013 ST_Achieving Unity in the Church

This evening we are continuing our study in Ephesians. So, if you would please turn your bibles to Ephesians 4 starting at verse 1. I am not using any slides tonight and for the most part, will be staying in our text, except for a couple of exceptions. Chapter wise, we are at halfway point in the letter to the Ephesians. As in most of Paul’s letter, the first half of the letter is usually theological, and this is the case in Ephesians. In the first three chapters, Paul provides a solid theological foundation as he reminds us of God’s great grace, and the spiritual blessings believers possess based on their union with Christ. Paul emphasizes the grace of God in the salvation of believers; and describes the plight of the Gentiles as those who were alienated from God but now may be accepted as a result of their being united to Christ through faith.

After Paul lays down the theology, he spends the second half of Ephesians to explain how the Christian lives out what he has explain in the first part. This second part is usually written in the imperative mood, (or in commands). In fact, in Ephesians, only one imperative (or command) in the first half of the book, and there are 39 imperatives in chapters 4-6.

In chapter 4, where we are now, Paul begins to apply these truths that he has explained in the first three chapters in the everyday lives of the believer. Now that God has united and reconciled Jew and Gentile through faith in Christ, how is this unity worked out in the church. Or another way to say it, how do we all get along? That brings us to our text tonight.

Ephesians 4:1-6:

I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

PRAY

I was assigned the scripture of Ephesians 4:1-6, however, we are going to spend most of our time on verses 1-3. In fact, the theme tonight is found in verse, “maintaining the unity of the spirit”.

Have you ever wondered why unity is so difficult? The Noah Webster dictionary defines unity in Christian theology as oneness of sentiment, affection or behavior and Noah Webster uses as Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! This verse out of the Psalms gives an idea what unity.

My [Skip Tyler] simple definition for unity is getting everybody on the same page so we are moving forward in the same direction. Unity can be difficult in marriage relationships, family, and work. And it is even difficult in the church. We probably all can think of examples where there were church splits over some ridiculous issues. I went to a church in Louisiana that had split over the color of the carpet of the church. But there are also church splits over serious matters where Christians disagree. As Christians who have been saved by Christ’s finished work on the cross, God call us to unity and not to disfunction. That is what our text this evening is all about.

Our plan will be to walk through the text of what the apostle Paul is conveying to the Ephesians and then look at applying in our own lives and in the church.

So this is a three-point sermon with an application

Our first point is:

(1) Our Call to Unity: To Walk in a Manner Worthy to Which We Have Been Called

In verse 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 begins the second half of Ephesians with a general exhortation to live a life worthy of our calling. The conjunction “therefore”, is there to refer us back to the entire first half of the letter (chs. 1–3), giving us the theological foundation for the instructions to follow.

Paul also identifies himself as “a prisoner for the Lord,”. Paul is actually imprisoned by the Roman government, but Paul does not say that he is a prisoner “of Caesar.” In Paul’s view, he belongs to Christ and ultimately is in prison for the sake of the gospel. In fact, he wrote in Ephesians 3:1 he is a prisoner “on behalf of you Gentiles.” Paul is not in prison because of his sin, because God is punishing him, or because of anything else that might cause his readers to doubt his apostleship. Instead, Paul’s incarceration is due to his faithfulness in fulfilling his apostolic calling to take the gospel to the Gentiles. This very fact adds emphasis and authority to the exhortation that he gives to the Ephesians: “I … urge you to walk.” The Greek word, for “I urge” is parakalō. It is a term that is used when a superior is addressing inferiors; hence, it represents a strong appeal or exhortation to an action from someone who carried a certain authority over his audience, which Paul did being an apostle. Paul uses it about fifty times in his epistles.

Paul here pleads with the Ephesians “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” So, what does that mean: “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Christian belief comes before Christian living. We don’t live the Christian life before we come to faith. The mindset of the individual must be changed before one’s conduct can follow suit. We call the change of mindset, repentance. Many of Paul’s letters have a similar format, with right belief producing right living. “Walk in manner worthy,” sums up every aspect of Christian behavior. The theme of “walking” continues throughout the letter and is a metaphor for one’s conduct or way of life. Believers have the obligation and duty to live in accord with their calling. But notice the order here: behavior is always subsequent to being born again. Or, to put it differently, conduct always follows calling. It is only after the experience of new life or another word for it, regenerationthat God’s people can follow his commands faithfully and worthily. The phrase “you have been called” contains a divine passive, indicating that God is the one who sovereignly calls. The repetition of the idea of calling (“the calling to which you have been called”) emphasizes its importance. We can’t over emphasize the fact that God is the one calling us. And because of that, we Christians, need to walk in a manner worthy of that calling.

Our second point

(2) The Manner in Which We Walk

In the first part of verse 2, the Apostle Paul expands on the previous verse by identifying three virtues by which believers are to “walk in a manner worthy of [their] calling”.

Eph 4:2a:[And that is] with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

We are going to through each of these virtues starting with humility.

Humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will.

Proverbs 15:33 humility comes before honor.

Augustine said that, for those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, the second thing and the third thing. Eleven hundred years later, Martin Luther, when asked to name the three greatest virtues replied, “First, humility; second, humility and third, humility.” These are but two of the many great church leaders who have stressed the importance of humility in the believer’s life. I don’t know what virtue that you could put before humility in matter of importance.

However, humility was much despised in the ancient world. It went against Greco-Roman practices of the day, which believed that humility or “meekness is weakness” and that the highest qualities a person can have are proven by self-serving success. Jesus completely reversed this pagan practice, making humility one of the most important of the virtues in the eyes of God.

The Bible regularly denounces arrogance and self-centeredness. Perhaps the clearest expression of this is Philippians 2:3–4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Humility demands a life directed toward others rather than toward self-power. I think we all can say it doesn’t take long to be able to tell if a person is serving others or serving themselves. Our lives are always doing good or harm, and as Christians, God calls us to do good.

Lives that are exemplified by humility helps conform us to the image of Jesus.

Andrew Murray wrote:

The great test of whether the holiness we profess to seek or attain is truth and life will be whether it be manifest in the increasing humility is produces. In the creature, humility is the first thing needed to allow God’s holiness to dwell in him and shine through him. In Jesus, the holy one of God who makes us holy, a divine humility was the secret of his life and his death and exaltation; the one infallible test of our holiness will be the humility before God and men which marks us. Humility is the bloom and the beauty of holiness.

The Christian who promotes unity of spirit in the church will demonstrate humility in their lives.

The second virtue that the Apostle Paul tells us that promotes and maintains unity in the church is gentleness (prauthtoj). Gentleness is often confused with the word “meekness” [It is hard for me when I think of the words gentleness and meekness not to think of Pastor Sam and his teachings of the beatitudes, and hopefully I am consistent with what Pastor Sam taught.] The difference between gentleness and meekness is this: meekness is passive trait, describing the proper Christian response when other mistreat us, while gentleness is an active trait, describing the way we should treat others. Gentleness is stooping down to help someone. God continually stoops down to help us, and He wants us to do the same—to be sensitive to the rights and feelings of others.

The New Testament describes the gentleness of Christ in Matthew 11:28-29:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The two key words I want to focus on are gentleand rest. Christ’s whole demeanor was such that people were often restful in His presence. This effect is another outworking of the grace of gentleness. People are at rest, or at ease, around the Christian who is truly gentle.

A profile of gentleness as it should appear in our lives will include actively seeking to make others feel at ease, or “restful,” in our presence. We should not be so strongly opinionated or dogmatic that others are afraid to express their opinions in our presence. Instead, we should be sensitive to others’ opinions and ideas.

Gentleness will demonstrate respect for the personal dignity of the other person. Where necessary, it will seek to change a wrong opinion or attitude by persuasion and kindness, not by domination or intimidation. Gentleness will studiously avoid coercion by threatening, either directly or indirectly.

Gentleness will also avoid blunt speech and an abrupt manner, instead seeking to answer everyone with sensitivity and respect, ready to show consideration toward all. Living in America sometimes we Christians get our Bible and the Constitution mashed together. What I mean is this, because we have the First Amendment that allows free speech, we essentially think we are entitled to say whatever we want. And so we say what we want. But the gentle Christians do not feel they have the liberty to say what they think and let the chips fall where they may. Instead, they are sensitive to the reactions of others to their words, and considerate of how others may feel about what they say.

Gentle Christians will not feel threatened by opposition or resent those who oppose them. Instead, the gentle Christian will seek to tenderly instruct, looking to God to dissolve the opposition.

Finally, gentle Christians will not degrade or belittle or gossip about the brother or sister who falls into some sin. Instead, they will grieve for him or her and pray for their repentance. If it is appropriate for them to become personally involved with the erring brother or sister, they will seek to restore them gently, as Paul instructs us in Galatians 6, aware that we ourselves are also subject to temptation.

The Christian who truly seeks to obey God through gentle character will actively pursue gentleness, striving to clothe themself with it.

The gentile Christian will place this godly virtue of virtue high on their list of spiritual traits and look to God the Holy Spirit to produce this fruit in their life.

“Gentleness” enables believers to correct an erring brother (Gal. 6:1) or an opponent (2 Tim. 2:25) without arrogance, anger, or impatience; it is also a dominant attitude when believers must make a defense for the hope that is within them (1 Pet. 3:15). This kind of gentle and quiet spirit is called an “imperishable jewel” (1 Pet. 3:4). Gentleness word really complements humility because gentle people are not easily offended.

The third virtue is patience. The Greek term (makrothymia) literally means “a long time before one gets angry.” Connoting a person with a long fuse, it is often translated “long-suffering” and describes the manner in which God puts up with sinful humanity. God is described as being “slow to anger” and “patient”. In the New Testament the need for patience in church relationships is frequently discussed as a key virtue. Paul tells the Thessalonians to “be patient with everyone” (1 Thess 5:14) and defines this quality as a core aspect of love (1 Cor 13:4) as “love is patient”.

