Incorruptible Unity (Part 2)

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Take your bibles and join me in Ephesians 4.

This morning, we are beginning the second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Church. It’s important for us to know HOW Paul is writing this letter. We know WHY (explain)…but HOW he writes the letter is important, too.

1st half of Paul’s letter—he is laying the foundation of doctrinal truth…RIGHT BELIEF

2nd half—doctrinal living—our lives shaped by truth.

Orthodoxy (right belief) leads to Orthopraxy (right living)—you’ve probably heard at least one of those words before—probably ORTHODOXY. That word “ortho” means—to make straight…we have crooked and broken lives because of sin. The gospel brings us into right alignment with God and with another. One of the biggest effects of sin in our lives is the brokenness of relationships. That’s why…

The unity of the Church is evidence of the power of the gospel.

Ephesians 4:1–16 (ESV)

So, Paul begins the second half of this letter with the exhortation—“urge” to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”

Chapter 1, 2, 3—in Christ, we are chosen before the foundation of the world; in love, predestined for adoption; redeemed by his blood; forgiven of our trespasses; lavished with blessings; saved by grace through faith; called out of darkness into the light; made into one body—the church.

This calling we have to Christ—walk in a manner worthy of it.

PRINCESS MARGARET, AS A YOUNG GIRL, SAT BESIDE HER MOTHER, QUEEN ELIZABETH, AT THE PRINCESS’S FIRST PRESENTATION TO THE BRITISH PUBLIC. SHE WAS CALLED UPON TO WALK TO THE MICROPHONE AND SAY A FEW WORDS TO THE GATHERED DIGNITARIES. AS SHE PREPARED TO STAND, HER MOTHER LEANED OVER TO HER AND SAYS, “YOU ARE A PRINCESS. WALK LIKE ONE!” WHO SHE IS (A PRINCESS) SHOULD AFFECT HOW SHE WALKS (WITH DIGNITY).

“Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit…”

Unity in Christ is not something to be achieved: it is something to be recognized. A. W. Tozer

MPS The unity of the Church is evidence of the power of the gospel.

>>TRANSITION<<

In this text, Paul gives us the RECIPE for unity, the REASON for unity, the RESOURCES for unity, and the RESULTS of unity.

The RECIPE for unity (vv. 1—3)

I’m convinced that anyone can cook. JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE RECIPE! It tells you EXACTLY what to use EXACTLY how much to use EXACTLY when to use it! My grandmother was the greatest cook on the planet. You’d probably argue with me that yours was, too. That’s ok. You can be wrong. Anyway, she cooked a full meal EVERY SINGLE MEAL. When she died, my aunt took all of my grandmother’s handwritten recipes and put them together in a book. Here’s the problem—some of the recipes for her best dishes are completely illegible! You can’t read her handwriting!

Thank the Lord, Paul made the recipe for unity CLEAR!

A) HUMILITY

The antithesis of pride. Where there is pride, self-centeredness, self-seeking, unity cannot exist.

This is the hallmark characteristic of Jesus in Philippians 2.

It’s also one of the hardest. To the Greeks, humility was not a virtue. It was looked down upon.

“Not being overly impressed by a sense of self-importance.” Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.

**another word for this is “lowliness”**

B) GENTLENESS

Meekness/Self-Control. Meekness is not “weakness.” It’s “power under control.” It’s the image of a massive/strong wild horse being brought under control.

Not asserting personal rights.

When there are difficulties, gentleness is essential for restoring and correcting.

Jesus:

Matthew 11:29 (ESV) …for I am gentle and lowly in heart…

C) PATIENCE

The Greek word for “patience” is a compound word made up of the words for “anger” and “long time.”

Short fuses // Anti-anger // Forgiveness

D) BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE

“bearing with one another”—the word often used in the bible in relation to suffering or persecution. Some people are hard to deal with.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Needling Each Other) In his book Great Church Fights, Leslie B. Flynn tells how two porcupines in the freezing north country of Canada huddled together to keep warm. But because they were pricked by each other’s quills, they moved apart. Soon they were shivering again and had to lie side by side once more for their own survival. They needed each other, even though they needled each other!

Humble, other’s centered, patient and forgiving, loving…all characteristics of Jesus. The culmination of the gospel work/power of God at work within us.

Ephesians 4:3 (ESV) eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We aren’t commanded to MANUFACTURE unity. We’re commanded to MAINTAIN the unity that exists because of the Holy Spirit. This leads us to the second point…

The REASON for unity (vv. 4—6)

If there is already a unity that exists and we’re called to maintain it/fight for it, what is that unity?

Paul has already addressed this in his letter but there was so much diversity and even potential for division within the church.

What is it that brings unity among such diversity and difference?

Well, it’s not just one thing—Paul lists seven things:

1) one body (different backgrounds, races, etc) 2) one Spirit 3) one hope 4) One Lord 5) One faith 6) one baptism 7) one God and Father of all

God is not divided, and his gospel is not divided.

Now, listen to me closely, here, because I don’t want anyone to misunderstand what I’m about to say. There are folks who occasionally want me to preach on social or political issues. Now, I’ve been led of the Lord to break away from this series in a couple of weeks to preach a message on Christians and our relationship with politics…but listen to me…I’m going to preach the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as long as I’m your pastor, Lord willing, I’m going to keep us laser focused on the Great Commission.

