There Is One Body Series

A. How many of you have seen the movie “That Thing You Do”?

1. It’s one of the movies that our family enjoyed over the years.

2. It’s a movie about a fictional band that ended up being a “one hit wonder” band.

3. The band decided to name themselves the “wonders” but wanted to be unique and so rather than spelling the name “wonder” in the usual way, they spelled it “Oneders.”

4. This led to confusion in the pronunciation of their name and so they were often introduced as the “O – Needers.”

B. I was reminded of that fun movie when I saw a sermon with the title “God’s One-derful Plan for Unity.

1. God’s wonderful plan for unity focuses on the seven ones that equal unity.

2. Paul explained it to the Ephesians this way: 1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making 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 at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

3. Last week’s sermon was the first in the new series that we are doing about these seven ones.

4. Last week, we focused on our great calling as Christians and how that walking worthy of that calling includes a commitment to keeping the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

5. We talked about the important role that humility, gentleness, patience and forbearance play in enabling us to maintain unity in the church family.

6. An attitude of humility is based on thinking clearly about the value and love God has for us in spite of our sins, failures and imperfections.

7. That humility then allows us to extend God’s love and grace to others who are equally loved and valued in spite of their sins, failures and imperfections.

8. We extend gentleness, patience, and forbearance to others because of the gentleness, patience, and forbearance that we have received from God and from others.

C. With those things in mind, let’s turn our attention now to the first of the seven ones that equal unity – the first “one” is: there is ONE BODY.

1. How many bodies of Christ are there? Many? Nope, just one.

2. This may be very hard for us to comprehend because from our vantage point it looks like there are many bodies of Christ, but from God’s vantage point and in reality there is only one body.

D. The body is one of Paul’s favorite analogies to describe the church.

1. The church is the body of Christ and Jesus is the head of the body.

2. Paul had already used this expression twice in this letter and he developed it further in later chapters.

3. At the end of chapter one, Paul wrote: 20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. (Eph. 1:20-23)

a. We see in this passage the special role that Jesus has as the ruler and authority over everything for the church, which is his body.

b. How beyond imagination is the thought that God, the One who fills all things in every way, lives in us, the church, giving us His fullness?

4. In chapter two, Paul wrote: 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. (Eph. 2:14-16)

a. Here Paul speaks of the hostility and separation that had existed between Jews and Gentiles and how that through the cross of Christ, God has brought everyone together and has created “one new man” and “one body” through the work of Christ.

5. A few verses later, Paul employed other analogies to describe the oneness of the church: 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:19-22)