49 Ephesians 4a:
Notes
Transcript
Worthy Life
Worthy Life
EOT-Paul gave the church instruction to live out the unity that was already theirs.
Ephesians 4:1 (RSBEE:NASB1995U): Here begins Paul’s exhortation for his readers to promote the unity of the church through godly living (vv. 1–6) and, through a diversity of gifts, to contribute to the common welfare (vv. 7–16).
EOS-The Church must fight for unity...
DDS-Use our spiritual gift to make the churches unity stronger
Why is how we walk so important, John 13:33-34.
Intro-Maybe how the church walk is how others will know if we are God’s disciples.
Bellas team
Bad tournament-A couple of weekends ago they played really bad. I did not go to that tournament, but when I talked to Bella she just said it was bad.
Then the next tournament, they had they played against one of the top clubs and almost won the tournament.
Then I got to go see her play last weekend. And there team was playing fantastic, they won their first six games and they were in the semi-finals in the gold bracket. So far to this point their was great unity, but this team was good, they were trying to disrupt their unity. They were putting their blockers on their best hitters, this was a back and forth match and we won the first. But in the second game one of our best hitters got stymied because she was getting blocked. She started doubting herself and the team started doubting themselves. This unity that was their all tournament was all of the sudden in danger of being gone.
It is fun watching your kid play sports. I don’t know how good Bellas team will be this year but I do know that how far they will go will be directly related to how unified they are as a team.
Unity is non negotiable for great marriages, great sports teams, great work environment. It is especially essential for great Churches.
When Churches are great they are unified!
Think about an incredible church you have been part of. I know it wasn’t perfect but it was unified. And as a result you probably wanted to use your gifting and your abilities in that church.
Now think about a church that you wanted to run from. I can almost guarantee to you that it was not unified.
When churches are unified we want to serve and use are gifts because we love being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. As a matter of fact we were created to be a part of this church that is greater than ourselves.
Since we are the church God wants each one of us to be part of the answer to a unified church.
Today Paul is going to challenge us to fight for the unity that the church already has. Paul wants RCC to be a great church and if we are going to do that we need to fight for the unity is already ours.
Today I want to give us three reasons why we must fight for unity!
1-6-The basics of Christian Unity
UNITY IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
We must fight for unity because it is commanded (1-6).
We must fight for unity because God has gifted the church (7-13).
We must fight for unity because the alternative stinks (14-16).
1. We must fight for unity because it is commanded (1-6).
1. We must fight for unity because it is commanded (1-6).
WHAT IS THE COMMAND: WE WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY.
WHAT IS THE COMMAND: WE WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY.
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
In the first three chapters of this book Paul focuses on our identity as both individuals and as a community. This is the first time he gives us a command. Notice God wants us to know who we are before he tells us what to do.
Look closely at the word implore this is the first command and that seems pretty strong. When Heather and I worked with college students the discipleship program was called KALEO. Kaleo means to call. This greek word comes from PARAKALEO it comes from this same word and it is a strong call-I am imploring you, exhorting you summoning you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling.
What Paul is saying to these believers is that if God where the one giving you a haircut he does not want you to show off a bad haircut to the rest of the world. He is the one who called you. We are to walk in a manner worthy of your calling. We are representing the one who has called us from death to life. Paul was calling them up! Paul was always calling believers up and raising the bar.
Are you walking in manner worthy of your calling?
HOW DO WE FOLLOW THIS COMMAND?
HOW DO WE FOLLOW THIS COMMAND?
He tells us!
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
List:
List:
A humble person will treat someone like they want to be treated.
A gentle person has their emotions under control.
Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible The basis of unity 4:1–6
“. . . meekness is a virtue of the strong, those who could exert force to get their own way but choose not to.”
Patience is endurance even under affliction. When wronged, the patient person does not retaliate (cf. Gal. 5:22; Col. 1:11; 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:2).
This list isn’t rocket science but it is not easy to apply.
what is the bond of peace
ONE ANOTHER COMMANDS IN THE BIBLE-
There are 100 times one another passages in the Bible
59 are specific teaching and instructing us how.
One of the ways they were to do this is they were to get along: Both Jews and Gentiles.
Jews be humble and accept the Gentile Believer, not just be friendly but accept him. Gentile accept these weird rules you don’t understand. Because if you guys can’t love one another we have a message that no one will listen to.
If the church could not love each other how were they going to live out their mission.
Church even though we are a plant I have seen these verses lived out, but we have not arrived we are going to have to keep fighting for this unity!
It is worth fighting for our unity in the spirit: Let’s not let anything come in between this.
Jesus said this:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
How will the world know that we are his disciples-
If we love one another.
Why do we follow this command? Reason-Oneness
Why do we follow this command? Reason-Oneness
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Why: This is what we are:
What is one hope of your calling?
When we come to faith in Jesus we become part of something that is greater than ourselves
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
If the oneness of God is that important because of who God is how much more important as his church
Marriage might be the best illustration for this because marriage is all about oneness.
Marriage is worth fighting for. When I was married the verse was quoted the 2 shall become 1. Heather and I are one. There are times when this oneness is simple and easy. But there are times when we have to fight for it to keep it.
Already/Not Yet tension
Application:
Are you walking worthy of your calling?
