Untitled Sermon (9)

Introducton

Christian unity is founded on each christians comitment to God

When we enter a socioty we take upon ourselves the obligation to live in a certin way

Ephesians 4:1–13 CSB

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. 9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Tuesday 1-4

Wednesday 5-9

Thursday 10-13

Friday- put together

Eph

Ephesians 4:1 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Paul exorts the church to live a life worthy of the calling they have received, this calling is salvation, we are one with Christ.

The calling means equel weight it should have ballence, the calling does not only refer to ones salvation, but also to the union within the body of Christ. This calling is adrresing the personal life of the beliver and toe responsibility to other belivers within the church.

The NET Bible First Edition Notes Notes for 4:1

With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

With which you have been called The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

As a prisinor Himself Paul is fully aware of what it is to suffer the consequences of such a life and what it is he is asking his readers to risk.

Ephesians 4:2 ESV

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

We have five basic words for the Christian faith

Humility

The Greek is tapeinophrosunē, and this is actually a word which the Christian faith coined. In Greek, there is no word for humility which does not have some suggestion of meanness attached to it. Later, in the fourth century, Basil was to describe it as ‘the gem casket of all the virtues’; but, before Christianity, humility was not considered to be a virtue at all. The ancient world looked on humility as a thing to be despised.

The Greeks had an adjective for humble, which is closely connected with this noun—the adjective tapeinos. A word is always known by the company it keeps, and this word keeps disreputable company. It is used alongside the Greek adjectives which mean slavish (andrapodōdēs, doulikos, douloprepēs), ignoble (agennēs), of no repute (adoxos) and cringeing (chamaizēlos, which is the adjective which describes a plant that trails along the ground). In the days before Jesus, humility was looked on as a cowering, cringeing, servile, ignoble quality; and yet Christianity sets it in the very forefront of the virtues. Where does this Christian humility come from, and what does it involve?

(a) Christian humility comes from self-knowledge. The twelfth-century theologian Bernard of Clairvaux said of it: ‘It is the virtue by which a man becomes conscious of his own unworthiness, in consequence of the truest knowledge of himself.’

To face oneself is the most humiliating thing in the world. Most of us see ourselves as playing great parts in life. There is a story about a man who, before he went to sleep at night, dreamt his waking dreams. He would see himself as the hero of some thrilling rescue from the sea or from the flames; he would see himself as an orator holding a vast audience spellbound; he would see himself walking to the wicket in a test match at Lord’s cricket ground and scoring a century; he would see himself in some international football match dazzling the crowd with his skill; always he was the centre of the picture. Most of us are essentially like that. And true humility comes when we face ourselves and see our weakness, our selfishness, our failure in work and in personal relationships and in achievement.

(b) Christian humility comes from setting life beside the life of Christ and in the light of the demands of God.

God is perfection, and to satisfy perfection is impossible. As long as we measure ourselves by what is second best, we may come out of the comparison well. It is when we compare ourselves with perfection that we see our failure. A girl may consider herself a very fine pianist until she hears one of the world’s outstanding performers. A man may think himself a good golfer until he sees one of the world’s great professionals in action. Some people may consider themselves to be scholars until they pick up one of the books of the great old scholars of encyclopaedic knowledge. Others may think of themselves as fine preachers until they listen to one of the great inspirational preachers.

Self-satisfaction depends on the standard with which we compare ourselves. If we compare ourselves with our neighbours, we may well emerge very satisfactorily from the comparison. But the Christian standard is Jesus Christ and the demands of God’s perfection—and against that standard there is no room for pride.

(c) There is another way of putting this. The Archbishop of Dublin, R. C. Trench, said that humility comes from the constant sense of our own creatureliness. We are in absolute dependence on God. As the hymn has it:

’Tis thou preservest me from death

And dangers every hour;

I cannot draw another breath

Unless thou give me power.

My health, my friends, and parents dear

To me by God are given;

I have not any blessing here

But what is sent from heaven.

We are creatures, and for the creature there can be nothing but humility in the presence of the creator.

Christian humility is based on the sight of self, the vision of Christ, and the realization of God.

(2) The second of the great Christian virtues is what the Authorized Version calls meekness and what we have translated as gentleness. The Greek noun is praotēs, the adjective praus; and these are beyond translation by any single English word. Praus has two main lines of meanings.

(a) Aristotle, the great Greek thinker and teacher, has much to say about praotēs. It was his custom to define every virtue as the mid-point between two extremes. On one side there was excess of some quality, on the other defect; and in between there was exactly its right proportion. Aristotle defines praotēs as the mid-point between being too angry and never being angry at all. The person who is praus is the one who is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time. To put that in another way, the person who is praus is the one who is stirred by indignation at the wrongs and the sufferings of others, but is never moved to anger by any personal wrongs and insults. So, the person who is (as in the Authorized Version) meek is the one who is always angry at the right time but never angry at the wrong time.

