord and our lives should reflect that confession everyday! In our thoughts, in our actions, in our words, with our finances, where we go, what we do, how we do it. He is Lord over us! Our lives should balance out with our confession of faith. Are you walking worthy of the calling of the Lord Jesus?

→ God has called us out of darkness and deadness and into His light and His life!

There will never be unity in the church until each Christian in the church begins to step up and walk worthy of the calling for which we were called. At Marine boot camp in costal South Carolina, eighteen year old Max had gone through twelve of the toughest weeks of his life. During the last week they were forced to crawl under rolls of barbed wire and live ammunition was fired over their heads inches away from them. Max froze, began to sweat profusely, his hands dug into the ground beneath him and panic came over him. Then a friend crawls up beside him and says, “Get a hold of yourself, Max. You’re a Marine. Act like one!”

Paul is telling the church “You are a Christian, called by God, saved by the grace of God, and sealed with the Spirit of God, act like one!” Christians have a high calling, a heavenly calling, and a holy calling. The Bible tells us that we are to step up, we also note:

B. We are to stand-in. (2)

“with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love”

In verse two the Bible tells us what to do and in verse three the Bible tells us the way to do it. We are urged to step up and we are urged to stand in. We are to walk worthy of the calling we have from God and we are to do it as He would have us do it. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought Himself also to walk just as He walked.” We must take our stand with these virtues and when we do we will promote unity and not undermine the work of God.

We are to stand in lowliness or humility.

Lowliness: tapeinophrosune, tap-i-nof-ros-oo’-nay; humiliation of mind, i.e. modesty, humbleness of mind, humility (of mind), lowliness (of mind). Humility is the very opposite of pride and humility promotes unity where pride promotes division. Andrew Murray wrote, “Humility is the grace that when we think we have it, we’ve lost it!” A person that lives in humility is a person that walks in unity! It is extremely important that we humble ourselves and live our lives for the glory of God! Can others say of you that you are a humble person? Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Humility means putting Christ first, others second, and self last. It means knowing ourselves, accepting ourselves, and being ourselves to the glory of God.” When we walk in lowliness we’ll not be mean spirited, hateful or vengeful.

Gentleness: (KJV: Meekness) praiotes, prah-ot’-ace; gentleness; by implication humility, meekness. This word means to be mild-spirited and self-controlled. This word could be translated “meekness.” This word means “power under control.” Meekness is not weakness! In dictionaries the word has the meaning “timid” or “a deficiency in courage or spirit.” That is not at all what the Bible word means here.

This word refers to wild animals that were tamed, especially of horses that were broken and trained. Such an animal still had its power, strength, and spirit, but its will is under the control of the master. In the ancient world war horses went into battle trained to protect their master. They were under the total control of the rider. The war horses were described as being meek. Their strength was under total control.

When we stand in gentleness or meekness we still have strength to stand, but we do it under the control of the Master. We do what He calls us to do and what He tells us to do. When the church comes under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ then we will have unity in the church. Are you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

Longsuffering: makrothumia, mak-roth-oo-mee’-ah; (objective) forbearance or (subjective) fortitude, longsuffering, patience. We are to be longsuffering by suffering long! We are to be patient and bear with others and do it in love. This trait, like gentleness, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians chapter five. Kenneth Wuest wrote, “We are to be patient with each other as misunderstandings arise, as cutting words are said, as unkind actions are done. The love shown at Calvary was a forgiving love. Ours should be the same.”

In a Peanuts comic strip Lucy said to Snoopy, “There are times when you really bug me but I must admit there are times when I feel like giving you a big hug.” Snoopy replied, “That’s the way I am, Lucy. I am huggable and I am buggable.” When we are “huggable” or when we are “buggable” we are still to be longsuffering towards each other. Are we patient with those around us? Do we fly off the handle? Do we get mad when things don’t go our way? Do we show out when we don’t understand? We are to be patient towards those in the church. We are all on different spiritual levels. We must be patient with others.

We are to bear with one another in love. We are not just to bear with one another, but we are to do it in love (agape), God’s love towards us! We are to love each other with the love of God! That’s a supernatural love! AMEN! We are not just to put up with each other and go away hurt, mad, or bitter, but we are to get along with each other. That doesn’t mean we are going to like the same things, agree on everything, but we endure for the sake of unity in the church. When we have these attitudes and actions toward one another we will promote unity in the church. We are to step up, we are to stand in, and we also learn:

C. We are to set-out. (3)

“endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Not only are we to step up to our calling, stand in with character, but we are also to set out to obtain the unity of the Spirit. We are to endeavor, make it our aim, our goal to keep the unity of the Spirit. NIV translates it, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

We are in this together and we are to work together to promote harmony and unity within the church. When the whole world is against us we are still to stand together! Don’t bale out and don’t give up on one another. We are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.

Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, “What are we going to do?” Tonto replied, “What you mean ‘we,’ White Man?”

Keeping the unity of the Spirit should be our priority and we should do that with urgency. It is something that must be done. By sin and rebellion we can:

→ Hinder the Spirit

→ Grieve the Spirit

→ Quench the Spirit

We are to set out to keep the unity of the Spirit within the church of Jesus Christ. Endeavoring: spoudazo, spoo-dad’-zo; to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest, do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavor, labor, study. We must be purposeful, intentional, and earnest to keep the unity of the Spirit.

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp. When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the two groups and there was much tension.

Finally, they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ’s commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, ‘What did you do then?” He replied, “We were just one.” As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

We are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. Keep: (tereo) means “to keep by guarding, to guard by exercising watchful care.” We are to set out to guard the unity of the church. Don’t let the Devil in and don’t let the Devil use you. Philippians 2:2–4 says, “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Max Anders wrote, “Unity exists in Christ! Unity is maintained by the Spirit. Unity is preserved as believers make peace with one another their major priority instead of acting selfishly for personal gain and honor.” When we work together at being unified in the Spirit then the Savior is glorified in the church. When we are unified we can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God because it is then that we are truly allowing God to work in and through us.

At a county fair, the townspeople held a horse pulling contest. The first place horse ended up moving a sled weighing 4,500 pounds. The second place horse pulled a sled that weighed 4000 pounds. The owners of the two horses decided to see what these horses could pull together. They hitched them up and found that the team could move 12,000 pounds. By working separately, the two horses were good for only 8,500 pounds. When hitched together their energy produced an added 3,500 pounds. It’s a hard lesson for us, but unity consistently produces greater results than individual endeavors. Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect. Many churches never do anything for the Lord because they are not unified in mission, in vision, in purpose, or in practice.

Another Peanuts cartoon gives this picture of power in working together. In this cartoon Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. Linus asks, “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?”

“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” Linus asks, “What channel do you want?” Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

We are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Notice, Paul tells us that it is not just any and every so called unity, but it is the unity of the Spirit. John G. Butler wrote, “This is not a deceitful plea coming from some apostate church group, such as the ecumenical movement of our day, which would have us ignore doctrine in the interest of unity.” We are not to compromise and go along to get along with any and everything. Not all teaching is Biblical, not all doctrine is healthy, and not all unity is godly! If we compromise with evil, liberal, godless teaching then everyone suffers in the end! Sam Gordon wrote, “This is an evangelical unity not an ecclesiastical unity—a unity based on an organism not on an organization.”

A city family decided to try life in the wide open spaces. They bought a Western ranch. Some friends came to visit them a month later and asked them what they named their ranch. The father said, “Well, I wanted to call it the Flying-W and my wife wanted to call it the Suzy-Q, but one of our sons liked the Bar-J and the other preferred the Lazy-Y. So we compromised and called it the Flying-W, Suzy Q, Bar-J, Lazy-Y Ranch.” Their friends asked them, “Well, where are your cattle?” The man replied, “None of them survived the branding!” We are bound together by the Prince of Peace therefore we are able to keep the unity of the Spirit. Keeping unity in the church is not impossible, but it is expected by God. God wants His children to be unified so that He can be glorified. In verses 1–3 we’ve noticed the urgency of the call. We also learn:

II. The unity of the church. (4–6)

A. There’s a revelation about the oneness of the church. (4–5)

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism”

The church of Jesus Christ is one church! Paul tells us that we are one body. We are to act like we are one in Christ because we are one in Christ. Paul reveals to the church that though this world sees many parts, we see many members, God sees us as one in Jesus Christ. When we are saved by the grace of God we are placed into the body of Christ. Every believer of all time belongs to the body of Christ. All true believers are part of the body of Christ.

Our body is one body with many members. We have arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes. We have eyes, ears, noses, mouths, heads, etc … Jesus Christ is the Head of the church and we are members of His body. No member of the body can thrive or survive apart from the body! That’s why it is important to belong to a fellowship of believers. No member that is out of fellowship with the body is in fellowship with the head. No true believer will want to be out of fellowship with the body of Christ. We cannot have fellowship with the Head of the Church and not be in fellowship somewhere with some true body of Christ, the local church. In the local church we worship the Head of the Church. We do what He wants us to do. We learn, we grow, we serve, we give, and we glorify the Lord through the local church. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ you need to find a local church, unite with that local church, and serve your Lord and Savior in the local church. Jesus loves the church! He died for the church, He reigns in and over His church.

