Taught 11/9/2008
Ephesians 4:1-6
Walk in Unity ~ part 1
Open your Bible to…
Eph. 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Pray
Intro
√ Walk in unity
All of Paul’s letters in the New Testament display a beautiful balance between doctrine and duty.
That is, he uses his letters as a vehicle for teaching believers the vital truths (doctrines) of the Christian faith…
…then he applies those truths to the lives of believers demonstrating how Christians should live out those truths (duty).
The letter before us is a perfect example of that pattern!
Chapters 1-3 ~ teach the doctrines regarding the riches that we have in Christ and the mystery of the Church, and all that God has done to save us!
Chapters 4-6 ~ Paul explains our duty as believers to live out those doctrines in our daily life.
The key word in these last three chapters that communicates our duty is the word “walk”.
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” ~ vs. 1
Repeated in verses 4:17, 5:2, 8 & 15. The word “walk” means the manner in which we conduct our life…
Our attitude toward life
Our behavior in life
Our interaction with God and other people
Our attitude toward God and others
Ultimately we are called to walk like Jesus walked!
To live like Jesus lived.
That’s what Paul writes about in the last chapters of his letter to the Ephesians.
Ap. The weakness of the Church
The greatest hindrance to unbelievers coming to faith in Christ today is Christians!
The problem is that the majority of people who claim to follow Christ don’t walk like Jesus did!
It’s so bad that some believers have stopped calling themselves “Christians” and are now calling themselves “Christ-followers” to make a distinction between the “institutional” Church and authentic Christianity.
We can’t change what others are or aren’t doing, but we can, in fact we have a duty, to examine our own walk and make sure that our lives are a good testimony of our Lord and Savior.
So, if you’re serious about your faith and your love for Jesus then you’ll want to take careful notes in these closing chapters and allow the Holy Spirit to evaluate your life to make sure that you’re walking like Jesus did!
The Attitude of Unity (vs. 1-3)
Eph. 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph. 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph. 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
√ The attitude of unity
Two words jump out at me as I look at this section of scripture…
“Therefore” & “beseech”
Therefore ~ you’ve heard me say it a million times, anytime you see a “therefore” look and see what its there for!
Therefore is a connective word in that it calls our attention to what Paul has previously written and ties it to what he is about to communicate.
Paul’s exhortations (our duties) in the following chapters are based upon the truths (doctrines) that he’s written about in the first half of his letter.
That is, Paul is saying that in view of all that God has done for us (chapters 1-3) we ought to respond by fulfilling our duty as believers to live like Jesus (chapters 4-6).
Beseech ~ means to…
“Invite, implore, entreat”
That is, Paul is urging us to respond to all that God has done for us by living for the glory of God.
That’s a radical departure from the Old Testament economy!
Under the Old Testament the agreement between God and Man was conditional…
“If you obey Me then I will bless you”
But now in Christ as we’ve just read in the first 3 chapters God in effect says through Paul in vs. 1…
“I have already blessed you so now please respond to My love and grace by obeying Me.”
Wow! That is, our relationship with God is no longer conditioned on our obedience, rather it’s based on the work that God has already done!
What a wonderful new kind of relationship we can have with God because of Jesus, a relationship based on love not Law!
We don’t have to earn God’s love and favor, He already loves us and has blessed us because of our faith in His Son.
Why then would anyone want to go back to the Old Testament relationship with God!
So, it’s on the basis of what God has already done for us that Paul encourages us to obey God by walking like Jesus did.
√ Our attitude
The first step in a walk like Jesus’ is to promote real unity in the Church through an attitude like His whereby we treat one other with…
Lowliness, gentleness and patience.
Those attitudes draw people together and keep them unified.
Lowliness (aka “humility”)
That would have been a radical idea because in Greek culture humility was considered a vice and was only practiced by slaves!
But Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit tells us that the foundation of unity is that we walk in humility, which means we put Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last.
The reason that humility is listed first is that the opposite of humility is pride and it is pride that brings disunity!
Jesus demonstrated true humility for us when He willingly laid aside His glory and took on the body of a man (ref. Phil. 2:6-8).
Ap. “M.C” contrasted to “B.F”
Gentleness ~ also translated “meekness” (KJV)
Means to have one’s power and emotions under control.
For example, a meek person doesn’t use anger, power, or drama to manipulate others.
That doesn’t mean they are never angry, rather, they only express anger or emotions when it’s appropriate.
Jesus is certainly meek and yet we see Him express anger toward those who misrepresented God like the money-changers who took advantage of others.
Ap. Don’t pretend your “passion” justifies aggressive behavior
Ex. “M.J”
Loud, aggressive and un-teachable
3) Longsuffering ~ also translated “patience”
Longsuffering is the attitude that never gives up on others.
