Unified For a Common Mission
On Mission Together • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Ephesians 4:1-6, 13-16
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
INTRODUCTION:
I- UNIFIED INTO ONE BODY. (Ephesians 4:1-6)
I- UNIFIED INTO ONE BODY. (Ephesians 4:1-6)
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
A- We are all placed within the body by God. (Ephesians 4:1)
A- We are all placed within the body by God. (Ephesians 4:1)
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
1- God has called each of us to be a part of His body.
(Col 1:18)
18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
2- He has placed each of us exactly where he wants us. (1 Cor 12:18)
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
B- We are all to pursue to be unified in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:2-3).
B- We are all to pursue to be unified in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:2-3).
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
1- This unity is possible as we walk under the Holy Spirit’s control.
(Galatians 5:22-23)
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
2- We must pursue unity by actively pursuing the filling of the Holy Spirit.
(Ephesians 5:18)
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
C- We are to pursue unity through surrender to certain key recognitions. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
C- We are to pursue unity through surrender to certain key recognitions. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
1- There is only one body (the church)
2- There is only one Holy Spirit.
3- There is only one hope, one faith, one baptism.
4- There is only one God the father.
(1 Cor. 1:11-13)
11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters.
12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”
13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!
5- This means that there is only one mission - Christ’s mission!
(Acts 1:8)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
II- UNIFIED UNDER THE ONE HEAD (Ephesians 4:11-16)
II- UNIFIED UNDER THE ONE HEAD (Ephesians 4:11-16)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
A- Christ is the head who enabled His body through Spiritual gifts. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
A- Christ is the head who enabled His body through Spiritual gifts. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
1-Christ gave his people gifts.
(Ephesians 4:7-8)
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
2- The purpose of Christ’s gifts is to enable us to do his work and build up the body of Christ.
(1 Peter 4:10)
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
(1 Cor. 12:12-13)
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
B- There is a grand purpose to the divinely orchestrated unity within the body. (Ephesians 4:13-16)
B- There is a grand purpose to the divinely orchestrated unity within the body. (Ephesians 4:13-16)
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
1- The grand purpose of the Spirit-orchestrated unity is multi-faceted.
a. God’s people will come to know Christ fully.
b. God’s people will be mature in Christ-likeness.
c. God’s people will be firmly grounded in God’s truth.
C- There is a magnificent call given by the head of the body. (Ephesians 4:16b)
C- There is a magnificent call given by the head of the body. (Ephesians 4:16b)
16 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.
1- God has made the whole body in a way that fits perfectly together.
2- God has called each member to do their own part in the functioning of the body.
16 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.
(Romans 12:3-11)
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,
5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
3- When each part does its part well, the whole body will be healthy and growing.
16 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.
CONCLUSION:
Christ has not called us to be saved with only a focus on self. He called us to be a part of something much larger than ourselves. He called us to be a part of his church as an integral part of the body. Unfortunately, many believers never see this.
I once heard of a missionary came who addressed some students in the Foreign Missions Fellowship. He testified that as he preached the Gospel upon the streets of Mexico, never a day passed that he was not stoned.
He told how that upon the religious feast days and festivals, peddlers would go about the streets selling crucifixes and miniature crosses; and as they passed up and down the city streets their cry would be: “Cheap cross! Cheap cross! Who’ll buy a cheap cross?” With a voice of searching conviction he asked, “Is your cross a cheap cross? Is the cross we bear for the sake of our Lord a cheap cross?
Paul said, “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
Unfortunately, many believers seem to only want a “cheap cross.” The cross Jesus bore for you and I was no cheap cross. It cost him his life. He calls on us to follow Him in grateful service. What will you do?
