Sermon Tone Analysis

My heart feels full this morning…

Grateful for the process of working through this letter with you…

Let me pray for our time together…

To say that I am passionate about our topic of discussion for this morning would be an understatement.

In fact, I freely admit to you that one of the main reasons why I chose this letter - of all 66 of them contained in the Bible - was for the content that Paul wrote about in chapter 4.

And that is, the nature and essence of the church.

Some of you may already know of my passion for the church because it flows out of me nearly every time I teach - whether it be with you or our students.

And not because I simply appreciate the idea of church or how it makes me feel on a Sunday.

In actuality I am passionate about what the local church means for a community because God radically altered the trajectory of my life through the power of the local church.

It is not just theory for me, but the power of the local church is real.

Truthfully, I believe with all of my heart - with every fiber of my being - with every conviction and passion that I can physically muster - I believe that God desires to change the hearts of every individual, redeem every community, and restore the world… through the here and now, daily workings of people like you and me who make up the local church!

Isn’t that cool?

<<You can nod your head.>>

You’re part of something powerful.

Yet, I want to acknowledge that some of you may not yet feel the same way I do… and that is perfectly ok.

You are so welcome here, and I have been praying for you.

I fully recognize that all of us gather here this morning from a variety of backgrounds and experiences with the local church.

Some good, some not so good.

When some of you think about the church, you feel the same way I do.

You feel a deep welling of joy springing from within you.

Some of you, however, at the very thought of church may feel a deep sense of pain or hurt or confusion.

My prayer for you is that you will come to see the local church - and in particular, Hillside Church - as a faithful representation of the character of God in our community.

I hope that you come to see the church as a community who is for you, not against you.

My aim for all of you this morning is very simple: To recognize the local church - especially Hillside Church - as the true community of Jesus Christ in the world and the primary means by which people discover their redemption in Jesus Christ.

That’s it.

In order to unpack what exactly that means, allow me to briefly summarize the main points from the previous 3 weeks, then we will dig into chapter 4 together.

3 weeks ago, we learned that in the first chapter of his letter, Paul addresses the choice, the plan, and the inheritance of our Heavenly Father for every single person who ever lived… ever… ever… ever… through his son, Jesus Christ.

This is the core, foundational claim upon every person in the world.

God chose you.

God has a plan for you.

God wants to give you an inheritance as his son or daughter that includes life with him in Heaven.

I want to go through once more what exactly the Father did for every single person who ever lived through his son, Jesus Christ.

Paul outlines it in the first 12 verses of his letter:

verse 3 - The Father blessed us in Jesus

verse 4 - The Father chose us in Jesus

verse 5 - The Father predestined us in Jesus

verse 6 - The Father poured grace on us in Jesus, the one whom he loves

verse 7 - The Father gave us redemption through Jesus

verse 8 - The Father lavished grace on us through Jesus

verse 9 - The Father made known to us the mystery of his will as he purposed in Jesus

verse 10 - The Father intends to bring everything into unity under Jesus

verse 11 - The Father provided us with an inheritance through Jesus

verse 12 - The Father gave us hope in Jesus

verse 13 - The Father marked you in Jesus with the seal of salvation

verse 14 - The Father guarantees the redemption of all his people through Jesus

This is the clearest, most succinct description in all of Paul’s letters of what the Father did for us through his son.

It is radically centered on Jesus and provides us with radical insight into just how much the Father radically loves every single one of us.

In chapter 2 of his letter, Paul answers the question of “Why the Father sent Jesus to us.”

And the answer: you and I, along with every person who ever lived, broke our relationship with the Father because of our sin and transgression, which means we strayed from and offended God.

All of us have ultimately succumbed to the selfish desire of being the god of our own life.

As a result, you and I deserve the wrath of God and the only consequence the could befit an offense of that magnitude is death.

In fact, Paul’s opening statement in chapter 2 is:

“As for you, you were dead in your sins and transgressions.”

Eph 2:1

Without the work of the Father for you, as outlined in chapter 1, then you would be dead - dead to hope, dead to emotional and spiritual health, and dead to the greatest of all things, a right and authentic relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Then, Paul states in verse 4, “But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ, even while we were still dead in our sins and transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

You did absolutely nothing to deserve this, but rather, the grace of God made available to you the reality of a full life and a place in the heavenly realms with Jesus Christ.

That is the reason for Jesus!

In chapter 3, Paul prays a prayer of power and strength for you to believe this:

He writes, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Ephesians 3:16-17

You know what I love about this prayer?

Paul actually believes it!

Keep in mind that Paul wrote this letter to a real, historical local church… in a real, historical city called Ephesus - on the threat of losing his own life… because he believed that a real, historical event containing an actual death and a literal, physical resurrection of a real human being named Jesus occurred that forever altered the trajectory of humanity!

Thus, behind the words of his prayer, Paul yearns for the real, tangible Spirit-filled power of God to infiltrate the innermost parts of your life so that the same Spirit that filled the Son of God may also dwell in you through faith!

Can you feel the weight of power behind these words?

Paul actually believes that the same power of God that raised a man from the dead is present for those who believe.

And why?

So that you may be filled with strength to continue the mission of Jesus in the world.

It is in this knowledge that Paul instructs how believers ought to live life together as the Body of Christ, the local church, for the world:

Paul writes in chapter 4, verse 1 and following:

As a prisoner for the Lord, therefore [a word used to encompass everything that preceded this statement - therefore…], I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

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

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

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

This passage and the ones to follow offer the most descriptive and profound instruction for the church in its entirety.

Verse 1 says,

“Therefore, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

The phrase ‘calling you have received’ ties the three previous chapters together into a bundle and brings them forth here as the central instruction for the local church to follow.

But what exactly does a calling mean?

Quite simply, a calling is a way of life.

It is accepting the content you just heard and making the necessary adjustments to apply it to your identity.

A calling denotes a movement toward a particular way of living and being.

It is dynamic.

It is alive.

For one to hear a call means that person turns from one way of living life and begins moving into the direction of that call.

Hear how Paul uses vivid, energetic, spirited imagery to describe how one works out her or his calling.

it requires a doing kind of action.

It is alive, and beckons us to respond.

Furthermore, the notion of calling also evokes the idea of freedom and choice.

Indeed, you have received a calling to believe and embrace the act of God for your life.

But you are under no obligation to do so.

You are entirely free… to live alive in Christ without fear or anxiety or hopelessness.

However, you are also entirely free… to live dead in your sin and transgression.

This is the ultimate form of freedom in that God does not robotically choose your way of life.

You get to choose your own adventure.

God longs for a relationship rooted in love - where both parties freely choose one another - and that requires choice.

God has already chosen you.

Will you choose God?

Continuing in verse 1, Paul uses the word “Worthy” as a descriptor for how you should walk in your calling.