Introduction
Ephesians has to be one of my favorite books of the Bible. I wrote my baccalaureate thesis on Ephesians 2 and Paul’s calling the church to a Christ empowered unity. One underlying theme of Ephesians is Paul’s constant reminder that our problem is always sin – but – the answer to the problem is always Jesus. In the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul shows the church (members in particular) who they were before Christ; who they have become in Christ; and who they will become because of Christ. In Ephesians 4-6 Paul moves us from understanding our position in Christ to understanding our practice – that is – how we live out the new life given us by Christ.
We could call chapters 4-6, “The Believers Walk in this World.” This morning (and this evening) we will look at HOW TO WALK WITH CHRIST BRINGS GLORY TO GOD THE FATHER while living in this world. I think the message of Paul has more impact when we understand what kind of world the church at Ephesus was living in (we often view biblical lands with a sanitized view – this is not the case).
Brief Historical Context of Ephesus
Ephesus was…
1. An important city with great political and religious power.
2. Three temples built for the worship of the Roman Emperor
3. One of the largest temples in the region was in Ephesus and dedicated to the worship of the goddess of virginity and child bearing – Artemis (a.k.a. Diana / cf Acts 19)
4. The Ephesian’s place major importance on the idea of “spirituality.” They used astrology and magic.
5. They were widely known for their “Ephesian Letters.” Pieces of papyrus with blessings or curses written on them. Sorcerers would cast spells on the paper to either heal the bearer or so that someone else could become sick. (cf. Acts 19 - when revival came to Ephesus the sorcerers burned their books filled with spells and incantations used in their magic – eventually causes a riot).
When Paul instructs the church at Ephesus to live in a way that brings glory to God he recognizes the people are living in a terribly dark situation. I think Paul would look at our day and see many of the same problems and darkness. I also think he would tell us that we CAN WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING AND BRING GLORY TO GOD even in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us.
This morning we will look at Ephesians 4 and see how Paul tells us that because of who we are in Christ we can WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING
So, let’s pray and then dive into the Scriptures.
Ephesians 4:1-6
I feel the need to define what I mean by “worthy.” I certainly mean to do what is right. But the biblical idea of worthiness does not begin with my actions but with God’s redemption. We can only walk worthy when we have first recognized our own unworthiness and placed our faith in Christ to make us new. With that said…
Paul urges the church at Ephesus to “walk worthy of the calling you have received.”
Question: What is the “calling?”
Answer: Not a specific calling (i.e. to pastoral ministry or evangelist) but the general calling we have all heard to come to salvation. The language refers to the act of being called by name and subsequently taking on that name of the one who called. If you have, by faith, confessed Christ as your Lord then you have been adopted into His family and therefore bear His name. But that brings a new responsibility and accountability.
Illustration: Passing on my name to my children – must give them a name that is worthy of honor. Why? So they will be proud to pass it on to the next generations of Davis’.
How do we, as Christians, walk worthy of our calling to represent the name of Christ in this world? How do we take the Name of Jesus and bring honor to it so that others will want to be a part of the family. Paul gives us some great tools in the next few verses:
1. “Be completely humble and gentle…” (v. 2) = not thinking we are better than others because we are Christians or have this great revelation of Jesus Christ. (we are no better than the sinner outside - that is who we once were. Coming to Christ and living godly doesn’t make us arrogant – it makes us humble because we recognize where we would be without Him.)
2. “Be patient, bearing with one another in love (KJV longsuffering…” (v. 2b) = literally to “put up with one another” even when we may not like someone because of their personality type. They are being used by God to teach us to walk worthy – to get our relationship with Jesus right.
3. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (v. 3) = Like the ligaments of the body that connects two bones…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit is a commitment to keep the body working right by acting as a person who CONNECTS THE BODY AND DOES NOT DIVIDE THE BODY OR MAKE IT WEAK.
a. Notice Paul says to “keep” – this is telling us that unity in the body of Christ ALREADY EXISTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT - the potential of unity is always there but…
b. We have to be people who recognize that unity and seek to keep it going.
Question: What then are the things that make us united?
Answer: (vv. 4-6) As born-again Christians we are united: IN “one body” BY “one Spirit” Who has called us WITH “one hope.” This brings us into the unity of the BODY. Then we are united by the fact that there is ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all – WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY.
You see, folks, this is all pointing to the idea that WALKING WORTHY is to walking in UNITY. Unity of the Body is possible because the potential for unity is settled in Christ and the Holy Spirit gives us gifts in order to fulfill that potential.
Question: How does God work out this unity in the body? What does God give us in order to empower us to fulfill Ephesians 4:1-6?
Answer: Ephesians 4:7-13
Ephesians 4:7-13
The first thing God gives everyone of us is GRACE! Being born-again and living in the body of Christ requires GRACE and we have all been give a portion of grace in order to fulfill Ephesians 4:1-6.
• When Paul uses the word GRACE he is telling us that God has given us the “ability” or the “capacity” to be gentle, humble, longsuffering, patient and to keep the unity of the Spirit. So, there is no excuse for division in the Body.
• GRACE is not something that happens in a vacuum. God’s grace is always granted for the purpose of action. God’s grace comes to us so we would be saved (action). He gives us grace for the purpose of loving one another, being patient, etc.
