The Mission Of The Church Series

The Mission of the Church

Ephesians 4:1-16

Introduction: The following was a four-part series of sermons I preached on the mission of the church. I have condensed and combined them into one sermon. Perhaps it will be of some benefit to you. Let’s consider the mission of the church.

I. We Are To Be Characterized By Unity (v.1-6)

Unity is to be preserved and promoted by:

A. Proper Behavior (v.1-3): “Urge” = beseech. “Live” = walk – one’s conduct or behavior. “Worthy” = having weight. Picture a set of scales. One side is God’s expectations. The other side is our life. The two should be equal. But we know we don’t measure up in the practical sense. Positionally, we are perfect (accepted) in Christ. We should strive to live differently. Works don’t carry us to Heaven, they follow us there.

What does God expect from us? Unity. If we are going to be unified; if we are

going to preserve and promote unity, there must be humility (v.2), gentleness (v.2), patience (v.2), love (v.2), effort (v.3), and peace (v.3).

B. Proper Beliefs (v.4-6): Note one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.

Unity is not uniformity. It’s not peace at any price. God places great value on

unity (Prov. 6:16-19).

II. We Should Celebrate Our Diversity (v.7-11)

In verses 4-6 Paul tells us what we have in common. Here, he tells us how we differ from each other. There is one body but that body has many parts. These verses teach us two important lessons. It teaches that we have:

A. A Giving Christ (v.7-10): He has given us grace (v.7). Grace is his unmerited favor. We have been given gifts (v.8). Each of us has at least one spiritual gift, probably more. That gift/gifts is to be discovered, developed and deployed. See I Cor. 12:4-11, 27-31; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 4:11. They are not toys but tools! All gifts are important! They are to be used to evangelize the lost, edify the saved and exalt God.

Verses 9-10 is the picture of a military conqueror leading his followers and

sharing the spoils with them. Jesus defeated sin, death and the grave. Having done so he now shares personally, providentially, proportionally and plentifully!

B. A Gifted Congregation (v.11): Do a good word study on each of these.

III. We Must Be Committed To Ministry (v.12-14)

A close look at these verses reveals that saints are to be:

A. Equipped (v.12):See II Tim. 3:13-17

B. Edified (v.12): There are four kinds of church workers. “Knee-bones” = prayer warriors. “Back-bones” = they shoulder the load. “Wish-bones” = they sit around wishing. “Jaw-bones” = you know what they do. Bunch of bone heads! Be a worker (builder) not a wrecker.

C. Educated (v.13): Educated concerning unity, knowledge, maturity and fullness.

D. Established (v.14): People who are not grounded in the faith become easy prey for peddlers of religious fads and heresies. “Cunning” = a term for trickery and deception. “Craftiness” = scheming.

IV. We Need To Be Clothed In Maturity (v.15-16)

Maturity is evidenced by three things.

A. Love (v.15): Truth without love can be brutal. Love without truth can be hypocritical. See Prov. 27:6.

B. Lordship (v.15): “Head” = cut of your head and see what your body does.

C. Loyalty (v.16): The idea here is cooperation. Growth comes in the context of relationships. Paul goes from the “head” to the “body” to “life” to “growth”. The growth of the body is in proportion to the function of each member.

Conclusion: Our mission is to glorify God, evangelize the lost and edify the saints. This can only happen when we are characterized by unity, celebratory in our diversity, committed to ministry and clothed in maturity.