Ephesians 4

Intro

We are going to continue our Ephesians series

We have a reading plan for you to go through as we Go through this book.

Here is the cool part

If you go through the reading plan, and get a parent to sign it for you.

I will give you some candy

So make sure you grab a sheet

For those who remember a couple of weeks ago when we started this series

I did a little trivia for y'all about the book of Ephesians

So if you remember the book of Ephesians is believed to be written between 60-62AD

It was written by who? Give away

it was written to the Ephesians who are from the city of where? Give away

Paul was writing the letter because of the persecution that the Ephesians were facing

However one thing that was different about this letter compared to many of Pauls other was that he wasn’t addressing a bunch of problems in the church

But instead he gave encouragement and simply just wanted to motivate

That being said, very often the book of Ephesians is known as the letters of what?? Love giveaway

Today we are going to talk about 4 things we need to learn.

Paul talks about 4 key things that I believe we need to learn to do

And so to get us kicked off.

What do you think about when you here the word learn?

Or you think about “learning something”

maybe you guys have heard of this expression before, maybe you haven’t

How many of you have heard of the 10,000 hours idea?

its a very popular idea that you have to do something for 10,000 hours in order to become mastered

in other words if you want to fully learn something. you have to spend 10,000 hours doing whatever it is

So today as we go through these 4 things that Paul shows. I have a hunch that for most of

We haven’t spent 10,000 hours on each of these 4 things to learn

1. Learn to make an allowance for others faults

Ephesians 4:2–8 “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.””

I want you guys to all think back to 4th grade for me

how many of you guys had something like this for behavior?

or maybe you had something similar?

I never forget when I was 4th grade I had a reading teacher

and one day I forgot my book for the reading teacher

my reading teacher me to flip my card when I got back from reading time.

I came back and flipped it

my teacher had me put it back

Why do I share this story

I share it because in that moment my teacher made an allowance for my fault

Right I was supposed to have this book and I forgot it

That was a fault that I made, and I took ownership of that

But she was willing to let it go

in our scripture Paul is talking about how we are called to be treating each other and he says

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

How many of yall ever been impatient with someone else?

How many yall have ever been full of yoursleves before?

How many of yall have ever been aggressive towrds someone else?

It is so easy for us to fall into these things

but what I love that he doesn’t just leave it at this

next he says

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace”

Make what effort?

every effort

it is so easy, especially in our culture to not strive for the unity that Paul is talking about

what does it look like in our context

“Oh you hangout with them, I don’t think we should stay friends”

“Oh you go to that school”

“Oh you sit at that lunch table”

And guess what this may not be stuff that you say out loud, but you have thought it in your heart

and It can be seen throughout your actions

Here is what I want you to hear this morning

Grace received but not given will always destroy unity.

Just in this scripture alone. Paul says “One” so many times

specifically 6 times just in this passage

Paul wants to make it clear to us that we are one under Christ.

There is not one of us who is better than another

There is not one who is lower we are one under him

2. Learn how God has gifted you

Ephesians 4:11–13 “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Paul in this passage talks about what is called the 5-fold ministry

He explains there are apostles, evangelists, teachers, Pastors, and prophets

So there is this this idea that many of us are wired with some of these different 5 fold things

If you are 7th grader in here i explained these exact things at the 7th grade rooted event

How many of you went to that

So these 5 different things helps us see what our spiritual gifts are

Mind you there are many more than 5, but these really give us a good framework

So to give you hopefully a quick little definition of each of these for you

But to give you a short version

Here is a slide for you guys:

For those of you guys that know I only have 1 brother

How many of you guys only have 1 sibling

I am younger how many of you guys are the youngest in your family

growing up maybe you guys can relate to this, but my brother played baseball

And I had to go to all of my brothers baseball games.

Part of it was becasue I was young to be left home alone,

But also because it was a rule to go there and support him

And I am going to be honest my brother was not good at baseball

Dude played for so many years, was it it more for the friends

played for like 6 years, just never really got it

However later in like when he hit 6th grade my brother started drumming

And he was a really good drummer

He ended up learning how to play a drum kit

he played snare for our marching band

He got first chair multiple times

He even played in the pit for many of our highschool’s musicals that we did

Why do i say all of this?

I say it because it took a while for my brother to figure out what he was gifted in right?

When he was younger it was baseball right

My brother wanted to be good at baseball

But he just wasn’t gifted in that way.

And I share this with us

Because we ought to be striving after how God has gifted us

are we in a place where we are seeking to see how God wants to use us

but let me take it one step further this morning:

Maturity in Christ isn’t chasing the gifts we want—it’s faithfully using the gifts He actually gave us

What does Paul say in the scripture?

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

When we choose to surrender and walk into the gifts that he has wired us with we are choosing real maturity

So that means there will be times in your life where you may think that you are supposed to be certain way it will be wrong

Athletes, not everybody is making it to the major legues im sorry

Musicians, you may be good at guitar, but that does mean God is calling you to be the next Brandon Lake

Math lovers, you may have this idea that you want to be college professor someday, but maybe God wants you to teach elementary school

Look I am not saying this to crap on your dreams

if you are good at those things, then by all means persue those talents and those things are good

BUT WE HAVE TO WHERE GOD IS DIRECTING US

There are alot of people that are great at their job and still not living out their calling

3. Learn to lean on truth

Ephesians 4:14–16 “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

How many of ya’ll seen Toy Story before

Buzz was one of my favorite chacters especailly because I love star wars and there is some Luke Darth vader vibes going on with him and zurg

How many of you guys remember the first movie when woody and buzz first meet

Andy gets a new toy, and if you remember Buzz comes out of the box and he thinks that he is a real life

“WHO REMEMBERS WHAT HE IS”

right a space ranger

He think that he is a legit like super hero

and this keeps building the entire movie

To the point where buzz thinks that he can actually fly

And he has this sad rude awakening where he learns that he isn’t really a space ranger

He figures out that he is just a toy

Why do I share this sad truth about Buzz

because Paul talks about in this passage the importance of knowing the truth

and he says that when we know the truth

we are grounded in the Lord

Don’t sacrifice truth for what is hype

It is so easy for us to give into what is popular in our world

trends

“New ways” of doing things

Even in the church

When we do this we become more attached to created instead of the creator

This doesn’t mean that all things that we have made are bad

But we can’t sacrifice the truth

4. Learn that there is a new life

Ephesians 4:20–24 “But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Paul makes this so plain and so easy for us

If you are a Christian we are called to live a new life in him

The stuff that we used to do we don’t do anymore

There is a life that we once had, and we don’t live it anymore

God has called us out of that way of life and we are done with it

And I want to end with this this morning

because simply put I believe there are some things that you are still holding onto

some things that you need to let go of

Some of you took it all the way to winter retreat with you

But you picked it right back up

And you brought it home

A new life doesn’t stay new lived by the old you

Look I am not saying it’s easy

But you have been made new Christ

Start living like it

NEW

A FRESH START

because I know right now there is something in you that said

“Well I can’t I still do this thing”

“I know I cussed, I just won’t do it as much”

“I know I spent to much time on that website. ill just get on it less”

and we try to make these compromises thinking that we can bargain with God

And can I tell you from personal experience it doesn’t work

I thought I could still go to parties and just not drink

HAD a moment where I stopped and just asked myself what am I doing

Ephesians 4:25–32 “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Pray out