Untitled Sermon (3)

IN LOVE

and

Main Idea: Spiritual Growth and Maturity take place when we are ROOTED and ABIDING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST AND PARTICIPITATING IN HIS MISSION.

Introduction

How many of you have ever heard these words spoken to you before?

"JUST GROW UP!"

-Maybe it was your parents

-Maybe it was your Brother or Sister

-Maybe even your friend

-Or even a school teacher…

And some of you have probably been the one to say those words to someone else! Haha

First Fire--Take a few quick seconds around your table here and share some sayings and phrases you have heard people use in relationship to growing up….

Surely we don’t need to hear these words even now right?

Surely we are all now fully mature in this room right?

-I think I get a pass for being in youth ministry

The Reality is…ALL OF US…MYSELF INCLUDED…are never done growing up…IT IS A LIFELONG PROCESS!

Which brings us to our passage this morning…

Transition to Main Body

This morning we are continuing our walk through the book of Ephesians…

In Chapters 1-3: we talked a lot about who we are in Christ and What Christ has done for us

Here in Chapter 4: we have talked a lot about Unity and about being built up together

And now we have come to here where we move from UNITY to a NEW FOCUS that Paul has…So Let's Read this together…

(NIV)

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ

We see an important theme show up in this passage in connection to UNITY…AND THAT IS SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY

Not only are we called to be unified together as the body of Christ…BUT WE ARE TO BE MATURE AND MOVING FORWARD IN OUR GROWTH BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

So in a way (MUCH NICER THAN WE MAY HAVE HEARD AT TIMES) Paul is writing to the Church in Ephesus, and to us here, saying…HEY WE NEED TO GROW UP!

We can't be infants in our faith forever…we can't be led astray as a people by others teachings…we cant be pushed around…

WE NEED TO BE STRONG AND MATURE AS THE BODY OF CHRIST SO THAT WE CAN SPEAK THE TRUTH AND BETTER REFLECT CHRIST IN OUR WORLD.

AND THIS IS A PATH OF GROWTH FOR US THAT IS NEVER FINISHED! No matter what age, stage of life, or how mature we are in our faith…THERE IS ALWAYS MORE ROOM TO GROW…

As we move forward as yourselves these questions…

-Am I spiritually healthy?

-Am I growing?

-Is my relationship with Christ healthy?

-And what can I do to grow and make sure I am a healthy follower of Christ?

Main Body

***The big question we will unpack this morning is this…HOW DO WE GROW AND MATURE AS DISIPLES…BOTH TOGETHER AS A CHURCH…AND INDIVIDUALLY?

And no its not just read your BIBLE, Come to Church, and Pray…Those are important and we could spend a lot of time talking about how those work and contribute to growth…BUT THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPER WE NEED TO SEE

And we see it show up in a phrase in verse 15

The Phrase is This…"IN LOVE"

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

-This is repeated three total times in the first 16 verses here of Chapter 4 (Verse 2, Verse 15, Verse 16)

-The word Love alone shows up about 23 times in the book of Ephesians

So I think in seeing this we cannot ignore that there is a direct connection between spiritual growth/maturity and LOVE

In that…

Main Idea: Spiritual Growth and Maturity take place when we are ROOTED and ABIDING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST, And IN GOD'S MISSION OF LOVE.

And this is what we are going to spend some time diving into here…

Read

We see this heavily from the Jesus' Teaching in

(NIV)“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

First Fire: Take a few moments around your table and talk about what you see in this passage related to Growing SPIRITUALLY IN CHRIST'S LOVE

So with all of that…

IF SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY TAKE PLACE WHEN WE ARE ROOTED AND ABIDING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST… THEN WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ROOTED AND ABIDING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST?

Once again…We can abide with the Father by spending time reading scripture and praying but there is something more…

Jesus' Words in give us some input

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

WE ROOT OURSELVES AND ABIDE IN CHRIST'S LOVE BY KEEPING GOD'S COMMANDS

WHILE GOD HAS GIVEN US MANY CO