It’s demonstrated by a willingness to work with others even after they’ve failed, or shown themselves to be undependable.
Once again we look to Jesus’ example and look at how patient He was with the disciples!
Ap. Give the “B.F’s” & “M.J’s” another chance.
So, an attitude of humility, gentleness and patience foster an environment where unity can thrive!
Ap. It’s your duty!
Look at the end of vs. 2 and vs. 3…
“bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.:
Paul’s exhortation is that the unity of the church is our job!
He’s placed His Spirit within us to change our attitudes to be like His, but He doesn’t force us to change!
It’s up to each one of us chose to have an attitude like Christ toward each other and to work hard to develop and keep unity in the fellowship.
You chose to build unity and the Holy Spirit empowers us to do it!
That is, it’s your duty to…
Chose to put others’ needs and desires before your own.
That means that you won’t always get your way and it means that sometimes people will do things you don’t like.
Get over it and get to work.
It means you joyfully do the things that no one else wants to do because you love Jesus and His people.
So, in view of all that God has done for you personally (died for you sins, granted you forgiveness, a share in all of His riches and glory, a place in His Kingdom, and eternal life)…
…therefore it’s your duty and privilege to treat the people here at Calvary Chapel with humility, gentleness and patience.
The Foundation of Unity (vs. 4-6)
Eph. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph. 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Eph. 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
√ The foundation of unity
The unity of the Christian Church (both universal and local) is based on the foundational truths of the Gospel.
That is, there are certain truths in the Bible that define the Christian faith.
These provide the basis of our unity for it is around these truths that the Church fellowships.
These truths separate Christianity from false religions, social groups and cults.
On the other hand there is certainly room for doctrinal differences between Christian churches, but those differences are not the essentials of our faith.
Ex. Speaking in tongues ~ not an essential to unity
It’s an important truth, but it’s not worth fighting about and should never be a cause for division in the Church. You’ll note that it’s not listed among the essential elements of our unity.
Ap. Not necessary for salvation!
Having perfect doctrine doesn’t save us, rather it’s a relationship with Jesus that saves us.
For example, the thief on the cross didn’t grasp most of the points Paul lists here.
Rather, these are the essential elements of our faith that provide the basis of our unity.
One Body
That is there is only one Church, the universal Body of Christ made up of all believers at all times during the Church Age from all over the world.
One Spirit
Refers to the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised would be sent after His Ascension to indwell individual believers and to knit the Church together in love.
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit ~ no Holy Spirit no salvation! (ref. Eph. 1:13)
One Hope
Speaks of the hope that all believers share regarding our future ~ salvation, eternal life, and glory with God because of our simple faith in Jesus (ref. 1 Peter 1:3).
One Lord
Refers to Jesus, the Head of the Church who provided the means of our salvation and who presently works to grow and build His Church.
One Faith
Speaks of the one way to salvation, faith in Jesus Christ. That is, there are not many paths to heaven, there is only one way and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.
One Baptism
That is, it is only necessary to be baptized once as a symbol of the spiritual reality of our salvation.
Water baptism is a picture of our death to the old nature and our resurrection as a new creation in Christ (ref. Romans 6:1-11).
Since there is only one Church, it isn’t necessary to be baptized each time a believer joins a different local assembly.
7) One God
Paul makes it easy to identify Whom he is speaking of here as he writes…
“one God and Father of all” ~ vs. 6
That is, having accepted Jesus as Savior all believers are born-again into the family of God and made children of the Heavenly Father!
Ap. Did you notice what wasn’t listed as essential!?
The Bible translation you read, the day you worship on, your theological position on the sovereignty of God vs. the free will of man, eschatology, etc.
Each of those issues are important and you should have a Biblical conviction about why you believe the way you do…
…but none of those issues should bring division to the Body of Christ because they are not essential.
God is more interested in what you’re doing to promote unity in His Church.
√ The Trinity
Did you notice that Paul wove the Triune nature of God into this list of foundation truths!
One Spirit ~ vs. 4
One Lord ~ v. 5
One Father ~ vs. 6
And that each member of the Trinity is essential to the work of unity in the Church!
The One Body is given life by the One Spirit, so all believers have One Hope.
The One Body is united together to its One Lord by each members’ One act of faith, and our identity with Him is pictured by One Baptism.
The One God and Father is sovereign over all, operating and residing in all to bring us to unity in His Son.
In a sense the perfect unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ~ One God manifest in Three Persons…
…reminds us that God’s goal and desire for us is that same unity among believers so that we might do the work of the Kingdom without hindrance.
Close
Ap. Walk in unity
What are you doing to promote unity?
Are you doing anything to destroy unity? If so, quit it!