• Division happens when the body forgets or rejects the things that unite us (ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD – who is in charge of it all).
(Vv. 8-10) The same Jesus who ascended to heaven first descended to the grave (earthly regions). And because He came forth from the grave and now fills the “whole universe” He has given some gifts to the church.
Jesus gives us a portion of GRACE so that we can WALK WORTHY and He also gives us, THE CHURCH, the gift of LEADERSHIP: (v. 11)…these leaders are
• Apostles: the leader who goes. He is sent forth to plant new churches where the name of Christ has not been named.
• Prophets: the leader who speaks. He or she speaks God’s Word so a to correct, inspire and motivate the church.
• Evangelist: the leader who gathers. He or she is gifted to preach the good-news of Jesus Christ and helps to train others who have this gift.
• Pastor-Teacher: the leader who guides and guards. He seeks to equip God’s people by guiding them on their walk with God and guarding the church against false (unbiblical) teachings.
All of these gifts serve ONE purpose: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ might be built up…” (v. 12).
Illustration: If we are not careful we will look at these gifts of leadership and put them on different levels of importance. In other words, some might say that an apostle is more important than a pastor-teacher. This is not true because all of these gifts come from God but EACH GIFT HAS A DIFFERENCE IN RESPONSIBILITY (NOT IMPORTANCE).
I know that 1 Cor. 12:28 says, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” This makes it sound as if one is more important or higher than the other. I am under the impression that what Paul is illustrating is more about responsibility than importance.
Think about it like this: The apostle goes and proclaims Christ where He has never been preached. The prophet works with the apostle to help build the foundation of the church by ensuring it stays within the Biblical purpose. The evangelist works together with the apostle and prophet to gather people together and proclaim good news. The pastor-teacher works with the apostle, prophet and evangelist to equip the church with Biblical understanding in order that it may fulfill its purpose. I THINK THIS POINTS TOWARD A UNIFIED WORK OF GOD IN THE WORLD FOR THE GLOY OF HIS CHURCH. If the 5-fold ministry is not working together the result is people not hearing the gospel. (African Proverb: When two elephants fight only the sod gets hurt.)
GO TO Romans 12:3-12 – Gifts by grace, for one purpose, “not all the same function” = praxis or the way things are done (we all function but differently in a united body). So – if your gift is prophesying then do it – in submission to the body and the church leadership. If it is faith – then exercise that faith for the building up of the body. If your gift is to serve – then do it for the glory of Christ. If it is teaching – then do it to build up….keeping ourselves humble because that is what the body needs. (Read the remainder of the gifts vv. 8-12).
Paul talks about other “spiritual” gifts in the 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 – but again in these chapters he stresses the importance of these gifts being submitted to the body and for the building up of that body. He also tells us that we must not think that because we are the “eye” we do not need the “ear” – don’t think more highly of yourself – it’s about the unity of the body not the building up of one’s own kingdom. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE EXCERCISED THROUGH LOVE (Chp. 13)…BUT LOVE FOR WHO: (1) The Body & (2) The Lost. If the gifts of the Spirit are exercised with love and discernment and in an orderly manner, Paul tells us that people will be moved on to give their hearts to Christ (cf 1 Cor. 14:22-25).
If any of God’s GIFTS are removed from the church then it becomes weak. All God’s gifts WORK TOGETHER FOR ONE PURPOSE – TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE FOR WORKS OF SERVICE...BUT ALSO TO…
“…reach the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13).
Question: How do we know if we are growing up and becoming a mature church?
Answer: Ephesians 4:14-16:
• Not being tossed around by every little “wind” of doctrine and the lies deceitful scheming men.
• “Instead” – a mature church is one who “speaks the truth in love” – in other words we are not afraid to confront one another about sin because we are more concerned about the eternal destiny of our brother than being polite. BUT we confront from a heart of love and compassion SO THAT the body will be able to stand and every part of the body does its work!
• The unity of the body cannot be sacrificed for the sake of one person who refuses to walk worthy of their calling in Christ.
(SUMMARY) Walking worthy simply means that we as the body of Christ, the redeemed of God, understand the need to live in unity. We live in unity by being humble, gentle, patient so that we keep the unity of the Spirit. God then helps us keep that unity by giving the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers, who work to bring the church to maturity (maturity and unity fit together like hand in glove).
Conclusion
Maybe this morning you have never entered into a relationship with Christ and you do not know the purpose God has intended for you life. Here is the good news. Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to give you abundant life. His grace will radically transform your life and make you worthy to bear His name and be a part of His Kingdom. Your works and good deeds will not do that – only faith in Christ will put us in a position to be sons and daughters of God. If you want to be a child of God pray with me this morning…
Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and in need of your grace to save me. I repent of everything I have ever done against your will and plan – I ask for your forgiveness. I confess that you are the Son of God and that you rose again from the grave that I could have eternal life. Come into my heart and change my life. In the Name of Jesus I pray.
To those who are already in the body and called by the Name of Christ I want us to gather together and pray one for another. Come to the front. Get together with a few people around you. Ask the Lord to help us live in the unity He has provided for us so that we can better impact the community of Odessa and Lafayette County.