(b) There is another fact which will shed light on the meaning of this word. Praus is the Greek for an animal which has been trained and domesticated until it is completely under control. Therefore, the person who is praus is someone who has every instinct and every passion under perfect control. It would not be right to say that such a person is entirely self-controlled, for such self-control is beyond human power; but it would be right to say that such an individual is God-controlled.

Here, then, is the second great characteristic of true members of the Church. They are men and women who are so God-controlled that they are always angry at the right time but never angry at the wrong time.

(3) The third great quality of a Christian is what the Authorized Version calls long-suffering. The Greek word is makrothumia. This word has two main directions of meaning.

(3) The third great quality of a Christian is what the Authorized Version calls long-suffering. The Greek word is makrothumia. This word has two main directions of meaning.

The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians Patience that Endures (Ephesians 4:1–3 Contd)

(3) THE third great quality of a Christian is what the Authorized Version calls long-suffering. The Greek word is makrothumia. This word has two main directions of meaning.

(a) It describes the spirit which will never give in and which, because it endures to the end, will reap the reward. Its meaning can best be seen from the fact that a Jewish writer used it to describe what he called ‘the Roman persistency which would never make peace under defeat’. In their great days, the Romans were unconquerable; they might lose a battle, they might even lose a campaign, but they could not conceive of losing a war. In the greatest disaster, it never occurred to them to admit defeat. Christian patience is the spirit which never admits defeat, which will not be broken by any misfortune or suffering, by any disappointment or discouragement, but which persists to the end.

(b) But makrothumia has an even more characteristic meaning than that. It is the characteristic Greek word for patience with others. John Chrysostom defined it as the spirit which has the power to take revenge but never does so. J. B. Lightfoot, the New Testament scholar, defined it as the spirit which refuses to retaliate. To take an imperfect analogy—it is often possible to see a puppy and a large dog together. The puppy yaps at the big dog, worries it, bites it, and all the time the big dog, which could put the puppy in its place with one snap of its teeth, bears the puppy’s impertinence with a forbearing dignity. Makrothumia is the spirit which bears insult and injury without bitterness and without complaint. It is the spirit which can suffer unpleasant people with graciousness and fools without irritation.

The thing which best of all illustrates its meaning is that the New Testament repeatedly uses it of God. Paul asks unrepentant sinners if they despise the patience of God (Romans 2:4). Paul speaks of the perfect patience of Jesus to him (1 Timothy 1:16). Peter speaks of God’s patience waiting in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:20). He says that the forbearance of our Lord is our salvation (2 Peter 3:15). If God had been like us, he would long ago in sheer irritation have wiped the world out for its disobedience. Christians must have the patience towards their neighbours which God has shown to them.

(a) It describes the spirit which will never give in and which, because it endures to the end, will reap the reward. Its meaning can best be seen from the fact that a Jewish writer used it to describe what he called ‘the Roman persistency which would never make peace under defeat’. In their great days, the Romans were unconquerable; they might lose a battle, they might even lose a campaign, but they could not conceive of losing a war. In the greatest disaster, it never occurred to them to admit defeat. Christian patience is the spirit which never admits defeat, which will not be broken by any misfortune or suffering, by any disappointment or discouragement, but which persists to the end.

(b) But makrothumia has an even more characteristic meaning than that. It is the characteristic Greek word for patience with others. John Chrysostom defined it as the spirit which has the power to take revenge but never does so. J. B. Lightfoot, the New Testament scholar, defined it as the spirit which refuses to retaliate. To take an imperfect analogy—it is often possible to see a puppy and a large dog together. The puppy yaps at the big dog, worries it, bites it, and all the time the big dog, which could put the puppy in its place with one snap of its teeth, bears the puppy’s impertinence with a forbearing dignity. Makrothumia is the spirit which bears insult and injury without bitterness and without complaint. It is the spirit which can suffer unpleasant people with graciousness and fools without irritation.

The thing which best of all illustrates its meaning is that the New Testament repeatedly uses it of God. Paul asks unrepentant sinners if they despise the patience of God (). Paul speaks of the perfect patience of Jesus to him (). Peter speaks of God’s patience waiting in the days of Noah (). He says that the forbearance of our Lord is our salvation (). If God had been like us, he would long ago in sheer irritation have wiped the world out for its disobedience. Christians must have the patience towards their neighbours which God has shown to them.

