Christian Oneness

Will Zalizniak

Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Ephesians 4:1–6

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Before jumping into our text for tonight, I want to remind us of what Josh taught last week. READ 4:1-3.

-What is your calling?

1 Corinthians 1:22–24 ESV

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

-Your calling is your salvation and a life lived to the praise of His glory. It is a quickening call that raised you to new life and commanded you to come out of the grave and live a life that magnifies your Savior.

Now, this week we’ll see why and how to obey those imperatives—a life worthy of your calling—Josh taught last week. READ 4:4-6.

1+1=1

What do I mean by 1+1=1? (not new math or math on meth). Unity is a major emphasis in Ephesians and not just for the church there, but for the church in every place, in every age.

-Each week we look at a small chunk of text, but I don’t want us to fail to see the whole picture.

-Foundation: (two have become one)

Ephesians 2:

Ephesians 2:12–22 ESV

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

-The Architecture of the Temple (how is God building it and what does it look like?)

Ephesians 4:7–16 ESV

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:7-

Each of the building blocks God is adding to his church receives gifts to help the body grow TOGETHER in health and maturity. In the end, the temple looks like beautiful reflection of Christ.

One Body (v. 4)

The math is 1+1=1. The science is that the church is more like a compound than a mixture.

1 Corinthians 12:12–20 ESV

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The math is 1+1=1. The science is that the church is more like a compound than a mixture.

-Mixture is like a salad. All the ingredients are next to each other in a bowl, but each is still individually distinct from the other ingredients. You could have very different ingredients like meat, fruit, and grass/lettuce. And each flavor can compete with the others for the spotlight saying, “look what I bring to this dish! I’m the best part!”

It should not be like this with the church. We never see a commendation from Scripture to be selfish consumers, demanding to be seen and heard about our preferences and expectations in what we think the church/youth group should be like. Instead, we see warnings not to exalt ourselves over others in any way, but to submit to and serve one another in humility and love.

Instead of a mixture (salad) we should be more like a compound (salt). Two substances (sodium and chlorine) join perfectly together to become one new substance. No one tastes salt and says, “oh, there’s the sodium, and oh, there’s the chloride.” It’s a whole new substance and the individual ingredients are indistinguishable.

It’s not that differences don’t exist.

-What differences do you have from others in the church? In this room?

Differences exist, but the Gospel changes us so much that so many differences that keep us apart don’t matter anymore. They’re not remotely significant compared to what we have in common. We are essentially, substantively one with each other. It’s an existential, positional unity (vv. 4-6).

How we are the same is much more important than how we are different—people should look at you and me and see the same person—Christ. (He must increase, I must decrease).

One Spirit; One Lord; One God/Father

1 Corinthians 12:12–20 ESV

Another evidence of the Trinity, and how appropriate.

-What’s the same/equal about the three persons of the Trinity? “over all and through all and in all

-What’s different about the three persons of the Trinity?

One God, three persons. Same in essence and glory, distinct in function.

-God the Father:

Acts

Acts 2:23 ESV

this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

-God the Son:

-Lord (v. 5). Accomplished atonement, and reigns as Lord. Only Lord/Lord over all.

-God the Spirit:

-seals/guarantees (1:14)

-Applies the work of Christ (baptism into the body)

-delivers and empowers gifts

-Produces fruit/unity (v. 3)

One Faith

Says, yes, we believe all this—we believe the Gospel. And because of it, we have one hope.

One Baptism

-What is baptism?

In all these things, we have unity. We have fellowship with one another. Out of many we have become one new creation/temple/body of Christ.

Our unity (living together in humility, gentleness, patience and love) displays the hope and power of the Gospel to the world. But it only happens when “each part is working properly” (v. 16). Are you working properly?