Paul doesn’t say there is “one political party” that Christians should hitch themselves to. He doesn’t say that the church should pick certain social/political issues to hitch themselves to.

My goodness, we even get divided over college football! When Kristy and I lived out of state, every year, we would come home for the week of Thanksgiving. Well, you know what college football game is played the Saturday after Thanksgiving. And, after almost 9 years, you know where her and her family’s allegiance lies and where me and my family’s allegiance lies. She would go to her parents’ house and watch the Iron Bowl and I would stay at mine! We couldn’t even watch it together!

How do we fight to maintain unity? WE KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING. Churches that decide to make themselves all about things other than…

1) one body (different backgrounds, races, etc) 2) one Spirit 3) one hope 4) One Lord 5) One faith 6) one baptism 7) one God and Father of all

Will eventually DIVIDE AND DIE.

The RESOURCES for unity (vv. 7—16a)

Paul says, in vs. 7, that “grace”—a gift—was “given to each one of us…according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

Then, he goes on to quote Psalm 68:18. Psalm 68is a Psalm of the Messiah’s victory. It’s a song of joyful anticipation of how the Messiah would save and deliver the people of God. And, in verse 18 of Psalm 68, the Psalmist says, “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men…”

But, Paul changes the wording, here in verse 8 to…“and he GAVE gifts to men.”

The resurrected Jesus, who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth has showered his people with gifts of his grace.

Jesus’s desire for his Church/his people is unity (John 17:20-23) — that we may be “one.” He desires this so much that he has designed, put together, and gifted his body to fulfill this purpose.

He’s done this in two ways:

1) He gives gifts of grace to every believer (spiritual gifts). If you’re saved, you have a spiritual gift. Again…Paul says “grace was given to EACH ONE OF US.” // BRIEFYexpound.

2) He gives gifted leaders to the church.

The purpose:

• NOT to do all the ministry but to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry.

• Acts 6— the apostles dedicated themselves to prayer and preaching the Word.

• For the building up of the body…

• Until we ALL attain (arrive at) unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…

• END RESULT—mature manhood//growing into Christlikeness.

As believers carry out the work of the ministry—using their spiritual gifts, the body of Christ is built up, we arrive at unity and Christlikeness.

Food Relief—such wonderful volunteers//Prison Ministry // Sewing Ministry (ESAP) // Kid’s Ministry // Life Groups // Treats the Town— ALL LAY LED

You want to see unity? Go check out one of those ministries! THE GOSPEL ABOVE ALL!

Evangelism Training — Saturday, November 16 — TO EQUIP YOU!

Now…I need to do what Paul says in vs. 15—speak the truth in love. If you are a Christian and you are a member of Taylor Road and you have no intention of serving or using your spiritual gift for the building up of the body, one of two things needs to happen:

1) You need to repent of your disobedience to Jesus who gave you those gifts for that purpose…

OR

2) You need to rethink being a member here. It’s our expectation.

The RESULT of unity (vs. 16)

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.

The key phrase – “when each part is working properly.” Paul has told us in the last chapter that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…but HOW is it built…what holds it together? LOVE. As we love Jesus and love the Church…

The unity of the Church will be a powerful testimony of the transformative work of the gospel in our lives. As believers, we are called to live in a way that reflects the gospel’s impact—not just individually, but as part of the body of Christ. Paul challenges us personally to reflect on how we contribute to maintaining the unity of the Church and to recognize that my actions, attitudes, and relationships play a part in this collective witness to the world.

First, we’re reminded that unity begins with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. I need to actively set aside pride and self-centeredness, especially when it comes to relationships with other believers. Whether in church, small groups, or casual conversations, am I prioritizing unity by thinking of others before myself? This is a practical, daily challenge, especially when it’s hard to bear with others’ imperfections—just as others must bear with mine.

Second, maintaining unity isn’t optional—it’s commanded. I need to recognize that the unity of the Spirit already exists because of the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in us. It’s not something I create, but something I am responsible to maintain. This encourages me to keep my focus on what binds us together as believers: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. These truths should be my primary focus, not secondary issues or divisions. I must ask myself: am I helping to build unity by keeping the gospel central in my conversations and actions, or am I contributing to division by focusing on lesser things?

Finally, I am reminded that God has given each believer, including me, gifts to build up the Church and promote unity. Am I using my gifts in service to others, or am I holding back? Paul emphasizes that the purpose of spiritual gifts is to equip the body for ministry, so that we may all grow into maturity and Christlikeness. This challenges me to evaluate whether I am actively using my gifts in ways that help the body of Christ grow, or if I need to step up and contribute more. Whether in evangelism, teaching, serving, or any other area, my participation in the work of the Church is not just about personal growth—it’s about fostering unity and building up the entire body of Christ.

In sum, this passage calls me to walk in a manner worthy of my calling by prioritizing unity in every aspect of my life. The unity of the Church is evidence of the power of the gospel, and I want my life to reflect that truth. Whether through humility, patience, using my gifts, or keeping the gospel central, I have a responsibility to maintain the unity that Christ has given us.