Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction/Scripture
Pray.
Hook: All kinds of small groups....
Ephesians is a general letter that is likely written to a surrounding region including Ephesus.
In this great letter Paul is giving an apology of what exactly has happened in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He has made clear already in the letter the scandalous reality that there is a new ethnic and a new family in Jesus Christ.
No longer Jew and Gentile.
Rich, poor, all in Christ have been brought into the family.
Best synopsis of the beginning of this declaration:
Chapter 4 provides this bridge, this great turning point that is made clear by the “therefore” of verse 1.
With all of this I have just declared...
Live a worthy life of the calling you have received.
A life of humility and gentleness and love in community.
Life that is marked by peace and unity.
This is the apprenticeship community within the church.
Last week I made the claim that discipleship is more about apprenticeship:
Be with Jesus
Become like Jesus
Do what Jesus did
This community that is described here in Ephesians 4 gets to the heart of it.
Jesus community shares unity
Paul begins by radically making the claim that the church, the community of God is in community with the triune, Father, son, and Spirit.
The bible has not worked out trinitarian theology, but you can see here where the early church might be drawing trinitarian theology from.
He says one seven times, to even a cursory reading one can tell he is trying to make a point.
We could spend a whole sermon here but let’s talk about the characteristics of the unity that should be found in this kind of community:
First there is one body:
This body is the joining together of diverse people.
The whole thesis of Ephesians is the joining together of Jew and Gentile.
The crossing of one of the greatest ethnic barriers known in biblical times.
It is also the crossing over socio-economic barriers.
Notice, though, the vision is not a loss in diversity but a joining together.
Diversity is actually vital in the apprentice community.
Too often in the church today we are drawn to homogenous community.
Second there is one hope:
The first thing that joins together the diversity is the one hope we have.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
This is our hope.
Not a hope of building it up and making it right ourselves
Not a hope of just living our best life
Not a hope of self-discovery
Not a postmodern utopian future of progress and education and societal achievement
no other god
no last hope but eternal life and life today in Jesus Christ
Unity is created in a diverse community that is running towards the same hope.
Finally, there is one Christian family:
Because there is one God and Father who is above all and in all.
We are all called into the family together.
It is not that revelatory to point out that we live in a divisive time.
Everything is about defining ourselves and what makes us different from someone else.
Pronouns, Republican, Democrat, pro-this, or pro-that, methodist, baptist, catholic, gentle parenting/peaceful parenting/positive parenting/discipline. Vaccinated or non-vax,
I saw a Tyler social media group and someone was trying to start a home church but only for people that had not gotten the vaccine.
Our denomination is like this right now, we know more of what we stand against than what we are for.
We know clearly what divides us, and no attention to what unites us.
Paul is calling the whole church to this unity, but before Marvin can know this unity, we must practice this unity in small groups.
Have you been in a community that protects the central focus of Jesus and this one hope?
If we can do that, then our diversity brings a fuller life within the unity.
Jesus gives gifts in community
This isnt just a support group.
This is not a place where we just encourage one another or watch over one another in love.
That is good and it is biblical.
But Something is given in community.
Our Lord has given us gifts, look again in verse 11....
• apostles
• prophets
• evangelists
• pastors
• teachers
Do you think this list only refers to professional Christians, to the vocational ones, or is it also a calling for all of us?
Apostle: Those that expand the gospel into new places, creating community,
Prophet: those that hear from God and speak for God clearly into community
Evangelist: hose that bring Christ to new places, but also quickens the step of the believer
Pastor: Those that provide care and theological oversight, helping community to live this worthy life
Teacher: those that can bring the revelation of God in Jesus Christ to life for everyone around them.
If you think these titles are ones that Gerry and I are supposed to carry, you are sorely mistaken.
But more importantly than the offices in this passage.
The main point of Ephesians 4 is that the head of the body, Christ, who has achieved victory gives gifts, and those gifts are people.
You are a gift.
When you are not in the community, we miss out on what God brings through you.
Community is where we live Jesus truth
My favorite part of this passage is the closing.
So much so that I wrote my doctoral thesis on Ephesians 4.
There is a beautiful image here for what it looks like to be a faithful worshipping community.
“Speaking the truth to one another in love” is a verse we love.
Especially, when we feel like we want to say something critical of that person that is driving us crazy.
....just go speak truth in love.
Nope, the greek is more rigidly “truth with one another.”
example?
Paul is telling Ephesians to live truth with one another.
If we will live gospel truth with and next to one another then we will become Christ like.
4 year old and 2 year old (and one on the way, Lord help us).
The way my kids learn is spending time with us living truth of life with them.
Now the hard part is determining what truth we are living in front of them (is it scarcity, fear, selfishness, etc…we live out truth in front of those around us).
But as we live out truth in front of them, as they go to school and learn about things, as they interact with littles and older kids their age, they are being shaped and formed.
As they are formed they are not as susceptible to everything around them.
When it comes to things of the faith, Paul infers here that we are infants being tossed back and forth by the waves.
And I wonder if it is because we spend very little time in community that lives out the Truth.
Closing:
Eugene close.....
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