Are you living the one another verses?
2. We must fight for unity because God has gifted the church (7-13).
2. We must fight for unity because God has gifted the church (7-13).
God has gifted the church
God has gifted the church
The church is not some second class organization, it is the greatest organization ever established. The leader is God himself.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Remember God gave Paul a certain amount of grace: we talked about it last week in Ephesians 3.
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you;
Every Christian has a role to play in the purposes of God.
Your gift is not my gift my gift is not your gift but we all have a gift. And if you think your gift is insignificant then you are only hurting the body of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:7 (TCENB): “Gifts are not toys to play with. They are tools to build with. And if they are not used in love, they become weapons to fight with . . . (1 Cor. 12–14).”
Ephesians 4:7 (TCENB): 4:7 Whereas each believer has received grace (unmerited favor and divine enablement) from God (3:2) God does not give each Christian the same measure of grace. Paul spoke of God’s gift of grace here as ability to serve God. Though Jews and Gentiles both receive enabling grace from God, God gives this ability to different individuals differently (cf. v. 11; Rom. 12:4–6; 1 Cor. 12:4–6).
Isn’t this incredible that God has gifted each individual to be a part of his church and each person has a specific role for God’s Church.
Do you know what your gift is?
Are you using your gift for God’s glory?
Therefore it says,
“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”
(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
Quoted from Psalm 68:18,
You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.
Ephesians 4:8 (TCENB): Paul’s paraphrase of Psalm 68:18 confirms his statement that God gives gifts to people. A military victor has the right to give gifts to those identified with him. Christ, the victor over sinful people, has the right to give those people to the church as gifts. In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 Paul spoke of gifts given to people (cf. v. 7), but here he spoke of people given to the church as gifts.
If you are anything like me you can feel really inadequate right now, that you have a real role to play in the Church of God. But here is what is even more amazing about this:
God does not call the equipped he equips the called.
God does not call the equipped he equips the called.
A great example of this is Moses. Moses was a poor public speaker. When God called Moses, he did not want to go because of this. But if you know anything about the story of Moses, when he went God equipped him. Here is what Numbers 12:3, says about Moses:
(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
If you are willing to make yourself available to God, he will equip you for great works.
If he has called you to salvation he will gift you for good works.
All believers have at least one gift
You are uniquely gifted!
You are uniquely gifted!
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Apostle-Sent one
Prophetic gift-speaks truth and knows prophecy
Evangelist-Leads people to Christ
Pastor-Teaches God’s word and shepherds God’s people
Teacher-teaches the word of God
There are so many other gifts but if you are a believer in Jesus Christ you have a gift.
The church doesn’t function if Jesus doesn’t give gift to us
As I think about this list, we need ALL OF THE ABOVE:
We need people to serve our children, we need people to reach our children, we need people to reach people with the gospel, we need people to teach our youth, we need people to set up the church, we need people to give to this church. We need YOU. And if you are saying I just can’t do it you have forgotten that God is the one who has gifted you!
God gives gifts to build up others.
God gives gifts to build up others.
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Ephesians 4:12 (TCENB): Equipping” (Gr. katartismon) means preparing, mending, or restoring people to their proper use (Gal. 6:1; cf. Matt. 4:21; 2 Cor. 13:11; Heb. 13:21). The role of these leaders is to minister the Word to the saints in the church so the saints can minister the Word in the world. All the saints should participate in service, not just the leaders. Every Christian has a gift or gifts with which he or she can serve (4:7; 1 Pet. 4:10).
How are you using your gift to build up the body of Christ?
Since we are just building our team up and I know most of you somewhat well I have seen you guys build each other up.
When gifts are used for unity = dynamic Church
When gifts are used for unity = dynamic Church
Many times when we think of a dynamic church we think of a massive church building but a dynamic church is when the people of God are using their gifts for the glory of God and the needs of others.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
The work in v.12, is the work that happens until v. 13 happens-which means until rapture
Ephesians 4:13 (TCENB): “God is not trying to produce successful Christian business people who can impress the world with their money and influence. He is not trying to fashion successful church leaders who can influence people with their organizational and administrative skills. Nor is He trying to fashion great orators who can move people with persuasive words. He wants to reproduce in His followers the character of His son—His love, His kindness, His compassion, His holiness, His humility, His unselfishness, His servant attitude, His willingness to suffer wrongfully, His ability to forgive, and so much more that characterized His life on earth.”
Application
Do you know your gift?
Are you using your gift?
Remember God equips the called he does not called the equipped.
In other words you don’t have to have it all figured out!
So far we have seen that we must fight for unity because it is commanded and because God has gifted you. There is one more reason we must fight for unity.
3. We must fight for unity because the alternative stinks (14-16).
3. We must fight for unity because the alternative stinks (14-16).
We are going to see a contrast in scripture. We just saw what happens when what we read about does not happen.
What happens when we are not dynamic church.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
1. Christians are not grounded.
1. Christians are not grounded.
a. Christians won’t know what they believe
a. Christians won’t know what they believe
b. Christians won’t know why the believe
b. Christians won’t know why the believe
Story of Guy who said Damn I am good.
This is what happens when the church is not doing what it is supposed to be doing
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Mary popping a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down