We are the United
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction Story
Story About doctrine- Maybe use legal idea when a law becomes a doctrine
Paul’s transition from Doctrine to Practice
the first 3 chapters of Ephesians have taught us many Doctrines
What is a Doctrine?
What is a Doctrine?
A Doctrine is a teaching that is held as Absolute truth in our Christian Faith
In Ephesians 1 We see the Doctrine of God’s Sovereign Plan over Salvation
We learned that God the Father Planned the Truth
God their Son Redeemed the Church
God the H.S. Called the Church and Seals the church
In Ephesians 2 We see the Doctrine of God’s Work in Salvation
We see the Doctrine of Mercy- God withholding what We deserve as Sinners
We see the Doctrine of Grace- God giving us what we don’t deserve (eternal life)
We also see the doctrines of forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration.
In Ephesians 3_ We are introduced to the new doctrine of the church. Both Believing Jews and Believing gentiles now unified together as equals in Christ.
There are many truths that we as Believers cling too as followers of Jesus.
And Paul in these 1st 3 chapters has given us great teachings on many of them.
TRANSITION: And Now we begin the 2nd half of our study in the book of Ephesians.
We move on from studying Doctrinal truth to Christians Duty the application of theses truths in our lives as believers.
Ephesians chapters 4-6 is all about the behavior that should result from belief in the doctrinal truths of chapters 1-3
“Walk Worthy of the manner by which you were Called”
“Walk Worthy of the manner by which you were Called”
3 Words that we need to think about to understand this statement.
Walk- Used throughout the N.T. to describe the Christians Daily conduct in life.
The idea of walking means that it takes time to get to where we are going.
Our Christian walk is us become more like jesus Daily. and this takes time.
Worthy
To be worthy means that you demonstrate the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way.
-to walk worthy as a believer in Jesus means that your life matches your new position in Christ.
In Christ we are adopted as Gods Children
In Christ we are Free from the bondage of sin
In Christ we have an eternal home in Heaven
In Christ we have the indwelling of the H.S.
TO WALK WORTHY IS TO WALK IN A WAY THAT EXEMPLIFIES CHRIST IN ALL YOU DO, AND THE REASON WE CAN DO THIS IS BECAUSE OF OUR CALLING.
Your Calling - Is God’s Sovereign Call to Salvation-
You were called out of sin and darkness and into the marvoulous light of God.
God Chose you!
It was God who opened your eyes to see your need of Salvation
it was God who Sovereignly chose to draw you to the point of Salvation,
So When God Saved us, He gave us a new position. We are no longer in the World but We are Now “IN CHRIST.”
-to walk worthy as a believer in Jesus means that your life matches your new position in Christ.
In Christ we are now adopted as Gods Children
In Christ we are now Free from the bondage of sin
In Christ we now have an eternal home in Heaven
In Christ we now have the indwelling of the H.S. to lead us in our daily walk with Jesus.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR SALVATION
So as we think about our calling in light of the doctrines in Ephesians 1-3
Paul is telling the church that we should live in a manner worthy of the adoption, holiness and unity to which we have been called by God.
TRANSITION: in the next few verses Paul tells us that........
The Practical application of our Calling is to have unity in our church
The Practical application of our Calling is to have unity in our church
We are called to Unity not Uniformity
Unity in the church does not mean Uniformity.
Uniformity is saying everyone has to worship the same way at church.
Uniformity is saying everyone has to dress the same way at church
Uniformity is saying everyone has to use the same translation of the Bible at church.
We are not called to Uniformity but to Unity.
Unity is a spiritual grace- it’s something that God gives us as His church to be bring us together so that we can bring hi m glory together as one n Christ.
In 1 Cor. 12:12 Paul uses the human body to describe what Christian unity looks like
“For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body—though many—are one body, so too is Christ. 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit. 12:14 For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. 12:15 If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. 12:16 And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? 12:18 But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided”
Unity is when all the different parts of the body work as they are intended to do. So that the body as a whole will be healthy together.
In the next 4 verses Paul gives us the essential characteristics that believers must have if we are going to be able to maintain the unity in our local church.
TEXT READ “ 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.” ESV
All Humility-
All Humility-
Humility Means you put Christ first, others second, and yourself third.
