Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
One of the big challenges facing churches, especially as they grow, is keeping unity.
The more people you have the more chance for people to focus on their own preferences and then the unity in the body suffers.
Results in disunity, division, and decline.
Mt.
Rock Church has faced some of these over the past few years and more.
Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus and surrounding area helps the church to understand our identity as followers of Christ – individually, but especially as the body – and teaches us how to live in unity together.
I believe this is a good starting point as we look to refocus and rebuild.
Begin with quick review of where Paul has taken us – teaching the Gospel, doctrine, identity and foundation = the why/what
Begin with quick review of where Paul has taken us – teaching the Gospel, doctrine, identity and foundation = the why/what
Christ broke down the wall of division, brought followers together as one body both Jews and Gentiles.
Ch4v.1 Therefore/then (NIV) = prayed for the Spiritual power to live, but he also refers back to all he has said.
Rest of letter is living out what was taught.
Walk in love, starting with unity and peace together.
Active forward movement and growth in Christ.
The how.
We will learn these aspects of our walk: unity, light, harmony, victory/power.
overall theme is Walk in Love
Points
Today’s portion is Walk In Unity - .
Read
Maintain Unity
Ephesians 4:1-3
vv.1-3 prisoner/bound to Christ and through Him each other.
Live your calling.
Fruit of the Spirit.
Maintain unity.
vv.1-3 prisoner/bound to Christ and through Him each other.
Live your calling.
Fruit of the Spirit.
Maintain unity.
Ephesians vv.1-3 prisoner/bound to Christ and through Him each other.
Live your calling.
Fruit of the Spirit.
Maintain unity.
Prisoner – bound to/by Jesus.
Live/lead a life = Walk = live, active way of life, forward motion not just ideals.
Worthy of the calling – called (by God) to calling
– called to hope of future, to follow Jesus and be part of Christ’s body.
How to walk worthy?
Live out your life worthy?
v.2 (live/walk) with complete humility/gentleness/patience/bearing (forbearance, longsuffering)/Love = Fruit of the Spirit in outward expression of the Spirit’s transformation in your heart.
Make every effort to keep = maintain, keep
Make every effort to keep = maintain, keep
Unity of the Spirit = the oneness we attain by having God’s Spirit in us supernaturally binding/linking us together.
maintain = not our own effort to manufacture oneness or uniformity – we’ll see it includes a diversity.
Spiritual Unity – from in Christ, those who were far (Gentiles) are brought near by the blood of Christ (with Jews).
How do we maintain unity?
V.2 humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, love/compassion, peace.
How do we maintain unity?
V.2 humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, love/compassion, peace.
Bond of peace = again, binding as prisoner (v.1) God’s Spirit binding us in unity and peace.
Bond that results in peace
walk worthy, maintain unity of Spirit, live out the fruit of the Spirit
Ephesians 4:
Ephesians 4:4-7
vv.4-6 unity in 7 ones – body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God/Father
called to one hope at your calling - again from .
7 ones = complete – Lord in center
vv.7-10 Christ gives grace gifts to people.
Victory/rescue/gifts. Ascend/descend.
v.7 stacking terms a (gift of) grace given as Christ’s gift appropriate for each one of us. 3 ways of saying gift
Unity in faith and peace, diversity in backgrounds and gifts.
Grace is a gift measured by Christ to each one as needed for His purposes.
Calling requires gifting - Christ gives each member/part of the body the purpose and function unique to that one.
v.8 compare wording and focus of:
– God the victorious ascended leading away the captives and receiving gifts
God the victorious ascended leading away the captives and receiving gifts
– Christ the victorious ascended leading away (rescued) captives and giving gifts.
Christ the victorious ascended leading away (rescued) captives and giving gifts.
vv.9-10 Ascended and descended.
Came to Earth, returned to God’s right hand.
Fills universe as in
What is the purpose of these gifts?
We see gifts to each one, and gifts to the whole body.
Equipped for Maturity
vv.11-13 Christ gives gifts to the body/church.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds/pastors, teachers.
vv.11-13 Christ gives gifts to the body/church.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds/pastors, teachers.
Here – 5 specific gifts for individuals, which are 5 specific gifts to the church.
Others listed elsewhere, but here focusing on the equipping for ministry and growth.
Equip – make fully ready.
For service or for ministry – equipped to serve others, to minister to others
v.13 until all reach unity in faith and depth of knowing Christ and become mature
result = attain whole measure of fullness of Christ = Christ-like, love, compassion, selfless
Purpose of gifts – to equip members of the body for ministry/service.
Goal being Christ-like maturity in the body.
vv.14-16 the body/church each member doing it’s part building up in love.
mature, telling/living truth.
vv.14-16 the body/church each member doing it’s part building up in love.
mature, telling/living truth.
Try to show video of kid getting rolled by wave
v.14 No longer small children = toddlers (not really infants)
Knocked over by waves, blown over by wind = unstable, unable to stand when faced with the craftiness and deceitfulness of false teaching.
False teaching not necessarily outright heresy, but subtle twists of truth to lead astray
v.15 Instead = contrast to being immature and gullible
Instead = contrast to being immature and gullible
speak truth in love = truth telling, means proclaiming the Good News to each other and others
Speaking truth in love is a misapplied verse pulled out of context to mean pointing out what you believe to be errors to someone in order to try to change them, and in maybe a nice way.
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