Barclay, W. (2002). The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (pp. 159–160). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.

(4) The fourth great Christian quality is love. Christian love was something so new that the Christian writers had to invent a new word for it; or, at least, they had to employ a very unusual Greek word—agape.

In Greek, there are four words for love. There is eros, which is the love between the sexes and which involves sexual passion. There is philia, which is the warm affection which exists between those who are very near and very dear to each other. There is storgē, which is characteristically the word for family affection. And there is agape, which the Authorized Version sometimes translates as love and sometimes as charity.

The real meaning of agape is unconquerable benevolence. If we regard people with agape, it means that nothing that they can do will make us seek anything but their highest good. Even if they hurt us and insult us, we will never feel anything but kindness towards them. That quite clearly means that this Christian love is not an emotional thing. This agape is a thing not only of the emotions but also of the will. It is the ability to retain unconquerable goodwill towards the unlovely and the unlovable, towards those who do not love us, and even towards those whom we do not like. Agape is that quality of mind and heart which compels Christians never to feel any bitterness, never to feel any desire for revenge, but always to seek the highest good of absolutely everyone.

(5) These four great virtues of the Christian life—humility, gentleness, patience, love—lead to a fifth, peace. It is Paul’s advice and urgent request that the people to whom he is writing should eagerly preserve ‘the sacred oneness’ which should characterize the true Church.

Peace may be defined as right relationships one with another. This oneness, this peace and these right relationships can be preserved only in one way. Every one of the four great Christian virtues depends on the obliteration of self. As long as self is at the centrer of things, this oneness can never fully exist. In a society where self predominates, people cannot form anything but a disintegrated collection of individualistic and warring units. But when self dies and Christ springs to life within our hearts, then comes the peace, the oneness, which is the great hallmark of the true Church.

Barclay, W. (2002). The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (pp. 160–161). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.

Ephesians 4:3 ESV

3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity i the spirit refers to the unity that can only exist because of the work of the holy spirit

Bond of peace refers to the fact that the work of Christ leads to peace between God and humanity.

Ephesians 4:4 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

Paul is aware of the many different social backgrounds in which the readers have come into the christian Church, but he desired to unite them in what they have in common

Ephesians 4:5 ESV

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

We are all connected by:

One Lord

One faith

One Baptisim

Ephesians 4:6 ESV

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

This refers to God the father and His relationship to all belivers, the word all refers to all bek=livers, not all mankind.

Ephesians 4:7 CSB

7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Each beliver receives grace to accomplish what God has called Him to do.

Eph

Each beliver is to function within the body of Christ by Gods enablement proprtianate ro the gift bestowed upon him.

Ephesians 4:8 ESV

8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

This assention was when he left the earth to be where He is now on the right hand of God

Eph

Ephesians 4:9 ESV

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?

This is simply a clarifying statement that in order for him to assend he had to desend, which he did when he came to earth .

Ephesians 4:10 ESV

10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Paul emphisized that Jesues is not just a mortal man but the eternal son of God incarnate who after fulfilling his ministery on earth and being sacrificed for sins assended far above the heavens that he might fulfill all things.

one can read in that: he is the one that holds all things together.

Colossians 1:17 ESV

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Col

Some have argued that the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ are barely if at all mentioned in the Bible but nothing can be further from the truth.

The apostle Paul is argueing in the strongest manner for the diety, soverignty and preeminence of Christ as God the son No one can carefully look at theese verses and deny that fact.

Ephesians 4:11 CSB

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

This verse lists four gifted men, not Five the pastors responsible for sheparding people under thie care are also teachers instructing them in the truth and the will of God

1 Timothy 3:2 ESV

2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Titus 1:9 ESV

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

the addition of the artical and between pastors and teachers indicates that they are the same, The two belong together No man is fit to be a pastor who can not also teach This is one of the most solom responsibilities of the pastor and the pastor is responsible for all teaching within the church not just the teaching which he does.

It is so importent that a Pastor be a teacher it takes more than just Zeal to be a Pastor.

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

We breifly touched on this last week, this verse ties into the last one the Job of the Pastor is to equip the saints for the work of the ministery. My Job is to equip you. This is why we call our sunday evening time Equip

This is one of the most misunderstoond comands in all of scripture, for too many churches they “hire” the pastor to do that. When in fact as we see throughout all of scripture the primary Job of the pastor is to labor in the Word of God.

This however does not mean that is His only Job, there are also Churches which go to the other extreem and say the pastor preaches and we do everything else, effectivly stripping Him of his overseer title.

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

The Body of Christ Should be fuctioning in a whole and complete way, but often there is importance and disunity the church is then weekend and has a llimites witness in the World.