We see the biblical definition of True Humility in Philippians 2
Phil 2:3 “2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. 2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, 2:6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, 2:7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 2:8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross!
The Opposite of Humility is pride or “Self exaltation”-
This is the culture we live in. Everything is all about me its all about my pleasure and what I want.
Culture tells us to do whatever brings us pleasure and to do whatever will make us more happy.
this is PRIDE and the opposite of Humility. it’s all about having everyone around me do it my way because that’s what will make me happy.
and if I don’t get my way than Im going to be mad and throw a fit or Im going to leave the church.
Phil 2:3 says true humility is to2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself”
To be humble in the church means that you are not concerned with your Power, your prestige or your position in the church, but you are truly concerned for the spiritual needs of other. Your desire is to serve the body of Christ.
“Gospel - Humility is not thinking less of my self, but thinking of myself less”
In order for Unity to exist in this church it takes humble selfless people living for the spiritual good of others.
GENTLENESS -”All Gentleness”-
GENTLENESS -”All Gentleness”-
Gentleness - is the quality of being kind and tender hearted
The Bible uses a similar word for this called Meekness.
A quality that Jesus exemplified in His life here on Earth.
Too many times Jesus has been pictured as a soft week man, but that is so far from the truth of who jesus really is.
Jesus possessed the same power when he walked on this earth as he used to create everything.
Jesus possessed the power to heal the sick, give the blind their sight, and rise from the grave.
But although Jesus was all powerful, He chose to be gentle when he dealt with mankind. He didn’t lash out at those who persecuted him but instead he served. them
Gentleness does not mean weak or timid, but it means to have strength under control.
Numbers 12:3 describes a man who was meek A gentle man
“12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, more so than any man on the face of the earth.)”
When I think about Moses, Weakness is not one of his attributes is it. Moses did some amazing things..
Moses possessed great power through God but that power was under control.
Moses was used by God for Gods glory not for Moses fame.
and this is why he was meek- he understood that it was Gods power working in and through him to do all of these amazing things. and it had nothing to do with him
To be gentle means that You have a kind spirit, you are not harsh with others, you show sympathy with the hurting, You show joy with those who are rejoicing. and you restrain from exerting your power over someone else.
So what does gentleness look like in the church?
Using your spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ and not for your own glory .
It’s Listening to others more than you speak your own opinion.
It’s responding with love and grace to those who disagree with you, instead of trying to prove your point or walking away mad.
It’s putting other’s preferences above your own & it’s being fair in the decisions you make that will affect others in the church.
Put simply Gentleness is the way that we a called to care for one another in the church.
TRANSITION: TO have unity in this church we must be Humble as Christ was Humble We must be Gentle As Christ was Gentle and thirdly we must be patient as Christ was Patient.
PATIENCE - “With Patience”-
PATIENCE - “With Patience”-
So how are you doing with this virtue?
This one is not easy is it?
How many of you have Gone on a long car trip with your kids?
You know where this is going :)
Driving up to My in-laws it was a 6 hr driving trip which consisted of the same question being asked about every 20 minutes>
You know what the question is don’t you
ARE WE THERE YET?
The prayer of an impatient person is “Lord I wish you would hurry up and give me patience”
To better translate this word Patience many authors in scripture us the word “Long Suffering”
Long Suffering is the ability to show patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people
If you are a Chicago Cubs fan then you understand what long suffering really means.
in 1907 the Cubs won their first world series, and it only took 1 year for them to win a 2nd.
but after that win in 1908 the Cubs would go on the longest world series drought of all major league teams.
In 2016 the long suffering faithful fans of the cubs packed into the stadium to watch their favorite team play in the world series and hopefully end their 108 year old drought of winning a championship.
after 6 games the score was tied 3 wins for the cubs and 3 winds for the Cleveland Indians, whoever would win this last game would be the World Series Champions.
The game went into a 10th inning and the cubs came out on top.
But what’s so amazing about his story is that for 108 years the Cubs fans never gave up on their team. Year after year they packed out the ball field and enthusiastically cheered on their favorite team despite their losing record.
To be long suffering in the church means that you have patient love for others in the church
You can not truly love others if you are unwilling to be patient with them as God grows them spiritually
This means that you endure annoyances from other people in the church over the long haul
This means that you endure hard times in the church over the long Haul
this means that you love the unlovely in the church over the long haul
and this means that you faithfully trust in Gods leading over the long haul.