There is also one Spirit. God in the Holy Spirit resides in His church. God’s Holy Spirit lives in believers. No one has more of God. We all have the same Spirit. R. Kent Hughes wrote, “The Holy Spirit creates, fills, coordinates, orchestrates, and empowers the body of Christ.” Because there is one Spirit we can and should be unified.

In verse five we also learn there is one Lord. Don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say! Jesus is Lord of the church. God the Father is not Lord of the church apart from God the Son reigning and ruling in His church. God the Father does nothing apart from or away from God the Son. When Jesus Christ is glorified, magnified, and worshiped as Lord then God the Father is truly glorified and magnified and worshiped. God the Father has chosen to be glorified through God the Son. We do not serve three gods, but we serve One God that we know as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is Lord of the church! There is no vacancy in that position. There’s no need to apply because your resume would be rejected. God does not need our help in being Lord of His church. The pastor, the deacons, the Sunday school teachers, or lay leaders do not run the church! Only Jesus has control of the church! When we seek to do anything apart from His Lordship we cause division in the body of Christ! Remember, there is only one Lord!

Paul goes on to tell us that there is one faith. Faith in the right Jesus means that you understand who the real Jesus is. The only way we can do that is through the Word of God inspired by the Spirit of God. Paul laid the foundation in the first three chapters of Ephesians. Doctrine is very important. I’ve touched on it already. We cannot know the real Jesus and serve the real Jesus apart from having correct doctrine. There is one faith that is the real faith that saves and secures a person forever. In the world there are many faiths!

◾ The Hindu faith

◾ The Muslim faith

◾ The African Tribal faiths

◾ The Morman faith

◾ The Jehovah Witness faith

◾ You name it and it is out there

These are all doctrines of demons that lead people astray. They are not “the Faith.” Only faith in Jesus Christ will save a person’s soul. The church is bound together by their faith in Jesus Christ. We are not to get mixed up with these other faiths!

We will never be unified in the Spirit as long as we compromise with the world. The “faith” of the church declares that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul reveals the oneness of the church.

He continues by teaching that there is one baptism. Our baptism identifies us with the Resurrected Savior. There is one baptism. It also identifies us with all those who have been born again and belong to the church. Baptism does not save anyone. It is an act of obedience to the Lord’s commands. We cannot have the unity of the Spirit if we refuse to be baptized. Baptism: (baptisma) means “to immerse, to dip.” It was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment or the drawing of water by dipping the vessel into another bigger vessel.

The correct baptism is only after a person has been saved and only by immersion. Some of you, like me, have been in a baptistery two times. The first time we got wet because we were not truly saved. One baptism is the only baptism and it comes after salvation. If you have been saved and not been scripturally baptized you have not obeyed the Lord’s command. If you were baptized before you were saved you have not Biblically been baptized. You need to get your baptism in the proper order. God is calling you to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. We will discuss with you and set up a day to allow you to be baptized. John Phillips wrote, “This one baptism effectively separated the believers from the world. In many instances it was the crucial test of a person’s faith. It was the ultimate confession that could cost him his job, his family, his friends, and sometimes even his life.” Have you made your public confession of faith and have you followed the Lord in your public display of your faith through the waters of baptism? Paul gives a revelation about the Oneness of the church. In verse 6 we notice:

B. There’s a reminder about the Owner of the church. (6)

“one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Jesus bought the church lock, stock, and barrel. He paid it all on Calvary’s cross. He owns the church and the church has been paid for in full. Paul reminds the church that there should be unity because there is one God and Father of us all. There’s no division in God and He wants unity in His church.

Paul is writing to the church and speaking about the church! God is God over all, but He is only Father of the Redeemed! Only when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ and is born again by the Spirit of God is that person made a child of God! God is not every person’s Father! He is God and Father of all the church! God the Father is Father of all the church, He is above all the church, He is through all the church, and He is in all the church! When there is not unity in the church that means we have a Lordship issue. We are in rebellion to His rule and reign!

We need to check our ambitions, our actions, and our affections today!

→ God is above us all: We must submit!

→ God is through us all: We must serve!

→ God is in us all: We have been sealed!

What are we doing to promote and protect the unity of the church? Are we stepping up, standing in, and setting out to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? As we come to partake of our Lord’s Supper we need to take some time to examine our lives, our hearts, and our motives! We need to ask God if there is anything in our lives that is offensive to Him and come confessing and repenting today! Some of you need to obey the Lord Jesus and go make things right with a brother or sister! Some of you are not saved and you need to turn to God today and trust in Christ Jesus today and in faith believe the gospel and be saved today! When we are unified He is glorified. Dr. Ted Traylor said, “When we guard the unity of the church and support the ministry of the church, we will enhance the testimony of the church.” Would you begin to guard the unity of the church, support the ministry of the church, and enhance the testimony of God’s church?