Rooted week 7

Walking it out Together

This morning we are looking at the first 10 verses of Ephesians 4.

These verses we will see that we are to walk in this spiritual journey together.

Spiritual maturity happens in community, not isolation.

Chapter four begins the second half of the letter.

To walk together we must have unity.

Unity requires humility and patience.

Every believer has a role in the body.

1. Live Worthy of your calling

Ephesians 4:1–2 NASB95

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

Here Paul urges the Ephesian believers to live worthy of their calling.

There must be humility and gentleness - a willingness to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Believers must have patience, bearing with one another in love, showing tolerance for others and seeking their well-being.

2. Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4:3 NASB95

3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity is not sameness.

Believers are to maintain their God created uniqueness but share a common vision and goal.

Paul commands the Ephesians believers to keep this unity, not to establish it.

God calls us to preserve what He has already created.

This unity is tied to our Christian character and is based on the work of the Holy Spirit.

If your point of reference is not the Spirit of God, you will be operating from a merely human point of view.

But when you relate to people based on God’s point of view, the Spirit can override human differences and hold us together through the bond of peace.

Peace - harmony where once there was conflict - will act like a belt to hold us together.

3. There is One

Ephesians 4:4–6 NASB95

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

The operative word, Paul says, us one.

The church is one body, united by one Spirit, called to one hope, worshiping one Lord, trusting with one faith, identified by one baptism, submitting to one God and Father.

When we fail to keep the unity of the Spirit, we deny our oneness.

Satan wants to shut down God’s people.

And he knows nothing will shut us down like disunity, since God is a God of order/

1 Corinthians 14:33 NASB95

33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

4. Spiritual Gift

Ephesians 4:7–10 NASB95

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

To equip the church for unity and service, God graciously gives every believer a spiritual gift.

A spiritual gift is a spiritual ability to be used in service to God’s people for the expansion of His kingdom.

Jesus ascended far above all the heavens, He descended to the lower parts of the earth.

After defeating Satan on the cross, Jesus’ spirit descended and declared victory to the demons.

In verse 8 it says, when He (Jesus) ascended on high, He (Jesus) led captive a host of captives.

Those people who were formerly captives of Satan’s kingdom are now captives of God’s kingdom.

And the victorious King distributes gifts to them.