Sermon Tone Analysis

!! "GROWING UP INTO CHRIST"

!! (A Series on Ephesians)

!!  

!! C.R.3~/29~/87a.m.                                      Ephesians 4:1-16

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!! PROPOSITION:The   purpose  of  God  for  His  church,  that

!!                Jesus died to redeem, is that she walk in the call of God, keep the unity of the Spirit, and be equipped under the administration of His grace gifts, for the purpose that she grow up, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.

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!! I.INTRODUCTION

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!! -     OUR home has some basic ground-rules that we follow and we expect our two girls to follow;

!!       ~*        The first has to do with spiritual values.

We       believe that loving and obeying Christ is THE         most important ingredient in life......above social          activities......above......above possesions.....above         education......above everything.

And we try to          live that out in front of the girls, and we   structure their lives accordingly.

!! ~*     When it is bedtime.......we are leading them in time in the Bible and in prayer.

How else will they learn that it is a priority that is life and death?

!! ~*     When there are age-appropriate activities here for them to learn from and enjoy fellowship with other Christian children.......they'll be here.

!! ~*     When they start getting allowances....they'll learn about tithing.

!! ~*     When Rita and I are here to worship and study God's Word on Sunday night, as a family, they will be here.

!! ~*     The next ground-rule has to do with attitudes.

We discipline as much for attitudes as anything else.

!! ~*     Temper tantrums are not tolerated nor are they ignored.......hopefully in a calm, consistant and loving way we spank for tantrums.

!! ~*     Speaking harshly or negatively to each other is not allowed.

!! ~*     Sulking is not allowed.

!! ~*     Smiles and laughter are mandatory.....we do laugh a lot together.

!! -     I COULD go on and on with the basic that we are shooting for in our home.

!! -     AND believe me, our home is far from perfect.

!! -     BUT what I am driving at this morning is that obedience is not really an alternative....nor is it ever going to be.....and we are fortunate to be starting early with our two.

(By the time they are teens it is too late to crack down then and expect much success.)

!! -     RITA and I expect obedience for two main reasons.

!! ~*     One, contrary to what Planned Parenthood believes, we as Vanessa and Kathryn's parents know what is best for them and their development.

(That's why I am 38 and they are 7 and 5)

!! ~*     Secondly, we expect them to obey because of the investment that we are making in their lives.

Now that may sound pretty old-fashioned but I don't care.

!! ~*     Vanessa cost me my Jensen Healey....we didn't have a maternity rider on our medical insurance at the time Rita got pregnant.

(The urologist had  told us that we couldn't have children.)

!! ~*     They cost me money to feed, to clothe, to educate, to entertain, to house....and in return for the privilege, while they are taking advantage of those benefits, I expect them to obey the rules of the Rowlands house.

!! -     I AM not saying that my love for those girls is conditional....I love them when they obey and when they disobey......we try to teach them that.

!! -     BUT I am saying that I expect obedience because of the investment I am making in their lives and future......it  is the responsibility that goes with the privilege.

!! -     WE are the family of God.

!! -     CHRIST died on the cross, paying the price for our sin, so that we could, by faith, become members of the family of God.

!! ~*     He was cut off from the Father by our sins that HE bore.......never before in eternity had that happened.

They were inseparably one until He became sin on our behalf.

!! ~*He was spit upon for us.

!! ~*     He endured the scourging of a whip braided with wire and bits of iron and glass......to purchase your healing.

!! ~*     Your sins and mine nailed Him to the cross.

!! -     WE carry His Name....adopted as sons and daughters according to His pleasure......Ephesians 1:5 tells us.

!! -     WE live in His benefits;

!! ~*     Our sins are forgiven.....removed as far away from us as the east is from the west.

!! ~*     We have been given the Holy Spirit as a guaranteeing our inheritance.

(1:14)

!! ~*     We have been given wisdom and the  revelation of God so that we may know Him.

(1:17)

!! ~*     We have been given hope.

(1:18)

!! ~*     We have been made alive with Christ.

(2:5)

!! ~*     We are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

(2:6)

!! ~*     We have been given access to the Father through Jesus, by the Spirit.

(2:18)

!! ~*     We have been given power in the inner man.

(3:16)

!! ~*     He is able to do in us and through us, "immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." (3:20)

!! -     ALL this and more, because we are the family of God by faith in the blood of Christ.

!! -     ALL this is family privilege......only for those who carry the name of the Father by faith in Christ.

!! -     THAT is great!

We praise the Lord for it all!

We will probably never realize the full benefit of being in the family untill we get to heaven.

!! -     OUR worship centers on the glory and benefits of God our Father.

!! -     OUR new prayer outline starts with honoring the covenant names of God...whose we are....Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah M'Kaddesh, Jehovah Shammah, Jehovah Rophi, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi.

!! -     WE lift our voices and our hands to Him in praise!

We are His children.

!! -     BUT, just like with Vanessa and Kathryn, there comes a time for obedience.

!! -     THE high privilege of being family calls for a high obedience......the two go together.

They are inseparable.

!! -     TURN with me to Ephesians 4:1-16.

!! -     AS we examine this passage together this morning you will see how Paul transitions from privilege to obedience.

!! -     HERE'S where the rubber meets the road saints!

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!! II.ONE CALL

!!  

!! -     THE first response to the privilege of being family of God....is to live in the call.

!! -     PAUL says, in view of the high privileges of being family with God, here is one call that goes with the territory.

!! -     IT is the call of God to the family Christ died to save....a family that He will have walk in obedience.

!! -     PAUL says this family has one call.

!! -     HE identifies five elements to living in this call in verses 1-3.

!!       "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

!! -     LET'S look at these five elements of the call.

!!  

!!       1.BE COMPLETELY HUMBLE

!! ~*     The Greek word that Paul used here for "humble" doesn't mean putting yourself down.

!! ~*     It means the recognition of the worth and value of other people........the kind of attitude that led Christ to empty Himself and become a servant.

!! ~*     This kind of humility is indepensible to unity in the Body of Christ.

The greatest single source of discord is pride.

!! ~*     Who are the people that we instinctively, immediately like and get along with?

Those who give us the attention and respect that we feel we deserve.

!! ~*     Who are the people in God's family that we immediately, instinctively hate?

Those who treat us like dirt.

!! ~*     So what is at the heart of most relationships?

Our selfish pride.

!! ~*     If, instead of manoeuvring for the respect of others, we give them our respect by recognizing their their God-given worth......we will be walking in the call.

!!      

!!       2.BE GENTLE

!! ~*     The second element of the call is gentleness.

!! ~*     It is not some milk-toast attitude, but the word in the Greek was used to describe a domesticated animal.

!! ~*     It is NOT a synonym for "weakness".

!! ~*     It means "the gentleness of the strong", like a broken-in Clydesdale horse....whose massive strength is under control.

!! ~*     It is the absence of asserting personal rights either in the presence of God or man.

!!  

!!       3.BE PATIENT

!! ~*     Patience is love in action and kindness towards aggravating people.

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!!       4.BEAR ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE

!! ~*     This is the love that overlooks the inevitable irritants between the people of God who are working and living, together, in Christ.