Walk Worthily Together (Eph 4:1-6)

Walk Worthily Together: Unity (Ephesians 4:1-6) Pray & Intro: - A new section of Paul’s letter 4-6 (Paul moves forward, as is common in his letters, from doctrine to duty, from theology to discipline, from who we are positionally to how we behave practically) - (Sub) WWT: Unity (1-6), Diversity (7-11), Maturity (12-16) - To walk worthily together, we must be unified even while our roles are diversified (with leadership) in order to be maturified. - 4:17-6:20 – How Paul’s exhortation plays out in various community and household relationships Read Passage I. A high calling = high expectation (v. 1) A. Welcome to the Alabama State crimson tide – Do you suppose expectations run high? 1. Paul calls his hearers (implores, urges) to live up to their high calling. 2. In order to do so, they must work together. B. Sons, citizens, soldiers of the Most High – This is what you have become. Walk worthily. 1. Not hoarding the wealth we’ve been given in Christ, but sharing the wealth (keeping the currency of Christ’s unfathomable love in circulation). a. From wealth to walk. (Paul uses walk to mean daily life and living) – “Christianity is, after all, a way of life and a way of living.” (Martin Lloyd-Jones) b. From the locker room to the gym floor. – right belief should always result in right application – from principle to practice. (Right practice requires right principles, but right principles alone do not automagically result in right practice.) 2. Recognition of our high calling should result in high devotion to God and therefore to your duty, in all discipline. (Duty becomes the hands and feet of devotion.)  But always remember. The grace that saves you is the grace that sustains you and sanctifies you. (imagine our efforts as compared to the mighty working of God!) – NEVER separate your duty and discipline from your devotion to God because of his high calling. (When you do this, you are literally frantically paddling up current against God’s will for your heart.) C. We talked about team mentality in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and here it is again: You have been given great wealth in Christ, and with that calling as Sons, citizens, and soldiers comes a high expectation/responsibility… But work TOGETHER. II. Team attitudes for unity (v. 2) – This part is about character. A. Humility and gentleness 1. Humility is a unique word in Gk, as far as we can tell, coined by the Christians – probably the single most important character quality of a person who clicks well and jives with his team in his role is humility (the disposition of valuing or assessing oneself appropriately; especially in light of one’s sinfulness or creatureliness) Rom. 12:3  I wonder how often we don’t catch ourselves having an inappropriate estimation of ourselves, or particularly our own opinion/perspective? [happens here] 2. Gentleness doesn’t sound like it fits with our team metaphor (acting in a manner that is gentle, mild, and even-tempered) – But isn’t that exactly what we teammates need from each other? (now no one says that we just let each other slough off or go on sinning, but we excuse our insensitive behavior as “tough love”) 3. In this way, what you think of yourself in relationship to God and others splashes onto the people around you.  with humility and gentleness and… B. Patience, bearing with one another in love (love – that serving, self-giving example of Christ for us) 1. This is exactly what it sounds like. Forbearance (patient endurance of pain or even unhappiness). It’s patient endurance with not getting your way. Putting up with each other’s process of living btwn the already and the not yet. 2. It’s what happens in families/teams. Sometimes we annoy the heck out of each other, when things get said in a way that can be misunderstood or misrepresented. (and we assume they MUST be suggesting we did something wrong or that we aren’t as valuable as someone else) 3. Or how ‘bout when someone says they’re working on something they know needs correcting… but they just won’t change fast enough! 4. Or I don’t answer the church phone when you call to ask for someone’s contact info. III. Team passion for unity (v. 3) – eager/zeal (to keep, guard, protect) A. Are you eager/zealous to be right, or zealous for team unity? (doing it quickly and doing your best!) B. Working hard to protect unity – Those who divide must be moved aside. – To face the rough waters together as a mature team (see vv. 14-15) C. Bond of peace (in Col. 3:14 what binds us is love) – like parts fastened together on a ship  Not that we could possibly agree on everything, but that there is something more potent, more important, that binds us.  We sail together on one ship, under one banner, with one propulsion, and one captain… IV. Team empowering for unity (vv. 4-6) – the invisible unifier is the triune God (BTW, this truth helps us with our team attitudes and team passion) A. In the Spirit, there is one body (church) and one hope (of the call) [1:11-14] B. We share one Lord in whom we place our faith (faith also may apply to the fullness of sound theology arising from the gospel), and into whom we have been baptized by the same Spirit (with water baptism as an outward expression of that faith and baptism by in the Spirit) C. For we know that there is one God and Father of all, 1. Sovereign OVER all of us 2. Powerful to work THROUGH all of us 3. And Present and transforming IN all of us D. (These truths help us with our team attitudes and team passion) – Because we’re trusting in the powerful working of God in and through our team. (See 3:20-21) V. How are you demonstrating your commitment to the team in unity? A. First of all, have you embraced your high calling? (the only reasonable spiritual response to what God has done, Rom. 12:1) And are we, your leaders, holding you to this high calling with high expectation? B. Pray for God to make you a team player (with zeal and humility). And at the same time begin the disciplines that demonstrate a passion for team unity. 1. When you see something that needs to be done, do you go tell someone about it so that it will get taken care of, or do you just take care of it or figure out how you can help? 2. I’m going to get after us for giving. (Is your heart really with this team? Is that what your budget shows?) Our team vehicle is running on fumes. We need to fix this. C. Who are you trusting in to give you a spirit of unity and to empower you as a functioning member in our diversity for the growth of the church to maturity? [Think about these things as we sing together now again to the Triune God in whom we trust for unity in diversity to build our church to maturity.]