How do we develop this kind if Godly patience as believers
By relying on the power of the H.S. that is in you
and By meditating on Gods word which will change you, and by following the example of Christ which will guide you.
to suffer long is not easy to do, but it is essential for our church to have unity in our midst.
Transition: Unity Requires all of us to be humble and preference one another, Unity requires Gentleness as we care for one another , and unity requires patience with one another as we each grow in our walk with Jesus.
The next Characteristic Required for Unity in the church builds upon this foundation.
It is to Bear W/ one another in Love.
LOVE - “Bearing w/ one another IN LOVE”-
LOVE - “Bearing w/ one another IN LOVE”-
In Matthew 22:verse37-38 Jesus said to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
To love your brothers and sisters in Christ is the greatest thing you can do for them.
So what does it mean to love one another in this church,
1 Corinthians 13 is crystal clear on what it means for us
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 13:3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit. 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. 13:5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. 13:6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. 13:7 It bears all things, it believes all things, it hopes all things,
and it endures all things. 13:8 Love never ends!
I believe that when it comes to unity in the church our love for one another must be stronger than our love3 for our selves.
TO love one another means that you preference them over your self.
To love one another means that you do what ever is spiritually good for those around you in the church- no matter the cost.
If we want to be a church that is unified we need to love one another the way that God loved us. When He sent His only son to pay our debt so that we could receive spiritual goodness from God.
Paul goes on with the next virtue of Unity for a church and that is to diligently work at maintaining unity in the church
EAGERNESS- Eager to Maintain Unity in the Spirit -
EAGERNESS- Eager to Maintain Unity in the Spirit -
It takes work to maintain unity in a church
We are all sinners in this church. We all have a sin nature that is selfish and wants our own way,
UNITY TAKES WORK on everybody’s part in the church
Notice we are not called to Create unity in the church but to maintain unity in the church.
Our unity does not come because of who we are naturally but our unity comes from God
To be eager to maintain Unity means that we are zealous about it, We get excited about, that we work hard at maintaining unity in our church.
it means that we take extra effort to preference one another over ourselves for the purpose of unity in the church,
Trans: and Paul is telling that Unity is only possible when the believers in the church are growing in their Humility, and are growing in their gentleness with one another, and are growing in their patience with one another, and are growing in their love for one another, and are growing in their desire to keep the unity in the church. And all of this is held TOGETHER IN the Bond of Peace
In the bond of peace-
In the bond of peace-
The bond of peace means that all of these virtues arE a necessity for there to be peace in our church. They are what Hold the unity together.
Peace in a church means that their is no war or fighting amongst the members. There are not hidden agendas, or divisions among the people but instead we are united as One in Christ. Serving along side one another for the purpose of Glorifying God in all we do.
Klyne Snodgrass in His commentary on Ephesians (NIV Commentary 218) said that if we are going to gain these virtues in our lives than we each must be willing to give up something in return.
If you are going to walk with Humility than You must renounce self centeredness
If you are going to walk with gentleness you must renounce harshness and violence in your words and actions
If you are going to walk with Patience than you must renounce the tyranny of your own agenda
If you are going to love others the way that Christ loved you, than you must renounce your own rights
If you are going to walk eagerly to maintain unity you must renounce passivity in our christian life.
Conclusion
In order for our church to move forward and be unified in Making and equipping Followers of Jesus We must be Unified as One Body and not just a group of individuals trying to do church their own way.
As you look at your life this morning and your role in this local church. Are you walking worthy of the calling by which you have been called?
How do you fit in with the goal of Maintaining unity in this body of believers.
are you selfishly trying to make church all about you?
Are you harsh with your words and actions towards other people in the church who disagree with you?
Are you trying to make others do church your way?
are you holding on to disagreements that you have had with other church members that need to be forgiven?
Are you annoyed at people who aren’t as spiritual mature as you think you?
THESE are all qualities of an immature believer in Christ and they are not what God has called us to be as a church.
These selfish virtues will divide our church and will fight against the Unity that we are called to have.
In Closing I want you to listen to the text onemore time
Eph. 4:2-3 “2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."[NLT]
NEXT WEEK SERMON
We are ONE
One Body
One Spirit
One Hope
One Lord
One Faith
One Baptism
One God (the Father)
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