There are a couple different aspects of patience, but the one I want to mention is the response of a patient Christian to the provocation by others. In the Heb 10:24, the KJV reads: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. This is not the kind of provoking I am talking about, instead, I am using the word “provocation” to describe the actions of others that tend to arouse our anger or wrath—that cause us to lose our temper.

A quick story to illustrate what I am talking about. Several year ago I got a ride with someone to a meeting. He was driving, and it didn’t take long for this guy to start honking the horn and yelling and cursing at everyone he thought was delaying him to get where he wanted to be. Fortunately, we weren’t going too far. It was a harrowing 20 minute drive. When we got to where we were going, I asked him do you always drive like that. He was actually oblivious that his behavior was clearly out of bounds. I asked him what his wife said about his behavior. And he said, Oh, she won’t ride with me.

When we exercise patience under provocation, we are emulating God Himself. In Exodus 34:6–7, God describes Himself as “slow to anger … forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Daily, God bears with great patience the provocation of sinful, rebellious men who despise His authority and ignore or show contempt for His law.

The key to patience under provocation is to seek to develop God’s own trait of being “slow to anger.” James tells us to be “slow to become angry” (James 1:19). Paul says that one characteristic of love is that it is not “not provoked” (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Even in the church, like anyplace else, people will provoke us. Whether we are slow to anger depends on our heart attitude towards the person who is provoking us. Do we care more for the person who is offending us and what their issue may be, or are we concerned about being wronged?

I’d like to mention a side note about patience. I have heard several people over the years express that patience is not something to pray for, because as soon as you do, your patience is tested, and it is not a pleasant experience. Well, patience is a fruit of the Spirt, like love and joy. Patience is something we should desire, primarily because God calls us to be patient. And as Paul is describing it here, we need it to promote unity of spirit in the church. We shouldn’t hesitate to pray for humility, gentleness, and patience.

This brings us to our third point:

3. The Means in Which We Walk

In the second half of verse 2, and verse 3 gives us two means (or methods) in walking worthy

First, walking in a manner worthy of our calling is done by “bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). In one sense this further defines patience, describing how patience works itself out in our social interactions within the church. In another sense it defines how we are to “walk worthily” before God by extending and combining all the three virtues discussed thus far and thereby becoming a separate category. God’s people exercise humility, gentleness, and patience by putting up with each other in love. Is it hard putting up with one another in love? Yes it is. The concept is related to endurance—specifically to how we are to tolerate each other’s shortcomings and faults. For instance, Jesus, in his frustration at the disciples’ inability to cast out a demon, exclaimed, “How long shall I put up with you?” meaning that he didn’t not want to put with them, the question was how long. (Mark 9:19). And Barnabas in Acts 15:37–39 not only put up with Mark’s (likely) youthful rebellion but split up with Paul in order to take Mark back home to Cyprus and disciple him so that he might become the great Christian leader he would later prove to be.

Second, walking in a manner worthy of our calling requires us to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3). “Eager” adds a sense of urgency to Paul’s appeal. Normally, this term is used by Paul to communicate the intense effort and labor involved in making a trip or journey. Notice that Paul is not exhorting his readers to create unity but rather to maintain the unity that already exists because of the finished work of Christ (that is described in Eph. 2:11–22). This “unity” (cf. 4:13) is something that comes from or is produced by the Holy Spirit. Believers are exhorted to maintain the unity secured by Christ and given by the Spirit. Finally, this unity is established in or by “the bond of peace.” Peace provides the framework for achieving oneness in the church. It was central to 2:14–15, where Christ, “who is our peace,” created “one new humanity … thus making peace.” The church is a new community in which peace has replaced conflict and fractured relationships. That which binds Christians together is nothing other than peace itself.

Now we come to the application points.

First, the only way you can walk “in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” is to be a Christian. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, don’t put it off. in 2 Corinthians 6:2, it says “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Come to Christ now. Any of the pastors/elders would be eager to help you with this.

Second, it seems like pursuing unity of Spirit in the body of Christ is pretty hard. And it is. And the only way we can live that way is through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can just grit our teeth and put up with people. We are poor in spirit, and only through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ, can demonstrate humility, gentleness, patience and bearing with one another in love. Maintaining unity primarily lies with each person living out Christ in their own life. Unity is not an option for believers. You can’t say maintaining the spirit of Unity is not my gift. Or I am not into humility, gentleness and patience. It is essential to the very message we proclaim. The gospel declares the good news that, through Jesus, God has provided a way of reconciliation with himself. When we do not display to one another the peace that God brings, our message is compromised. The unity of believers impacts our testimony to the world (John 17:22–23). Paul, therefore, strongly urges us to “to walk in a manner worthy” of our calling (Eph. 4:1). We fulfill this command by seeking to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v. 3). Unity is not an add-on to Christianity. It is at the very heart of our faith.