Ephesians 4:1-6

Introduction:

For three chapters, Paul has has unpacked everything that God has done for us in Christ.

Now, in Ephesians 4, Paul turns a corner.

He moves from belief to behavior, from position to practice, from who we are in Christ to how we are to live in Christ.

Paul now urges us to live out that unity.

His pastoral heart longs to see a church marked not just by right doctrine, but by humble, loving, Spirit-filled unity that reflects the grace we have received.

The big idea: Having explained the unity of the jewish and gentile believers, and having prayed for unity through mutually experiencing Christs love

1. (V1) I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you

a) Therefore

Paul spent three chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God did for us, freely by His grace.

Therefore, because of what God has done for us…

God chose us,

Saved us,

Forgave us,

United us,

Secured us,

In dwelt us,

Strengthened us

All by grace.

Knowledge comes with responsibility

When a soldier is awarded a medal for bravery, he doesn’t receive it and then return to life as if nothing changed.

From that moment on, he wears the uniform with greater care. His conduct reflects the honor he’s been given.

He doesn’t earn the medal by wearing the uniform well—the medal was already given. But because he has been honored, he now lives in a way that fits that honor.

In the same way, God has abundantly blessed us beyond measure Now Paul says, because of all that, live in a way that matches what God has already done for you.

c) Beseech means to exhort or encourage

Paul has the gift of exhortation, which means “to call to one’s side

To summon,

To encourage

Admonish

Paul is encouraging spiritual growth, it’s a call to action

As a father, I love my kids very much. I want them to live a blessed and fruitful life

I can fall into the trap over explaining or exhorting them too much

It comes from a heart of wanting them to succeed

Paul is exhorting the Ephesians, he is exhorting us to walk worthy of our calling

1.1 Walk worthy of the calling

a) Walk worthy

To walk worthy means to live right

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Balance between doctrine and duty

With knowledge comes responsibility

A persons calling and conduct hold equal weight

I can be educated in fitness and nutrition, but if I want to get into shape I must actively apply it to my every day life

Paul now moves from how we are to walk to what we are called to—both the shared calling of every believer and the personal calling God has placed on each of our lives.

b) The calling

What is your calling?

A general calling is to know God and to make Him known

But we also have a personal calling

Where God wants to use you at your work, in the church or maybe on the mission field

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The Bible is filled with good testimonies of those who have walked worthy of their calling…

Daniel was a young man who was faithful to walk worthy of his calling…

Joseph: Walking Worthy When No One Is Watching

*Joseph received God’s calling early—a dream that God would raise him up

*But that calling didn’t lead him to immediate blessing. It led him to a pit, slavery, false accusation, and prison.

When Joseph was in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife threw herself at Joseph and he fled from the temptation, he said, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9)

Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison, yet He lived faithfully with integrity as he waited for God to deliver him

Now Paul now brings us back to the heart of Ephesians 4:, which is our calling to walk worthy together, in unity.

The big idea is to walk worthy in unity

c) Walk worthy of the calling in unity

God desires unity among believers

It reflects His nature and serves as a powerful testimony to the world about His love and the truth of the gospel.

John 17:21 “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.”

When Christians live in harmony, they demonstrate the oneness found in Christ, which can lead others to believe in Him.

When fellowship is broken in a church or between two believers, the enemy has a foothold

Not a good witness to the community around us

Part of the calling is to live like Christ, it to put off ourselves, to continue to grow in maturity and in unity

2. (V2) With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love

a) Lowliness means humility

Paul is speaking of our attitude towards others…

Put off pride and the attitudes of this world

In the Greek culture, humility was weakness and only for the slaves

In our culture humility can be viewed as a weakness

The world’s philosophy is to stand up for yourself, to fight back or if someone is speaks evil about you, go confront them and handle the situation.

The key is to die to yourself daily

Jesus is our example and he was meek, which means strength under control

Jesus was the definition of strength under control

Humility means putting Christ first, others second, and yourself last

b) Gentleness with longsuffering

Gentleness is responding with grace rather than harshness

We should be carful with the words that come out of our mouth

A few verses that deal with our speech

James 1:19 let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

c) Bearing with one another in love

Bearing with one another in love is a biblical principle that emphasizes patience, tolerance, and enduring love among believers

Love chooses grace over irritation

In context, Jew and Gentile have many differences and Paul is urging them bear with one another in love

Looking out for their best interest over our own

Don’t use your liberty to stumble your brother…

Romans 14:15 “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”

The Christian Jews and Gentiles are not under the law and had the right to freely eat

But don’t harm another’s faith to walk in your liberty, thats not love

3. (V3) Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace

a) Endeavoring to keep the unity the spirit

Being eager to maintain or guard the unity of the spirit

It takes work to keep the unity

Relationships take work

Unity in marriage doesn’t happen automatically after the wedding day—it must be worked at, protected, and pursued.

A husband and wife are already one by covenant, but that unity can be strained by pride, selfishness, harsh words, or neglect.

Unity isn’t created by effort; it’s preserved by effort.

 Paul now shows us that the unity of the Spirit is preserved and strengthened through the bond of peace, a peace rooted not in self-seeking, but in love that binds us together.

b) The bond of peace

What breaks down peace?

The book of James points to bitter envy and self- seeking, this wisdom does not come from above

Colossians 3:14 “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

3.1 (V4-6) Paul finishes with One in everything

a) We must be unified in biblical truth

One body

One Spirit

One hope

One Lord

One faith

One baptism

In one God

To be unified, we must agree on the biblical foundation

In conclusion:

Paul’s message is clear and gracious.

Because of all that God has done for us—choosing us, saving us, forgiving us, uniting us, and strengthening us by His grace—

He now calls us to live in a way that matches that calling. We do not walk worthy to earn God’s love, but because we already have it.

Walking worthy means holding our calling and our conduct in balance.

It means living with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. It means bearing with one another and guarding the unity God has already given, knowing that unity is preserved through peace and love, not pride or self-seeking.